#After some high stakes episodes this one feels a bit more comfortable and by the numbers. The gang are investigating a clue left by a dead

[theonethatyaks93]

Animaniacs Season 3 Episodes 3-10 Opinions

Spoiler Warning: This review will give major spoilers for certain episodes of this show. Proceed at your own risk.

Hi guys. Listen, I think Season 3 was pretty strong and it improved after the first two episodes. However, the ending made me very pissed and I am kind of having an emotional moment right now. I just can’t believe that it’s over. And I can’t believe that it ended so poorly. I don’t think I’ll ever watch that last episode again, except for the cold opening. I just feel like the ending kind of lied to us. We got a Pinky and The Brain cold opening, not a full segment, and while it was good, for this to be the last appearance of the mice just makes me sad. The final segment also dragged on way too long and it just abruptly ended in a not funny way. This review will mainly focus on Pinky and The Brain, but I loved a few Warners segments such as “Warner Games”, “Santamaniacs”, “Island of Dr. Warneau”, and “Über Nachtmare”. Anyways, lets get on with the reviews.

“Talladega Mice” was one of the most surprisingly amazing segments of the entire reboot. I loved how it contained some references to older episodes and it was full of charming moments. I also loved how it focued on Pinky and his minor anxiety problems, with Brain having to calm him down to survive. This episode had the funniest moments in the entire third season, with me laughing for a solid 2+ minutes after watching this. I loved how it shows a softer side of Brain, with him using impressions to calm Pinky down. He also engages in an adorable tickle fight (Brain’s ticklish you guys!) and even allows Pinky to suck on his finger when he gets too stressed out. I feel really comfortable in saying that this segment felt very realistic in its portrayal of anxiety, stress, and the ways to cope with it. I relate to Pinky immensely here since I also have stress problems and need things to distract myself from them. I can safely say that this is a must-watch with hilarious moments, and some underlying messages.

“Mad Mouse: Furry Road” was a great, but not amazing segment. I was let down a bit, but I still found this fun and engaging. I loved Pinky’s sense of humor and Brain was also enjoyable. I think the animation was impressive and some of the moments between the mice were cute. While I think that it suffered from slow pacing at moments and not every joke was a slam dunk, (Also, that gross-out joke was not necessary, but shockingly, I’ve seen worse!) I still think that this is a decent watch.

“Groundmouse Day” was very funny and cute! I loved Brain and how he grew more and more insane after the day kept repeating. I loved Egwind and his cameo and Pinky was as adorable as he was funny. That moment when Pinky kissed Brain goodnight was one of the most pure and wholesome moments in the reboot (also Pinky is gay and so is Brain!). I loved the ending twist and I really felt every emotion seep from the screen. The expressions were wonderful and I loved all the Groundhog Day references. I felt really happy after watching this and I just feel like things were handled very well. Overall, I recommend this segment!

“All’s Fair in Love and Door” was hands-down the best episode from season 3. The drama, the comedy, the high-stakes, it was all amazing. Julia was as insane and hilarious as ever and Pinky deserves all the happiness. Also, Pinky and Brain love each other!!! The end blew my mind and I was very satisfied. I loved all the emotions and how realistic they all felt. I was surprised by a few things in this segment such as Brain covering Pinky to protect him from Julia (that jump was hilarious tho) and the real Julia showing up at the end! Please make a movie with Julia in it!!! The premise of this episode was extremely well-planned and all the VA’s did fantastic jobs with everything. This was the most surprising episode of the show in terms of twists and turns. Go watch this right now!!! I think this episode is worth your time!!

“How The Brain Thieved Christmas” was the episode that got me to cry. Yeah I know it’s cliche for me to like the Christmas episode but I did. The episode balanced perfect comedy, references, and genuine heart into one package. The first part was funny and engaging. The second part was tense and heartwarming. And when Pinky told Brain that he loved him, I screamed! I loved the Pinky dolls (especially the muscular one) and the moment when Pinky posed seductively was hilarious. The moment that got me was when Brain received the thing he needed to tack over the world from Pinky and he starts crying a little. The moment when all the characters sang “Silent Night” made me start getting a little steamy eyed. Pinky has the voice of an angel. I laughed when Brain finished the song at the end and I felt so warm and fuzzy after this episode; it was so good! Pinky and Brain truly care and love each other and I personally think that Brinky is canon now. This wasn’t as good as “A Pinky and The Brain Christmas” but I still felt emotions while watching this. I was also not happy that the show was ending, and I did a little ugly cry after watching, but still. A great Christmas episode with a fantastic ending, I couldn’t recommend this more.

“International Mouse of Mystery” was a huge letdown! I thought this was a full segment, but it was only a cold-opening?!! We were ripped off! Still it was a good opening with a pretty good song. Pinky is truly the second best singer on the show, without a doubt! I loved the animation and I think that this further hints at Brinky. Also, Pinky looks fabulous!! It’s a great idea, but it was just too short. If this is the last thing we see from the mice duo, I’ll be disappointed. Overall, not bad but just a huge disappointment and we were robbed of a proper conclusion.

All in all, I think this season was pretty solid. The ending was un-satisfying and there were a few moments of season 1’s weaker segments, but I still think this was better than the first season. Season 2 still is the best overall, but there were some great moments here. Just don’t watch the last episode except for the cold-opening if you want to keep you sanity and emotions in-check. I’ll still be talking about Pinky and The Brain constantly and I truly don’t think that this is the end of the franchise. Also, Brinky is canon!!!! Thank you guys so much for reading this!! I hope you enjoyed season 3!

[life-set-to-random]

Oh dear lord… the Ninja Tribunal arch. So much to unpack. Give me strength…

I’m going to try and be fair, I’m going to mention something positive for every complaint I make. I don’t want to be that person after all.

Firstly, please, please, for the love of all things , STOP CALLING OUT ATTACKS LIKE A CHEAP 90S ANIME DUB!!! The original cringe. 😖

Ok, nice thing time. These four were very likable (if not superfluous). I found myself wanting to know more about them and even shipping some of them with the Hamato brothers, if not romantically then at least as besties. Sadly they spend the entire arch building up friendships between these humans and the Turtles only to kill them off in the end. But it feels SO forced. We weren’t given enough time with them to really cry over them as individuals so much as morn the wasted potential they were brimming with. I get they couldn’t kill off the Turtles and thus needed some “Red Shirts” to try and sell the high stakes, but still.

And what about the relatives they were threatened with in the first episode of the arch? Joi Reynard’s Aunt who lives in Japan (I’m assuming Army or Navy brat, she’s WAY too caucasian to even be half Japanese, I’m assuming French ancestry), and Adam McCay’s brother (who never gets a name) in Miami Florida? Faraji Ngala and Yoshida Tora aren’t given specific loved ones to fret over but Tora obviously has someone because he apologizes to Mikey “…our families are at stake.”

Did anyone notify those poor people that their relatives died?! Because they weren’t even mentioned after this.

Side note while we’re on the subject of the folks left behind back on the home front, I hope April or one of the other human Allie’s back in NY are taking care of Klunk. With the way the Hamato clan keeps getting kidnaped for long periods of time, the poor fluff ball could starve easily.

These four, ugh where to start?

Positive note, beautiful visual designs, if not a westerner’s usual hodgepodge of Asian fantasy stereotypes. 🙄😑

Weak backstory, contorting groundbreaking original canon for this series into a very boring and predictable bit of nonsense. Completely unnecessary and obviously half assed, to the point where the Turtles sum it up so succinctly you want to say to Splinter and The Ancient One “That’s how you tell a story!”

Oh and their attitudes sucked! Almost as bad as their communication skills. Thankfully, when he arrived, Splinter flat out called them out on their crap. “How can they prepare themselves if you do not tell them anything?!”

Probably should say something positive again… Um, their voice actors were great?😅 And I love the juxtaposition of the girl being the one to represent strength and having a huge man representing stealth.

The weapons. Positive observations, they’re real weapon types and are actually pretty cool looking. Also it’s nice to see the boys deviated from their comfort zones (not Leo unfortunately, the writers just can’t separate him from swords in their minds apparently). How Leo gets his is so infuriatingly complicated when it didn’t need to be and falls into the trope of “black guy dies first” (then the girl, then the sweetheart, then the cool dude. Did we take a wrong turn into a late 90s horror movie or something?).

The monsters. None of these creatures look like their Japanese inspiration AT ALL! And none of them are Tengu, Tengu doesn’t even mean “demon”! They just stuck Tengu on the end of every other Japanese Yokai name! For no good reason!

I kept hearing that line from Princess Bride in my head. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

I’m not even Asian and I’m so offended and confused, I can’t imagine how an actual member of the Japanese culture must feel getting shit on like this. Whoever wrote this arch did not respect the source material, the source culture, or the audience because they obviously assumed we were all stupid unaware kids! Ether that, or they were seriously lazy, I suspect both.

And if you’re going to give an English speaking cast of white people Japanese words to say, TEACH THEM HOW TO £¥€&ING SAY THEM CORRECTLY! Jeezus Henry Christmas! (Best Herminone Granger voice) It’s “Oh-Knee” not “On-Eye”!

Bright side, they do look awesome.🤷🏻‍♀️

Im going to have to post about the Tribunal’s dragon forms on another post, I’ve run out of picture space.😑

[notsosilentsister]

The Diplomat

I kinda get why one might keep the awful husband around - he's a loose cannon who gets results, an asset as much as a liability. And while Kate often disagrees with him about the means, they do seem to be on the same page regarding the ends, which does matter, after all. You do get the sense that they share certain core values. So keeping him around is a high risk, high reward strategy.

It also seems like Kate's living a bit vicariously through him - she's so very restrained (as signified for instance by the eating disorder), and in a way he's a permission mechanism, sabotaging the restraint, and at the same time a cautionary tale, justifying the restraint. Maybe he's her Jungian shadow, doing what she doesn't allow herself to do. I also kinda get how you might love someone while not at all trusting them, and that always makes for an interesting dynamic. He still has to go - I'm on episode four - at least for a while, because I ship Kate with the State secretary. Competence porn, for sure, but I'm so jaded about politics at this point that it's starting to break my suspension of disbelief. People are all so professional, focussed on the task at hand. Sure, there may be some personal vanity involved on occasion, but the show does a good job showing how seemingly frivolous things can be valid concerns when you're in the business of reputation management. (Kate acknowledges that the presidend is right to worry about looking old and weak - there's an undeniable cost to it, it's just that the cost of a show of strength would be higher in this particular case). And sure, people fuck up, but so far all the fuck ups are the sort you easily might make when you have to make quick decisions based on insufficient information, and it's often easy to see how every alternative option could have led to something disastrous just as well. It want to see some unforced errors! But unforced errors are made at one's leisure, which no one has in this show and that brings me to my main issue: pacing and stakes. Which are too fast, and too high, respectively, for my taste. I tend to prefer the sort of character study, where characters get some room to breathe (and rope to hang themselves with; for that, you gotta cut them some slack). That's what I really loved about the Americans, where the pace could ramp up to nail-biting degrees at the drop of a hat, but also linger, allow for a slow, downright torturous build-up of tension, for treacherous lulls in the action, a temptation to succumb to the lure of mundanity, the American dream in suburbia, a false sense of security. You might easily lose track of something, that would later come back to bite you in the ass, which added to the suspense, and made the sudden eruptions of violence, always simmering below the surface, seem more shocking and at the same time more inevitable, less contrived. I always kinda had to steel myself to watch the Americans and would be left reeling for a while after a lot of episodes. Well, this is more of a comedy, but the pace for me is is too constant, I guess. I'm also not sure that I buy into the central thesis as formulated by the awful husband, that the person most suited for power is the one being thrust into it by circumstances instead of actively seeking it out. It's a very popular sentiment (why your average hero first has to refuse the call), but a bit too romantic for my taste. 

I mean, obviously you'd want someone in power who sees power only as a means to an end - to protect, to promote - and not as an end in itself. But that seems less about "wanting power" vs "not wanting power" and more about what precisely one might want the power for. And personally, I do actually feel more comfortable with someone in power who does care enough about power to study it, to find out how it works and how it doesn't work in any given situation, and who can hold onto it long enough to actually implement a proper reform. Being naive about power has never helped any cause. For what it's worth, I do think that both Hal and Kate actually care very much about power in this way. But right now, they both would rather be the power behind the throne, and that's not gonna work, because someone also has to sit on it. I mean, Kate would argueably still be a power behind the throne as a VP, but one suspects that Hal's idea is more about Kate pulling the president's strings, and Hal pulling Kate's. It's a good conflict! Anyways, I would have always watched this for Kerri Russel no matter what, and would certainly watch another season as well.

