#because 'there was no stakes' like?????

[ragnarssons]

the way so many people are complaining, like, “this season lacked of stakes” (because there was no death??) and it’s like... when did we become so addicted to cynical pieces of media, expecting characters to die, for a story to have “stakes” or any emotional payoff? why, tf, are there people who can’t settle for a (temporary, because there is a s4) clear-cut happy ending? and i find it particularly ironic considering s1 and s2 also end up on a clear-cut happy ending but somehow it wasn’t “a lack of stakes” back then... *rolls eyes* i just feel like so many people forgot what star wars is: star wars is luke and han strolling randomly around an imperial base and finding leia just chilling even tho she is the rebellion’s leader. them escaping because obi wan bee-booped the right button. star wars is a bunch of teddy bears saving the galaxy. star wars is anakin skywalker pressing random buttons on a spaceship as a 10 years old and winning a war just like that. star wars is jar jar dropping a ball out of sheer clumsiness and zapping a whole bunch of droids just like that. star wars is grogu being captured by imperial guards on episode 7 of season 1 and being rescued by ig-11 not even 2 minutes into the final episode. star wars is nanny ig-11 just zooming around nevarro destroying the whole imperial army without a scratch to him or yknow, the baby he carried with him. did people forget how the other two seasons were also completely “lacking dramatic stakes”??? because they’re just there, i watched the two previous seasons just before s3 and let me tell you: they’re the same. the arc is the same: grogu (din on s3) gets taken on the penultimate (or one before on s2) episode, somehow the search party does everything right and everything is solved by the end of the season. even more than that, on s1 kuiil dies on episode 7, here, paz vizsla dies on episode 7. so. no death??? why is it a problem now? like?? no stakes?? a whole exiled people finding their rightful place on their planet and ridding their homeworld of the invader that is the empire, wasn’t enough for y’all?? like i get it, y’all love the depressing era of andor and all, which is fine, to each their own. but why does it prevent other shows of just being what they want to be? yknow, potentially goofy and yknow, actually hopeful? because we know how cassian andor ends up. he dies. it’s horrible, it’s sad, it’s depressing. like, are we really out there pretending that din and grogu’s storyline wouldn’t be as fullfilling because they don’t die in what is basically an atomic explosion or something???

[bixels]

Why the hell, shit, you damned bastard son of a bitch

[egophiliac]

just thinking about hair and faces

[95-6qrsk2rx9uq42069nnnnnjthewolf]

i think tim is high maintenance the way a boarder collie or austrialian shepherd is. like you have to make sure they're not only given space to expend energy but you have to specifically let them get the herding instinct out and challenge them intellectually or they start destroying ur home

[crabsnpersimmons]

exam 5 for me... tomorrow!

honestly have been feeling really nervous for this exam since my classmates have either failed it or just barely passed. and i had less time to study this time around because i rushed to book the exam.

so i drew this little encouragement early cuz i need the reminder that no matter what happens tomorrow, i did what i could and i didn't compromise on my boundaries—and that is its own victory.

and i hope that you'll be reminded to celebrate your own big and small victories too!

"You are nervous and that's okay! You did your best! You set boundaries! You took breaks! We're so proud of you, Starlight! Whatever happens, we'll always be here, cheering you on!"

[dootznbootz]

Fascinating how Polites, the character who is the personification of Odysseus' optimism and is only in 5 songs, is more grieved and appreciated than Eurylochus, a character who is his own person and is in 11 songs.

