#(it's okay he gets Character Development™ later)

[egophiliac]

What do you like about the Diasomnia boys if I may ask?

I always love hearing about the different reasons people enjoy characters.

I mean, c'mon. he has split custody over Sebek okay

also, Lilia in particular has maybe the best timeskip character development of all time

[beauleifu]

Hello! Can you write a oneshot or a headcanon (platonic, ofc) about Macaque with a reserved but also very outgoing child? (like those kids that are calm and reserved but if you mention something they really like they just go off and start rambling all happy and excited)

I had this idea in my head for a little while, I think it'd be really funny and wholesome if he just appeared at Pigsy's Noodles w/ his child and everyone's like "wh- YOU'RE A DAD??? WHEN??? HOW????" and he just watches with that Tired Parent Look™ as his kid stares directly at MK and goes "YOU'RE THAT MONKIE GUY ON THE TV!!!"

Sorry for any errors! English is not my first language, I apologize for the long text aswell, I'm just an absolute sap for the "tired but loving dad" trope also you can totally delete my ask or skip it if you don't want to write it!! Thank you either way, your writing is wonderful :) !

All right! *cracks fingers, snaps neck- whoops-*

You got it anon! Sorry for not answering this ask sooner, I realized headcanons are easier to write than an actual oneshot considering the limited time I have to write nowadays. But I hope you enjoy, and thanks for the ask! <333

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MACAQUE X CHILD!READER

Lego Monkie Kid

Context: Long ago, a wise old monkey had taken you under his wing, to train you and teach you the ways- okay, let's save the theatrics for later, that's Macaque's thing. Your father figure. Honestly, he's growing on you, and it's starting to show now that people are pointing it out.

TW: None!

HEADCANNONS

‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹‧˚₊꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒷꒦︶︶︶︶︶꒦꒷‧₊˚⊹

Macaque doesn't normally take you somewhere where conflict is bound to arise. He'd prefer someplace more peaceful, like a park/museum/theater. Unless, of course, he's in the mood for adventure and will literally take you skydiving without a permit.

Totally the irresponsible dad. He's protective as FUCK, let's make that clear, but in the end he trusts you to take care of yourself

perhaps a bit too much, and even you think that

He'll encourage you to pet that snake

He'll give you the thumbs up if you wanted to climb to the top of the weather tower during a thunderstorm

Like "Go get 'em, (Y/N)! Make your father proud!"

With such a dramatic character when it comes to encouraging you, Macaque will become insanely tired. He'll be snoring on the couch and won't wake up even if you stacked all the furniture in the house on his back

Speaking of the house, he and you live far away from any danger

This guy didn't know jack shit about being a dad at first (you kind of hat to teach him, oh how the turns have tabled) But once he understood the basics, he took the reins, eager to impress you and earn your respect. Macaque isn't usually a sucker for developing any relationship with Earthly figures, but you were the only exception. He'd lay awake at night thinking if he's making the right choice, then slapping himself for even considering abandoning you. You are too precious.

Which is why he's totally, utterly wrapped around your little finger

So when you ask to get take-out at Pigsy's Noodles, it doesn't take much effort to sway his stoic resolve

"Dad. Pops. Papa. Father of mine," you say, grabbing his face, looking a lot older than you actually are. "Please!"

Since Macaque can't turn his face to the side (squished as it is), he sighs dramatically and closes his eyes. You catch the faint, irritated twitch of his tail, but that's about the only hint of Fed-Up Parent you can detect.

"(Y/N), Megapolis is miles away."

"You have shadow magic!"

"You can't just abuse my powers, especially now that you've decided to abuse yours," he grunts, albeit grinning at you. He' loosing.

Triumph fills your chest. "I can handle it! Uncle Pigsy would love to see me!"

"Uncle!?" Macaque splutters, finally escaping your grip. Shocked eyes blink down at you. "Sweetheart, you haven't even met Pigsy, you've only seen him from afar."

You blink up, flaunting those devil-may-care puppy eyes.

Oh, he hates it when you do that.

"Puh-lease! I'll do anything! i'll scratch your back! Do my chores before games! I-I'll stay out of your secret stash of peaches!" You gasp, flopping down on the soft carpet lining the floor. You consider the intricate pattern for a moment, then mutter under your breath; "Even though you said you hate those. . . ."

Macaque fixes you with a stern look. "You know about that, huh?"

"Mayyybe."

Like I said, not that much effort. The guy may be invulnerable to harm at best, but his immortality falls short under your tactics. Persuasive skills that he taught you to use.

Sucks how plans backfire, huh?

When you two do get to the shop, however, Macaque goes into full parent-mode

He doesn't care if you think it's uncool, you're holding his hand and that's that. He'd get you one of those child harnesses but thank the stars you'd convinced him you're worth more than such a humiliating child-control device.

So in you go, holding hands, Macaque glaring at anyone who spares you a curious glance.

When Macaque sees who's at the counter, he almost does a 180 out of there

It's MK.

Of all people.

He hasn't seen the two of you yet, though. You feel Macaque's paw tighten over your small, nimble fingers, and you can't help but squeeze back in return, asking a silent question.

It's times like these where you don't know what to do. You're still a child, even if this was your idea.

But then you spot who's at the counter

and At the same time, Pigsy comes 'round the corner with a giant tray of noodles- fit for the exact number of people surrounding the Monkie Kid. Suddenly, Macaque realizes who all is there.

This guy

Parent-Panic-Pro

The literal Monkey King is the first to turn head, eyes landing on Macaque first. You can tell instantly his fight-or-flight response just kicked in; shoulders tensing, teeth baring, eyes widening (oh yes, typical ex behavior- HAHA)

Then, all heads are turning.

And Monkey King's eyes land on you

Macaque steps in front of you, form tense and on high alert. "Heyyyy," he says, awkwardly.

The Monkey King tilts his head, perhaps confused as to why his old friend is protecting a little kid. Then he realizes. Poor guy connects the dots, lets out an unholy gasp of astonishment, and points and the both of you

"YOU. YOU- AND THEM- MACISTHATYOURKID-"

Pandemonium.

At least, in the most gentle context. MK and his friends do a double take, the Monkey King is gaping and trying to figure out who could ever love Macaque to result in this- and your dad just completely gives up. He gives you this look, like 'see why I was against bringing you here'

And you know. And your eyes say sorry, that you'll make it up to him later

Typical silent father/child communicating

(you guys are really good at that, communicating through your eyes or expressions. it helps in crowds)

That is, until your eyes fall on MK and realize for the first time that he's actually there

And Macaque's face falls into an impossibly disappointed facade (really, he's happy you're socializing) as you let go of his hand and prance right up to MK, eyes literal stars.

Thank goodness for MK, for he's kind and patient enough to let you blabble and gush on about how cool he is and how you've stayed up to date on the latest chaos he's incited (poor dude looks a bit downcast at that)

Funny how you went to such a well-behaved, shy kid to an energetic hyper-fixated gremlin in two seconds

All the while, Pigsy is listening, Monkey King corners Macaque and quietly demands answers (the two of them talk in the background for awhile as you socialize)

Noodles are served

There's just so many people in Pigsy's Noodles that the owner himself couldn't keep track of who ordered what, so everyone just got the same thing- and lots of it

In the end, you're all sitting down at the table (everyone had worked together to gather as many spare tables/chairs as possible to sit together at one huge-ass table)

You insisted you sit with Mei and MK in order to interrogate them about their adventures

OF course, you mean well, and they know that. And Macaque never pulls you aside because he likes seeing you like this, it makes him happy knowing you're indulging in the things you love, and he deosn't have the heart to tell you it's almost time to go home.

So you stay there for awhile, chatting with Mk and his friends

You get to know Pigsy (he doesn't mind being called your uncle, said at this point he's practically everyone's uncle or dad)

But alas

You're bit a child

And towards the end of the night, aftter everyone is stuffed full of noodles, you're conked out in your chair, slumped and snoring softly, eyes fluttering from dreaming

Everyone glances at you, how fucking adorable you are

Macaque straightens, clears his throat, says it's time for him to leave

Sun Wukong stops him for a moment, just to say

"Keep them safe, Mac."

Of course, like the #1 Dad he is, Macaque snorts. "I think I know more about raising a kid than you do, Wukong. I'll . . . see you out there."

Then he picks you up, carefully, so you stay sleeping, and walks out

but not before turning around to thank everyone for dinner

For once, they offer smiles (some are weaker and less meaningful than others, but props for trying. Macaque is kinda responsible for a lot of pain in their lives, anyways)

You don't register any of it, too full of noodles and new information regarding your idols

Macaque knows he'll never hear the end of it

Perhaps that's a good thing, considering the fond smile on his face as he gently carries you home, lays you in bed, and pulls the covers over your snoring form. He eagerly awaits the morning to which you'll wake him up excitedly ranting about tonight, about how you want to do it again

And he's wrapped around your little finger, so if course he'll listen to you

this guy would move the world for you

[nights-at-crystarium]

January 9 is Vivi’s birthday \;w;/ The date’s cheeky, it’s when I reached ShB on him ingame. A year ago. JUST A YEAR. No other oc of mine had such an intense development process. I wanted to try writing a disaster, and, well....

Lemme have today as an excuse to ramble about his influences. Of course I didn’t merely lump these together, I kept realizing the likeness as time went on.

The concentration of unhinged blondies and literal idols is past the critical level, take cover, it’s gonna blow.

Spoiler warning for everything.

