#I almost called this 'Seasons of Love' so I'm glad I found a better title

[alychelms]

I was playing around with some new sumi-e/sakura brushes I downloaded, and I made a passably decent cherry tree and thought "this would be a great background for a Regret of Chunshan drawing!" Then I finished that piece and thought, "Or I could do a whole seasonal thing with the same tree and different pairings!" And this is the result! So here you go, I'm calling the whole series after the chengyu:

春生夏长，秋收冬藏

(pin: chūn shēng xià zhǎng qiū shōu dōng cáng, transl: It sprouts in spring, grows in summer, harvests in autumn, and stores in winter). This describes the agricultural cycle, but also generally refers to the occurrence and development process of things. Edited to add: after discovering the naked molerat weirdness that has consumed SVSSS fandom these past 24 hours, I feel like I picked the wrong day to post something pretty :D

[marshallpupfan]

There's something I've been wanting to talk about for some time now, and due to the fact it's been crossing my mind more and more, I'm just going to get it out of my head. It involves Marshall, his role during season 9, the upcoming spinoff "Rubble & Crew", and why the franchises lately has been leaving me... frustrated.

This will be lengthy, so hit "Keep reading" if you want to see more.

It goes without being said that I am absolutely crazy about Marshall. It's why I created my Marshall Pup Fanatic accounts, why I continue buying his merchandise, and why I even purchased my own mascot costume to wear in parades and such (which hasn't worked out yet, but hopefully in due time). As I've said many times, Marshall is legit my #1 favorite character, and due to just how much I love him, I enjoyed giving back to the franchise by supporting it.

I just wish the cartoon, itself would do the same for Marshall. Nowadays... it really doesn't anymore.

I don't know why, but ever since season 7, it feels like things just got a lot worse for the Dalmatian. Dino Rescue and Moto Pups barely gave him anything, the first half of season 8 ignored him way too much (eight missions in a row... twice), and even the theatrical film stripped him of most of his personality and gave his wipeout, his biggest running gag, to someone else.

Understandably, I found all of this to be frustrating. It's always been my impression that Marshall's one of the more popular characters in PAW Patrol, due to how much he's featured on advertisements, the numerous amounts of merchandise he gets, and the fact that most fans, both young and old, really seem to love him. And yet, his treatment in the cartoon has been so poor. I really don't get it.

And for a while there, I thought there might've been a silver lining to it all; the spinoff. When we first learned about it and nobody had any idea who it'd focus on, I really thought it was going to be Marshall. No other pup was experiencing what I mentioned above, as even Zuma was appearing more during missions for a while there. I figured they were using Marshall less because they were saving up ideas to use for him in the spinoff! Why else restrict him so much? To me, it made sense! It HAD to be him!

Well, you know what happened with that. Rubble was chosen for the spinoff, and Marshall's treatment in the cartoon got worse and worse... just because.

I so badly wanted him to be the star of the spinoff. I felt he deserved it, especially after how the cartoon began treating him. It would've been a fine way to make up for it. As a fan who became a big supporter of both Marshall and PAW Patrol, I felt an odd sense of betrayal, as silly as that may sound.

I guess, if anything, I'm glad later portions of season 8 got better for Marshall after a while. The first Rescue Knights episode gave him so much focus, and I was happy to see him co-star in that Cat Pack short with Leo! Unfortunately, it was short-lived, as things quickly went back downhill for Marshall after that. Arguably, he's at his lowest point yet.

We're currently fifteen episodes into season 9, and his usage during missions has been so unimpressive. Typically, he's only called in to handle small tasks, he's often restricted to backup, he disappears quickly no matter what he's doing, and he's yet to receive much focus, such as Big Truck Pups refusing to call him in as a first responder. I fear Aqua Pups might do the same.

Furthermore, Marshall has yet to appear on a single season 9 title card. The only one of the main six, in fact. You'd think, out of the twenty-six we've seen so far, he'd appear on at least ONE...

I really don't understand why this is happening. It's almost as if Spin Master has turned their backs on Marshall... and as a result, I no longer enjoy the franchise like I once used to. Maybe it's wrong of me to watch PAW Patrol for just one character, but Marshall really did become that special to me. And to see Spin Master treat him like this... it frustrate me, and I'm starting to wonder just how much longer I want to continue supporting the franchise.

Seriously, why stay loyal at this point? Just so I can keep tuning in to see my favorite pup get the same poor treatment? It's clear that Spin Master is shifting their focus, their priorities on Chase, Skye and Rubble, and whatever plans they have up their sleeves doesn't seem to have much room for Marshall (Rocky and Zuma also fit into that, sadly). Do I really need to keep subjecting myself to constant disappointment, new episode after new episode after new episode?

To be fair, it wouldn't be so bad if missions actually gave Marshall something that allowed him to make a difference. Sadly, that's not happening, either. As I said, Marshall keeps getting restricted to small tasks, such as wrapping legs, parking his vehicle in front of sand sculptures, and harmlessly spraying robot cats. Compare that to Chase and Skye, who continuously get tasks that save lives. The difference is like night and day! And I know the cynical answer might be "well, maybe it's because he's clumsy", but that was never an issue in the earlier seasons. Pups Leave Marshall Home Alone, the Pup-Fu episodes, the Ultimate Fire Rescues, Ready Race Rescue... all fine examples of Marshall being quite skilled and competent.

