#I said I would stop ranting about this episode and I LIED

[chaoticace2005]

Thing a bit more about HB 207 and the whole thing with Fizz feeling like he has to earn Ozzie makes even more sense if you consider his background in the circus. Blitzø’s dad seems to give affection and attention based on who was being the most “value” in.

Fizz was the “son he wished he could have” because of how good of a performer he was and how much money he brought in. Fizz likely saw and internalized the way Blitzø was treated as well, with attention ultimately being a commodity that had to be earned We have never seen or really heard anything about Fizz’s own family- so at the moment going with the assumption that Buckzo (and later Mammon) was (were) the closest thing he had to a parent, and a parent who only ever gave him any kind of praise or attention when he was winning or doing “good” would explain a lot. And the thing with these kind of people that use others for their gain is that often times it’s never enough- there is always more. Fizz likely constantly to better himself, to reach for more, because if he doesn’t then he’ll be tossed away.

Then he meets Ozzie- who not just gives him love and affection openly but is also someone he likely perceives as being “higher class” than him given the hierarchy in hell. And Fizz works for him, making an even greater power dynamic. Right there, with the combo of him being someone of power and offering affection he likely doesn’t often receive (because as we see most of his fans are creepy and after Blitzø we don’t know if he has any other friends) makes it so Fizz feels like this has so be something he earns. Because all other relationships he’s had like this have worked that way. As a business transaction as sorts. He has to play the role of the top-notch performer, because if he doesn’t he’ll be replaced or thrown away.

And just… ow

I feel like this can resonate with so many people in so many different ways. For many relationships they feel transactional or conditional in a way- where you have to prove you’re worthy of them, and ultimately that puts pressure and stress on you.

Fizz and Ozzie’s relationship is adorable and they are clearly in love, but there still is some things they need to discuss and communicate. Their relationship isn’t perfect (as is the same with most relationships, both in reality and the media) and I’ll be really interested in seeing if they discuss this going forward. Fizz is finally seeking to communicate more with Ozzie, and with them being open about their relationship and him leaving Mammon (and acknowledging that Mammon is a PIECE OF SHIT) it definitely feels like a step in the right direction.

[naturegirl555]

Ranting about supernatural because I hate this show so so much (I’m so so obsessed with it to the point where it’s concerning) and I’m on season 6 episode 20 “the man who would be king” and can I just say how incredibly annoying the boys are! Like can you maybe hear cas out maybe! His reasons for doing these things aren’t malicious or demonic. He is fighting a war in heaven which they couldn’t give to shits about and now they are gonna be mad because he was MANIPULATED by crowley (I love the man but still) like can they use their brains for one moment. And I feel this may come off like I hate Sam and dean and I do not in any way they are very complex characters with trauma and trust issues but cas has done everything for them. He was trying to save them. He didn’t know the outcome. Like Sam and dean have never made a mistake before. Because I remember a couple seasons ago where Sam was going crazy gorging on demon blood because he thought he could do good with that power! So why be so hypocritical and get mad at cas in the way they did. And can we just talk about how broken cas looked when they trapped him in the holy fire! Like Sam said to him did you bring me back without a soul on purpose and his eyes god! Like in what world would castiel who saved you both from hell do that purposely! It was already hard enough to save dean it was a group project in a way he didn’t have help with Sam! And cas is also doing all of this because he thinks its what god wants. He is so blinded by his faith again because he got brought back to life. He had the idea that he was brought back for this reason and chuck did absolutely nothing because all he wants is drama and trauma for the collective and not caring about how his kids feel! Castiels faith breaks my heart because no one could understand it. Dean couldn’t and Sam couldn’t. Castiel has been an angel since the beginning it’s not so easy to give up everything you’ve ever known even when you know that it might not be the right thing. Was it easy for dean to see his father the way everyone else saw John. No. So why can’t it be difficult for cas. They truly never give cas a break. And yes I’m a major destiel shipper. But the way dean acts towards cas sometimes makes me so enraged. But this “breakup” dean looked heartbroken. Castiel had lied to him. Him of all people. The man who he had a profound bond with. He just wanted cas to ask for help and cas didn’t because he doesn’t do that. He’s never been not capable before things have never been this difficult for him before. And when you look at what castiel did there was truly nothing wrong with it. He was blinded and manipulated and he didn’t want all of the shit they endured to stop the apocalypse to be for nothing. He didn’t go to dean because he saw dean living a normal life he saw him getting out and he wanted to respect that. How could castiel have known dean wasn’t happy in that life. Castiel isn’t very good with human emotions and his thinking is very black and white while the winchesters have shades of gray thinking. So how is it fair to blame cas for all of it. I’m sorry about this rant i just feel so much about this! Like castiel is my favorite fictional character of all time and I wish I could’ve teleported into the show and been his lawyer because no one would listen to him no one ever does. I love all of them very very much but it would be dumb to think castiel doesn’t deserve better. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk about castiel. It may happen again

[carelessflower]

rating shtv jace questionable moment

let be honest, it will mostly be season one plus two offending screenshots from season two. critical analysis only when i want to, the rest depends. the descent into hell is easy after all

5/10 - see? sh writers can write, first scene with jace they already show how he treat alec the rest of the season.

6/10 - that his job

3/10 - friendly reminder, alec was the acting head at this point aka jace's boss, it's his duty to report any strange occurrence at the institute and now you brought a STRANGE girl into HIS institute, i dont know, just a thought

3/10 - yes it kinda is, and it's alec choice at that seeing how he your superiors

3/10 - jace would be a shit head for the ny institute if a random pretty girl make him act like this. and again, it normal alec get suspicious at clary, because he, you know, can actually think through situations and not dive in first like a headless chicken

4/10 - yes, he has working brain cells

2/10 - dont you love it when the dude you supposedly share half your soul dismiss your valid concerns regarding your life

5/10 - if he's as you said you would be six feet under or in some ceils not here talking shit

1/10 - yes alec stop, don't you know jace is allergic to reasoning

2/10 - he knows you should be supportive of your parabatai

1/10 - all i can say is if a stranger comes into my life, not caring for anything but herself and jeopardizing my job, i would let out far worse things than angry rant

3/10 - no wonder jace fancies clary, they are never ready to hold themselves or each other accountable for anything. true love

🚩🚩🚩/10 - right before this izzy LITERALLY said clary go out WILLINGLY i have no words, alec's way too nice i would have 'oh this you' and drag jace daddy issue to filth back i would go lower than hell. by the way jace never apologize for this so. flop

0/10 - proceed to lose her next episodes

4/10 - flop. flop parabatai of the year

2/10 - funny how jace only bring up the parabatai bond when he needs alec to do something for himm hmmmm. it giving suspicious it giving affection with conditions it giving manipulation

-♾️/10 - that a totally normal thing to say about your brother, the one who you share a lifetime bond with. i normally wish jace choke on a porcupine

0/10 - jace only contribution to the parabatai bond is 2x03 and when he use his nepotism to transfer the head of ny institute position to alec. and even with alec already on his way to that title before imogen swooped in

5/10 - ooh be making that face now suddenly you care? dont make me laugh

0/10 - jace lies so well, all that practice telling himself he looks handsome every morning paid off

0/10 - my three year old cousin has more critical thinking than these two

0/10 - jace the one to talk he's incapable of seeing anything outside clary

-/10 - for whither thou storest, I will steal, and where thou trust, I will trust to betray.

 💀/10 - took them ten episodes to have alec FINALLY punch somebody for joking, using his sexuality against him when he's clearly NOT ready to talk about it. yeah fuck shit up baby

2/10 - oh okay, let talk about how you and clary fuck off to somewhere with the cup when the clave and a race supremacist massacre advocate cult leader are both hunting for it. then you and she proceed to play house with your newly discovered fake dad and left alec to deal with the mess. oh, did i mention izzy's complicit in your scheme and you left her there at the mercy of the clave?

1/10 - your saving cause more problems than elon musk to twt get over yourself

4/10 - selfish intentions + selfish actions = season one clace. a match made in heaven

6/10 - passable apology but why he cant just resist making it all about him lmaoooo

4/10 - the only joke here is your life

tag list: @dustandducks @cityofdownwardspirals @magnus-the-maqnificent @onetimetwotimesthreetimess @wildesummerchild @cam-ryt @khaleesiofalicante

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Today's episode was Revelation, where Lila becomes class rep and Chloè's cheating is outed.

We start with the reveal of Lila's multiple moms. SO immediately stopped the episode and said, "I think I'm done with this show." After I was done laughing, we kept watching. (I did say that we could stop, I'm only watching this for love of him)

We got to the scene where Chloè's cheating is outed and both of us are confused by Marinette's reaction. After hearing that Chloè will need to do extra work to catch up, Marinette gets upset because Chloè doesn't deserve help as if Chloè getting extra work is a privilege that takes resources from others, but it's really not? Or, if it is, they don't explain how. Both my SO and I would have been thrilled if our bullies got outed and was then made to do extra work after years of cheating. Like yes, make her work, please! It's about GD time.

This was followed by lots of ranting about how fake Lila comes across and how stupid the class is and how dumb Hoaxers lies were, which I enjoyed, but it's just preaching to the choir so I'll skip the fine details. Safe to say, the only time Lila's lies working feels realistic is when she's powered up as Hoaxer.

We both have one questions about the Lila as class rep thing: Why in the world would Lila improving Chloe be a legitimate campaign strategy? Why would anyone blame Marinette for not doing that? French schools don't actually expect student representatives to act as counselors for their classmates, right? Because that's utter insanity. We're assuming this bit is as accurate as the reach of Andre's mayoral authority, but please confirm that if you know because it bothers me!

We get to the scene where Nathalie spills Gabriel's secrets to Lila and it's another "we're forcing this for plot reason, not because it makes any sense to the established lore" right up there with the BS way that Ladybug's yo-yo worked in the season four final. Why didn't Gabriel notice this was happening? He's always been fully aware of his akuma's actions before. And why he didn't have Nathalie remove her ring since he was worried about Lila in the exact same episode? Why does Lila retain her consciousness while other akumas don't?

All in all, this is just a generally aggravating piece of television and I didn't even touch on Alya and Nino's writing. STOP MAKING THEM BAD FRIENDS!!!

Fun fact: this was the episode that made me stop watching the subs as they came out. I stopped caring about spoilers and waited for the dub so I could tune out when things got too annoying. I just didn't care anymore.

[sparxaf]

Another Day Another S6 Rant

If you're enjoying S6, please disregard. This is for the grumps, haters, and complainers among us who thrive on poking our own wounds just to re-live the pain.

Oh, Amelia. On day one, this ho had the nerve to say I was the attention seeker between us. And then made every day afterward about her. Imagine the absolute egomaniacal gall of going to a party and stopping everyone's good time dead, to announce that you met someone who made your panties damp, and then demand that everyone congratulate and toast you for it. Then, because no amount of attention is enough attention, yank your sister from the party you effectively ground to a halt, and demand that she validate your choice of panty dampener. And if she doesn't get upset, be a bitch to her until she does. Because you can't spell victim with A-M-E-L-I-A.

I know some people are having a really good time right now (Andy stans out here thriving, living their best lives 🤣), but for me, these episodes were nothing but boring filler. No actual conversations about anything fun or interesting (other than Hamish being hilarious). It was just: Grace whinges about Ozzy, Amelia apologizes for things she's def going to do again, people bring up Eliot like we were in love, and CA boys ask if you've changed your mind in the last ten minutes since you rejected them. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

The sad thing is, if you removed Amelia from the equation, this season could have been pretty fun. Especially the dumping. But because none of Amelia's drama/behavior is allowed to be resolved, it's dragging YOUR story to a halt with pointless, tedious distractions about her, a character you're not really allowed to know in any way beyond vague nostalgia.

The forced relationship is awful. It would be better if you could have started and maintained a path of either indifference, friendship, or antagonism with her. But all you get is a grey wasteland where she behaves like a complete shithead and you really have no way to address it beyond a tiny, petty emotional outburst that she promptly brushes off, and then a moment later the game forces you to act like none of it ever happened anyway because 💞SISTERS 🙄. I literally said I don't forgive her and I didn't bother saying I loved her when I left, but now suddenly we're besties again? Noooooo.