Anarchy Panty

Because his full name’s Vivien Fucksalot Rell x’D A good number of their tropes match perfectly.

This speech could as well be copypasted into his final battle with Emet:

Panty: You're right, I'm just a little bitch and I'm proud of it. But guess what, douchebag? That's not the point. News flash, I don't need special fucking powers to beat the shit out of you. You know why? Because I'm a bitch who doesn't give a fuck. You and your half-dead face can preach about hymens and demons and other weird words that supposedly mean shit, but that doesn't change the fact that if any of you fuckers get in my way, I'm gonna kick some twisted-ass ass. You hear me dick? I'm a hot bitch angel named Panty. And no matter what anyone says, I DO WHAT I FUCKING WANT!

Princess Ai

An edgy fashion icon that I'm still in love with. Brainstorming the visual styles for Vivi, I simply decided to indulge as hard as I can.

Howl

Howl gets his redemption arc, Vivi, uh.... Surprise, the entire ShB part of Fragments is his redemption arc of sorts. But he exists outside ShB as well. He’s not meant to be a goody two shoes. But hey, his drama queen moments are entertaining to watch.

Raha has a lot of Howl in his character too. With Vivi, he’s basically this, except he doesn’t swallow him.. Okay he does but in a different way *kicked*

Arataka Reigen

Because I’m physically incapable of writing a classic hero.

Vivi has a complicated relationship with his career and a pragmatic approach to most things in life. He also prefers words to violence, will fight only if that fails.

When confidence and persuasion carry so hard you don’t really need anything else. Vivi firmly believes in everything he says and does. He doesn’t derive any fucked up joy from being right, but he knows as a fact that he IS right.

Sakuma Ryuichi

Duality my beloved \o/ And dorkiness. Other than that, Ryuichi doesn’t have as much influence on his character, but the visuals?

I mean I literally use this shirt and necklace as an easter egg/homage. Gravitation triggered my queer awakening in the faraway 2006, might as well give it the acknowledgement it deserves.

And, lastly, the he.

What else do you expect from a character tailored for a ship \o/

Short. Sassy. Dorky. Gremlin. All of their direct likeness stems from ARR, while the more subtle parallels and extreme opposite values form later.

If Raha’s eccentric, Vivi takes that just a tad bit further, simply because he’s always been allowed to.

What Raha keeps repressed, buried deep down, Vivi embraces in full. He’s an unruly, effervescent spark of life, he’s meant to be Raha’s “manic pixie dream boy” according to tvtropes, to slowly lure him out of his shell and teach him confidence, the joy of living, and find a way to stop him from killing himself over and over again.

Words of praise and affirmation have no effect on them. Both are competent in some field, but never brag about it. While Raha has a severe imposter syndrome, Vivi knows he’s cool as a fact, which still doesn't mean he loves or values himself as he should. He just acknowledges and uses his status for his own benefit as openly as the world keeps using himself.

Destiny (affectionate) and destiny (derogatory).

Raha’s The Adult (tm) Vivi needs to stay somewhat stable. This’s the reason they don’t quite get along in ARR yet, Raha must go through that century of suffering that, despite all common sense, refines him into something delightful, Vivi must go through HW-SB to realize his priorities in life and frankly get fucked up enough to form a perfect chemistry with Exarch.

Raha has a moral compass that he may adjust at will, Vivi has none at all. How much more questionable would they be if they weren’t cute and charismatic :’D

They’re feisty and competitive towards each other, Raha especially so. Vivi has a red cloth effect on him. Forever wrestling for that imaginary control (yep, in bed too). On the emotional side, it’s forever “you matter, I don’t”. They’re mirrors of each other, reflecting some parts as they are, twisting others in most peculiar ways.

Vivi literally wouldn’t exist without Raha, both ic and ooc. So I daresay Raha has the most influence on his character, at the same time he’s his own guy enough to stay interesting. I’m so proud of him. I’m holding him by the scruff and helplessly shaking him in the air.

[queseraone]

You had this coming. Worst 5 Chenford Episodes of the Rookie. Tim and Lucy must interact. You reap what you sow 😈

And then to give you even more to procrastinate with—

5 missed opportunities that you wish the show would have done more with

Okay, let's dive into this.

My opinion on worst episodes is similar to yours - these episodes feel like a departure from the characters and from the development of their relationship, etc.

Hit and Run (4x08) - I do not like this episode for Chenford (and in general tbh). GENNY: When you were 7 years old, he dropped you in Griffith Park with a compass and made you find your way home. TIM: Which I did. LUCY: A Tim Test. (setting aside the overall UGH of someone doing that to a SEVEN YEAR OLD...) As if Lucy 'empathy is her superpower' Chen would make such inconsiderate comments about someone else's pain, especially Tim's?!?!??! No, no, NO. Even her conversation later with Tim where she says she's overstepping, but that his sister needs him... I get that, but Tim did not want to go back there. And the Lucy of the past and of nearly every other episode would absolutely not say that. She would respect and support Tim's choice, because it makes sense - emotionally, psychologically, etc. And if they really needed Lucy to have a conversation like that, it should have been with Genny, telling her to leave Tim alone and respect his choice. Ugh.

Mother's Day (4x21) - This makes the list out of my absolute HATRED for that fake proposal. Sure, the teasing earlier in the episode was fun, but the ending was AWFUL. There are about a million other (better) ways we could have seen Lucy having that sort of "aha" moment. Tim Bradford views marriage in high regard (again I go back to - this man was true to his vows with Isabel long after she took off), he's not going to PROPOSE as a joke. GRRRR

The Choice (5x04) - What you said, honestly. That Look™ as he's lowered down to the basement is !!!!!, but beyond that? Booooo, such an anticlimactic conclusion to this story arc. Certainly this was a byproduct of (heartbreaking) real-life circumstances, but the complete lack of closure to this arc for Lucy (and Tim) will be forever disappointing. And on top of the way it all played out, the brief exchange between them when they see Rosalind's body at the end? It's so devoid of any emotion or compassion on Tim's part (granted, we can't see his face as he says "she only seemed larger than life", but his subsequent line is all business), and it just feels so out of touch with the previous Chenford + Rosalind moments.

New Blood (3x11) - Again, big old ditto here, but yes, hated the way they portrayed Lucy as insecure and jealous of Barnes. (Seriously listen up everyone: Lucy has never ever been insecure about her appearance - nor should she be, she's a fucking babe.)

This is a tie between A.C.H. (4x05) and Long Shot (4x14) for the same reason. Both episodes have some fun moments, and are certainly not awful overall, but similar to Lucy's comments re: Tim's childhood/dad in 4x08, I hated seeing Tim spin Lucy's mom's comments/actions in a positive light ("Or she's just looking out for you, knowing how busy you are." and "Maybe she's trying to prevent you from making the same mistakes she did."). Sure, maybe he was trying to play devil's advocate or make sure Lucy was considering all her options or whatever, but it comes across as him siding with her mom. And based on how easily Lucy talks to him about this stuff, it's clear he's heard plenty about that situation in the past. Lucy's mom sucks.

Five missed opportunities, hmm, this is hard to think about on the fly...

I think it was a massive missed opportunity to have Chenford do the whole secret relationship thing (delicious) and then not have a reveal of the relationship. This show is light and fun, and there was major comedy potential there. I wish they would have explored that more. This is slightly related, so I'll lump them together - I wish we had a conversation between Tim and Angela after the reveal of Chenford to bookend the ones in 5x01 and 5x02.

Still can't believe they brought Chris back after the breakup just for lawyer stuff. I was more than happy to close the door on that character, but if they really wanted to bring him back, it felt like a missed opportunity to not have some interaction with Chenford and real closure to that arc.

The Emmett of the it all - I've been chatting with @goodgirlssayiloveyoutoo (Go read her fics! Do it now!) about this recently, and it's honestly such a bummer that the actor had to leave so abruptly. There was so much potential in that relationship - he was super hot, Lucy deserved to have a love life (!!!!), and it felt like such an opportunity to propel things forward and make something happen with Chenford.

This one is silly and stupid, but after Tim called LA CLEAR in season 2, I would have loved to see Lucy or Nyla or someone set his ringtone to Lady Marmalade.

I can't believe I'm relating one of these to 5x01, because that episode is a fave, but it's a bit of a missed opportunity that Hajek's crew busted into the hotel room so early. There was only one bed. Would have loved to see how they handled that (and just having more of them undercover in general). But that's a minor one overall.

And I absolutely positively wish Tim broke up with Ashley.

Oooookay wow this post feels super duper negative... which is insane because I absolutely adore this show and CANNOT WAIT for it to be back in 4 (!!!!!!!!!) weeks!!!!!!

Omg someone ask me some positive happy questions hahaha

[basicallyjaywalker]

The stupidest thing ever in Ninjago:

The Love Triangle™

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

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

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

The timeline of the love triangle and Jaya generally

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

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

Strap in because this is gonna be a very angry ride

To Recap…

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nya: what did we talk about?

Jay: Oh right! Boundaries!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why this entire thing was bullshit.

It was unnecessary

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

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

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

Let's start with Nya.

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

-listens to the machine at all

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

-her affections towards cole

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

-how she proceeds to act in the dynamic

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

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

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

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

To Cole. What the fuck my guy?

-developing feelings for nya

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

-the fact that it just keeps going

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Generally, this was a stupid plot

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

Rebooted

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

After that it's jokes.

Tournament of Elements

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

Possession

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

Skybound

Literally the driving factor of the season.