And there's a reason I said later portions of season 8 got better for him. Remember the first Rescue Knights mission, where Marshall was the only pup to stay outside of the castle to stop Sparks the Dragon from attacking it, and then he later bravely leaped up on the beast's back to retrieve the stolen Dragon's Tooth from Claw? It was such a great episode, and a wonderful showing of the skills I've come to expect from Marshall! It was something I was so happy to see, and for a little while, it renewed my faith in the franchise! I was so desperately hoping it'd last... but then season 9 came along and flushed all of that right back down the drain.

It's as if we went from "Marshall is clumsy yet highly skilled" to "just let Marshall do something small, then get him out of there as fast as we can". Just what happened... and again, why?

I hate to say it, but I really don't know if any of this will ever get any better. Again, their priority seems to have shifted to Chase, Skye and Rubble, and I fear this is just how it's going to be for Marshall from now on. I don't know that for a fact, but it's a bad feeling I'm getting. And when I look at the upcoming season 9 episodes we know about so far, none of them seem like they'll change any of this for Marshall one bit.

Is this just how it's going to be for the rest of season 9? Is Season 10 going to continue this poor treatment for Marshall? And will the theatrical film sequel even attempt to restore his personality and give him his elevator wipeout? Truth be told, I'm just not optimistic...

I apologize for making this post so lengthy. For better or worse, it's clear I'm very passionate about Marshall, and all of this is something that frustrates me, especially since I can't seem to find a logical reason as to WHY it's happening. All I know is that, if this continues for too much longer, I may stop watching PAW Patrol. Hey, I still maintain that I'm just as crazy about Marshall as ever... but the franchise, itself? Not so much anymore.

If I do stop watching new episodes, that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon my accounts or anything. I honestly love posting daily pics of Marshall every day, and I plan on keeping that tradition up for as long as I can! Unfortunately, I can't promise I'll be as active as I used to be, such as posting updates on new episodes and talking about what goes on with the franchise and whatnot. I'll probably stop posting Weekly Wipeouts, too. I'm not at that point yet, however, and if I do decide on anything, I'll probably wait until the end of season 9.

For now, I'll continue watching, though only in the hope that things will finally get better for Marshall. I don't expect much, but... who knows, maybe they'll find a way to surprise me and renew my faith in the franchise once again? I hope so, anyway...

[sitpwgs]

Hi! I meant to reply sooner but I guess I've been distracted so I apologize. Also I'm sorry if I can't remember everything. Oh that's cool..and it seemed like a fun trip. I saw some of your posts about seeing Holly Humberstone in concert and going to the aquarium. I hope you still ended up having a good time even though the airline or travel sucked. I've only been on one plane a long time ago so I can't relate. But I am also going out of town this weekend but we are driving. Also if you're still sick, I hope you're feeling better. My sister is starting to feel sick too actually.

I keep up with the show through gifs mostly and know the basics. I've watched a few clips too. I've also heard the show is a lot better than the books. What do you think? What is your favorite season so far? Does it match up with your favorite book? I think the most popular is season two with Kate and Anthony and that's the one I'm most familiar with too. I don't know much about Jonathan Bailey but I heard him sing the last five years before so I know he can sing pretty good so I'm excited to see him as Fiyero.

Haha I love Shameless but I wouldn't really compare it to The Bear besides the attitude of his and other characters I guess. It's about a tough Chicago family and they deal with crazy situations. Unfortunately I never even finished the show and I don't remember why. It definitely got weaker in the last few seasons. I still love it but think it would be a hard show to recommend based on what you like lol but I'm excited for the Bear.

Billie's album has grown on me a lot more now with more listens. I'm glad you liked it. I feel it was a good mix of her other albums if you never listened to her before. My favorites are Skinny, Lunch, Birds of a Feather, L'amour de ma Vie and Blue. At first, I wasn't impressed and the transitions or production threw me off. I think two songs were actually pretty similar to Taylor actually. The obvious one was L'amour de ma vie which I knew even reading the title translates to love of my life. It's similar or almost the opposite cuz in this song she's saying she said it but Taylor says the other person says it about her. I just found that interesting that it was the same concept basically being told in a different way. I feel similarly about gonnagetyouback and Get Him Back by Olivia and I guess Peter vs Wendy. How they're not really similar songs at all despite having the same kind of idea. The other one was that the end of the Greatest in the bridge reminded me of her song Happier than Ever but also the bridge of Smallest Man who Ever Lived. But I don't think Billie is similar to Taylor at all compared to the other two..I think she is more like Lana. I just found it to be an interesting coincidence though but that's all. I need some more time with Zayn's album but my favorite is called Stardust. Overall I like that all of the 1D boys have different styles and music and same for all of the popular albums from this year.

The new twenty one pilots album is amazing and I love it so much. It's like a blend of all of their styles which is really awesome. I liked it right away but my sister was expecting a bit more since they said it would have a lot of lore and it was the end of a story they've been telling for the past few albums. They also had a Livestream and music videos for each song which they talked about so it felt like an event and was really fun. I definitely recommend the album but don't feel bad if you don't get to it. I also feel behind on some albums since I've spent lots of time listening to this album and Taylor's, but they will both definitely be my albums of the year lol. I am already starting to connect some songs with past Taylor songs too. I think if I had to pick a Taylor album to compare it to, maybe Midnights? But there has also been some theories about a double album too and if the story is truly over which also lines up perfectly with Taylor lol. But we are also waiting on one more mv to drop that can wrap up the story so idk. Anyway my favorite songs are Next Semester, Navigating, Midwest Indigo, Vignette, Snapback, Oldies Station and Paladin Strait.