[storytellingdreamer]

Watching Granada Holmes: Silver Blaze

Image description: Holmes and Watson sit side-by-side in a train carriage, dressed for a day out. They are studying something just out of shot. / end image description.  

I’ve fallen behind a bit on these recaps. We watched this episode a couple of weeks ago. Oh well, life is busy atm. Read my other Granada Holmes recaps here.

This episode is rather fun. There are some high stakes, yes, but it’s also full of Holmes and Watson tramping about the countryside, finding the necessary clues, and having a bit of fun at the expense of stuffy rich people along the way.

Also, it’s a horse episode! This satisfies my inner horse-nerd immensely. (Horses were my passion for several years as a kid.)

The opening scene gives off a spooky vibe, as there are no words spoken, only hoofbeats, accompanied by ominous horns from the soundtrack. Also, there’s that guy with the binoculars, and all those people looking grouchy. The grouchy people could be excused by the presumed early hour – horses were/ are usually exercised rather early in the day. The guy with the binoculars, though – he might be trouble.

And then we’re back at 221b, though it took me a minute to recognise it. This is a perspective of Holmes’s room which I’m not used to! Fortunately, after a moment, Holmes goes into the more recognisable sitting room, to consult with Watson. This time, we have arrived in the middle of an ongoing case, which Holmes has been trying to solve from London. Unfortunately, he’s had no luck, and the local constabulary have merely irritated matters. So they must go to the country themselves.

Once Holmes has come out of his funk at his blunder (of assuming the horse thief and murderer were the same person) and realised that he’s accidentally making Watson feel unwelcome, that is. It must have been quite the consuming case so far!

“Mrs Hudson! We’re off to Dartmoor!” Holmes yells – and so they are.

We have another classic “discussion of the case in the train carriage”, with several delightful differences. One is that Holmes is entertaining himself by estimating the train speed using his knowledge of the distance between telegraph poles, and how long it takes to travel between two. Perhaps he’s then using the knowledge to estimate if their time of arrival will be on schedule or not.

It amuses me because I do something a little similar when driving between towns sometimes – though I get the car’s speed from the speedo, not by telegraph poles and pocket watches!

The other lovely thing about the train scene is that for once, we get a shot of Holmes and Watson sitting next to each other. It’s where I took the intro image from. Also it’s (yet another) instance of Watson reading something out to Holmes.

Next, we are introduced to Colonel Ross, the horse’s owner, and Inspector Gregory, the detective on the case. Holmes and Watson tag-team to gain the information Holmes needs to begin filling in the blanks. Quite a bit of it, even if most of it is still muddled.

Colonel Ross proves himself to be an irritant and a half, earning the ire of Holmes and Watson by saying that he didn’t want Holmes there in the first place… “I don’t like amateurs, you see.” At that Watson’s face goes very still, and Holmes gives a big “ha!” of indignant laughter. (It’s another Brettism – Holmes does that laugh when he’s particularly offended, usually after being snubbed in some way.)

Things proceed in that way for the next chunk of episode, with Holmes and Watson investigating the stables and the outbuildings and interviewing the maid and stable hands. The flashback parts of this were good, as was Holmes’s characteristic hand of comfort. Then, of course, the inspector takes over, filling us in on his own part in the case so far, with his own theories added in.

Meanwhile, Holmes has taken note of all the things that might be of interest. Including very loud guard dogs that were quiet during important events, and the usefulness of curried mutton to disguise a drugged supper. There’s also the business about a “cataract knife” (a lovely bit of Watson providing info there!) and a receipt found on Straker’s body, made out to a different man for a dress that Mrs Straker knows nothing about. I guessed what the latter meant when Holmes checked! Poor Mrs Straker.

(What I *didn’t* get was Holmes and Watson’s little exchange about betting, as if Holmes doesn’t know Watson was a bit of a gambler at times – wasn’t that fact established in one of Granada’s earliest episodes, when Holmes deduces Watson isn’t going to lend a friend money because Watson’s chequebook is still locked in Holmes’s drawer, and he hasn’t asked for the key?)

That aside, I think half the fun of this episode is that the clues are all there in the telling, and we put them together with Holmes for the most part. Either that or Holmes fills us in in dribs and drabs as we go. Instead of, say, all as a big ramble from one character at the end (*cough* SIGN *cough*).

The other half of the fun, as I mentioned earlier, largely comes from rambling with purpose upon moors, the horses, and getting one over rich people. I particularly enjoyed the scenes where Inspector Gregory knew enough about Holmes’s methods to provide him with shoes as samples – but, being so stuck in his own theory, failed to look further. Holmes has his own theory, of course, which turns out to be correct.

“You see the value of imagination,” Holmes opines. “…We imagined what might have happened, acted upon a supposition, and find ourselves justified.”

With the scent hot, Holmes and Watson give chase, and so unravel that part of the mystery. After extracting a promise of silence and good behaviour from the would-be thief/saboteur and then having a bit of fun at Colonel Ross’s expense, the only matter remaining is to figure out what happened to Straker.

Holmes, however, has all the clues to that, too. After all, he knows horses.

They are flighty creatures. Prey animals with finely tuned danger senses. Silver Blaze trusted the one who led him out of the stable, yes – but not when they led him over the hills to a quiet place, instead of going the more routine way to the track. Not when the person was probably giving off all sorts of signs of their own nerves and upset. Especially not when they began fiddling around with Blaze’s feet, with Blaze only loosely secured, and the position completely different to when, say, a blacksmith tends to the feet. Especially with the person’s head in prime striking distance.

It's no wonder what happened next. And no wonder that Holmes calls the person “unworthy of [Ross’s] trust”. To think of doing that to a horse, just so they could win some money from Blaze losing the race!

The wrap-up scene is very atmospheric, tying all the threads together. Colonel Ross gets to show off again, only for Holmes to be decidedly unimpressed (that bell! Ugh!) and Watson gets the honours of explaining the set-up to the conclusion… so Holmes can then be Dramatic with the tiny scalpel and an apple.

[ncko-art]

did i ever leave my review on what i thought abt the banana fish anime?? idk but im gonna give my thoughts anyway

i think the first 13 episodes were really solid. the show has a really great and captivating start and everything feels connected. after athur’s death, the plot is kinda all over the place with the addition of yut-lung, blanca and colonel fox, to the point where every other episode eiji is used as leverage, ash gets kidnapped, busts out, gets kidnapped again and so on and so forth. at some point, you get tired of this cycle and the stakes aren’t really that high anymore lol

i feel like yut-lung’s motivations for hunting eiji down could’ve been a bit more...i don’t know, clearer? better? yut-lung as an antagonist is sympathetic but his goals. . .are very petty lmao and while most people are after ash for gang-related or banana-fish related reasons, yut-lung just wants ash to be alone, unloved and full of hatred like him. i get it. . .but also, he was kinda annoying lmao i wish he had been a neutral party instead. 

blanca is nice in concept but in terms of execution, he also baffled me hsgasajas idk i just can’t explain it. he’s cool tho.

lao was annoying as fuck ashdgajdshajsk enough said

and while i understand the thematic significance of the ending, it will never sit well with me. ash had been going through so much shit in his life and he had been thinking about death a lot. eiji was the shining light in his life and offered him comfort, understanding and unconditional love and support. i understand that ash’s life of crime would keep haunting him and him being close to eiji would only endanger eiji and possibly his loved ones but isn’t it enough for ash to have that letter from eiji and keep it with him and live? it’s bittersweet for eiji and ash to never be able to see each other again as a result of their different lives but it’s cruel af to have ash die of his own volition so eiji will be safe. he’s been beaten down repeatedly throughout the show and then has to die so his friend will be safe, how tragic is that? when yut-lung tried to make ash’ life a living hell and got a happy ending and even dino got a somewhat heroic end to his life when that man deserved a dog’s death? ok.

all in all, great show but i definitely think they could’ve toned down the ash torture porn lol

[monocytogenes]

Hey! For the hard mode meme, how about 10, 12, & 35? For Pravin in both SWTOR and DA verse :D

Finally getting down to this one, lol. Thanks for all the asks!

I'm actually going to do this for SWTOR and break out the DA stuff in a second post because, well, once I start getting sociological about shit I go off.

10. Does your character feel more comfortable with more clothing, or with less clothing?

Soo, let's start off by talking about Imperial fashion from a cultural standpoint.

I talked a bit in my forms of address post about how I see Imperial society as being extremely hierarchical and a culture with a strong public life/private life distinction. In public life, your position in the social hierarchy--as defined by your species, your job, and the circumstances of your upbringing--is something you consciously communicate to others; there are norms that you conform to in the way you dress and behave, and deviating from these norms tends to be met with confusion or outright derision. (This is true even among Sith; you may have more leeway to look like an edgelord, but being too much of a dramatic asshole as a freshly minted apprentice is going to toss a wrench into your advancement prospects.) You want to put your best foot forward within the bounds you've got to show that you're a respectable citizen, that you're worthy of what privileges you have now and those that you're eligible to earn in the future.

Fashions in the Empire thus tend to walk an interesting line between conservatism and theatricality: they tend to follow well-established patterns while also exaggerating features in ways that express admirable traits like physical fitness, strength and an appropriate degree of sensuality. Not a lot of skin is shown on the regular--there's a time and place for that, such as in women's evening wear or garments worn for exercise. Padded shoulders, big sleeves, lifted busts and cinched-in waists are common; clothes are heavily tailored to hide one's imperfections, and walking around in something ill-fitting is apt to make people wonder if you're impoverished or a slave. Everything is, of course, extremely polished, starched and clean.

This brings us back to Pravin.

Pravin's honestly not comfortable cavorting around in public in, say, shorts and a sleeveless shirt. This is not because he dislikes his body (quite the opposite; he knows he's fit and attractive) but because it makes him feel not put together. He's found a subversive little medium between full neck-to-boots Imperial garb and the sort of undress that strikes him as slovenly; he's got a thing for collared shirts worn partly open, slim-fit trousers and loafers worn without socks. While shipboard or wherever he happens to be calling home, he's often in sleep pants and a robe, because that's a private space. He'll look a little grungy to sell the whole 'ah yes I'm totally a shady mf and not a former Imp' thing, but not to the point of wearing clothes that aren't flattering (unless it's for very specific concealment purposes.)

So, in short: he's actually towards the 'more clothes' side, all things considered, because he grew up in a society where people dress very intentionally and that kind of socialization is hard to shake.

12. In what situation was your character the most calm they’ve ever been?

This is kind of awful, but I think Pravin had some episodes of sheer dissociation during the mind control arc that he'd probably interpret as 'calm' but that were really more like 'feeling absolutely nothing.' Not the high-stakes moments, mind you, but he was running errands for the SIS team at points where he was totally checked out. He can recall those instances in kind of an analytical way, but they also have kind of an unsettling dreamlike quality since he was so numb.

(On a lighter note, I think he's touched something along the lines of 'totally contented/untroubled' post-sex before. He definitely did when he and Shara slept together after the whole Eradicators thing; it's part of why he wound up just passing the fuck out in her bed, lol.)

35. How does your character behave around people they like?

Probably the surest sign that Pravin genuinely really likes someone is that he'll get playful with them/give them a hard time: he tends to be personable and friendly by default, and doing that--actually ribbing them--is him being a tad vulnerable, revealing himself as a little less than polite (see, for instance, him flirtily teasing Lana in the Prana fic, lol.) It's a means of allowing himself to be known, and among people that he isn't totally warm on, he'd really rather they not view him as anything less than pleasant.

In general, I see him as leaning towards the quality time/acts of service end of the love languages spectrum; he's not super physically affectionate outside of sexy situations, and doesn't particularly enjoy naming feelings. Helping someone with tasks or just setting aside time to chill with them are how he's more inclined to express genuine care, and he can get a bit embarrassed about it if someone really gets to praising him for his altruism and sympathetic listening, haha.

