#The writing is actually so well paced and thought out for a “kids show” lol I'll never be embarrassed to have ATLA as my fav show

[somewhereincairparavel]

Okay Today's most memorable ATLA episode (of season 2) for me is definitely the library episode!

The whole episode shifted the mood of the entire season imo. I also loved Wan Shi Tong, his whole vibes is super eerie. It also gave me a whole new perspective on war, the way he said "You think you are the first human to say their war is justified?" It was super eerie to see a non human saying that because it gives you a perspective on the outsider's POV of human war. Also, this episode is where the preparation to invade the fire nation actually begins since the previous episodes where just aang trying to master the elements before the solstice.

Also, the moment the library was mentioned, I knew it was the same library that Zhao broke in to study about the moon spirits.

Now the team actually have a plan. The solar eclipse making the fire nation weak makes so much sense I feel hella dumb for not realizing this sooner lol

I kinda wanted Katara to have a flashback of Zuko saying "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" because that's literally the first thing I was reminded of as soon as sokka figured it out tbh, it would've been nice cinematography aswell yknow. Because his line basically foreshadowed this revelation.

[janitorhutcherson]

hii! i’ve done nothing but write and get ready for the holidays this weekend lol. this is from your perspective, there’s no dialogue!! it’s probably pretty short too. anyways!!! enjoy :p

word count: unknown

warnings: none!! pure romantic fluff

summary: you and mike are doing absolutely nothing and you’re swimming in your own thoughts about how angelic he is

Infatuated. That’s what you were with Michael Schmidt. There was no doubt about that and no doubt he felt the same way. Since he’d dropped Abby off at school one morning, accidentally running into you as a hurriedly attempted to escape the school’s double doors before a swarm of mothers entered to drop their own children off, you had been practically inseparable. You’d been dropping your own little sister off for your parents, them taking advantage your day off. It was after a terse but genuine apology and an awkward acceptance with a small smile that the two of you exchanged a brief amount of conversation, coming to the conclusion that your little sister was one of the only people that Abby would actually talk to in her classroom.

With that being said, you exchanged numbers to set up a ‘playdate’ (although Mike knew if things went well, he’d use it for much more than that) and the rest was history. Now you were sat on his couch, his arm wrapped around your shoulders tenderly, the living room filled with darkness except for the blue light spilling into the room from the TV. Some shitty late night rerun of a reality TV show was playing, but neither of you were exactly paying attention. Mike was on the brink of exhaustion, his eyes starting to droop as he zoned out, not processing a word coming from the sound system. You were far too lost in your thoughts to even realize what was going on.

Your eyes lingered up from where they’d stayed staring at the TV with an empty look, now glancing up at his side profile. The illumination from the TV highlighted his stubble that had been growing out for weeks, something close to a full beard starting to appear, patchy spots here and there. His eyes were sunken in both from exhaustion and from the way his features typically sit. His nose was slightly crooked, something you’d loved and obsessed over since you’d first met. He never understood your love for it, but you felt as if it made him like a Grecian statue. His bushy eyebrows framed his face almost perfectly, his lips also full and a reddish pink color. He was perfect in every way.

After you’d come back to reality to an extent, you were now focused on his warm hand that was placed on your bare shoulder. His hands were warm but calloused and rough. The feeling was comforting, electric waves of warmth pulsing through your body from something so simple. You leaned your head against his shoulder, fluttering your own eyes closed as your breathing began to steady into the same pace as his. This. This was heaven. Pure bliss as every thought ceased to exist in your brain unless it was about him. Mike was all that filled your head. Your Mikey, the one who helped father Abby, the best big brother there could’ve. Mike, who was the most loving boyfriend you could possible ask for, constantly checking in on you, giving you affection, running you baths and holding you when you cried. Mike, your lover, best friend, and partner in crime all in one. He was your everything. You couldn’t want for forever with him, to get married, to have more kids, and to grow old together

Slowly, your mind began to slip away as you fell asleep. The last thing you remembered thinking was feeling the warmth of a pair of lips on your forehead. A blanket was sleepily pulled over your bodies as you were both readjusted, Mike laying down on the couch and you on top of him, his arms wrapped around you. Yes, forever could wait. For now, you were curled up in your lover’s arms, pleased as punch as you drifted off into the most peaceful sleep of your life.

[imfinereallyy]

#38 "i was eavesdropping and i heard something i can’t scrub from my memory" sounds like it could be very funny, especially from a kid's perspective!

you read my mind, it 100% needs be a kid POV, sorry this one is a bit shorter than my usual but it was fun to write. *it actually ended up being longer than I thought cause I have a problem with not knowing when enough is enough lol* ♡

find the request game here

Lucas was going to throw up. He liked to think he had a strong stomach, he really truly did, but this was too much even for him.

“What the hell is your problem?” Max asked him as he came back to Steve’s living room.

“Yea you look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Will pipes up, head leaning on his knee.

Lucas swallowed dryly, he had to phrase this carefully. “Well I was eavesdropping…”

Max snorted from her seat on the couch. “You Lucas Sinclair was eavesdropping? Didn’t think I’d ever see the day. What about the whole ‘respect people’s boundaries’ thing you rave about?”

“And I still stand by that! It’s just I didn’t want to interrupt and…” Lucas thought back to a few minutes ago. He had gone into the kitchen to grab Max an ice pack; she was having a bad hip day. When he had reached the door, he had heard Steve and Eddie talking, and it had sounded serious. Lucas felt bad about interrupting, but he also couldn’t go back to Max without the ice pack. They had been good for months now, and he didn’t want to risk it. (He knew this was ridiculous considering they weren’t really that dysfunctional, and she loved him, a reluctant secret smile confession on her end. But there was this deep part of Lucas who was terrified of disappointing her). So he was content with waiting outside the door until they were done.

Lucas really should have turned around and left.

“What if they don’t…want to be around us Stevie?” Eddie whispered.

“Baby they are just kids. They are good kids. They are our friends. They won’t be upset.” Steve murmured back.

This was the point Lucas should have turned around, but he was confused and wanted to understand.

“You aren’t even the slightest bit worried, that maybe they won’t be accepting? I don’t think any of them have been exposed to gay culture, let alone two men dating?”

Oh. Oh no. This was really private. Lucas should have really turned around but at that point, his feet were glued to the ground.

“I mean yea a little bit…they are shitheads. Especially Mike—“ Lucas had to hold back a snort, “—but they are good. It’s why we are friends with them. As much as it pains me to admit we are friends with children.”

Lucas wished he could see their faces.

“What if…what if they are more than shitheads this time?” Lucas had never heard Eddie’s voice sound so small.

“…do you want to wait a little longer?” Steve’s voice asked gently, with no anger.

“If that’s okay. I just…want to live in our bubble a little longer. Well our bubble plus Robin.” Lucas imagined Eddie biting his hair in that moment.

“Yea baby. We take this at the pace you need. And Robin already knows, which is pretty much the only person I can’t keep a secret from. And I like our little bubble too.” Lucas heard shuffling around, like fabric reaching around itself.

“Yea?”

“Yea. I think I can go a little longer without the twerps making gagging noises every time we kiss. We can wait to tell them we’re together.”

“Hmmmm should we do a practice show right now, to prepare for when we need to freak them out?” Eddie’s voice turned suddenly flirty.

“I like the way you think.” This was the last words Lucas heard before the sounds of the two of them clearly heavily making out came through the doorway. It was at the first moan that Lucas ran away.

Lucas was brought back to reality when Max snapped her fingers in his face. “Want to share with the class loser?”

Oh god, Lucas was gonna throw up at the memory.

It wasn’t the fact that they were men and that they were dating. Lucas was, in fact, really happy for them. He had never thought about it, but in a weird way, it made sense. He wanted them to be happy. And if he was really being honest with himself, he was hoping maybe this would get Max to stop staring at Steve when he doesn’t have a shirt on (a few months later, Lucas would be horribly proven wrong of this theory).

It wasn’t this kissing that made him want to vomit either. Sure, the idea of his older brother figure making out with his dungeon master wasn’t a pleasant thought, but he had witness Mike make out with El, so he was pretty immune to grossness.

No, the problem was Lucas realized with great certainty he was going to have to keep a secret.

He gagged at the thought.

Sure, he could keep a whole other dimension and government conspiracy theory a secret from his parents (and, ya know, the world), but he caved relatively quickly when it came to Max. And Max could tell whenever he was lying. But Lucas wasn’t stupid; he knew you couldn’t just tell other people that someone you know is gay. He didn't know the word for it, maybe there wasn’t one, but Lucas knew what it was like to be different. He didn’t want to make Steve and Eddie feel bad, or cause others to be mean to them. He didn’t think the rest of the party would care about the gay? Bisexual? Queer?—wait, that’s a bad word, Lucas thought—it didn’t matter what specifically, but he didn’t think they would care about the gay stuff—more like Lucas knew his friends. El and Max would have a million, invasive questions. Mike would be a dick, but not for serious reasons. More like “I have weird insecurities” reasons. It would probably be good for Will (again, Lucas isn’t stupid). And Dustin, holy shit, he would most definitely either be pissed he didn’t know sooner, or would rub it in everyone’s face that he made it happen. Both of which Lucas knew would be horrible reactions.