Omg how did you only just now watch the sisterhood of the traveling pants movie? I love the movie and thought it was a good adaptation of the book. I did read the whole series too which I love. Did you also watch the second movie too? They also said a while ago that number 3 is still in the works and I love that they're still close too. I think just based on what I've read so far, Funny Story will be in the middle maybe and I understand some criticisms. The plot itself seems more tropes compared to her other books but it's also a mix of her other books to me. So far, I think I like Beach Read or Book Lovers the best. It is interesting when I read articles about which ones are the best and the rankings are always different, which is good cuz there is something for everyone and people connect with different things. I will definitely try to finish along with Carley's too hopefully now that it's summer time.

I can't believe the Tony's are almost here. I spent part of my weekend watching more performances and it's hard to say what will win best musical. They're all pretty different in a good way. I've also tried to read more reviews and what people thought but I'm still bad at predicting lol. I watched one Stereophonic performance and I think people seem to like it a lot so you're probably right about it winning. It makes sense if it's about musicians that it would only be about an album worth of songs though. I think my favorite is the Outsiders still, but I'm probably biased cuz of the book and I have read pretty mixed reviews. I will send the rest in a part 2!

you're totally fine, friend! <33 hope you've been well!! i did have a good trip regardless of the travel day from hell. i hope you're having a fun time out of town!! did you know that i have never been in a car longer than like three hours (basically how long it would take me to drive down to portland or vancouver)? i am still sickly :( me and my victorian child immune system just does not want to kick this cold away unfortunately.

my favorite season is season two! and it matches with my favorite book (anthony's)! i think my ranking of the siblings are: anthony → francesca → hyacinth → eloise → gregory → colin → benedict → daphne & in terms of books, it's anthony → francesca → colin → hyacinth → eloise → gregory → benedict → daphne. the new season is coming so soon and i'm very excited! i saw some kanthony related spoilers on twitter, and am stoked. i loveee jonathan bailey! he's phenomenal in the last five years, and was also so lovely in company and american psycho! i'd love to see him do more theatre.

i really really like billie's new album! a couple of the songs on there have made it onto my june playlist (lunch, birds of a feather, wildflower, and skinny)! i've also been listening to maggie rogers' newest album quite a bit, as well as please please please by sabrina carpenter, isabel by isabel pless and close to you by gracie abrams. and of course, charli xcx's newest album, brat — i've been listening to b2b, von dutch, 360, club classics and talk talk a lot.

there's a lot of quintessential movies that my friends grew up watching that i totally missed out on! sisterhood of the traveling pants was one of them, and i'm really glad i got to watch it with a friend who loved it — made the experience so much more special! i haven't gotten around to watching the second movie yet; scheduling movie nights with my friend is difficult (we have opposite work schedules) but i think we will watch it together eventually! and then the third one, when it comes out!

beach read and book lovers are my favorites! i'm very curious to see what emily henry writes next! i've been reading very little — just a lot of classics lately (finished the phantom of the opera, still making my way through gatsby & started the hunchback of the notre dame), and i started s./ship of theseus last night but i'll be taking my time with it! it's quite overwhelming!

tony awards next weekend!!! eeeee! i'm so excited! i'm really rooting for the outsiders (partially out of spite, partially because it's what i predicted). i wish stereophonic got to perform! i think it's silly they wouldn't let them! see you in a bit for part two <333

[keity-devil]

I made this mini fic and art because of these, Miracles! From what you know, (if you found out), Morro and Harumi are cousins! And Harumi and Lloyd 'siblings', as Tommy Andreasen wrote on Twitter.

And honestly, I'm glad they're relatives. Because I don't ship Morrumi. At ALL. Sorry for those who did. If you still do, it's not my problem, everyone has their own tastes.

And I made a mini fic! At 5 AM. Because- because yes, mhm. Enjoy.

The Lost Souls

--

Two souls. Two lost. Two injured. Two without a family. Two who hoped to find peace, but found only sadness. Two trying to repair their reputation and wounded souls.

Morro and Harumi didn't know how, but they were there. Where exactly? They didn't know that either. All around them was white, white and white, everything was white. There were no visible corners, and no so dense or high sage and red smoke around them.

Morro looked at the girl in front of him, and Harumi looked at the boy in front of her.

"You seem... weird to familiar to me." Harumi had begun. Her voice echoed. It was clear to them now, the place where they were was huge.

"Now that you say... you look a little for me too." Morro approves, still confused, with the troubled memories in his mind.

"Harumi." She introduced herself.

"Morro..." He didn't answer at first.

They stayed- they don't know how long they stayed there. But they stayed seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, maybe even years in the sea of ​​whiteness. They had no way of knowing, there was no clock or landmark.

Slowly, they began to know each other better. Their childhood was similar to one another, and their character, but a little or big diffrent. They had both hated Lloyd Garmadon, the Green Ninja. But they realized, late, but they did it, that it wasn't his fault. Not Him.

Morro had no family. If he had, he couldn't remember. The only thing close to his word and family feeling was Wu. Otherwise, nothing. He and Harumi had similarities, so he tried an idea that resonated in his mind for a while and didn't give him peace.

"We are.. do you think... do you think we could be relatives? Cousins?"

"My mother had a sister who.. looked like you." She talk. "And I know that, if I remember correctly, she also had a child. I don't remember.. but I think Aura was her name? But I don't know what happened to them. So, maybe. I mean, we have quite a few similarities in common."

