#anyways shout out to meta knight for being so cool

[qalrey]

🦇

[ivynajspyder]

The relationship between Meta Knight and Fumu is goddamn fascinating to me okay o_o So I need to rant a bit.

And I mean this in an entirely non-shippy way! There are relationships other than romantic ones damnit!

It’s an interesting case of a cross-generational friendship with a lot of mutual respect, while also being great foils to each other. She’s quick to anger, while MK is almost too calm about things. He can be a cold-hearted jerk, while she has huge amounts of empathy.

I’ve also seen them described as two halves of a ‘manzai’ comedy duo. It’s a style of comedy in Japan where you have the ‘boke’ (‘funny man’) and the ‘tsukkomi’ (‘straight man’) who corrects or reacts to the former’s behavior in a deadpan way. (You can more clearly see this dynamic with Dedede and Escargon, though they’re both more likely to be the ‘funny’ one)  In this case, MK is the funny one, as he often says or does outlandish things or makes amusing mistakes, while Fumu reacts and calls him out when he’s wrong.

Either character alone wouldn’t quite work- they need to balance each other out, especially when it comes to the job of raising Kirby.

(I read a short fic on Pixiv, where Meta Knight wants to take Kirby off Pop Star post-finale to continue his training. But he wants to bring Fumu with because as he says, “I can teach him to be a soldier. But you can teach him to be a good person.” and boy I just... I can’t... )

And their dynamic is so unexpected. I mean, here we have Meta Knight- this possibly centuries old war veteran who has Seen Some Shit, who mostly detests people, and the only person in the whole country whose company he ever seeks out is this precocious, headstrong little girl, who has no fear of calling him out on his bullshit.

There’s a pragmatic reason for it- their common interest in protecting Kirby- but even outside of that, he’s genuinely concerned for her too. He also trusts her enough to share more about his past with her. When she asks for advice, he seems to struggle with his usual ‘you made your bed now sleep in it’ philosophy. He’s definitely softer on her than anyone else lol

She definitely has trouble understanding him, but I think she slowly picks up on him over time- like learning that he’s not all-knowing.

And he’s probably used to fawning fangirls or people who treat him like an untouchable legend, but she doesn’t fall for his ‘mysterious badass loner’ schtick at all and is comfortable enough to just barge into his room and shout at him. And he’s cool with that.

It feels like neither of them really has anyone else to relate to. MK has Sword and Blade, but they’re so loyal they’d never question him. And he hates all the villagers. (I think maybe he could get along with Curio?)  Meanwhile Fumu has no other kids her age around, and usually acts more as a teacher/parent figure to them than as an equal. Her parents are loving but not the most responsible or helpful. There’s a reason she most often goes to MK for advice and not her father, you know?

Not to mention the whole ‘Fumu sits by the fountain and MK inevitably shows up to ask what’s bothering her’ thing.

(When did MK originally come to the village anyway? Did she grow up with him around? I assume she only started to get to know him after Kirby showed up, and thought of him as only Dedede’s lackey before that. SO MANY QUESTIONS oh god I wanna write a fic or three...)

It is also somewhat unfortunate that they have so much chemistry, since it immediately leads people to ship them. Which... okay, I understand why it’s popular, given the above.There’s also an element of wish fulfillment. as it’s often young women who ship them and might see themselves in Fumu, with the whole ‘brave knight saves the princess’ dynamic, lol

It can be easy to forget that Fumu is canonically a child, what with her being smarter and more mature than 99% of the adult cast. But please don’t forget that o_o

And even if that wasn’t the case, he’s not even her type??? We’ve SEEN her type.

She likes pretty boys, and more importantly, people much kinder than MK  rofl

So yeah just needed to get that out. I think people should remember to have them interact more in fanworks, because they’re honestly just more interesting when playing off each other. Just, ya know, keep it platonic plz

[deafeninggardenerpanda]

The next second, Kirby was floating in the air. None other than Coo had swooped in, tightly grabbed Kirby, and flew up high. Meta Knight, who had missed, lost sight of Kirby and started looking around, restlessly.

“Coo!” Kirby cheered. “Thank you for saving me!”

“We must fight back, Kirby,” Coo said, “Rick and Kine will fight with us too!”

The two, who had been poked by Coo, had woken up, and came rushing in.

“I’m here! Don’t keep me waiting!” Rick shouted as he rolled into a ball.

“Go~ Rick!” Kine shouted, raising his tail fin overhead, before slamming into Rick with great force. Rick rolled at a great speed and collided into King Dedede. A clean hit! The great king fell over and dropped his hammer. Meta Knight, who had come to his senses, raised his sword, aiming for Rick.

“What do you want me to do??” Coo yelled. He released Kirby, flew up, and powerfully flapped his wings. Sharp feathers shot out at Meta Knight. His specialty, CUTTER COO! Meta Knight hurriedly held up his cape and blocked the feathers.

“OK, I’ll try again!” Rick yelled enthusiastically and, once again, tried to roll into a ball. However, gripping his hammer again, King Dedede blocked Rick’s path.

“Rick, danger incoming!” Kirby called out.

“GAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

The king let out an enraged roar and was about to bring his hammer down when Kine jumped into the frey and energetically jumped about.

“Take this~!”

Kine’s fins and scales contained ample amounts of water, even when moving long distances in the air. The water sprayed with energy, getting in Dedede’s eyes.

“!!”

The king, standing bolt upright, covered his eyes with his arms.

“Okie dokie,” Kirby yelled, “now’s our chance!”

“Let’s do this, Kirby!” said a carefree voice. Before Kirby knew it, Gooey came by his side. Kirby nodded his head.

“Uh-huh, now’s the time. Hang in there, and I’ll suck up the air-”

“I’ve got a better idea!”

“Huh? What’s your idea?”

“Let’s work together!”

“Work together? How?”

“Well, like this!”

Gooey stretched out his tongue and quickly wound it around Kirby.

“Woah, what are you dooooing?! Gooey, we’re fighting Dedede and Meta Knight, not me!!”

Gooey said something Kirby couldn’t properly understand. Because his tongue was out, his words weren’t clear, but it seemed that he wanted to say “I know, I know.”

“Huh?! Gooey, no… s-stop-”

Guessing what Gooey was thinking, Kirby struggled, but Gooey disregarded him. Shaking and brandishing Kirby in his long tongue, he threw Kirby with force!

“IYAAAAAAA-!!!”

Kirby flew through the air like a bullet and crashed into King Dedede. It was a one-hit KO! Furthermore, Kirby rebounded and hit Meta Knight, resulting in his defeat as well. Coo let out a groan.

“Just as I expected. Kirby and Gooey: What an excellent combination! Taking out a pair of two formidable foes in one blow-”

However, the one who had sustained the most damage was Kirby. Falling onto the cloudy ground, he fell unconscious yet again.

“Hey, she’s getting away!!” Rick shouted. He pointed at none other than Pirka. Pirka, who saw just how quickly Meta Knight and King Dedede were taken out, turned pale, drew back, and tried to run away. Gooey coiled his tongue around Pirka, who was hastily fluttering her wings.

“Eek! Let me go! I told you to let me go!” Pirka cried, rampaging, but Gooey’s tongue held on tight, unyielding.

“Excellent job, Gooey,” Coo said, “we have temporarily captured her.”