[samwellwinchesterthebrave]

I am losing my mind over last night's episode of Calamity. Zerxus really just walked up to this Betrayer God, the Lord of the Hells, and healed him and prepared to cast Atonement for him. Like, what must it be like for this Betrayer God to have one of the mortals he fought with the Primordials against just come up and show him this kindness and understanding and forgiveness? Just Zerxus' whole deal makes my heart hurt. He's so earnest and sincere and I love him. I'm calling it now. Evandrin isn't dead, he's ethereal or something. He faded from visible sight but he isn't gone.

I love Patia and Laerryn. They were boss ass bitches and it was a delight watching them fight. Their arrogance is backed up by their power and I doubt they've come across a problem that they haven't been able to overcome with their knowledge and magical ability. It is amazing watching the ease and casualness with which they cast high level magic. This is the Age of Arcanum, of course it's every day for them. This is their life and they are comfortable and confident in it.

After the failed check by Cerrit, I feel like Loquacious is sketchy. He puts on this front that he's a good, if self-absorbed, person. But I think there might be some rotten bits in his core. I also think there's a hell of a lot more to the situation with Elena than might be just he got jealous and got her fired or something. Also, I feel like he knows something about what happened to Evandrin. There are secrets he's keeping and I feel like they are very important to what's going to happen.

And speaking of Cerrit, it was adorable when his son messaged him. It was the sweetest thing and it just digs the knife a little deeper knowing the Calamity is coming. I wonder what his wife is doing. Is she a mage? Or some other type of scientist? Why not be home for the Replenishment?

I was wrong about the Oracles disappearing but they are definitely out of commission. And, with the future knowledge we as viewers have, we know for a fact that Karwen's prophecy isn't false. It makes me wonder if it was just fear and a kind of burying the head in the sand mentality that made the Octothurge declare it false. It makes me wonder, considering the portal to Asmodeus is in Karwen's room, if Asmodeus is purposefully sending these prophecies or if his mere presence is changing things and opening up other things for the Oracles to see.

I love how Brennan portrayed Asmodeus. I don't know how much of what he said was manipulation and shading of situations (quite a bit of it I bet) but he played that conversation with Zerxus to a t. I love me a sympathetic villain and, from Asmodeus' point of view, he had some good points. It makes sense, the gifts he offered to mortals. After all, often a thing doesn't have meaning unless its absence is a possibility.

Ugh. This whole episode had me gasping and squealing right along with the cast. I'm loving Brennan as a dm. He's excellent at the emotional punches and making things matter even when you don't have a personal stake in the matter. His sense of timing is perfect.

It also makes me laugh that Aabria at the end was like I thought I was gonna cause it and it was you all along to Luis. Like, they're passing around being the cause of the Calamity like a hot potato.

I cannot wait to see where this goes

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press/Gallery: How Elizabeth Olsen Brought Marvel From Mainstream to Prestige

“The thing I love about being an actor is to fully work with someone and try so hard to be at every level with them, chasing whatever it is you need or want from them.”

  GALLERY LINKS

Studio Photoshoots > 2021 > Session 008 Magazine Scans > 2021 > Backstage (August 19)

Backstage: Elizabeth Olsen grins widely over video chat when recalling many such moments on set with her co-stars. Yet, she can’t bring herself to divorce such a lofty vision of film acting from the technical multitasking it requires. The camera sees all.

“But then you move your hair, and you’re in your brain, like: OK, remember that! Because I don’t want to edit myself out of a shot. I know some actors are like, ‘Continuity, shmontinuity!’ But the good thing about continuity is, if you remember it, you’re actually providing yourself with more options for the edit.”

That need to balance being both inside the scene and outside of it, fully living it and yet constantly visualizing it on a screen, feels particularly apt in light of Olsen’s most recent project, “WandaVision.”

The mysteries at the heart of the show grow with every episode, each fast-forwarding to a different decade: Could this 1950s, black-and-white, “filmed in front of a studio audience” newlyweds bit be a grief-stricken dream? Might this ’70s spoof be a powerful spell gone awry? Could this meta take on mockumentary comedies be proof that the multiverse is finally coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

The series’ structure, which branches out to include government agents intent on finding out why Westview has seemingly disappeared, calls for the entire cast to play with a mix of genres, balancing a shape-shifting tone that culminates in an epic, MCU-style conclusion. What’s key—and why the show struck a chord with audiences during its nine-episode run—is the miniseries’ commitment to grounding its initial kooky setups and its later special effects-driven spectacle in heartbreaking emotional truths. It’s no small feat, though it’s one that can often be taken for granted.

“I was thinking how hard it would have been to have shot the first ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ” Olsen muses. “Like, you’re putting all these actors [into the frame] later and at all these different levels. All the eyelines are completely unnatural. And yet the performances are fantastic! And technically, they are so hard. People forget sometimes that these things are really technically hard to shoot. And if you are moved by their performance, that took a lot of multitasking.”

As someone who has learned plenty about harnesses, wirework, fight choreography, and green screens (she’s starred in four Marvel movies, including the box office megahit “Avengers: Endgame,” after all), Olsen knows how hard it can be to wrap one’s brain around the work needed to pull off those big, splashy scenes.

“​​If you think about it, it’s, like, the biggest stakes in the entire world—every time. And that feels silly to act over and over again, especially when people are in silly costumes and the love of your life is purple and sparkly, and every time you kiss them, you have to worry about getting it on your hands. Those things are ridiculous. You feel ridiculous. So there is a part of your brain that has to shovel that away and just look into someone’s eyeballs—and sometimes, they don’t even have eyeballs!”

The ability to spend so much time with Wanda, albeit in the guise of sitcom parodies, was a welcome opportunity for Olsen. Not only did it allow the actor to really wrestle with the traumatic backstory that has long defined the character in the MCU, but having the chance to calibrate a performance that functions on so many different levels was a thrilling challenge.

“It was such an amazing work experience,” she says. “Kathryn [Hahn] uses the word ‘profound’—which is so sweet, because it is Marvel, and people, you know, don’t think of those experiences as profound when they watch them. But it really was such a special crew that [director] Matt Shakman and [creator] Jac Schaeffer created. It was a really healthy working environment.”

Related‘WandaVision’ Star Kathryn Hahn’s Secret to Building a Scene-Stealing Performance ‘WandaVision’ Star Kathryn Hahn’s Secret to Building a Scene-Stealing Performance Considering that the miniseries spans several sitcom iterations, various layers of televisual reality, and a number of character reveals that needed to feel truthful and impactful in equal measure, Shakman’s decision to work closely with his actors ahead of shooting was key.

“We truly had a gorgeous amount of time together before we started filming,” Olsen remembers. “Our goal was—which is controversial in TV land—that if you wanted to change [anything], like dialogue in a scene, you had to give those notes a week before we even got there. Because sometimes you get to set, and someone had a brilliant idea while they were sleeping, and you’re like, ‘We don’t have an hour to talk about this. We have seven pages to shoot.’ And so, we were all on the same page with one another, knowing what we were shooting ahead of time.

“Matt just treated us like a troupe of actors who were about to do some regional theater shit,” she adds with a smile.

That spirit of camaraderie was, not coincidentally, at the heart of Olsen’s breakout project, Sean Durkin’s 2011 indie sensation “Martha Marcy May Marlene.” As an introduction to the process of filmmaking to a young stage-trained actor, Durkin’s quietly devastating drama was a dream—and an invaluable learning opportunity.

“It was truly just a bunch of people who loved the script, who just were doing the work. I didn’t understand lenses, so I just did the same thing all the time. I never knew if the camera would be on me or not. There was just so much purity in that experience, and you only have that once.”

The film announced Olsen as a talent to watch: a keen-eyed performer capable of deploying a stilted physicality and clipped delivery, which she used to conjure up a wounded girl learning how to shake off her time spent in a cult in upstate New York. But Olsen admits that it took her a while to figure out how to navigate her career choices afterward. In the years following “Martha,” she felt compelled to try on everything: a horror flick here, a high-profile remake there, a period piece here, an action movie there. It wasn’t until she starred in neo-Western thriller “Wind River” (alongside fellow Marvel regular Jeremy Renner) and the dark comedy “Ingrid Goes West” (opposite a deliciously deranged Aubrey Plaza) that Olsen found her groove.

“It was at that point, when I was five years into working, where I was like, Ah, I know how I want it. I know what I need from these people—from who’s involved, from producers, from directors, from the character, from the script—in order to trust that it’s going to be a fruitful experience.”

As Olsen looks back on her first decade as a working actor, she points out how far removed she is from that young girl who broke out in “Martha Marcy May Marlene.”

“I feel like a totally different person. I don’t know if everyone who’s in their early 30s feels like their early 20s self is a totally different human. But when I think about that version of myself, it feels like a long time ago; there’s a lot learned in a decade.”

Those early years were marked by a self-effacing humility that often led Olsen to defer to others when it came to key decisions about the characters she was playing. But she now feels emboldened to not only stand up for herself and her choices but for others on her sets as well.

“[Facebook Watch series] ‘Sorry for Your Loss’ I got to produce, and I really found my voice in a collaborative leadership way. And with ‘WandaVision,’ Paul [Bettany] and I really took on that feeling, as well—especially since we were introducing new characters to Marvel and wanted [those actors] to feel protected and helped,” she says. “They could ask questions and make sure they felt like they had all the things they needed because sometimes you don’t even know what you need to ask.”

It’s a lesson she learned working with filmmaker Marc Abraham on the Hank Williams biopic “I Saw the Light,” and she’s carried it with her ever since. “I really want it to feel like we’re all in this together, as a team,” Olsen says. “That was part of ‘Sorry for Your Loss’ and it was part of ‘WandaVision,’ and I hope to continue that kind of energy because those have been some of the healthiest work experiences I’ve had.”

If Olsen sounds particularly zealous about the importance of a comfortable, working set, it is because she’s well aware that therein lies an integral part of the work and the process. As an actor, she wants to feel protected and nurtured by those around her, whether she’s reacting to a telling, quiet line of dialogue about grief or donning her iconic Scarlet Witch outfit during a magic-filled mid-air action sequence.

“Sometimes you’re going to be foolish, you know? And [you need to] feel brave to be foolish. Sometimes people feel embarrassed on set and snap. But if you’re in a place where people feel like they’re allowed to be an idiot,” she says, “you’re going to feel better about being an idiot.”

This story originally appeared in the Aug. 19 issue of Backstage Magazine. Subscribe here.

Press/Gallery: How Elizabeth Olsen Brought Marvel From Mainstream to Prestige was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[sunflowergirl522]

Phobia

Pairing: Din Djarin x Reader

Summary: You get stuck on an ice planet with the worst thing ever. 

Warnings: Spoilers for season two of the Mandalorian. (If there’s anything else let me know)

Word Count: 3,377

A/N: This was inspired because of my poor arachnophobia while watching the new episode. Also I started planning and writing this thinking it was really good but now I’m doubting it so I’m really sorry if it’s just shit.

Also for those who don’t know: Bare = dear, Cyar’ika = darling/sweetheart, darasuum = eternally, Ni kar’taylir darasuum gar = I love you

Masterlist

You’ve been tense ever since you got back. Not only had Din sent you back before fighting the Krayt Dragon, the child had snuck off of the speeder Cobb Vanth had been kind enough to lend you. So now instead of just worrying about if your Mandalorian was coming back safe you have to worry about the little one too. Peli noticed how tense you were when you showed back up to the hangar and instead of asking about it, she tried her hardest to distract you. So here you are sitting in the cantina watching her play with the insect across from you both. The insect had just beaten Peli and they started a new round when Din walks into the cantina. The relief you feel when you see him is visible as you let out a breath of air and your shoulders drop. 

Din makes his way over to the table and you smile up at him as he gives you a small head nod. After he turns his attention to Peli yours transfers over to the little one who coos at you. Mando explains what happened to Peli while you get up and grab the child from the bag on Dins hip. “Come here you little womp rat. You were supposed to come back with me.” 

“That’s a high stakes game.” You tune back into the others as Peli gets Din to cover the insects bet. You turn to look at Din trying to tell if he has any major injuries but there’s none that you can notice at least. “I thought you said he was on a hot streak?” Dins voice causes you to look at Peli who’s collecting the credits from the table. 

“Aw quit your cryin, you’ll rust!” You giggle at the exclamation and Din gives your foot a playful nudge. Peli then translates everything the insect has to say about the contact before starting to talk about the Krayt Dragon meat. 

As you’re following her out of the cantina a thought strikes you and you look up at the Mandalorian next to you. “Did you walk here?” He responds to you with just a nod. “What happened to the speeder?”