God, he was going to throw up. He was going to lie to his friends. His girlfriend. He couldn’t just share this secret. It would go horrible if he told, it’s not his secret! His stupid, stupid friends (not El and Max) would blow up if it came from him first. And then Eddie and Steve would be upset, he told, and they would think that the party hated them for something out of their control, even though they love them no matter what! And oh god, he’s gonna have to lie so much—

He was spiraling, he needed to calm down.

“Lucas?” Max’s face suddenly softened, like she knew he was having a hard time getting the words together. Lucas looked at her face, and took a couple of seconds to count her freckles but lost track quickly. He didn’t mind; he would to start again later. He followed the laugh lines around her eyes that weren’t there last year, and thought about trying to make her laugh.

Max said nothing as he stared, even as the guys pressed him to answer. It was strange, he was terrified of lying to Max, but he knew deep down she would understand. That she would know he was lying but wouldn’t call him out on it.

“I was eavesdropping and I heard something I can’t erase from my memory. I almost walked in on Steve giving sex advice to Eddie, so I walked away before it got gross. I forgot your ice pack; I’m sorry.” Lucas apologized; he did genuinely feel bad he didn’t succeed on his mission.

The guys started chattering behind him, asking questions and yelling out in disgust, but Max stayed quiet for a second, then said, “It’s okay, stalker. Didn’t have high hopes for you anyway. You always get distracted.”

Lucas sent her a grateful smile, and pretended to be offended. “Are you saying I don’t finish what I’ve started? You should know better, Max.”

Max threw her head back, and full body laughed. She scooped Lucas’ hand and wove her pale fingers between his. “That’s me being nice, Lucas. Don’t go around telling people that. Or I’ll have to up the ante.”

Lucas kissed the back of her hand and whispered, “Maybe I like it when you’re a little mean.”

Max blushed and looked to check if the guys were paying attention (they weren’t; they were still arguing over sex they weren’t having), and leaned over to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. Max didn’t ask any questions even though Lucas knew she knew he was lying.

Lucas didn’t let go of her hand, and quietly hoped that Eddie made Steve feel the way Max made him feel.

He deserved something special like that.

**

I need you guys to know that I had to keep backtracking to correct boys into guys, cause I’m so used to writing from an older persons perspective. But I wanted some steddie and lumax mixed together. And Lucas! Deserves! More! Attention!!!

thank you so much for the ask I had so much fun with this one.

[lilyginnyblackv2]

Buddy Daddies - Episode 6 - Thought Post - SPOILERS!

First, we now know that it is May 27th, so Miri has been with Kazuki and Rei for about 5 months now. We are very squarely in the "several months later" time frame when the opening from Episode 1 would likely have occurred. (Since several is usually viewed as being between 4 - 7). I'm personally thinking that the opening bit from Episode 1 has likely already happened/passed, since Rei seems slightly (only slightly) more attentive, lol.

It's also interesting that the bulletin about the school trip used 父兄 (fukei) instead of 保護者 (hogosha). Both can mean guardians, but 父兄 (fukei) is seen as a bit more outdated and not as all encompassing as 保護者 (hogosha), since fukei is made up of the kanji for "father" and "older brother." It makes me wonder if that little reminder was aimed specifically at Kazuki and Rei, lol.

Also interesting that Kazuki used ママとも (mama-tomo) instead of ママたち (mama-tachi) or something similar when pluralizing and talking about "the other mothers" when saying "Of course, the other mothers all say the same about their kids." It implies that he sees himself in that group rather than outside of it.

I really liked how the focus of this episode was in having a bit more faith in your children (and in how you've gone about raising them) and also how children can behave differently in a school setting than at home. Since I have definitely seen that before with kids when I worked as a teacher. I would mention how well behaved they were or mention something behavior-wise during Parent-Teacher Conferences, and the parents would be surprised, since it was different from their at home behavior.

Taiga was interesting to me, especially because earlier in the episode Kazuki was mentions to Miri that she doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong yet, and many children her age are still learning that and really don't know (also, just realizing that this was said over an image of Rei, highlighting the fact that he is still kind of learning this as well). 

I feel like that was Taiga. We learn later that he is a big Morio Kart fan, but he must have had the impression that the others weren't, so he might have acted out a bit in order to get their attention (the other girls). I had a boy, also named Taiga, who used to behave a bit similarly. He was a big fan of zombies, but none of the other kids were, so he acted out in order to get attention and fit in.

The miscommunication between what actually happened (Miri accidentally hit his hand) vs. one of the caretakers thought a fight had occurred, is a very true and accurate thing as well. Young kids Miri's age can communicate their thoughts and feelings, but they may have a tough time communicating it properly still. 

Like, Miri knew she didn't hit Taiga and that there hadn't been a fight, but she didn't know how to fully explain it to Kazuki, and likely a similar thing happened with the caretaker at the daycare. They eventually got it all straightened out though.

I love, love, love that Rei was the one who read through the notebook at the end. And how he took Miri to school with little complaint. He really is wrapped right around Miri and Kazuki's fingers and will go at their pace, huh (like the lyrics of the OP). But, I also think it highlights the ways in which Rei is becoming more proactive too. He seems more engaged with being an actual parent.

I can't really explain it well here either, but there is something subtle about the writing that really captures and shows how, with each passing episode, they are becoming more and more like a family. Rei and Kazuki's conversation in the car at the end of the episode felt like a very real conversation that parents would have at the end of the day. I felt they did a good job of making Miri and Taiga's friendship feel like a friendship too, and not any kind of 4 year old crush situation (regardless of what Kazuki's overactive imagination might think!)

Last week's episode introduced us to Kazuki's overactive imagination and his flaw of jumping to conclusions, but this week's episode showed how that could negatively impact Miri. I'm glad he has Rei to reel him in, though him imagining Miri as a delinquent girl made me laugh. Though, I am sincerely hoping that Miri turns out to be a lesbian otherwise Kazuki being so overprotective will turn into an issue in the future. Hopefully, Rei will be able to work on that with him over the years.

The above image, of a teen Miri with a teen Taiga also reminds me of an incident when I was working at as a shadow trainer for an ALT at a junior high school in Kawasaki City in Kanagawa Prefecture. The school’s in that area don’t have a great reputation, so while the ALT I was training was teaching a class, I was outside the halls, just going for a little walk. Then I saw two of the students (a boy and a girl) go into the bathrooms together. They had made it clear previously that they were dating, so I just ended up turning around and going in the other direction, because I had zero desire to get involved in any of that - as ALTs you can’t discipline students). 

Rei had some absolutely stellar comedic moments this episode from him asking Miri how the fight went and not caring about the violence (which makes sense given his upbringing). To Kazuki mentioning that Miri got their genes and Rei's reply of "Our what?" (Dude was 100% questioning his understanding of biology and genetics right then), to him adding the "paca" verbal tic at the end of one of his sentences, even after they were out of the mascot outfits, seems he got too in-character, lol. 

His smug expression whenever Miri preferred him was also unexpected but great! 

Oh, also! Before I forget, Miss Anna is a gem and she must have been so worried when she couldn’t find Miri and the others! Anyway, I hope the rest of the field trip was a breeze for her. <3

[returquoise]

ATLALA, aka Avatar the Last Airbender Live Action

Sooooo, I finished the first season and had thoughts (just like everyone else lol). First context, non-spoilery thoughts, and then spoilers under the cut, yadda-yadda.

Why context? Because for a lot of people OG ATLA was their childhood, and they have super strong feelings about it and about any adaptation that exists. I'm not one of those people.

The first time I watched OG ATLA I was over 20 years old, which means I was an adult and had adult viewpoints about the story – worldbuilding, character writing, etc. It was never the hallowed most perfect show ever for me. It was and still is a fucking good show with some amazing writing and worldbuilding but I did have some gripes.

So when ATLALA was announced I remained neutral – I've seen the movie that shall not be named and din't really like it but shitty adaptations have always existed. When we started getting photos and trailers and news pieces, I was feeling pretty positive about the visuals, but neither news pieces or trailers actually tell you shit about what the writing or worldbuilding is like. However, I was about 70% optimistic.

Because what indications I did get about visuals, writing etc, were very reminiscent of another adaptation that had come out recently, about a series that was actually a bit more important to me on an emotional than ATLA. I'm talking about One Piece, and OPLA which came out last August. I've been a fan of that for 10 years longer than ATLA, and while they did a lot of changes, the spirit of the story was there.

So I copied my optimism and good feelings from that, going into ATLALA.

Now, the thoughts.

Visuals are pretty good. There are moments when I can tell they left some visuals out due to trickiness/budget (the "is Zuko's ship real?" review after the premiere). Some things look fake or plasticy, some stuff is too clean. Bending looks a lot better than in the movie that shall not be named.

