#Or at least a one final episode? How creators have to fight for they shows getting one more season or one more episode-

[yourwolfmuzzle]

I kinda in the "recovery mood" so im not that active rn on internet, but this fucking cut-part storyboard (and Yang buff arms...for getting a little bit meat on Yang's arms and ponytail back i need to also get her extra tits size and ugly outfit...i cant have shit in this house without sacrificing something or make something already bad even MORE bad) got into my recommendations on yt and make me feel soooo much emotions that i need to rant into a wall.

LONG POST WARNING?

Before to start it i will honestly trying to tell what i kinda like.

+ Outside of making R/WBY feels like a fucking savers of this world, i kinda dig how sad and kinda depress this all feel at the start. This kinda stuff i want to see after vol8 - how everyone who survive is trying to live they new live and how second characters trying to hold everything together, but having a hard time. A grimm reality with almost no hope.

+ I kinda like how Winter VA was able to pull up her action? Like...i can hear that she was "grieving" a lost of her sister and that she dont feel like everything will going to be better.

+ WE STAN THIS ONE WOMAN WHO WAS TRYING TO DRAG SCHNEE. GOOD FOR HER, LET HER SPEAK!

+At least Winter remember about Penny...

And now EVERYTHING ELSE.

There is a thing - im fine with Winter and Qrow talking about in positive ways about R/WBY that they was trying to to everything that they can to save people. That they was a good huntress or something like that. They in grieving processe, "dont talk about the dead one in negative way", all that jazz. But everything that they talking about sounds like they was a new gods in this world. Like they the new savers of this world when...its not exactly true. The idea is there and this whole "you send the message to the world" can maybe works, but everything sound like they perfect people who save a whole world.

Hey guys! Are we going to...just ignore the fact that Salem now have a staff? Winter mention this but thats it. I dont know how many days its was, how hardcore we timeskip, but you telling me that Salem was just chilling in situation, when her enemy in the most vulnerable position and one of the main problem is no where to be found? Like...okay sure.

Even if i like this one lady who was calling out Schnees (again good for her, she have all right to talk like this with Willow)...i wish there was much more people who was disappointed or angry about Schnee or even angry about R/WBY. Just in general showing that people not only angry about that fact how hard they lives now but also trying to find the one who done this. Not everyone will be buss with trying to fix in what situation they are, somebody will trying to find who guilty. Its cant be the only one woman.

Okay...im maybe have a hard time to remember about vol8 and maybe i didnt rewatch vol7-8 in general that much and maybe its just me remembering things not correctly, but...is there was a whole problem to tell people the true about Salem? This whole "panic will bring grimm" thing? This was also a problem in the end of vol8 if i remember this correctly? Well, right now people not only know about Salem, but they also in extream situation with no homes, living in tents. There is no coming back to home, this is they lifes now. But no grimm problem in this epilogue. I dont even remember if Winter or Qrow mention about grimm?

Also about ignoring stuff - there is still some dead people outside of "dead R/WBY". I maybe miss something or didnt saw some detail but i dont remember some memorials for people who got kill by Cinder or solders who die protecting Atlas. I know Atlas in big mean place and "fuck military", but...they still trying to help?

There is this one moment with gravestone with "Dont Come Back", that Winter write on it. I know there is already two side of this thing (i dont believe anyone and AGAIN this whole miscommunication problem in team + both points is really fucking bad in different ways), but i just want to say that before jump into reading comments or what theory people have about this - i was having no clue what is this and for what was that. I know its storyboard and storyboards not always look with a lot of details, but i was so confuse for what this was done. Anyway, both points is bad and if Ironwood one thing is the real one - my fucking god can you stop having a beef with your own characters and remember that before Ironwood start to be cartoon man-man Winter was working with him for pretty long time?

Do you remember me talking about "both Winter and Qrow in grieving process"? Yeah i fucking lied, its only Winter. For some reasons they decide that the most depress man in this world, the most "I Am Shadow The Hedgehog" guy in the team (according to vol8) after loosing both his only nieces and a guy who was his kinda friend who help him in vol7 and the guy that YES was a antagonist for vol8, but from what i remember was also his kinda friend - absolutely positive! And not in the way that he trying to hold himself together mentally after loosing so many people all in short time, but just positive. Listen, i hate this whole "i wish Qrow was back to drinking", but this is the last guy who have to be THIS positive about everything. My guy can maybe not go into drinking speedrun for good reasons (like he dont want to drink anymore at least for his nieces or he just know that he will feel even worst if he will go drinking again, when he already have a hard time to hold himself together?), but this all feel so wrong and feel like he dont care about losing such a important people. (MY BIRDMAN YOU DESERVE BETTER ONES AGAIN)

YOU DO NOT BRING UP FAIRGAME INTO THIS. THIS IS NOT REAL. "The controversity is good" shit, can you leave FairGame shippers alone?

RAVEN IS THERE. I already knew that they will trying to redem her ass because she is a female villain in R/WBY and that scene from vol9, but...i have other questions. How...Yang is chill that Raven just...transporting them? How Ruby, who only a couple hours ago find out that her mother go on her last mission and that Raven is the one who was the last with her, is absolutely dont trying to do with her anything? How anyone is soooo chill that a bandit and maiden is there? If this was done only so RW/BY can got right to Qrow so we can have this whole...reuniting scene then WOW. There is a chance that this scene was done before they start to cut out two episode and start to working on crossover movie, but im not sure how those two episodes can fix this whole situation.

You know i maybe really touch-hungry person who love hugging, but...why nobody was trying to hug JR/WBY team after they got there? Like...Qrow is just looking at them like its norman friday after mission and the only one who at least react in some way was Nora (With a little bit Ren, Oscar have a strange reaction?). Like...you all was thinking for some time that those people is dead. You didnt know where are they, why nobody hug them or hold they hands or just in general dont trying to have a contact with them, like nobody have a "ARE YOU A REAL?" moments?

Just in general JR/WBY getting there feel...wrong? Like they teleport there and just...walk to look how this whole situation looking. Again, no hugs to Qrow or ORN, no bright reaction toward them? (i know, for R/WBY team its was maybe a couple days, you all was not sure if you even will get back to them. Also Jaune was in EA for 10-20 years. He didnt saw his team for 10-20 YEARS. Listen, im not the most biggest fan of him, but like...let at least him hug his team?). I get it when they didnt react at first, from what i can tell they didnt saw Qrow at first. But after they look at him or when ORN saw them? No? You can still end up this scene with Ruby face, i just feel like after Winter and Qrow speech such a emotions reaction can work pretty well as a ending. Like..."there is a struggle and hurt, but we dont give up" with "hope" coming back to them?

Im worry about Oscar that we ones again skip his character development off screen, but its hard to tell in 6 min long epilogue storyboard.

Still no moments with Maria and Pietro. I mix up this one old man (this one from vol8 that is also a faunus) with him and was question "why he is not in his spider-wheelchair?" but after re watching - there is just no Maria and Pietro. They still cant remember about them. They remember about Ace-Ops, Happy Huntresses (ALSO MAY IS THERE OOPS-), but fuck Pietro and Maria.

This whole thing in general didnt anser the most biggest question - how long its been after JR/WBY+Neo fell? This whole thing is not helping at all and no matter what time is canon - its will not save this moment. Its been a week/s? Qrow got from this really fucking fast and even this whole situations with people looking really too good actually. Its been a months (around 6+) or even a year? This is really bad.

ALSO something i find out only right now - MOTHERFUCKERS IS THERE. This is not...a bad thing, but now i knew that if vol10 will be a thing - they remember about both "sea boys" team and "READ A BOOK" team. Happy to see that they remember about the first one, but after finding our how "in book" team was written - im not ready to see Coco team AT ALL.

In term of fanservise, if we going to look at this from perspective of how a fan will react on this if its was a really epilogue that they didnt cut out - oh boy its working pretty fucking good and probably if this was the ending for vol9 - i feel like people would talk about this season a lot more because after the ending of vol9 even some of hardcore fans was not talking about this whole vol that much.

But in term of writing - THANK GOD THIS WAS DELETED. Sure its kinda emotional epilogue, that hitting fans in right place, but giving us pretty much moments thats dont need to be there or working not that great. I heard that they will try to make this into volume 10, which is....knowing how they dont like "kill they darling" or deleting content that they think is really cool or prioritise moments that have to be cut over moments that needed to be on screen...i have zero hopes that they will re-write this scene. Maybe they will delete Raven because right now with episodes that we got in vol9 she just...out of place there.

But we will see. There is still no greenlight info...

[coffee-with-mint-syrup]

The case of live-action atla zutara.

First of all, the scarf scene. I won't be repeating myself, here are some main points - there was absolutely no reason for Zuko to act the way he did and for the scene to be shot this dramatically. Even if they did the shipbaiting in this scene - it means there's a ship which is much more than live-action kataang has at this point. Also I don't really think these guys are shipbaiting type but that's just the impression I got.

Then - the second obvious one - Oma and Shu's visuals. We have star-crossed lovers from two towns at war, basically the local equivalent of Romeo and Juliet (as in legendary lovers who are known above all for their love) wearing coincidentally colors that are primarily associated with two of our characters (who shared this dramatically shot scene in the previous episode).