Do you know what could have been fun? If the double trouble wasn't about MC and her twin, but instead, Amelia is your estranged childhood best friend. And the relationship ended over someone you both developed feelings for. So now, you can choose the path of liking or not liking her without the manipulative "but she's family" angle. It'll be based on actions and behavior. In this imaginary season (that has actual branching), on the first day, when the girls ask about your first love, the way you answer it would determine your story with Amelia. 1. My first love and best friend fell for each other and I lost them both (path of forgiveness and friendship where Amelia wants to make it up to you and supports you without hoovering up your scraps). 2. Found out my horrible childhood best friend slept with my first love and never even apologized (path of antagonism where Amelia steals your LI's). 3. My childhood best friend and I fell for the same person. It was complicated and no one ended up happy. (Path of indifference or maybe a mixed path with some drama and some friendship depending on how you react to her).

The upside to this will be if Amelia cracks on with someone you like or want to get with, there wouldn't be the unpleasant vibe of, wow, this persons genitals have rubbed on mine AND my sister's. Which, I mean, the drama and smut of it is interesting, but it doesn't really lend itself to a fairytale romance scenario.

This could also streamline the story because what if Amelia was the obstacle in the slow burn path to Ozzy instead of Grace? Reliving and reversing what happened in the past, giving us the opportunity to heal and grow and form strong new bonds while we handle things better this time around...

ORRRRRR, we could be or be people who joyously refuse to learn any life lessons and make everything much, much worse just for funsies.

Either way, what a fun season that would have been. Sigh.

[summery-captain]

S1E2 - "Lost and Found"

More AuADHD traits Dirk displays! First episode analysis here

Once I'm finished I'll do a masterpost and link it in my fixed post

I'd like to mention that @goatygoat said Dirk is also alexyrhitimic (has a hard time/can't recognize their feelings and emotions) and I absolutely agree!! It is also exemplified, as they mentioned, by Dirk going "I might it might bother me more later, when I'm less... Something" in S1E1. I also agree with @urlocallesbiab saying dirk is a compulsive liar (he repeatedly lies about his past and then corrects himself)

--

- When Todd and Dirk are hiding behind a bush watching Rimmer's house, Dirk goes on a mini rant: "It's interesting actually because hammerhead sharks aren't usually aggressive towards humans!" - he remembers specific facts and mentions them in casual conversation as if rehearsed, and also might indicate a special interest in sharks or animal related facts

- To get Todd to follow him into the house, he 1) runs into the house while the garage door is going down and 2) proceeds to throw Todd's lotto ticket into it - he acts before thinking, so to speak, a lot of times being very inconsequential

- He mirrors/mimics Todd's actions when they get inside the house - it's very common for autistic people to mirror their peers when in a situation they don't have a lot of control in or have never been in before. In this scene he imitates Todd's stance, then goes on all fours like him, and then copies how Todd looks into the corridor to try and see Rimmer

- When he recognizes Lydia, he starts jumping up and down and "screams" without making noise while pointing at her - of course it's understandable that given the situation anyone would go "!!!!" but I find important to note how Dirk always stims, even in small ways. In this specific case, he stims through the repetitive movement of going up and down and also seems very taken aback/confused when Todd interrupts that to push him into the bathroom as to escape Rimmer noticing them

- After running off from the house, Dirk starts blabbing off, completely nervous - it's very common for ADHDers/Kinetic people to just go on a rant a mile a minute when nervous, be it to stim, to process what is happening, or just a momentary loss of control over speech (going too fast).

- In the bathroom when Todd is trying to reach for the window's handle and then throws himself back into the bathtub to hide from Rimmer, Dirk startles BADLY and goes "Oh it's just you. I don't know why I got scared you were already here" - in this scene (and in many others) Dirk dissociates without realizing, distancing himself from the situation at hand. This is a common defense mechanism autistic people, and also ADHDers, develop to handle our day to day lives. Dissociation is also a symptom of trauma, which unfortunately is bound to happen when you live in a world that does not accommodate you.

- "I gave him my cards" "You gave him your card?!" *"No, I gave him my CARDS. I do a lot of things, and then later I'm like uhh" - this is peak AuADHD honestly (more so adhd), in general we do things without fully thinking it through, ESPECIALLY during stressful situations

- *Later on when Todd and Dirk are driving to the bridge and stop before getting out of the car, the following dialogue happens: "What if he pulls out a gun?" "Aha!! That's why I brought... *Pulls out a switchblade* This!!" "What is that supposed to mean?" "You know what they say, about bringing a knife to a gunfight!" "That it's... Bad?" "Oh bloody hell is that what that means?" - big autism moment- more specifically it's very hard for us to intuitively figure out what figures of speech mean.

- "You're really brave, sort of like crazy brave. Or maybe just stupid, but, wow! And also surprisingly incapable, how have you survived this long?" - I wasn't gonna add this one because it's ableist as hell but alas, it's important to mention because it's not that far off from my lived experience and from what I've gathered, of some other disabled people I'm friends with or know. We're incredibly good at some things and at others, eh. So it makes sense for Dirk to be seen like this when in alignment to neurodivergency.

This will take a bit longer because I just got a new jobs and the change in routine has been hell but it'll be finished eventually!

Tagging the people who asked me to/expressed interest:

@clockworkcheetah @generalized-incompetence @silverhardt @weiwuxiankinnie @amber-angel

[tremorsmackenzie]

was rewatching the last few episodes of season 1 and got to feel the grant ward experience (tm) all over again. after finishing the finale, i kinda have to work it off, so here is a rant about everything that pisses me off about him.

he lied to everyone about everything from the beginning, killed so many good agents and friends and random bystanders, kidnapped skye so shed decrypt the harddrive, and still seriously thought he had a chance with her, after the people he works for literally almost killed her. he flirted with her during that kidnapping, he tried to get empathy from her while an agent he just killed was hidden in the supply closet with his blood ruining the linoleum. and then he tried to get her to feel sorry for him, because it was hard for him to make all those choices. those choices being to kill her friends and destroy the only family shes ever had. he still saw himself as the victim, despite being the worst most psychotic perpetrator he could ever possibly be. literally working for hydra and killing people just because his boss told him to. this one scene in the plane describes him perfectly, even before season 2 dove into these characteristics in detail. he is completely beyond saving.

one of the central mechanisms of his character is that he wants approval, and will do absolutely anything - anything - to get it. that ruthlessness was inside him already. garret didnt exactly manipulate him into becoming what he was. he took a dysfunctional juvenile, dumped him in the woods for 6 months, where he survived by raiding cabins and presumably killing their occupants all to impress garrett when he returned, and then he joined up with hydra for the same reason, and presumably that stayed his main motivation. and he cared so little for anything else that he continued to be willing to do anything, from murder to kidnapping to using other people to fuel his delusions to rescuing hive, an ancient inhuman hellbent on consuming earth just to "punish" shield for how they treated him.

and that desperation for approval came from the way his family and especially his parents were, and thats what may meant when she said that they all had trauma and it didnt turn any of them into psychopaths. his sad backstory explains why he is the way he is, it doesnt excuse it and it doesnt excuse the actions he takes in the present, at any point he couldve done any amount of self reflection, recognized what he is, and chosen to better himself, and instead he chose to keep blaming the rest of the world for his misdeeds, and thats on him.

yes, its tragic, he was groomed into the man he became. its not his fault that he is who he is. but he is that man, and its gone far beyond what garret pushed him to be. he chose to do all these terrible things and to keep serving him, to ignore every opportunity to even just stop and walk away, and he is making his own terrible choices even after the man who groomed him is gone. he is a twisted delusional sociopath, a murderer, who uses other people to support his narrative that actually hes some kind of hero and everything bad he does is someone elses fault, who desperately clings to the narrative that he is the victim and because of that hes allowed to do whatever, and who would rather burn the world before acknowledging any of that.

[weak-aesthetic]

I think this had potential to be such a great story for Velasco that’s been executed very poorly. If they want to bring Churlish on it’s such a bad poisoned intro unless and Liv going hard for her is weird considering how she even told her what she did was illegal. Unless she messes up a cases doing something else illegal so she doesn’t stick around that long? Then what’s their endgame for Velasco? I can’t imagine how he feels being on a squad that doesn’t trust him. Then the one person potentially in his corner (Muncy) was MIA all episode. I’m really hoping we get more context with what Muncy did with what she knew. Cause I really don’t see her keeping it from Velasco. Sigh. So much potential but it’s just not there for me.

Mariska did AMAZING with the storyline for the victim and his wife. It was a truly beautiful storyline but Velasco’s character arc and backstory suffered dearly because of it. This was a huge pivotal point in the development of Joe’s character and it was wasted away.

Like when Liv asked Fin, what do we know about Velasco, the answer truly was what Fin gave. We don’t know much about him except he has a kinda dark past. Like Velasco has been on there for going on this is his second season and what did we know about him before tonight?

His dad wasn’t the best father and he kept his belt to remind him of what he overcame in childhood. He had been forced into a gang when he was younger, made a vow to only do good if this one kid who he helped set up for an assault lived and then was shipped to Nebraska to get out of the gang. Also we know he’s a huge soccer fan and is into wrestling and that he’s single, trying to find a girlfriend. That’s about it (I may be missing some things because my memory is fuzzy). I feel like we knew about Amanda’s sister Kim than we do Velasco tbh.

And it’s like, Liv is THIS quick to turn on him like he wasn’t a HUGE help in the BX9 case. She even said he would be her “maestro” at one point because he had so much knowledge on how gangs worked. And now all of sudden he’s “180 lbs of water in the shape of a man”???

Okay side rant here:

Velasco had to learn how to camouflage. He had to learn how to blend into his surroundings to survive when he was younger. His friend killed those people and lied to the cartel for YEARS because he knew Joe couldn’t do it because that’s not who Joe is. Joe isn’t a killer. He’s a protector, a friend, a lover if you will. But he had to learn to act like one to survive. His whole life he’s been forced to play a role (like Olivia pointed out) because it’s the only way he knows how to live. Joe’s self defense mechanism is to blend in with what’s around him and so that’s what he’s been doing. And I feel like this whole storyline can be a HUGE arch for him if we finally see him develop a sense of self. He doesn’t need to find his friend and turn him to prove himself to Liv, but to prove to himself that his past is behind him and he can stop blending into his surroundings. The only person we’ve seen him even be himself with is Muncy (the whole scene of him buying her a soccer ball). So it’s like, this has a chance to be a huge thing for him and it was handled so poorly.

And going to the Churlish thing, I really hope it blows up in Liv’s face tbh. Liv is being such a hypocrite when it comes to everything related to Velasco. She threatens Muncy and tells her not to tell him but if it had been her, Stabler and Cragen, she would have lost it on Cragen. And then let’s Churlish, a white shield, do the interview with Fin that was only happening because of her ILLEGAL recording. Are we forgetting all the times Ms. Benson crossed lines for Elliot? She’s being so hypocritical and it’s honestly making me so irritated. Like she’s okay with Churlish committing a FELONY of recording a conversation with an inmate and let’s her join the squad but pretty much gives Velasco an ultimatum of turn in your friend who SAVED YOUR LIFE or your job is toast. Yeah both committed a crime, but you shouldn’t reward Churlish’s criminal act with a spot on the team and threaten Velasco for his. And also?? Churlish being so defensive that Velasco looked into her background as if she didn’t record a personal story of his life?? Like bitch sit down and shut up.

Honestly as much as I’m for “women empowering women” I hope Muncy chews Churlish out because no one else seems like they’re gonna do it. Churlish seems like a VERY toxic character and tbh if she does stick around, Idk how long I’ll be able to stand it. She committed a whole crime and gets rewarded? Fuck that.

I really want to know what did Muncy do with the information too. She’s the only who seems to even care about Velasco because Fin and Liv turned on him so quick.

[jasminedragonart]

Just to preface this little rant but I am not a Jane Austin fan. I haven't read her books nor do I know why I decided to watch Netflix's Persuasion 2022. But I did. And I have never been so offended on an author's behalf than when i was watching it.

Now, I'm not opposed to modern iterations. I have enjoyed some modern interpretations of shakespeare when the RSC comes to town. But theres a difference between a modern interpretation and trying to modernise a period of history that doesn't need to be.

The fact they tried to slip modern dialogue into this film is offensive. Not only to the intelligence of the audience but the characters they're portraying. The reasons things like Austin and Shakespeares works are timeless is because to this day we can understand it. We might need a bit of context every now and then, but is Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet if you don't get the flowery language professing their love for each other? The fact they slipped modern sayings into this film brings you out of the story so much its impossible to sink bacn in.

Not that you want to.