Writing has issues. Some of it is very expositiony which makes it wooden and the shots uninteresting (there were so many badly framed shots with characters just awkwardly standing and talking). There are some lovely bits of dialogue that gave me feelings, but those moments were in the minority. And some writing choices were also quite childish, even for an adaptation of a kids' cartoon, so I'm a bit confused about the intended age demographic – except there are some really violent bits in there, which leave me even more confused.

Pacing was either frantic or okay-ish. The writers clearly had trouble paring down the OG series, and then ended up cramming stuff together. I could keep up with it (knowing what certain characters roughly meant for the plot, even if they were at a different place and time), but I'm not quite sure if someone uninitiated in the OG series could. The last 2 episodes had probably the best pacing and even then there were some things that made me go "hmmm."

Some actors have issues emoting – main and extras. I agree that the Gaang has lost some of their flaws compared to the OG series. Maybe some of them will make more of an appearance in season two when everyone's more experienced at acting? Especially considering that they'll likely have stuff more spaced out there – there are some episodes I'm pretty sure they'll outright skip, just based on the choices in this season. But we'll see. There were some fun and interesting bonding moments between different characters.

Sokka, Zuko, and Suki were the standouts from the younger cast. Suki is considerably different from the OG but it was acted and written well, and is an interesting choice. Sokka's quips, while not as numerous as in the OG, were fun. Physical comedy is obviously more toned down because real bodies can't do the same shit as cartoons. More about his arc choices later. Zuko was a bit toned down from the OG but IMO also the closest to it. And as someone who's almost finished with a Zuko AU fanfic, I was positively cackling due to the fact that some of the choices made for the character are similar to something I've done in my fic.

As for the rest of the main kids, there'll be more in the spoiler bits, BUT, they're different, and feel less experienced in acting. They're not bad but some choices were definitely different than in the show and they offer interesting opportunities. We'll see how they pan out, but be prepared for some speculation from me.

Fight scenes sometimes had IMO slow moments in the choreo, and they could have been better. Some were excellent, some a bit ehhh.

On the whole, I think this is about 7 out of 10. Some moments were 8 out of 10. It's a passable adaptation

Spoilery thoughts waaaay down.

Whoo boy. Where to start here?

Let's start with the cramming. As far as I can tell from my notes, the episodes are roughly divided like so:

EP1: 3,5 and bits (Boy in the Iceberg, Avatar Returns, Southern Air Temple, half of the Storm, bits of Avatar and the Fire Lord)

EP2: 1 and bits (Warriors of Kyoshi, part of Waterbending Scroll)

EP3: 3 halves (King of Omashu, Jet, Northern Air Temple)

EP4: 1, 4 halves and bits (King of Omashu, Jet, Northern Air Temple, Cave of Two Lovers, half of Winter Solstice P1, bits of the Avatar Day,)

EP5: 2 halves and pieces of 3 (half of Winter Solstice P1, half of Bato of the Water Tribe, part of Southern Raiders, part of the Library, part of Siege of the North) AND timeskip mention of the Great Divide and the pirates from Waterbending Scroll

EP6: 2, two halves and bits (Winter Solstice P2, Blue Spirit, half of Bato of the Water Tribe half of the Storm, part of Siege of the North)

EP7: 2 (Waterbending Master, Siege of the North)

EP8: 2 and pieces (Siege of the North, Return to Omashu, bits of Northern Air Temple, part of the Library)

Waterbending Scroll is a bit of throughline because you see moments of training in pretty much all of the episodes.

Episode 1 was very full, and felt rushed at times. There were a few places where they could have shortened some parts (like the earthbender spy scene at the start) to give more time for other stuff. Biggest gripes are the convenience of timing – Aang going off to clear his head only for everyone to die that very night. HOWEVER, me and my friends talked about it being likely Spirit shenanigans going "fuck, Air Nomads are gonna die now, we need to deepfreeze the Avatar for storage." We also concluded that the sudden current of Sokka and Katara finding Aang was either physics we don't understand, or Spirit shenanigans. Also the thing about all the Air Nomads coming over for the Great Comet festival? And then having so few of them on screen? Sorry, but I ain't buying it. Having such a sparse population in one temple I could have bought (with caveats) but adding in the gathering, nah.

Episode 2, Sokka-Suki was beautiful. I think it works even with the removed downplaying of girls capabilities (this change also brought some other stuff to Sokka I absolutely adored in later episodes but I'll talk about that when I start ranting about the characters). This was pretty close to the OG episode in many ways and I really don't have other problems with it, besides the somewhat childish end discussion about hope and shit with Aang and Suki's mom (Suki having a badass mom is fun). Manifesting Avatars and being able to talk to them only at their shrines will be an interesting take on stuff. Because that will affect some stuff on later seasons and I'm not sure how.

(And considering how scared Aang is of the Avatar State this early on, we might end up skipping the Avatar State in the next season. At least partially. Because we did get a lot of info now.)

That's a very full itinerary and it was hardest to follow at eps 3-4 because there were so many things going on. Jet's and the Mechanist's conflicting storylines made for an interesting drama (though, again, hard to follow) and gave Sokka and Katara something to do – which they didn't really have in the OG Omashu episode, which was what Aang was mostly dealing with here. In my opinion these two episodes didn't get a proper handling, because they're one of the few instances were we get people from the Earth Kingdom doing questionable shit, but we don't really discuss it. And while everyone know marketing is a mistake (it makes no one happy), considering that this series was trying to sell itself as a more mature take, that feeling is left kinda lacking in regards to Jet and the Mechanist. I do appreciate Bumi being fucking bitter, like Yass, you go king, as well as the bit with the Earth Kingdom soldiers speaking of grief and mistreating Iroh. That complexity is what was left lacking with Jet and the Mechanist, and how Katara and Sokka dealt with that emotionally. Also loved Zuko getting hit by a broom and Iroh taking the fall for him. The Zuko-Zhao alliance was an interesting angle to take (after messing it up pfft) and establishing early that Azula is a master infiltrator? I liked that move, also the fact that there are Fire Nation rebels. Although I fucking loved the quick fake marriage.

5 and 6, despite being about as full if not fuller, were weaven together really well in my opinion. My biggest gripe with that two episode storyline was how the Fire Sage Shyu-Aang team-up was done – not that it was any better in the OG to be fair but it is more jarring in live action. I just about died at the 41st twist because holy shit that's an amazing angst take and I appreciate it so much. And while we do get Aang planting an acorn, it feels like a really small moment and I think the Hei Bai issue should have got a bit more attention as the episode was resolved. Koh was fucking terrifying and the appearance of Wan Shi Tong – and in the last two episodes the appearance of the celestial objects calendar machine, as well as the fact that Zhao got his dirt on Tui and La from a Fire Sage – leads me to believe we won't be getting the Library episode next season.

(The only way I can see Return to Omashu happening is if it's remixed with Imprisoned which was totally left out of this season, or we get the important info aka neutral Jing info all from the Swamp, or from a letter Bumi sent. I personally think Return to Omashu-Imprisoned remix is more likely, just so we can prep Teo and the Mechanist for the Day of the Black Sun which we saw flashing by on the celestial objects machine just before we finally got the confirmation that Sozin's Comet is still a thing. Although The Avatar State could also be remixed into this in a sort of "yes, Earth Kingdom needs to free Bumi etc but I can't do it in Avatar State, we need to be smart.")

Episodes 7 and 8 were pretty chill in pacing issues. I thought Yue was a bit too quick in warming up to Sokka but considering how it was explained I can accept it. Also, the fact that Tui and La are intelligent enough to not be fish 24/7/365 is a change that makes sense although the whole Ice Moon (is it the local Halloween?) thing was very out of left field. Women joining the fight was a wild update and definitely more of a modern take than an early 2000s take. Do I have other thoughts? Sure, but I don't want to write bajillion essays and I just want a general overview in one post.

Zuko is, like I said, a standout. Absolutely love his conspiracy board, and as someone who writes a fic with a more scholarly inclined Zuko, I loved him being able to draw, being the foremost Avatar expert in the world (you can't tell me there can be more than one or two people out there who know more than Zuko at this point, look at his research), and having opinions about calligraphy brushes. Ugh, my heart. There's some absolutely wonderful acting happening and he does action really well. Is he a bit less explosive than in the OG? Sure, but one must remember, that adaptations are just licensed fanfics. His abuse background is in the performance, and my biggest question is the Agni Kai. There was a certain desperation in his face, so he must have wanted to make an impression on Ozai, and maybe felt a bit more like he had the right to it – as this show made it clear he had been invited in the War Council and did not needle his way in. Also the 41st twist oh holy smokes I just about screamed. His flaw is still anger and trouble thinking plans through.