And I know, it may seem so insignificant - but but but but! - you have to think about this. Of course there are creators, writers and showrunners that are unaware of some non-canon ships or don't care about them. But it's not the case for atla. No, creators of atla were so aware of zutara - they wrote a parody scene in a in-world trashy play to mock this fan pairing and it still proved absolutely nothing and just gave zutara more content. The creators and writers of this adaptation clearly had the discussion "what we should do with kataang" - because there is no trace of kataang in the 1st season. So it was a conscious decision to omit that - but where would the romantic subplot go? Well, I don't know, but they are showrunners, they most certainly discussed options. They are clearly very, very, very much aware of zutara. And they still do this? They still show us Oma and Shu wearing red and blue? All they had to do is to give at least one of them any different color. Any. But they didn't. (for fuck sake, it is the Earth Kingdom - yellow and green would do it)

There were zero, no, nada Kataang interactions, implications or those scenes that are filmed just a little bit too dramatically like the scarf one. I don't know, there's still a chance that they will wait for season 3 to make Aang's crush on Katara happen. I'm also not so sure what will happen to Aang failing to open seventh chakra, I mean - his love for Katara has a huge purpose in series, so it still doesn't look very good. But you can't even imagine how glad I am that they didn't do this secret tunnel thing. It was very uncomfortable.

So it was the more fact-based part of my case, let's get to the irrational, almost delusional part, tin foil hat probably needed.

Almost all the scenes Zuko and Katara shared in the first season kept reminding me of another famous enemies-to-lovers ship that actually became canon in the infamous final episode - Reylo, the way it was filmed in The Force Awakens. I mean - the first fight in the woods where she looses, the intensity of him staring at her, the final fight in snowy location where she kicks his ass and shows her mastering this superpower, him trying to talk to her during this fight and mentioning her learning/having to learn...Zuko calling Katara a peasant reminded me of this "Rey is no one" discourse. I don't know man, I haven't thought about The Force Awakens reylo for a very long time and it just kept popping in my head.

All of this - it's like a blueprint for enemies to lovers.

Also I actually think that the look they shared in the 2nd episode was also shot kinda weirdly and dramatically. It's not to the extent of the scarf scene but I do remember thinking that "why did they film it they way? it's too intense".

In the conclusion I'd like to say that as much as I like all the season 1 zutara stuff they left out in the adaptation - necklace subplot and implications, pirates and the famous "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" - I think I actually prefer the scarf scene. Yes, it would be so great to see those things in adaptation but in the end of the day they would still be just the things they kept from the original and probably noting more. Like the cabbages or the secret tunnel song or anything else, just things from the source material that implicate nothing. While the scarf scene, the Oma and Shu's clothes - it means they made a conscious decision to make it that way. It means they put some thought into that and some meaning. And this gives me hope there's a chance for Zutara in this adaptation.

P.S. I told about this my sister who hasn't watch the series yet and she said "I think people who made this show are just shipping zutara in secret". I do not necessarily imply she might be right - but creators of animated series (the very same people that made kataang canon, not zutara) DID leave because of some creative differences and because they couldn't control creative decision. Might as well be THAT kind of decision.

[lover-of-mine]

https://www.tumblr.com/lemotmo/755374254590246912/can-we-take-a-minute-to-talk-about-how-todays-bts

This is spot on. The BT fandom has worked so hard to completely try and twist the narrative 9-1-1 has put forward. I’m not surprised Oliver is blocking people and not promoting the ship because there isn’t anything worth promoting and if I were him or a showrunner I would also be annoyed that a small amount of fans are trying to hijack a storyline. BT fans act like the general audience loves Tommy when I genuinely think the general audience just does not care one way or another about Tommy. Because the show has not given any reason to care about him. The only people that care so strongly (either liking or disliking him) are fandom people online who are stuck in discourse. That is not the majority of viewers. We’re going into season 8 - we don’t have a guarantee of how many seasons are left. Now that they’ve moved networks and we’re given the green light they’re going to focus on the storyline that wraps up their main characters arcs in the most satisfying way (which based on everything we’ve seen in this show is Buddie) not trying to start from scratch for both Buck and Eddie with new relationships. And if they DID want to pair Buck and Eddie with other people they would’ve actually tried to develop Buck and Tommy in season 7 and they very purposefully didn’t.

clickable link for the post because it's very spot on

The thing with the cameos is that it turned a narrative that was supposed to be about Buck and turned it into a narrative about Buck and Tommy. There is nothing in canon that backs up the idea that Tommy is anything other than just some guy. The show didn't restart at season 7 and if they wanted to make Buck and Tommy something with a fighting chance, Tommy would've existed in the narrative beyond the coming out plotline. Taylor's storyline was complete with beef with lafd personnel and a canon tragic backstory. If they wanted to make people care about Tommy they would've. They made it with Taylor with 4 episodes. You want me to believe they couldn't do it with Tommy after 6? Lou was putting out headcanon after headcanon and people took that as gospel as if he was reading scripts and had input from writers when Lou said in an interview that they didn't even tell him what label Tommy was supposed to have when they filmed the kiss. The show created a very clear narrative that shows that the relationship is not that serious. And if we are taking word of god as canon, Tim said that it's a "level entry relationship" and used the word "first fling" multiple times. First implies a second and fling is as unserious as it can get. The actual show is saying something, the creator of the show is saying the same thing. But sure, the actor they are paying and prompting has more say than the actual source material 🙄🙄. This story is about making Buck bi. Nothing else. If they wanted to make this be a Buck finally found his person, they would've developed Tommy into someone who's at least a little bit likeable, not continuously make him look worse every time he opens his mouth. If Oliver really is frustrated with this and blocking people because people hijacked the storyline he's telling, he has every right to be. He wanted to tell a nice story about Buck being bi and now he's caught having to dodge people who want him to walk up to the creators and say they have to marry Buck and Tommy by 802 or else he walks, when he clearly just wanted it to be about Buck's identity. Somehow Buck got pushed to the background of his own story by this very loud group of people while being aided by an actor who's creating a pr nightmare. The story is about Buck exploring bisexuality not about Buck falling in love with Tommy and it's painfully clear. The fact that people can't see it because someone paid a dude 100 and something dollars to say they are "thriving" is madness and shows the lack of basic media literacy.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Alright, last time ever that I’ll talk about Velma. I promise.

Because I’ve been extra salty towards this show all week, and I don’t want to take it further than that. Talking nothing but bad stuff about this show for the entirety of its run is exactly what the writers want. They want us to hate watch it so we can talk about each new atrocity the show brings up week after week, and call us haters or anti-woke propagandists. When, in reality, they don’t give a FUCK about any of that. They don’t care about other races, genders, or sexualities. They just WANT you to think they do. Know how I can tell? Because I’ve SEEN genuine attempts of representation.

THIS is a genuine attempt of representation. Matt Braly, the series creator of Amphibia and a Thai-American, felt like Thai culture was underrepresented in media. So, he not only made his main character and her Thai, but he also dedicated subplots and entire episodes showcasing the culture he wanted to represent.

THIS is a genuine attempt at representation. Dana Terrace, series creator of The Owl House and open Bisexual, wanted a main character that was explicitly bi to finally help kids feel like they’re seen. To help give the representation SHE always wanted.

But when I look at Velma? None of it hits the same.

This isn’t a genuine attempt for representation. This is Mindy Kuling turning a character into a self-insert to make herself look smarter than everyone else and the most important person in a narrative. Truth is, this Velma is nothing more than a sociopath, narcissistic dipshit who thinks she’s better than everyone else but is actually more aggravating than endearing.

So...Good job representing YOURSELF there, Mindy.

And this?

This isn’t representation. This is a shield.

A way to protect the show from any criticism because it couldn’t possibly be bad. They have gay characters! Gay characters are good in everything!

Except that is the LAST reason you should include gay characters! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE more LGBTQA+ representation in media. What I don’t love is obvious attempts to pander to audiences just to avoid criticisms. And keep in mind, this is NOT the first attempt a creator wanted to make Velma gay.

James Gunn wanted to make her gay in the live action movie, but WB said no.

Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated (the GOAT of the Scooby-Doo franchise) wanted to make Velma gay, but could only imply it because Cartoon Network didn’t greenlit Steven Universe yet.

THOSE are genuine attempts to make Velma gay, to represent people because the creators of both products agreed that it was the least they could do.

But making Velma and Daphne a thing just to protect a show is nothing more than shallow and inconsiderate of the hard fight dozens of people put up with for the sake of representation.

And, honestly, I’d be a little more forgiving if the writing in Velma was good. But it’s not.

Within the first minute, this show features...

Cockroaches having sex...

And fifteen year olds taking a shower to make a joke about how over-sexualized a series’ pilot can be.

First of all: FUCK YOU FOR MAKING ME FIND THIS SCREEN SHOT FOR A POINT!

Second: You lose every ounce of credibility that you actually care about people when one of the first moves you make in your series is to sexualize minors for the sake of a joke.

A joke that doesn’t make sense at that. Point me to a series pilot that’s over-sexualized. If you get more than ten, I’ll say you have a point. I won’t say that sexualizing minors to make it was a good thing, but I’ll at least say that, “Yeah. You’re right. So many pilots do this. SO STOP DOING IT!”

That’s the level of writing Velma has. And it’s why they have their “representation” to protect themselves. Meanwhile, you want to know the level of writing you’ll find in The Owl House and Amphibia?

Villains who prove that the most dangerous people are the ones who make the rules.

Jokes that are actually funny.

Likable main protagonists who are kind and caring to the people around them.

Protagonists who have heartfelt relationships with other great characters, to the point that it breaks your heart to see them leave each other.

And on top of that, actually good representation. But here’s the thing: The representation isn’t only genuine. It’s a bonus. Something great to add onto everything else the writers and the creators do right.