Morro was watching her. His body was beginning to tremble slowly. Too many feelings. He felt like he couldn't resist. If what she was saying was true, was his mother really called Aura? He had a family...?

"M-Morro?!" He threw himself into her arms.

"I had a family.. And I found a member of it after years...!"

Harumi realized that Morro was just like her. Lost. Alone. Broken heart. Her parents were killed for her to live, and his, it is not known what happened to them. They both hit the streets life. They were both taken under someone's wing, loved. But they both had a tragic end, and only at the end did their eyes open.

They stayed like that for a while, rejoicing that they were reunited with someone in their family after years and years.

.

.

.

Another soul. Lost too. Hurt by many, mentally and physically, he opens his eyes. White, white, and white again. Sage smoke, red, gold now, walked slowly around his feet.

"Is... is anyone here?!"

.

.

.

The voice was too familiar. Too Gilded Green, Too Ancient Title Almighty. They turned their attention, seeing a blonde boy lost in the distance.

"Lloyd?" They said suddenly. Their voices echoed.

Lloyd saw them, he heard them. He didn't know how to react. The girl he liked and broke his heart, brought his evil father back to Ninjago, was with the boy who had possessed him for the title of Green Ninja, who tried to kill his friends and curse Ninjago, they were next to each other, in front of Him, with Him. Lloyd was about to step back.

"Stay!" Harumi spoke. "No.. don't leave. We just want to talk. Please, Lloyd. We won't hurt you, we promise. If you want, you can stay there, we can stay here. Just listen to us."

Lloyd took her words skeptically, but sat down where he was. He was on high guard, but he wanted to know what they were going to tell him. Harumi sighed calmly that they had managed to persuade him to listen. She was looking at Morro, who did not seem to feel in his waters that he was in the same room as Lloyd.

"Are you... feeling well, Morro?"

"Yes...! Yes. Heh.. yes." He was not. He was very sorry. He was looking at Lloyd, and he wanted to throw himself back into that cold, burning water. He later find out that Lloyd was really just.. a child.

"So? What do you want? Where am I? Have you two joined forces and want to kill me?! If that's a Yes, this will not happen."

"No. We don't want that. Actually..." She looked at Morro, who nodded slowly. "We want to apologize."

"What?!" Lloyd was watching them. "You're kidding..."

"We're not kidding."

There was a small silence. Harumi looked at her cousin, who had begun to hug his feet, staring at the ground. She knew he wasn't going to talk too soon, so she started-

"Lloyd, I'm sorry." Morro had spoken first to the girl's surprise. "I shouldn't have possessed you then, to put all my anger on you. It wasn't your fault and I realized too late that.. you were just a child.. I was an idiot! Blind. I'd was blinded by a stupid Prophecy! Forgive me, but you don't have to, I don't forgive myself either. I just... I want you to know I'm sorry, Lloyd. You didn't deserve anything bad in your life. You're too, good..."

Lloyd listens. Process. But he didn't say anything.

Harumi had realized that Lloyd wouldn't tell them anything, not yet. It was her turn now.

"Lloyd, I realized my mistake late." His attention was on her now. "I know that maybe these excuses really don't mean anything now, that the deed has already been done, but I want you to know... that I'm sorry. I wanted so much to see my parents again, I was so depressed by their death, and you.. you were the only one who was in the light to blame for my loss.. It wasn't your fault.. I realized this late. Hate has corrupted my mind and I'm sorry I broke your heart. Hey, it wouldn't have worked. We're relatives, cousins, aren't we, Morro?"

"Cousins?" Lloyd was confused for a long time, and his voice echoed.

"Well, yes. Morro and I have-" Giggle. "We have time to talk. A lot, time. And I found out that we have a lot in common, that maybe we are really relatives, cousins. And from what Morro told me about his experience with Wu, that in a way Wu is Morro's adoptive father, that means he is his son, Morro your cousin, and I may be very presentiment to be Morro's cousin, that makes us all three relatives, cousins!"

Lloyd was almost gaping. Many details and information suddenly thrown away carefully. But something seemed to light up in him, in his good and bright golden soul.

"Does that mean we're cousins...? All three of us?!"

"So it seems." Harumi approved, smiling briefly.

Lloyd thought for a while. Try to find the best way for him to handle the situation. Just now had two cousins, who were former criminals, but they were his. He gets up and get closer to them, sitting down again.

"Morro, Harumi," They looked at him curiously and with a little fear. "Everyone deserves a second chance, doesn't they? And a bad season everyone in this family had, right? Even me."

Morro and Harumi felt forgiven, smiling. One weaker than the other.

"And can we all get back to Ninjago?" Lloyd asked.

"That... we don't know that, Lloyd." Morro replied.

"Do you know how you got here?"

"No. We woke up here. We don't know how we got here or where exactly we are in the first place."

"Well," Lloyd stood up. "How about we find the way out together as a family."

In front of them were Lloyd's hands outstretched in front of them, with his smile. The eyes of the two former villains had met, following in his blondy hands, rising from the ground like a Family.

------------

Aura is a character create by me and Blossom.

[aros001]

Going in blind: Watching season 1 for the first time. Random thoughts.

This show is kind of nice because I have no memories of the original She-Ra show, or even any of He-Man, honestly. I'm not sure if I ever watched the original, so I have no frame of reference for how the series is "supposed" to be. I can just take it and judge it as is.