Azula (her bangs in the flashback crack me up, was that her emo phase?) is more obviously affected by Ozai's games in this. I know OG Azula has loads of fans and there are loads of deep dives into her character and abuse and etc, but this is actually the first time her writing has made it obvious to me. She's still cold and calculating, but she's affected by more things and that makes her into a more approachable character for me. I know many fans got this from the OG portrayal so I know this is a me thing.

Sokka is another standout. I saw an interview where the actor was like "I tried to interject and ad lib humour where I could" and I appreciate it, because a lot of them made me cackle. There was some really good humour there. As for his arc and conflict; I think it's really interesting that he tries to live up to his dad's image of a warrior, and doing it very much out of duty. It isn't so much that he wants to be a warrior, but he wants to be good enough and I think that came through wonderfully. He can be a warrior, but it ain't his passion. It also offers very interesting bonding possibilities and parallels with Zuko. My heart broke at that ice-dodging scene in episode 5, as well as his heart-to-heart with Katara in episode 4 (fucking SIBLING LOVE TRIUMPHS). Also absolutely loved the fact that he supported Katara being a warrior in the North. His flaws in the OG are self-esteem issues (nailed here), and a certain level of arrogance, that affected his attitude towards girls at times. The latter has been removed but considering it only lasted until episode 4 in the OG series anyway, I don't see it as a terribly big deal. We can still get his "it'll totally work out this way" arrogant moment at pretty much any point in the story in the future.

Katara has trouble emoting. I don't know how much experience her actor has with acting, but I hope she gets better with practice. There are some very nice bonding moments she has with Sokka and Aang that bring emotion out, but she's very stone faced a lot of the time. One could read it as a symptom of seeing her mother being literally burned alive but that depends on how her arc is written in future seasons, and how it's acted. I really like the parallel with Sokka, of him trying to be a warrior out of duty, while Katara wants to be that and has trouble getting the opportunity to do so. This came out really well in episode 4. The fact that she was made a fucking commander of sorts at North was amazing moment of proving to her that she can be, that she is, a warrior. I'm kinda sad her temper has been left out of the writing, because with her being a self-taught water bender (which I'm okay with because we see her practising every fucking episode) there's a threat of her sliding into so-called Mary Sue territory. Hopefully Toph's inclusion brings her temper out next season. She's also missing some of her naiveté, although having a crush on the first good looking outsider (with fucking mirrored shots) just like her brother is hilarious.

Aang is... to mature. He gets a lot of really good and morally and ethically right speeches, and while he expresses that he's scared and doesn't know what he's doing, it still feels too mature. He also doesn't have that many dumbass child moments (what was that episode he just went "oops" in, that was funny and felt childlike, and then there was the water fight he had with Katara). It could be because we're going through stuff so fast but it'll be hard to fix later. I kinda like how his connection with Katara is being the last of their kind and loss – and then the small really good acting in ep7 when Katara says stewed sea prunes taste like home, and you can just see him go "oh, there's still someplace she can belong to, unlike me." I loved his calligraphy brush discussion with Zuko, because there was the beginnings of a bond there. As a friend said, it's nice they removed the Disney princess like love at first sight thing from the OG. If this turns into a romance (I have thoughts on that... later) I feel like it has a better chance to grow organically. No, I never shipped Kataang, please refer to the context part of this post.

Suki had a fun isolated, but curious, and socially awkward vibe to her. She's obviously different from the OG, but it's a fun and interesting difference, as the most characterisation we ever got for her was badass. Yue was interesting, more assertive and playful, which I liked. I also liked the fact that she had obvious duties and was expected to be the next chief. Even if the Northern Water Tribe sexism was kept, this felt like it added some dimension to it. June flirting with Iroh was hilarious, enough said. Mai and Ty Lee are blanks of wood. Their writing, and the direction they were given was horrible, and they're a prime example of that awkward standing and bad framing issue I mentioned way earlier. Ty Lee could have at least been bending herself into a pretzel, and Mai could have been using a knife to dig stuff from under her nails or something. I hope they get better writing and direction in the future.

Iroh was honestly pretty enjoyable. There were some moments of skilled evasive answering, but I was left missing him saying that Zuko was like a son to him. They do have really good chemistry though and you can see the care between the characters. I hated the long monologue at the end of episode 6, that felt very much beneath whatever target audience they were aiming for, and failed show not tell. Not perfect but can improve. Also, that one part where they played Leaves on the Vine, I almost died.

Ozai being a manipulative, abusive game addict is different but offers him some agency and motivation besides megalomania, which I appreciate. He had a peculiar expression when he burned Zuko, and that smells like hidden lore to me.

That's probably every character I feel like addressing at this point. However, I did mention romance in Aang's section, and I have to agree with the other whispers on the net. The fucking scarf scene. At this point, it's more likely for this show to be Zutara than Kataang IMO. BUT before people go and blow up about it, some points; cartoons offer more leeway in visual age differences, I feel like they would need to extend ATLALA plot line to last several years (instead of like, 9 months it's in the OG) to make it visually make sense. The Fortuneteller (as well as Katara's obsession with love?), and Aang's love at first sight have all been written out. Cave of Two Lovers was used for sibling love on the first season, and we ain't visiting that location again, not with how efficiently we did pretty much all of the Omashu stuff this season. Most of the Kataang iconic moments have been left out deliberately. Does this mean we'll get Zutara? Of course not, but due to the scarf scene, as well as that rivals thing they have going (we literally have two fights between Zuko and Katara this season, and the water sprout she used to thwart his fireball in episode one, and if that isn't a traditional beginning of a rivalry, nothing is), it's certainly more likely at this point than Kataang.

But we'll see, just like with everything else. It's an okay start, it's far from perfect, but it does offer new viewpoints that I find fascinating.

What's in the future.

I already explained my Return to Omashu-Imprisoned-Avatar State mash-up idea above, and that we'll likely miss the Library. I also think Avatar Day will be left out. I do however think, that we'll get the Deserter next season. We also need a way for Aang to learn about the Comet coming again and if Library is out (and probably also the Desert), best chances are IMO the Swamp or the Fortuneteller (remixing those two together is also possible). Or maybe Yeong Yeong has spies and they tell him about the Comet and he tells the Gaang. I also think they'll be foreshadowing/setting up White Lotus a bit more than we got in the OG.

I don't quite have my thought together enough to make any other guesses, but we will get Toph, Ba Sing Se, and Azula's Mean Girls Squad, but no clue yet how they'll be remixed. Season 2 has a much clearer timeline structure, whereas season 1 had a lot of episodic stuff that doesn't timeline wise offer too many roadblocks for remixes, as we saw with what they did with Omashu.

I think that's about everything I can think off. If you have comments, please be nice. This was mostly rambling, and tin foil hat baiting.

[avelera]

Ugh, popped on Twitter to geek out about the Wheel of Time S2 and immediately find a bunch of WoT dudebro fans complaining that a 15 book series of 800+ pages each isn’t getting the exact word for word adaption that exists inside their heads when they read the books. And let me remind you all, these books were my life, my first fandom, and basically my personality pretty much from when I first read them in 1999 until Robert Jordan died (alas, I read to the end but Brandon Sanderson never quite captured the magic of RJ’s writing for me again, even if I think he did the best job anyone possibly could.)

So let me just say from a place of deep respect and obsession with these books that any hate for the show based on it not being a page for page adaptation is patently insane. Much of Wheel of Time relies on the strengths of prose which are untranslatable to a visual medium. Stuff like how magic (or the One Power) feels to cast makes up a huge proportion of the book. You can externally portray a feeling, sure, but there are still limits.

They forget that Book 1 was written to be standalone and has a ton of inconsistencies with later books that need to be shored up. That means logistical changes which cause necessary alterations almost all of which have actually been massive improvements in my mind. For all my love of Wheel of Time, its pacing is atrocious and I think even RJ would agree that if he could go back with the whole story in mind and edit it to be more streamlined, he absolutely would have. The show HAS to do that or we’d still be in the goddamn Two Rivers with the book pacing.

Centering the first season on the White Tower and Moiraine’s POV makes sense. The book relied on Moiraine being a Gandalf figure that gave information away at the pace of reader reveals, in tiny drips meant to tantalize a slow-paced book’s reader. That would be immensely frustrating for a tv show viewer of a story set in a sprawling fantasy world that needs tons of explanation and world building up front to have any idea what’s going on. Focusing on Moiraine, who has the answers, instead of sticking to the ignorance of the kids isn’t just a good choice it’s very nearly the only choice you can make. The White Tower is one of the most complex and interesting parts of that world. Centering it and introducing it earlier was an incredibly wise choice.

Other smaller choices make sense too if people thought about it for two seconds. Aging up the kids makes sense. They’re teens in the books and it would be incredibly awkward on screen. But once you age them up, it makes sense that at least ONE of them has been married before. Perrin makes SENSE to have been married if he left Two Rivers later. He’s a responsible guy with a good trade and a level head on his shoulders. He’s sweet and caring and mature. Of course he got married, he’s from a small farming community in a medieval-esque world with shorter life expectancies. Furthermore, I love Perrin to death but his obsessive fear of hurting Faile later is frankly ungrounded in anything that isn’t benign misogyny on some level. It doesn’t update and translate well on its own. Giving him Laila, giving him the manner of Laila’s death grounds his later attitudes towards Faile so well I literally gasped when I put it all together.