“...?!!”

Gooey darted his eyes about, seeming distressed.

“Now that that’s settled, we’ve gotta wake up Kirby.”

“No, before that, let’s deal with those two.”

Coo pointed out Meta Knight and Dedede with his wings.

“Since those two are so tough, they likely won’t stay unconscious for so long. If they continue to act violently, we will be unable to stop them.”

“Yeah, right~? One way or another, we need to get those two to snap out of it.”

Coo glared at Pirka.

“You’ve lost. Give up, undo the spell you’ve put on the pair.”

“H-Hmph! Never!” Pirka said with a hateful face.

“Undo your spell,” Rick yelled in anger, “or suffer the wrath of tickle torture!!”

“Stop! It’s just that I don’t know how to undo the spell!”

“What do you mean?

“I can turn people into my puppets, but I don’t know how to undo it. Really.”

Pirka irritably looked away. Rick crossed his arms.

“Really, huh? If we can’t undo the spell, then what’ll happen to them?”

“Well…”

“We will have to figure out how to undo the spell later,” Coo said, thinking, “anyway, now, if we cannot get those two to snap out of it, then we’ll have to restrain them instead.”

“We’ve gotta tie them up, but nobody has any rope~. Can Gooey wrap his tongue around them instead?”

Gooey shook his tongue. This appeared to be meant as a “NO!”

“Eek! Eek! Don’t wave that around, idioooot!”

Pirka seemed as if she were just about to pass out.

“It’s no use, huh?” Coo said. “...if we-”

“That’s it! I’ve got an idea!” Rick said, having just thought of something. “Let’s use this!”

Rick took off the pouch he was wearing around his neck. When they had left, Pick had given him a small pouch as a good luck charm.

“That good luck charm?” Kine asked. “How will that help?”

“We’ll put these three in here!”

“What~? Don’t joke around, Rick.”

Kine broke into laughter. However, Rick had a deadly serious face.

“I’m not joking,” he said, “I’m being serious.”

“Rick-”

“How will we fit King Dedede and Meta Knight into a sack so small?” Coo asked, seeming shocked.

“We can stretch this thing out a lot. I’ve seen Pick put all kinds of stuff in it."

“Even if it can fit many things, there’s always a limit…”

Right before the eyes of Coo, who seemed to doubt the plan, Rick held the sack and then pulled its sides with all his strength. The small sack stretched out remarkably. Although Rick used both his hands to stretch it as much as he could, it still had the potential to fit more.

“Hurray! It’s really working! So cool!” Kine shouted in an astonished voice.

“Hey, Pick’s the cool one. Just as you’d expect from my girlfriend.”

Rick laughed proudly.

“As for the sack, we’ll stuff them into it. Let’s throw in Meta Knight and King Dedede, and Pirka while we’re at it!”

“Let’s do this~!” Kine said, jumping up and down.

“Please, grab the end of the bag,” Rick said to Coo, “I’ll grab the other end. Pull with everything you’ve got!”

“Understood.”

Coo and Rick pulled both ends of the sack. The lucky charm was noticeably stretched. With it, they covered the fainted Meta Knight and King Dedede, wrapping it around them. Then, Gooey threw Pirka, who had been wrapped in his tongue, in there. With the three in the sack, Rick tightly, tightly tied the mouth shut. From inside the sack, Pirka violently screamed:

“What’re you doing!? Let me out now!! Let me out!! I said let me out, you stupid little animal idiots!!”

“Good grief. Is this what Pirka’s true nature is? She was just some wolf in sheep’s clothing,” Coo said, surprised, and then looked at Kirby, who was still unconscious, "now then, to deal with Kirby. We must wake him up soon.”

“Yeah. Come on~, Kirby”

Kine started jumping around, spraying water onto Kirby. Having gotten hit with the freezing cold water, Kirby slightly opened his eyes.

“U-Umm… wha? Lunch time already?...”

“Now is not the time for sleeping, Kirby. Remember~!”

Straining his eyes, Kirby looked around, and, suddenly, sprung up.

“Oh right! What happened with Pirka, or Meta Knight, or King Dedede?!”

“We’ve dealt with them~” Kine said with a friendly smile.

“You and Gooey finished them off in the blink of an eye,” Rick added, “case closed!”

“I wouldn’t say this ‘case' is 'closed' until we get Meta Knight and King Dedede back to normal,” Coo said with a sigh,” Anyway, we were able to stop Pirka’s wicked schemes. Gooey, would you mind explaining the current situation?”

“No problem!”

Gooey waved his tongue.

“...what do I have to explain?”

“First of all, start from the beginning. Gooey, why did you come here, above the clouds?”

“Wellll, I saw something: There was a girl flying somewhere.”

“Would that girl happen to be Pirka?”

“Yup! She was flying really high up, so I chased after her ‘cus it looked like fun! So, I also flew above the clouds, and thought that maybe we’d play together.”

“I see. Quite the opposite of Pirka’s story. She said she flew above the clouds and then got chased by you. Then what?”

“When I tried to get closer to her, she planted a tree.”

“A tree? Like that tree?”

Coo used his wing to point out the tree growing by the lake’s shore.

“Yeah. Then I tried to help her, but she wouldn’t let me. She got all mad all of a sudden and threw one of the tree’s fruits at me.”

“...what do you mean exactly? Is there some secret about that tree fruit that she didn’t want you to know?”

Kirby and the gang thoroughly analyzed the tree growing on the shore.

“For a tree that was just planted, it’s pretty big,” Rick said, “must be growing really fast.”

Coo nodded his head.

“Indeed. The overhanging roots are growing into the lake. Perhaps…”

Coo looked at Gooey.

“...the lake’s water was contaminated by that tree?”

“Well… probably…” Gooey answered, not too confident. Even though he didn’t entirely understand, Gooey had a feeling. He could tell, judging by Pirka’s behavior, that the tree held a secret.

“It must’ve been the tree that made the lake water all weird!” Gooey said, bouncing up and down, “when the water becomes rain and pours down, things will be very bad! So, I-”

Gooey’s eyes looked all around. Coo nodded.

“I see. Perhaps the ingredients for Pirka’s little ‘puppet potion’ are seeping into the lake from the tree that she planted. The lake’s water contains the potion, and, if the water becomes rain and pours down on the land, all the inhabitants of the Rainbow Islands will become her servants.”

The plan was much too terrifying. Kirby and the gang were at a loss for words. While they had all fallen silent, at last, Kine broke said silence.

“Is that so~? So Gooey piled up those stones to protect everyone~.”

“Uh-huh! She tried to break the stones, but I fought back.”

“You really did that, huh?...”

Rick reached out his arms and pulled Gooey into a tight hug. Gooey could only let out a “NGYTS” in an odd voice.

“Everyone will suffer without rain, but it’s better than being Pirka’s puppet!” Rick yelled, nuzzling his cheeks against Gooey. “Thanks, Gooey!”

“...eheheh.”

Gooey felt awkward.

“Gooey plugged up the lake with the stones to stop Pirka’s evil plan,” Coo said, “she tried to destroy them, but, because Gooey was so strong, she was no match for him. So, she devised a plan.”

“She let Gooey attack her, and then fell from the sky,” Rick said, seeming frustrated, “she completely fooled us, and lured us all the way up here!”