What it isn’t is an attempt to protect a show from what it does wrong.

And that’s it. That’s the LAST time I’ll ever talk about Velma. I really mean it this time.

Talking about this show past it’s premier is already more attention it deserves. And if you were smart, you would not only stop watching, but stop talking. The best attention to give something you hate is NO attention.

If you really want to waste time, waste it by watching something good, like The Owl House and Amphibia. They may be kids shows, but they have more maturity than a single second of Velma.

[wittyno]

My thoughts on seasons one and two of the x-files.

Background: I knew nothing about the plot of the x-files before starting the show. I knew I would like it because I love Delta Green, which is just the x-files as a TTRPG and I knew Joel McHale loves it and proposed to his wife while watching it. I watched the first season about six or so months ago. I really liked it but life got busy and I wanted to give it the attention it deserves. I just watched season 2. yay

Here are some random thoughts

- that pilot is fire. It’s so fucking good. It hooks you in right away. It feels like a classic of the genre. The I lost time idea is done so well and not in a over the top way.

- this show is way more visceral than I thought it would be. Maybe because I’ve seen so much current cop-focused shows but this show grips you way better than any of the current copaganda on the market. It’s an actual drama not just pretending to be one.

- Season 1 is 24 episodes and season 2 is 25 episodes long. That’s an insane schedule. Not just by today‘s standard but just in general. I watched most of it on Freevee, which gives you little trivia about each episode, which is fun. It also means I know the horrifying fact that only two weeks after giving birth Gillian Anderson went back to work on this show. That’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.

- even for TV Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are very good looking. The choice to cast Boy Scout looking ass David Duchovny as the primary believer in the supernatural is so smart. Anyone else and he might come off as scary. The reason „am I spooky?“ is so funny is because the obvious answer is „no, not even a little“.

- because this show is so good. I can absolutely see how people who are already conspiracy-minded individual could take this show and really run with it. That’s not a criticism or a reason to not watch the show. It’s also not the fault of the creators nor a call to not make this type of art. I don’t even think this is a American History X type blunder. It’s just a warning. If you start believing in stuff like this to maybe take a break.

- the genetic memory episode is stupid. Also Phineas Gage lived a pretty normal life after his accident. He didn’t become violent. That’s not how the brain works.

- Scully gets kidnapped at least three times in season 2, which is too many. Even in a season with 25 episodes that’s too many. I know, the first one was because Gillian Anderson was pregnant but come on.

- while it is still copaganda and has some of those traits (choking suspects), it feels less like it because it pitches our FBI Heroes against impossible things and overwhelming forces (both human and extraterrestrial).

- it does a good job of balancing its insane runtime without overstaying its welcome. The middle of the season doesn’t sag or stagnate because they put mid-season finale.

- I like how often Mulder and Scully loose. Usually the military comes and covers it up or the evidence disappears and I like that. It gives the show a weight most cop show is don’t. Most cop shows, they either find, convict, or kill the suspect. It usually ends „well“, at least according to the rules of the show. Some of that happens here but more often than not. More innocent people get hurt. I like it because it shows the true overwhelming nature of what a job fighting the occult and extraterrestrial would look like.

- as for the political stuff. I think it’s important to remember that this show started airing in 1992 so you have to balance any sort of unsavory remarks or storylines against the age of the show. On the whole it actually does a pretty good job so far. As far as I can tell, at least.

- additionally you have to remember that in this world aliens are real and already among us. Spirits and other occult and extraterrestrials exist. The way you handle that is going to be different than we would in the real world. Especially with episodes like Calusari.

- the tech. So many examples on how old this show is. The big ones are the cars obviously, any sort of use or lack of use of the internet, and anything to do with phones. No texts, the prominent use of answering machines, hell I haven’t heard anyone talking about screening calls in over a decade. but the one I hadn’t thought of was flashlights. Flashlights have come a long way in the last 30-odd years.

- scully is a doctor of everything. Pathologist? Yes! Immunologist? Yes! She just keeps calling herself a medical doctor, which is technically true but is insane. Her knowledge base is just as wide as the writers need it to be and just as inaccurate to fit the plot. Honestly? Good for her! Woman in STEM.

- it’s also nice to see double breasted suits again. I feel like they are due for a come back. Though not some of those hairstyles. The only reason Dana looks good in hers is because she’s played by Gillian Anderson.

- that intro is doing the most. I love it so much. We don’t do intro like that anymore. It explains the entire premise of the show. With visuals and everything.

- yes, of course I ship them.

[xxlea-nardoxx]

Seeing me spill my thoughts and talk about Tmnt 2012, you might know that there's a certain little robot that I love very much.

Yes, I'm talking about Metalhead.

I've always been very fond of this little guy, and perhaps that's why it makes me sad, that I barely see anyone talk about him or his relationship with Donnie and how it actually shifted.

When Donnie first built Metalhead in season 1 episode 6, he did so to use him as a weapon.

That episode was all about Donnie feeling useless because he "only" wields a bo staff, while his brothers have katanas, sais and nunchuks to fight with. He built Metalhead as a weapon to help them fight, especially in moments when it would be too dangerous for them to go out onto the battlefield. At that point, Metalhead was nothing more than just another invention, a drone as Donnie called him (at least that's what he said in the German dub when I watched it two days ago, shshsjsh).

And at the end of the episode, when Metalhead went rogue under the Kraangs control and Donnie had to take him out, did he feel down because his invention failed.

He was sad, because the machine he built did not live up to his expectations. Metalhead was nothing more than just a invention. We only saw him sprinkled into the background for a few episodes and the only truly more remarkable appearance was in the season 1 finale, but it again wasn't a whole lot.

But then it got interesting.

Because starting with season 2, it was revealed in "Metalhead rewired", that Donnie put an AI (artificial intelligence) into Metalhead and it actually shows.

It might've only been revealed in episode 11, but back in episode 4 "Mutagen Man unleashed", Metalhead has been put into the background doing various tasks such as moving stuff/cleaning up:

Sitting on the floor like some human child:

And actually talking to Donnie, to which his creator is actually responding.

"Yup, it's a mess, Metalhead."

It wasn't yet revealed, but it's obvious Metalhead wasn't as mindless anymore than he was back in season 1. Remember: back then, Donnie was still controlling him via game controller like some RC car.

Now Metalhead is thinking for himself, talking to his creator, reacting to the outside world and feeling more alive than he's ever been. He turned his head, when Leo, Raph and Mikey came in. He noticed the lab was a mess and let Donnie know, just like a human child would.

And it's obvious Donnies view about Metalhead has changed too. If before he only saw him as a weapon or drone, he now thinks of him as another team member, or even his son.

In "Metalhead rewired" he didn't wanna believe Metalhead could be evil or possibly working for the Kraang. And he didn't think that way, because the "weapon" could be stolen and turned against them, but because he actually loved Metalhead the way one would love their sibling or child. He's actually grown to love him.

When Metalhead got electrocuted by hacking himself into that Kraangs wending-machine, Donnie was shown patting the robots head and calling him "buddy", something he wouldn't have done in season one ever.

That only makes the plot of "Metalhead rewired" more heartbreaking.

Metalhead had grown to Donnie and now he had to let him go. His little robot creation wasn't going to make it out. He had to leave him behind in that Kraang facility, there was nothing he could do.

No matter how painful it was for Donnie, he had to leave without Metalhead. And it did not help, that the only part making it out alive was his head.

He's absolutely heartbroken about his loss, cradling the remaining part in his hands.

The fact that you can actually see Donnies sadness about losing his friend, hits harder than any of Raphs punches ever could.

Donnie was actively griefing about Metalhead. In a way we do when losing a beloved person, because that's what happened. He practically lost a son, a brother, a friend. Metalhead grew to be so much more than just a lifeless robot. He grew a personality and built a relationship with Donnie.

Donnies relationship with Metalhead switched from creator and creation to father and son, brother and brother or friend and friend, depending on how you like to picture them.

I think that is why I love these two so much. And I also believe people seem to overlook this change of heart between them. Donnie and Metalhead had a special bond, that has been broken, at least physically, but I know that our favorite genius will never forget his robotic child. Ever.

---

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk, I gotta ramble about this real quick, ssaadfhssd.

[sunnysideaeggs]

TBs annoy me so bad bc like. If you appreciated Rhaenyra's very significant flaws (entitlement & irresponsibility) and the flaws on her team (made up significantly of children & people who refuse to admit Rhaenyra kinda screwed them over, Daemon just in and of himself, no one has any real plan whatsoever etc) then they could have a compelling fandom. Like I still wouldn't be Team Black but I would at least be like 'now here's a set of equally destructive opposing forces fighting for an inherently corrupt position, and here is the fandom for those fucked up losers' and I'd like it.

Instead they build their entire thing off of hating us and ignoring anything a TB character does wrong.

Accept it, weirdos: it's not about who's a good person it's about who's your favorite criminal and if your position starts with 'well they're ACKSHULLY a good person' you lose.