I feel kind of bad for Dakota Johnson. Whoever thought this would make a good film lied to her. like I said, I've not read persuasion, but the fourth wall breaks were completely unnecessary for a character like her. Ignoring the book, a fourth wall break is primarily used by quiet characters. Anne is not a quiet character in this. In Fleabag, our main character is repressing her emotions so much we need these fourth wall breaks. Sure, she has her outbursts, but they're clever and have purpose. Another character I could pick from would be Jim from the Office. Jim is, for all his pranks, a quiet character. He's very subdued and not as emotional as Dwight. His fourth wall breaks are usually looking to the camera in a way that speaks 'are you seeing this?'

Anne is not like this. Her breaks add nothing. Her dialogue is pointless too. Why lament for an hour then talk with your ex anyway? The pining was nonexistent. The chemistry wasn't there and I blame the script more than the characters.

Speaking of bad things, those costumes. What were they thinking? Those costumes were awful. The background characters were okay. But they were boring. There was no cohesiveness. I know in ye olde times that people wouldn't be cohesive. But this is a film, there is symbolism in it. Like in Bridgerton (I stopped watching after 2 episodes it wasn't for me) but they used colours to band characters together. Families had specific colour palettes so we could recognise them and their importance in the scene.

In this film, there was nothing. They were all mismatched and while it was okay, it wasn't anything to brag about. Now Anne. shame on who did Anne. I don't know what angers me more her hair or her clothes.

We'll start with the clothes. Why the black? Black is for mourning. If anything, Anne should have worn black in the beginning to symbol the death of her relationship. But no shes wearing it in the middle of the movie for no reason. All of her clothes are dark or bright and they too lack a colour journey.

Worse, they're modern inspired. Anne looks SO out of place its painful to watch. Her trousers? Her coat? Why is she wearing that? Why do we have the need to force these characters into clothes we find acceptable for a protagonist and not accept what they would have worn as okay? Dresses are okay. This is a regency piece it is more than okay for her to look like a freaking girl.

She didn't need to be modernised and its offensive that they thought she did.

Moving onto her hair. Why the side bangs? I know people had bangs back then but not like that. Her hair being down too? Or just tied back like it is? Its disgraceful to the time period and the character.

So, for context, Anne is seen as a disappointment to her family. Why, if you are a disappointment, are you going outside looking like that when your family depends on their reputation to survive? Who is allowing her to leave the house like that? Any self respecting woman back then would pin their hair back. They wouldn't wear it down, especially when a formidable ex is on the scene. Anne would not wear her hair like that. The only people who wear their hair like that would be children, poor children at the very least. Maybe some of the poorest commoners.

But not a rich lady like Anne.

This movie was painful. I hope it flops and netflix realises that masterpieces like Emma which I watched after this are the way to go.

[osc-confessions]

I hate Liam. I hate him sooo so much. It’s entirely writing wise too. I think he was really interesting from episode 10 to 13 because it explored him as a character and make hi kinda fucked up? And I found that really interesting! He WAS doing all of this for himself and he continues to do that after him and Bryce’s fight in episode 13. But the thing is this is never acknowledged ever ? And the show constantly makes Liam be the one in the right and it annoys the hell out of me

He SHOULD be a really flawed protagonist, especially after all that trauma, but his motives and personality end up switching on a dime all the time.

Liam stops being scared of death despite only dying once before this and it really traumatized him but it’s never brought up again. He falls into a body of water and doesn’t have any memories of when he last died.

He lies to Owen so badly and barely reacts to seeing his friend from college after 7 months and he never describes or longs for his old life in San Francisco, making him saying that he lost his life feel like a lie.

He guilt trips Bryce multiple times from episode 10 to 13 and it never gets acknowledged again even after Bryce says. TO HIS FACE. That he doesn’t actually care about Amelia and that he’s doing this for himself. Liam glosses over this entirely and after this episode it never comes up again. In episode 15 Bryce is all buddy buddy with Liam as if Liam didn’t take away his hard earned life again and guilt tripped him several damn times and was generally an asshole. And so everything Liam has done that could be considered bad up to this point is completely brushed aside and considered good ??? What the hell ???

He’s shown as selfish multiple times despite how he’s never really portrayed as in the wrong every time. He heavily alters viewer perception over events and he’s almost always is portrayed as in the right as said earlier and I can complain about that a LOT just on it’s own.

Liam feels bad for Airy very quickly from a storytelling stand point despite the fact that he travelled across the country and died over 20 times to stop Airy. The viewer can feel sympathetic for Airy without Liam doing so too !! And Texty was kinda just used for Liam’s internal conflict which could’ve been portrayed in way less time and would’ve been easier but whatever

Liam is both very tunnel vision and takes his time. He waits a while to do anything related to the show but when he does it he’s determined to get it done which really doesn’t connect ? And he goes to the stone and sf note first instead of directly to airy despite how it’d make more sense considering the tunnel vision portrayals. They don’t stick with one when writing him and it sucks

He’s also portrayed as both selfless and selfish and I’m just like??? PICK ONE ALREADY ??? Him not caring about the other contestants makes episode 8 feel really pointless because then what was the point of making them all supposedly get closer together? And this is made worse because of episode 16 since none of the contestants’ wishes are about each other at all, despite the fact that they didn’t have any lives at all before this. Like. It would’ve been really good to have that to show that they care about each other. But I guess NOT. This is a Liam rant though so I’m moving on

Comparatively, if they had him as more selfless then he’d also be interesting it’s just that I feel like that would be the situation if Amelia was the protagonist lmao.

Side note his personality is so indistinct that his wiki page is shorter than Texty’s who has less than half as much screen time as he does and also is kinda a plot device lol. They just do all the work for Liam and Bryce despite foreshadowing how Liam was going to search up the plane online and how it could be really interesting to play with death as a serious subject with actual stakes but eh

tl;dr: His lack of backstory and inconsistent personality make him a bad character and I’m sorry for this long ass ask

idk what to say lol

[weakforarwen]

The Once and Future Queen is an endlessly rewatchable episode, isn't it? It's weird how immature Arthur was in the beginning. He never stops being a brat, but his manners improve, at least. Poor Gwen had to put up with an entitled Prince staying in her home. One minute he was proving he had depth, telling Gwen the reason he was competing in the tournament anonymously was that he wanted to know he had won on his own merit, and, the next, he was having Gwen fetch him clean water in the middle of the night. Gwen was touched by his sincerity, and then annoyed; so annoyed, in fact, that the next day at the tournament, she was still angry at Arthur.

Arthur's not-so-secret masochism kink will forever be funny to me. He was taken aback by Gwen's whole rant against him, but he was never actually mad at her; he pretended to be while encouraging her to keep going. Like, for real, he wasn't exactly happy to hear he was entitled and arrogant, but he wasn't ashamed or angry. He genuinely valued Gwen's opinion and was happy that someone was showing him complete honesty for once. He was so pleased by her words he even offered to cook her dinner for the first and last time in his life.

Merlin: You're trying to impress her? Arthur: Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. And get me a decent shirt, will you? Your clothes are making me itch all over, it's like having fleas.

The biggest plot hole in this episode is how long it took Gwen to notice Arthur hadn't cooked for her. I mean, first of all, her kitchen was clean, second of all, she was missing no ingredients, third of all, Arthur can't cook and the food was "delicious", forth of all, didn't she know what her own plates looked like? Did she just wait until the end of the meal to call him out on it? But she was so nice while they were eating and thanked him for the food... She wasn't pretending...

Anyway, Arthur offering to clean up the dishes was a much bigger deal than Gwen realized. He lied to her about the food, but the mere thought that Prince Arthur wanted to cook for someone and do their dishes because he'd been treating Gwen like a servant and wanted to repay her, was already, on its own, inconceivable.

G: Because I thought you'd shown some humility! You'd done something kind for me even though I'm just a servant! A good king should respect his people, no matter who they are. A: Guinevere. I know I have much to learn. There are some things that I am terrible at - cooking being one of them. But also, knowing what to say to someone I care about.

Oh, Arthur... We know your flaws and we love you anyway.

Arthur and Gwen's first kiss was just so... ugh. I want to live in it.

I've said it before, but that kiss was the first truly impulsive decision Arthur ever made. Arthur only ever lied to or disobeyed his father to help others, like Mordred or the people of Camelot. He didn't disobey his father for selfish reasons. He lied in this episode about missing the tournament, but he wasn't truly doing anything Uther wouldn't have approved of. His father would've understood, and even admired, Arthur's wish to prove himself beyond his title. And, still, he planned his deceit. It hadn't been an impulse decision to lie to the King during dinner, he'd already had a plan.

Arthur kissing Gwen wasn't planned at all. He made a split-second decision for himself. It wasn't about proving his worth, which was as much about himself as it was about proving he could be the Prince his people deserved; Arthur had no ulterior motive, no plan, or even justification, for kissing Gwen. He just wanted to, so he did. He did it for himself, because he liked her. And it was such a big moment for Arthur, not only because his future relationship with Gwen would be so important to him on his journey to become King (and beyond), but because it showed a different side to Arthur. In that moment, Prince Arthur disappeared and Arthur really was just Arthur. He got what he wanted in the beginning of the episode: he was a normal man who had kissed a woman he liked, and that woman had kissed him back because she liked him too, not because he was the Prince.

Anyway, the music in this episode was beautiful. It wasn't just the Arwen theme. During the final match at the tournament, the music choice was utterly perfect too. But the camerawork and Gwen's reactions while watching an injured Arthur fight Myror were more than a tad dramatic. The music choice fit the match, but it was a bit much when combined with Gwen's reactions. It made her look like a damsel in distress. For that same reason, I also don't like this bit of dialogue (I highlighted the most dramatic lines):

G: You're losing too much blood. A: Do what you can. I have to be back on the course within five minutes or I forfeit the match. G: You can't possibly joust, you're too badly injured! A: I have never withdrawn from a match. I do not intend to start now. G: You would risk your life to protect your pride? You have nothing to prove. Least of all to me.

I don't get why Gwen would tell Arthur he had nothing to prove to her in particular. I don't think he'd been trying to impress her at all. Arthur would never withdraw from a match, not unless something bigger than his life was at stake. I think she said it to show Arthur he had already impressed her, because she knew he'd tried to impress her or gain her approval before. Moreover, though, she said it just so Arthur could answer: "I have everything to prove. To myself.".

Gwen was even more impressed with Arthur after that. She had a real kink for the heroic types. That bit of dialogue was on the same league as most of the dialogue in Lancelot and Guinevere, which I dislike for the same reasons: Gwen was used to prop-up the male characters, with her love and approval being a sort of trophy or reward for their good behavior. I mean, Arthur didn't even reveal his identity after winning the tournament because he wanted to show Gwen humility, and thus gain her approval.

Likewise, Lancelot realized his worth after Gwen told him he was "all that was good" in Lancelot and Guinevere, and impressed Gwen by being willing to die for her, which he considered the noblest death. Arthur proved his worth to himself by fighting in the tournament, and the fact that he didn't do it to gain Gwen's approval impressed her regardless. Either way, it was like Gwen fell under their spell after their heroics, which painted her as some damsel in distress from a fairytale. It was disservice to her character, and what caused the whole Lancelot drama.

The ending with Arthur looking back at Gwen was really touching, but I wasn't touched by Gwen's words: "Perhaps when you are King, things will be different.". Considering the Lancelot and Guinevere episode, and how Gwen was the one to pull away from Arthur for the rest of the season (and even in season 3), the writers had, again, made Gwen the princess locked in a tower waiting for her true love to come. Gwen wasn't like that. She wasn't going to wait for a man she couldn't have. But Arthur looking back at her was beautiful, because, despite his words, it didn't matter that his father didn't approve. He would always choose her. The scene was also symbolic of the inner conflict Arthur would experience for the rest of the series: Gwen/his heart or his father/tradition? Arthur's characterization was overall much better than Gwen's, though Gwen's characterization was great until the kiss.

To end things on a lighter note, how the fuck did Myror climb the castle with his bare hands? Remember Arthur and Merlin did it in Lancelot and Guinevere too? And chatted on the way up? Hilarious.

Poor Merlin and the leech tank. If Merlin could barely finish all his chores with magic, how were normal servants supposed to handle the workload?...

Anyway, great episode!