Of the bat, all I know is that supposedly She-Ra and Catra get together as a romantic couple later, but I'm also a huge My Hero Academia fan and the fandom around me ships every character with every other character, so for all I know that might just be shipper wishful thinking I've been seeing and hearing. Given fandoms for Gravity Falls, Thor, and Supernatural ship even siblings together, I've learned not to trust anything except for what I see in the series for myself.

By the way, this isn't a review, just random thoughts and comments I'm having as I'm going through season 1 for the first time.

Episodes 1 and 2: Right off, I really like Catra's "No duh" response to Adora about the truth of the horde. She knows they've been lying to them and have been doing terrible things, she just doesn't care. If she and Adora play their cards right they could end up being the ones in charge and then they'd have all that power. Not necessarily to make things better but enough to where they could do whatever and live however they want. That's a good build for an antagonist. Not ignorant to the fact what they're doing is wrong, just simply so selfish that they don't care.

Episode 3: It really feels like there was no good reason why Glimmer didn't just outright introduce Adora to her mother and every reason she should have known it was a bad idea to try and hide her for a surprise. Being a former horde soldier she'd probably get treated with hostility if Glimmer brought her to the front gate but you'd almost guarantee Adora would get arrested or outright killed if she got caught while no one else knew she was there.

On the other side, we have Hordak being pretty intelligent in promoting Catra. He probably knows Shadow Weaver already doesn't like him, so it's not like he's losing anything making her upset with him, and it's clear she favors Adora way more than Catra, so that little bit of advancement towards Catra probably goes a long way in earning her loyalty to him and a person on the inside with Shadow Weaver.

Also, I'm not the only one who saw Madam Razz and immediately thought Adora had found her Yoda, right?

Episode 4: I don't know how it was in the original She-Ra and He-Man series but I kind of like She-Ra being this title from legend. Adora is not the first She-Ra, given what Razz was talking about with a Mara, so instead of being something new, impressing everyone with abilities they've never seen before, and creating the legend, Adora is placed in a position WAY over her head where she's having to live up to what came before her.

Episode 5: Calling it now, as long as her personality is genuine I think Scorpia is going to be one of my favorite characters in this show. She's...endearing, I think is the best word. She's like a mix of Kronk and a nicer Shego.

For a little bit I thought Mermista was voiced by the same actress who played Poison Ivy in the Harley Quinn animated series. She's not but they do have the same kind of Daria-ish inflections, thus by confusion. Given the prom episode, Sea Hawk feels kind of like her Kite Man.

Episode 6: Okay, now it's between Scorpia and Entrapta who are likely to be my favorites by the end of this. She's fun and quirky.

Episode 7: Quite the lore drop. Shadow Weaver was once a Mystacor sorceress known as Light Spinner. I like to imagine we'll get more on that later. Her haunting Adora reminded me of the Teen Titans' episode where Robin was similarly haunted by Slade. This didn't go as far as that but that's probably for the best, since TT had two and a half seasons to build that dynamic up with Robin and Slade while we're only now halfway through the first season.

Episode 8: Well dang. Again, I don't know for sure if Adora and Catra do end up together but boy do I buy why they're shipped together after that dance. Also, good on Bow for standing up for himself. It's clear that he'll always be Glimmer's friend and this won't change that but that doesn't mean he has to just accommodate her. I understand where her issues stem from but I am still glad he gave her a reality check. It helps him feel a little more like his own character.

Also, another nice little bit of lore and worldbuilding. Scorpia's a princess, the horde landed where her people lived, and they seemed to join them willingly.

Episode 9: Surprisingly don't have a lot to say about this other than I don't buy for a second that Entrapta is dead (EDIT: She's not). This was mostly action.

Episode 10: Not going to lie, this one kind of annoyed me a little, at least the first half. The conversation between Glimmer and her mother saved it a bit. It was a bit of a trifecta. You have the alliance breaking apart, saying that the loss of Entrapta only happened because they were all together...even though Entrapta only "died" because of her own machine obsession that caused her to deliberately walk back into the purging chamber. You have Entrapta who might be turning to the horde's side because she feels abandoned by the other princesses...even though they thought she was dead, and again it was her fault they got separated. And you have Glimmer refusing to tell her mother that Shadow Weaver's dark magic has caused her powers to go on the fritz and is causing her great pain. It just feels like none of this would be an issue if most of these people would stop being self-absorbed for three seconds and talk like any normal person would. It feels very CW drama, like something I'd see in a bad season of Arrow or The Flash. The only person whose issues I buy is Adora, who is basically a soldier who was never properly raised to deal with emotion or loss and is already struggling with the burden of being She-Ra, the legendary savior. I get why she's beating down on herself for not being able to do more even if nothing that happened was her fault.

Episode 11: JEEEEEEEEEZZZZ, that was such a good episode! Focused entirely on Adora and Catra and their past together. Like, just showing someone this episode alone could probably get them to want to watch the series. That was everything you needed to know about their dynamic and history together.

Also, that moment when Catra and her past self are looking at each other, while obviously Catra takes the opposite lesson, it reminded me of this fanart I'd once seen of Jason Todd, the Red Hood, looking at his past self as Robin. The past says to the future "You ruined everything". Catra could be happy but, ironically for someone who hates Shadow Weaver, she's probably going to be a lot like her, sacrificing everything for power and ambition.

Given the way she looked, I'm guessing Shadow Weaver is either addicted to the power of the Black Garnet or she suffered some kind of past injury and its power is the only thing keeping her going. Or both.