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

Nya was robbed.

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

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

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

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

So....

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

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

[savior-of-humanity]

Ouougrghhh yeah um. Sorry for being basically dead here lately 😭 I've basically had zero energy for writing on tumblr lately + my energy has basically been reserved for niche discord rp servers (Godzilla/Evangelion crossovers my beloved) and video games. I might also drop most, if not all, of my threads/owed replies in the inbox but idk if or when I'm gonna do that. If yall ever wanna reach out to me for w/e reason, your always welcome to hit up my DMs on here or discord!!! You can find me @ sharklordsatan on discord

Anyways. I'm gonna drop some Hot New Lore™ under the read-more for my argonian character (Swift-With-Arrows) since I decided I didn't really like how ""plain"" her backstory was

SURPRISE BITCH YOU ALSO GET SOME ART OF HER TOO!!!! Okay anyways. For context, originally Swift's backstory was pretty generic - she grew up in Black Marsh, before setting out to explore the world (definitely visiting at least Cyrodiil + Morrowind) at around 19 - 20 before she'd end up in Skyrim.

Now, the current iteration of her backstory goes something like this;

Somewhere on Solstheim, there's a remnant of the old Dragon Cult. They once were part of the cult for Miraak, but became disillusioned with him (given that he was, y'know, stuck in Apocrypha) and fucked off to return to their dragon-worshipping ways.

However, they would latch on to the idea of a Dragonborn being subservient to the will of their dragon overlords, much like how Miraak himself had once been. So obviously they set off to go actually find a Dragonborn - which. Isn't an easy thing to pull off, given their rarity. I don't know how long it would take them (let alone how they do it - maybe something involving Daedra?) but eventually, finally, they find what they're looking for. A child, born of dragon blood, deep within the swamps of Black Marsh.

I also don't have many solid ideas on how she ends up in the custody of the cult in the first place, but either way, she's ultimately taken back to Solstheim and raised by the cult directly.

Her being taken from her homeland is a tragedy in of itself - it means that she's ultimately denied her birth-right to be raised by her people. To learn their culture, to live with her family, and ultimately to develop her connection with the Hist. Her being separated from Black Marsh at such a young age means that she is estranged from the Hist, further alienating her from her fellow Argonians.

It doesn't help that the cult actively indoctrinates her on her future role as Dragonborn; to them, she is to act as the ultimate servant to their dragon gods. The embodiment of their will, the perfect tool, the perfect slave - belonging to no-one but Alduin himself. It's not a great environment to grow up in, as you can imagine - especially as they at some point forcibly tattoo their given name for her, Dovriizaak, along her spine in Dovahzul.

Eventually, though, she escapes their clutches - fleeing into Morrowind, where she proceeds to head west so that she can get as far from Solstheim as possible. For a good while, she goes without any name whatsoever; the thought of being called her cult-given name (or her fated name as the priests called it), let alone the memory of the cult at all, was enough to make her sick to her stomach. Eventually, though, she would decide to give herself a name; Swift-With-Arrows. (Fun fact; this is the name the Hist would've given her had she still grown up in Black Marsh. So you could probably say that despite the circumstances of her childhood, she still has a connection.)

Finally, she crosses the border into Skyrim - only to be caught up in the middle of an Imperial ambush, leading into the events of the storyline. She never figured that she actually was Dragonborn despite the cult treating her as such, so to not only have Alduin himself come down from the sky and try to kill her at Helgen, and then later face Mirmulnir at the Whiterun tower and absorb his soul...

Yeah. She doesn't take it well.

[inastarlesssky]

Okay so here's my actual thoughts about The Crimes of Grindelwald. That last bit was like me processing really quickly what I thought but this is a more...in-depth thing. Not promising a play by play analysis of the plot and everything but what I thought of the story in general and more specifically about the dynamics of Newt + Leta, Newt + Tina, and the Credence plotline.

Okay so last night, I finished Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and I didn't think it was such a bad movie. Not the best, for sure, but I have seen worse. I was just struck by how much was going on. . .there was the overall Grindelwald's evil agenda and him being a creepy af villain. Kudos to Johnny Depp for pulling off the creepiness. And the costume designers/makeup people. All of that (his appearance, and the man's acting job) contributed to very much "This guy is Bad™ and he won't hesitate for a second to do what needs to be done". Though I am still wondering what the hell happened to his eye to make him look weird like that. Was he born that way? (I haven't read the books but I might one day.)

I liked the escape scene; the rain, and the Thestrals were pretty neat but I might have appreciated some explanation or reference (was it referred to in the previous movie, Abernathy's abilities?) Or was it Grindelwald making it possible to switch places with him in the coach? I mean cinematically, it was kind of neat, but I was really confused. Same with the part, later, when Abernathy shifted from looking like a woman to himself to get inside the Ministry. I'm just used to seeing wizards use wands, given that we see that in HP. Granted, okay, some of them just don't, like Graves/Grindelwald in the first movie when he just did with magic with a swish and flick of his hand...but still.

Then there was the whole bit about Dumbledore enlisting Newt's help to find Credence. Not gonna lie, though I liked Dumbledore a bit in the HP movies, I didn't like the idea that he was foisting off on Newt this job. Newt asks him at one point, "Why can't you do it?" and we later find that he can't fight Grindelwald because of a blood pact. Understandable, but Idk I just feel like Dumbledore just doesn't want to get involved. For whatever reasons that may be (perhaps I'll discover this in the third movie...) Which brings me to the point at the very end of the movie, when Newt brings him the phial containing their blood pact thing. When he asks Dumbledore if he'll destroy it or try to, the latter says, "Maybe, maybe" in a way that seemed very much to me like a "I'll tell you maybe but it's a Slytherin way of saying 'no'." I'm not trying to bash Dumbledore here, trust me, this is just what I think of him from these actions.

This little sideplot of Credence and Nagini...it didn't really grab me. Maybe he really is like this, but Credence just seems very mopy and I'm not sure how to put it....he doesn't really make me feel any particular way about him. Like it's different with Grindelwald and Newt.

Grindelwald:

Okay I see him, he looks like trouble,

Lie after lie spills off his tongue,

He's vicious and all of the above = he's bad and I don't like him.

Newt:

He's a little spacey but he knows what he has to do.

He says he doesn't want to take sides, but his heart is in the right place, and he will devote himself to the good.

He's quirky, he looks quirky and there's just this awkwardness about him that makes him endearing = you develop a soft spot for this guy.

But Credence? I pitied him in the first movie for how he suffered, but I just don't think I understood his character enough in this movie to feel anything more.

Okay, now about Leta and Theseus. I was downright confused about the relationship with Theseus and Newt tbh. In one moment he's hugging him and offering him assistance and then at the Ministry, he looks like he legit wants to kill Newt, and I think Newt even makes a remark about that. But then, at the very end, they hug because well, they've both lost Leta.

As for Leta....I wasn't sure what to think about her and Newt As I said before, there's that flashback to Hogwarts where we see her upset because of the other girls' bullying, and she runs off and finds Newt with a raven chick. Then Newt finds her and takes her to see a Bowtruckle (was that Pickett by the way, or just one of the Bowtruckles that he'd found in that tree there?), and it's sweet because we see just so how tender he is. And he's looking at her with a kind expression, but I didn't get the impression that either of them had anything romantic, really. I think I was just really confused.

The Newt and Tina part of all this....So personal note here--I sort of just initially started shipping them because they looked like they could be a thing. In the first movie, he was sort of just thrown into an adventure with her and they had to figure everything out. The last scene of FB had me thinking, will they, won't they? Then, in CoG, when Queenie tells Newt that Tina thought he was engaged to Leta and thus started dating Achilles, the camera goes to him and I saw him maybe a little devastated, disappointed, at the news. He pretty much visibly deflated, and then we see him looking for how to find her, to explain the truth. Why would he be so desperate to do that if he didn't actually care how she felt about that?

I also picked up on that part when they're in the safehouse, and they're taking care of Yusuf. Whenever Tina calls him 'Mr. Scamander', he just has this look on his face...like he feels the distance she's putting between them. Then there's also the scene in the French Ministry. Newt was basically scrambling to explain to her that it was a mistake, that in his words, he wasn't truly happy or engaged, despite what she thought. I felt like it was pointed, when he said that to her. She asks him "Are you here to win [Leta] back?" and he answers with "I'm here to--" to what? To win Tina back? Maybe.

Newt: Please don't be happy. No, I--sorry, I don't--obviously I want you to be, and I hear that you are now. Which is wonderful. What I'm trying to say is, I want you to be happy, but I don't want you to be happy that I'm happy because I'm not. Happy. Or engaged. Tina: ...

Was this him trying to tell her something? I'm not sure. We don't see much more of them talking like this later in the movie because of everything else that happens. I'm kind of a little bummed about Queenie, though...I mean she was never my favorite character, but I liked her. Except when she crossed over to Grindelwald's side, I was like "No! You're better than this." Jacob was, understandably, upset. As for Leta's fate, that was unfortunate. When she said I love you, that was for Theseus, her fiancee, no? That's what I thought at least.

And in the end, Credence is supposedly Aurelius Dumbledore, surprise. A LOT of stuff happened in this movie that I think could have been either two movies or not stuffing so much into one. Like it had promising points, but it was just too much. At least too much to take in at 11 at night before going to sleep, imo. It wasn't too bad though. I'm looking forward to the 3rd movie!