(Also for the record TG has more 'good people'- Alicent victim of years of marital rape and neglect/abuse who's finally looking after herself and her family without anyone to get in her way, Helaena victim of the same, Aemond who was viciously assaulted and maimed and told essentially to just shut up and get over it and can now get revenge, even Aegon though the show fucked him up to the point that I can't like him as much as you do

the main base of tb’s crazy fans it’s that they’re fed by the show’s creators and narrative, comparing rhae rhae to saints and great rulers when she’s nothing of the sort, being constantly told how she’s so good and wise but never actually showing it (kind of how daenerys was portrayed in her ruling of slaver’s bay, brushing over the flaws that will be relevant to the plot later).

one thing i need as a disclaimer in every episode: no one in this story is a good person, no one is perfect, no one has the inherent right to rule or send thousands to their death. you can like a character and be on their side (i know i am), but be fr.

tbh i don’t need to invent anything to defend aegon, i just watch the shows and read the books. if you need to bash another character to prop up your fave, ask yourself some questions.

and this is why i like the greens: they fight tooth and nail for what they want, because it’s all they can do. they fight like prey, they can’t afford to lose and suffer like they’ve been doing all their lives. they’re what happens when survival, ambition and revenge crash together and i love it.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

what's your opinion about the whole "hints of Adrien as sentimonster already exist and obvious from s1 and sentimonster Adrien is not just a theory, never been"

This already stated by the ambassador in twitter when s4 aired but I just... call me denial or stupid, but those "hints" that people claimed as one? doesn't looks like hints at all for me. Like, there's other explanation for, say, Adrien feather allergy, other than "it's hint that he's a sentimonster" and this "hints" that they claimed range from trivial one like feather allergy to the irritating one like "reason Adrien can't disobey Gabriel is because he's a sentimonster."

It's irritating because as an ex abused child, seeing people claimed Adrien trauma respond as "hint that he's sentimonster" is irritating, it's invalidating for me. There's no amount of "yes Adrien is abused, him being a sentimonster doesn't change the fact that he's an abused child" validating my experience and feelings as an ex abused child because That! Is! Not! The same!! Our experience is difference!!!

I'm sorry for the rant it just everytime I see people praised the sentimonster Adrien plot or how it's already been there from the first time, make me want to pull my hair. Not only because of the reason I stated above but also because that means I feel like i spend years watching this show just for me to be tricked by the showrunner. ...or it just me who's reading the show wrong like my friends said, that it's never a show where Adrien fight for his freedom, realized that he's abused and get out from that situation, that its like my friend said, this show is Marinette story, it's never been about Adrien, that he's never meant to be more than love interest despite his name is in the title.

I hate it...

I think the so-called "hints" are just things that people came up with in an act of desperation to justify bad story telling as it's quite clear that Adrien wasn't a sentimonster until season four. Possibly even late season four. Fans of the BS point to minor things to try to prove that this was always the plan while ignoring massive plot holes introduced by the twist. I made a list of these plot holes, but the two big ones are Chat Blanc and Gorizilla. These episodes would not exist if the sentimonster plot had been the plan from day one.

If Adrien was always a sentimonster, then Chat Blanc and Ephemeral should have been near identical since both episode let Gabriel control the time and place of final fight by luring his son to his lair, meaning that Gabriel had time to get the ring in both episodes, but the episodes are wildly different. Adrien had free will in Chat Blanc while Ephemeral was basically used to verify the senti-twist for the first time. I don't know how anyone can watch both of those episodes and claim that this isn't clear evidence of a massive retcon or - at the very least - terrible writing.

Similarly, Gorizilla has Gabriel straight up say "[Adrien is] hiding something for sure... there's only one way for us to uncover his secret." If the sentimonster plot had been planned from day one, then the "one way" would have been using the ring. Instead, Gabriel risks his son's life because Adrien wasn't a sentimonster at this point, so Gabriel couldn't force the answer out of him. And don't even try to say that this just means that Gabe wasn't willing to use the rings at this point. He literally lets his kid almost die in this episode! A little forced Q&A is nothing compared to that and him using the ring is not treated as a big deal by the story. He has no change of heart moment where he puts it on for the first time. He just starts using it in the later half of season four almost as if that's when it came into existence.

As for the things people point to, I've talked about the feather allergy in particular before because that one just drives me up a wall. Tldr: Adrien is a magical construct that is exactly what he was intended to be by his creator and no other sentimonster has been shown to have a feather allergy, so if you really think that this is foreshadowing, then you're basically arguing that Emilie designed her kid to have a feather allergy as some weird sort of joke. This is extra true since the allergy is explicitly stated to be a pigeon allergy and not a catch-all feather allergy.

There's also the fact that one of the writers posted the original script of Origins on twitter which revealed that the peacock wasn't originally going to be missing from (or possible in) the miracle box, meaning that it was only added later in the game, which is not shocking in the slightest given the way that Adrien was written in season one. To be more explicit, he's not written as a sheltered romantic. Like, remember how Nino asked Adrien for dating advice back in Animan and Adrien was just like "ask Marinette on a date to the zoo!" That's normal teen type advice, not sheltered teen advice and especially not advice from roses-and-candlelit-rooftop dates Chat Noir who doesn't really exist until season two.

In my opinion, the senti plot only became a thing in the fandom because it explains Emilie's sickness if you assume that she knew what using the peacock would mean, but chose to use it anyway, which was a reasonable assumption. It's one I made! But we now know that she probably didn't have any clue because Félix wouldn't exist if the consequences were known as shown by the play in Representation (S5E24) which gave us these lines:

Félix: (as Gabriel) After much study, I have discovered a solution for you and your wife. But there will be a price to pay. You will give me your best knight to guard my future son. In exchange, I will lend you this magic amulet. It will allow you to give life to your dream and to control it. Félix: Some time after his son was born, the lord of war fell ill. And the weaker he grew, the more convinced he became that he was paying the price for using magic.

I remember watching this, hearing the "there will be a price to pay" line and thinking, "Oh, so they did actually know what the peacock would do. Interesting." Only for the plot twist that this is just Gorilla's origin story. In retrospect, it was honestly kinda funny, but the big takeaway here is still that the story never needed to justify Emilie using the peacock because she apparently didn't chose to die for her child. She only found out that having a sentichild would kill her after Adrien already existed at which point it was too late to give fully informed consent. Given the implication of how the Agreste's got the peacock, it's kind of hard to feel bad for her. If anything, it feels like karma, but we don't know how much Gabriel hid from her so I could be wrong. We'll probably never know for sure because I highly doubt that the Agreste plot will be revisited in a meaningful way.

In summary, the senti twist is terribly setup and ultimately pointless. It adds nothing to the story outside of cheap drama and means one of two things: the twist was a massive, last-minute retcon or the writers are terrible at following their own lore and setting up twists. Neither option is good, but if you like the senti twist (a POV I'll never understand), then you don't want to acknowledge that because you want to feel like it was a good addition instead of something that should have stayed in the realms of fanfiction where authors could reshape canon to make the twist work or treat it with the severity it deserves.

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

On a more personal note, I'm sorry that you're feeling invalidated by people's reaction to this twist. I agree that the ways its played really downplays and even outright ignores Adrien's trauma which is extra disappointing since it could have been used to highlight just how much Adrien's home life has hurt him. Supposedly he's no different from a normal human, but no normal human would be okay having their free will overwritten like he has. This change in status hasn't actually changed anything about how messed up his treatment has been unless you don't think Adrien is equal to a normal human.

Basically, there's a lot of cognitive dissonance that goes on in the minds of fans who like the way canon has handled this theory.

Even if we ignore that, the fact that Adrien's not the main character doesn't mean that he deserves to be nothing more than Ladybug's perfect, magical arm-candy. One of the show's major flaws is its obsession with focusing everything on Marinette. I've talked before about how that choice does her no favors.

Most long-running TV shows understand that it's actually a good idea to flesh out more than one character because you need a strong ensemble cast to make long-running shows work. Ron Stoppable, Tuxedo Mask, and other girl-power male love interests show us that good shows tend to give the love interest more development as time goes on. Meanwhile, Miraculous has made Adrien less and less important with each passing season even though he's a titular characters.

No, being in the title doesn't mean that he has to be important, but I use that phrasing as a short hand for the fact that Chat Noir was important for the first four seasons. The fact that his name was in the title made sense and felt totally earned because he'd earned equal billing to the lead. He was key to the plot. His father was the villain. He and Ladybug were the only holders chosen by Master Fu and the only holders given their miraculous full time. Chat Noir was also the emotional core of every final, giving Ladybug the strength to win the day. In other words, we were given the show the title promised until, suddenly, we weren't. The "twist" is that Adrien doesn't matter outside of giving Marinette someone to kiss and trauma dump on and we're now going into a season where the villain no longer has anything to do with Adrien and where everyone has a miraculous, so don't expect that status quo to improve. The bug and cat team is dead and gone.

So, no, I don't think that you were reading the show wrong by expecting Adrien's backstory to mean something. You're perfectly valid to expect good, logical writing instead of the nonsense we got. Hopefully you can find some good content in other works or in fanfiction for this show. The main reason that I write Miraculous fanfic is because there are so many good ideas that have been totally squandered in the name of cheep petty drama and it's natural to feel disheartened by that. The only reason I'm not devastated by season five is because I personally thought that the Queen Bee plot was a canary in a coal mine, warning us that this show was going to have terrible writing for anything that lasted longer than an episode. I never imagined how bad it would get, though, or I probably would have stopped watching sooner instead of keeping up with canon so that I could follow the fan content.

I have personally taken a great deal of pleasure in writing stuff where Adrien's trauma is acknowledge, Gabriel pays for his crimes, and Marinette gets to be a good supportive girlfriend instead of treating Adrien as her therapist while he gets nothing. I think it would have been beautiful if the show had focused more on Chat Noir being Ladybug's support instead of mostly using him as comic relief. If they'd gone that route, then they could have very easily let the roles reverse after Gabriel's defeat, letting Marinette finally have a chance to support Adrien after everything he's done for her. That's how you write a satisfying, balanced romance for the ages.