Other changes like in S2 having Min and Mat meet the way they do in Tar Valon was genius. It matters more that Mat and Min have rapport than that they meet in the same circumstances as the book (and Mat wouldn’t even remember that meeting anyway lol). The rapport set up and the way it showed Mat’s genius and con artistry was brilliant. Showing these characters LIKE each other was incredibly engaging and endearing which is so important because the adaptation has to be enjoyable to non book readers too, especially since the 15, 800+ page books of meandering pacing are pretty much impenetrable to new readers. Book readers simply can’t make up the majority of the audience, there’s not enough of them to sustain a show with any kind of budget which WOT requires. Thus, it needs to be an enjoyable show in its own right, not just a meandering exact adaptation ffs.

I can literally point to any show change and say it was either logical, practical, thematic, or simply genius. Wheel of Time desperately needs an edit to be accessible to modern audiences. What an adaptation prioritizes is always a risk that’s going to be run for a fan of the original material but so far I’ve been wildly impressed by every choice made in how logical or thoughtful and most of all loving it was to the actual important emotions and themes of the book. Any complainers are seriously missing the point of what an adaptation even is.

[lilislegacy]

(This gets a little rant-y sorry!)

I just saw the post that somebody said about Annabeth and Percy dropping out of college and I totally see that.

Something that I see a lot, especially in fanfiction, is people forgetting that these 2 are neurodivergent and severely traumatized.

College is really hard. In general, for a neurotypical person, it would be difficult.

I'm writing this from an autistic, dyslexic, adhd, ptsd point of view. College is really fucking hard.

I've seen fics where people will talk about how they'll be taking 4-5 classes per semester. That's not really possible for them.

I have been taking one class a semester, and it is excruciating.

Granted, I do not go to New rome University, which is mainly demigods. So it might be tailored differently to how most demigods learn, but still, college is really difficult.

I could definitely see them trying college but taking it at a substantially lower pace than normal.

Like the original ask said, they might just drop out because it would be too much of a mental load.

Especially because of how soon the turnaround is from their severe trauma (tartarus) and them going to college. Even if they tried their best, they wouldn't do well. (This is also me speaking from experience. When I was going through stuff in high school, it made my gpa drop like a brick.)

I'm just tired of people acting like the only symptoms of their trauma is bad dreams and that their only symptoms of their adhd and dyslexia are "oh squirrel!" And not being able to read.

(Sorry for ranting. This is just kind of a sore subject for me. Especially recently, I have had to deal with some ableism from my professor, and I'm looking into transferring to a different college because of it)

thanks for the ask @invadericee!

i totally see where you’re coming from. college is really really hard on its own. being dyslexic, adhd, and traumatized does not help.

however, i really do not believe that they would drop out. the biggest reason being they are both so determined to get though it. and when those two are determined, nothing is stopping them.

you also have to remember that new rome university doesn’t just accommodate for kids like them. the university is made specially for people like them. most everyone there has adhd. most everyone there has dyslexia. and many of them have ptsd. and likely, the teachers and staff are demigods. so they are the same way, and therefore know how to teach in a way that actually works for them. also, new rome university is a very very small college, so the students would get a lot of one-on-one time with professors and counselors, etc. so i don’t believe their learning disabilities will hurt them very much there, because the entire system is built around them having those learning disabilties. you know?

but i completely agree with you that i don’t like how people downplay their trauma a lot. and rick riordan himself is the biggest suspect of this. in chalice of the gods, percy and annabeth are mainly just happy to be alive and having a good time, and percy only makes one passing remark about his mental state not being great. and i get why rick didn’t dive into it - he wanted the book to just be happy and silly and enjoyable. but still, i wish he would show how they’re coping a little bit more. in the bits i’ve seen of TSATS, sally mentions how percy and annabeth have horrible nightmares, which probably means percy wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. but like you said, ptsd isnt just nightmares. and adhd and dyslexia aren’t just cute little issues either. now, i will say, i don’t think their adhd is the same kind you and i have. theirs is more hyperactivity than anything. and while most people with adhd struggle with not being able to focus on one thing, i think with them it’s more that they are constantly focused on a million things (becasue that keeps them alive.) i don’t know why it matters, but i just felt like giving my thoughts on that lol.

i don’t even know what my point is anymore. basically i don’t think college will be as hard for them as you think, but i agree with you on everything else 😂

[arctickat2400]

Left Behind ∞ Damon Salvatore

Damon Salvatore x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1,252

Request: Idk if you’re accepting requests but I really love the things you write so here I am! Could you please write some Damon Salvatore x female reader? Something with a lot of angst and comfort, I was thinking of something around the time when Damon finds out that his mother is alive and she just chose to leave him behind when he was a little kid, just searching for some comfort in the reader please? 

Notes/Warnings: Quote from show (not my quote - credit to show), violent outbursts (no one gets hurt physically), comfort, Damon is 178 like in the show, I wrote it from the top of my head without many notes so proceed with caution (lol)

* * * *

The sound of glass shattering against the wall prompted you to drop your book and rush downstairs to see Damon pacing around the living room, his hands pulling at his hair in frustration. 

“Damon, what happened? What’s going on?” You shuddered at the sight of your distressed boyfriend. Damon turned to you, looking back on the conversation he never wanted to remember ever again. 

“You look exactly the same as you did 172 years ago.” Was the first thing Damon said the moment he laid on his very much alive mother. All this time he thought she was dead. Turns out, she’s been alive and never came to find him.

“I have a really good skin-care routine,” Lillian deadpanned. 

“After all this time, why’d you never come back for us sooner?” Damon wondered, fearing the answer. Why else would she have stayed away for so long?

“Because, Damon, I never wanted you in the first place. I chose to leave because I had more important matters to attend to,” Lillian admitted as if it was the most normal thing to say to a person. Damon felt like a dagger had pierced right through his heart. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The person who he thought left because they had no choice had actually left because they wanted to. The person who he thought loved him the most never really loved him at all. 

“She walked out on me. That’s all there is to it,” Damon confessed like it was nothing before he turned without another word and walked out the door. 

Your heart broke for the love of your life. You knew what he was talking about. Just a few hours ago, Damon had left after finding out his mother was alive. He’d told you where he was going and was gone within seconds. You hadn’t known when to expect him back, but you knew something was seriously wrong the moment you heard the glass shatter. 

You sighed, deciding to give him some space. You took a broom from the hall closet to clean up the glass and a towel to wash up the splattered bourbon. Throwing the towel in the wash and the glass in the trash, you strolled outside to find your boyfriend. 

“What’re you doing?” You found Damon sitting on the front steps of the Salvatore House. You leaned against the doorframe behind him, crossing your arms over your chest, waiting. All you wanted to do was be there for him, listen, and make sure he knows he’s not alone in his sorrows. 

“Looking at the stars, listening to the Universe laugh at me.” Damon expressed nonchalantly. He couldn’t believe that after all these years, his entire life, he believed that his mother was dead, that she left not of her own will. He guessed he didn’t know his mother as well as he thought. All the stories he was told, lies. It wasn’t that she had to go. He was just unwanted, left behind. 

You move from inside to walk down the stairs and sit on the grass in front of Damon. You sat with a bit of room in between you both, knowing about Damon’s random outbursts. You sit with your legs stretched out in front of you, one crossed over the other with your hands intertwined in your lap as you gaze up at him. Your expressed was filled with many emotions: adoration that never ceases for your darling boyfriend, worry for what was going through his head and what he was going through, concern for what he might do in response to this horrible, heartbreaking news he just discovered, and patience in waiting to take care of him in any way possible. 

“How could I be so stupid?” Damon howled, raising his voice suddenly, standing in exasperation. You jumped slightly, but not enough for him to notice. “I mean, I really thought-” He paused, cutting himself off with a defeated chuckle. It was no use, he figured. Why grieve over someone who never grieved him? He’s spent his entire life doing so. Now that he knows the truth, there was no point in continuing. 

Damon bowed his head in defeat, sighing, and you gazed up at him with an expression of sweet sympathy. He stood there on the stair step, one hand placed on his hip and the other on the back of his neck as he contemplated. 

He looked up at you, then. You waited for his reaction, watched for his next move. What you didn’t expect, though, was when Damon descended the last few stairs and stopped in front of you. He gestured for you to spread your legs before he turned and placed himself between them. He reclined back to lay his head on your lap and you leaned back on one hand while guiding your fingers to brush through his hair comfortingly. 

“I’m sorry,” Damon apologized to you, gazing up into your eyes. Although, he had nothing to apologize for. “I didn’t know what to think when I heard she was alive. And when she told me she-” But you couldn’t let him go on. You could see the gears spinning in his head, the struggles and the negative thoughts. You knew what he was thinking. They were thoughts that were certainly not new to your empathetic ears, and they were thoughts that you always tried your hardest to apprehend, to keep them from his mind, to make sure he knew they weren’t true.