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

So anyways, here’s my list that absolutely nobody asked for of the least hot to the most hot Disney prince

10. Prince Charming (Prince Henry according to Disney Wiki) (Cinderella, 1950)

He is called Prince "Charming", but there is nothing about him that's charming in the slightest. The 2007 direct-to-video sequel Cinderella III: A Twist in Time did redeem him a little by making him more humorous and interesting, but still, he isn't that hot to me.

9. The Prince (again, Prince Florian according to Disney Wiki) (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 1937)

Yeah, this prince ends up pretty low in my list because he just wasn't interesting at all and his physical attractiveness couldn't be appreciated at all mostly due to the limitations the animators had animating him. Besides, when you take close-up look at him, he looks like he's wearing makeup, which is just a no for me, I don't care what anybody says. I like "One Song", though.

8. John Smith (Pocahontas, 1995)

I can't stress enough just how John Smith is one of my least favorite Disney men, which is partially why he is so low in my list. He is not an ugly dude by any means, objectively speaking, so I get why Pocahontas would be attracted to him on a physical level (I wish she had gone for Kocoum, tho), but Idk man, he just doesn't grab me at all.

7. Prince Adam, A.K.A. The Beast (Beauty and the Beast, 1991)

Okay, many people have joked about the Beast version of Prince Adam being hotter than his human version, and they are right but to an EXTENT only. Still, I think Adam is pretty darn good-looking, even with his ginger hair (only few guys rock ginger hair, don't @ me). Unfortunately, we have yet to see enough of his human side, which I think would be a very interesting outlook on his character. I'd love to see how he would cope with the trauma of having been cursed to be a beast and living with that for a decade (and when he was a child, A CHILD!!!!). With all that being said, Adam is kind of hot but not hot, HOT like the ones I'mma mention later.

6. Li Shang (Mulan, 1998)

Ah, yes, my guy Li Shang is one of the hottest military men we have seen in animation. Over the years, I never cared for Shang that much, and even though he is technically not in my top 5 of hottest Disney™ men, I won't deny he is very attractive and looks fantastic (and realistic, might I add) shirtless. The fact that he's a little shy with Mulan in the end of the film, in spite of him being a whole warrior, adds points to his hotness, imo! In this house, we love and respect Li Shang.

5. Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty, 1959)

Out of the trio of the classic Disney princes, Phillip is definitely the one that's the most interesting, attractive and charming. He might be lacking a little when compared to other latter heroes in terms of character development, but Idc, he deserves credit for being the first Disney prince that actually had a personality, was charismatic and active in the rescue of his lady, something the first two didn't do yet get an unfair amount of credit for it. I find Phillip to be quite hot and charming, which is why he ends up high in this list, something I usually don't see in others's lists of hot Disney men, and I think that's an injustice. Give my guy Phillip more credit!

4. Flynn Rider, A.K.A. Eugene Fitzherbert and Prince Horace (Tangled, 2010)

Of course Flynn had to be high because he's, well, Flynn Ryder and you can't debate that. There is no doubt that Flynn is one of the most interesting, charismatic and funniest men in Disney canon. This dude is pure gold, and he is incredibly hot and charming, which is a very nice plus. What else can I say? He's just that sexy. I believe Flynn would have been even hotter in 2D because traditional animation just has something about that that makes someone a hunk or a gorgeous woman.

3. Prince Naveen (The Princess and the Frog, 2009)

Prince Naveen might have been a typical arrogant womanizer at the beginning of the film, but let’s be real, can you really deny his incredible hotness? Naveen is a hunk, and Tiana definitely won in life by not only opening her own restaurant, but also by getting a man like him. Naveen learnt his lesson in the end and was willing to do anything for his lady in the end, which earns him extra points for hotness, imo. I love Naveen and he is definitely one of my favorite Disney men (and one of the most underrated, if I say so myself).

2. Aladdin (Aladdin, 1992)

Aladdin was and still is a hunk, no matter how many years pass by. There's something about dark hair, thick eyebrows and a nice smile in a man that's just! so! appealing! Aladdin was drawn to look like a teen heartthrob (I mean, he was inspired by Tom Cruise. Let that tell you something), and he is still swooned over after all these years (almost 30). Aladdin is one of the most attractive Disney men not only for his looks and physique, but also for him charisma, personality and bravery, which is a great plus for anybody, really. Anyone who doesn't think Aladdin is hot needs to gets their eyeballs checked. Just look at my man <3

1. Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid, 1989)

And last, but certainly not least, we got Prince Eric. Prince Eric usually ends up very high in the hot/sexy Disney male characters lists, and for a very good reason. Eric is undoubtedly the sexiest, most charming (10x more charming than actual Prince Charming ever was) and most handsome prince Disney has ever given us. When I began watching The Little Mermaid, I just developed a crush on Prince Eric because he is just so attractive. I love his smile, his captivating eyes, his black hair and thick eyebrows. Now, when it comes to character development, he is, of course, not necessarily a top 3 character, but he sure is far more interesting and charismatic than the princes that came before him. The fact that he was a dog-lover and was willing to sacrifice himself for his lady is a giant plus. Eric isn't just a hunk, he is the definition of a hunk, and y'all can't debate me on this! Eric is my favorite Disney prince and I just love him so much because he is just so nice, loving, loves sailing and is an overall selfless guy. Eric is so cute and hot at the same time <<<333

[eurydicees]

I know he's not one of your favorite characters, but how did you feel about Kunigami and his new character development??? What do you think is going to happen to him?? Also I'm with you on Sae and Shidou making me, a proud bisexual, a little bit homophobic esp Shidou's "right in the womb" comment :xxxxx

ahhhh !!! i want to talk about this so bad thank you for asking!! spoilers for the manga up to chp 202 in this, so cont below the cut !!

ok ok ok so i posted the favorite character list and then, like, a day later i kinda fell in love with kunigami. in my defense, i had only read up to 78 when i made that post and then kunigami proceeded to do a series of things that made me insane: (1) lost the game w isagi, thus giving up chigiri, (2) got in a fight with shidou, who kind of drives me insane (derogatory), (3) chose the wild card door and then fucking disappeared???? and then (4) came back Changed™. i am so normal about the all of that. so so so normal.

but okay so basically, i am SO intrigued by kunigami's new development. the general "disappear and come back different" is SO interesting. i may just be missing some pieces, i kinda speed ran the manga instead of looking tooooo in depth, and now i'm kinda going back through and finding all the little details--so please lmk if i'm not seeing major bits or if i'm interpreting things wrong!!

but overall, the goal was to create the next noel noa, right? like, physique-wise? but like,,,, what did they actually do. i am sooo curious about whatever the fuck happened to him. i actually have so many questions and i. i don't even know where to start.

i was actually gonna make a post abt this--i decided not to because idk i didn't want to be annoying or whatever (which is stupid because this is the being annoying or whatever website, but i digress)--so i could talk about kunigami post-wild card and about chigiri and kunigami's friendship! the main point of the post was that i got SO invested in their friendship when they teamed up in the second selection in chp 44:

and then i'm invested in their friendship all over again when they actually play together in chp 58:

they're truly one of my favorite dynamics to come out of team z (bachira and isagi being my number one favorite, of course), and i'm so intrigued to see what's going to happen with them. i think it's also really interesting to look at the moments after the game (chp 68), right, okay because several things stick out to me there. so, first of all, isagi's words to reo:

which sticks out to me because what the whole "wild card" deal feels like to me is very much a "choose your fate" situation...like, kunigami could have exited OR he could have gone through the second door, not knowing what's behind it, and not being able to undo it. but this moment is also him taking charge of his fate and his future--on one hand, he's on his way out and he's kind of grasping at straws to stay and change his future, but he's also still reaching out and doing it, yk? i also wonder how many other people took this path--and even how many other people were offered the option in the first place.

in his last game, neither of them where "the one that chooses." reo got picked to join the other team. kunigami was the one who was left behind. but he still got to choose the second door. and i think that taking charge and making deliberate choices are both huge parts of succeeding at blue lock.

the wild card is also interesting because kunigami trades having to win every game / be the loser who gets picked by the other players in exchange for getting to the next phase but, like, at what fucking cost? he seems to have been hand chosen by ego after a different training and selection, but again, at what fucking cost?

so anyways, the other thing that happened after that match is what chigiri says specifically to kunigami:

this is interesting to me because this reminds me a LOT of what nagi and reo talk about in the germany v england match later on. in the beginning of the second selection, nagi talks about wanting to learn better soccer by being with isagi, then in the third selection, nagi says that his new whole goal is to beat isagi. if i recall correctly, him and reo start syncing up again in part bc of this goal to beat isagi.

so chigiri incentivizing kunigami by saying that WE have to win against ISAGI is reaaaallyyyy interesting. also, chigiri calling kunigami "hero" makes my little heart beat, but that's a side note.

this moment also makes me insane because it ALSO feels like a parallel to the bachira & isagi "i won't wait for you...if you want me, come and steal me" moment. i'm not quite sure what to make of any of that, but this is all spinning around in my head on a microwave dish.

then the other thing spinning in my head is the moment prior to the germany v england match, with chirigi, reo, and kunigami talking to each other (chp 173):

so coupla things here ig? first, "the same old you i knew" versus the switch from "hero" to "cynic hero." that's notable to me. not sure why. but it is. i think also this idea of fighting the same old you is really interesting because a huge theme i'm seeing in this manga on the first read through is the idea of change and evolution. there's no such thing as "the same old you" because they have all leveled up so much, they've all changed and grown and developed and evolved into something new--chigiri himself included.