“Indeed. She threw one of the tree’s fruits into Gooey’s throat, and it got stuck. The strategy was to get us to drive Gooey back.”

Coo looked at Gooey.

“Once you know the truth, all of Gooey’s actions and Pirka’s words make sense. When he suddenly attacked Kirby, I was shocked, but-”

Kirby nodded his head.

“Yeah! I can’t help but wonder, why did he attack us?”

“Y’see, it’s because she was gonna push Kirby in.”

“What? Pirka?”

“Yes.”

Coo nodded his head.

“At that time, Pirka was pretending to be scared, and hid behind Kirby. That would’ve given her the opportunity to push him into the lake, causing him to become her puppet.”

“No way…”

Kirby tried to re-think this. At that time, he was standing close to the lake. Pirka was hiding behind him. He had felt sorry for Pirka, who had seemed so scared, but she was just looking for a chance to push him into the lake…

“She was the one who said there was probably some bad guy hiding in the lake, right~?” Kine said, “

“Indeed,” Coo said, “at that time, Kine had tried to jump into the lake, but Gooey stopped him…. Huh?”

Coo had an odd expression.

“Wait, Gooey, at that time, you jumped out of the lake, did you not?”

“Yup. If everyone found me, we were gonna fight again, so I hid in the lake. And then Kine was about to jump in, so I had to stop him.”

“Why are you alright?”

Hearing Coo’s words, the group exchanged looks.

“Now that you mention it, it is weird,” Rick said, “if he drank some of the lakewater, he’d be under Pirka’s control, right? But even then, Gooey, why did you dive into the lake?”

“Huh? Umm?...”

Gooey tilted his head.

“Because I tried not to drink it…?”

“Even with that said, if you were under there for such a long time, wouldn’t you have drunk even a little?”

“Ummm… well…. Maybe I drank a little?”

“How are you fine then? When King Dedede and Meta Knight were controlled in an instant?”

“Er… well…?”

It seemed that even Gooey himself didn’t understand.

“I feel that Gooey is a bottomless pit of secrets,” Coo said, “perhaps Pirka’s spell doesn’t work on idiosyncrasies.”

Everyone looked at Gooey. Gooey waved his tongue around with a carefree face.

“Guess Gooey’s just different,” Rick said, “wish I was an idiosyncrasy too. Anyways, we can’t just leave things the way they are. We’ve gotta clean the lakewater.”

“What do we do?”

“Hey~ guys, I’ve got an idea!”

Kine raised his pectoral fin like a hand.

“Let’s drain the lakewater and replace it~!” he said.

“How will we do that? There’s a lot of water.”

“Is that so~? Well…”

“Anyway,” Coo said, “let’s examine that tree. It seems to be the source of the puppet spell. It may hold clues as to how to reverse it.”

Kirby and co. headed toward the tree on the lake’s shore.

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[gffa]

I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH THIS CHARACTER SO MUCH, but I think rereading The Rise of Kylo Ren all at once, as well as the final issue, plus the Age of Resistance - Supreme Leader Snoke and Age of Resistance - Kylo Ren issues (and a bit of the TLJ novelization), have at least somewhat coalesced this character for me. The burning question with Ben Solo has always been:  Why?  Why did he not tell anyone about Snoke talking to him in this comic?  Why didn’t he go to his mother, whom he knew still loved him?  Why did he embrace the dark side? None of this had ever really been addressed in the canon itself, it was all down to speculation, but nothing I felt I could connect to what we were actually being given with any real solidity in the canon.  And issue #4 definitely still feels a little wobbly to me, but I think it at least strung up some connective tissue for me. In rereading the first issue, I was back to:  Why doesn’t Ben go to his mother?  If he didn’t attack the school (which I’m not sure how clear it is what he did/didn’t have to do with it, if it truly was Snoke who did it, how much Ben was aware of it, how much of a hand he played in all of this, certainly it makes the timing of the destruction of the Temple INCREDIBLY coincidental if it was Snoke’s plan AND it was the night Luke and Ben fought), if he knows his parents love him (which Age of Resistance - Supreme Leader Snoke [x][x] shows that he does, he literally goes into the same cave as Luke did to show him his fears, the only thing in there is what he brought with him and he sees Luke saying he doesn’t want to fight, which means Ben knows this is true even if he doesn’t want to admit it[x], as well as the TLJ novelization has him knowing that his mother still loves him and he’s angry about it, as well as TFA itself has him not at all surprised that Han’s there to help him and bring him home, even in TLJ he’s snarling about how, oh, is Luke here to save his soul, say Luke forgives him?, which shows that he knows that Luke regrets it and cared about him)--anyway, I’m getting distracted, there’s a lot to go over! If he didn’t attack the school, if he didn’t want this, why did he run from Leia as much as anyone?  In rereading the issue, there’s an interesting flashback that’s place right in the middle of the droid asking Ben where he wants to go, where he’s thinking about his mother and he hesitates.  I didn’t really pay attention to the timing the first time because it felt like just a cool dramatic moment to show further flashbacks.  But looking for the trends I know Soule is capable of and so often puts in his writing, it struck me that the flashback was specifically set on Luke yelling, “Ben, no!” and Luke in the ruins of the Temple and Ben saying, “I didn’t want this!”  [x][x][x] Thus, I’m left to conclude that he didn’t go to her because he himself couldn’t face her, couldn’t look at all of this storm inside him and find a way out of it.  And I think that’s the thing--in reading this issue all at once, it really jumped out at me that the central theme of this comic was about the path people choose in their lives.  That there’s an undercurrent of a legacy to live up to, but that that’s just window dressing for a deeper issue--in that Ben Solo doesn’t know what his path is. On one side, he has a huge legacy to live up--the man he was named for, this larger than life great Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, he never even met him, he hates the name he was given, Ben.  He hates the name Solo as well, because it’s a made up name, it’s not real, it’s a lie.  [x][x] This contradiction is fascinating, because he’s named through two different aspects--one, a legacy, and two, a chosen name.  Ben Solo hates the legacy name just as much as he hates the name Han Solo created for himself!  So the idea that he’s creating his real persona for himself, when he stops being a Jedi and goes to Snoke, is directly contradicted by how much he hates the chosen name, that he says it’s a lie.  As if Kylo Ren isn’t a lie he’s hurtling himself towards, too. Neither of these really seem to be the true problem, for all that they’re genuine things that anger Ben.  In the final issue, he does tell Tai, "Even my name isn't a choice.  The dark side and the light side both claimed me for their own the moment I was born.  Do you know how that feels?  Whether it's Luke Skywalker or Snoke, neither one sees me as a person.  I'm just a... legacy.  Just a set of expectations." The thing is, Ben Solo is not a reliable narrator.  He talks one minute about how the light and the dark are warring over him, even Ren comments on how he’s been fighting this every step of the way, you don’t really want to live in the shadow.  “I am the shadow,” Ben replies.[x]  He is trying so hard to shove himself onto some path, any path that he thinks will soothe him. The most emotional part of the issue (or at least one of them) is Tai’s pleading speech to him, the conversation that’s been threaded throughout the entire issue about how you choose your path.  Choice is arguably the most important theme of Star Wars, and we see that very clearly in Tai’s conversations with him.  Even in the previous issue, he tells Ben that he keeps himself locked up too tight, he’s not really being himself.[x]  Ben’s recounting of who Voe is (the other important foil for Ben’s character in this comic) is woven together with how he thinks she never really learned to be herself, rather than measuring herself again him.[x] Ren, in their very first meeting, says, hey, you know there are other paths, right? [x]  On Elphrona, Voe says he must face justice, and Ben shouts back, “You think I’m a murderer, Voe?  Is that what you want me to be!?”[x]  Tai’s big speech to him in the previous episode is all about, be who you are, which is another way of saying, “Find the path you’re supposed to be on.”[x]  Tai’s words to Voe on Elphrona are also, “[Ben] thinks [the Knights of Ren] can help him find his true path.”[x] And of course, all of the above.  Paths and choices and being who you truly are, that Ben Solo couldn’t figure out any of these things for himself.  That he didn’t really want to be a Jedi (and that’s fine, it’s not the path for everyone) and we see, we see that he could have chosen otherwise, that Tai offers him a chance to actually walk away from all of it and just go help people, we see the hesitation there before Ren kills Tai and Ben makes his choice.  Because he may not feel like he had any choices, but Tai showed that he absolutely did. Even when he truly falls into the dark--so completely that a multitude of people feel it, Leia, Snoke, Rey, Palpatine, they all sense it--it’s framed around the idea of, “I’m not anyone special, so I can do what I want.”