“Guild members who were here for the kid made me crash it.” You gasp at his words and immediately start to check the child for any wounds. Once you see that he’s perfectly fine you grab Dins arm to stop him and turn towards him. 

“Are you okay?” You once again look over him to see if you can spot any serious injuries. 

“I’m fine Cyar’ika, don’t worry.” He leans down to touch his forehead to yours. “I took care of them.”

“Good.”

***

You sit with the child in your lap while you both watch the meat cook. Din stands off to the side watching over the two of you and the meat. The silence that exists is comfortable and not unlike many days in the Razor Crest. 

“Hey, don’t overcook it, Treadwell. I like it a little rare! It’s not some Rodian for crying out loud.” Peli breaks the silence as she enters the hanger and walks towards Din. “All right here’s the deal. A Mandalorian covert is in this sector.”

“Are they the ones that left Navarro?”

“Don’t know. All I know is that the contact will lead you to them.”

“How much will it cost me?”

“That’s the great news, it’s free!” 

“What’s the non great news?” There's your Mandalorian always assuming there’s a catch.

“There is none. However there is one small stank in the scud pie.” Normally he’s right. “The contact wants passage to the system. And no hyperdrive.”

You watch them go back and forth until a frog lady catches your attention. She walks in and heads straight for Peli and Din. The child’s attention goes to her as well, more importantly to the eggs on her back. Once you notice him doing this you pick him up to be eye to eye with you. “Don’t you even think about it buster.” He just coos back at you. You can’t help the small smile that graces your face at how cute the little guy is. “Alright little one let’s go start to get the ship ready to go.” You get up with him in your arms and follow the frog lady into the ship where Din joins you shortly after. 

Din explains the importance of staying strapped in while seated after take off and you stop yourself from chuckling at him getting annoyed after not getting a response to speaking Huttese to the lady. “I’m gonna hit the rack. I set the nav for our course. It’s gonna take a while so I recommend you get some rest.” As Din walks out he gives you a head nod motioning to follow him. You smile at the frog lady as you get up and follow him out the doors to the cockpit and down the ladder. Once you get down to the hull he’s turning around to look for the child. “Kid?”

You both look over to see him grabbing an egg from the carrying case. “No, no, no!” You both chant as you rush over to him. Din shuts the container quick and grabs the kid. “That’s not food. Don’t do that again.” The child burps and all Din can do is sigh in exasperation before turning and heading to the bed. You follow behind looking between the eggs and the ladder with a frown. Once Din puts the child in his hammock he crawls in himself and opens his arms as much as he can for you to cuddle up beside him. You tuck the little one in and kiss his forehead before crawling in next to Din and having him wrap his arms around you. 

“Get some sleep my love, you’ve had a long day.” You rest your forehead against his chest plate as you speak. Before you know it you can hear the small snores slipping out from underneath his helmet and you smile before drifting into sleep yourself.

A ringing wakes you both up and Din rushes up to the cockpit leaving you and the child alone. You groan to yourself about being woken up too soon and how your Mandalorian just needs some rest before crawling out yourself. “Behave yourself.” You speak to the cooing child before heading up the ladder and entering the cockpit. You walk into Din speaking to two X Wings and silently sit in the last open seat.

“May the force be with you.”

“And also with you.”

You yawn and stretch as he sends them the ping they had asked for and the frog lady wakes up. Next thing you know the X Wings are opening up and Din is speeding away and you’re thanking the heavens that you had buckled in.

A sigh of relief leaves your mouth as they lose you and the Crest slides to a stop on the ice. Frog lady starts to unbuckle and get up to most likely check on her eggs as Din places the ship completely down just for it to fall through and crash at the bottom. When you open your eyes it’s suddenly so cold in the ship. Frog lady is shivering on the ground and you quickly unbuckle to help her up as Din picks his head up and tries to start the ship. Once she’s up she starts to speak in a worried tone and points to the door. Din states that he’ll find the eggs and walks out of the door as she whimpers to you. “I’ll find some blankets too to keep you warm.” You leave her and get down to the hull just to gasp at the hole in the side of the ship. You then catch up with Din in the wreckage.

“The kid’s gone.”

“Oh no.” You walk towards the hole hoping you won’t see little footprints leading away. Din continues to look in the wreckage as the anxious pit in your stomach grows.

“No! I told you not to do that.” You turn to see Din grabbing the container of her eggs from the kid and rush to grab the one out of his hands before he can eat that one too. Din yells up that he found them as you place the one you took back in the case. “How many did you eat?” The concern in his voice is clear and the only response he gets is a burp from the kid. A gust of wind comes through the hole and you wrap your arms around yourself to help provide a little warmth. 

“Hold these for a minute Y/n, I’m sure I have a coat around here somewhere for you.” Din hands you the container of her eggs that’s giving off a little bit of heat and gets to work searching for something to protect you from the cold. As soon as he finds the coat that’s just a little too big for you he starts to clean up the wreckage and you grab one of the blankets for the frog lady who makes her way down and start working on a lunch tray for the little one and the new passenger. Once Din feels everything is cleaned up enough he explains the situation to the lady and she tries to communicate with him.

“I’m sorry lady, I don’t understand frog. Whatever it is can wait until morning. I recommend you get some sleep.” He then crosses his arms and leans against the wall he’s sitting in front of while you watch the lady take her blanket off and put it over her eggs. After realizing it was to keep her unborn children warm you take off the coat and hand it to her in order to help. Din is quick to wrap an arm around you once you sit next to him and you curl into his side using his cape as a blanket as much as you can. “You're too kind bare.” You smile at the words whispered to you and shrug before dozing off once again.

You’re both startled awake again however when the frog lady accesses the vocabulation on Zero’s head. You can’t stop the smirk that makes it’s way onto your face as she tells Din off for saying that the deal was off. The sigh of defeat he gives before grabbing his tools and heading outside almost makes you giggle but him mumbling about how this wasn’t part of the deal throws you into a fit. Once you’ve calmed down you pick the child up and carry him over to his hammock. “Get some sleep you little womp rat and don’t bother the nice lady too much. I’m gonna go help your papa.” You grab the last blanket and exit through the hole to follow Din.

“You shouldn’t be out here Y/n, it’s too cold.”

“I’ll be fine, I just wanna help.” You wrap the blanket tighter around you and sit in the snow next to him. A bit of time passes by with you handing Din tools he asks for to help him repair the ship. Your hands had gone numb a little while ago and you can’t stop your shivering but you’ve been dealing with it to help your Mandalorian. When handing him a new tool it falls from your shaking hand and Din’s attention is drawn from the wires to you. He notices your blue lips and chattering teeth immediately and sits up straight and putting the tools he had down. 

“Cyar’ika please, go back inside and get some rest.” His voice pleads with you as he grabs your hands in his gloved ones to try to warm them up. The leather is still warm from the heat coming from the broken wires.

“I want to stay out here and help you.” 

“You’ll only get sick if you stay out here much longer. You can come back out after you’ve gotten some rest and warmed up, okay?”

“Okay, fine. But only because you sound so desperate for me to go.” 

“I just want to keep you safe ner kar’taylir darasuum.” He leans his forehead against yours and you stop yourself from flinching from how cold it was.

“I’ll be back in a bit.” You head back inside and pass the frog lady who’s cradling her eggs and the child who’s now sitting on a crate watching the eggs. “C'mon little one, you wanna keep me company?” He follows you to the small makeshift bedroom and you curl up with him at your side. 

***

Waking up from your nap and going into the hull you’re met with silence and you don’t see anyone. You search around the ship just to find noone and you scrunch your face up in confusion wondering where everyone went. You make your way outside and blaster fire breaks you out of your thoughts. You look up to see frog lady and Din carrying both the kid and the eggs running towards you with Din shooting behind him. “Y/n! Go inside! Get to the cockpit!” You’re about to shout back why when you almost freeze in your spot from what’s chasing them. What has to be thousands of Krykna spill out of the caves all around. You let out a shriek and run as fast as you can back into the ship and up the ladder. Once in the cockpit you curl into a ball in a corner breathing fast and panicking.Of anything that had to live on this planet it just had to be kriffing Krykna. You’ve been terrified of them almost your whole life and you’ve only ever heard stories about them. Now that you’re seeing them in person you’ve decided that they’re even more terrifying.

The child is the first one to enter followed closely by the frog lady. She sits in her seat holding her eggs close to her and the little one stands to the side. Din comes in then followed by loads of Krykna that are keeping the door open as he tries to close it. You scream as they begin to crawl and jump into the cockpit. You try to shut your teary eyes and go to a happy place in your head but the child's whines make your eyes snap open. The Krykna are all over the cockpit but your attention is on the one that’s made its way onto the child's head. Something in you snaps as you watch him try to get it off and you dive next to him and knock it off before stomping it. Two more start to crawl up your legs and you snap right back out of it. You kick your legs trying to get them off while crying before two blaster fires kill them. The frog lady has a small blaster in her hands and you smile in thanks at her and bring the child into your arms keeping him close to you. Din uses the flamethrower on his wrist then to get them away from the door and it closes. He pants as he kneels down next to your shaking form.

“Are you okay?” All you can do is nod at him. He helps you up and into a seat as quickly as he can. He buckles you up before sitting himself in the pilots seat. “Strap yourself in. This better work.” Din gets the ship to start up and says something about a bumpy ride but you’re not paying attention to that your eyes are stuck on the Krykna that are climbing over the ship. You start to calm down a little bit once the ship starts to take off just to start panicking again when it crashes back down. Two giant legs pierce through the roof and yet another shriek leaves your mouth. When you see the giant Krykna outside of the ship your mouth opens in a silent scream while tears stream down your face. You sit there paralyzed in fear as it’s mouth lunges at the window. When Din gets up to go see who shot it down he hands the kid to you and you grab onto his arm in a panic. 

“Please no.” You want to tell him about how you don’t want him to go out there to die and how scared you are but that’s all you can force your mouth to say. Din seems to be able to pick up on the panic in your voice though.

“Hey, it’s okay, I’ll be right back Cyar’ika.” Your grip on him doesn’t loosen and he brings a hand up to cradle the side of your face. “I’ll come right back to you like I always do.” The way he says it causes you to let go and you hold the child tight the whole time he’s gone. However once the frog lady leaves the cockpit the kid starts to coo at you till you loosen your grip on him so he can follow her. You try to get up to go with him but you're still paralyzed where you are. 

You don’t hear Din come back up, too absorbed in your thoughts, so when he places a hand on your shoulder you flinch away. “It’s just me Cyar’ika.” He puts his hands up and you snap out of your trance and fling your arms around him not caring about how cold his armor is or the webs that are attached to him. 

“Baby get me out of here.” You sob into his ear and his arms wrap tightly around you. 

“I’m gonna work on that. Do you need to use the privy, we’re gonna be stuck in the cockpit and it’s gonna be a long ride.” You just shake your head in response. “I’m gonna need you to let go so I can do repairs.” You let him go but make sure to stay close to him while he does them. 

After getting off the planet Din turns to the two of you. “Wake me up if someone shoots at us. Or that door gets sucked off its rails.” You can tell that as soon as he crosses his arms and leans back he passes out. He deserves a nice rest after the day he had. You try to sleep, knowing that it will make the trip go faster, and you can normally sleep anywhere and anytime you tried. But this time anytime you closed your eyes your thoughts just took you back to the Krykna and you could feel the ghost of the ones that were crawling up your legs. Frog lady fell asleep a little bit after Din had and all you could do was stare at the endless darkness of space. All you wanted to do was curl up with your Mandalorian to feel safe and get some rest but you didn’t want to wake him up so you just stayed there rubbing at your legs when the reminder that they were on you came back to haunt you.

The child, who you didn’t realize was still awake, noticed that something was wrong after watching you for a while. He’s the one who wakes Din up. Before he can say anything to the kid he points in your direction. Din turns to look at you just in time to catch you rubbing your legs.

“Y/n? Are you okay?” Your head whips over to face him once hearing his voice.

“Why are you awake?”

“The kid woke me, I think he could tell something was wrong. Why are you still awake?”

“I can’t.” Your voice breaks in the middle of can’t and your bottom lip wobbles. He swivels to face you after putting the child up on the console. He pats his legs motioning for you to sit on his lap and you immediately comply, straddling his legs and getting comfortable. You feel so much better already knowing that he’d keep you safe. 