“Shh,” You placed your finger over his lips gently, locking eyes with a sweet smile. You brush your hand over his cheek, stroking your thumb over his forehead soothingly. “It’s okay, baby. I hate that you had to go through that. She had no right to do what she did. She was never meant to be a mother if she felt it was okay to leave behind such a precious little boy. But I need you to know that even when you feel alone, I will always be here. I will never leave you behind because I love you and I always will,” You smiled down at him. 

Damon didn’t think he could love you more than he did at this moment. He wanted to engrain this moment in his mind. He wanted to memorize everything about you because it was you that made this moment so special. You were so human, so mundane, the way you touched him so gently, the way you didn’t care about a single thing because all you wanted to do was make sure he was okay. He knew that with you, he would be. 

Damon flipped himself over and lifted himself up onto his hands and knees as he gently guided you to lay down beneath him. He moved up to hover over you, placing his hand on your cheek with the most love filled gaze in his eyes. He bent down and pressed a passionate kiss to your lips until you could feel all the love and appreciation he felt for you. 

“You are the best thing to ever happen to me. I hope you know that,” Damon chuckled sweetly, his forehead leaning against yours. Who knew he could be so soft?

Damon slid back down to lay between your legs again. He placed a kiss on your tummy before laying his head there, wrapping his arms around your waist. You tangled your fingers in his hair while Damon revels in the comfort he finds in your embrace. 

[chaotic-neutral-knitter]

tagged by @bizarrelittlemew and @krakenteacups! thank you!!

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? no, but someone is named after me (accidentally) (it still counts though) 😌

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Tuesday

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? nope! never will.

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED? high school cross country and tennis. I did run a half marathon a few years ago, but got injured and I haven't run much since.

DO YOU USE SARCASM? yes but I have a compulsive need to explain inside jokes to people who weren't there for it and that also extends to clarifying whether or not I'm being sarcastic in situations where it may be ambiguous, so uh, yes with conditions lol.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? height! I am one of the shortest people in my extended family so I thought I was short my whole life and then I moved out of the midwest and I'm slightly taller than average here and it's WEIRD. every time someone older than me is shorter than me a part of my brain is still like "wait that's illegal"

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR? very pale hazel-y green

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? happy endings.

ANY TALENTS? compensating for my terrible short term memory by being VERY good at optimizing/streamlining/self-checking processes. this is very useful for all the pipetting I do. predicting murder mystery plots (solely based on story pacing, not clues) so well it irritates my partner. interpreting between friends with different communication styles.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? wouldn't you like to know, weather boy

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? writing, knitting, getting my partner to watch shows I have already watched, d&d, baking, spinning (sort of).

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? one cat and two step-cats.

HOW TALL ARE YOU? 170 cm / 5'7''

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? biochemistry, writing/English,

DREAM JOB? recently went through a whole personal crisis about defining myself by my career and realized I really just want a job that is emotionally neutral. if my job is tremendously personally important to me, that's very stressful! I just want to go to work, be useful, and then go home to the rest of my life. what I'm actually doing isn't that important. what I like doing is solving problems for other people, and you can do that in a lot of different ways. currently I'm doing that with recombinant protein engineering, but like... when I worked at a soft-serve ice cream shop in high school I was also pretty happy solving the problem of "not having ice cream" by serving people ice cream. the only issue with that job was that they only paid me $7.25/hr.

I'm tagging @emi--rose @neonpigeons @oatmilktruther @triflesandparsnips @veeagainsttheday @chocolatepot and @werewolf-transgenderism (sorry if you've already done it and I missed it!) and anyone else who wants to!

[death-himself]

ok season finale thoughts

THANK GOD they put in Luke training Percy, honestly that's a change I really like. The medium of film allows you to do flashbacks like that, and that's a really good change. they had me worried but thank god

I started checking how long things were for this episode to determine how I felt about pacing, the Ares fight was roughly 6 minutes long. For a 40 minute episode I think that's decent, but I still wish it were longer

the entire fight I thought they were on the beach in CA, so I was very confused when the Montauk cabin was there until later in the ep T-T

thinking about it though, the pearls teleporting them to Montauk is a nice change, especially since this Poseidon explicitly cares more about Sally

why were annabeth and grover trying to argue to keep the bolt?? that just...did I misread that scene what the fuck why

I guess it was just because they were worried about percy dying but like, it felt weird

that first shot of olympus, just incredible, loved that

the throne room...kind of underwhelming

BUT i paused for like 5 minutes counting the thrones, there are 11 and then a HEARTH FOR HESTIA I CANT I LOVE THAT

hestia gives away her throne to dionysus, so it doesn't make much sense, but since dionysus is at camp most of the time I think that works. plus I just love hestia so no complaints about that

Zeus is the first god to actually feel like a god, wish Hades also felt that way, but loved Zeus

rest in peace Lance Reddick, he was perfect in my opinion, I think it'll be hard to top him

the switch to Ancient Greek was cool, also really appreciated that they used the proper pronunciation of the gods' names (at least I think it's the proper pronunciation)

the throne room scene felt very similar to the book, so I'm pretty happy with it

they changed annabeth's hairstyle the second she got to camp lol

the aphrodite and athena cabins saw her come back alive and was like "awright time for a makeover" she was there for like 20 minutes max

I know a lot of people have been talking about how dark the show is, but as someone who hasn't been having that problem, the fireworks made those shots look so cool

I really hope people having that problem are also able to see in that scene, because the lighting is just so nice

AND THEY DID THE FUCKIN THING AGAIN Percy figuring out Luke so quickly, I got so mad, can this kid be tricked once

ok, how I would've done that scene so it's still somewhat the same but more interesting: they start going over the lines in the prophecy, they reach the betrayal line, queue a slow look of realization from Percy, swelling dramatic music, then maybe have Luke realize Percy's figuring it out and he trips Percy to the ground and pull out the scorpion

fuck the tell don't show thing they're doing, Percy didn't have to outright say, "o you stole the bolt" WALKER'S A GREAT ACTOR have him have that look of realization with the audience, he's shown he has the acting skills to pull that off really damn well

anyway Luke's "I'm here to recruit line" was my favorite part of that scene, that line felt scary

and I know they were probably going for a parallel of them training in the woods earlier vs actually fighting each other, but that didn't really feel necessary to be honest, we didn't really need that fight scene

and Annabeth revealing herself and Luke visibly panicking, I liked that too

this scene had a lot of cool things, but the way we got to that was disappointing

dionysus straight up not realizing percy's name wasn't peter wasn't funny to me at first, but now I'm realizing he was probably trolling so I can get behind that scene lol

that man definitely knew percy's real name and has always been actively choosing not to use it

they changed Annabeth's hair again, I'm in love. so ready for her to have a different hairstyle every season

that dream sequence felt a little unnecessary and it confused me a bit, but I'm alright with it

sally writing down everything kronos is saying in his dreams, love that

how they killed off gabe is exactly how I was expecting them to after watching the first couple episodes. and him wanting to pick the lock after Sally changed them makes him even worse. Having him try to do that along with looking through a package not addressed to him, PLUS him not even living there anymore. All that shittiness put right before him turning to stone definitely made it feel deserved

I came away from this episode not entirely satisfied, but content. This episode felt the most book-accurate to me, both events-wise and tonally. And I think that's because the chapters it's based off are the most serious in the book, so with the new tone the show's taking, it fits right in

I'm gonna make another post about my thoughts on the season overall, but I think I'm gonna rewatch the whole thing first

[femmesandhoney]

Hey, I saw you mentioned the Thalia casting for the pjo show. I’ve never seen anyone else on radblr mention pjo, so I was very excited to see I’m not the only one who likes it! I’m more of a crypto/lurker here, but I thought I’d say hi anyway!

I think they cast a great Thalia, and I’m excited to see what Tamara Smart will bring to the character, especially when they get to season three. Idk about you, but I think the casting thus far for most of the characters has been spot on, and specifically the main trio are phenomenal and perfect for their roles! But I think the writers made so many mistakes with things they changed in season one, so I’m not super optimistic I’ll be thrilled with any plot changes they make to season two.

Sorry if this is a bit awkward, but I just wanted to say hi and get your thoughts about the show and pjo in general, because I’ve never seen anyone else in this corner of tumblr mention it before :)

The casting for the show is hands down the best part of it, every character nails their roles. In particular, me and my best friend agreed Grover (Aryan) was actually the standout of the main trio so far. So excited to see how Tamara portrays Thalia next especially, since shes so important. Absolutely fantastic performances all around tho! I think about Clarisse in episode two when she screams after Percy breaks her lance all the time, it was soooo freaking chilling, just small things that show the entire cast is making up for any weaknesses the writing had in season one lol. There were def things they changed or left out that weren't my fav, but still held enough spirit of pjo for me to relax and hold out hope for future seasons. I believe I read that the writers took note of the season one critiques, so fingers crossed some of the pacing is fixed and hopefully (major hope) more episodes or longer episode lengths for the next season pleasssseeeee that would fix most of the issues people had!