All of this coalesced for me into two things, especially once I added in other Ben Solo appearances in canon--this is someone who has no strong sense of self or the path he’s meant to be on, so he just sort of careens wildly from one bad choice to the next, each time hoping that it’ll feel like the right path, rather than doing the really hard work of looking inside himself and not just locking everything up into a little box. And, two, he is further trying to gain that sense of self through others.  Even when he’s not fully aware of it, he keeps walking the same paths they do--like on Dagobah, when he goes into the same cave Luke did, to face his inner fears,  he’s walking the same path his uncle did.[x] When he’s offered a choice, when Tai asks him to come back, if you want, you can absolutely read that glowy red backdrop as being similar to Anakin’s fight with Obi-Wan on Mustafar. And certainly, given that Soule was the one to write Darth Vader bleeding his kyber crystal, we can draw parallels between that and Kylo Ren bleeding his:

And that’s one of the things that the character keeps coming back to--and it’s a huge theme for Ben Solo, that he’s constantly being compared to Vader, by others and by himself.  Sure, part of it is that I assume that’s just how bleeding a kyber crystal goes, but the parallels between Kylo and Vader (and thus between Anakin and Ben) do a lot to highlight the issues between them both, that we see TROKR’s visuals are echoing Dark Lord of the Sith’s scene, as Kylo is very defined by Vader in an out-of-universe meta way. But also within the universe, he keeps comparing himself to Vader and is compared to Vader by others, because that’s kind of the point, that it’s not just too much power in an unstable person (though, that, too) or that they were born evil (no, they weren’t), but that they both couldn’t really look at themselves or the choices set before them, to either actually commit to the path they were on or to find another one.  That they both were still loved even after their fall.  That they both had people pleading with them to make a better choice. "Leave [the mask].  I said leave it!  You cannot hide behind a mask here.  You cannot pretend to be Vader in this place,” Snoke says is Age of Resistance - Supreme Leader Snoke [x] “This is where I will succeed.  ...where Vader failed,” says Kylo Ren in Age of Resistance - Kylo Ren. [x] “There’s too much Vader in him,” Han says in The Force Awakens. “A new Vader. Now I fear... I was mistaken.  Take that ridiculous [mask] off,” Snoke says, not long before Kylo smashes the mask to pieces, in The Last Jedi. It’s contradicted by Kylo’s theme of, “Let the past die.  Kill it, if you have to.” in TLJ, but it’s pretty par for the course with him, where he careens back and forth between one decision one moment and another the next, that he still has no idea what his true path is meant to be. So much of his character was patterned off of Darth Vader, both in universe and out of universe, it seems only fitting that he, like his grandfather before him, has no real sense of self or the willingness to look within himself to find what that path really is, whether it means actually committing to the Jedi path and understanding yourself and working to let go of your fears, or whether it’s finding a path away from the Jedi. And both of them felt like their power must be used for something.  "[We're going to] some planet called Elphrona.  All this way to find some old junk Master Luke will lock away in his temple and never use.  [....]  He's an amazing teacher, very strong.  I've learned so much from him... but he never seems to want to let me use any of it."[x] Ultimately, at the end of it, it seems like Ben Solo was someone who didn’t really know what he wanted out of his life and so he kept looking for the thing that would finally make him feel like it was the right path, except he kept looking to those outside himself to figure that out, whether to reject what he thought they were making him into or to use them as a measuring stick to define himself, and the only sliver of it that he ever seemed to find was when he finally stopped trying to force everything to make sense and focused on someone else for what he could do for them, instead of himself.

[watchingminecraftyansim]

Post 5 - Late Again

Hi, I’m Isabelle, and only one post this week, because I do not feel well, physically, I mean. emotionally and mentally I’m fine. Anyways let’s get onto talking about episode #6 of Yandere High School by SamGladiator

This episode starts out where the last one left off, with lunch ending and the students heading towards gym class. Here Rowan says that the students will be getting a field day, because he gets a bonus if the students don’t exercise that day, and while I’m no expert, I think having students not exercise is the opposite of the job of a P.E. teacher. Everyone then goes and plays outside on a playground that wasn’t there yesterday, Taurtis goes down a slide and falls off half way down. JtsTheDane says that “This is like falling down the mountains in Sweden.”, there is a lot of things I find wrong with this statement, first of all, his name has Dane in it, not Swede, second the Jotunheim Mountains, are primarily in Norway, and it’s true that some of them are in Sweden, some of the Rocky Mountains are in Canada, but they are usually thought of as an American thing. Plus they already mentioned him being from Norway previously, was it THAT HARD to say Norway instead of Sweden? Have I gotten to worked up about a small anachronism in a Minecraft roleplaying series? Yes, most likely. Moving on from my geography rant, we meet Salex, someone who starts flirting with Taurtis the instant she lays eyes on him. I mean… you do you ma’am. We also get the obligatory Invader flirts with Sam, Sam finds it gross, I comment on how it’s because of the beard and make snarky comments about how that’s not cool, we’ve done this song and dance before, you know how it goes. A funny bit from this episode is everyone jumping on one side of a seesaw that doesn’t work, because it’s minecraft, to try and lift PowerDragon. There’s no plot relevance to this bit, I just chuckled every time I saw it in the background of the video. Taurtis manages to get Salex’s number and Sam suggests a double date, with him and Sookie as the couple despite the fact that he and Sookie are not dating. A fact when Taurtis asks Sookie if she and Sam are dating, and she honestly just seems confused, along with saying Invader can have him when she threatens to fight her over who can have Sam. Sam punches Invader at one point and Rowan fucking decks Sam because he will not stand for abuse. We then see Jay and Gareth in the “Kissing Shed ;)”, and it doesn’t look like they are kissing, but rather Jay is just sitting in the shed while Gareth smokes some weed in the corner. Taurtis and Sam then go to do hopscotch, but not before Taurtis gets himself stuck in a soccer net and get punched out of it by Rowan. Sam then proves to be unexpectedly good at hop scotch, skipping 8 blocks, with the help of being punched. After some more hopscotch related shenanigans we see J stuck at the top of a tower of sand, and Sam punching the sand to get him down. After this Sam and Taurtis discuss ideas for movies to see on their double date, eventually settling on Bee Movie, with Sam stating that he hates Paul Blart Mall Cop, and Rowan states that he loves Bee Movie and that he will go along with the kids. Sam then decides to ask Sookie out for the double date and it goes well, with him rambling and messing up his talking to her, so overall an 8/10 on the asking her out, I wouldn’t have done much better.