[maedhrus]

it strikes me once again in episode 10 when crozier says that he "knows little's nature" and that he would be there with men and guns at day's end, he's absolutely right. he does know edward's nature. it's almost exactly what little said to rally the men, "we have hickey's camp outnumbered and outgunned." edward is ready to march all the men he can gather to rescue crozier, just as francis thought he would. what crozier doesn't know is le vesconte's nature. he doesn't know the nature of the men. he isn't aware that edward himself is being mutinied against because he's once again unable to see the similarities between himself and his second. because, just like in terror camp, he's placed expectations on edward without realising that the context in which edward is operating has very drastically changed. he's thinking of edward's loyalty but not edward's own duty to the men (a duty crozier shares!) and that edward's orders don't exist in a vacuum. it's just the debate about arming the men played out again but with debatably worse consequences

[violent138]

Can't decide if I like it more that Dick always tries to act cool around newer heroes and the universe throws every banana peel and hidden trap door his way or if he purposefully and dramatically falls for opportunities to break the ice.

[sevenines]

i saw this tweet and found it interesting for two reasons. one is that some people base how good cartoon network would be to toh by how it treated su, and despite the fact that su’s treatment by the network was considered poor at the time, now its thought to be exceptionally good in comparison to modern shows.

two is how exactly su got impacted by a limited budget. a common criticism is how characters like connie, peridot, and lapis are left out of missions. but balancing a lot of characters is not only hard but also costly (extra animation, extra voices—it’s been revealed that the show is limited to a set number of characters per episode otherwise they’re over budget). animation mistakes are not uncommon since retakes cost extra. the entire reason the original show got cut short was due to loss of funding!

[tra-archive]

Istg GCs are really out here saying they won’t vote blue just because Walz is pro trans? You’re going to endanger women and children, take away reproductive rights, and allow another Trump presidency to happen all because the VP put tampons in the boy’s room? Oh my fucking god, you’re no better than the TRAs.

I don’t think GC women realize what’s on the line here bc you can’t call yourself a feminist and vote red. Republicans love gender. They worship gender. How any GC could support them is beyond me.

[findafight]

Robin chose Steve. Robin made the conscious and deliberate decision that she could and would trust Steve. She already liked him! She had fun working and bantering with him! They were already on their way to being weird little bffs and the torture just expedited the process. Steve chose Robin just the same! He thinks she's fun and cool and likes her so much! He chose to be honest and open with her too, putting himself out there.

Even though their interests on the surface level don't match why wouldn't they share them? Steve clearly caves when Robin wants to watch a movie he doesn't think he'll like, Robin can watch a March madness game or five.

Stop trying to take away their bond oh my god people can be close to more than one person!!! Their best friend doesn't have to be dismissive or mean or whatever in order for a romance to be special to them!

[coffeebanana]

something something necromancer Marinette AU where Adrien keeps throwing himself into danger to protect her because “she’ll just bring him back” but she never thought she’d fall so hard for the guy she met by accidentally reanimating his corpse

and can she marry someone who’s legally dead anyways?

like. for tax reasons

[rawliverandgoronspice]

I think what particularly annoys me with the "zelda was always gameplay before story" is that... it's not true? At least I don't think it's true in the way people mean it.

Zelda games were always kind of integrating story based on the standards of the time. When game stories were in game pamphlets, Zelda's stories was in the pamphlets. ALTTP tried to tell a pretty complicated stories with the limitations of the time. OoT was actively trying to tell an epic, cinematic tale packed with ambiance and expand what 3D could offer that 2D games struggled with. Majora's Mask is deeply character-driven in many, many ways. Wind Waker and Twilight Princess are both pretty concerned about their stories, down to the point that some people were bored by TP's cutscenes in particular. Skyward Sword, from what little I have played it, is very very invested in its characters and their journey (and 2D Zeldas have Link's Awakening, Minish Cap... None of them are visual novels, but they are concerned with emotional journeys, character arcs, mysteries about their own world...)

What is true is that the narrative wraps around the mechanics, and not the other way around. The mechanics drive themes, aesthetics, emotional beats and character journeys; and that's great. The world is a puzzle, and the world is delightfully absurd when it needs to be, full of heart when it calls for it, dark and oppressive when it suits the player experience.

That does not mean the games aren't invested in their stories. Even BotW has a pretty complicated story to tell about an entire world rather than one specific tale or legend --all of it at the service of the gameplay, which is exploration and mastery of your environment.