[initiumseries]

Sorry for getting back to you so late about the Iris ask! Thanks for letting me know about her and her storylines! I wish I could say I’m glad for her and for Candice, but it just sounds all so repetitive to me too. I don’t even watch the flash, but from what I’ve read, she’s always in the position of helping Barry and that’s tiring. Does Barry even help her? Is Barry even there? It’s sad because it genuinely doesn’t seem like the case, and that makes a lot of sense with Westallen’s negative chemistry, but like the writers put them together and to me it’s been time to just fucking commit to them. It’s the last season and they have such a passionless marriage (I think they’re married?) and even I, as someone who doesn’t watch, can see that. But oh well, just give them and their shippers reasons to still ship, or something. It seems like such a downer ending for them and it’s sad because it could have at least ended with recycled romanced tropes that at least would make some people happy, haha. Fuck, this show could have been decent at best! But it just seems so dry and cold and that’s par the course unfortunately. Lastly, is there anything about the plot this season that’s interesting?

Thanks for letting me rant here! Please keep up your thoughts on the season, I love reading your thoughts!

Haha yeah they've been married a LONG time, like, since season 4 or something? It's completely dry.

The thing is, the wrote themselves into a corner. The previous showrunner made Westallen the flagship couple, and Barry pining after her while she was with Eddie was a big part of the show. And the thing is, like I said before, Westallen worked as FRIENDS. Like I don't believe this at ALL:

But I definitely believe this:

These are two people who enjoy each other's company, I can believe, in moments like this, that Barry carried a torch for her, because they look like t hey have fun together. The problem lies in their actual character development and the fact that they have ZERO romantic chemistry. And before they got together, Barry and Patty looked like this:

And Iris and Eddie looked like this:

So the show sabotaged both those relationships for an inferior ship in Westallen. And the fandom for Westallen at the time was RABID. Called me and zalrb out of our names for pointing out the complete absence of chemistry between them in favour for this shitty interracial ship. So the show doubled down on the relationship, instead of just letting go. Because if they were willing to take the risk, and seeing this:

And deciding to bail? I wouldn't have blamed them, but it would've caused a huge uproar so I get why they didn't. Instead, Iris was just relegated to being Barry's emotional support wife while everyone else got development. When the new showrunner took over, it was clear he was more interested in building Iris out away from Barry, and by then, the fandom had basically died because both showrunners were aware of the lack of chemistry, and stopped making westallen romantic. But the biggest problem with the Flash now, I think is how repetitive it's become, like you said. I mean it's 9 seasons deep and Barry's biggest foes, every season, have been some kind of speedster. After Harrison Wells, and then Zoom, enough is enough lol. They moved away from it for a bit, then came back to it again in season 8 and 9. The plot is so dogged and heavy, that their attempts at emotional development in these characters feels ham handed and like an after thought. The last episode, Joe has taken Jenna and moved to the country or suburbs or whatever, so Cecile has to go back and forth, and they get caught up in a case (with Sugarbaby of all people, iykyk), and she misses her train home. If the show was better written, and had invested in the emotionality of the characters earlier on, we'd be able to feel something for Cecile's powers messing up and her beating herself up for being a bad mom. But they sort of just...splice these emotional moments in between an unrelenting plot and it's...corny. So when Cecile has a faux breakdown at the end and the Spanish girl with the convenient light powers says just the right thing to get Cecile back on track by the end of the episode, you can't help but be like...well this is trite.

And tbh that's not just a problem with the Flash. It's a problem with all the superhero shows and movies. It's part of the reason all of them got cancelled so quickly. Arrow and the Flash were the only ones with a modicum of character building, and they held on the longest. Marvel movies are frustrating to me because it's just a CG orgy and with every director being different for every movie, what little emotional development the heroes experience goes out the window with the next installment and you feel like this is a completely new, blank, boring character held hostage to the new shitty plot of this movie. It's part of why I just want the superhero genre to die, because none of them are being handled with the level of nuance as, for ex. Black Panther. It was SUCH a departure because we got moments like this:

We're sitting in T'Challa's grief over losing his father, his lack of clarity around how to do the right thing for his people and be the King they need. So by the time we get to here:

We're INVESTED in his return. THAT'S what I wanted out of the Flash.

There are a couple decent actors on the show WASTED because it's so plot heavy and the plot isn't even engaging? It's like watching an overinflated after school special. And honestly, pigeon-holing Westallen into marriage SO early, hurt the show too. Giving is more "will they, won't they" might have drawn out the tragedy a bit longer, but that's just my opinion.

Anyway, thanks for the ask! I enjoy discussing shows like this and why they don't engage audiences like they could.

[thememerman]

Can we just,.,.accept that both Crosshair and Hunter had their reasons for doing what they did?? And honestly neither of them really did anything wrong??

Hunter left Crosshair because he tried to kill them. He didn’t understand anything about the chip, he really thought Crosshair had just lost his mind. And as soon as he learned about it and how to fix it, we immediately jumped to episode 8 where Crosshair tried to incinerate them with a jet engine. He tried to communicate that the chip was affecting him, and Crosshair didn’t care. Hunter couldn’t even get himself or Omega out of that situation unharmed. He had no way to snag Crosshair from his squadron of stormtroopers out for murder. After Bracca, Hunter was focused on getting Omega back because she’s just a kid; she isn’t with the empire, she hasn’t been chasing them down and almost killing them. From Hunter’s POV, the possibility of getting Crosshair to come with them willingly or even at all is looking bleak and even though he knows it’s not Crosshair’s fault, he’s been so overwhelmed with trying to keep the people relying on him safe and right now he doesn’t think Crosshair is relying on him. And honestly, how were they even supposed to know where Crosshair was half the time? He wasn’t on Kamino 24/7 and the Batch isn’t exactly swimming in imperial informants. But that aside, of course he was thinking about Crosshair; Hunter is loyal to a fault and you can just see the emotional pain that flashes across his face whenever Crosshair is mentioned because that’s his little brother and he couldn’t save him and he feels like he failed. Hunter never was and I don’t think ever can be indifferent when it comes to the people he loves. Whether you like it or not, Hunter was trying his best to keep everyone safe and stop running suicide missions because the galaxy was changing and he was trying to change too. He did nothing wrong.

Now Crosshair.

To all of you calling him a Nazi and saying that the animators and writers intentionally lightened his skin just to make a racist show of dominance, stop it. He was referring to their genetic enhancements being superior. That’s it. He’s always hated regs because let’s be fair the regs were never exactly good to him either (AFTERMATH). Now let’s just take a look at how the chip works shall we!! We know from Rex and Wrecker that clones know what they’re doing while under control of the chip and they’re powerless to stop themselves. So we know in Aftermath that the chip was strengthened to an insane degree, and Crosshair could still see himself taking head shots on his brothers and trying to murder them and he couldn’t stop no matter how badly he wanted to. He was powerless. And then the Batch left; at this point he probably understands that his brothers had to go. They’d regroup. They’d know this wasn’t his fault and they’d come back.

Months pass. Crosshair doesn’t know about the solemn looks the Batch exchange when he’s mentioned. Crosshair doesn’t know that they can barely get food for themselves. Crosshair doesn’t know that Wrecker has flat out said he misses him. Crosshair doesn’t know how Tech said “it doesn’t appear he’ll be needing it” with a twinge of sadness in his voice while giving Omega his comm. Crosshair doesn’t know how much Hunter hates himself for leaving and that Hunter was always planning on going back to him someday because someday he’d have the perfect plan and he could save everyone this time. How could Crosshair know?

More time passes. Crosshair probably still has his chip on but he’s still in there, watching himself become more and more important to the Empire. No rescue attempts. Not one. How awful does he have to feel?? They went to get Echo out of Skako with no backup and they didn’t even know Echo and they can’t go back for him? And here’s the Empire, giving him power and some semblance of control. Things are changing fast and now he has nobody but himself to adjust with, and besides, he’s always had an egotistical side so maybe being a commander and putting the regs in their place isn’t so bad to him after all. He’s alone. He adapts or he dies, that’s the job and that’s all he has now.

Onto Bracca!! If Crosshair is telling the truth about getting his chip out, I firmly believe it had to have been after the events of Reunion. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise; “if I wanted you dead, you would be” sweetheart giving the order to have them incinerated and starting to walk away really seems like you wanted them dead and then going from ordering Omega to be executed to telling Hunter that if he cares about her he should let her go and be safe away from them??? You can’t tell me that Bracca!Crosshair wouldn’t have dragged Omega back into the training room and killed her right there just to keep them from choosing her over him. So let’s just assume for now that Crosshair wasn’t lied to and his chip is out (I’m still holding onto a scrap of hope to the contrary because A. there’s no scar B. HE’S STILL HOLDING HIS HEAD and C. my boy isn’t making any SENSE he just killed off a bunch of Imperial stormtroopers to convince the Batch to join his Empire that he cares so much about??) it had to have happened after Bracca I said what I said idc. If the chip is out, I’m sure his head is still an absolute foggy mess because lord only knows what cranking those chips up to full strength several times will do to you, but suddenly he’s realizing that he’s still angry with them. He’s still hurt. He’s still very much alone. Maybe they never cared about him at all.

And don’t get me started on any “if he did any of this willingly he is irredeemable” garbage. How many times did Kallus almost kill the Ghost crew?? I’m sorry, was it not Kallus who ordered the Lasat genocide?? Don’t take this the wrong way, I adore Kallus and his redemption arc was one of the most beautiful things about Rebels but the point is if he can do all of those horrible things for the Empire for years and is still allowed a redemption stemming from realizing everything he thought he was fighting for was a fiction, THEN SO IS CROSSHAIR. With that side note out of the way let’s think about how alone and betrayed Crosshair feels by the Batch and let’s realize that after they left Ryloth, after they left him again, what does he want?? He wants them. He doesn’t want to kill them, he doesn’t want them imprisoned and he doesn’t want to make them pay. He wants to fight side by side with them again, he wants his brothers back. And even though he’s so beyond hope that they still care about him, heck he literally said “don’t make the same mistake twice; don’t make me your enemy” he thinks they were enemies and he still cares about them so freaking much that he went through an entire elaborate scheme to get the whole Batch on Kamino and set up the stormtroopers’ deaths to prove his loyalty that they could have if they just gave him some of their loyalty too. “Loyalty means everything to the clones” is starting to get a really bitter taste innit??

The point of this longwinded rant my friends is to beg y’all to stop being so black and white about these two. They’re both human, they both have made mistakes and have regrets, they’re both trying their best to survive in a galaxy flipped upside down. Things played out how they had to and they’re both victims of the real villain of Star Wars, who has always been Palpatine. The fact that there is so much to unpack with these two characters shows how flipping amazing the writers are!! They’re so layered and complex it’s literally like they’re real!! So please. Stop hating on them so freaking loudly. They’re my boys and they both deserve a warm hug and a nap after the season they’ve had

[astaroth1357]

Brothers React to the MC Looking at Them Lovingly

This is a personal experiment. This is the very first time I've written one of these with a goal in mind, "Make them fall in love all over again." It's a tall order. I hope I succeeded. 🙏 Special thanks to @a-chaotic-dumbass for picking the mood for this one!

Intro:

We all know that look. The one where one person stares at another like they just realized they're the only thing in the universe and they're in fucking awe of it. The kind of look that tells you they're utterly enthralled by that other person and just can't get enough of their presence. That look. Yeah, the brothers just got that look out of the MC.

Let's warm some cold hearts, everybody.

Lucifer

Lucifer was always beautiful. Always has been, as an angel or a demon.

A morning star is one that outshines all the rest. It stands out when the other stars have dimmed, holding onto its luster in defiance of the sun. 

There couldn't be a truer title for Lucifer to have. Not the horrors of war nor the fires of Hell could tarnish his radiance in any way…

But there were moments, like right then, where the MC caught a glimpse of a different sort of Lucifer.

His brothers would often only see the uptight Lucifer, the practiced visage of perfection that he tried so hard to keep up… 

But after a long day, when he thinks he's alone, he retires to his room to listen to his music and the difference is astonishing.

There's something so entrancingly calm about him… How the light of the fireplace flickers and dances across his alabaster skin to the subtle slouch of his posture. His face no longer marred by creases of stress and frustration… 

And his expression is so pure… So tranquil and at peace… Beauty without effort. A shine that can't be ignored. A morning star, in the truest sense of the word…

It took awhile for Lucifer to see the MC leaning against his doorframe.

They were staring at him with the oddest look… Smiling like they were enraptured by something, but he didn't have a clue why. He was just sitting there…

So, naturally, he turned to suspicion.

"Am I really that amusing…?"

Frankly, he wasn’t prepared for the little laugh they let out in response.