After this Sam comes up with the idea for the scam of the century, where he and Taurtis race, and everyone bets on Taurtis and then Taurtis wins and they split the money. Their words not mine. Either Sam or I don’t know how betting works, because I am confused about how this would work Rowan races Taurtis instead and beats him by a lot, but no one really counts that. Then the proper betting on the Sam Vs. Taurtis race commences, with sam taking the bet money, and then a rain storm starts, and Sam pockets the betting money, cancelling the race due to rain, saying that it will happen tomorrow. Will it happen? Probably not, Sam likely hustled the whole school. Everyone heads back inside, but Jay ventures outside for a minute in the rain and gets struck by lightning, but school ends before they can get him to the nurse’s office (side note, does this school even have a nurse? They ask this in the show and don’t get an answer), so Rowan just kicks them out with Jay jumping off of the school’s upper floor balcony followed by Taurtis. Sam and Taurtis then head to Jay’s house along with ChanYandere for Manga club, and Sam keeps calling them comic books. On the way we see teacher Gareth sitting in the middle of the road, can someone like, check on him? He’s obviously not doing well. We then get to Jay’s house and he has made a miraculous recovery after having roughly 1.21 gigawatts of power delivered directly to his nervous system. We then get to see everyone in the manga club, there’s Invader, a couple other people, and the best character in this series, Jts, who is making food for everyone. We then see Rowan staring at the manga club from across the street in his apartment. We also see Jay’s cat, who is being loud, in order to quiet him down Taurtis feeds him cat meat, I don’t have any funny comments here, just take it in. Invader says that HunterXHunter is her favorite mango. Jts finally finishes what he was cooking, Rabbit stew, and gives some to everyone, Sam is understandably upset by this, but before we can get too deep into that the manga club transforms into the Hot Wheels® Club. Invader gives Sam a Hot Wheels® car, and they abandon talking about Manga in favor of playing with their Hot Wheels®. ChanYandere does not seem impressed by this.

Taurtis and Sam notice Rowan still watching them from his balcony, and tell him to stop staring at them and to watch his TV. Rowan’s response is that he wants to watch the Bee Movie. We also see Gareth in Rowan’s apartment, who had come over to watch Paul Blart. Sam says they should sneak over there to watch it, and when questioned by Taurtis, asking that he thought Sam hated Paul Blart, he responds that he likes sneaking around and doing illegal stuff. Taurtis jumps off Jay’s balcony to get to the sidewalk, while Sam takes the stairs and the two start to sneak into an apartment. Notice I said an apartment, because it is not Rowan’s. They soon realize their mistake and make their way up to Rowan’s apartment, and instead of sneaking in they ring the doorbell and ask to be let in. While they’re doing that Gareth states that he got the wrong film, and instead got the Spanish dub of the Minion Movie, which I would argue is worse than Paul Blart, all things considered, even if Gareth considers it his favorite anime. We also then realize the TV is in Rowan’s bedroom so they would all have to squeeze into there to watch it, so then they make their excuses and leave, stating that they are going on a double date. Rowan tells the boys to go pursue their love shouting “#Invadater”. It is then revealed that the apartment they went in accidentally was Invaders and when Sam asks Taurtis to come up with an excuse he says that sam wanted to panty raid her, to which invader responds with “;)”. Whatever floats her boat I guess. They then go home and play Smash Bros Melee, with Taurtis saying he mains Meta Knight, even though he was added to the franchise in Brawl, I swear it’s like they didn’t even google these small likely improvised bits before they said them. 

And that was the end of the episode. Also I wanted to mention but could never find a good place for it, but there was random cuts in the episode, as well as Taurtis’ mic quality just going down the toilet before returning to normal. I mean, it’s fine I just found it weird. Tune in next week where hopefully I post twice instead of once.

[pastel-kinana]

heart out || barry allen [ix]

// chapter ix: a lesson on trust //

PREVIOUS CHAPTER | NEXT CHAPTER  ||  MASTERLIST

Barry sped along in his new speedster suit towards downtown Central City. After his victory in stopping Clyde Mardon, he decided that he continue his crusade as the heroic speedster.

“Barry,” Cisco called through the comms but Barry kept running along. “Barry!”

The speedster stopped in his tracks. “What? Did I miss it?” he asked.

“You overshot by about six blocks,” answered Cisco.

“My bad,” said Barry as he turned around and sped to the location of the fire.

When he reached the burning building, a woman was shouting for her daughter. Barry ran just in time to find more people trapped in the burning building.

“You there yet?” Cisco asked through the comms.

“What are you doing?” Caitlin’s voice startled him that he turned off all the computers and turned to her.

“Nothing,” answered Cisco.

“Who are you talking to?” Caitlin pressed.

“No one.”

“Are you talking to Barry?”

“Who?” asked Cisco, who then wanted to slap himself afterwards for the stupid question.

“Barry Allen?” answered Caitlin as she began to walk towards Cisco slowly. “Struck by lightning? In a coma for nine months? Woke up being able to run faster than the speed of sound? Ring a bell?”

“Nope, haven’t talked to him,” Cisco lied.

“Cisco, there’s fire everywhere!” Barry’s voice called through the comms.

Dammit... Cisco thought.

At the burning building, Barry was trying to protect himself while trying to find the people still trapped inside.

“Mom?” a little girl’s voice called. “Mommy?”

Barry ran towards the voice that belonged to a little girl holding onto her doll for dear life. He carried her to safety and her mother found her. Then, Barry proceeded to bring out the last two of the trapped and ran from the scene.

He let out a big breath and said to Cisco in his earpieces, “Everybody’s out. What else you got for me, Cisco?”

“Barry, it’s Caitlin,” said Caitlin through the comms like a mother scolding her child.

Barry went silent for a moment. “Hey, Caitlin,” he greeted her in a somewhat high pitched voice, trying to lighten the mood. “How’s your day?”

“Get back to S.T.A.R Labs now,” Caitlin demanded.

“On my way,” said Barry, defeated. He was definitely in trouble.

As he was about to run, he suddenly felt dizzy and his ears were ringing, making him stumble and he tried to hold on to the trash bin to stabilize himself. Once he finally got a hold himself, he ran to S.T.A.R Labs.

He reached the Cortex swiftly and was met by an upset Caitlin. “Have you both lost your minds? Who do you think you are?” she scolded both Barry and Cisco.

“Well, I'm the eyes and ears,” said Cisco as he pointed to himself and then to Barry. “And he's the feet.”

“This isn't funny. You could have gotten yourself killed,” said Caitlin. “You can't be running around the city like some supersonic fireman.”

“Why not?” Barry tried to reason. “This is what we talked about. Me using my speed to do good.”

“We talked about you helping contain people who have been affected by the particle accelerator explosion. Meta-humans. And aside from Clyde Mardon, we haven't found any.”