But I won't lie the show adding some new scenes was super fun and fresh of them, like the chair in the tunnel of love where Walker and Leah acted their butts off and had me and my best friend in complete shock as we watched. Or the scenes w Ares and Grover! That was so freaking fun and a cool way to develop Grovers char more. So I do like the changes the writers have made, but sometimes their lack of inclusion of stuff is where it gets tricky and upsetting for future plot points.

I've been a pjo fan since it was the book series that actually made me fall in love w reading as a kid. Fun fact, i borrowed my friends sea of monsters book while he read the lightning thief, and I loved it so much that i devoured the next four books, and ended up reading the lightning thief last! its just that good of a series lol, so fun and engaging especially as a young kid diving into the world. so its super nostalgic for me, but admittedly my bestie is the one who remembers the books far better than me. she'd be like oh this is that monster or oh they left this out and i was like what 💀?? oh right! i gotta do a speed reread or something lmao, but im glad the show was well received and hopefully inspires more kids to pick up the books and enjoy reading.

I read all the classic YA books as a kid so truly I have an opinion on mostly all of them except a select few, but I also read these things in like middle school so they're not as fresh in my mind so if you want more specific opinions you can ask lol, but hopefully this was an enjoyable ramble

[danganronpa96]

did you have any scrapped ideas for Dr69 like scrapped characters and stuff?

Man it took me a while to remember all the scrapped stuff for DR69 but I think I have a good list of things.

First, there are actually a few scrapped characters that never made it into DR69's cast.

The most interesting scrapped character in my opinion would have to be Hat Kid (a hat in time). She was in fact meant to be the protagonist! However, since they canonically don't speak (as in a silent protagonist) I didn't know if it was possible to even use them (especially for trials) so she was replaced with silly lovely Luigi

I had also planned to add Dr. Robotnik/Eggman (sonic), Marie (splatoon) and Isabelle (animal crossing) but only decided against it as I knew next to nothing about each game's respective lore (esp sonic which I thought fans would get mad at me for lol)

Additionally, Greg Heffley (diary of a wimpy kid) was going to be a character, a potential killer at that, but was scrapped due to me being unsure how to really display him in the fic. After all, his only two versions are a flat drawing and his depiction in the films (and at the time I was iffy on using live action characters, you can see that has changed hehe)

Matt Major (parappa anime) and Cricket (warioware) were both going to be added as I really liked those two at the time. However they were both rejected as I thought they were too obscure (and Cricket was replaced with Ashley as I thought she was more well known being in smash, generally the most popular character from warioware, and since I liked her as well). Of course lucky Matt made in into UDG69 although we know the current fate of that fic (rip) Next, here's some scrapped story/scene ideas that never made it into DR69:

Originally, I had actually planned Mario to be revealed more villainous when exposed as the ch1 killer. Yeah, the whole "Mario is evil" shebang where he actually only cared about himself and murdered just to get out, and Luigi having to deal with the revelation his brother was a terrible person the entire time. I'm don't remember 100% why I changed it, but I'm kinda glad I did. I feel like Luigi has more sympathetic motivation with Mario remaining a genuinely good person up until the end.

In chapter 4, there was going to be a scene where Luigi would stumble upon Fluttershy and Ayano having tea together in the dining hall. It was meant to be "the only two currently surviving girls having a nice moment together" but I think I never went through with it due to pacing and the uncertainty on if it was worth having the scene at all.

In chapter 5, Brian was actually supposed to show the first chapter of his book to Luigi. However, this never happened due to me... never actually figuring out what exactly he wrote. Like, his whole book writing was to do more with his escapism, especially as the killing game went on, more than the content of whatever he was writing. Also, I could never find the right moment to add it in as Brian was always in a sour mood in context. You could theorise what he wrote if you'd like, or even interpret as him never writing anything at all until he wrote that letter to Parappa.

Another chapter 5 thing was a scene where Luigi would stumble upon Brian and Parappa having a heartfelt conversation. This idea came to me, like, way early to me because I had always intended for the two dogs to interact at some point. It's implied they did spend time together during chapter 5, but you never really see it too often through Luigi. I also never added it due to it not really fitting anywhere properly.

This came to me just now while writing this but I think I wanted to do a bonus mode for DR69 but never did. I'm only mentioning it as it was going to involve Luigi finally having a FTE with Mr. Krabs. I didn't plan what they would talk about, but I assume Mr. Krabs would talk about his restaurant (to reflect why he was so insistent in creating a crew) and some spongebob lore lol

[mahoushoujotechsupport]

ok episode 14?

BUT WHY? HOW? PLEASE AT LEAST GIVE US A FUCKING PREQUEL MANGA ABOUT NOTRETTE

prospera watch status: she sit

i really wanna see someone write a fic where nika's secretiveness is a thing

nika really was so naive, huh? like she really thought she could go to the capitalism school to help earth. i mean yeah, she's just a kid, so there's no use in being like i told you so about it. but really it's like enrolling in the united states military and thinking you're going to be doing something good instead of just furthering imperialism lol

sophie thwarting every single one of el5n's shitty come ons is the best gag ever tbh

need a crack fic where random people try to talk to suletta and her first response is just "i'm sorry, i have a wife"

we should have known nothing good was going to happen this episode... she fucking left the couch

sir, please don't skip your meds

henao is kinda scary isnt she?

this is such a good reaction lmao

also wow i remember watching this whole episode and like yeah we knew SOMETHING was gonna happen... and then everything fuckin happens so fast. i don't know if the fast pace on this ep is a result of everything that was weird about the 2nd cour or if it was a conscious decision, but the breakneck pace in which everything happens in this show really helps to put one in the characters' shoes

thank you gjm for letting chuchu say fuck

rip jubeju

the witches from earth is suchhhh a good song lol it compliments this whole fight so well

some shirou emiya level dialogue right here

mannnn, sophie really didn't deserve that ending

norea,,,

grassley girls deserved better than to lose to guel and kenanji lol

actually, sophie, that is up for interpretation

suletta, you dumb naive little baby

lmao ok hearing sophie's dying screams is like actually uncomfortable this time around

ok so i didn't think they would spell this out for viewers so blatantly but that also made me crack the fuck up when this scene happened in the middle of the sophie v suletta fight because a good friend of mine who is an old time gundam fan refused to believe the aerial = eri theory

coolest reveal tbh

this final scene is why i really wish they'd done more to include cradle planet in the show because if you've never read it, this just makes suletta seem so absurdly naive and makes prospera seem way more evil. when the reality is that for the entirety of her life up to this point, suletta has only known aerial to be a machine used to help people via her search and rescue missions on mercury

pausing to take screenshots and stuff made this episode not seem so crazy but lmao like i said before, this episode is definitely kind of overstimulating with how much gets thrown at you all at once. everything just happens so fast

not looking forward to episode 15. i think that's the only ep i haven't given a rewatch to, so it'll be my actual 2nd time ever watching it. gonna hope there's some goodies i missed or forgot about

[bewareofchris]

How are you doing? What's up

lol is it weird that I'm posting so much?

Ok so what happened was, about a week ago I was mistakenly introduced to Jujutsu Kaisen by my kid who has lived a relatively normal childhood without really having to live through any of my obsessive phases. (Which, get really, really, really all-consuming at times.)

Thing is nobody knows, not even me, what my brain is going to latch onto or why it is going to latch onto it. Or for how long it is going to latch onto it. That's par for the course honestly with my type of atypical brain.

So I specifically got introduced to JJK during an arc where the white haired weird blue eyed dude finally actives a new level of his power that makes him basically an unstoppable god-like force and he's so full of himself and arrogant and capable of destruction and murder that my little heart can't stand it. I'm like.

An arrogant psycho capable of total destruction of all life on earth? I'm in.

Well ok so I'm like "i love him" (out loud) and my kid's IMMEDIATE response is spoiler 236.

Which

is

so

fucking

dumb.

This locks me into a spiral of 'that cannot possibly happen' for a variety of reasons. Which leads me to start consuming the entire media because I need an explanation for why such a thing would happen. Consumption has left me with the realization that it's just because the creator of JJK is speed-running through a storyline that's going to end up being basically a super, super pretty DBZ where every new villain has to be somehow bigger and more powerful than the last but PROBABLY the thing that defeats it will stay the same.

So I find out the creator hates Gojo (white haired blue eyed psycho) because they accidentally made him too strong. And that locks me in this spiral of NONSENSE because he's so overpowered that is his actual weakness. Like he can't use half his power because he'd just obliterate everything. (Also maybe once during all the time you kept writing things like "his birth literally shifted the balance of power in the jujutsu world" you could have, idk, slowed the fuck down a little?)