so...maybe kunigami has a point that they DO all need to let go of who he used to be. the problem is that the person he used to be is so hard to let go of, especially when no one has seen this change happen or knows why it happened.

that being said, the idea of chigiri "waking him up" is kind of driving me up the walls. i feel like someone has to knock some light into kunigami again, but i have no idea how that's going to happen. i think it's hard because, in a lot of metrics, he's ranked really high and being really successful; whatever the wild card path was, it did something "right."

that being said, i then don't see much change in environment coming along, or any change in how his training is happening. if anything is going to change, it's going to be via some mid-game internal discourse sparked by isagi; and i think it would be most satisfying if chigiri was really important there too. but again, i don't think that it's coming soon, maybe not even in this general arc?

tbh, ultimately, i think, long term, kunigami won't make it to the best 23 as he is. that's not to say it's impossible for him to make it to the u20 team, but i think the way that he's going right now isn't going to be good enough to make it. he is genuinely performing really well, but i also can't see anyone building a team around him as a center point in the same way that the manga is constantly talking about building teams around isagi's most notable rivals and top competition (ex. kaiser, rin, and even nagi).

kunigami is great as his own little point of gravity, but no one is orbiting around him. which is actually really, really sad to me, because i think he truly could have been one of the best there if the circumstances had been even just slightly different. blue lock is truly so so tragic because there is so much skill in that prison and so much of it is being wasted and for what.

and kunigami honestly, from the very beginning, was always going to be hurt more than helped by blue lock. he was set up as a character who runs by fair play, someone who will win and will fight but will also still play by the rules. at the end of the day, yes, he gets results: he scored a goal in the first selection. but he also split his meal with isagi. he still rewarded the assist. that's not the goal of blue lock.

isagi kinda acknowledges something similar when he wins against him in the second selection, too. kunigami is strong and a great player, but he's not going to "devour" the others on the field in the same way so many others are going to do and going to try to do.

something about either the circumstances (blue lock) or kunigami himself was going to have to change in order for him to come out of this on top, and blue lock's rules aren't going to be changing any time soon.

idk. his story just feels so sad to me already and we don't even know how it ends yet.

on a brighter note.....yeah. started reading blue lock >> finished the u20 arc >> am now homophobic. thanks shidou. this was your fault. "a shot is the seed and the net is the egg" i'm literally gonna scream out loud. you've lost an ally in me

[juniperhillpatient]

The Avatar State Re-Watch

Watching this episode is really stressful because I have to pretend I care about what's happening in the plot & with all the characters as if it's not the episode when my personal Blorbo of All Time is introduced.

(Yes I got excited about the flashback, & the end of Book 1 as well. Her Royal Highness Princess Azula is just that special that she gets three Offical Introductions™ okay)

Anyway...

Okay, so, the Gaang is heading for Omashu where Aang is planning to learn earth bending from King Bumi. That's when we meet one of the most unpleasant side characters of the show. Boo, Fong, me & all my homies hate Fong. Right after we learn about the nightmares that Aang is having about the power he wielded during the Siege of the North Part 2 while in the Avatar State/soul bonding with the ocean spirit, this asshole uses peer pressure to try to force Aang into the Avatar State again to defeat Ozai.

I had honestly forgotten that the show does a decent job of exploring Aang's fears regarding his own power. This episode is where we see that he's becoming affected not just by the burden of his responsibility, but by fear of what he's capable of. A big criticism I've had so far along this re-watch is that the Gaang is continuously responsible for the deaths of Fire Nation soldiers - 'Imprisoned,' 'The Northern Air Temple,' & 'The Siege of the North Part 2,' are the biggest examples so far, yet Aang is shocked & horrified at the thought of killing Ozai in Book 3. This is not because I'm on team "Aang should've killed Ozai," again, I just think the show can be hypocritical about the whole "no-kill" rule. That said - I think this episode comes close to handling the issue well, & it certainly does a good job of exploring Aang's inner motivations & fears. Aang is terrified of the amount of power he wields, & not just because of this great responsibility he has, but because the Avatar State can be quite destructive. He's having nightmares about what he did during 'The Siege of the North Part 2,' he's struggling with reconciling this scary destructive force with his own nature as a pacifist, & also just a kid.

Katara & Aang's conflict in this episode is pretty engaging because both sides make sense. While Aang ultimately realizes that 1. Fong is an insane asshole & 2. Fong is wrong that the Avatar State is the only way to win this war - it makes sense for him to consider Fong's arguments at the start. After all, on a logical basis, they are running out of time for Aang to learn the four elements. On Katara's side, we have her knowledge that discipline & hard work are the way to master the elements & her care for Aang as a person, not just the Avatar. It's a well-done conflict & we ultimately realize that Aang needs to master the elements on his own. Oh, & we get the fun little info from Rokku about the Avatar's potential destruction. I'm sure that won't be important later! I'll be honest, I don't love what they did with Sokka in this episode. After a lot of development in Book 1 & experiencing a devastating loss in the season finale, Sokka is back to being the comedic relief with no real inner conflict of his own as of this episode which is a bit disappointing. I did like him bonking Fong on the head though.

So, Book 2 has a new villain to be More Eviller & Scarier™ than Zuko & Iroh now that Zhao has been sucked into Hell where he belongs. I'm sure this is a villain I'll be completely normal about. But she sure does have an iconic introduction!

I just feel like Azula's level of badassery can never actually be underappreciated.

The Fire Hazard Siblings reunite in this episode & it's crazy to think that 2 years ago I was watching this cartoon thinking "this is a kinda interesting dynamic, hm" & now I still care a completely normal amount about these dysfunctional evil siblings in a kid's cartoon & I definitely don't spend 28 hours a day 366 days a year thinking about the stupid imperialist family of assholes.

Anyway, Azula shows up & Zuzu is filled with joy to be reunited with his baby sister. Not. Zuko greets Azula with disdain even without knowing her intentions, which is interesting because he's pretty ready to trust her. Iroh is mistrustful from the get-go, which makes a lot of sense because he knows his brother & he knows this probably isn't the reconciliation mission Azula is claiming. Zuko's attitude toward Azula is unrelated to whether he trusts her. We saw in 'The Siege of the North Part 2' that Zuko has a hate boner for *ahem* is harboring a hell of a lot of resentment for his sister. He thinks everything comes easy for her. He sees her as having taken his father's affection, something he is desperate to obtain. So, right off the bat, we have some extremely complicated & fascinating family dynamics at play.

Azula gets a lot of praise for "do the tides command this ship" & she absolutely should because it's an iconic & terrifying introductory speech BUT I think MY personal favorite Azula moment in this episode is when the wool is pulled from Zuko's eyes & he yells "you lied to me!" & she responds "like I've never done that before?"

This is where the mask is lifted - but only partially. Azula isn't one of my favorite characters of all time for nothing - this girl has so many layers to explore. There's the calculated politician who is always playing a mind game & never telling the truth - that's who we see at the start. Then there's the mean & twisted bully who immediately starts insulating & belittling Zuko once the gig is up, playing at his worst insecurities to get under his skin by reminding him that their father sees him as pathetic & a failure. Later, we'll meet the scared & lonely girl hiding deep down, but she's buried pretty deep, so not yet.

Azula & Zuko's fight is just iconic. We get to see both of their fighting styles & how they work against each other as well as Azula using her keen ability to get under Zuko's skin, something only a sibling could do so effectively even after years apart. Zuko is an aggressive fighter, while we see Azula deftly dodging his attacks more often than fighting back, even choosing to scratch him rather than burn him - which is a tiny hint at something more going on under the surface - Azula doesn't want to kill her brother. This claim doesn't come with some great declaration that Azula is actually a softie, I just think that she's an incredibly skilled fighter & it's impressive to see the way she maneuvers to avoid doing worse damage than necessary to Zuko. She wants to take him prisoner, but not strike a killing blow herself.

At the end of the episode, we get a pretty significant moment from Iroh & Zuko. They severe their hair & their ties with the Fire Nation, cutting off their royal headpieces. This represents a pretty huge shift in their role in the story & I'm so excited about re-watching their journey & where they go from here!

[masterjedilenawrites]

Okay, this sounds like a lot of fun! If the blind dates event is still going, may I ask for a match?

My nickname is Bear (given after the nature of my very strong hugs lmao); I'm a 30yo she of the INTP-A (The Logician) personality type, and big on some one-on-one quality time

I enjoy passing my time as much with the arts (such as drawing and writing) as I enjoy getting physically active (especially by engaging in martial arts), as I believe both mind and body should be exercised for me to achieve good health. My hobbies also include befriending every and any stray animal I meet on the streets, baking and cooking for/with my friends, and TTRPG.

As for personality, I am gentle and have a lot of patience by default, but am known to have A Temper™ when people insist on pushing my (or others') boundaries even after being asked to step back.

If it's not asking much, I'd prefer to be matched with a guy (mainly because I'm a useless bisexual around pretty women lmao). Villain, hero, human or not, I'm game for all 😁

Nice to meet you Bear! I hope you don't mind your date will be a little more private. This guy isn't too big on crowds (though he is big in, uh, other ways lol, you'll see)

Your date is...

✨Paz Vizsla!✨

When I say private, I mean somehow-this-guy-cleared-an-entire-restaurant-just-for-your-date private. But don't mistake this gesture to mean he's shy. On the contrary, he is quite sure of himself and his capabilities. And his goal tonight is to impress you. Well, and to keep these different facets of his life separate. He can't have the town, or even his covert, knowing about a potential soft spot he may develop for you. Not until the time is right.