“People in the city still need help and I can help them.”

“We can help them,” Cisco added.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and then she saw Wells wheeling into the Cortex. “Will you please say something?” she desperately asked him, everyone’s attention turning to him.

“I think what Caitlin is saying in her own spectacularly angry way is we're just beginning to understand what your body is capable of. Not to sound like a broken record, Mr. Allen, I do caution restraint,” said Wells.

“Dr. Wells, I doubt restraint is how you got to be the man you are today,” Barry commented.

“In a wheelchair and a pariah,” Wells said back. “Lack of restraint is what made me these things. Know your limits.”

“Don't expect me to patch you up every time you break something,” Caitlin said angrily to Barry before walking away, the latter confused at her tone.

Cisco went towards him. “Hey, uh, anything happen out there today?” he asked. “The sensors in the suit were kicking back weird telemetry. Your vitals spiked for a few seconds.”

“Never felt better,” said Barry with a shake of his head. “Where’s Alex, by the way?”

“Why?” Cisco asked with a knowing smile. “You miss her?”

“It’s not like that,” Barry denied while his cheeks heated up. “Well, you know, she’s been working here since I got struck by lightning but now she’s not going to S.T.A.R Labs anymore.”

“Alex was just hired as your nurse during your coma and when you woke up, you wouldn’t need her anymore,” answered Cisco. “That was the contract she had with us and now she’s working as a full-time nurse again, sad to say. I liked having her here.”

“Yeah... sad,” Barry said under his breath and Cisco gave him his phone.

Joe was calling him so he answered it. “Hey, Joe, everything all right?” he asked.

“Great,” Joe answered sarcastically. “I got a fresh crime scene, a dead body, detectives interviewing witnesses, yellow tape stretched over everything. I'm missing one thing. Can you guess what that is?”

Barry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll be right there,” he said before hanging up.

“My day job beckons,” he said to himself before speeding away to the crime scene.

“When do you think he'll realize he didn't take his clothes?” Wells asked Cisco and Caitlin as he looked at the spot were Barry was.

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

Alex was finally back in her mundane life as a nurse in Central City. However, her life wouldn’t be as normal as before since she met Barry. What was impossible before was now possible after the particle accelerator explosion and Barry’s newfound powers. Alex knew that it’s better to stay where she is and do her job in helping people as a nurse. It was going to be the last time she would ever delve into the affairs at S.T.A.R Labs.

However, she still keeps in contact with Caitlin and especially Cisco, who was giggling like a little girl in their recent phone call. Alex just finished lunch and she took out her phone to see that Cisco was calling her.

“Good morning, Ms. Alexandra Lee,” he greeted her.

“I’ve told you for nine months what I prefer to be called, which is just ‘Alex,’“ she said with a laugh. “But whatever floats your boat. So what’s up? Any cool stories you wanna share?”

“Barry’s doing pretty well,” answered Cisco. “He just saved people from a burning building downtown.”

“What a hero,” Alex commented. “Well, he fits the job.”

“He definitely does,” said Cisco. “After his mission this morning, he’s been asking where you are?”

“You guys didn’t tell him?”

“Caitlin and I thought you’d tell him but apparently, you didn’t. So we told him and he looked like a sad little puppy when we did.”

Alex was surprised. “What do you mean he was sad?” she asked Cisco.

“Duh, he misses you,” said Cisco.

“Why would he miss me?” Alex mumbled.

“Because he likes you!”

“We’re just friends, Cisco. If he likes anyone, it’s Iris. I mean, they’ve known each other for a long time.”

“He may like Iris but you were the one he was looking for,” Cisco retorted. “You were the one taking care of him most of the time when he was in a coma and you were the one that motivated him to be a hero. You’re basically his knight in shining scrubs.”

Alex laughed at the term. “Keep dreaming, Cisco,” she said. “It’s not gonna happen. I’m gonna go back to work now.”

“Hey, hey. Don’t hang up on me just yet, Alex--” Cisco said through the phone but Alex hung up before letting him continue.

As she was walking to her next set of rounds, her mind was preoccupied with Barry. He hasn’t contacted her much and she thought he might be busy especially since he’s working as a CSI and also starting to become a hero. She guessed that this is how it’s just meant to be. He was the hero of the city and she is just a nurse helping the rest of the citizens.

After finishing her rounds at the emergency ward, which was the last part of her shift, she received another phone call from Cisco. “What’s up?” she asked. “More fangirling about Barry?”

“Not fangirling but it’s about Barry and we need your help,” said Cisco urgently.

- - - - - - - - - - - - 

“You lied to us,” said Caitlin angrily. “How could you not tell us you're experiencing dizzy spells? We're your doctors. God knows what's going on inside your body.”

Barry was sitting on the bed and just looked down, letting Caitlin ramble on until he heard a voice call from the hallway to the Cortex.

“What’s going on?” it asked.

Barry looked up and he sat up straighter when he saw Alex enter the room. He thought she was not going to work in S.T.A.R Labs anymore now that he was awake.

“Alex?” Barry asked. “I thought you’re not working here anymore?”

“I’m not,” Alex answered. “But Cisco called me and told me you guys need help and that it’s urgent.”

Everyone then looked at Cisco. “We could use an extra pair of hands?” he said sheepishly, almost sounding like a question.

Alex rolled her eyes. This situation is Cisco’s way of trying to set her and Barry up. However, judging by Caitlin’s rambling that she heard from the hallway, something was definitely going on with Barry.

“Anyway,” Caitlin started again and ranted to Barry. “ Your cells are in a constant state of flux. You could be experiencing cardiopulmonary failure, or a transient ischemic attack.”

Barry looked at Caitlin with a confused expression and then turned to Alex for help. “Mini-stroke,” she clarified for him. “But it’s not the only reason for a dizzy spell. There are plenty of other reasons.”

“You, of all people, should know that in science, we share. We do not keep secrets,” Caitlin continued before walking away to calm down.

Alex had never seen Caitlin so angry before and it sent a chill down her spine. She just went towards Barry and put her hand on his shoulder to calm his nerves after being put on the spot by Caitlin. Barry seemed to be relaxed under her touch and he looked up to smile at her. Alex smiled back and then Barry pats her hand that was on his shoulder.

“Wow, I haven't seen anyone make her that angry since Ronnie,” Cisco commented before going somewhere else.

“Ronnie was Caitlin's fiance?” asked Barry. “The one that died the night of the accelerator explosion?”

“Yeah,” answered Wells. “He is missed...”

Barry, Wells, and Alex went silent for a moment, processing the fact that Caitlin was angry because Barry’s situation made her worry like how she worried about Ronnie at the night of the explosion.

“Now, let's figure out why this is happening to you,” said Wells as he moved his wheelchair to lead Barry and Alex.

“Need any help getting up?” asked Alex.

“No, I’m fine,” Barry answered as he hopped out of the hospital bed. “Thank you.”

They walked together to where Wells was leading them. He lead them to a room and inside was some sort of treadmill with piles of boxes behind it. Barry then changed to a S.T.A.R Labs sweater, sweatpants, and trainers. 

“We’re all set,” Cisco said and Barry was quizzically staring at the boxes. “A little padding, just in case.”

“Yeah,” said Barry and Cisco went to the observation room where Wells, Caitlin, and Alex were.

Barry stepped onto the treadmill. “You sure about this, Cisco?“ he asked.

“Most home treadmills have a maximum speed of about 12 miles per hour,” answered Cisco from the observation room. “This one has been Cisco'ed. Trust me, it can handle your speed.”

“Okay,” said Barry. He started to jog when the treadmill started moving. Then, he started running as how he actually would. Alex observed his blurry figure running before looking at his vitals on Caitlin’s computer.

“Heart rate, blood pressure, nerve conduction all normal,” Caitlin reported.

“For Barry,” Wells added.

“Brainwave function within standard limits,” said Caitlin.

“Told you the treadmill could take it,” said Cisco with a giggle.

Alex, who was reading the vitals on Caitlin’s computer, found the problem. “Caitlin,” she called, making the mentioned look behind her. “Look at his glucose levels.”

Caitlin then checked Barry’s glucose levels on her computer and said, “Oh my God, of course.”

“Right?” said Alex.

“It’s so obvious,” said Caitlin.

Wells then talked to Barry through the microphone. “Barry, we think we know why you keep--” he said until Barry lost control and ended up flying backwards to the boxes behind him, surprising everyone.

“Passing out,” Wells continued.

Immediately, Alex opened the door leading to the treadmill room and pushed away the boxes that were on top of Barry. When they got the boxes off of him, Cisco and Caitlin helped Alex carry the unconscious speedster to the bed. Barry may be slim, but he was heavy.

Like what she did when he was in a coma, she checked his vitals and then she sat next to him afterwards. It was already dusk and Barry was awake again. Alex helped him sit up on the bed.

“I passed out again,” Barry groaned.

“Total metabolic failure brought on by acute hypoglycemia,” said Caitlin.

“I'm not eating enough,” said Barry as he got off the bed with Alex’s assistance. “So an l.V. bag and I'm good to go.”

Alex just laughed and showed Barry the forty I.V. bags waiting for him. “Try forty,” she said.

“Guess you were thirsty,” Wells commented.

“Given your speed and your metabolism, the regular ‘three meals a day with some snacks’ will just burn right through your system,” said Alex.

“We're gonna need to fashion you a diet based on your metabolic changes,” said Caitlin.

“You need to consume an amount equal to roughly 850 tacos,” said Cisco but then realized something. “Unless we're talking cheese and guac, which is like a whole other set of equations.”

“For Mexican, I recommend Tito's on Bruckner Avenue,” an unknown voice said and a familiar man entered the Cortex. “Best burrito in the city.”

It was Joe West, Barry’s adoptive father. “Detective West, what brings you to S.T.A.R. Labs?” asked Wells. “When I couldn't find you at your lab, I started doing a little research,” Joe said to Barry in particular. “Turns out, there's been reports of a red streak around the city,” he continued. “Stopping muggers, rescuing people from burning buildings.” Caitlin gave Barry a knowing look but the latter just ignored it. Wells tried to break the silence. “You... didn't tell him we were working together?” he asked Barry. “Joe, I can explain--” Barry tried to reason but was interrupted by Joe. “You already have a job in law enforcement, Barry. I suggest you get back to it,” he said.

“Mm-hm,” Caitlin quipped, earning a look from Joe.

“Don't look at me. I'm on your side,” she said. “Detective, we all want what's best for Barry,” said Wells. “If you wanted what was best for Barry, you'd talk him out of this instead of encouraging him going out there risking his life,” said Joe angrily. “You saw a man control the weather,” said Barry. “What are the police gonna do against someone like that?” “Since the accelerator explosion, we suspect there may more like him,” he continued. “And you're gonna do what?” asked Joe with crossed arms “Catch them? Are you insane? You think because you can run real fast that you're invincible? You're not. You're just a kid. My kid.”

With that last statement, Joe looked at Wells. The next thing Barry said shocked Alex. “I'm not your kid, Joe,” he said to his adoptive father, whose eyes are glistening. “And you're not my father.” Barry hopped off the table he was sitting on and continued, “My father is sitting in Iron Heights, wrongfully convicted. You were wrong about him and you're wrong about this. Now, I may not be able to help him but if I can save someone from a burning building or stop some armed thieves, I'm gonna do it. And you can't stop me. So don't try.”

Barry’s words felt heavy for Alex. At least he’s lucky to still have his real father and that he has another father figure, she thought. She then looked at Joe, who was trying to stop his tears and put up his pride. “You think you're so smart... All of you,” he said. “But you don't know what you don't know.” He turned to Wells and said, “And I hope that you're clever enough to figure it out before somebody gets killed.”

With one sorrowful look at Barry, Joe turned away and left the Cortex. Alex looked at the detective and she felt the amount of disrespect and sorrow that he felt from Barry’s words. It hit home for her and she couldn’t help but be angry towards Barry for disregarding whom he’s blessed to have.

“You’re so disrespectful,” Alex seethed.

“Disrespectful?” Barry asked, who is also still angry from what just happened. “He’s not my father, Alex. My father is in prison, wrongfully convicted for my mother’s murder. Joe was the one being disrespectful by making himself my father when I already have one.”

“At least you have someone, Barry!” Alex yelled and Barry fell silent as he just witnessed an angry Alex. Her usually calming eyes suddenly became terrifying and it almost scared him.

“I lost both of my parents when I was fourteen and I had no one,” she continued. “I was alone, jumping from foster home to foster home because no one wanted me. I had to rely on myself and it served me well after I graduated. The only family I have is myself and eventually, the friends I made.”

Alex went towards Barry, looking into his eyes. The latter noticed her eyes changed. Before, they were angry as if there was fire in them. Now, they began to soften and her voice became gentle again.

“Family isn’t just about blood, Barry,” she said. “It’s also about being there for each other, caring for each other, trusting each other. It’s also a choice... and Joe chose to love you and care for you when your real dad wasn’t there. He has every right to be concerned for you. And now that you have this whole team behind you, they also have that right.”

Alex didn’t say anymore words and silence enveloped the room. She just grabbed her bag and coat and then left the building. Cisco watched her figure disappear into the hallway. His little attempt in getting her and Barry to interact again was a complete failure. Meanwhile, Barry was stung by Alex’s words but his recklessness reigned and he kept his pride up.

[gawaine]

thoughts on the finale!

I have a lot, but before I set off; let it be known that as respective characters, I have a strong like (ranging to obsessive love) for those within the Jon-based love triangle. But that isn’t the focus of this post, and clearly, the writers want to ruin that for me.

I’m going by family, because legacy and nobility seemed to be a recurrent theme!

Also; tinfoil coming out for all of the foreshadowing (under the cut bc it got long, as per usual). Highlights include; Cersei was actually pretty badass this episode (?!), Littlefinger did NOT deserve more and Other Fun Stuff.

LANNISTER - This was good. Damn good. Lena Heady stole the show at multiple points - and the tension between the three Lannister siblings was palpable at the dragon pit. I found this to be one of Cersei’s most redeeming episodes. I love how she refuses to be intimidated by Dany’s dragons (and susses all three not being there means there’s something wrong); I love how collected she is, and I love the simplicity of her telling Jon to keep the North neutral. - It’s brilliant. She is acknowledging the Stark history; how Sansa is safe and knows better than to come to King’s Landing (I loved that subtle nod!) and how she and Jon have taken Winterfell, how Robb almost defeated her father. How she acknowledges Jon as Ned’s son (more on that later), and, if she believes in one thing, it’s the honour of the man whom she accidentally had murdered (even if she’ll step all over it).  - I think the way Cersei interacts with her brothers is so telling. She refuses to kill Tyrion, for no other reason that he’s her brother... And says she will kill Jaime, because even though they’re “all we have left” to each other, their relationship is too tainted for her to see him in the same way. There’s something pure and truthful and raw about Tyrion and Cersei’s exchange, exacerbated by Tyrion realising Cersei’s pregnant (she hid that so badly)... and I think it’s interesting that they don’t show us how Tyrion uses that information, to convince Cersei back to the dragon pit (though I think we have a rough idea of how). - I really did think she was going to kill Jaime. I’m so glad he’s getting out of there. I just hope he stays safe. Political prisoner again, anyone? By a certain Brienne of Tarth and Lady Stark...? - Cersei had me until “lol mercenaries will help us win back the kingdom!!”. She always falls at the last hurdle...

GREYJOY - Oh, the foreshadowing of Jon’s future troubles. - Not much to say here, except that Theon’s acceptance of who he is was beautifully executed, especially from a cinematographic perspective. He is loyal to legacy and blood and promises, like a Stark; he fights, and brawls, and plays dirty like a Greyjoy, and I love how he steps back into the water after the fight, but doesn’t immerse himself in it. It’s well done and I’m hoping good things for him! - Nice interaction with Tyrion in the dragon pit - I like how they zoom in on Theon’s face when Jon pledges allegiance to Daenerys. Although Jon says as much later, in that moment, it feels like they’re highlighting how Theon and Tyrion’s relationship is in the fledgling version of Jon and Tyrion’s; which foreshadows not all will be well between the latter come next season... It also reminds us that, in terms of the other Starks, Theon is still a family member - just on the outside, like Jon used to be. I have a theory that, if Jon’s heritage comes out (and/or Jonsa is endgame), Theon will be the one to give Sansa away, but that’s for another time!

STARK - I wanted to do this last, but too excited - I SAID SANSA WASN’T THAT STUPID - though I’ll admit, the way they filmed the scene made me think twice, especially when I saw Bran (and I’d read a meta on Bran potentially warning Sansa against Arya, or allowing the sisters to fight for some mysterious Greater Good). It’s good to know there’s a little bit of Bran Stark left in there (but more on him later). - I don’t know how much Arya knows about what’s about to go down. On one hand, it must’ve been everything, and when you re-watch the dialogue, it seems that way; on the other, it feels like there’s some doubt left in Arya, when she asks Sansa why she’s doing it. Sansa’s honesty supports the latter, but her reasoning - “for honour” and how she explains it - sounds too performed for just family, so I feel like it’s for the others in that room. It could also just be one big performance, but I like to think the girls put thought into it! - On the battlements, when Arya says she’s “just the executioner” - it reminds me of what Ned used to say; “the man who passes the sentence must always swing the sword”. It also reminded me of LoTR - “I’m no man”? And I like the idea of the Stark sisters being two sides of the same coin. Idk, it was cool to me. - Littlefinger did NOT deserve anything more than what he got, and yes, it IS reasonable that Bran’s word was all it took for proof; because it’s not so much what Bran says, but LF’s reaction to it that proves he’s guilty af (which everyone in that room knows anyway). It’s reminiscent of the scene where he betrays Ned; LF is surrounded by his men, but whereas Ned was honourable enough to try and save them, the current Starks are honourable enough to grant those knights witness to LF’s death. They all know he’s guilty. They all know he wouldn’t need proof to screw them over. It’s a trial by formality, when, really, it’s just that they have the means and power to do it and so they do. - LF snivelling was awesome. Arya was awesome. The Starks are awesome - THE LONE WOLF DIES, BUT THE PACK SURVIVES BITCHES (yet I hate that the next scene cut to the Night King riding toward them... wtf) - Bran telling Sam about Jon’s true parentage was interesting. Maybe a bit sudden, but given the context; Bran can’t tell Sansa and Arya without embroiling them in some sort of political war. Meera has gone. All of his other friends are gone. Sam is Jon trusted friend and Bran has no way of ensuring Jon will believe him, whereas Sam may help. Also, Bran not knowing about Lyanna and Rhaegar’s marriage? Yeah, that’s a little stupid, but it just served to remind us that... Little Bran Stark is still in there. Overwhelmed and a bit naive and clueless, but there. He’s still learning and I found it nice to see some humanity in Bran for a change... Which brings us to -

TARGARYEN - Oooooohhh, the foreshadowing was so nicely done! Receipts; - Jon x Theon - Jon x Daenerys at the dragon pit. They’re setting up a kind of mini-AU - we’re seeing how Daenerys could teach him about his Targaryen heritage, how he may actually learn from her... If they avoided boatbang. - LOOK. I’m a Jonsa shipper, but also a Jonerys shipper (I want them all happy and comfortable and safe; I was prepped to be a Major Jonerys shipper, and whilst I am in theory, to me, in practice, the show has failed), but the scene where Jon looks at Dany? And he sighs, while they’re... Copulating? I did not read that as difficulty on his part (though I do see it now). I saw it as being... Overwhelmed. You can’t ignore that they’re drawn to each other, but what’s bothering me, is how the show seems to be hinting at that really being familial more than anything else. - This bending the knee shit is going to wreck Jon’s chances in the North. They were hesitant when Jon was going to Dragonstone just for the dragon-glass, but once they find out he’s a Targaryen? Potentially knocked up his aunt (pls gross no pls - the sudden emphasis on it makes me think it’s a red herring, though) and pledged the North to her, and shortly thereafter learns of his own Targaryen heritage? It wouldn’t be shocking for the Northerners to shout conspiracy... and because of this, I really see Sansa being named the Queen in the North, and Jon and Dany receiving a frosty af reception in Winterfell. I didn’t see much Jonsa this episode, even in the LF scene where he mentions Dany’s beauty - I saw more of it last ep -, but even platonically, Jonerys in Winterfell is going to cause problems. - The entire boatbang thing felt tragic - and I think it was meant that way. The sudden way it happens, Tyrion watching, the sombre music and how it’s not allowed to be enjoyed, save for a rather gratuitous shot of Jon’s butt that is kind of necessary in order to depict what’s happening. There’s no romance, no slowness, no desperation, no... Nothing. Jon seems conflicted, in everything, and... - Because of Jon’s advice to Theon, I stand by my previous theory that Jon’s going to reject his relationship (?) with Dany on the basis of his Stark heritage. Which is sad, because nobody else is going to forget it. Jon was kept the furthest he has been from the rest of the Starks this ep; not just physically, but in his actions, his communications with them, how disconnected he is and the surprise he’ll have when he reaches home. He’s already transitioning into Targaryen... And I see a Targaryen x Stark feud brewing, before Jon even knows the truth.

There’s more but that’s the gist. The finale was by no means perfect but tbh I’m just grateful my Stark babies are doing well, kicking ass and taking names, up in the North, so... W/e 

ALSO; bonus points to the Pod/Tyrion reunion, YES JAIME LEAVE and there was not enough Missandei and Grey Worm.