“You can sleep now, I’m here to protect you, darasuum. Ni kar’taylir darasuum gar, Cyar'ika.” You smile at his words and close your eyes ready to drift to sleep knowing that he’ll be there if you need him.

[hageny]

Succession Thoughts: Gerri x Roman 

AN: Credit goes to @thinkingfixatingobsessing​ for the idea for point number one in this post. Also, this post is my lengthiest yet, but I promise it’s worth the read, lol.

1. Come Over?

This moment between Roman and Gerri is a small one, but presents an interesting thread that starts in this episode--Vaulter--and gets threaded into their phone sex scene in Safe Room. During his time working through the documents and foundations of Vaulter, Roman is stuck in the middle of the proxy battle and feeling the heat of the moment, which comes to a head in this scene. We see him wrestling with himself about what to do, throwing his phone a pathetic glance, hesitating, and then finally deciding to call Gerri for help. He divulges to her that he essentially has no clue what to do and throws out a weak ‘pivot to video’ idea that Gerri instantly reminds him was tried by the Vaulter team already and presumably fell flat. Finally, Roman breaks and asks her meekly, “Can you just come over? I want you in the room.” This is interesting because it is one of the first scenes where the show establishes the fact that Roman seeks out Gerri for comfort. This, of course, comes on the heels of their trip to Japan, so we can deduce that Roman has realized that Gerri could’ve screwed him but didn’t, and sees how he was exposed to her nurturing side when he needed it most. What’s interesting is how the dialogue in this scene mimics what comes later. He first asks her for her help, and when she balks at his request, he immediately says, “Yeah, could--yeah--fuck you!” and hangs up on her. The move from gentle and comforting to caustic is an interesting one, but it’s fascinating because for once it isn’t built into the scene to showcase that Roman needs degradation to achieve sexual pleasure. Here, he flies off the handle at Gerri, but when we think about this scene the reason why is obvious and not tied to sex: Roman gets angry because in his one weak moment the response he receives is not the sympathetic one he wants, and so he pivots back to caustic to shield himself later on. He knows that should Gerri brings this up later he can tell her he was fucking with her and didn’t mean it, but in truth, he did mean it--he did want her and need her, and Gerri didn’t understand this, and was too busy with things on her end to meet him where he needed her. Part of Roman’s hang ups, sexually, are tied to the degradation he experienced as a child, but there is also a link between his need for degradation and his realization that he never got the comfort he needed, so seeking insult was easier. He is a walking example of the quote, "All attention is good attention.” Because Roman never received the comfort he desired, he shields himself from rejection by pretending to be hardier than what he is and striving to be insulted, because to him, at this stage, it’s all the same. He could get a hug, but getting walloped and getting off are faster so he settles for that instead. This thread is later carried into the ‘shirt-button’ scene in Hunting, where Gerri walks up to Roman’s room to look in on him. Now, she has the understanding of him that is necessary to respond appropriately, and instead of berating him for being a mess she comforts him, and he responds not by pushing her away but accepting her gentility, however brief. Roman doesn’t so much need humiliation to get off--he only needs it because it’s all he thinks he deserves, and it’s served him well enough so far. It’s the key to his inability to have sex with his other girlfriends: it’s not that he can’t, it’s that sex requires intimacy and sensitivity, and Roman isn’t close enough to himself emotionally to comfortably tap into these feelings and deliver. 

2. Rejected.

As I’m re-watching the series in preparation for Season 3, there is a thread which is established early on between Kendall and Gerri that begins in Lifeboats and is expounded upon later in the show. We see Kendall at the helm of Waystar during Logan’s absence as he makes his infamous ‘Lifeboats’ speech, gathering his team together and asking for their help in moving Waystar into the future, inviting them to pool their ideas and deliver them to him, essentially attempting to depart from his father’s style of management by ostensibly establishing an ‘open door policy’ with his team. This move, however, is ironic, as immediately after this scene we have the scene between himself and Gerri, pictured above. Really, in hindsight, Kendall is as manipulative as Logan, but he is weaker in the sense that he is not as combative openly, and therefore comes across as a softer, better version of his father, which isn’t always true to his nature. We see Gerri follow Kendall after the meeting and tell him, “I want to talk options to you, okay? I’ve got some thoughts I’ve been working on for a long time--”. Kendall immediately interrupts her and replies, “I don’t want the sloppy seconds, Gerri. I’m taking five to think big.” When she presses the issue again, promising that she has some good ideas, he flat out rejects her without even listening to her, and it is here where we see shades of his father in himself. It’s also what makes Gerri’s manipulation of Kendall easier later on. We can deduce that this is not the first time that Gerri has been pushed to the sidelines by one of the Roy family members, and at a time when help is sorely needed--and on the heels of Kendall openly asking for it--he outright rejects Gerri’s and essentially makes it clear to her that her help is second-rate help--only useful to him when it can get him out of a tight squeeze, but not so useful that he believes her worth listening to when the stakes are higher. This ties into her relationship with Roman as well. While Roman is always showcased as being the one who needs her, if we pay attention we can clearly see that Gerri’s need for him is equal to his. Gerri has been a part of Waystar for decades--at one point in Pre-Nuptial commenting to Kendall that she and Frank are reminiscing about their first visit to Caroline’s estate in 1986--making her one of the most senior members of staff. But what she has--it is implied--never had is someone who genuinely valued her ideas and her input. This is also what she gets from Roman. She tells him to do something, he does it. She throws an idea out, he listens. He becomes her voice, often using the phrases, “Gerri thinks” or “Gerri says” during Season 2. Through Roman, we hear Gerri, and through Gerri we see Roman’s potential. They carry each other. Roman is always depicted by his family as being stupid, and yet who was smart enough to seek out advice from the one person with the most experience at Waystar aside from Logan? Not his siblings. Because they believe they know better, their ego will be their downfall. 

3. In Logan’s Shadow.

In Sad Sack Wasp Trap, we see shades of Gerri’s eventual betrayal of Kendall begin to take shape. Having tasted his first drops of power, real power, Kendall’s ego immediately starts to swell in little ways. We hear him telling Jess that he wants to do a run on the late-night TV circuit, having gotten the idea while traveling in L.A. Gerri reacts to this with disbelief, and Kendall retorts, “What does that mean? I was fuckin’ king of the Lampoon.” Kendall’s use of the word ‘king’ is used to purposefully emphasize the way he has begun to see himself--finally in the position he desired for so long, finally out of his father’s sphere of influence. His high is interrupted by Jess’ telling him that his father has dropped into the office and wants to see him. When Kendall asks Gerri if she knew about this, she denies this, but when he says, “Shouldn’t he have told you?” all she does is shrug coolly in his direction. This begs the question: did Gerri really not know? On the surface, it seems obvious she didn’t, but we have to consider that this moment comes right after Kendall’s complete disregard for her in the previous episode. Gerri’s motivation to help Kendall would be at a fairly low point, and what could be more amusing to her than to watch him fall flat on his face so quickly again, especially considering Logan’s outrage at Kendall’s decision to bring Stewy in to help their debt issue. Maybe she genuinely didn’t know, but given what she does later on, it would seem pertinent to wonder. 

4. Take the piss.

Later in Sad Sack Wasp Trap, Kendall finds out that his father has pissed on his carpet and brings Roman, Gerri, and Frank in to assess and discuss the situation. He starts by lecturing them about what could happen if people knew Logan had done this, pointing out that this bit of knowledge could spear the company’s already flagging public persona, and trying to use that as a way to keep his father from attending the RECNY ball. He tries to drop the responsibility for fixing the situation into Gerri’s hands, telling her she needs to talk to Logan and tell him that if he intends to come back he has to do so via the proper avenues, and that he can’t just show up on a whim. Gerri listens for a while, and eventually delivers a barb that is subtle but effective. She asks Kendall, “What did you do, Kendall, when you realized he’d done this?”, referring to Logan’s pissing incident. Kendall immediately falters, stuttering that he didn’t want to embarrass his father in front of Stewy and basically admitting he did nothing. The camera sweeps over her and Roman’s faces, and they give Kendall the same look, suggesting they are disappointed but not surprised at his ineffectiveness. This moment also mirrors what Roman does later in Vaulter, undercutting his brother in front of his father to get the result he wants. The point of Gerri’s remark is to showcase her opinion of him. To Gerri, Kendall is nothing but a papa’s boy with a golden spoon in his mouth, someone who wants the power but is unwilling to work for it. And who can really blame Kendall? Considering the way his father treats him, he has learned from Logan that working is one thing, but using a by-way to get to the top faster is better, and he attempts to see this come to fruition by taking control of a company he is ill-equipped to lead. Gerri’s disgust for Kendall is fairly obvious, but to Kendall’s great misfortune, he is a swimmer in a shark tank, completely out of his league in her waters. She is faster than him, more subtle, more cunning, and lacking in conscience enough that when she disposes of him later she feels no remorse. Kendall has bad traits but he is overall not a bad character, and we see his better parts shine when he is not chasing power. But to Gerri, his better characteristics are a moot point. She undercuts him later once again, and we see how she delights in what she’s doing, how his weakness and trusting nature to her are disgusting, and if anything make it easier for her to do what she does. While Roman makes her prove herself equal, playing with her, seeing if she can give back what he puts out, Kendall takes for granted her abilities, wanting only a menial servant, and sees himself eaten alive. 

5. I Will Guide Thy Hand.

During the RECNY ball, we find out--via Connor--the Kendall has plans to make a retirement announcement in Logan’s presence, allegedly so he can usurp the throne for himself. Though Kendall later denies this, we do know that he does not want his father to speak at the ball. Allegedly, this is out of ‘good will’, his concern for his father and the company mainly influencing his decision, but truthfully Kendall is also motivated by a desire to take hold of a position his father always had at the ball--as a speaker--and be on the receiving end of the adoration Logan is so used to. He wants to be seen by the public the way his father is: competent, powerful, totally in control; he also knows that there is a chance that Logan will declare himself CEO again, knocking Kendall from his throne--which eventually comes to fruition. Gerri knows this, is smart enough to intuit why Kendall is afraid, and is calm when Kendall once again comes to her for assistance, wanting her to handle his father. Unlike earlier, she doesn’t throw any barbs his way. She calmly promises to talk to Logan about his supposed speech and to try to dissuade him--while not so convincingly claiming she knew nothing about the speech at all to begin with. Instead of doing what she promised, she walks over to Logan and simply tells him, “Good luck tonight. Gonna knock it out of the park.” She gives him the motivation he needs to move forward with his plans, especially at a point where his health is so precarious. Gerri knows this, knows Logan well enough to understand that a little reassurance will ensure that Logan will do as planned and follow through with his decision. We see her later in the episode watching the whole thing play out during Logan’s speech, a self-satisfied smirk on her face, already knowing the end from the beginning. What we’re witnessing is the blooming of the flower on the end of the thread that started when Kendall disrespected her in Lifeboats. All he had to do to save himself was listen to Gerri, and yet he chose not to, believing he knew better than her how to reposition Waystar and lead the company into the future. He, who has been to rehab, fallen prey to his addictions and vices, and only played in the big leagues when he wanted to while Gerri--and the other members of Waystar--had to be there regardless of the circumstances in their personal lives. Again we can’t solely blame Kendall--he is the person his father has allowed him to be. We can also see that what Kendall lacks is the thing that makes Gerri so capable of remaining in power--detachment. Gerri is emotionally detached enough to do her job well and not worry about what amoral things she does to maintain her position of power. This is another trait she shares with Roman, who, after hearing how beleaguered the employees of Vaulter are, still guts the company and costs them their jobs without a second thought to the damage he is doing. With regard to her relationship with Kendall, for Gerri destroying him is not only easy but pleasurable. She knows that Kendall stupidly trusts her, and will remain none the wiser to her duplicitousness, and so she operates in the background, doing what she can to ensure he will lose what is so precious to him because of her--all while believing she did what she could to help him. This theme reminded me of the movie The Witch, hence the title of this particular post. Thomasin ends up in the hands of the Devil at the end, and--believing he will give her what she wants--she gives her soul to him. Like Kendall, she doesn’t realize that the person who is giving her what she wants is really taking everything, and she, like Kendall, is left with nothing in the end. Am I comparing Gerri to the Devil? Only superficially. She is certainly not totally like Satan, but from what we see here, she has the ability to operate like him: swiftly and maliciously. 

[delyth88]

Episode 6 reaction

Spoilers ahead!