He'll have cooked most of the meal ahead of time so it's ready to serve once you arrive. If you were so inclined to stick around later, you could help him finish the dessert he had planned, too. He keeps his helmet on and you only catch glimpses of chin stubble as he tilts it up to eat. The conversation between bites is a little stiff, but give him some slack, he doesn't really have experience in these waters. That's why he chose to keep the focus of the night on the food. The more his hands stay busy, the less awkward he feels.

Paz will definitely be smitten with you though, especially once he learns certain things about you like your fighting skills and love of animals. He'll stay stoic as he asks you out again, while being a complete messy sap on the inside if you were to say yes. Any future dates would be filled with more activity, such as sparring together or cuddling under the stars.

✨

Want to be set up on a blind date with a Star Wars character?

[rocksalt-and-pie]

right, so. we all know 1.18 Something Wicked for the Purple Dog Shirt™ and the Two Queens/Yeah I Bet kid. And frankly, it's a good episode. It's got an interesting monster, lots of character development and background story world building, heartwarming moments ("you okay little brother?") but also funny sibling banter (i.e. the bikini inspector ID), some iconic scenes (see above), as well as my favorite Ozzy Osbourne song. Good writing, good directing, good acting.

However. And I wanna hear you guys' opinion on this. To me this whole plot feels like this huge metaphor for child abuse (the pediatrician who breaks into his patients' rooms at night and secretly feeds on them, i mean come on) and i feel like if you took the script and just changed out a few things you'd get the kind of dark fic i personally would scroll by on AO3 because yikes. The whole "two guys roll up in a motel and talk to a child in a vulnerable situation, tell him a horror story, he lets them set up a camera in his bedroom because he wants to help his little brother, we know the exact same thing happened to those guys when they were little and they don't want it to happen to others but at the same time by trying to keep it from happening they're the ones doing it to others" thing makes my skin crawl, like, is it just me or are there, like, implications?? Like I'm not saying there's subtext in canon that they actually DID something to the kid but like. Everytime I watch this episode (and i watch it a lot because like i said IT'S A GOOD EPISODE) i wonder if this was done on purpose or if this is just another one of those writing accidents on this show that in hindsight with context that is revealed WAY later make everything so much worse when you think about it too hard. I'm not even gonna talk about the possible meaning of dean being hardcore protective of kids in general and barely keeping himself from shooting the guy in public and broad daylight/the whole talk about "unfinished business" and whatnot because something something finally killing the monster that did this to us back when we were kids etc

[bloomandcoffee]

I am surprised Itachi has fans still. Him torturing his brother to insanity so he can brain wash him into a nationalist later makes no god damn sense. Like his time skip motivation doesn’t even make sense with his pre time skip actions. He could have brain washed his dad not to rebel. Not to mention Danzo being okay with losing the villages at the time strongest clan makes no sense. His a nationalist spy master.

Never ever ignore the power of a sad looking evil Twink. Itachi fans were woobiefiying him before Kishi ass pulled his backstory. That kind of thing is something that lasts, especially if he was part of some of the biggest juggernaut ships and had his own modest sized shipping armada.

Also works in his favor that he had some fan preferred yaoi matchups in ItaDei (a.k.a. Dark™ SasuNaru), Kisaita (for when you want the sad murderous Twink to get the good hard dicking he doesn't deserve but whatever), or the Incest™.

Also, this isn't me kink shaming any ships. Everyone has their flavor and heck at some point I enjoyed the thought of ItaNaru so w/e. But shipping is intrinsically part of the reason Itachi had fans.

Also, none of his Revelation™ backstory makes sense (though the touch that Sasuke developed his Sharingan at that time is neat!), it devalued his character and just made Konoha (and the Uchiha as a whole) eminently useless. I liked Itachi better when his motivation was "to get stronger" it really sent a message, and given the while Narutoverse, could have expanded into so mething interesting.

instead we got that.

Not even "nationalist spy master" he's so bad at all the things he does??? If you tell me they let Itachi "go and spy on Akatsuki" just to get that massive liability out of Konoha I'd believe you.

[multi-lefaiye]

ive been rotating what little i know about Alekto Cudaas in my mind since yesterday and would please like to hear More (no pressure tho)

thank you,,,, you are in luck because Alekto is the character in CUDAAS that i rotate around in my mind the most and at the highest velocity!! 9/10 times when i'm thinking about this story, i'm probably just thinking about Alekto in some way asdjfk;l

ok idk how long this gets,,, i'm so sorry nico u may have unleashed a Monster. so i'll type this up and if i need to i will put it under a cut <3

CW: implied/referenced physical abuse and discussion of romance!

anyway so! Alekto! my beloved!!!! they originally were, like. very much a background character i made to round out the world a bit, but then i thought more about the three character traits i gave them and went "wait there's actually something interesting here." so now they're one of the main POV characters. <3

okay i'm not quite sure how much i wanna ramble because this is still in pretty early development, but i'll share some Alekto Facts™ and elaborate on some things from the powerpoint.

so Alekto is a very gentle character for the most part. they've seen a LOT of violence and cruelty in their time, and they've had a lot of it directed at themself (even from other guardians in their original flock). so as a result they're loathe to show that same cruelty to anyone else, and they won't engage in violence unless absolutely necessary.

that doesn't mean they can't kick the shit out of someone if needed, though! Alekto is very small but very physically strong, and they've learned to use their magic (which is more defensive) to fight if they need.

'cause that's a thing i haven't really talked about much!!!! guardians each have some magic, and usually it differs from guardian to guardian and is highly specialized. wildlings have magic, too, but theirs isn't as specialized and not always unique to each wildling.

Alekto's magic specifically is that they can create shields out of pure energy, essentially little forcefields. and though that is a defensive power they've gotten creative and figured out how to use it in a fight to their advantage.

for example, like... i have this scene in mind with Alekto and Narkissos sparring, and their magic is meant to complement each other's (Narkissos can do essentially the same thing they can, but he makes blades instead of shields), which means they're uniquely able to counter each other in a way most can't. also Alekto is strong enough that they can just. pick Narkissos up and fucking throw her, despite her being a solid foot taller.

okay physical stuff aside, one thing i really like about Alekto is that they are deeply fascinated with life and the act of creation. to most guardians, creation is something reserved for the gods, so Alekto's love for art could, in a way, be considered an insult to their creator. and i think that could partly be why they like it--not because they view themself as a god or because they view the gods as inferior, but because they just love to create and breathe life into things in a metaphorical sense.

Alekto paints, draws, sculpts, weaves... they just love to make things!!! it's their favorite thing to do and it helps them relax and be happy more than anything else does. they don't usually share a lot of their creations, but they just like makin' em.

i have this idea of like... either as an AU or maybe something later in the series, but Alekto would love being an art teacher. just something to think about <3

okay this is a little long but uhhh the last thing i will talk a little about is Alekto's relationship with Hekate!!! because that's kinda what spurred this into an actual story.

SO yeah i'm not being subtle at all but Hekate and Alekto's relationship eventually becomes romantic as the story continues!!! but the romance isn't the reason why it's so important to me: it's important because it's the catalyst for both of them to change dramatically as people, and also because i just feel so Soft™ for them,,,,

Alekto and Hekate's relationship is defined primarily by acts of service and helping each other. it starts really small, but soon it becomes a huge theme with them. Alekto feels like their purpose in life is to be useful to others and help them, and they have a lot of issues letting others help them with anything or showing any kind of vulnerability, because in their old flock that would result in them being punished harshly. but then Hekate comes along, and over time he becomes the first person they open up to and show vulnerability around.

a lot of Alekto's character arc, aside from realizing how fucked up the system they exist in is and wanting to change it for the better, centers around them learning to be vulnerable and allow others to help them.

i do really want to write this one scene i've had in mind for a while that's just... Alekto saves Hekate, and as they're healing him he asks them teasingly, "When will it be my turn to help you?" and they don't have an answer for that </3 but it's a really important moment and a bit of a turning point,,,,

okay thank you sorry for how long this is, i just love Alekto with my whole heart <3

to wrap things up. here is a meme that sums up where i think Alekto's character arc is going after book one.

[Image Description: A screenshot of a question and answer from Yahoo Answers (?). The question reads: "Are you tired of being nice?" and the follow-up reads: "Don't you just want to go ape shitt" End ID.]

[here-there-everyfuckenwhere]

Ted Lasso for the fandom ask thingy

Ooh this is going to be fun! Okay so-

Favourite female character: This is honestly kinda tough tbh, but.. I think I’m gonna have to go with Keeley Jones. I think the first time I watched the show, she was my favourite character because I kinda relate to her. Like she starts off in season 1 being kinda superficial, trying to still act like her 18 year old self (which we learn in s01ep04 when she says that she’s been dating footballers since she was 18), and she’s used to people judging her and assuming she’s just a dumb WAG, but she really comes into her own and learns that she’s strong and capable and worthy of being in a real, mature relationship. And I just loved watching her character development in season 2.

Favourite male character: I mean.. is this even a question? Trent Crimm? Independent? The love of my life?