[jmdbjk]

Man at work.

 Apparently working more than we thought he was...

Kookie bought a pack of 500 straws so he could exercise his vocal chords because he saw Sam Smith do it. But alas, he didn’t think it was working for him. Nevertheless! they won’t go to waste! because he can slurp down his highball much faster using a straw...

This cute goofball is the global spokesperson for Calvin Klein jeans... he mentioned that the Calvin Klein video was up and he acted bashful about it. He did say when doing these types of endorsements as a group is one thing, but doing them personally on his own, the product must be something he personally endorses. And he also said he will be embarrassed when people speak to him about his ad images. Perception vs reality. 

He tells us he’s cleaned out his closet recently and only kept all his black clothes, but now he says he will wear Calvins now. One thing to look forward to... Calvin Klein clothing silhouettes are typically cut close to the body. Meaning they are not the oversized baggy things that we normally see on JK. Just sayin’! Bring on the airport fashion! 

He asks to please show Calvin Klein a lot of support. Check! Marked off the list! I believe that company is scrambling to actually have any merchandise in stock this week, right? They weren’t prepared. Mission accomplished, JK. 

For a few moments he thought he spoiled Jimin’s episode of Suchwita because he couldn’t find it on Youtube. Sus, Youtube. 

Aside from the adorable heart eyes he had and the knowing grins and outright laughter while he watched, Jungkook nodded when Jimin said if he could go to any point in time, past or future, he would choose 2025 when they would all be together again. Kookie nodded vigorously again and let out a deep, wistful sigh while watching that brief segment. Was he getting a little lump in his throat too, just like I was?

Yoongi then says “we all have an idea of what things will be like when we come back” and Jimin agrees and when Yoongi asks Jimin what he thinks it will be like, Jimin says “we’d all be back together after we’re done.” I am assuming he means military service, and that he is curious to know how it will be and that’s why he wants to go to that point in time. 

Jimin, we all want to fast forward to that time. None of us want you all to have to take this mandatory break and we all want it to be over with as soon as possible. 

When it was over, Kookie fixed himself a fresh drink, took a potty break and then sat wordlessly on the couch for at least 15 minutes listening to music and pondering the universe (it seemed). Songs he queued up: “12:45″ by Etham; “thoughtboutu” by Karencici; “Another Day” by Gervs; “Adrenaline” by Lauv; “Where Does the Love Go” by by María Isabel and Yeek and “Honeymoon” by Johnny Stimson.

He sweetly sang along to “Honeymoon.” That song has a similar vibe to “10,000 Hours” and I wish to god Kookie would create a song with that ambience because it would become one of those all time greatest hits.

JK read a few comments (FINALLY?) he randomly says he was wanting to look up Jimin’s lyrics...? Jungkook and his never-ending fight with his Apple TV commands ensues. And he finally finds what he’s looking for... the BigHit intro.

He proceeded to fanboi during Set Me Free Pt 2 even being a tad slack-jawed and droolly when the 2nd verse started and Jimin’s cheat sheet tattoos were on full display, JUST LIKE US! 

Done satisfying his need to know the lyric was “maze” and watching the entire video anyway, he quickly found a Jimin compilation video. Are you shitting me? 

Now, we all know how insidious the Youtube algorithm is. If you watch ONE video of any genre/topic... what happens? YT serves up several more from the same creator or same topic or genre. Watch a reaction video? Then a dozen videos by various Youtube reactors will be summoned. Watch a Korean street food video? Then you will see a dozen videos about Korean street food. FACTS!

Every time you go to Youtube after that it’s like trying to get rid of cockroaches. You spend some time hitting the “not interested/don’t show me this shit ever again” option or else that will be all you ever see forever and ever amen. 

So my point is, that Jimin compilation video was not random. Youtube isn’t a random platform, it is very articulated to deliver cocaine in video form straight to your brain in order to get you addicted so you keep coming back. 

Anyway. Kookie again was like a kid watching cartoons and Army comments were totally forgotten while he watched this fan made video. 

The evening full of Jimin, laughing at a fan made compilation video and a song that was playing called, “up at night”, by Kehlani featuring Justin Bieber, stirred something inside him and the lightning bolt of inspiration hit him and that was it. Game over for the live broadcast.

I’m glad he’s working. I’m glad he’s doing well. He’s still our Kookie and he still loves his Jiminie and the rest of his hyungs. 

[sophieinwonderland]

Sweet Tooth fan here. Reading your posts (and the posts of others you’ve shared) has made me reconsider the show and think more about whether or not there is still misanthropic sentiment left in me.

I feel like if Gus was a real person and watched the show, he would be critical about the “all humans are bad” trope as well. Gus knew several humans that clerely didn’t want to watch the world burn, and showed he was desperate to see humans and hybrids coexist within the last few episodes of season 3, despite reaching peak misanthropy after Birdie died.

Ultimately, instead of making Big Man, Dr. Singh, and Mrs. Zhang go bye bye, Gus lets nature decide (or something like that), which results in the total eradication of the H5G9 virus, leaving the remaining humans spared.

As much as I like to think of the natural world before modern humans as some sort of lost paradise, I don’t wish to be too pessimistic of humanity. If the creators of show tried to convince me that David Suzuki, Carl Sagan, Greta Thunberg, Bob Ross, and Fred Rogers are automatically bad people because they wore clothes and emitted carbon dioxide, I would be devastated and disappointed by Sweet Tooth.

I appreciate having found your posts.

I totally agree that Gus probably wouldn't agree with the show's message.

I also feel that the idea of Earth before humans as a lost paradise sees nature through rose-tinted glasses. Nature is as violent and cruel as it is beautiful. Evolution is a process defined by a constant string of death and renewal, leading to where we are today.

Something else I need to mention, seeing how much of what I post is focused on disability and mental health... nature also has a tendency of being extremely ableist. We as humans, for all the our faults, have learned in the past decades to be kinder to those with disabilities.

Many animals, including past humans, have a tendency to just straight-up kill disabled children. And if they don't kill them, they'll at least often be abandoned.

I think as humans have become more developed, we've generally become better and more socially-aware than our ancestors.

One thing I find fascinating is to try to step outside of ourselves and consider how an extra-dimensional being might see us.

When we as humans look at the constructions of our vast cities and planes and amazing feats of architecture, we see things that are clearly unnatural because they're human-made.

But yet, we see a spider's web as natural. We see an ant colony as natural. A beehive. A bird's nest. A beaver's dam.

I understand that humans can be a bit... extra... when it comes to feats of construction, but to me that makes humans all the more fascinating as specimens of nature.

We are nature evolved to be capable of studying and understanding itself in a way never seen before.

I think of the now as an incredible and unique moment in the history of the world that will never come again. We are living through a snapshot between the beginning of the internet era which has morphed the globe into what's practically an interconnected brain with each human as a separate neuron... and a new era that may become dominated by genetic engineering and artificial intelligence which may become its own sort of life.

This single moment in the history of the world has never before existed and is likely to never come again until humanity has passed from this Earth.

For all the destruction we caused to get here. And for all the destruction we continue to cause, I see a beauty and wonder in humanity and our place in the world.

And returning a moment to morality, we see so many people, including those you mentioned, who are out fighting to make the world a better place in whatever ways they can. Whether it's fighting for the environment or for human rights or to make the world they leave behind better for their children.

There are so many good people in the world.

And for one final note...

I wonder what Gus would think if he saw humans at our best.

Because in the end, the world of Sweet Tooth is a deeply traumatized world of broken people who watched loved ones die and the world around them crumble to dust.

I'm rambling now...

All in all, I think we humans look at other parts of nature through rose-tinted glasses too much, and that humans are actually better than we give ourselves credit for.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale’s Top Ten: Least favorite episodes of Miraculous Ladybug (as of season 5)

With Season 5 finished and my posting of my top 10 favorite episodes, it’s time I crank the meter the other way. Now some rules

1. Like always this is my personal opinion, and if you liked these episodes, that’s great. I would love to hear your reasoning

2. I will be judging them SOLELY of what was shown in the episode, not by any leaks that came out before or after. I’m solely judging on what is seen and confirmed

3. Word of warning, I will be pretty vicious with my critiques. Also profanities will be thrown.

Now before I go into them, I should give some congratulations to some episodes no longer in my bottom 10

Captain Hardrock: You are still a lame episode, but not the worst you are actually decent in comparison to some of these.

Stormy weather 2.0: Clip shows still are awful, but there are worst things

Frozer: In the grand scheme of things this episode really wasn’t important and there are worst character writing

___________________________________________

10.Sole Crusher

Revisiting this, it really isn’t a good episode for ML. I don’t know what was more Shoehorned in, Zoe’s character arc of replacing Chloé or the lucky charm.

It also makes little sense that Marinette would be the one pushing for Zoe considering her experience with Chloé and her family (especially after Season 5 revealed her trauma).

Now Zoe isn’t a bad character, but she will always be seen as the replacement Good bee, and she deserves better writing.

Honestly it could be argued Queen banana should be here, but that episode is too much of a s***post that I get more enjoyment out of it. This is trying to play this straight and it don’t feel right.

9. Qilin

This episode has a some things going for it, great akuma design, decent action. But it also has a ton going against it. It’s in a series of episodes I like to call “Thomas’ gets political” and I will tell you this, he sucks at it.

I would try and explain further but I am aware I would butcher the topic, all that should be said is, racism tackled poorly and Marinette says she will pay for a ticket that her mother didn’t deserve to get in the first place.