Whoa boy! Yet again that did NOT go in the direction I expected! Overall I really enjoyed that and I’m excited to see what happens next. I can’t believe they left us on a cliff hanger like that!!! I do kinda hope this opens the door to Loki getting to be in the films with Wanda and Dr Strange at some point in the future (I want my magic trio!), but I don’t know if they’ll go there. I keep feeling like they’ll do almost anything but allow him to interact with the Avengers! Lol

So there’s no particular pattern to these thoughts… here we go…

I’m heartbroken for Loki that he lost Mobius in this. Mobius not recognising him just… agh! Can he catch a break?! I guess that makes sense of the odd sense of finality when they hugged goodbye in the last episode. And this comes after he loses Sylvie too. Very different circumstances, but he’s filled with this sense of urgency that they must fix the timeline and then all of a sudden the people he trusts to help him are all just… gone!

That moment when Loki first returns to the TVA. That was heart breaking! While I still don’t buy into the romantic relationship Tom sure can act, and this was so well done. You could see him take a moment to grieve then pull himself together for the greater good – to save the universe. Soul crushing. Ooof.

So yeah, damn. They were going for the romance. *rolls eyes* Ah well. At least I’d had a few weeks to prepare myself. :/

And they went the route of Sylvie betraying our Loki. Now that was interesting. It was something that I really didn’t want to happen, but I actually came out of this thinking that was quite well handled. I thought the idea that they would disagree over the approach to take was quite a good idea. It gave them an opportunity to dig deeper into the differences between these two characters. And I liked that it was a difference born out of their traumatic experiences. I think there’s going to be tons of meta on why Sylvie and Loki made their choices in that moment, and I LOVE that (as of right now – who knows what I’ll think in the morning) I feel like there is actually something to dig in to there, like it wasn’t completely shallow. It wasn’t some stupid repetition of the what’s almost a joke now Loki wants to rule line. And I liked that our Loki was the one who saw the grey areas and wanted some time to analyse it, he wasn’t just hot-headedly set on killing. And I liked that he finally seemed to have some backbone, some drive.

I was wondering where they were going to find some drama from when I saw that the head of the TVA was some new character (who I have to assume is Kang since online is full of how he’s the next big bad). Like how was that going to mean anything to me? Especially when so much of that scene was Loki and Sylvie sitting there listening. (I did love the identical postures with swords across their laps though. 😊) But this worked for me.

And I really thought for a moment they were going to have Sylvie kill Loki. How sad is that that the experience of IW and Endgame has made me fear for the lead character’s life so frickn’ much! Ugh!

One thing that I can see that may have been a problem for some people, and possibly me after I’ve had some more time to think about this, is that the finale had a lot of focus on setting up the next step in the MCU. Now while this is great, especially if it enables Loki to actually participate in events, it does sort of take away from the characters. At this point, for me though, the conflict between Loki and Sylvie worked enough to satisfy me. And then the mad tumble to the end where we get revelation top of revelation was exciting and a very energised way to ‘end’ the episode. But it is definitely NOT any sort of resolution.

And omg what are we going to do knowing where Loki’s at right now for the next months? Years? Till the next season comes out!? Lol

One thing I am grateful for, and again I think it’s a sign of my super low expectations regarding Loki’s treatment, is that I am glad that Loki seems to be relevant to things again. It’s felt so much like they’re trying to ease him out of the universe, so the fact that they wanted to make a second season when they very clearly didn’t need to does make me feel good on behalf of Loki, and Tom.

I felt like Loki had the opportunity to be a little more like my Loki in this episode. Particularly some of his responses while talking to Kang. And I think this just goes to illustrate the point that in the earlier films we’ve seen a lot of time where Loki is in very serious and high stakes situations. And the way this sets up what feels like some big action to come makes me hope that perhaps he might get the chance to be a bit more of that characterisation of Loki in whatever he shows up in the future in.

So, what happened to those shots of Loki in Stark Tower and in Asgard? I am terribly confused. They weren’t in there, right? I didn’t somehow miss them, did I? I thought, when we saw Miss Minutes and her offer, that they might have been moments shown to Loki to entice him to take up the offer. I’m a little disappointed because I was really looking forward to seeing Asgard and Loki in his Asgardian gear again. Did they maybe cut them out for time or some other reason? Were they pieces they filmed pre-pandemic and then decided against using later? If so, why was it in the poster? *shrug*

So no new Loki outfit. ☹ No new Loki powers. ☹ I still feel like the various hints in Episode 5 about Loki’s power really were leading to something and we haven’t (yet?) seen it play out.

Having said that, from the perspective of the end of the season, it now feels like the whole season was a bit of a lull, and bit of a time for Loki to learn about himself (and I would say ‘grow’ but all the talk of Loki ‘growing’ in Ragnarok have made me slightly allergic to that phrase lol), almost as though this is the set up for him to take on something bigger. I dunno. It probably isn’t, it never seems to be, but I plan to enjoy the next however-many-months we have imagining the possibilities.

I liked that Mobius got to have a conversation with Renslayer. That he called her out on all the nice things she’d said but didn’t mean. To me he’s one of those people who it feels worse to have disappointed at you than angry. I also like that he tried to stop her rather than letting her go for some old feeling of friendship or some cliché like that.

So that’s what that pen was all about. So is that a version of Renslayer that Renslayer is protecting? I’m not sure I followed? Or is it just a variant that B-15 found? If so, then why does TVA!Renslayer have the pen?

I get they were going for disarming, contrasting, and just a little mad, but I didn’t particularly like Kang. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays out in the films etc.

I’m here for the multiverse, though!

So, did Sylvie push our Loki into a different multiverse? Does each one have it’s own TVA? Is that a variant Mobius? Or is this some sort of ripple effect that’s changed the course of history, even in the TVA? Questions!!

My list of negative things hasn’t changed much since episode 3 really. I’m still sad that Loki’s characterisation is so different, that they haven’t addressed his time with Thanos or his pain from being Jotun, that he still hasn’t used a lot of magic, and that he never got to see Frigga again. And mostly that he really didn’t seem to be driving the action at all for most of the season. So I think I’m likely to be both happy with this show and disappointed, and apparently completely able to hold both these opinions in my head at the same time. The characterisation and the romance seem to be things I can become more comfortable with on repeated viewings.

I maybe a hopeless fool for Loki, but him having his heart broken and then being thrown into dramatic universe ending peril within the space of two minutes works for me. lol Poor Loki.

Right, that’s enough for me. I look forward to reading other’s thoughts.

Tagging a few folks: @iamanartichoke @scintillatingshortgirl19 @sparklegemstone @pinkpondofasgard @thelightofthingshopedfor @piccolaromana

[lightlavenders]

Time for my Entrapdak rant (a.k.a. why Hordak was better for her than literally anyone else, a.k.a. I’m not bias I swear)

as I read through Entrapta/Hordak/princess gang discourse on this site I started to realise the reason why I loved Entrapdak so much in the first place, and I will now talk about that here (some of these points are stolen from better posts). ALSO no matter how much I shit on other characters just know this isn’t an attack of any of them. This is gonna be VERY ENTRAPTA FOCUSED.

OK SO we get introduced to Entrapta pretty early in season 1 and we get to learn a lot about her. It also quickly becomes clear that she’s neurodivergent - something confirmed to be intentional by many of the creators. Entrapta has a passion for technology, science and inventing, and (same as the previous princesses) the best friend squad decide they need her in the alliance so she can build them weapons (whICH SHE NEVER ACTUALLY DOES i think BUT THATS NOT THE POINT). 

Throughout the episode though, the squad (mostly Glimmer bc she’s the one who gets to closely interact with Entrapta the most... Adora being completely out of it and Bow with the kitchen staff) seems to slowly run out of patience for her - Glimmer very obviously puts up a front of tolerance despite her frustration. This is unlike the other episodes, where all the princesses get along in the end and become best friends oh boy! So... we have our only neurodivergent character so far who isn’t really welcomed into the group the same way as the others... and her autistic behaviour is only tolerated because they need her... okay, maybe that’ll change later.

Or not? When Entrapta joins the others on the quest to save Glimmer, she is constantly infantilised by the others and not taken seriously. She runs off to study Horde tech and actually helps rescue Sea Hawk, two very helpful things, but Perfuma talks down to her like a child and PUTS HER ON A LEASH? SHE’S 30!!! SHE WAS TRYING TO HELP! And no one tells Sea Hawk off for getting lost and alerting Scorpia to their presence, which wasn’t helpful at all. Then later, Mermista says she’ll keep an eye on her “in case she decides to befriend any more robots” like okay... she isn’t a child, and she didn’t run off because she wanted to play with robots or something?

Okay, so, Entrapta is left behind, which I won’t blame them for because it definitely looked like she died (they get over it pretty quickly but I digress), and she comes across Catra. Okay! Here’s a chance for Entrapta to make a true friend, right? Or not, because Entrapta and Catra’s friendship is built entirely on manipulation. At least Scorpia was sincere. 

Here Entrapta is again, in a position where she’s being used for her skills and in a we’re-sort-of-friends-but-I-only-tolerate-you-because-you’re-useful situation, with Scorpia probably being her only true friend at the moment. She starts helping out the horde, because they actually let her do what she wants and at the very least don’t treat her like a child. Then, she stumbles into Hordak’s lab.

I’m gonna say this now because I’ll get murdered if I don’t - Hordak is a bad guy. He does bad guy stuff. But so does Entrapta sometimes (I’ll talk about that later) so good morals don’t need to play into their relationship I think. It’s about how they treat each other.

At first, Hordak is very defensive and angry towards Entrapta, as he would be to anyone coming in to his lab without permission and discovering his secret portal project. But then she fixes said portal and he immediately sees her as an intellectual equal. Again, Entrapta has had to prove herself to someone by making herself useful, but it actually goes further. ALSO can I say how Hordak is the ONLY person who interacts directly with Entrapta who doesn’t treat her like a child or emotionally manipulate her, with the exception of Wrong Hordak, Emily, and Imp of all characters... Even Scorpia is guilty of this later.

So, Entrapta and Hordak start working together, and Entrapta is obviously very excited to have someone treat her as an equal (they’re lab partners!!). On top of that, Hordak is also happy to have someone he can actually trust. Catra and Scorpia at separate times both remark on how Entrapta spends all of her time with him now, and who can fucking blame her when he’s the only one that has literally spent all this time growing close to her and understanding her as a person, not just using her, not just tolerating her, not talking down to her constantly. Hordak opens up his trauma to Entrapta and she responds by opening up a bit in return, literally saying that she doesn’t fit in and that Catra doesn’t even talk to her anymore. They are obviously comfortable around each other, and if Hordak was manipulating her, then why was he so distraught when she was taken away? Why did he CRY??? Why did he consider giving up on his life’s purpose and abandoning what is essentially his god for her???

Anyway, stuff happens, and Entrapta shows that she isn’t the irresponsible child everyone thinks she is by agreeing to shut off the portal. But of course, Catra betrays her and sends her away. To die. How nice. Catra tells Hordak that Entrapta betrayed him, and instead of flipping out and turning all Hal Stewart incel “if I can’t have you no one can” he just gets sad... and then later all he really wants is to see her again, even if it is on the battlefield. I’m not sure what he would’ve done so we can’t say for sure, but I seriously doubt he wanted to hurt her.

sidenote - I’m not gonna blame Scorpia for letting Catra doing this, Scorpia had her own shit going on and was essentially trapped in an abusive relationship and she also later makes up for letting Entrapta down by getting her rescued

SO then the best friend squad go to save her from Beast Island, and she’s literally completely given up. Gee, I wonder why. Could it be because it seems like every friend she’s ever had has abandoned her, scolded her, or outright zapped her unconscious and sent her to die in a monster filled island? But the squad save her and affirm to her that they didn’t give up on her and that they’re still her friends. Actions speak louder than words, guys, but okay, cool! To Bow and Adora’s credit, they were the least patronising and mean out of anyone... so, that’s something. Anyway! Affirmations! Some respect from her friends! I hope this lasts... 

It didn’t! Season 5, Entrapta goes along with the others to help find out where Glimmer is. Here is where I quickly have to say something - Entrapta does indeed make some ‘evil’ and stupid decisions sometimes - hacking the black garnet, building robots that attack her old friends, walking out absentmindedly in front of a robot and compromising her team. Some of these things can be explained by her neurodivergence, but do not always justify it. That being said. Entrapta is not evil, she is not stupid, and her “weirdness” does not give her friends the excuse to treat her like a child. 