(Although like most anime, money is made up and property damages don't matter.)

So now I'm a week into this anime with like 12 years of baggage furious at the structure of the story and decisions that were made because it's such a cool idea and it's animated so stupidly pretty. And I would watch this for years if it were paced and varied.

Basically, I accidentally found a character I thought was cool because he's too powerful to retain full humanity and it shows, found out some spoilers and am mourning the inevitable decline of quality of said show.

Also found out that LITERALLY EVERYONE is HORNY AS FUCK for this dude which is cool for me because content. But also there is no way I'd go near this man with a 9000 foot dildo.

Guys he's too powerful. You'd die. And I get that's what works for you.

But he's also over here like "morals are just bullshit people make up to assign responsibility to strength". GUYS HE'S A LOSER.

(i love him.)

[eerna]

Sorry if this is a bit long but I do really like coming here to talk about our latest fiction gripes lol. Ok so I totally agree with you about tdp and now s5. It's definitely something that started back in s4 but I was still trying to be optimistic. The show is as wide as an ocean but about as deep as a puddle recently. Pick a lane on how mature you want the show to be writers? I love kids shows i do (I loved Nimona), and I love adult fantasy animation as well (Vox Machina). And yes no show is without flaws, but guess what, the thing that they both have in common is GOOD emotional writing and choices that don't make the audience feel stupid when watching it. The dragon prince would have been amazing if it started out as a darker more mature adult show like vox machina. But it instead WAS written with the emotional stability and thought provoking messages of being for all ages that Nimona has (seasons 1-3)! I think the time jump kinda screwed with the pacing and the writers thought older characters must mean a little less fart jokes, more horses getting eviscerated (that was something I was THROWN with lol). But writing depth is not that simple obviously, I do like the more mature fight scenes and villains(the sea captain was actually pretty cool and I wish we could've gotten more of him) but just constantly jumping back and forth between the childish schneagains of claudia and her boyfriend and then back to something more dangerous and "scary" is not a good way to try to bring in every audience age group. I'm kinda tired of the 3D art too? Imagine if the characters were animated in 2D just like all of the fantastic 2D backdrops and end credit art. Oh well i guess. I am curious what their "hard hitting" writing will turn into (even though I think you're right in that it alienates the very young audience that made the show successful?). I just wish I could go back to feeling the show gave me back in the first 3 seasons, because I still love the characters themselves.

I forgot to add cause I just thought more about it lmao. The overall Satisfaction is what is missing from tdp in these past two seasons. In seasons 1-3 what was really fun to watch was the character growth, Rayla and the boys learning to trust one another and what got everyone into this situation in the first place. Now its kinda stalled and it sorta feels like its more filler than giving us the meat we so desperately want. Like what happened in the two years Rayla was away? What are aaravos's more grand scale plans? Why do they refuse to touch more on Raylas parents and Runaan in the coins?Etc Etc Etc But nooo give us another season of slow filler and fart jokes just to get to one goal (that they honestly could have done by the middle of the season) and than we're just left with a WELP SEE YOU NEXT YEAR. Ummmm yeah thats about it off the top of my head lol

No worries, my asks are always open to ppl ranting about fiction~~

Awwww I am so so sorry you were disappointed, but yeah your gripes are valid! I have it way easier, I realized I was just charmed by the setting and none of the seasons were for me actually, but I can imagine how it must feel to want more of something you've enjoyed and only keep getting bad versions of it. You're so right that the plotline of arc 2 feels like filler- we cut back to the characters and they are STILL in some random woods STILL talking about the same stuff STILL being boring and then we do it for 18 episodes. This is where I think the show would profit fantastically from "monster of the week" format, where yeah we spend 18 episodes traveling but every episode or two delivers SOME form of a narrative conclusion. It doesn't even have to be literal monsters if they think that's too childish, it could be any kind of short, self contained stories that add up to a larger story, kind of like how a proper cartoon aimed at all ages should be lololol. Your last bit of ask 1 depicts how I feel perfectly - "I wish I could go back in time and feel the way I did during the first few seasons, also I wanna see what is soooo dark and mature that kids can't be exposed to it".

[missusplum]

What did you think of the latest episode ? I need to hear your thoughts because wtf was that

haha hello anon 👀 as usual i have a jumbled mess of thoughts under the cut:

so like every other week, i have some criticism and some positives too. i mean obviously i didn’t find the episode that ~enjoyable~ lol but there were some good moments. i liked seeing fiona and the kids so happy and smiley and i didn’t totally disagree with JD re: his pov on thony. it almost doesn’t matter if he’s being hypocritical, his concern is the safety and well-being of jaz and if he sees thony as a threat to that, i think he’s justified in wanting to protect her by any means. and it was actually kind of refreshing to hear a different perspective on thony from a character who isn’t like knee-deep involved in her life.

the shipping of it all aside, i think what i’ve come to struggle with the most this season is just how goddamn miserable everyone is lol 😭 this show keeps writing itself into darker and darker corners so that moments of levity almost seem unearned and out of place (i.e. the interview scenes in episode 5), even though more than anything i just want to see my favs get wins. like i think coming out of season 1, i was really hoping that thony would have more agency into her descent into the crime world, but really it’s been more of the same, which is she keeps being forced into situations that she seemingly can’t get out of and is absolutely miserable all the time. to me the writers seem to be stuck on making sure thony is still a relatable ‘good’ character who is just forced into criminal activity by circumstance… which did work well for season 1 since the focus was saving luca by any means. but with this second season there was an opportunity to tell different stories, i.e. stories about thony that don’t involve her carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders; instead it seems the show has just leaned heavier into that. i was hoping we would be able to see a grayer thony this season, more of her purposefully leaning into the criminal activity because it’s convenient or simply because she can (i think this is why i liked ep 4 so much lol). instead, it’s the world around her that keeps getting darker and darker and she’s just being further suffocated. and not to mention, on top of that, arman who was more or less her lifeline in season 1 is now also just as miserable as she is 💀 like it’s infinitely more satisfying to see characters we love do bad things but do them willingly vs them being forced to do bad things and are constantly suffering. it becomes too much after a while!

pacing-wise i do think ep 7 and 8 have been probably the best paced episodes this season? these episodes have at least felt like they’re building towards something and riding some sort of momentum. i guess the payoff this season is taking down kamdar, which is very meh to me. again i don’t think i’m a big fan of introducing a cartoonish villain for the express purpose of making characters suffer so that he becomes a lightning rod/excuse for everything terrible in these peoples’ lives. like even if he does get taken down by the end of the season, it doesn’t strike me as super satisfying because it seems like that’s the only reason he’s here? the issue with making a new character the sole focus of the season is that once he’s out of the way, where does that leave our main characters? if it’s in the exact same place they were pre-kamdar, then i think it’s kind of pointless storytelling haha. but idk lol, we’re still in the thick of it so it’s hard to say right now whether the conclusion will be a good one or not. one last thing on pacing — something i have noticed is that a lot of episodes this season have ended on cliffhangers which i’m personally a little allergic to; imo cliffhangers are effective when deployed sparingly or else they just feel overused and narratively repetitive which is how i’ve often felt about the episodes this season unfortunately.

ok to the armony: i mean obviously the shipper in me was watching ep 8 like 🫣 haha. though i mean honestly i don’t think it was out of character for anyone with how everything spun out — thony has really rarely shown any outward desire for arman (aside from 1x06 which one could argue was a moment of weakness) or any desire to want to see his marriage end on her behalf. and arman not being able to definitively decide between the two sides of his heart only to have thony literally decide for him. it sucked but like it didn’t not make sense i guess? nevertheless, it was still so so frustrating to watch and it’s annoying because it feels like what happened was just narratively manufactured to get people riled up lol. but getting people riled up and talking about it is likely exactly what the writers wanted? we got major baited by arman offering to stay with thony (the potential of seeing them comfort each other and emotionally leaning on one another!) only to have that immediately ripped away by thony basically pushing him back towards nadia. literally no one is happy watching this unfold lmao i’m tired! end this triangle from hell 😩 like it’s not bad storytelling imo, i’m just annoyed! personally i believe that the way to get fans to stop clamoring about a ship and focus on the core story is to stop throwing endless angst at them 🥲 they shouldn’t need to be canonized immediately but continued progression and bits of payoff go a long way. but that’s just me!

i keep harping on about this but my greatest, greatest fear is that this show doesn’t get another season. i really would not mind the slowburning of thony’s descent into the darkness or armony progressing past like 2 seconds of physical contact if there was a guarantee that the show would have the longevity to tell this long slow story. but yknow, my anxiety gets the best of me and i become concerned that we’re wasting precious episodes on more ping ponging and drawn-out suffering for the sake of having conflict instead of making sure that a complete satisfying story is being told with the episodes we do have. it’s neither here or there lol, the show is ultimately the writers’ and they should absolutely write the stories they want to tell. i’m just along for the ride and can only hope for the best lol and pls @ fox renew tcl for season 3 i beg