Episode 12: I'll be honest, Swiftwind being able to talk kind of gobsmacked and I needed a moment to recover. What a great voice they chose for that character.

So She-Ra is kind of like the legendary heroes from Rising of the Shield Hero, coming from a long line of people chosen to wield the sword. I tend to dislike chosen one types of stories because I think prophecy takes a lot of weight out of the character's actions, so this and Avatar are more what I like. The MC is special but not the only one who's ever been special and they can still easily fail. Their destiny was only to be able to use the weapon, not that they would succeed in any specific purpose.

And dang, Catra's turn against Shadow Weaver happened faster than I thought it would but I'm not complaining. That great "This is what you've really been preparing me for" speech and Hordak, again, being an intelligent villain. "Oh, this experiment could net me a MASSIVE gain and all it could potentially cost me is this rock I already gave away to someone who lately hasn't been producing any results and has been consistently disobeying me. Yeah, I'm going to let this play out."

Episode 13: That was kind of a brutal fight between Adora and Catra. Not the worst I've ever seen even in other shows for this age range (Samurai Jack, for example) but those punches are connecting and those claws are leaving marks.

Also, maybe I'm just misunderstanding the exact situation but shouldn't the good guys' side be called the Resistance instead of the Rebellion? Being a rebellion would imply they are rebelling against an established power or rule over them, but the actual conflict we are shown is the established power and rule that is the kingdoms of Eternia resisting an outside force that wishes to establish a new order over them.

Season 1 verdict: I'm into it. I'm definitely more invested in the villains' side of things but that's not a fault of the series, that stuff is just way more geared towards me than the current princess stuff. I actively am at attention whenever the horde main characters are on screen. For the good guys it's mostly Adora and the She-Ra stuff I'm invested it. That isn't to say I have any real dislikes for that side. Bow especially I'm liking much more than I thought I might. He has kind of this gravitational pull around him. You will be his friend regardless of how much you might want to resist. He's definitely the rock for everyone else to hold onto.

Minor side note, kind of like Korra in Legend of Korra, I love how even when her powers aren't active Adora is shown to still be pretty strong physically with how easily she was lifting people up at the prom.

And I was right, Scorpia is my favorite side character.

On to season 2!

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/nyll2e/going_in_blind_watching_season_1_for_the_first/

[jules85]

Felicity Smoak? Hi, I'm Oliver Queen...

Five years ago, Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards filmed a silly little scene together, that in any other actor’s hands would have been a throwaway and insignificant scene.

The writers simply needed an IT expert to further their plot for the episode, but by casting Emily they got someone with so much presence and charisma, that their star man couldn’t help but fall under her spell.

Just like the rest of us.

Felicity Smoak’s brilliance burst from the screen providing light to Oliver Queen’s shade. She didn’t buy his bs and he cracked a smile. Emily and Stephen clicked in those first scenes.

Something magical happened that day.

‘You’re remarkable,’ and ‘thank you for remarking on it.’ ‘I still feel like I can trust you.’ ‘It feels really good having you inside me,’ and ‘platonic circumstances.’ ‘If you’re not leaving, I’m not leaving.’

We all became slaves to their on screen chemistry. We all grinned like idiots whenever Felicity would say something inappropriate. We would sigh at every shoulder touch. We’d melt whenever they unleashed the heart eyes.

In the early days we were so starved for any kind of sign that these two dummies would finally realise what we had seen from the start. I miss those days, as torturous as they were.

In season two we got more of the above but then we watched Oliver falling in love with Felicity without him or us, or anyone even really realising it at the time.

‘There was no choice to make’, and ‘you will always be my girl’.

‘I rely on you’, and ‘you’re my partner’.

‘You’re not alone’, and ‘I believe in you’.

‘He took the wrong woman’, and ‘I love you’.

We thought they were teasing us. We thought that there was no way that the writers would follow through with what they painted as a ruse in the finale.

Then season 3 arrived and we got flirty Olicity. Oliver Queen asked Felicity Smoak on a date. He was nervous and adorable. They went for Italian. Felicity looked gorgeous. She babbled. Oliver opened up.

‘There was just something about you’.

‘It was red’.

The restaurant blew up and Oliver killed us all when he broke Felicity’s heart. Not before giving us the perfect and most beautiful first kiss of all time.

‘Don’t ask me to say I don’t love you’.

Much of season 3 was pretty much an angst fest, with the occasional glimmer of light between our babies.

Oliver’s delight at meeting her mother.

The whole married af routine when they went to Central city.

‘With the landmines’.

The forehead kiss and the ‘I love you,’ before going off to face Ra’s.

The last thing he thought about before the fall. Thinking he was dead. Dreaming of the woman he loves. The heartbreaking 'I don’t want to be a woman that you love.’

The 'you’re cute,’ and the smile when we discovered that the first scene that started it all, wasn’t the beginning of our ship after all.

Oliver thought he would die alone because Felicity was 'momentarily unavailable’ (I love you, John Diggle).

Oliver thanked her and told her she was right. Felicity called him handsome, flirted a little and then killed us all by telling him that as long as he was in her life, she was happy.

Felicity has always known who he is. Whether he’s wearing a suit or under a hood, he’s the man that she lo…he’s the man that she believes in.

Then came episode 3x20. The fallen was a pretty apt title because shipper down. Shipper down!!!

She gave him a blanket because he looked chilly. She stood up to Ra’s Al Ghul.