"Mm? No, no... I'm just always so amazed by you, is all. I'll leave you to your music..."

Having thoroughly ruined the mood, the MC then turned to leave. But Lucifer was already upon them before they could step away, wrapping his arms around their waist and letting contented hum escape his chest.

"Going so soon…?"

Apparently he appreciated the compliment.

Mammon

He didn't have to do it.

When Belphie bumped into one of the House's vases, shattering it against the tile, he didn’t have to take the fall for it.

It wasn’t connected to him at all. He could have stayed quiet and no one would have pointed a finger at him for once.

But he did.

When Mammon set his phone down on the table, MC knew instantly that he had lied in the chat.

He was with them the entire day, he didn't have the time to accidentally break a vase. He hadn't even gone down that hallway all day...

But he said something anyway.

And he didn't even look fazed. He didn't turn towards them seeking approval nor did he look irritated that Belphie didn't speak up. He didn't curse at himself for doing something so self-sacrificing either...

When Mammon leaned back into the cushion of his couch, the MC saw something truly remarkable on his face… A smile. A small one, sure, but relaxed… 

Assured in his own actions. Confident in his choice and accepting the consequences… undeserved, and likely thankless, they may be.

A genuine, serene smile…

Mammon wasn't sure what he expected to see when he turned to the MC. Probably confusion or disbelief that he, the Great Mammon, could be so selfless.

Definitely not the awed, lovestruck look he got...

"G-gah!" He panicked slightly and pressed himself back against the armrest of the couch in shock. "Wh-... What'cha lookin at me like that for??"

When the MC didn't answer after a few seconds and just kept staring, he honestly didn't know what to do. Were they broken or something??

"Oi, MC! I asked ya wh-Hey wait a minute!!"

He made a noise between a yelp and a shout when the MC leapt forward and latched their arms onto him. What had gotten into them??

"U-uh… MC? MC?? Damnit MC, answer me already!! Or at least stop squeezin so tight!!... MC!!!"

Leviathan 

To anyone else, it was just Levi being Levi.

He had finished a new episode of his latest animated obsession and he had to share it with someone. Anyone would do, but the MC was always willing to lend an ear.

Something about Levi really changes when he talks about his passions… It's like he comes alive in a whole new way.

He speaks at a mile-a-minute, but that's because he's so excited the words fly from his mouth. 

Some part of him is always bouncing, be it his leg or body. Sometimes even his tail will swish and curl behind him like an ecstatic puppy. And his eyes… 

Citrine pools that glimmer and dilate from the exhilaration of it all. It's his little world and anyone can see he's thrilled to be sharing it. 

You'd never know he was shy. You'd never think he'd look down himself. You'd never guess that he hid himself away… Why would someone so full of passion and life ever want to? Some things are just too beautiful to keep hidden...

Levi had only gotten six minutes into his latest rant before he finally registered how the MC was staring at him…

This man has seen enough shoujo to know what that look means and it shut him up sooo quick. If anyone else were in the room they would have seen a beet-red Levi desperately trying to hide his face.

"M-MC…! S-top staring at me like that…!!"

"Like what~?" 

He didn't have to look at them to hear the teasing lilt in their voice.

"MC…" He peeked out from behind his fingers to see them still staring and covered himself up more vigorously. "Stoooop…!!!"

But secretly? He wished they'd never stop. His cheeks may have been red from embarrassment, but his heart was trying to hammer its way out of his chest to hug them itself. Hell, he'd have happily given it over to them if they'd asked…

Please just let those loving eyes be for him and him alone...

Satan

Soft isn't exactly a word anybody would use to describe Satan, least of all himself.

His anger was quick to spark, his strength was nothing to scoff at, and even his smiles were nothing but plastic for nearly all of his existence…

Nearly.

The MC learned surprisingly quick that there was one thing that could bypass all of the hidden ferocity to Satan's personality. Something that could make him melt like butter in the summer sun…

Satan had always looked a little cute when he was reading. He was easily at his most expressive when engrossed in a thrilling story or deeply intrigued by something he found between the pages of a book…

But watching Satan read about cats, as he was right then, was really something else entirely.

Maybe it was the way his emerald eyes would sparkle or the lopsided grin he just couldn't hide as he would scan the pages about the playful habits of Bengals or the relaxed nature of Ragdolls…

Maybe it was the sheer impassioned dedication he took the subject, pouring countless hours into collecting and memorizing every fact he could from their diets to coat maintenance.

Or maybe it was the sheer fact that anytime he saw a picture of kitty in-print he looked like a besotted schoolgirl drawing hearts around her crush in a teen magazine.

Really, who's to say? But to the MC, it was proof that under all that anger, there was a tender, loving center even for the smallest, softest creatures…

Satan automatically snapped his book closed when he saw MC watching him from behind a bookshelves. Caught red-handed…

He knows exactly how he looks when he's doing his research internally squealing over cat pictures so he tries to do so in private...

He was about to sputter out a defensive explanation but then he registered their face…

He'd seen that look described in stories, romance novels mostly, but he'd rarely seen it in action… and never once leveled at him with such intensity…

Not to be cliche, but frankly his heart skipped a beat.

Satan forgot about his book briefly and got up to close the distance between them, tilting their chin up to keep their eyes on him.

"Like something that you see, Kitten?"

"You could say that…"

He laughed at their attempt to play coy, but let it slide just this once… Easy to do with them looking at him so amorously.

Asmodeus 

Asmo is a very popular demon. Someone so free ought to know quite a lot of people, after all.

And, of course, he had plenty of fans. He made DevilTube videos, hosted radio shows, fashion designed, and even modeled.

So it wasn't very surprising when a young demoness stopped him while he and the MC were out shopping. It wasn’t the first time he had been asked to sign autographs, but this meeting… it was different.

It was clear to them both that this girl was shy. Though she held out the paper, her eyes stayed firmly on the ground and she stumbled on her question… She likely a fan from afar, but everything about her seemed meek… unassuming.

Most people would have just gave the autograph then went on with their day. The interaction could have taken five seconds at most… but not Asmo.

He asked her name… where she was from, how she was feeling, her favorite foods, outfits, makeup, you name it. All with investment.

It was amazing to watch the shy young woman slowly open up, getting more bright and cheerful with each passing question until it evolved into a healthy conversation.

When their little meeting finally wrapped up, he gave her back the paper (now signed) but also fished out a bottle of perfume from among the mountains of bags he was carrying. He gave it to her and wouldn't hear anything to the contrary, he could always buy another.

None of his brothers ever gave Asmo enough credit for his giving nature… even if he had his own way of going about it. Though he cared so much about image and his ability to shine, he never hesitated to make sure that the people around him shined too...

Asmo waved to the fan as she scampered away and was about to  apologize to the MC when he saw their face…

The man knows this look well. He's seen it a billion times, though it was particularly cute coming from them.

"Awww MC! Taken by my beauty are you~?"

He was about ready to kiss their cheek when they responded.

"No, not your looks, Asmo… with you."

… Oh.

It was very rare to see Asmo speechless, but for a few seconds his mind seemed to take in their words… letting them fully sink in before his heart utterly melting.

Oh MC… His sweet MC!!

Asmo ended up dropping the rest of his bags just so he could properly litter his human in nuzzles and kisses, the both of them humming and giggling in delight despite their shameless PDA.

Of course it would be his MC to see that part in himself… Who else would take the time?

Beelzebub 

Food is a precious resource to Beel. For him, it's a lifeline. A good meal could save him from the brink of starvation…

But that still doesn't make him incapable of sharing from time to time.

He and the MC were walking back to the House after getting takeout from Hell's Kitchen. Beel hadn't even waited until they left the restaurant to start eating his share, spilling the smell of fresh food into the air around them…

Things were going fine on their route back until they heard whimpering behind them…

A hellhound puppy, not quite old enough to bear its fangs, seemingly followed them as they were walking… It looked like it had been out for some time and eyed their food with hungry eyes, but weak posture. Who knows when it last had a meal?

The MC was about to tug at Beel's sleeve and say something, but their demon was ahead of them this time.

A casual observer might have gawked at the sight of Gluttony kneeling down to offer such a lowly creature a sandwich. But the MC knew better. When you spend your whole life hungry, nobody more than you understands that kind of pain in someone else. 

This reaction wasn't out of character for Beel, it was elementary.

And when the puppy finished its meal and covered Beel's cheeks with appreciative licks, he just laughed and scratched behind its ears. Amethyst eyes looking more relieved at its health than disappointed he lost some of his lunch...

Food was Beel's lifeline, but kindness is what made him who he was…

When the pup finally scampered off, Beel looked over at the MC to tell them it'd be alright and saw their face…

He wasn't really sure what they were staring at… Did he have something between his teeth again?

"MC? Are you okay...?"

They laughed at him for some reason but pulled him in for a hug so they must have meant well.

"You're so sweet, Beel…"

Beel's never one to refuse a compliment so he just hugged them back, beaming.

"Thank you, MC…"

Belphegor 

To say that Belphegor tended to be on the melancholic side would be an understatement… It wasn’t that he was incapable of expressing joy, it was just harder for him to do than most. Not helped, of course, by his tendency to keep his true feelings vague and hard to pinpoint.

But on those rare occasions where he was overjoyed… Belphie could really be something special…

The MC and Belphie were attending one of Beel's games and it was a tight one… Both teams had spent most of it tied and Beel's team was running out of time to overtake that slim margin.

Belphie had always been a supporter of his twin's athletics, but this time it was tense even for him. He kept on the edge of his seat and didn't even nod off during the breaks like he normally would… The MC could just tell how nervous he was for Beel…

But right as the time was about to run out, Beel made a last minute score and sure, the whole field erupted, but Belphie? Belphie hollered.

The normally sleepy and mellow demon was on his feet in an instant and practically shredding his vocal chords in excitement. If his tail had been out, it would have been beating against the bleachers like a war-drum. And his expression?

Belphie's smile is said to stop hearts for a reason. When he puts his all into a grin it's almost like he ascends to Heaven once more, as pure as an angel's choir and as warm as a summer's breeze… Nothing in his eyes but pride and adoration for his beloved twin brother.

Truly, a heartwarming sight to behold…

Belphie didn't calm down until the rest of the crowd settled and was about to point out Beel's skill to the MC when he noticed their face.

… oh no… Why do they look so sappy…?

"You really love your brother, don't you?"

Belphie quickly hid his thoughts behind an irritated frown and plopped back down in his seat… but that didn't shield them from seeing his pink cheeks.

"Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

He debated just joining Beel on the field to hide his embarrassment when he heard them snicker back.

"Yeah, you're right… Don't mind me."

Oh he minded. He minded a lot that he let his carefully veiled image slip like that. But thinking back to that smile on their face…?

Maybe being a little open wasn't so bad after all...

[mimymomo]

I wish people would stop acting like Silco from Arcane was “dad-goals” and a good role model and father figure for Powder/Jinx and ignoring all the manipulation and damage he did to that poor girl

I mean for starters:

He is largely responsible for the deaths of he previous family (he was the reason they were at the warehouse)

STABBED VI AND LEFT GER FOR DEAD AND ATTEMPTED TO NOT KILL POWDER AS WELL BEFORE SHE GRABBED HIM AND HE CHANGED HIS MIND

Lied the Vi abandoned Powder and manipulated her into trusting him and joining his side by feeding into that anger from said “abandonment” using ideas like they are the same and they can only trust in each other

Him saying she’s perfect the way she is (violent/broken/needing to let powder die so jinx can thrive and finish his weapon so they could get their nation) is not healthy. His so-called “support” is manipulation and grooming (not in a sexual sense)!

Literally told another person he would’ve killed her young son for attempting to backstab him but since he was already dead she lucked out

SILCO IS NOT A GOOD PERSON! HE INITIALLY ONLY CARED ABOUT JINX BECAUSE SHE REMINDS HIM OF HIMSELF AND JUST BECAUSE HE RAISED HER DOESN’T REDEEM/MAKE HIM A GOOD DAD AT ALL!!

Also I’m tired of all the fucking Vander slander (haha rhyme!) why are people acting like that man didn’t die trying to protect his kids, let himself get arrested/take the blame for the robbery and give up his position as leader of the undercity, but apparently fails at being a dad compared to fucking Silco?! Hell his last words were telling Vi to take care of Powder!! I know he spent most his time watching out for Vi but Vi was a little shit so of course he had to watch out for her more!! He was a good dad figure and role model for his adopted kids and even encouraged them in dire situations and was a good example of showing that some times yours dreams aren’t worth sacrificing the people you care about.