Also the animation looks off in the episode, it just looks so bleh. 

8. Migration

Remember that whole reveal that Luka knows both Ladybug’s and chat noir’s identities and how he kept that to himself?

Well that FINALLY gets addressed. And are Ladybug and chat noir mad at him? No. No consequences for him.

The whole episode acts like he is such an important character but this is one of 2 episodes he’s in where he has more than 2 lines.

Then he gets to travel the world with his dad because monarch found out he knows.

Kagami got akumatized twice and she knew Ladybug’s identity, step up your game Luka.

Also the fake out with Rose was bulls*** and everyone knows it.

Also the entire episode had everyone but Luka lacking brain cells.

I don’t rank it lower because while it annoyed me greatly, there are worse offenders on the list.

7. Animaestro

Astruc complains for 22 minutes that nobody cares about him anymore.

Also Marinette teams up with her bully which after watching Derision, WOULD BE THE LAST thing she would do.

This is the worst example of the Creator calling out the audience, There are other episodes like this but this one is the least entertaining. And if the ending of season 5 is concerned. “I’ve seen your writing, so I can FUCKING CRITIQUE IT YOU ARROGANT PIECE OF…”

Okay, I’m calm. Point being. It’s his call out the critics episode and it sucks

6. Furious Fu

I HATE Su Han.

He is a worse version of Fu in every stretch of the imagination.

The episode where Su han shows up and starts making demands is stupid. The only thing he has going for him is his fighting style which he never teaches the two people that could have needed it!

The episode isn’t lower because despite Su Han’s impact, he really doesn’t do much and he is just there to be a nag later on. Also Fu’s akuma looks dope as hell and gave Fu some slack.

5. Feast

So remember how Su han showed up in the last episode. Well he and all the other guardians were gone for over 100 years because they lost to a 4 Foot blue dog made by a hungry child.

This episode isn’t as bad as the others as a stand alone, but knowing the lore makes it sound so completely stupid. Like Fu was HAUNTED by his past and we find out it was because he was hungry when training and the guardians COULDNT handle that? All trained to fight miraculous users should they go rogue, couldn’t beat ONE DOG. The mysterious order is incompetent as heck.

It’s just so stupid. Also Fu was acting irrational af over all this didn’t help.

4.Reflekdoll

I want everyone to know how massive this is, Reflekdoll is no longer my least favorite episode.

For anyone that follows me, my SEETHING hatred of this episode is well documented.

I won’t go on about how the tropes were horribly done or ignored, how off the banter was, or even how stupid everyone is this episode. Because I’ve discussed it in length.

I will simply say, Thank God there is Passion, so if people want a GOOD kwami swap episode they can watch that one.

3. Miracle Queen

I’ve talked about this episode to death on here. But really the only flaws with it are the last half of the episode.

The drama of the first half is great. But the ass pull of a memory wipe, the clear degradation of Chloé’s character, and just the simple giving up of Hawkmoth, he could have easily still won if he pushed a bit longer. The ending was depressing but also a clear example of how the writers put themselves in a corner with no way out.

The only thing that makes it worse is Fu’s replacement (Su han) ends up being a worse teacher.

Also considering how they spent season 4 quickly getting Marinette and Adrien out of the relationships with the love rivals, even they realize it was a dumb call.

__________________________________________

2. Ephemeral

Hey, let’s make an episode to explain why Adrien can NEVER know his father is the villain.

This episode is the go to justification of the writers on why Adrien will always be sidelined. It was also the unofficial reveal of the sentimonster theory before it was said pretty much outright in season 5.

The worst akuma design. Marinette gaslighting, gate keeping chat noir at its worst.

Gabriel wins and gets his wish.

And none of it mattered and no one remembers it except I think Sass. So it was pretty much pointless.

Not even the ladrien and cute reveal could save it.

And don’t even get me started on how pointless and avoidable it is.

It’s almost funny because despite how pointless this was, it’s still better than number 1.

1. Re-creation

So many cool concepts, great designs. Marinette dropping a piano on Gabriel. So many great things. But it also had some flaws, like having Adrien sidelined, and the focus on heroes from the specials for practically no reason. But all of that could be forgivable if the ending lands…

It really shows how an AWFUL ending can fuck up everything.

Imagine having 5 seasons of fighting to stop a villain from getting the miraculous to make the wish only for him to WIN! Yes he wins. He gets to make the wish, you know the wish that was said should NEVER be used. Of all the stupid, asinine, Shark Jumping BULL SHIT. Who the fuck APPROVED THIS HORSE SHIT?!

So he gets his wish, and he gets a statue HONORING HIM. What the fuck? Adrien, who was ABUSED now sees his abuser as a hero and EVERYONE THAT KNOWS THE TRUTH IN HIS LIFE IS HIDING THE TRUTH FROM HIM. Nathalie, Marinette, Felix, Kagami. Even PLAGG!

And the whole utopia crap, everything is just perfect now, because the villain got what he wanted.

That’s a great lessons for kids! (Blatant Sarcasm)

But let’s really dig in, the ending left a LOT of things vague. And hilariously ALL OF THE POTENTIAL OUTCOMES ARE SHIT.

1. Emilie was revived and Nathalie got healed.

So Gabriel gets everything he wanted from the wish, justifying everything he did and he gets treated like a hero and another person hiding the truth from Adrien. Marinette knows everything that brought this about and is keeping that from Adrien, but is justified slightly because it could encourage Adrien to try and get his father back with a wish. Also brings up the question of who took Emile’s place.

2. Only Nathalie was healed.

Gabriel ended up with Emilie like he wanted, gets treated like a martyr, Adrien is technically an orphan, Marinette is knowingly lying to him about his father and Adrien continues to get Gaslit.

3. Emilie is revived, Nathalie is healed, and memories were altered

Gabriel’s wish basically shaped EVERYTHING how he wanted, meaning he is still in control of Adrien’s life even in death. Even his own wife. So while this removes Marinette covering for him intentionally, it just means Gabriel was so much worse.

4. Nathalie’s healed and memories altered

Gabriel gets to be with Emile and has shaped Adrien’s life even in death. Everyone basically puppeteer by him as he died. Sure he’s dead but he also retconned for his redemption, which is bullshit.

Now there are people that defend this ending/potential ending.

I’m sorry but, unless they revive Gabriel and he gets exposed, Adrien finds out the truth, and he gets held accountable for his actions. I can’t feasibly imagine this ending being good.

The writing staff aren’t going to do Anything about this, they are just going to move on to Lila as the main villain and say the Agreste plotline is over.

If they Do, do something, I’ll happily take back my words and alter my view of the episode but right now.

It’s one of the WORST season finale’s I’ve seen in my life.

[ohjustcomealong]

What makes you say there wasn’t a love vs duty conflict? Duty was what kept Wille in the role so long. Love was sure Simon but also wanting a normal life outside of the public eye, however he felt that his duty as crown prince (really his duty to his family and Erik) was so important he couldn’t leave. Just because in the end he chose love doesn’t mean there wasn’t a conflict and people can be conflicted about what to do even when it’s clear what they really want.

(I say with a friendly tone, not trying to be rude)

I don’t mean to tell you how to feel about the last season or the ending - it for sure was flawed!!

I just don’t think it’s fair to say that „love vs duty“ was false advertising..

Another thing you wrote a while back, sorry, about how normalcy was missing and you can’t imagine wilmon having a conversation without fighting. That’s why I hate these short seasons, we need filler episodes to see that our characters can be happy and be happy together! It’s always just drama after drama..

Indeed, a very nice and friendly message. Thank you.

What I meant by saying 'love vs duty' conflict never existed was the response to the sentiment shared by the anon: Wille never wanted to be a public figure. And by the end of the story, he still doesn't want to be one.

In a story about a prince I thought this decision would be something harder to make, you know. If he never wanted that life, if he never even valued whatever his family represented then where's the conflict about it? For two seasons I thought he struggled to make this decision because his role was something important to him as well. If it never was, then...

As I said, season 3 made it very clear that he was only carrying this role for Erik... When Erik turned out to be... um, less than an optimal person, Wille suddenly didn't want this role - at least that's what it looked like when it comes to his internal motivation.

Yes, I'm aware all the additional drama was there to make sure everybody saw how stressful and difficult that life was supposed to be so the audience would feel relieved when he finally leaves that life.

I would argue however that the problem wasn't the length of the series or the number of episodes. The creators were very aware of these restrictions. The problem was that they threw in so many conflicts, so many things they wanted to touch on they couldn't resolve any of them properly.

There was no room for Wille's relationship with Simon - that's one problem. The other one is that I think the show was trying very hard to elicit the highest of emotions by creating all the drama all the time. In the first season, there was already enough conflicts for two more seasons to dismantle. Instead, s3 created even more conflicts (that weren't a natural progression of the story) and it felt very dissatisfying to watch that rushed ending. It was like: look! there's a happy ever after! The prince is free, you can imagine the rest yourself!

It didn't make me imagine a happy future for Simon and Wille. Not with what the s3 did to their relationship.

[only-lonely-stars]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Part 2 - Many Thoughts

So... because I don't have Netflix and can't actually support the creators, I watched the leaked Season 2 Part 2 episodes. I have a ton of thoughts. SO MANY SPOILERS under the cut!

Okay, first of all. Loved the concept, some of the execution was a little iffy... feels like a lot of Dragons Rising, so I'm not surprised. The ending was satisfying enough to make me want more.

Comments on Season 2 Part 2:

As I've come to expect, the animation was spectacular. It makes up for a LOT of faults, and the big fight at the end genuinely had me invested. I am LOVING the way they're handling it.