Here’s where it gets bad!! Perfuma puts Entrapta on a leash AGAIN!!!!!! WHAT? Writers? Wyd?? Not only this, but the others talk about her behind her back, and then scold her without any consideration for how she, as a neurodivergent person, was interpreting the situation. They could’ve explained their feelings to her in a calm way, instead of shunning her and expecting her to pick up on their cues, then exploding at her when they didn’t. THEN THEY CALL HER A BAD FRIEND.... and I feel hypocrisy in this chili’s tonight... and then Scorpia... doesn’t say anything? Girl help. Ik we can’t totally blame her since she was new to the squad and probably didn’t wanna get kicked out or yelled at like with Catra, but please... that is your friend...say something. also why did mermista need to pull her hair and then later say “you’re still a weirdo” like what. why do people ship them? because mermista cried when entrapta ‘died’? Okay??

I think Entrapta actually goes through some character development after this which is pretty cool - she outwardly expresses her concern for Glimmer, which is affirming to her friends the squad, and later at the end of the series, intentionally keeps herself focused during the most high stakes moment instead of running off. I’m not qualified to talk about if these traits, which could be considered traits of autistic people, deserve to be treated as flaws to be fixed, that’s a whole other bag of worms, but yay character development.

Finally, at the end, Hordak properly reunites with Entrapta and he decides to rebel against his creator and his purpose to save her life, showing that Entrapta, and their connection, is his priority now. And once Adora saves Hordak from Prime (thanks Adora), the two finally reunite in a spinning hug - that is literally the most physical contact either of them have had with anyone, how could anyone not believe in their connection and mutual trust???

Mermista gives us one last jab, an understandable one considering Hordak was conquering their planet for years on end, but still - “so, are we all just like, okay with this?” yes girl, we are. He’s literally the only one who ever treated her with real respect and love, the only one who ever prioritised her.

I know some people are gonna be like “just ship her with wrong Hordak” and if you really like that... go ahead I guess? But do we need to force a clone who just got control of his own mind into a relationship, or a girl who is very much in love with someone else into a relationship with one of her friends? You can do what you want though, it’s literally fine, I’m the one who just spent over 1500 words talking about why a 30 year old science woman should go out with an alien warlord.

In conclusion - Hordak and Entrapta deserve each other, because Entrapta deserves someone who treats her right, and I love her.

[honestgrins]

I have a prompt for you if you can. Not sure if you watch Legacies, there’s an episode where Lizzie makes a wish to a Jinn that Hope is never born. In this alternate universe, Lizzie won the Merge, Klaus flipped his switch 2 years ago in grief and started a war with the humans leading to Triad publicly hunting all supernaturals. Enemy #1 is Klaus and his vampire wife Caroline Mikaelson. I’d like to see a Klaroline fic of this AU please.

Prompt part 2. I have some personal thoughts on this alternative universe but itS totally up to you if you go with them or if you come up with your own. No Hope means no Hayley, means no Elijah dying. So why was Klaus grieving? No Hope means back in TVD S4 the witches had no way of luring him to NO so he stayed in MF eventually wearing Caroline down into a relationship. Josie and Lizzie were like his daughters and when they merged he and Caroline both flipped the switch in grief of Josie.

 Tears Will Never Dry (angsty)

“I failed them.” Her voice was so small and defeated. Curled up as she was in the armchair, Caroline looked blankly out the window. Though she had a perfect view of Bonnie talking through some witchy herbs with a despondent Lizzie out in the courtyard, her eyes didn’t seem to register. It was like she wasn’t even there.

Klaus, who once proudly professed he had no heart, felt something break inside him for he knew nothing could truly comfort her. He had failed her. So he offered what little he could, what he held onto when she was so far away. “You love them so completely, you could never fail them,” he vowed, and he’d never meant something so much. It took all his strength not to pull her into his arms, to close the distance she wrapped around herself so tightly. “You will help Lizzie through this, and—” The lump in his throat made it hard to speak, not that he could bring himself to say the name she cried in her sleep. “—you loved her to the end.”

Tears trickled down her crumpled face. “It’s not supposed to happen that way,” she croaked. “Mom and Dad loved me to the end, too. Their ends. Now, I have to live with her being gone. Forever.”

It used to be a promise between them, sweet and tempting; on her tongue, the word sounded sour. Helpless and desperate, Klaus kneeled  at her feet. He pressed his mouth to her knee, hands wrapped around her legs like a lifeline. “Tell me what I can do. Please, sweetheart. Let me help.”

Blinking down at him, she let her fingers card through his hair. Her smile was sad, apologetic. “It just hurts so much.”

And he knew it was too late.

The club was a dangerous idea. They were meant to be in hiding, and it defied sense to flaunt their return to New Orleans in a favorite haunt. But the girls were having fun, and Klaus was loathe to break up the party with sense.

He was tucked into the quietest corner of the VIP lounge, high above the din. Lizzie and Caroline, meanwhile, danced in the crush of the crowd, the pounding beat far too much for even a vampire’s ears. They laughed as they bumped into each other, and a smile curled his lips. It was good to be home.

Their little family was still grieving Josie’s loss after two years, each in their own way. Caroline preferred enjoying the lighter side of life, aided by a lack of human sensibilities. Lizzie alternated between reveling in her magic and loathing it for the too dear cost, just as she hated her mother for flipping the switch and loved having her as more of a friend. Klaus...

Klaus was just trying to keep the game interesting.

“Careful, friend,” Marcel warned, offering him a fresh drink as he dropped into the next chair. “Your humanity is showing.”

“She’s not paying me any mind, we can speak freely.” He turned to his old friend, a son that was lost and found, then lost and found again. How he wished he could grant such a miracle to Caroline. “Tell me about Triad.”

Clenching his glass, Marcel looked grim. “My nightwalkers keep disappearing, and even the ones with the GIft,” he murmured with laden meaning, since vampires had learned to hoard the secret of lapis lazuli and the safety it provided, “have mentioned being followed. Davina hasn’t risen far in the ranks of the organization yet, but she thinks a big move is in the works.”

He grit his teeth. “And?”

“The ‘vampire wife’ is whispered around the place. Often.”

It was a fight to loosen the tension in his body, but a necessary one. He raised a toast to Caroline, who tried to coax him out to the dance floor. He shook his head, charming enough so as not to rouse her suspicion. “I assume a kidnapping then.”

“At the least,” Marcel agreed. “Whether they want information from her or to use her against you, torture is to be expected. The switch might be a benefit to her if it comes to that—”

"It won't." His tone was final, even as he held his smirk. The ladies were too busy laughing off those bold men trying to dance with them to read him from afar. "She's been through enough."

Noticeably quiet, Marcel just sipped his drink.

“What, Marcellus?” Klaus bit out.

With a measured glance toward him, he shrugged. “The switch... She’s not really going through anything, and she hasn’t for years now. And thinking you’ve flipped yours, too? You’ve created a comfortable little world for her to avoid the pain, maintaining it to keep her safe without her knowing. What happens when the illusion shatters?”

He gave a careless flip of his hand. “She can’t turn it off twice.”

“If you say so.”

It wasn’t a new argument to Klaus, not when Stefan, Bonnie, Elijah — even Rebekah — had implored him to rethink his grand strategy for Caroline to party away the worst of her pain. At the very least, he could be honest about his own, relatively intact humanity. Instead, he let her enjoy the lighter side of life without tempting a worse outcome should she feel the need to punish him for trying to fix her. After all, she’d done much the same when her mother died.

The subterfuge was messy but necessary, especially with credible threats against her in this war the humans insist upon waging. His ear was attuned to the array of heartbeats throughout the club, the loud music not enough to dull his hybrid senses. Vampires had a slow, dull throb when compared to the hearty pound of a werewolf, not that they’d find themselves in the Abattoir without some pressing business that was sure to involve him. Same with the witches, and only Lizzie’s let out the fast-paced thrum of both full blood and magic.

Humans, though, they seemed to be threading in from the edges of the crowd — and aiming for the blondes at the center. Feeling the world slow around him, Klaus launched himself down from the balcony, mindless to the vampires hurrying to get everyone out of his way. None of them caught the true danger, however, until the strobe light caught on the wooden stakes being pulled from jackets.

Klaus managed to snap three necks before they got close, but Caroline was too busy blocking access to Lizzie to notice the woman stretching a strong arm toward her. Feeling like he was underwater, he watched as Lizzie’s fear overwhelmed her, and the hand grasped around her mother’s wrist glowed red. Pain seemed to lance through Caroline, and she lost her focus to fend off the attack she still hadn’t seen coming.

The familiar scent of her blood filled the air, and all Klaus could see was red.

Later, he would confirm that the scratch down Caroline’s back healed perfectly, that she’d survived the bold offensive he hadn’t stopped. Even later than that, he would acknowledge his plan had been far from perfect, without even the veneer of success to defend it when her humanity was eventually restored.

But in the moment, the thought of losing her to his own carelessness was too much. Clearly, holding onto his humanity wasn’t working the way he’d envisioned; in fact, his rage at the sight of a stake piercing her skin felt like a liability. He processed this in the span of a second, and by the time the human’s bloody head hit the dance floor, his decision had been made.

The world already saw him as a ruthless monster. He might as well give it to them, and he’d make them bleed for daring to harm her. He didn’t need his humanity for that.

With his fangs bared and blood dripping from his hand, he certainly looked the part. When Caroline met his eyes, however, something must have alerted her to the change. Having torn the stake from her back and moved Lizzie to the safe space between them, her head tilted to the side as she appraised him with a new appreciation. She gave a sharp grin of joy and arousal, her tongue slipping from beneath her fangs to wet the corner of her lips. “It’s about time.”

[storytellingdreamer]

Watching Granada Holmes: The Solitary Cyclist Part 1

I decided to change the way I was writing these thoughts out. Reblogging the first post each time would just mean things get longer and longer, and with episodes like Solitary Cyclist giving me lots to talk about, having each ep be separate is easier. I’ve split Cyclist up further because I wanted to separate the “general episode thoughts” from my visceral reaction to the theme of this particular episode. 

So far in the Granada timeline, we’ve had: 

Scandal, the opener; a case for a wealthy client where Holmes is mostly in it for the Money and the Challenge of Wits; also features plenty of disguises, and room to set up the series character arcs and such. 

Dancing Men, a high-stakes Deductive ep with Codes and Thinking; plus emotional drama and Holmes and Watson learning from each other. 

Naval Treaty, where a Holmes takes on the Case of a Friend (here, it’s Watson); also involves Government Business. 

Now, with this ep, we have another case category: A Woman In Need. And it’s this category that I can’t be glib about. It hits way too close to home. 

Plaid Adder’s metafic goes into a bit more detail about the particulars of why this category was very, very relevant when the stories were first written, in the context of Victorian England. Since then, much has changed, for women in the “West” (*). However, many things still have a lot further to go. 

This episode - in which a woman feels threatened and put in a skeevy situation but has no one to turn to (save Holmes and Watson) - is unsettling right from the get-go. It only gets more so the longer the episode goes on. The most unsettling thing for me about it was that the broad strokes of it felt so familiar. 

A woman feels restricted in her everyday routine because of a creep who’s doing something apparently innocuous that sets off the alarm bells all the same. A woman is put into situations where her “no” is ignored (by a second, even creepier creep) multiple times during the same incident, and she barely escapes. This happens more than once, and each time the attempts escalate. Until the last attempt, in which she is only saved by last-minute intervention from more reasonable people, who’d listened to her when she’d expressed her fears earlier - because this is a story, and we get to have an all right ending for once. 

Yeah. This story cut deep for me - I was unsettled, sympathetically uncomfortable, furious and vindicated by turns. I’m glad I watched it with my partner first, because I needed the safety net... and someone to rant at after about the parts that felt particularly familiar to me. I’m not going to go into those here. I don’t need to. If you’re reading this, you probably have your own stories, or know someone who does. 

I will expand on this in my second Cyclist watch post, but my favourite thing about this episode was Holmes and Watson, at the start and the end of the mystery. For example, Holmes’s reaction when Violet Smith started crying, and he realised how serious it was; the way Watson cared for Violet Smith when she was half-conscious, and Holmes’s reaction to that whole business; both their expressions during the explanations were Very Satisfying Indeed. A warm blanket of comfort, really. 