#stopthevanderhate2krightthefucknow!!

Lastly, if I see one more fucking post that says something like “wow Silco was willing to give up Zaun for Jinx but Vi wouldn’t even give up Caitlyn for Powder...”

I will commit arson!!

Silco was willing to not go through giving up negotiations with Piltover for Zaun because that would mean Jinx being sent to prison, not giving up on Zaun entirely.

Vi 100% was willing to leaving with Powder and never come back and leave Caitlyn behind. And initially that’s what she planned on doing. What she WASN’T willingly to do was let Jinx kill Cait, a relatively innocent person, because she felt jealous/threatened by her existence. There’s a major difference and I can’t believe I have to explain that.

Vi and Silco both failed Jinx in the last episode, that’s part of the tragedy of it all. But stop trying to hype up one and demonize the other for not letting a girl die for a stupid reason.

Rant over.

[miraculouscontent]

*rubs hands together*

The first thing to talk about with this episode is the pacing, and I think this might contribute to why people think it’s the best/least bad of Season 4 (personally, I’d rather watch “Furious Fu” but that’s just me; also, this isn’t the only contributing factor as to why I think people might feel this way, but I’ll get there later).

The episode has a very serious pacing issue, particularly with its more intense scenes. There’s only one minute of time dedicated to Ladybug landing on her bed, de-transforming, and her snapping at her friends plus them leaving. More time was spent on Chat Noir and Ladybug in the movie theater and Ladybug storming out.

I particularly remember watching the episode and getting eighteen minutes in, at which point I had the realization of, “It feels like nothing’s happened?”

This episode is supposed to be a big gut punch, but the season has been going by at the speed of sound, like they’re trying desperately to play all their cards at once (Lukanette break-up, Adrimi break-up, then Alya is told Marinette’s secret identity). Instead of letting things build and play out for a while in the interest of suspense, the show just throws whatever will get a big reaction out of the fandom (whether positive or negative) and it doesn’t care how shoddily put together everything is. The first two episodes feel like hastily put together drafts, and while this one is technically more put together, it still feels like a draft.

Let’s just start with Chat Noir, who feels completely out of place in the episode. Not only does he imply that he intentionally calls Ladybug “Bugaboo” (which she has told him to stop doing) in order to get a reaction out of her, but when Ladybug insists that she doesn’t want to talk, he tricks her into thinking that he has a good location to do so (and my heart breaks a little at how readily she trusts him) only to then take her to a romantic movie, then shush her when she calls him out for it because she “said she didn’t want to talk.”

Gee, and people wonder why she didn’t tell him her secret (even outside of “Chat Blanc” existing)?

And... look, I know it’s a joke, but I do not find it funny. The “joke” is basically that Chat Noir is taking advantage of the situation to flirt with Ladybug, and though I find it at least mildly cathartic that Ladybug is unaffected by all the people staring at them while Chat Noir is embarrassed, this episode is coming right after the one where Kagami broke up with Adrien, and here Chat Noir is getting his flirt game on. I already talked about all my problems with “Lies” so I won’t do it again, but I’ll just say that it’s not a mystery why Ladybug doesn’t want to talk to him and would rather avoid her problems.

(Not to mention that Ladybug knows that Chat Noir likes her, so talking about her romantic problems with him is awkward to say the least and would come off as insensitive.)

Honestly, at this point I feel like they must be building to something with Chat, like Ladybug finally going off of him with no mercy and that forces him to give up/fall out of love for her because reverse love square, but if that’s what they intend to go for, then that means Marinette is going to fall for this guy who’s repeatedly disrespected her feelings for multiple seasons, almost abandoned her and let Paris drown because she wouldn’t tell him a secret that wasn’t hers to tell, and just generally all the other things he did????

Ugh, I don’t wanna think about it. Let’s just move on.

Talking about Ladybug and her rant next, it basically summarizes the whole show in a nutshell, but simultaneously casts a shadow of sorts over “Truth” for people who maybe missed the episode entirely (which is also sort of the show in a nutshell). I mean, Ladybug confirming to the audience that she was genuinely in love and happy with Luka (you can’t watch how depressed she was over the break-up and not think that) was great, but Ladybug’s dialog implies that Luka “hated secrets” and that’s why they broke up, when Luka was more just... hurt that she couldn’t be honest with him, and he didn’t actively hate secrets. Marinette broke up with him because she felt like she had to; because she had to keep ditching and lie to him.

In addition, what she says also hints to the audience that they’ve both held and kissed each other, which not only indicates cowardice on the part of the staff (”yeah this happened but--um--off-screen; we’d still like credit tho plz”), but may perhaps go back to the theory I had about how Adrimi and Lukanette were supposed to last longer in Season 4 but their arcs got cut (based on the Adrimi kiss having supposed to have gone off). This could mean that Ladybug’s statement was originally accurate to canon but the scenes got cut and the scriptwriters just awkwardly left it in, which is made more awkward by the cinema scene in “Truth” that felt like Luka and Marinette were kissing for the first time (again, alluding to the whole, “this entire season has been a draft” thing).

Also, if you think about what that actually means - that Luka and Marinette did have successful dates and kisses but they were off-screen - then all it adds up to is that showing Marinette happy and comfortable was something that the series didn’t deem as “interesting/fun enough” to show, because Marinette being happy isn’t something they want to see; only watching her be miserable, which is exactly what Ladybug says, along with how everything was “almost too simple, too easy,” because Marinette isn’t allowed to have nice things without being jammed through the wringer first.

And... sure, let’s say that Chat Noir thought the movie was genuinely a good idea; let’s assume that it could be a joke, him wanting to flirt, and him believing that it’d make her feel better somehow.

If that’s the case, then where’s the apology when it fails miserably? Ladybug goes from her semi-anxious state at the start of the episode (a little scatterbrained but ultimately just looking for a distraction), to outright enraged by the movie, and then to this upon leaving the cinema.

She just got her heart broken from being forced to break up with a boy she genuinely wanted to be with and there’s not a single, “Okay, maybe coming here was a bad idea, I’m sorry,” (which could’ve been seen as another joke with the audience like “lol no duh Chat Noir” so there’s no excuse not to have it) or, “My bad, that was insensitive of me. I really thought this would’ve helped but I wasn’t thinking about what you would’ve wanted.”

No. The only people Chat apologizes to are the other people at the theater because he’s embarrassed by Ladybug’s reactions, yet he himself feels no remorse for taking her there and has the gall to go on now about how he’s “there for her if she wants to talk.”

Again, it’s no wonder Ladybug doesn’t want to open up to him.

And I’m sorry, I just don’t buy that Marinette suddenly has all this free time. It’s one thing for her to have a little more time now that she’s broken up with her boyfriend (likely avoiding spending time with him altogether now), but “Truth” went out of its way to talk about all of the emergencies she had to deal with and how she doesn’t have any spare time. which is causing her to become forgetful and lose track of certain events (patrols with Chat, dates with Luka, etcetera), yet Marinette spends most of “Gang of Secrets” simply sulking on her bed. It’s so jarring to go from “Truth” where she was doing “too much” (which I called them out on for not describing what the “too much” she was doing was) and now “Gang of Secrets” where she’s not doing anything.

It’s almost like they invented that plot point to break Lukanette up and it served no purpose outside of it.

Furthermore, the scenes of her finally talking to Tikki and then deciding to live as Ladybug does nothing outside of making the plot more predictable, the latter because of the “Alya almost sees Ladybug” moment (an obvious indicator that Marinette is losing control and is struggling to maintain her secret identity due to her emotionally breaking down) and the former because of Tikki herself and what she doesn’t say.

Because, really, think about what actually goes on in the scene. Marinette (eyes rimmed red and filled with unshed tears, as she is for a good chunk of the episode) is venting to Tikki about - yes - her love life, but also that she has to lie to everyone in order to keep her identity a secret. The fact that Tikki focuses solely on the note of Marinette’s love life and not say a word about the identity/lying issue or even consider telling Marinette, “hey, this is clearly too much for you, you should tell someone, I think the benefits outweigh the risks right now,” really proves that the episode tried to avoid the topic altogether to try and make the ending more shocking (which ironically made it more predictable).

So yeah, not only does Tikki’s dialog with Marinette provide nothing except for a line about how she can’t help Marinette with love issues due to kwami not falling in love (alright, I guess aros can’t give good love advice then or have any input whatsoever), but Marinette’s line about lying to everyone being why she can’t pursue Adrien nor Luka is repeated in the very last scene of the episode. The only reason that scene and the scene after exist is because the writers needed Marinette to be emotionally devastated enough to leave for her balcony as Ladybug for the almost-reveal to Alya and so Rose would get close enough to the dollhouse to have an almost-reveal with the Miracle Box, making the scene feel further contrived because the emotional punch of Marinette wanting to live as Ladybug lasts for barely any time at all.

And it could’ve served a purpose, like if Ladybug had genuinely left and Alya finds her goggles and towel, recognizing them from a news story about how Ladybug had gone to the swimming pool after losing her temper at the cinema, which could’ve led to Shadow Moth making the girls believe that Ladybug was no longer heroic and had kidnapped Marinette, or... heck, Ladybug coming back inside would’ve been so much less jarring if she came back because she heard the girls’ voices talking about the dollhouse and had to hurry (but of course, then they’d have to point out the ridiculousness of Ladybug not hearing Alya calling her and the girls not hearing Ladybug literally shouting for Shadow Moth to come fight her, even though the kwami heard the girls calling for Marinette from the balcony).

But instead, the entire scene feels off and unnatural, forcing every part of it in order to get to where Marinette has to snap at the girls to make them leave.

(Oh, by the way, just a little detail to add to the annoyance: they bothered putting Tom and Sabine in the episode when the girls are leaving, clearly saddened by something that happened, and neither parent even bothers to go and check on Marinette to see if she’s upset or just to see what might’ve happened. They’re such a “blink-and-you’ll-miss it” moment in the episode and it’s not like I’m surprised because they’ve done this multiple times by now but really?)

As for the girls themselves... oof, where do I even begin?

Alright, first off is the annoyance that they assume Marinette’s problems relate only to lovesickness. Marinette has been an anxiety-prone mess throughout the entire series, and suddenly now the girls care about Marinette’s love problems on an emotional level rather than “we’ll meddle sometimes unless we don’t feel like it and be wholly inconsistent on how much we push for it.”? It’s not that I don’t see how they came to the conclusion (hearing that Luka and Marinette broke up and now seeing Marinette is depressed, it checks out), but considering they bothered noting that Marinette hadn’t told them anything, one would think they’d come to the conclusion of, “okay, we haven’t talked to her, we have no idea of what’s going on, maybe we don’t know her as well as we thought then and shouldn’t make guesses.”

Secondly is the “eternal friendship bracelet,” which comes off as a copy of the “Secrets” game from “Syren” extremely manipulative. Mylene goes on to explain that one is supposed to give a secret to the pearl “mentally,” yet when the girls actually show up to see Marinette, they expect to be told the secret directly. I’ve already talked at length about peer pressure and the mental stress Marinette goes through when they mock her and/or meddle for her, but this idea of, “well we all used this friendship bracelet after we mutually agreed to it so now it’s your turn because we said so!” just comes off really bad. I know the episode is going for this idea that their hearts are in the right place, but they’re really not. It feels like they’re the ones in denial and are trying to compensate by forcing Marinette to prove that they’re friends, unable to handle the idea that they might not be as close to her as they thought.

Thirdly, the show acts as if the girl squad are her only friends when we know that’s not true because we’ve seen episodes like “Befana” (the guys in the class), “Reverser” (Marc), “Ikari Gozen” (Kagami), and “Silencer” (Ivan) that all established Marinette having more friends than just them, but for the sake of “drama” and the depressing line of, “at least I don’t have any more friends to lie to,” the episode just pretends like Marinette’s friends are limited to Luka (who she had to break up with) and the girl squad (who she forced to leave and refuse the friendship of).

Fourthly is the actual set-up and the sheer grossness of it all. The girls call Marinette and leave a message about how they much they love her and how she can talk to them “where and when” she wants, and then - immediately afterwards - decide that they’re going to go straight to Marinette’s house completely unannounced, go into her room completely unannounced (not even knocking, by the way), and when Marinette begs them to leave, Alya basically tells her that she’s overreacting. When Marinette demands that they leave, Alya refuses and makes demands right back that they won’t leave until she tells them what’s wrong.