The Motion Source Dragon asking Lloyd to be her champion was... an interesting choice. Felt forced, but it ended up okay. I wouldn't have made that writing choice.

LOVE the murder mystery, it felt more original than most of the season. No notes.

Another tournament? Given that S4 is one of my favorites of the original show, I had to love it. And it turned out great!

Bleckt always felt sus. Glad to be proven right there.

It's about time we had some conflict between Arin and Sora. Was she really never going to tell him the truth? Of course it would backfire...

PALEMAN!!!! WE LOVE PALEMAN!!!

Frak is a good side character, I want to see more of him in S3.

Okay writers, go ahead and stab me and twist the knife. I knew the Jaya reunion would hurt, but I DIDN'T WANT IT TO HURT LIKE THIS! I am this close to writing a fix-it fic - it was done so well.

Was anyone else ready to break something after seeing how obvious the "rigged games" twist was? The characters not acting on it feels like weak writing...

The rotary phone joke was done well. I appreciated it.

Lloyd's not-so-prophetic dreams are beginning to get on my nerve circuits. (By the way, BRING BACK PIXAL, PLEASE I AM BEGGING YOU.)

Wyldfyre and Roby are an interesting pairing... just weird enough to work. Not sure I love either character, but the ship is good!

Cole finding his mother's mech actually made me cry. Add it to the list of fic ideas! ;v;

Last but not least, Arin's corruption arc... wow! I honestly didn't think the writers had the guts to do it. Whether it actually pays off, I'm on the fence, but the fact they were willing to try it earns a lot of respect from me. I love that choice.

Hopes and dreams for Season 3:

Seeing more of Jay. Can we please get him back where he belongs? My Jaya-loving heart aches. Also, handling the whole wolf mask thing.

While I'm on the subject, I also hope we see: Pixal, Master Wu (in the flesh), the various Ninja's parents, Princess Vania, Harumi, Lord Garmadon, Dareth, Benthomaar, and/or the Metalonians!

Diving into Arin's arc a little more. I'd love to see him genuinely grapple with his morals and goals. My ultimate dream would be for him to be unaffiliated with anyone. Let him be a lone wolf if he wants!

More character growth for Sora and Wyldfyre. This half of S2 really made me care about them. At least for Wyldfyre, that's new! For Sora especially, I'd love to see more confidence... and maybe that friendship with Jordana playing out.

KAI! Kai doing ANYTHING. Watching him run around an M.C. Escher drawing every once in a while was not that satisfying.

More about the dragon ivory. It was such an interesting bit of lore, I want to know more.

How will Lloyd use the Motion icon/sword thing? In a moment of dire need? Probably, but what moment?

PLEASE let's go back to SHINTARO please I am on my knees--

Final rating for the season: 8.5/10. Has room to improve, but I still really liked it!

[sweetmariihs2]

Decided to link the post instead of reblogging since this one shouldn't be hidden in reblogs!

Political context is good, but it didn't need to be 70% of the series. The 60s in Brazil were marked by many political changes, of course, and the series reports this very well. But the name of the series is Hilda Furacão and Hilda barely appears compared to the supporting characters. The creators of the series just gives us a scene full of twists, romance and entertainment between Hilda and Malthus and then take us to the male characters of Santana Dos Ferros discussing politics in extremely long scenes. Then they show us the woman of Santana Dos Ferros talking about marriage and political intrigue. Then we see the romantic intrigues in Roberto's communist group, then Aramel and Tunico looking for girls in a extremely uncomfy way, and then we see Dorinha and Bela Bê talking about boyfriends again and again... I can't take it anymore!!

The worst part of all is that even though there are LOTS of political scenes, we are barely told what year it is until the moment Hilda mentions that she has been in the bohemian zone for 5 years. 5 YEARS? Like, what?!?! We got a lot of political context except for the fact that we got none, we just see a lot of random discussion and scenes but we don't really understand what's happening unless we search about what was happening in 1960's Brazil.

The middle episodes focused so much on secondary and uninteresting plots (such as the sisters' fight in Santana Dos Ferros, which didn't need to be shown so much, or even Dorinha and Bela Bê talking about boyfriends all the time) that they left the main couple aside, Malthus and Hilda (along with Roberto and Bela Bê, which was so poorly developed that I actually forgot about them at the end of the show, only for them to end up together)

We only get that the ending of the show is near when we're in the penultimate episode. One episode before the ending one. Until there, I was just watching normally everything happening very slowly... and then BAM, when I looked there was only 1 episode left!

The fact that we discovered that Hilda bought farms and A PLANE only at the last episodes is just so confusing to me. The directors could have told us earlier. And that plague in Santana Dos Ferros only had 20 minutes in screen, when this topic itself seemed like it was going to be a whole arc. Don't get me wrong, I love how sweet this scene is, but it feels rushed and out of place... we should have gotten at least 5 episodes about this as a whole arc!! It took so long to Malthus to exorcise Hilda from the point he talks about the subject to when he finally does it.

And the ending! Oh my God. The ending was so fast. Again, what happened at the end episode should have lasted at least 5 episodes. Not only the last scene, but the whole episode itself. Malthus took his decision too fast and too naturally for someone who was torn between Hilda and the church (everything he was told his whole life) for five years. We didn't saw him questioning, accepting, thinking about this change in his life, we just got him answering "yes". And the scene he got arrested was also really fast and not very well explained.

My theory about this rushed ending is that this was probably the fault of the network(Globo) that placed an episode limit at the last minute. It was probably an internal production problem.

But knowing about this episode limit, the directors and writers should have used the length of the chapters a little better. Shorten some minor stories and lengthen more important ones, that got shortened too. Start including the beginning of the end at least 5 episodes before the final chapter. I love this series, but we have to agree that this is the biggest flaw it has.

and don't even let me start about this scene

[sytokun]

The year is 2025. RWBY may or may not still be in hiatus, or cancelled, or still ongoing.

At least 50 more useless side characters have been added to the cast.

Maria and Pietro are still missing. Ruby comments by saying "Huh, I wonder where Maria and Pietro are". Yang replies "Maybe they're off on a date", Blake replies "Oddly wholesome" and they all laugh together.

The current villain is a dark-skinned male Faunus who happens to be a working-class family man who is fighting for a social issue that is oddly relevant to some real-life events in 2025. But it's okay guys, bad people corrupting noble causes is still totally a valid way to write villains.

Bumbleby is still not canon. Yes, they are still calling it a slow burn.

Cinder is still fucking alive, oh god why

Rooster Teeth has officially exhausted their entire supply of bright-eyed creators who aspired to work on RWBY. They finally hit their goal of either firing or expiring the contract of every last one. That'll teach them for having dreams.

The merch now consists of $500 shirts with RQBY sewn in microscopic fibre on the inside of the fabric. The show name was misspelled in the first print run, but enough people complained about it that RT just went "alright, fuck you guys" and didn't bother to change it since.

About half of RT's legacy staff have confirmed to be in some sort of really fucked up scandal. The other half made callout docs and tweets, which caused the fandom to be angry for a week before they went back to sharing fanart as usual.

RT is now currently using a new production pipeline, where every single animator's contract only lasts for a single episode, before they leave and they find new people to animate the next one. They're hoping to further optimise this process next year by making it per scene instead.

There is a new RWBY side anime coming out, animated by prestigious animation studio Cocomelon.

An entire team of four unambiguously queer Hunters were killed onscreen. CRWBY has blamed the first death on a team of rogue, disobedient animators accidentally drawing her kissing a girl and confessing her undying sapphic love for her - she wasn't meant to be seen as a lesbian. The second death was blamed on the fans, the crew saying "this was supposed to be a side character, but you all started liking her and demanding more screentime for her, so fuck you" in the Volume commentary. The third was a monkey Faunus with comically yellow skin, squinted eyes and a long moustache named Mu Fanchu whose Semblance involves him making monkey noises and his weapon is a giant banana - surprisingly, he turned out to be secretly evil. The fourth just died offscreen because she was a fan character who won an OC fan design contest, but they had no time to include her in the show - in fact, the time her death was mentioned was the very first and only time the character was introduced.

Jaune says onscreen "Somehow, Ironwood has returned."

Green Dust is now Fire Dust, which Eddy confirms in a Reddit post - not in r/RWBY, but in an obscure reply in r/fantasygeology. No one found that post until 2 months later and when asked, the reply was "Green fire exists, I can see how you can get them confused".

Ozpin has now reincarnated into Oswald Pint, one of eight new boys currently with RWBY's group and for some reason have more screentime and agency than the girls. Oscar died in Volume 11 Episode 3 in a sickeningly distressing torture scene - that's the episode, the whole episode was the torture scene.

The fandom is abuzz over the newest queer rep in the show: a talking glass of water named Clear, who is genderfluid.

RT releases a RWBY mobile game only available in two postcodes, is not written in English and discontinues it after 3 months due to "stupid fucking fans not engaging with our products". Fans continue to insist that somehow, this must still be either WayForward or SHAFT's fault.

Jaune Vs. Aquaboy is slated to release next year. In fact, Volume 11 stopped in the middle of Episode 4 and will be on hiatus for the next 3 years until the crossover is out.

Speaking of Jaune, he just killed Nora. In fact, he did it just as I was posting this. Oh, he's killed Ruby too. And Clear our genderfluid queen, and Aquaboy as well. Oh god, he's looking this way, help me

The year is 2025, and if one thing hasn't changed, it's that hardcore RWBY stans are still around. When asked about the state of RWBY, they had this to say:

"RWBY is still amazing, and CRWBY is still amazing. Shame about those queer and PoC employees... oh well! I'm supporting manufactured fictional minorities so same thing, really."