She thanked Oliver for changing her life for the better. He opened up her heart in a way she didn’t even know was possible.

'I love you.’

He removed her glasses; the final barrier between them. They kissed. They undressed. They made love.

(I don’t know what happened after that because I died.)

(The Lazarus pit resurrected me)

'So that happened,’ and 'I’m glad it did.’

Drugging the man she loved because she couldn’t leave him there. He loved her all the more for it.

Heartbreak and tears as they said goodbye without saying goodbye this time.

Then after Al Sahim, forced betrothals and fake deaths, we got 'don’t fight to die, fight to live.’

Felicity could figure out how to fly in the Atom suit, but couldn’t figure out how to remove it so that she could kiss Oliver after saving him. 🙅

'I want to be with you’. Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!

'I’m happy.’

Season four started off so well with domestic bliss.

'You have failed this omelette’.

'Kinda sweaty,’ and 'I know, its amazing’.

Olicity in bed together. No more subtle shoulder touches. Felicity’s hands roaming that boys back. Engagement rings and soufflés. Dammit Thea and Laurel. Your timing sucks.

Adorable head kisses. Adorable arguments.

'I love every moment that I am with you. No matter where we are.’

Silent conversations and that thing she does when she hugs his arm and rests her chin on his shoulder.

'Nothing worthwhile ever come easy.’

Back rubbing and 'I have you’.

Salmon laddering and 'wearing what?’

Heart to hearts on the couch with all the hand holding.

The first thing he goes to, the hugging and kiss.

Chatty Cathy and tears over burnt chicken.

'We found ourselves in each other,’ and synchronicity.

'Felicity, honey…’ and 'my love’.

'I am happy. I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted. Being with Felicity has given me a real sense of peace.’

'Didn’t you tell me guys like us never get the girl?’ and 'I was wrong.’

'But I chose this life, and I chose you And I don’t understand why we can’t have both.’

'Just so you know, if you’d asked me, I would’ve said yes’ and heart eyes

Desperate I love you’s.

'I thought I lost you,’ and 'I’m here. I’m here.’

'There is one person in particular that I am grateful for. Someone who has stood beside me when times were darkest. She is the one who lights my way…’

'Felicity Smoak…would you make me…the happiest man on the face of the earth?’ and 'Yes.’

Happy tears and kisses and cuddles. They got engaged!!!!!

'All I care about is you.’ More kisses and they lived happily ever after.

Felicity got shot. She was told she’d never walk again.

'For better or worse,’ and 'I’d go anywhere with you.’

'I love you,’ and 'I love you too.’

'Thank you for always being on my side,’ and 'No place I’d rather be’.

'You don’t have to be funny for me. You know that, right?’

’…it’s part of what makes you the man I love.’

'Will you marry me?’ How many proposals is that now?

The break up came. Lies and hidden truths. Fake weddings and I don’t want to let you go’s. But they did. Through death and magic and nuclear threats, the team went their separate ways. 'You thought I was leaving too’ and 'not a chance’ With season 5 came separation, new love interests but 'i will always care about you’ and 'it’s a mortal lock’ gave us the slightest glimmer of hope for our beleaguered pair. Even an alien dream world couldn’t stop Oliver from remembering his true love 'Felicity’. (Did I really just write 'alien dream world’?) 'I do believe in magic’ and 'you know me better than almost anyone’. Helix and Prometheus and skeevy reporters led to some very dark times but then came 5x20. Teamwork is key. Trust returned. Salmon ladder flashbacks led to a different kind of workout on the mats ;) 'I trust you. I will always trust you. I don’t trust myself’ Oliver finally let her see the ugliest part of himself. The part that believes he kills because he likes it. Felicity shut that down and reminded him that she wouldn’t have fallen in love with him and wanted to marry him if she didn’t know exactly the kind of man he was. He listened to her because she knows him better than almost anyone. Remember? Then opening up and 'stop living for your father and start living for yourself’ 'Felicity has a way with words’ saw the Green Arrow suit return. Birthday celebrations and heart eyes and 'We can take it one step at a time’ 'Dating my ex fiance…’ Then Prometheus’ plan went into motion seeing a return to Lian Yu. A kiss and 'Just in case’ and too many regrets. Explosions. Cliffhanger. Who survives? Five years of magic, exhilaration, angst, chemistry and love. It started with two actors and a script, and they changed everything. Thank you.

[suudonym]

Every anime/manga rec so far have been great! I'm hooked on Made in Abyss rn. If its possible what are some of your other anime/manga recs?

I’m glad you’re enjoying it!! I for one am all but literally bouncing in my seat because tomorrow is friday and friday is made in abyss and I am looking forward to it

other recommendations, hmmmmm let’s see what I can come up wiiith

(genres are gonna be all over the place, sorry about that)

among anime that I eagerly looked forward to new episodes of, I’d recommend re: zero first and foremost. it’s a “normal guy ends up in an alternate fantasy world” story but it does the trope SO MUCH BETTER than the trope usually gets done. there were already like five episodes out by the time I finally gave it a try and boooyy am I glad I did because it’s just a phenomenal story, very painful, top marks from the pain-loving me

if it’s anime that I looked forward to, then I can’t not mention natsume yuujinchou. the sixth season aired last season with new episodes on tuesdays and as early as thursday I’d be like “TUESDAY IS COMING IT’S ALMOST TIME FOR NATSUME.” natsume is what I call a warm and soft anime - it just feels good to watch it. that said it is six seasons long and it’s episodic with pretty much no overarching plot (though there is some subtle and natural character development that’s just HEARTWARMING) so a lot of people find it too boring but if you don’t mind the episodic nature then it’s so… so good