So. Yes, none of the Zelda games are million-words long visual novels that care deeply about consistency and nuance; but stories don't need consistency or deep lore to be meaningful and serve an emotional journey. Again: gameplay is story. The two cannot be so easily parsed from each other.

And Zelda as a franchise obviously care deeply about story, characters and setting (and still does right now --otherwise there wouldn't be a movie), even if it doesn't try to imitate prestige narrative-driven games, which is great and part of why I love this series so much. Doesn't mean it couldn't have done better in the past, it obviously could have, but I feel like pretending that nobody ever cared about story or character is just... false? It's a huge disservice to the devs too. Some of them obviously cared immensely.

The "gameplay above story", at least in the extent to which it is paraded today to defend TotK, mostly, is a really recent development. And I think it's one that deserves to receive some pushback.

[bonefall]

Bones, I can only ever support you when you decide to kill off a character. Kill Leafstar! Make it dramatic!!! Poison her!!!!

Wasp says: you want Skyclan to be like the forest4? Alright bet!!

my ggoddddd I had an IDEA

Waspstar receives xeir nine lives the way the Forest Four show xem to, in their new pool, by their new rules. While there, Heartstar assures xem that Juniperclaw has been removed as deputy, will never serve in a position of power again, has gone into exile.

...and Waspstar doesn't respond to that very quickly. Xe has a polite, pungent pause. "Is that the punishment for taking a life? By your code?"

"Our code," Heartstar corrects boldly, in a tone that suggests she sees this as reason and fairness. Our Code-- it protects you too, a gesture of sharing. It makes Waspstar's belly twist. "I've made his punishment VERY severe."

Severe. What a word to describe a vacation.

"He regrets what he's done?"

"Yes, very much."

Waspstar's ear flicks. No. Juniperclaw hasn't even begun to regret what he's done to SkyClan.

"SkyClan will be having a ceremony for Leafstar, to say our goodbyes and welcome in a new era," Xey offer in an even tone, "Spread the word that is is a time of forgiveness. All honored guests may come-- if they want to pay."

Heartstar waits for a beat. Then chuckles incredulously, "Your Clanmew skills could use a brush up. You mean pay their respects, yes? To honor the dead?"

"Oh my, how embarassing," Waspstar smiles back, "I'm so very sorry if I was unclear."

Clear as the sky on a cloudless day. Juniperclaw didn't make it out of that funeral alive. If a true warrior does not need to kill to win their battles, then he was no warrior under the Code at all.

[mylittleredgirl]

genuinely though i love that the critique that gets lobbed at tng sometimes is that it's boring because the characters sit and think and talk and many of the episodes resolve with very few explosions, and yes! that's the point!!!

like the whole ethos of tng was "space (and everyone in it) is not a threat once you understand it" and sometimes you have to get quiet about it for a minute or have a productive group discussion or do some pontificating to reach that moment of understanding and communication, but at the end we warp away having made a friend or gained a greater understanding of the complexity of the universe and maybe it was a little bit silly or a character learned how to be a better version of themself along the way and that's why i love it!!

[goldensunset]

i love darkness and edginess in kh absolutely and i think the deeply philosophical introspective examinations on what it means to be human aka existential dread and all that lends itself to a bit of horror easily and i love seeing it utilized to its fullest potential. ultimately though what i want is something comforting and reassuring at the end of the day- like what nomura said about the series reflecting his belief that ‘the heart is never truly gone’. how you might lose people but they’re always a part of you. i will be happy no matter where the series goes as long as it fundamentally comes back to love and human connection. it’s really beautiful the way the story gets so incredibly dark but it always manages to come back to the light somehow- whether it’s a classic disney happily ever after, or something more akin to other storytellers where something is absolutely lost but it’s still a good ending, y’know? instead of everything being saccharine you get hurt and you grow because of it and new beauty blooms. kh really delivers on that front and i want it to stay that way forever