Favourite season: I really do go back and fourth over season 1 and 2, but ultimately I think I enjoyed season 2 more. I do believe that season 1 had better writing overall, but personally I think season 2 is more enjoyable. I know people complain about “filler” episodes, (like the Christmas episode or Beard After Hours) but even the “filler” episodes are still fun to rewatch

Favourite episode: Definitely s01ep03 “Trent Crimm, The Independent”. Other than the most obvious reason (I mean it’s The Trent Episode™) this episode is great. It’s sorta the first time we see Keeley and Rebecca’s friendship, and its also the first time we really get to see Keeley and Roy’s relationship.Not to mention the first time we see Roy being the cutest uncle ever. It’s one of those episodes that kinda sows the seeds for more important plot lines later on, like Nate becoming coach and that photo of Keeley and Ted leaking. And idk if this counts for anything but the soundtrack from the episode is also A++.

Favourite cast member: I mean they’re all wonderful but it’s pretty hard to go past JSuds

Favourite ship: I mean, I live in the Tent full-time as you all well know, and Ted/Trent are my absolute OTP. But I also ship Keeley/Roy because they are the best couple in the whole show imo, and (and idk if this is a popular opinion or not) I actually really like Sam/Becca as well..

A character I would die defending: SASSY! Ohmygod the amount of Sassy hate I see on Tumblr genuinely breaks my heart I love her so much

A character I just cant sympathise with: If I may quote Sassy, fuck off and die Rupert.

A character I grew to love: Definitely Jamie. I really couldn’t stand him in season 1, even after we see his father for the first time in season 1, I really didn’t care for him much. But I definitely think his redemption arc in season 2 is straight-up on of the best redemption arcs I’ve ever seen in a piece of media in my entire life. He completely won me over when he decided to take part in sam’s protest and started acting more like a team player

My anti-OTP: I might piss off a lot of people but I really don’t ship Ted and Beard. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore their relationship so much and I love all of their scenes together, but I just feel like their friendship is so lovely and they should just stay friends

Ask game!!

Also, to make this ask game more fun I'm gonna tag some people who I think should do this ask (for Ted Lasso obviously): @bipolarjamietartt @enumchase @smooth-crimminal @trent-crimm @leupagus @infiniteeight8 @rimedio8 @polikszena @imgoingtofreakoutnow

[buckybarnesss]

part 3 of my magnum opus lindsay monroe, trauma, grief and putting the mess in messer

this covers season 4 and if you are tired of me roasting this season than you may wanna skip this.

part 1  part 2

part three: look how they massacred my boy

so i don’t really care for season 4. don’t get me wrong, there are some really solid episodes but on the whole season 4 just doesn’t land for me. the second life plot line was cringey in 2007 and now in 2021 it’s age is showing. suspect x was kind of cool and i wish they’d spent more time on her rather than the second life nonsense. i would've personally liked to have scrapped the second life aspect of the plot all together and focus on suspect x herself or have the cabbie killer be a season-long arc. that would’ve gone a long way in fleshing out his motives and we could’ve had the tension in the city permeating throughout the season, coming to a fever pitch in those final few episodes. 

the 333 killer/stalker plot is -- just. sigh. it’s okay. i preferred mac’s storyline with reed but i always like when the writers bring claire up and drew needed to leave stella alone. stella didn’t deserve to be dragged into that nonsense.

granted some of the lackluster feel of the season could be blamed on the 2007 writer’s strike that truncated the season but the real reason season 4 bothers me is what they did to danny and by extension lindsay. 

to talk about lindsay in season 4 you have to talk about danny. from season 4 onwards danny and lindsay do not really get separate plots. particularly lindsay.

now for some spicy takes.

in season 4 lindsay takes a backseat in terms of character focus as her Big Trauma™ is now mostly resolved. she becomes a more reactive character as the focus switches to danny and the pair switch their roles from the previous season. though i don’t think it was handled nearly as well. danny has his turn being the trauma piñata and instead of the reward being candy it was infidelity. surprise!

i still think it’s bad writing. for two characters that are supposed to be a couple so little time is given to developing them, you know, as a couple. they get a few playful moments early in the season like with the condom spray in can you hear me now?, their excitement over processing the car in you only die once and their little argument over the batmobile or the mach 5 being better. in commuted sentences we get sassy lindsay with the improvised sling shot and danny being sensitive about his love handles. boo is also a good episode for their dynamic but not really for where they stand in their relationship outside of work. 

it’s all shot to hell by mid-season however as the writers came in like a wrecking ball. 

i don’t think it’s necessarily a bad plot line to have danny struggle and backslide and for that to cause issues between him and lindsay. in the end, that’s the approach they took anyway. 

however, i do believe if they’d shown a little bit more of danny and lindsay being in a relationship it would’ve gone a long way to highlight the rift that developed between them later on so when she hits him in the metaphorical solar plexus in right next door it would’ve hit even harder. 

showing danny and lindsay being a couple also would’ve given more depth to danny’s feelings about lindsay considering how much of a backslide his character takes. throughout the season lindsay’s feelings seem more evident than danny’s but from season 3 we know danny straight up pined for lindsay. i think he’s just not as demonstrative and there’s a case to make that his relationship with lindsay is the first serious relationship danny has ever had. 

as it stands the audience is left with the impression that despite everything we have seen since lindsay’s introduction they had an undefined relationship.

danny doesn’t make it out unscathed as a character this season. in my opinion, the writers took a character that was sympathetic and moved him right into complete douchebag territory that appears to have a thing for vulnerable women. it’s not a great look. 

i don’t really think there was a lot of consideration put into the plot other than drama for the sake of drama. jacqueline pinol deserved so much better. when i found out she played rio morales in marvel’s spider-man i actually gasped because she’s amazing in that and it retroactively made me more angry at the writers.

while him sleeping with rikki does the job to illustrate danny’s downward spiral we were already seeing that. it took a turn from danny struggling with grief and guilt over ruben’s death into danny actively ruining his own life and putting his career on the line. rikki’s involvement should’ve ended in all in the family.

after her stealing danny’s gun i think it would’ve made a lot more sense for her to decide to move then with her having realized she needs a fresh start and the support of her family. 

the whole thing really took danny’s trait of impulsiveness to new levels. 

for a good chunk of the audience there was also a sense of betrayal. not many people are criminalists, or have experienced a violent crime or had someone they care about be a victim of a violent crime but a lot of people have been cheated on. it inspires a really visceral reaction.

i remember the aftermath of right next door. to say not very many people liked it would be an understatement. i know people who stopped watching the show because of it. the danny/lindsay shippers were upset, the anti-lindsay coalition was upset because it made danny out to be a cheating scumbag. 

to have built the relationship up between danny and lindsay so much to the point where they were the couple of the series only to have danny cheat on her was a choice. like how was this the same guy that flew to montana on a whim just to support her? 

i think the plot line still would’ve worked without him sleeping with rikki. it would’ve created a better parallel to season 3 and would’ve made reconciliation easier to swallow. 

the writers seemed to be aware that it was a bad call very quickly as they had rikki tell danny it was a mistake in personal foul and danny had been spending the past few episodes trying to reconnect with lindsay. by season 5 they were fully prepared to jettison that aspect of the plot entirely and pretend it didn’t happen.

i don’t even want to entertain what nonsense they would’ve pulled if not for the writer’s strike and anna’s second pregnancy. truly bullets were dodged.

the worst aspect to me is that they never confirm if lindsay knew. the only mention of this incident is in the box in season 5 where danny is telling the harris’s his entire life story. he says to them that he thinks lindsay knew but we never find out if that’s true. while lindsay does get to say her piece in right next door rightfully telling danny about his ass it’s only about him pushing her away and leaving her feeling like she has lost her best friend and how she’ll try to fall out of love with him. nothing about him being an absolute asshat and sleeping with another woman. 

danny’s affair with rikki coupled with mac’s kiss with quinn that they reveal happened while he was still married to claire gave me the impression something was going on in the writer’s room that year. 

the only other allusion to danny’s brief affair is in season 8’s officer involved when adler accuses danny of having an affair with cooper. that whole episode is an on the job redux and meant to highlight danny’s growth as a person but he’s the only one who knows what he did with rikki. so adler laying that accusation out is throwing one of his worst mistakes in his face but he’s the only one who knows that. it’s why he gets so damn defensive but that’s a discussion for that season.

when you get to the bones of it season 4 makes me feel like this:

now that i’ve aired most of my grievances with season 4’s treatment of lindsay and danny let me actually get into some analysis regarding lindsay. 

the first thing that anyone will notice is lindsay cut her hair. girl is going with a fresh start after all that emotional turmoil in season 3. new hair, new boyfriend and a return to her more bubbly personality. 

i will forever mourn lindsay’s iconic curls but i never had an issue with her shorter hair. I always suspected anna cut it because she had young children at the time. toddlers and babies are grabby goblins. maybe the texture of her hair changed. or she just wanted a change. whatever the reason behind it was, she looked cute.

she’s also downright giddy in the first episode. she razzes adam about being late for work “i hear denny’s is looking for socially awkward scientists” and she is delighted to demonstrate the condom spray to danny and hawkes. she even throws in a “boom” which is adorable. 

lindsay is back and better than ever and even more importantly: she’s happy.

it’s just a shame the happiness doesn’t last long.

there’s this little moment between danny and lindsay in the deep where lindsay tries to express her feelings about what happened to hawkes and how danny saved him. she tells danny about being scared and worried, how she felt helpless watching. she even tries to praise him but danny’s entire being is ‘no thoughts, just vibes’. he downplays the event and sort of dismisses it. 