speaking of warm I also greatly enjoyed amaama to inazuma and udon no kuni no kiniro kemari / poco’s udon world. I say them in the same breath because they have a LOT of similarities: yuuichi nakamura (voice of karamatsu) plays a mild-mannered guy awkwardly bumbling his way through single fatherhood to a young child. the thing that makes them very clearly different stories is that in the former the child is the main character’s four-ish-year-old daughter, his wife recently deceased, and in the latter the child is a three-ish-year-old magical shapeshifting tanuki. for amaama to inazuma there’s also an ongoing manga which I would almost be inclined to recommend over the anime (the art works a lot better imo) if not for the fact that the little girl in the anime is voiced by an actual little girl and it’s so endearing

if you like osomatsu san (and if you’re engaging with my blog it feels safe to assume that that’s the case) then I recommend handa-kun for it’s extremely relatable protagonist and general hilarity. if misunderstandings as a tool for humor is up your alley then handa-kun is the alley itself. hardly anybody watched that show and to this day I cannot understand why. (actually it’s probably because it was a prequel to the similarly underrated barakamon which I also wholeheartedly endorse. there are a few references to it in handa-kun so on one hand if you’re interested in watching barakamon it may be better to watch it first for the sake of those references but on the other hand handa-kun has a very different tone from barakamon so it may feel a bit weird watching it after barakamon unless you leave a gap in between)

another criminally underrated one is alice to zouroku. my god did I enjoy that one, it’s a found-family story featuring a young girl with extremely limited worldly experience and a grouchy old man with a heart of gold (ngl I based the explosive engineer in tata on this guy after the first episode because I was so deeply intrigued by the unusual character archetype). it goes through a few shifts in genre and leaves a looot of loose ends but imo it is SO WORTH IT for the really wonderful themes along the way

so that’s what I can come up with for recent anime, and for older/less recent anime the first thing that comes to mind is definitely steins;gate, which is pretty highly acclaimed so I’d be surprised if you’re not already familiar with it. BUT, what gets talked about much less is robotics;notes, which I also very much enjoyed. as you can tell from the semi-colon it’s by the same author as steins;gate (and I THINK, I might be wrong but I THINK it’s also the author of re: zero?) and there are parts that stick out very vividly in my mind, so vividly that I also distinctly remember sitting in the school cafe talking about these parts to a friend because holy shit

I also will never miss an opportunity to scream to the sky about hyouka because MY GOD I loved hyouka and it was so beautiful and so interesting and yes it’s kind of slow and quiet but it’s a highschool slice-of-life pseudo-mystery with a focus on characters and character development so of course it’s gonna be a bit slow and quiet. also the main character is voiced by yuuichi nakamura so, y’know, lil bonus there for those who are as deeply attached to karamatsu as I am

and! tales of the abyss. play the game if you can (it’s for ps2 and has a 3ds port) but if you can’t then the anime, while not necessarily what you might call pretty or well-animated, is an admirably faithful adaptation for being limited to two cours. the protagonist is one of the most deeply human characters with some of the most realistic and thoughtful character development I’ve seen out of anything ever and I will never stop recommending it, but do play the game first if it’s within your ability because it is, naturally, much more thorough in its storytelling and also is very rewarding by nature of being a game

back to anime that’s just anime (and boy is it anime), I’ll always enthusiastically endorse shirobako, the quintessential anime about anime, specially about anime production. I’ve heard that it was supposed to have four cours but due to scheduling conflicts it was cut down to just two and I will never know peace knowing that I could have had twice as much shirobako as what I got

and now that I’ve been through aaaaaall that how about some MANGA

there’s three right off the bat that I very very VERY highly recommend but I’ll do em one at a time for the same of organization. first, I’ve said it before and I’m still waving my arms in the general direction of the promised neverland if you’re not already reading it. if you’re more of an anime watcher than a manga reader you just wait a while and I have no doubt in my mind that an anime announcement will spring up

next, I’ve actually been wanting to recommend this one for a really long time: dungeon meshi. it’s sorta like d&d meets shokugeki no souma - a party of penniless dungeon crawlers crawl through a dungeon trying to save the main character’s sister, and because they’re penniless they cook and eat monsters. it’s CRIMINALLY funny and extremely well-illustrated and the plot has been seriously heating up lately and there aren’t nearly enough people reading this manga

and third is to you the immortal / to your eternity / fumetsu no anata he (not sure which is the more accurate translation of the title). a strange immortal rock has the power to take on the form of things that have a big impact on it, and by experiencing bigger and bigger impacts the entity gains a sense of identity and purpose, plus a whole bunch of forms that he can shift between at will. it’s by the same author who did koe no katachi (which I also highly recommend, both the movie and the manga are really really great - though the manga covers much more than the movie)

I would also recommend yotsuba& / yotsuba to but I don’t want people to think I have a type (I do have a type, it’s family themes. lay them sweet sweet family themes on me). I’m honestly really surprised that this one’s still never gotten an anime. a soft and fluffy story about a single dad raising his extremely energetic small daughter

there’s probably a loooot more, especially manga, but I have completely run out of energy and that’s a pretty extensive-feeling list as it is so I’m gonna leave it as it is for now. hope something in here piques your interest!