[reviewinghiccup]

RIDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP

Blog Post Series : Breaking Down Hiccup

Title : Thawfest

Ep/Season : Episode 12, Season 1 (Riders of Berk)

Premise :

It is the annual Thawfest Games, but with a welcomed twist! This year will feature 3 new obstacle courses for dragons and w that, maybe even a new winner.

COMPARI-SONS

Let’s talk about the show the way the creators designed it. So, in the beginning we are introduced to the Thawfest games. We know that Snotlout & his family are reigning champions. As far as we are told, no one has ever beaten a Jorgenson.

I found that hard to believe considering Astrid’s skills. I reckon if anyone was going to win it would’ve been her, or someone in her family previously. I mean, the girl got her fight from somewhere yannow?

And it was even harder to believe that Stoick would’ve lost to Spitelout back then. Like what even? Then I realised that the games have no hard and fast rules. Fishlegs accidentally kicks Astrid off one of the courses, Snotlout shoved Hiccup aside during a race and there were no disqualifications or referees. So, the games are held just for fun. Sport.

I say that because if it actually meant something, a person as competitive as Astrid, would not be so cool about letting Snotlout win.

SNOTLOUT GARY JORGENSON V HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK III

The episode begins comparing the two of them and their attempt uprooting small to medium sized trees. Something Snotlout could do but Hiccup couldn’t. We are also introduced to Spitelout, which I have to say, is my least favourite David Tennant character, based on the shows I’ve seen him in and (keep in mind) I love David Tennant.

The story will continue to contrast their personalities. One is physically weaker, the other stronger. One is cleverer, the other not so quick. One is a better friend, the other not entirely there yet. Etc.

THE JERK PARADIGM

Snotlout is a jerk. The equivalent of a dumb quarter back struggling w his studies and bullying the nerd tutoring him. Maybe if this was a high school setting, he might be the popular kid, and many would look up to him out of fear. He could even have his own posse.

However, he doesn’t get very far w the other teens on the island because he’s nothing but a big bully to everyone. The other riders do not like him for what he’s said, acted or done to them. Among all the recipients of his bad temper, Hiccup bears the brunt of it. I’m thinking this comes from a place of jealousy.

In Snotlout’s mind, he deserves reverence. Yet, he knows that Hiccup commands the most respect, with the people in the village and the dragons. He can’t fathom how someone so small and skinny could lead him and he, someone so large and brutish be made to follow.

The Thawfest games is a test of strength, endurance and courage. Winning the game (to Snotlout) means possessing all the above qualities. And that’s why winning it means more to Snotlout than the others. That and another thing.

CHASING THE FATHER’S APPROVAL

At first I thought both Hiccup and Snotlout chased their own fathers approval. But, as it turns out, Hiccup was just trying to make his dad proud, but Snotlout HAD to win for his dad to accept him. And that’s wild.

You can see how the relationship between Spitelout and Snotlout drastically changed each time he lost. And the scene before the final round set the tone of two types of father-son relationships pitted against each other.

Stoick didn’t push Hiccup to win. All he did was broach the subject, but was only keen on the idea after Hiccup tells him of his plans to beat Snotlout. Then, at the final battle, Stoick’s awkward “NO PRESSURE” pep-talk was perfect in summing up their relationship. It wasn’t that Stoick didn’t believe Hiccup will lose or disappoint, I’d like to think that Stoick gave room to Hiccup to forfeit in order to do the right thing.

Spitelout has no such courtesy. His “pep-talk” was passive aggressive and that’s where you finally get why Snotlout is built the way he is. He pushes his son around, who in turn bullies everyone else.

HICCUP’S RESPONSE

With dragons involved, the playing field is levelled for Hiccup. And with Snotlout’s lousy attitude towards him, it felt right for Hiccup to fight back. However, when Hiccup won his first challenge, he gloated.

Should we excuse it? I mean, this boy has been getting it from Snotlout for years. It only felt right, right?

But the message doesn’t stop there. Hiccup starts to realise why Snotlout is the way he is. And in a battle to be the “Better Viking,” Hiccup learns that winning isn’t everything. And that must’ve been hard to give up. Hiccup trained and worked hard to beat Snotlout. Even Toothless judge him. His ego was also at play.

Maybe, the real test of strength, endurance and courage is the power to do the right thing. In throwing the race, Hiccup demonstrated that he was the better Viking, and an even better friend. And those around him, his father, Astrid could tell what he did to keep Snotlout’s relationship with his father.

THEME & MESSAGE

THE STORY OF SNOTLOUT

Those who have been following the show will know that Snotlout has major daddy issues and well, nothing explains it better than this episode. And if you see this post by @rosiethedragongeek , she explains thoroughly the many reasons why she hates Spitelout. This is also the many reasons contributing to Snotlout’s trauma.

The gang knows this. Which might be the reason why they tolerate him. That, and also because Snotlout will end up being a core member of the team and friend. He’s not completely useless. His crude remarks sometimes spark ideas for Hiccup. And when push comes to shove, he does care for his friends and will do the right thing. Hopefully, he will be better than his father.

HICCUP’S COMPASSION

Winning wouldn’t have been everything to Hiccup. In fact, it might have caused a fracture in his relationship w Snotlout, to even losing a rider. And maybe even causing a bigger fracture in Snotlout’s relationship w his father. This, to me is an example, of losing the battle to win the war.

Hiccup also earned Snotlout’s respect. We know Snotlout realises that Hiccup threw the race. And this is exactly how Hiccup becomes someone Snotlout learns to respect. Of course, in the coming episodes, this notion is challenged, but Snotlout doesn’t try to take over Hiccup’s position as heir or as chief later on. In fact, as we journey into RTTE, he is resolved in playing second fiddle. Even third, after Astrid, because Snotlout has been put in his place in ROB.

A LITTLE HICCSTRID MOMENT

I enjoyed this episode. Probably one of my favourites as well. I like to see character growth, and here is where we find a different, competitive, even childish side of Hiccup. And Astrid chiming in as his conscious.

I didn’t mind that little Hiccstrid moment thrown in at the end either. Like a reward, for doing the right thing.

Also, the part where Stoick validates Hiccup’s loss was pretty wholesome too.

STORYLINE

This was a really interesting episode. Particularly because of the psychology play, and the riveting race towards the end of the show. When I first watched it, I didn’t quiet know what to expect, and though we could end up telling what Hiccup would do, I’m glad that his growth is showed in a different angle and aspect this time round.

You also get to learn more about their Viking culture and the friendship / family dynamic at play. I was pretty excited to share this post with you guys, because this is one of my favourite episodes as well.

Thanks once more for all the positive reviews/feedback. Hope to continue providing more of the same in the days to come.

PERSONAL TAKE-A-WAY

And just as a final note, you don’t have to continue reading if you don’t want to, but I had to take some time to evaluate this show on a personal level.

I interned in a small company a few years ago. It was something I had to do for extra credit in high school. There was this girl there. We were the only two of the same age. At first, she seemed really nice, but towards the 3rd week of our internship, I realise that she was pretty mean.

We ended up liking the work culture, and the supervisor offered us a spot to work over the summer provided we met targets. However, the moment that happened, she started saying things to me like “Oh, I’m sure you will be able to find other spots” or “I heard that you should do your work this way, because the supervisor said you’re sloppy. Just watching your back, no hard feelings.”

The thing is, she sounded like she was helping, but she really wasn’t. And it caused a lot of self-doubt to creep in. Every time I was commended for a job well done, she would make some passive-aggressive remark. And when I confronted her about it, she gaslighted me.

I started to think I wasn’t good, that maybe I wasn’t as nice as I thought I was, especially when I confronted her and she said that it was mostly my fault why things turned out the way it did.

When another intern joined us, they ganged up on me. Wouldn’t eat w me at lunch. Invited other colleagues to dinners in front of me, without extending an invite. And towards the end of the programme, I was given the spot first and she was given the spot later (nearly towards the end of the programme). That just made it all the worse.

Anyways, how she reacted reminded me so much of Snotlout. A little bit more of Spitelout. And it took me awhile to forgive her, but I started wondering maybe she was just behaving that way because so much of her life rides on out-doing others. She was a high achiever. So, maybe there was a push from her parents to be like-so. I was a high achiever too, but my parents never pushed me that hard, which could probably be the reason why it never occurred me to bully others. I mean, who works this bitterly over a high school internship programme?

Well, talk about full circle. A year back, I worked as a supervisor in a management company. I was the youngest person to get the role. And the junior under me, heard I knew this passive-aggressive girl. I explained that we interned together. The junior was so surprised that I was nice, and appreciative of her work. And I wondered what she meant by that.

The junior said, that this girl was really mean and vindictive towards her. And when she confronted her, the girl explained that she had it rough w seniors before, and so she is just returning the favour. “That’s how the world works,” she claimed.

The junior was surprised to find that I held no vendetta. I do remember going through my fair share of senior-junior berating, but it never occurred to me to pay it back to anyone.

Snotlout is such a real character. But so is Hiccup. I felt encourage when I saw their personalities play out, because it helped me understand that there is always more than meets the surface. I actually even feel sorry for that girl. I hope she will wake up one day and see what she’s done wrong. And even if she doesn’t, I’m glad that I grew up well enough to tell the difference. Because Snotlouts can only go so far.