So much for “where and when” she wanted, right? It’s already one thing for the girls to invade Marinette’s privacy and demand/guilt-trip answers out of her, but it’s another thing to give the illusion of respecting her feelings and personal space only to actively plan to go back on it. I can’t tell if it’s a bad draft that they didn’t catch in quality check (you know, the quality check that they definitely don’t have) or just an intentional way to make them seem more sympathetic so Marinette looks worse for driving them out, but either way, it’s awful and I hate it. I would’ve rather had them be all in on invading Marinette’s privacy and learn a lesson in the end than outright contradict themselves.

There are also little nitpicks I could make (like Juleka’s constant mumbling despite Luka’s crush on Marinette playing a role in the episode, Horrificator getting sidelined due to being mute, and the girls’ akumatization ultimately being for spectacle and nothing else, serving no purpose to the plot and being furthered by the fact that Timebreaker goes after Marinette despite it being a bad idea and Reflekta’s power clearly not lining up with any sort of plan), but the real issue issue here comes down to the fact that these are Marinette’s so-called “friends” and the episode refuses to address their actual issues.

Alix, who is known for making rude comments at Marinette (”Gigantitan,” “Chat Blanc,” “Miraculous New York”) and then gives mixed messages by going along with meddling anyway.

Mylene, who is the closest thing to a background character in the girl squad but nevertheless finds her way into being definite voice against Marinette in “Chameleon.”

Juleka, who blamed Marinette for things she didn’t do in “Reflekdoll” and got huffy with her until Marinette apologized for said things.

Rose, who outright screamed at Marinette in “Chat Blanc” over a freaking stuffed animal, which pressured Marinette enough that she snuck into Adrien’s room to deliver her gift which nearly led to the end of the world.

And, of course, Alya; freaking Alya. I don’t even have to go into every single thing she’s ever done because I have a history of giving her absolutely no mercy.

...But let’s go through some anyway because I want to.

“Copycat” - Alya gives Marinette a script and tells her to memorize it, then immediately pushes the “call” button when Marinette hesitates after Marinette had just told Alya that she’s awful at improv.

“Darkblade” - Alya takes a jab at Marinette when Marinette says that she’s too busy to be class representative, implying that Alya thinks that Marinette does absolutely nothing with her time.

“Gamer” - Alya is busy recording the gaming competition when she and Marinette were supposed to be researching for a term paper. Alya then scolds Marinette for wanting to use the competition to get close to Adrien only to do a 180 and put up a fight about it when Marinette decides to quit.

“Animan” and how “The Puppeteer 2″ follows up on it - oh, I’m not going to touch that particular point right now, but keep those in the back of your mind, because I am going to absolutely go off later

“Simon Says” - Similarly to Marinette’s parents, Alya gives zero damns about whatever might be going on in Marinette’s life that's causing her to miss classes.

"Despair Bear” - Alya laughs at Marinette being forced to kiss Chloe’s cheek and then outright compares Marinette to Chloe after knocking Chloe multiple times during the episode (sure, just compare your “best friend” to her multi-year bully, how "hilarious” of you).

“Gigantitan” - Alya has no qualms about mocking Marinette’s over her failures, even if it embarrasses her and she’s been through enough already.

“Frozer” - Alya tries to find ways for Marinette to prevent herself from third-wheeling for Adrien, but when Marinette tries to show character growth by wanting to go, Alya gets into a shouting match with the other girls over how Marinette has “liked Adrien forever and isn’t going to give up now”.

“Catalyst” - Alya claims that Marinette is only salty over Lila out of jealousy when “Frozer” exists and literally is the prime evidence of Adrien liking another girl and Marinette telling Alya outright and very genuinely that she’s not jealous.

“Chameleon” - Alya doesn’t care about her best friend sitting in the back by herself while Alya herself get to sit next to her boyfriend and everyone else in general gets to sit where they want (Alya even acting confused at the mere suggestion that she’d tried to engineer things to let Marinette sit next to Adrien), then not only believes Lila over Marinette but contradicts herself twice (asking Marinette for proof when she has none herself, then claiming that she wouldn’t let her best friend sit by herself).

“Christmaster” - Alya leaves Marinette to babysit so she and Nino can go out on a date.

“Desperada” - Alya suddenly is for Lukanette for literally one episode and doesn’t know how/doesn’t even try to cover for Marinette’s Adrien blindness despite mocking her for multiple seasons over it.

“Reflekdoll” - Alya invites Adrien to something that’s crucial for Marinette to focus on after Marinette has already told her not to and continues meddling to the point where it gets Juleka akumatized (she also doesn’t get punished for it and the blame gets thrown onto Marinette).

“The Puppeteer 2″ - Alya pushes her luck with Nathalie to try and get Marinette to come with her, Nino, Adrien, and Manon to the museum, then traps Marinette in a room with Adrien to force her to spent alone time with him, even abandoning and forgetting about the child that she offered to watch for Marinette so she and her boyfriend can go off alone.

“Miraculous New York” - Alya is told directly by Marinette that she needs help seeing Adrien as a friend, which leads Alya to do the exact opposite throughout the entire special, at one point shouting at Marinette and pressuring her to chase after a car, in the rain, while there’s a supervillain rampaging through Paris, and all of this right after the scheme that Alya had set up caused both Marinette and Adrien to go missing.

And just saying, as Marinette’s supposed “best friend,” Alya sure doesn’t know how to handle her. It was acceptable back in “The Bubbler” when she asked Marinette about signing the gift too late and the same goes for “Dark Cupid,” but by the time we get to late Season 2/3 and Alya refuses to learn Marinette’s weak spots (unless it’s to mock her) and adjust accordingly (like if she’d already made sure the gift was signed in “Chat Blanc,” which would’ve prevented Adrien seeing Ladybug at all due to the time difference), it starts getting infuriating.

A best friend is supposed to cover for their friend’s weaknesses. Alya doesn’t do that; she meddles and often drives Marinette’s anxiety even further up a wall with absolutely no consideration for Marinette’s feelings (”Dark Cupid,” “The Puppeteer 2,” “Reflekdoll,” “Miraculous New York”).

And here, she and the other girls are rewarded for it. Luka actively resisted his akumatization whereas the girls gave in immediately, yet Marinette still opens up to them in the end, likely because they had pressured her and made her feel bad for the secrets she was keeping while Luka was willing to actually wait for her to be ready to talk to him. I can’t put into words how frustrating it is watching these girls trample all over Marinette’s feelings, not have their worst actions called out, and then jump cut post-deakumatization to Marinette telling them exactly what they wanted to know about her love life.

You know what this entire episode is really missing, outside of a coherent plot, properly-paced development, and a basic understanding of rewarding a character for things they’ve held firmly to?

It’s missing the apology. Chat Noir apologizes to a bunch of moviegoers and Rose apologizes for the broken dollhouse, but no one apologizes to Marinette for how they treated her, especially not the “friends” who got rewarded in the end.

“Sorry, we shouldn’t have told you that we’d respect your feelings and then showed up unannounced to make you talk about them.”

“We’re sorry we came into your room and invaded your privacy. You were right to be mad at us.”

“Oh my gosh, Marinette, we got akumatized and we’re so sorry for literally all five of us going after you and probably scaring the living daylights out of you.”

And as if that wasn’t enough, guess what else this is missing? It’s kind of important and brought up directly in the episode, yet the episode simultaneously goes out of its way not to bring it up again.

It’s the reason why Marinette didn’t tell the girls about her relationship with Luka. It’s not there - it’s missing - and the girls never try to pursue the subject. They talk about how Marinette didn’t tell them but don’t think for a second that maybe it’s them who have failed as friends. Instead, they don’t guess anything about why Marinette wouldn’t tell them (which is already strange considering how much they already assume about her) and jump straight to, “well clearly we just need to push for her to talk to us.”

Gonna just go out on a limb here and say that maybe - just maybe - Marinette didn’t tell them because they are habitually pushy in everything they do.

Because they would’ve teased her relentlessly about, “ohhhh you’ve got eyes for Luka? what about Aaaaaadrien~? aren’t you sooo tooorn between both of these cute guys?”

Because they would’ve meddled to force her and Luka together and gotten on her case when/if she ever had to bail on him.

Because their intrusion on her feelings for Adrien had caused her nothing but problems and she just wanted to be with Luka in peace without them forcing their way into things.

Because--hey, wild thought--maybe they’re not really friends???

But the episode completely avoids it, because that would’ve meant addressing it; it would’ve meant acknowledging that they messed up, which - fun fact - they actually don’t do in the episode.

They invaded Marinette’s privacy, insisted that she tell them how she feels (not about them of course because that would imply that they felt like they screwed up), and in the end it’s Marinette who gives them exactly what they asked of her, and the closest thing we get to acknowledging anything is Alix telling her/joking with her that they’ll help her confess to whoever she likes as soon as she tells them she’s ready.

That’s not an apology. That’s not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. Even when the five of them are about to get akumatized, it’s not a circle of them saying, “here’s how I screwed up, I could’ve done better but I didn’t and I lost Marinette because of it.”

No. It’s just them talking about how sad the situation is. Mylene has the closest thing to remorse in saying, “I hoped it would work,” but where does it go? A grand total of nowhere, especially because Marinette still takes the bracelet in the end instead of the girls mutually deciding, “okay, maybe the bracelet was a bad idea; how about we all agree on making something together instead, no requirements attached?”

And then the episode has the gall to act as if Alya has gone through character growth when all they did was put Alya through the same thing that Chloe did. I’ll explain that last bit momentarily, but first let’s talk about the whole “growth” thing.

Because there’s no apology or acknowledgement of wrongdoing, all Alya does when she’s finally alone with Marinette is do a 180 from where she was at the start of the episode, going from, “friends have to tell each other everything,” to, “hey, if you don’t want to tell me, then that’s your right.”

The crucial part that’s supposed to go in the middle is missing. Instead of acknowledging her failures, Alya just cuts straight to “””being a better friend,”““ but storytelling doesn’t work that way.

It literally would have taken zero effort to fit an acknowledgement into that scene. “You don’t have to tell me everything, I get that now. All my meddling’s done is hurt you and I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t trust me.”

In a world where Marinette has to apologize for everything, has to learn lessons and suffer because the narrative says so, I will not accept anything less from other characters who are trying to develop and improve. That’s not fair to Marinette, nor has it ever been.

Instead of properly developing Alya, the show does whatever it can to get its audience to root for her as Marinette’s “best friend” (ugh) without having to put in the effort of admitting that Alya hasn’t been Marinette’s “best” friend.

Remember when I brought up Chloe? Yeah, “Malediktator” did a similar thing, showing Chloe doing something awful, then being sad (while not actually acknowledging the thing she did wrong), and in the end she was rewarded with a miraculous prematurely.

One show of character from Chloe and Marinette gave her a miraculous. One show of character from Alya and Marinette told her that she was Ladybug.

(Also, for the record, I think Chloe is far worse than Alya character-wise and I’m not comparing their characters; this is just the simplest comparison I can draw here from a narrative standpoint.)

“Miraculer” is another apt comparison, perhaps even more so. Chloe got Hawk Moth in her head after an akuma landed in her photo of her and Ladybug, but Chloe resisted and fought back, ultimately forcing the akuma out of her and freeing herself from Hawk Moth’s control.

But it wasn’t to develop her character; no, it was to convince the audience of Chloe and Sabrina’s friendship so they’d feel something during Sabrina’s happy flashbacks, then lay the foundation of tricking viewers into believing that Chloe might not go to Hawk Moth’s side.

At the end of the day, it was doing something that’s “never been done before” in order for the character to earn brownie points for something that the writers can just have them do because willpower is an easy thing to just write in. “Gang of Secrets” does the exact same thing when Lady Wifi breaks free from Shadow Moth, with Ladybug even hammering it home by talking about how no one’s ever done it before.

And the pacing is - again - awful. Not only is Ladybug banking on this working when she herself says that it’s never been done, but the conversation between her and Lady Wifi where Ladybug tries to convince her doesn’t even take a minute.

It also has nothing to do with Marinette herself; Ladybug relies on Alya’s adoration/friendship with her as Ladybug (you know, after Alya took a photo of LadyNoir kissing and posted it online without Ladybug’s consent, betrayed her by putting information on the LadyBlog that Hawk Moth was able to take advantage of, and is the only hero outside of Chloe to resist returning a miraculous) in order to break from Hawk Moth’s control, because talking about Marinette with Lady Wifi didn’t even work.

(Ladybug also uses her yoyo as a portal to the Miracle Box when this has never been pre-established to be a thing despite Ladybug acting as if she knew it was; further proof that this episode was rushed.)

And of course talking about Marinette didn’t work, because that would’ve meant convincing Alya that her reason for getting akumatized was “wrong” and the episode didn’t want to do that. It didn’t want someone else actually learning something and feeling bad; surely, this is just Alya being manipulated by Shadow Moth and having the power to break free because Ladybug “needs Rena Rouge” and not because Lady Wifi and her friends are chasing after their supposed best friend and that’s--you know--wrong???

Rena Rouge’s reappearance is also yet another thing the episode refuses to address because it avoids the topic of “but my identity--”. At least “Heart Hunter” had the tact to have Kagami question why Ladybug was giving her the dragon again, but “Gang of Secrets” treads as lightly as possible on any discussion of identities outside of Marinette saying that she can’t, as if it were Marinette who made the choice of concealing her identity and not the basic idea of heroing that has been stressed over and over for the whole show.

Even Plagg of all kwami stated back in “Origins” that no one is supposed to know about secret identities, a rule that continues becoming flaky and muddled with each passing season, almost like they kept attempting to retcon and make the audience dulled to the idea so that the reveal in “Gang of Secrets” would be more acceptable.

But now, with the way they did it and how they don’t even have Tikki comment on the matter, it once again has it look like they’re making it - say it with me, everyone - Marinette’s fault.

Alya says that Marinette has a choice in telling her secret, Marinette insists that she doesn’t and goes on and on about how it’ll change everything, and then just... tells Alya her secret in the end.

And remember all the way back in Season 2? “Sapotis”?

Alya: What were you saying about her secret identity?

Marinette: Ladybug needs it to protect her family and friends. Otherwise the villains could use them to get to her.

Alya: Well, if I knew who Ladybug really was, I'd keep it a secret. I would even help her! Like say, if you were Ladybug, I'd cover for you — when you needed to transform in school, go fight the "baddies", you know?

Marinette: Oh yeah? Well, if I was Ladybug I wouldn't even tell you, to protect you from the "baddies", you know?

Alya: You serious? If I was Ladybug, I'd totally tell you! Because I tell my best friend everything.

And now here we are in “Gang of Secrets,” as if the narrative is saying, “See, Marinette? Alya was right all along, you were just being ridiculous and making yourself suffer for no reason!”

Yet Marinette had a right to keep her secrets. When Alya and Nino learned each other’s identities, Alya took a hit for Nino in “Catalyst” and both of them fell to Scarlet Moth’s akumas. Chloe was a mess and a half because of Hawk Moth knowing her identity. Fu had told Marinette that her miraculous would get taken if she and Chat Noir learned each other’s identities.

The only ones who received no consequences due to someone knowing their identity were Pegase (who Chat Noir and Markov knew), Ryuko (who Chat Noir, Ikari Gozen, and Hawk Moth knew), and Viperion (who Adrien knew). “Chat Blanc” also exists where Marinette got the impression that people discovering her identity would be a disaster, and even all the way back in “Lady Wifi” insisted that not telling anyone her identity was “listening to her head and not her heart,” and the narrative has relentlessly humiliated her for going with her heart, so yeah, probably for the best.

I hate that the episode avoids talking about anything identity-related outside of what comes out of Marinette’s mouth to make it appear like it was her choice all along. I hate that they had Tikki fixate on Marinette’s love problems instead of having her actually support Marinette and admit that Marinette should tell someone before she has a mental breakdown. I hate that the episode inserts Rena Rouge into the plot as if to brush all identity issues away so as to make Marinette’s identity reveal seem less jarring.

Now, of course I’m glad Marinette told someone. Of course I want her to get love and support from someone. Of course I think the benefits outweigh the risks, or I wouldn’t have written multiple fix-its where her identity gets revealed in some way or someone already knows.

But I didn’t want it to be Alya, because I knew how they’d do it. I knew they’d do it wrong and I knew that they wouldn’t have the courage to address Alya’s issues properly.

Those familiar with my blog will know that I’d been taking negative predictions for future seasons for a while and adding them to cards whenever they were proven right. Does anyone remember the Season 4 predictions that were proven correct for “Gang of Secrets,” specifically these ones?

- “Alya will suddenly be portrayed as a good/worthy friend to Marinette in/if there's an episode where Marinette tells her that she's Ladybug”

- “Alya resisting Shadow Moth/fighting back against him will be used to excuse telling Alya Marinette's secret identity“

- “Alya will know that Marinette is Ladybug first because "BFFs" despite being one of the worst candidates for it“

- “The secret that broke Lukanette up will be resolved in episode 3 when Marinette tells Alya“

Each and every one of those were mine, because I knew that whether Season 4 had a proper chronological order or not, the writers would not have the guts to develop Alya first and then have Marinette tell her in a future episode after Alya has properly earned it.

I knew that they wouldn’t take time to develop Alya. I knew that they would have Alya resist Shadow Moth to make Alya look “worthy” of the secret. I knew that Alya would swoop in during the last minute and a half of an episode, insisting that Marinette “didn’t have to tell her anything” when Alya had been pushy and insistent for the entire rest of the episode and the whole series in general, and would ultimately be rewarded with the big secret simply because she’s “the best friend” and that’s it.

The Alya at the end of the episode isn’t the Alya I’ve known for the entire rest of the series before this, or at the very least they turned her into an Alya I don’t recognize.

Alya claims during the ending scene that she knows that Marinette is hiding something beyond her love problems because she - as a reporter and “her best friend” - can sense such things, and all I’m left wondering is

w h e r e ?

Where and when has Alya been suspicious or worried about Marinette keeping a secret from her? What, back in “The Pharoah” where she didn’t immediately disregard Marinette for the role of Ladybug, or “Simon Says” where she vaguely teased Marinette about having a double life, both Season 1 episodes?

Where was Alya in “Truth” saying that she didn’t know Marinette’s secret but knew that she was keeping one? Where was Alya anywhere in Season 3 being concerned that Marinette hasn’t told her something? Where was this “supposedly very observant” Alya when Marinette needed her to out Lila because Lila got her expelled--oh wait, Alya “observed” that Lila did nothing and Marinette was just jealous.

What, is it only now that Alya suddenly “knows” that Marinette is hiding something else? Now, after Alya has already not known that Marinette was literally dating someone, even when Alya had multiples pictures of Marinette and said someone giving each other heart eyes and saw Marinette leaving school with said someone riding on the same bike together, you know, like normal, typical, average friends would?

Where’s the line where Alya acknowledges the problem? Where’s Alya sitting down with Marinette and admitting, “hey, I’m sorry I haven’t noticed this stuff, but I promise I’ll do better starting right now, and that’s how I know now that you’re hiding something else, and I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that it’s been hurting you”?

I can’t tell you where it is, but I can say that it’s certainly not in this episode. 60% of the episode features the Alya we knew from the rest of the series and then switches her out the second she’s de-akumatized for another Alya who hasn’t done anything that the old one has because she pretends like it didn’t happen.

You know how I know? Because of this absolute gut punch of a line that showed that the series wanted to handwave everything away.

“I know how to keep a secret.”

...Really? Does she now? Well, I hope everyone remembered my point about “Animan” and “The Puppeteer 2,” because I’m bringing it right back.

Considering that “Truth” has been burned into all of our memories, we all definitely remember when Truth shoots Alya and questions her on Marinette’s secret, to which Alya states that Marinette’s secret is, “She’s in love with Adrien Agreste.” Now, at the time of Season 4′s airing, this is very much not a secret, as most characters already knew about Marinette’s crush, to the point where it’d been broadcast on television during Season 2.

But do you know when it was actually a secret? Back in Season 1, specifically in the episode “Animan” where Alya told Nino.

And not only did she tell Nino, but she lied to Marinette by claiming that she didn’t, acting as if Nino knew that Marinette had a crush but didn’t know who she was crushing on, which is then directly proven false as Nino accidentally implies that he does know who it is. This is also after Alya had gotten on Marinette’s case for trying to set her up with Nino, and then she had the gall to say that she wouldn’t spill Marinette’s secret because she, and I quote, “doesn't go around making decisions for other people,“ a statement that is directly contradicted by this little thing known as everything Alya has ever said and done in the entire series.

And while Marinette meddling in Alya’s love life actually ended up working out for Alya, Alya meddling in Marinette’s by telling Nino who Marinette is crushing on comes back to bite Marinette - not Alya (because of course) - in the infamous episode of “The Puppeteer 2,” where Marinette realizes that Alya really did tell Nino that she was crushing on Adrien.

Marinette: You told me you wouldn't tell Nino!

Alya: I haven't told him. Right, Nino? I didn't tell you anything. (elbows him)

Nino: She didn't tell me. And besides, I told her I wouldn't tell.

Then, when she’s called out on it, Alya lies again, and shamelessly so.

Marinette: Why did you tell Nino everything? You promised you wouldn't!

Alya: I didn't, I swear! Besides, even if I had told him everything, he would still be clueless. Ugh, who cares anyway? I've set everything up with Nino, who doesn't know a thing, so you can finally pour your heart out to Adrien, girl!

And now, here we are one season later - and not even half of a season if you go by production code order - and Alya claims that she knows how to keep a secret.

No. No, she does not. In fact, she does even worse because she won’t even admit when she’s spilled said secret. I absolutely refuse to accept that Alya is “worthy” or “deserving” of learning that Marinette is Ladybug when she couldn’t even keep a basic secret like who her friend was crushing on.

And no, it didn’t matter that Nino was her boyfriend, or that maybe she thought it would work out because Nino was friends with Adrien. By that logic, Alya would tell Adrien that Marinette is Ladybug if she heard that Ladybug is who Adrien was crushing on and we all know how that would’ve gone.

Marinette has a right to tell her secret to whoever she wants and I’m glad that a burden has been lifted from her, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy that it’s Alya. That doesn’t mean I have to be happy that, after so many moments of Alya disrespecting Marinette’s feelings, she is the one who gets to hear the big secret that the fandom has been waiting for someone to find out about since the very start of the series.

Luka said it best in “Truth” that the truth is meant to be shared, not taken by force, but Marinette was forced to tell Alya by the narrative because Alya is her supposed “best friend.” It pushed Marinette to her breaking point, forced her to break up with the guy who has respected her agency and feelings since the day they met, and gave her a version of her “best friend” with the same name and face but with none of the responsibility from previous events so that said version was there at the right time and the right place to hear what had to be heard.

And in the end, I end up feeling nothing. Marinette doesn’t even have a “Marinette” reaction to saying it as one would expect; for her to blurt it out and then immediately start panicking until Alya hugs her to calm her down. Instead, Marinette just says it and stares silently at Alya - after blabbing this huge, very big deal of a secret - until Alya goes in for a hug (the “happy/hopeful” ending of which is why I feel like this episode also gets less flak, as the previous two ended off rather depressing/upsetting).

It’s off. Everything is off. The pacing, the delivery, and the logic that the episode uses. The emotion in Marinette’s voice when she’s rambling about how hard it is to keep her secret is so powerful, but then the ending hits and she just says it, breaking the momentum they had going. They pulled the card of Alya walking away too soon when they could’ve saved it, having Marinette go quiet and letting Alya take a few steps away in order to let the moment build before Marinette finally blurts out the secret she’s been painfully holding in.

But they didn’t, and I’m so many levels of dissatisfied. I wasn’t against the idea of Alya learning Marinette’s secret at some point (though honestly, Alix would’ve been a better pick considering that Bunnyx will know eventually anyway, and I say that not even liking Alix!), but not now; not when Alya had so much to work towards.

And now what? What happens now? Now Alya will turn against Lila, not because she learned to have faith and believe in Marinette, but because Marinette is Ladybug, which disproves Lila’s ultimate lie that got Alya’s attention in the first place? Now Alya will be supportive and less teasing/mocking whenever Marinette will be late, not because she understands that Marinette isn’t perfect and has so many other things on her mind, but because she’s Ladybug and has “hero stuff” to take care of? Now Alya will be careful about what she puts on the LadyBlog, not because she respected Ladybug and what Ladybug would want, but because Ladybug is now her best friend and that changes everything?

Because now, Alya has a free pass to all of that, the show making her spontaneously “developed” now so they won’t have to develop her later, and disappointing doesn’t even begin to describe it.