I’m going to be rewatching the episode just so I can save some images of them doing that. 

(*) = there may be a better phrase or descriptor for what I mean here; can’t think of one atm.

[ladyloveandjustice]

Fall 2020 Anime Overview

I started out watching the a ton of anime for the Fall 2020 season, but then ended up not being caught up with most of them by the the time the end rolled around. I still pretty much intend to catch up with Yashahime Princess Half Demon someday (I do like the three leads, it just the plot’s been dull as dirt and the fights aren’t very inspired either) and though I dropped Wandering Witch after bad press started rolling in (I CANNOT deal with pointless tragedy in my current state of mind) I might check out a few more episodes someday just to from my own opinion. For now, let’s just quickly review the anime I DID manage to finish on time this season.

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle is exactly what it says on the tin: Princess Syalis isn’t too bothered about being captured by demons and locked in their castle, but she does value a good night’s sleep, and she is absolutely ruthless when it comes to getting it- so ruthless, in fact, that the demons realized it might not be that she’s trapped in here with them, but that they’re trapped in here with her.

Sleepy Princess is top tier comedy comfort food. It rarely got a huge belly laugh, but it always but a smile on my face and was a great thing to watch before going to bed. Syalis’s single-minded search for some shut eye is a joke that could have gotten old very quickly, but the show consistently found creative ways to expand on the gags and build it’s world and a fun cast of characters along the way. 

Though Syalis is downright brutal to the demons when it comes to getting what she wants (and has a knack for getting herself killed at well), thanks to a demon cleric that offers easy resurrections, you never feel too bad for anyone involved. In fact, the demons and Syalis form a strangely heartwarming bond over the course of the show , and it’s clear by the end that Syalis definitely has the ability to come and go if she damn well pleases and just finds this castle a fun place where she can find respite from her princessly responsibilities. 

A nice bonus for those of us who like a little subversion is that the show has a lot of fun playing with standard adventure tropes- the demons often lament that Syalis is not at all what they expected from a captive princess, for one, but my favorite fun little twist is how Syalis feels about the hero currently on a (seemingly endless) quest to rescue her- she manages to both hold him in contempt AND consistently fail to remember his name. That level of disregard takes some impressive effort.

The show has the same director as the Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun anime and as such has a similarly nice comic and visual flourishes throughout. It definitely gets two sleepy thumbs up for me.

Jujutsu Kaisen

Jujutsu Kaisen follows a young man named Yuuji Itadori who, after tangling with a demon, ends up with one inside him. With a death sentence hanging over his head, he’s inducted into a school for “jujutsu sorcerers”, and begins training to use his newfound powers to defeat demons and curses.

Jujutsu Kaisen quickly tells you on no uncertain terms it is Action Shonen, introducing a huge cast of a characters and powers and super high stakes and hey there’s even gonna be a tournament arc soon. It is really, really pretty to look at, with a killer opening and ending, some seriously great animation and cool visuals for the fights especially. But is it particularly memorable otherwise? Noooooot really, so far. The sea of technobabble it tends to descend into when trying to explain how the various powers work often has me zoning out and wishing they’d just let me watch the pretty punches. The villains and the general plot isn’t particularly compelling. The characters are nice enough, but haven’t given me much to be attached to so far. Though I do appreciate this one dude who is the embodiment of millennial ennui:

I’ll keep watching though, because it is a visually stunning, action-y thing to my turn your brain off to and god knows I want to turn my brain off all the time lately. 

And the characters do have potential- the One Girl of the main group, Nobara, has a really fun personality in that she’s a total shitlord doofus brawler who can thus doof around with our equally dumbass protagonist, which is an pretty fun, unusual personality for the One Girl to have! Her interactions with Maki, the weapons expert senpai girl, are promising too. I’m just waiting for her to actually, you know, DO something that really shows off her skills- I’m told she DOES eventually get to (gasp) win fights on her own and do cool stuff, but so far show has kind at that of failed miserably and underused her like most action shonen underuse their girls. Plus, taking Yuuji out of the group for such a long stretch seems like a weird choice, we’ve been deprived really seeing him for relationships with his peers. The pacing seems off. But maybe the upcoming tournament arc will make up for that and actually be worthwhile!

Talentless Nana

In a world where kids with superpowers are sent to island schools to fight mysterious “enemies of humanity”, one class of such kids is thrown into chaos when they find themselves targeted by a deadly force.

It’s pretty much impossible to talk about Talentless Nana without discussing how it deviates dramatically from what its premise appears to be in episode one, so I’ll just say if you like stories with superpowers and intrigue, you should definitely sit through that first episode and see if the plot that’s eventually revealed is something that you’re here for. But if you want to avoid spoilers, DON’T GO BELOW THE CUT, because I’m about to get very spoilery.

Basically, Talentless Nana pulls a bait and switch, starting it’s first episode posing as generic superhero anime where the protagonist appears to be your standard meek-but-powerful anime boy (Nanao) who just needs some support and encouragement from a pink haired mind reading manic pixie dream girl (Nana) to unlock his self-confidence and ~true power~ (ugh)...only to take SHARP swerve when  Nana ruthlessly murders Nanao and reveals she’s been sent by the government to take out the superpowered kids one by one because THEY are the considered the true enemies of humanity. Oh, and she doesn’t have any superpowers, or “talents”- she was just able to sus out everything Nanao was thinking through basic deductive reasoning because he was so flippin’ obvious and basic.

As my love for a certain character in a certain game may have clued people into, I am ALWAYS delighted when what appears to be a generic, underwritten girlfriend character is then revealed to be an interesting, ruthless mastermind. And having an anime appear to be about a bland boy with a Dream Girlfriend but then actually turn into a show about a deeply cynical, morally dubious girl who’s clearly holding down a lot of messy feelings as she considers everyone her enemy...well, it may be a cheap trick to some, but it also feels a little bit like justice for all the underwritten female characters sacrificed to bland male leads. It’s still rare enough that I dig it when it happens. And the metatext of Nana zeroing in on this kid as the most standard of main character boys, assessing him as the biggest threat because of it and knowing the perfect way to take him out, is pretty inherently funny to me.

But if the show JUST banked on that twist and was about Nana brutally and cynically slaughtering these kids, it would get boring quickly and Nana would be a bland character herself. Fortunately, it doesn’t go that route. Nana struggles and grows a lot over the course of the show. She finds opposition in transfer student Kyoya, a stoic (and socially awkward) young man who pretty quickly becomes suspicious of her. A lot of the tension from the early episodes comes from her sweating as she tries to outmaneuver him and she makes plenty of mistakes along the way. She also slowly but surely starts to question her mission, and we get an idea of her backstory and how the government specifically has groomed her into believing people with powers to be evil. That belief is one that’s challenged by her friendship with another girl, and it’s pretty rewarding to watch Nana’s feelings and world expand little by little.

The show is definitely a little schlocky-some of the plots (as well as the general premise of the government thinking this is the optimal way to get rid of their superpowered kids problem) fall apart if you think too much about them, and some of the kids Nana goes up against are sleazy and unlikeable in over the top ways (which makes it easy for her to stick to her convictions all these kids deserve to die at first). In particular, I have to give a heads up for some sleazy guys doing and saying sleazy things, though the show never gets too overbearing or graphic with it (and the gore is generally PG-13 level as well). 

Basically. There are some truly ridiculous happenings in this show. But how ridiculous and pulpy and over the top it is can be part of the appeal, and it’s fun to just sit back and watch the spectacle of Nana and her peers head-scratching machinations. 

So, while certainly not an anime with airtight construction or flawless quality and depth, I found Nana an overall entertaining watch, especially as a fan of cat-and-mouse murder-y shenanigans, and thought it has a very compelling main character and managed to end on a heartwrenching (but earned) note. I definitely wouldn’t say no to a second season and would be interested to see where things go from here.

[aslibekroglu]

OMG!!!! Son Yaz and Akmur have completely taken over my life! And it's your fault!🙈😂

But honestly - thank you so much for introducing this show to me! I fell in love with it through your gifs and posts 🙏❤️💓💕

I also wanted to say, after having seen the last episode, that Yağmur has excellent instincts. Have you noticed how, when her and Akgün came to that house, Yağmur was looking with suspicion at the guy who supposedly knew Akgün's mother and told about his brother? I bet she'll figure out that Akgün's brother is evil. I just hope Akgün won't be blinded by his feelings for his long lost bro and will listen to her, if she decides to share her suspicions.

I also want the writers to give Yağmur her own storyline, instead of her just being Akgün's support system.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot and have been sitting on it for a while, so I might go off on a little tangent but,

I’ve been seeing valid criticisms about how yagmur is turning into a bit of akgün therapist and how one sided the relationship is. And don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love the fact that akgün has someone he can open up to, that the thing that made them fall in love with each other was that they can understand each other without even speaking, but there definitely is an imbalance there. And I had to think about it a little bit because the relationship dynamics between cansel and akmur are very similar with akgün and selim always lashing out at the girls when they’re upset and breaking their hearts often and the girls always being there for them no matter what, always standing by their side, always sacrificing themselves. Then I thought about why I don’t see canan in a similar position as selim’s “therapist” and I honestly think that it’s because always Canan has other things going on. She’s got the whole fatih/bedhri thing, she’s got the kids to worry about, and other lawyer-y things happening, but Yagmur’s story is almost completely revolved around akgün. Akgün doesn’t have a chance to reciprocate his love in the same “emotional support” kind of way because Yagmur doesn’t have anything personal going on, there’s nothing that he can really support her with. You know like how we’ve had moments where Selim has helped Canan with work, or has shown his growth (and therefore offered his support) with the kids, there’s not really an equivalent of that with Yagmur.

This is also where I think the writers have kinda written themselves into a hole with how high the stakes have become. I sometimes see ppl saying this akgün isn’t the same akgün that comforted her when she broke up with her boyfriend, or when her parents got divorced or that he’s not the same akgün that selflessly got her back together with kaan even though he was falling for her. Back then things were much lighter, the biggest thing he really had to worry about was trying to leave and go back to Istanbul or whether or not he could betray selim. Since episode 10 really, everything’s gotten much more serious you know, we’ve had death threats and murder attempts, akguns been in jail multiple times, he just found out that his dad has lied to him his whole life and that he has a long lost brother. And not only that, but now it turns out that that long lost brother is working for Halil Sadi which is just going to cause more problems for him. Now, what can they write for yagmur to go through that is going to compare, or at least be enough for akgun to set aside all his problems? I’m not saying that he shouldn’t make her a priority, because he definitely should, but just story wise what could they write for yagmur to go through that competes at the same level of all the other storylines going on?? (Although they could write something for yagmur that is separate from but still related to akgün’s storyline so that they can come together later, similar to the canan/bedhri thing, but idk what that could be) So, of course he can’t exactly be an emotional support system for her, he doesn’t really have an opportunity to. Sure, there are other ways to show his love, but again when the stakes are this high, when akgun has once again fallen into a bunch of problems, when is there going to be any time for him to focus on yagmur, how can they find the time to write a scene were they just hang out or go on a date or just talk, when can they have akmur just be a couple? Again, I’m not excusing the fact that she isn’t a priority, I’m just saying that the writers have made it difficult for akgün to make her a priority, they’ve made it difficult for akgün to really show his love for her.

And maybe I’m just too focused on the present future, like next episode. I’m sure the main focus is going to be on akgün getting to know more about gokhan, falling into halil sadi trap, while yagmur investigates and tries to find out the truth. Once the truth comes out then, of course akgun’s going to be destroyed and yagmur’s going to be there once again to pick up the pieces and comfort him, and unless somewhere in that comforting, they manage to have a actual discussion about their relationship and put their issues aside and try things again, then once again there’s not really going to be an opportunity for akgün to show his love for yagmur, it’s just going to end up being about akgün again.

Ooof, I’ve been wanting to post that on twitter ever since the episode on Friday, but it was just too much for however many characters they allow lol. But yeah, I really don’t blame akgün as character for this imbalance, nor do I really place it as a weakness of yagmur for accepting it. I honestly just feel like the writers have written themselves into a corner where the characters are pretty much stuck in these patterns. Unless they have yagmur actually get fed up with this dynamic and confront akgün about, which I kind of doubt. I don’t know if they’re as aware of it as they are of yagmur constantly sacrificing herself and putting akgün first, which i have some other thoughts on about the whole contradictory nature of that, ama neyse.