i do understand that danny may not feel as though he deserves any praise about saving hawkes because that’s his friend and of course he’d help him. he does also downplay it at the end when hawkes tries to thank him as well. danny may just feel uncomfortable with the situation and doesn’t want the attention. 

it’s just that given lindsay history with being helpless while people around her get hurt one might be a little more, i don’t know, comforting about it?

throughout the scene she just has this fond little smile on her face but i facepalm every time because i think it shows that there’s already something of an emotional disconnect between them pretty early in the season. they’re not on the same page at all because they don’t know how to communicate effectively with each other at this point in their relationship.

i cannot tell you how much it stresses me the fuck out. miscommunication is truly the ultimate villain in so many pieces of media.

you only die once is a good episode for lindsay. a nerd in her natural habitat. nature has restored it’s balance.

boo is a lindsay episode. despite season 4 not touching on lindsay’s trauma from the diner shooting there’s something of a parallel between rose duncan and lindsay. it’s not a perfect parallel but the main point is that rose duncan like lindsay survived a horrific event that left people they cared about dead. in the hospital rose says that she saw a monster and oof that hits hard. especially since in the lying game lindsay refers to katums as a monster. 

lindsay is also so sweet and gentle to rose bringing the girl a stuffed dog which implies that she and danny stopped somewhere to get her a gift. maybe just the hospital gift shop but maybe a local drug store. it just highlights that lindsay can empathize with rose’s situation and wants to comfort her.

do i think it was a purposeful parallel? not really. see again how i feel about the csi ny writers. truly a love/hate relationship. 

commuted sentences is one of those episodes i referred to earlier as being solid in this season. the episode is one of the few times that danny and lindsay are playful and familiar with each other in a way that indicates intimacy.

the “right through the love handles” bit. she’s very amused by herself the entire time. not to mention it shows off her smarts as she makes that improvised sling shot to help them find the bullet that killed their victim. danny asks if she shot at squirrels in montana and she gives such a sassy response by saying that she shot at boys.

just another moment that makes the back half of season 4 frustrating and sad. 

i believe there’s something worth analyzing about danny and the plotline of the killer pretending to be the victim’s boyfriend in buzzkill but that’s a post for another day.

child’s play. 

i have written multiple posts about the writer’s decision to have danny sleep with rikki. i just wrote like 1k words already in this essay about it. i have very strong feelings on the subject and i’m not shy about it. i’m gonna die mad about it.

buckle up buttercups.

i will stand by the idea that i don’t believe danny’s spiral is a bad thing. this is a transitional arc for danny. he has to grow and growth isn’t always pretty, it’s not always linear and sometimes you have to go back before you can move forward. ruben sandoval’s death served as the catalyst for this growth.

so no i don’t think it was entirely a bad plot line.

the death of ruben sandoval is nothing short of tragic and naturally it would affect danny profoundly. no one argues that.

danny’s real issue in this arc is his selfishness and inability to think outside of himself. the man is impulsive, brash and oftentimes short-sighted. when those all come together it’s a mix that’s rife for bad decision making. 

danny doesn’t cope with his grief and guilt over ruben’s death in a healthy manner. he latches onto rikki due to his guilt and they use each other to try to numb the pain. it’s not healthy for either of them.

while one could compare danny and lindsay’s behaviors in their respective arcs there’s a lot to contrast. while lindsay did push danny away, she also didn’t give him the pretense of a romantic relationship. both of them isolate and are uncommunicative about their problems with each other. 

all in the family is wild. danny spends most of the episode missing in action and it’s lindsay who not only covers for him but asks don to go look for him. 

rikki steals danny’s service weapon and danny wants to protect her. which okay, okay, i understand, but it’s not a good decision. rikki needs help. like, real professional help for her grief not whatever this is. flack, in my opinion, was very restrained when confronting danny about it.

though, yes, there’s a nice parallel later in season 6 when danny goes searching for don when don is in his own grief spiral 

the logical conclusion to make is that flack told lindsay about the incident because at this point i very highly doubt danny would. like i said, this is not a bad plot line so far. it’s not difficult to sympathize with both danny and rikki while recognizing the bad decisions both are making.

watching danny and lindsay work a case together in playing with matches contrasts so much with the last time they did in commuted sentences. during that case they were playful and bantered while here it’s all business.

which makes it a bit more painful when in the next episode doa for a day when he forgot lindsay’s birthday. especially with the lame ass excuses he gives her. how hurtful that must’ve been to have your significant other forget your birthday. especially since danny and lindsay were friends well before they got involved romantically. it’s just all the more indicative that danny is a goddamn mess.

sure, he’s going through a rough time but he’s also not letting lindsay in on that emotional turmoil. though lindsay herself admitted she isn’t sure how to help danny through his grief and guilt because while she has intimate experience with those two emotions it’s from the inside rather than the outside. 

it’s important though that she tries even if it’s imperfect. danny makes the choice to not accept it and keep her at arm’s length, then blowing her off and lying to her. 

now we arrive at the offending episode right next door. it’s a shame i have such vitriol towards it because the plot of the episode isn’t bad.

we could go around all day asking the question: did lindsay know or not that danny cheated on her with rikki? 

there’s never a real answer as nothing is confirmed and while it irritates me that lindsay technically never finds out i do think this face says a lot. lndsay is not a stupid woman and she’s a detective. 

this is the face of a woman who is completely over his shit.

danny attempts to act nonchalant as though nothing is wrong between them and lindsay is just very done at this point.

like lindsay last season danny puts up a good front of trying to project that everything is fine when really he is in utter shambles.

lindsay gives him her rightfully earned speech and it’s just so heartbreaking because the audience watched her fall for him over two seasons despite the hardships only for it to end up here.

her telling him that she’d fallen in love with him and had to figure out how to let it go is the emotional turning point for danny. he’s slapped in the face with the consequences of his actions. danny has always been impulsive and doesn’t always think things through. hell he even tells rikki he doesn’t care and he just wants the pain to stop. right here he’s really hit with that his decisions don’t affect just him and he hadn’t spared one thought for how what he was doing would affect his relationship with lindsay. 

i admire lindsay i really do. she showed serious restraint and fortitude. i would’ve been one, crying and two, yelling while crying. 

it’s this moment i’m actually reminded of ‘til death do us part way back in season 1 when mac teases danny about falling in love. danny tells mac to not even joke about it and whoops my dude.

now he’s reaping what he sowed. he had something real with lindsay and he all but lit the match to have it blow up in his face. 

the face of a man who realized he very much fucked up.

later he does actually apologize and says they need to talk but they’re interrupted. thus starts danny’s quest over the next few episodes to try to actually get lindsay to have a conversation with him that isn’t about work.

lindsay is just a masterclass throughout the whole thing. during this whole arc lindsay is reacting to danny’s behavior and decisions and the audience definitely knows exactly how she feels. her rebuffing danny’s attempts to get her to talk are justified. 

like water for murder gives us the awkward moment in the lab where there’s a glimmer of their old banter when they quote jaws at each other and he suggests they rent it but that leads lindsay to revert to one of her favorite coping mechanisms: avoidance. i don’t blame her though. it must be very emotionally raw. however, it does cause her to leave evidence unattended which is witnessed by quinn shelby who is doing the lab audit. when mac confronts her about what happened he’s actually very kind about it. i believe she may have preferred he just yell at her over the kindness as she’s embarrassed and she just responds that it was stupid to get involved with a coworker. when she walks away clearly trying not to show how upset she is.

mac’s right in that she puts up a good front but you can still see her vulnerability. i just want to hug her.

admissions is a great episode. one of the best from season 4. lindsay is lovely here and is prominent to the case but this episode was more ensemble and focused on untangling the murder only for that surprise of an ending. #gerraddidnothingwrong

personal foul is the last episode of the season that gives major focus to the danny and lindsay ongoing drama. i have a love/hate relationship with this episode because it’s one of those episodes where the writers don’t handle fat people well at all. 

danny is desperate to talk to lindsay the entire episode and she’s very understandably hesitant to do so. 

she does however despite everything give a little smile to danny’s stupid joke “peanuts! popcorn! poison!”

oh lindsay. i feel for you girl. she loves him but she can’t love him because of him. that may or may not be a taylor swift lyric reference but you know what i won’t admit to anything.

when danny calls lindsay at the end of the episode he says “maybe there’s a lot of things i understand now”. it appears he has finally done some self-reflection on what he’s done, why he did it and how he hurt lindsay and himself in the process. it’s a step in the right direction of danny taking responsibility for his actions and growing as a person. 

throughout the arc danny only focused on his pain and how to make it better. I don’t really believe he took into consideration the needs of either rikki or lindsay. at a certain point it wasn’t even about ruben anymore. 

at the end of personal foul danny is left alone to reflect on his own selfishness. lindsay is trying to let him go due to him breaking her heart and rikki leaves. it’s a classic case of not knowing what you had till it’s gone. he has to come to terms with the possibility that lindsay may not forgive him and even if she does she may not want a relationship with him anymore. i believe he was sincere when he told her that he misses her. in the end, danny stares at ruben’s memorial program -- the real tragedy that got lost in all this is that an innocent kid died.  

i feel it’s pretty evident there was supposed to be a bit more to this plot line and there’s definitely inconsistency but due to the writer’s strike this is what we were left with. 

it has it’s good points but you may as well call me lot’s wife because i remain a pillar of salt. 

an aside here: i want the context of the picture lindsay is using as for danny’s contact because what a goof.

actual footage of me watching this entire season: