#bc the key emotionally impactful moment already happened

[goldensunset]

neo twewy is interesting because the climax of the story comes before the end of the gameplay + final boss. in og twewy the climax of the story wasn’t until after the final boss. neither game’s ultimate conflict is about having the physical strength or even courage to defeat a particular enemy. both of them are about the protagonists’ development and crucial character-defining decisions. the final bosses aren’t the story climaxes here- in the first game it was still part of the rising action, and in the second game it was actually already part of the falling action. that’s wild to me

[stanharu]

beastars episode 20 thoughts!

lots of mixed feelings about this one

this week's ep covers chapters 68, 70, 79, and 80. overall, it was fun to watch, and i enjoyed seeing some of my fave non-legosi and louis focused moments of this arc animated, but adaptation-wise i feel like this was one of the weaker episodes of this season.

im glad we got to see the side story about sheila and peach animated. i was really afraid it would get cut. i really enjoyed the shots of the wider world of beastars. though i do wanna mention that coming off of last week's ep, which was quite dark and explored how fucked up riz is, this week's ep starting with such a lighthearted story feels a lil offputting. the tones don't really match and im sure for bingewatchers it'll be really strange.

girls❤️

moving on, we finally get to see legosi's training! i really enjoyed this scene. gouhin unceremoniously throwing legosi off the balcony was really funny sjlkdjflgkdjf

next!!! the junoharu chapter!!! animated at last!!! this scene made me so happy. haru is so cute i took a million screenshots of her. though i will say it's been a common issue in this season that there are many small moments in the manga that just do not seem to have the same impact in the anime.

this scene would be another example of that, imo. i think it could've been played up a lil more

lastly, louis and the shishigumi visit the hyperdrug business. sadly, i was a bit disappointed with how the anime handled this scene. it felt like it was over too soon. i think there's similar issues with this scene as the salad scene a few weeks ago. in the manga we can see that louis feels a range of emotions at ibuki being considerate of him, but in the anime louis just seems kinda mad/annoyed by it.

i just feel like this moment did not hit as hard emotionally in the anime as it does in the manga. which makes me real sad bc i love this scene a lot. i wish the anime lingered a lil longer in this scene and played it up some more. also look at louis' baby hand compared to ibuki's dflsjdkljf

wow 😳

i think ibuki & louis' moment on the balcony did a lil better tho. also i rly like this shot

lastly... i want to express some concerns ive had that've been growing as the anime as progressed. as manga readers will know, there are a couple of key scenes between legosi and louis that have not happened in the anime yet. specifically chapters 66 and 75/76. i have a feeling these moments are gonna be squished together in the anime but the fact that both of these scenes are coming way later in the story than when they did in the manga worries me about how the anime may handle them, we're already running into some pacing issues. like, i honestly wouldnt have minded if the sheila and peach vignette got cut if it meant there'd be more time to do the legosi and/or louis focused moments right.

ive been marking which chapters the anime covers in each episode, and this week's episode pulls from chapters from 3 different volumes.

it's just a lil wild to me. and on the other side i've marked the giant chunk of volume 9 that's been skipped over for the past few weeks.

thats's like... half the volume.

not to mention that based on the previews for next week's ep it seems like the story is still marching steadily thru volume 10, chapters 75/76 whomst? also jpn fans have been speculating about an anime original scene between louis and ibuki based on one of the pics from the preview. which, given the pacing issues that've already been pointed out, worries me more about the stuff that's been skipped atm and the finale sjdflksjldkjf

idk, i may be thinking too much about all this and it'll work out somehow. im trying to hold out hope that studio orange will still be able to do these scenes justice, but we'll just have to wait and see.

[crimsonandcloverwrites]

ok bhah ch1 reread thought dump lets goooo

@youngbloodbuzz  @romanitwontletmetagyouuuu??? thank u for writing this. in return I gift u this lightly unhinged commentary

oh the opening quote “Do you think it all meant nothing, all the longing? The longing for home?” violence

lmao ok I started this ages ago and then got distracted for a week because that’s just who I am as a person lets try that again

eddie n his glowing glasses nice we love a canon nod

ok I remember getting really emotional reading the chapter where Dani’s car died bc of what it represented to her n now I’m being reminded of it all again with the ‘poor little car’ comment oh dear we’re like 2 paragraphs in and I’m already compromised

the wavering reflection in the water in her hands..... Dani posessed by the ghost of comphet..... I am Drawing Conclusions

eddie “we can hang out more” dani “aha wouldn’t that be neat”

god the prom photo... remembering Dani’s meltdown at the prom bc she missed Jamie... I’m dying Jack I’m dying

lil palm kiss... I know u will not ever love hm that way Dani but fuck I’m a sucker for a palm kiss

lil nerd ass w her folder tabs I love her

god the tone of this is so comforting like I can just hang out n imagine each scene progressing so naturally. wish I did not have to suffer emotionally at the same time but at least it’s a smooth read

Dani feeling like an invader amongst all the physical representations of her relationship w eddie BABY U DON’T HAVE TO LIVE THIS WAY STOP LETTING OTHER PEOPLE INFLUENCE UR LIFE AND RUIN UR HAPPINESS

“Hannah Grose, seamlessly elegant” yes

Hannah: congrats on ur engagement. Dani, with tears in her eyes: thank

Dani relaxing when they’re talking about teaching pls I love her love for it so much

Dani at the blackboard with the “Miss, Ms?” confusion now I am thinking about the Ted Moseby professor/proffessor scene. HIMYM my beloved

mikeyyyy my boy

the image of Dani w chalk dust on her skirt is v endearing.

oooh the library trip gay foreshadowing yes

wait the silver stars on his backpack......... cup of stars crying time

Mikey correcting her on his name when she was the one to give him the nickname in the first place... feeling some kind of way

Dani fostering the talents she sees in her kids is so sweet and mikey shy lil math genuis is also so sweet pls i love this duo

i do wonder if part of her is like I know a Mikey Taylor but I literally refuse to believe it is the same one bc his sister broke my heart and we are absolutely not in the business of confronting hard feelings in this house!!

keys on a lanyard... ok lesbian

“You’re still here?” the love I have for canon lines being used when I can hear them being said in my head

awww bonding over Wonder Woman. cute!!!! When Dani becomes Mikey’s official second mum (everyone be quiet I am manifesting) my heart will explode

eddie ur really just gonna rock up and toot at her. jail for 1000 years

ooohhh Dani is Realising who the sister is. honey you got a big storm comin. oof (the ‘wonder woman punching stars out of her foes” to “dani feeling like she’s just recieved a blow to the ribs.” the cinnamontography). aw baby :(

“Jamie. Jamie, here. Jamie, home.” please i am thinking about her last letter and I am not strong enough

“Somehow Eddie didn’t notice.” sum up a relationship in a sentence

“Jamie would appear, as if summoned by the gravity of Dani’s pounding heart” fuck this hits on so many levels I need to go think about my life for 45mins

CARSON MY BOY. in his studded leather. a fashionable gay never loses.

I looove how soft n caring Dani n Carson are with each other thank gods she has him.

DID WE EVER FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN CARSON AND JASON MY SPIDEY SENSES ARE STILL TINGLING FROM READING THIS THE FIRST TIME

god this post is already so long n I’m only halfway through why do I have so many silly thoughts

god just the... expectations of affection from her by eddie w that placating cheek kiss she gives him is like... I cannot imagine Jamie ever asking that from her in the same way even when they are in a relationship!!! and it’s not even wrong of him to do that??? but it’s just a lot to think about the kind of person Dani makes herself to be to stay with him vs the kind of person Jamie lets her be by not expecting anything of her. they’re such opposites

dani not even feeling at home in her own (former) home pls when is she going to find a soft place to land (it’s also making me think v hard about the title like... the haunting of Dani and Jamie’s relationship (and what that represents for Dani) on Dani’s whole life and Jamie coming home and bringing that to Dani’s doorstep. resurecting a ghost so to speak........ too many homes to think about. I don’t know if I fully understand but I am Thinking)

dani and her inhaler... asthmatic bitches represent

oh my god not the box of memories. been trying to erase that from my own for weeks now let me live

ooh the line about her feeling like an archaeologist at the start of this section and then her ‘exhuming the past’ w the photos of her n Jamie i love a consistent narrative.

THE MIXTAPE. THE MIXTAPE. is there a playlist for this chapter I would like to take that aural journey

oh no i cannot remember where the flower comes from but aahhh this box of memories pain.

this description of carson in a tight white undershirt tucked into his jeans makes me think of freddie mercury. didn’t mean to make you cry etc

lmao Dani trying to get info from Judy abt Jamie in a roundabout way... international superspy she is not

Dani entirely uncomfy in church... i feel it. godd the repression of it all w the movie and the feelings and the Jamie-influence on the feelings my heart hurts.

God knowing how much Judy loves her but the weight of that love also stifling her... pain

they’ve really got her all shacked up w a house and a husband and a kid on the way can we let the girl be a lesbian in peace (also lowkey hoping Dani gets some time on her own at some point no Eddie no Jamie no weight of expectations pls she needs it we all need it)

the thread of Dani refusing to do things for herself in order to make other people happy throughout this entire piece hits so fucking close to home and is entirely heartbreaking to read thank you

jamiiiiieeeeeeeee

Jamie: appears. Dani: every single emotion all at once

Judy and her girls back together is v sweet even if Dani is dying inside at it all

“Jamie only had eyes for Dani.” Again, sum up a relationship in a sentence.

What do you even say to a girl who *the sky goes dark as i attempt to even summarise a fraction of their relationship*. Apparently the answer is “Jamie. Hi.”

TWO MONTHS JAMIE TAYLOR. CRIMES

It’s ahh. fairly entertaining to be going through Dani’s emotional journey alongside her and knowing that Jamie is also Going Through It on some level but having 0 insights to it bc she keeps her emotions so in check.

oooh how much of a gut punch is this engagement revelation for Jamie??? like on some level I’m sure she always knew this was coming but I’m sure another part of her still desperately hoped one day Dani would choose her. god I would kill for Jamie’s POV in this scene

Jamie’s scarrrr. Literally Dani’s impact

oh fucking hell that moment of like... familiarity and almost a coming home for Dani when Judy is talking and she meets Jamie’s eyes... she really was entirely screwed from that moment on huh.

oof god this is a hell of an opening chapter lets see if my attention span will let me continue this journey (also @ myself reminder to read this all in chronological order one day for a real nice session of emotional destruction)

[dahlwatchesmiraculous]

Why I think adrienette shouldn’t happen until season 5

Note: this analysis doesn’t take season 4 into account, since I haven’t seen any new episodes yet lol

Anyway this is mostly inspired by my frustration with the idea of a reveal happening before adrien and marinette get together.

TLDR: I think marinette and adrien need to become closer friends before pursuing anything romantic, while also giving themselves time to emotionally mature

Finding out their secret identities will have consequences for both marinette and adrien obviously, but especially if they haven’t had a chance to grow as individuals. These consequences would definitely worsen if the reveal is out of their control (like one of them, or someone else completely, finds out by accident, or they’re forced to reveal themselves during some dangerous event)

Ive always been against reveal theories that didn’t include ladybug and chat noir prepared and intentionally willing to reveal their identities. I hate the idea of them having to show their true selves when they’re not ready for it, and it’s only out of necessity or desperation. It’s there secret to share, especially when it comes to chat noir. Adrien doesn’t have any control in his life. Being chat noir is his only chance at experiencing freedom, it’s more than just a secret to him I feel. It’s a very intimate and significant part of his life. It’s the only thing he actually has control over. So if we have marinette, or someone else secretly finding out about his identity, then we’re taking away the only control he has in his life, and it’s really not fair to do that to him.

But let’s say the reveal is a consensual and conscientious decision. I still don’t think it should happen any time soon, because our main characters have a lot of development they need to go through before being able to handle the truth of the superhero identities.

By the end of season 3, Marinette still has a pretty one dimensional understanding of who Adrien is. Sure they may have had a few key moments in their friendship, but I dont think that’s enough for her to see his “chat noir” side. She still thinks of him as this “dreamy perfect boy” but he’s a lot more than that, she’s just never able to see it bc her feelings get in her way and makes her way shy. Of course she’s interacted with Adrien as chat noir and knows what his personality is like, but I really do think she needs to be able to associate that personality with Adrien too, not just chat noir. Because in that case, they might as well be two different people, yknow?? If they get together as soon as a reveal happens, it’ll feel so forced bc neither of them will have really gotten the chance to process the person they’re actually in love with. I think it’d be easier for Adrien to process it, because he’s compared marinette to ladybug, and he’s already aware of the kind of person marinette is deep down (some may even argue that he’s definitely in love with her already but is fighting those feelings for her) But marinette doesn’t really know who Adrien is, and I don’t think revealing their identities would acknowledge that?? She needs to have real deep connections with Adrien so she can understand why she loves him!! Bc right now her crush is p surface level

That’s why I didn’t actually mind lukanette all that much?? I mean, personally I just want them to be close friends, that way it doesn’t seem like he’s just being tossed aside when adrienette becomes canon. But luka could at least help her become more confident and to learn how to embrace herself?? The only way she’ll be able to learn the true sides of Adrien is if she’s able to talk to him without freaking out, and he’ll be more willing to talk to her and show himself once he sees that she’s comfortable around him??? Then the real work towards their relationship can happen bc once she sees adriens true personality, and the big reveal happens, she can understand why she does have feelings for Adrien/chat noir

A strong friendship is also really important for Adrien’s development as well. Right now, he uses chat noir as his escape. He feels like he can’t be himself around people because of his father’s cruel parenting, which has led him to feel that if he shows any true part of himself he won’t be accepted by the people he cares about. If there’s some sort of public reveal (like during a battle or something) then Adrien will have to deal with the fact that people don’t see the real him, causing him to feel like he’s lost those connections bc they don’t really know him. Right now he doesn’t feel like he can be himself and a public reveal would just make that worse. He needs to learn that he doesn’t have to hide his true qualities for people to like him. And how does he learn this?? THROUGH MARINETTE and specifically through a closer friendship. We already know adrien thinks very highly of marinette, but why?? Because she’s never afraid to be her true self (except when it comes to her feelings for him, but he doesn’t even notice that so we can disregard that). Marinette wears her heart on her sleeve, she’s always willing to fight for what she believes in. If they’re closer friends, she can help him realize that being himself is okay. Failing to accept both sides of him can have v serious impacts on his sense of identity, especially if it ends up being a public reveal. He won’t know who to be or how to act, he’ll be afraid that anything he does will be perceived as wrong. But if their friendship comes before any sort of reveal, he can shape his identity to be the way he wants it to be without the fear of being rejected

I feel like I just kept repeating the same thing over and over in different ways. But to summarize: adrienette can’t happen suddenly, especially not immediately after they reveal their identities. They individually need to work on themselves (Adrien becoming comfortable showing his true personality, and marinette learning to be more confident) and work on their friendship before they get together, that way when the reveal does happen they can understand who the other person really is and why they love them, especially to avoid an “insta-love” situation. If they don’t have a better established relationship, then they’re essentially falling in love with the idea of each other and not their actual true selves.