#bringing back her season 1 star motif

[ehay]

Yennefer at Thanedd.

[oracleofdiscord]

Ninjago OC: Estrella, Master of Starlight (part 3/3)

More about Estrella, my Ninjago OC! In her introductory post, I showed off a few different outfits, but the truth is, I have more. A lot more. So I thought I’d complete her introduction with a post that was just going through the different outfits I’ve designed and talking about what’s going on in her life during each look.

Part 1: Pre-Wildbrain

Stiix look: This is her outfit before she becomes the Master of Starlight, so it’s meant to be a pretty basic civilian outfit. I looked at some of the background characters in scenes set in Stiix to get an idea for what the fashion was like there. The colors here are what I refer to as her “civilian palette.”

Ninjago City look: A bit of a change in aesthetics now that she’s moved to Ninjago City and (unbeknownst to her) become the Master of Starlight. The change from the jeans to the flowy skirt and the inclusion of more accessories are her expressing more of her personal style, and the addition of stars as a motif and some of the colors from her “starlight palette” are a nod to her new powers. 

Avery’s Teammate look: While she’s not much of a fighter herself, helping Avery on her adventures is still a more active/athletic lifestyle than she had before, so she had her hair tied up now (albeit loosely). The pants she’s wearing are styled after hakama, and will become a staple of her wardrobe during the more active periods of her life.

Fan-season look: @destinysbounty and I came up with an idea for an as-of-yet-unnamed fanseason set between Hands of Time and Sons of Garmadon that would focus on Avery and Estrella. Avery’s backstory would be revealed at the start, and Estrella’s true potential would be unlocked at the end. Similar to how the ninja get new gi variants at least once a season, this is a variant on her “Avery’s teammate” outfit specifically for this “season”.

True Potential look: This becomes her default look once she’s unlocked her true potential and become aware that she’s an Elemental Master. Her hair has gone from just being tied up in a ponytail to being tucked away in a braid, which will continue to be her hairstyle when she gets more serious about fighting later on. For the first time, her color scheme is fully her “starlight palette”.

Part 2: Wildbrain Era

Retired look: This one technically straddles the line between Pre-Wildbrain and Wildbrain, because it would actually first show up in season 10. But since season 10 is 4 episodes and it continues to be her default look through every Wildbrain season except Prime Empire and Crystalized, I feel comfortable including it here. I’ll probably elaborate in the future, but Estrella goes through some stuff in Hunted that makes her feel uncomfortable about her powers. At the same time, Avery officially joins the ninja after Hunted. So with her own stuff to deal with and her teammate having new people to rely on, Estrella “retires” from the adventures she’d been doing with Avery and goes back to civilian life. She then pretty much stays a civilian until Nya merges with the sea, not being part of the ninja’s adventures…with one exception.

Prime Empire avatar: A good chunk of Ninjago City’s populace got sucked inside Prime Empire, and there’s no reason she couldn’t be one of them! Plus, since fighting with cool video game abilities doesn’t bring up the baggage she now has around her powers, she’s willing to help the ninja out when she runs into them. (Look, I’ve been wanting to design a Prime Empire avatar for her since before I had anything more fleshed out than “Master of Starlight”; her being “retired” is not gonna stop me from including her in this season.)

Kai’s Student look: Losing Nya causes Estrella to have a worldview shift. She’s no longer content to just sit out of fighting in case she messes up, or even come in and heal people after the fact. Instead, she decides she wants to be more proactive about protecting the people she loves, so when she finds out that Kai is teaching students, she approaches him about getting some private training in actual fighting. Her outfit during this time period is very simple and meant to be more functional than fashionable. After this training period, once the ninja regroup, she officially joins the team. 

Crystalized looks: And since, starting with Crystalized, she’s now a ninja, that means I finally get to design gi for her! During the early episodes of Crystalized, the ninja have their standard Wilbrain gi on, so I designed a version for her in addition to the Crystalized-specific looks.

[aimlacely-sapphic]

Building on my pervious post about the meanings of the arcanums I love that tdp chose the specific arcanums to represent each season not only based on the types of magic the characters encounter but also based on the thematic developments.

Book 1: Moon is about death and about characters seeing past the illusions and lies they believed in. Harrows assassination is the foundation of the plotline and throughout the season the other characters have to unlearn and relearn because of the assumptions they held. From Rayla realizing that vengeance is not the answer, Callum realizing he can trust Rayla, to them all seeing past their assumptions of what is normal and okay in the world, Season 1 is all about lies and illusions. Some of that does carry over into season 2 but the establishment of the idea that all is not as it seems is fundamental to season 1.

Book 2: Sky is about love and trust. It is about Callum and Rayla coming to fully trust each other and love each other (because even if their romance comes in season 3, season 2 is where the deep platonic love and trust gets fully established). It is also where Callum and Claudia declare their love for Rayla and Soren respectively by pushing beyond the boundaries of what they are supposed to do in order to save the ones they love (Fire and Fury). Callum also connects with his parents through Harrows letter and his dream and it is in those connections to and acceptances of love that he understands the world better and is able to connect with the sky arcanum.

Book 3: Sun is about passion. Fire is the arcanum most connected to battle and conflict so it makes sense for this season with the big final conflict to be the associated with the sun. Beyond the main conflict this season is about relationships forged in the heat of battle and bold declarations. Callum jumps off a cliff, Soren tries to kill his dad, Ezran gives up his crown, Rayla kisses Callum. Where in the previous seasons more of the decisions were based on steadier and more constant feelings and beliefs, season 3 is about strong feelings, strong ideas, passion and anger.

Book 4: Earth is about life and growth. It is about Claudia bringing back to life her dad and them having to reckon with their understanding of the worth of life. It is about Callum and Rayla slowly rebuilding a relationship, growing into is as steadily as a plant grows. It is about the taking of life and the saving of it and the shaking of steady foundations.

This also gives us clues as to what the last 3 seasons could look like.

Book 5: is probably Ocean. It is probably going to be a season of transformation, in the world, in character dynamics, in beliefs and relationships. Season 4 shook foundations and created some of the chaos through which change and transformation can occur in Season 5. By making season 5 about change, it also allows the creators to set up the stage for the final arch of major conflict in season 6 and 7 where the world will have to face a complete reckoning and far greater conflict than season 4 or 5 will provide.

Book 6: is probably Stars. It is probably going to be a season focused on destiny. Bits and peices of this theme have come through in the previous seasons but with Aaravos probably out of his prison by this point, or at least holding much greater power, Callum is going to have to resist his influence and grab a hold of his own destiny. Rayla will also probably have to face her own perception of her destiny as a protector and a self sacrificial hero (hopefully because decoining her parents will force her to rethink her identity). And this will hopefully be the season where Claudia starts considering a redemption arch as she questions her destiny and purpose in life for the first time.

Book 7: I hope will be Dark Magic. Because the final conflict will probably have a motif of dark vs light but also because the ultimate question will be what we want the world to look like. It will push all the characters to the limits of their morality and force them to decide what they care about the most. They are going to have to reckon with why dark magic really exists and how a world after conflict can look such that peoples needs and desires are met.

[calzona-ga]

SPOILER ALERT: The story includes details about the April 1 episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

After a string of intense and heavy episodes marked by tragedy, including the deaths of DeLuca as well as Bailey’s mom, Grey’s Anatomy delivered a hopeful one-hour tonight. The biggest development came at the very end, when Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) was taken off the ventilator and was able to breathe on her own. She was “helped” by two old friends who tragically died nine years ago, her sister Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) who visited her on the beach and made the case why she needed to fight to live.

While Leigh’s return was revealed in the promo at the end of last episode, Dane’s appearance was kept a surprise as his Mark joined Meredith and Lexie on the beach. As the trio chatted, Mark shared that he talks to his daughter Sofia, as well as her moms, Callie and Arizona, all the time. Mark and Lexie also showed a lot of affection towards each other, and when Meredith asked if the two were still together, Mark said, “On your beach it looks like we are.”

While Meredith kept saying how much she loves it on the beach, Lexie and Mark talked about what they miss about being alive and urged her to choose life. “Don’t waste one single minute,” Mark said in their final conversation before Meredith was taken out of the coma, possibly ending the season-long beach motif, conceived by showrunner Krista Vernoff, which also featured visits from Patrick Dempsey’s  Derek Shepherd and T.R. Knight’s George O’Malley.

Elsewhere in the episode, there were positive developments all-around. The two main medical cases had happy endings, including one where the doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial faced a Sophie’s Choice situation with one ventilator left and a mother and her daughter both in desperate need to be intubated. Teddy was on the mend, Owen and Koracick almost reconciled. And, along with Meredith’s successful reentry after she was taken off the machine, Winston proposes to Maggie at the end of the episode, and she said yes.

In an interview with Deadline, Dane spoke about how his Grey’s return came about. He took us behind the scenes of filming the beach scenes with Pompeo and Leigh, shared his take on Mark and Lexie’s relationship status and the duo’s pivotal role in giving Meredith strength to cling onto life when she is taken off the ventilator. He also discussed the remarkable longevity of Grey’s Anatomy and his return to production on his current series, HBO’s Euphoria.

DEADLINE: When and how did you get approached about returning to Grey’s Anatomy?

DANE: I was in Shanghai, filming a movie, a Chinese production for that market, a historical piece, and Krista reached out to me and said, hey, I’d like to talk to you about something, let me know when you have some time. I said well, I’m in Shanghai, China right now, let’s talk right when I get back. I don’t remember the timeline, I know I was in Shanghai in August. She explained to me what was happening in the story, and she said, we want to put Mark Sloan on the beach with Lexie Grey.

DEADLINE: What was your reaction? Did you like the idea?

DANE: Yeah, I thought it was a great idea. I thought it made sense, considering the circumstances.

DEADLINE: What do you mean?

DANE: I mean, if you’re ever going to bring Mark Sloan back, I guess with Meredith in a coma, it’s a good way for her to see him. So, it wasn’t a tough sell, and it made sense.

DEADLINE: Tell me about the filming of your scenes. You got to spend time with Ellen and Chyler, the crew. How was it going back into character, revisiting your past and reuniting with old friends?

DANE: It was like I’d never left. It was a great day at the beach. It was great to see some of the familiar faces and same crew members, and we didn’t skip a beat. I love those people. I spent a significant portion of my life with those people, I’d do just about anything for them.

DEADLINE: What did you, Ellen and Chyler chat about in-between takes?

DANE: Masks, Covid. I hadn’t seen Chyler in a while, but Ellen I stay in contact with, and just, how are the kids? Kids are good. Small talk. There wasn’t a lot of time in-between takes because of the protocols and how we had to set it up. So, once we got going, it was almost like a runaway train.

DEADLINE: And it was easy to go back into character?

DANE: Yeah. I mean, look, I created Mark Sloan. It was not that difficult for me to get back into character.

DEADLINE: What did you think about Mark and Lexie playing such an important role in giving Meredith a will to live and a reason to fight as she soon thereafter started to breathe on her own?

DANE: Well, Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey are embedded in the DNA of that show, and also literally, Lexie and Meredith share the same DNA. So, I think there’s a connectivity there and reminding her that, gone but not forgotten, we’re always around if you need us, and it’s too early for you to stay on the beach.

DEADLINE: And there was something comforting, I’m sure, in you reassuring fans that Mark is OK…

DANE: Sure. Absolutely. You see that everybody’s okay and happy; it allows you to want to come back for something.

DEADLINE: .. And that Mark also is watching over his daughter.

DANE: Yeah, whether she’s listening to me or not. You always have somebody looking over you. I lost my father at a very early age, and I feel like he’s watching over me in some capacity.

DEADLINE: When Meredith asked whether Mark and Lexie were together, you said “On your beach, we are”. What do you make of that, does it mean that they’re happily together in our imagination?

DANE: I didn’t dig too deep into that. I sort of took it as like, not in your imagination but the way you’re seeing it in your subconsciousness, wherever you are right now, whatever state of being you’re existing in this coma, fever dream, whatever it is, I guess that’s (Meredith’s) projection of perfection. Mark and Lexie are together forever, and I’m sure Mark and Lexie aren’t too bummed about it either.

DEADLINE: What is your vision of Mark and Lexie, how you think that their story continues in the afterlife?

DANE: Mark would’ve found Lexie. He would’ve found her eventually.

DEADLINE: Since you left Grey’s Anatomy, you did one successful series, The Last Ship, which ran for five seasons, and now you are on a second successful series, Euphoria. Meanwhile, Grey’s Anatomy is still going. How do explain the longevity of that show which continues to be going strong 17 seasons in?

DANE: Well, I think there’s a lot of factors but at its core it’s just a great show. People connect with the characters on that show. It seemed to have found a whole new generation of viewership. Shows typically will grow up with a generation, an audience, and eventually that audience will either outgrow that show or move onto something else. But with Grey’s, there’s always been an alchemy in that cast, a dynamic, a chemistry which keeps people showing up. The writing’s good. Krista, Shonda (Rhimes), Betsy (Beers) and now Debbie Allen’s exec producing the show. They’re so good at understanding the tone of that show and finding characters that people will invest in, and what that translates to is season 17.

DEADLINE: Is there anything you miss about Grey’s?

DANE: Well, I’ve maintained contact with a lot of the cast members. An answer somebody would give you, had they not, would’ve been I missed the people, but I’m still friends with all of them. So, there wasn’t really anything to miss.

DEADLINE: Are you going back into production on Euphoria soon?

DANE: In mid-April. We’re actually started now on Season 2. I think I don’t start shooting for a couple weeks, but we are. I’m sure we’re going to get this out as soon as we can. We’ve set a pretty high bar. I’m very proud of that show, everybody involved is very proud of that show.

[down-thedrain]

for ruby and swift, 1, 4, 10, 18, 20, 27, 33, 44! :)

O MM FUCKE OKAY (sorry 4 spelling mistakes i'm not proofing this)

1) age, birthday, star sign

ruby was born on may 29!!! she's currently 19 and she's a gemini :)

swift doesn't have a traditional birthday. while she was "born" at some point, it was so long ago that even others that existed around the same time don't remember. she doesn't reeally consider what day she was born too important anyway (because of that, she doesn't really have an age but she physically looks to be in her late 20s)

4) race and ethnicity

swift's a cracker lmao

ruby inherited her skin tone from her dad, but she is half japanese!! it comes from her mother's side and she even has a very slight accent (it's not noticable enough to hear if you didn't already know)

10) any markings, piercings or scars?

ruby doesn't always wear earrings, but her ears are pierced :)

swift actually has white markings all over her body on their legs, torso, arms, and all the way up to skies neck. they're covered by clothing but peak out on her wrists and neck. they curl in a ton of places and occasionally form heart shapes, as well as running mostly vertically but also horizontally in some places. she doesn't really like it when people as to see them unless sky knows them personally

18) any special keepsakes?

it's not a singular thing, but ruby has a huge attachment to her art supplies collection. it consists of mostly regular and colored pencils, markers, paintbrushes, crayons, erasers, highlighters, watercolor paints, stencils, etc. her dad used to love art and liked to draw with her when she was younger, so it was almost like having a bit of her dad with her (plus, since java does a ton of art, she's a really good source of supplies as long as you return it).

and swift.

when python still lived with sky, he had a tendency to. accidentally kill plants. not through any fault of his own, but if it touched a plant, it would wilt instantaneously. it didn't bother him at all (it isn't really a flower person), so large parts of their home (more of a garden area) would be wilted. it was a joke between them that any time a wilted plant was brought back by swift, it would just wilt it again, and so on and so forth. he even had a favorite flower in the garden that he did this to, a daisy that he nicknamed "death-sy".

when python left, swift didn't gain this power. instead, it just caused the rest of the garden to flourish. sure it may look perfect now... but it's like the character was completely sapped from it. ironically, it seemed less lively than ever. something important was missing.

however, one flower stayed wilted. death-sy.. it wouldn't come back, no matter how much swift tried to bring it back. but then they realized that that wasn't bad necessarily. for every life there had to be a death too. sky realized that this singular wilted daisy wasn't just refusing to come back for no reason. it was keeping a piece of python inside it.

so they put it in a pot and kept it safe from whatever cpuld happen, because even though she hated python for abandoning her without saying anything, sky couldn't let it go.

20) clothing/aesthetic?

they're both HUGE cottagecore fans. when ruby shows swift what a flower crown is and how to make it, they start impulse making a ton, and sky thinks it's fun to change up which one she wears :) ruby's also very into lovecore and heart motifs, they're her favorite

ruby does typically wear shorts when she's doing outdoorsy stuff, but she also has a bunch of skirts that she brings out in the spring and summer. they're mostly her favorite colors, that being pink and yellow. she loves spinny skirts even more than regular ones :] she mostly wears t-shorts and loose long-sleeved shirts depending on the season

i will! make a ref of swift/what she wears some day but just casually? they're actually a huge fan of hoodies. she just tries one on and ascends. sky has a preference to bigger hoodies. of course, since she tries to act as refined as sky can, they typically only wear them when she's alone. they're still trying to figure out skies style but for the most part? floral pattern anything and longer dresses are her go-to. it makes them feel more at home

27) what's their family like? who's in it? what's their relationship with them?

ruby's family consists of her mother and her 6 younger siblings: 2 sisters, 3 brothers, and 1 nonbinary sibling. she takes the roll of a second mom, driving her siblings to school, making lunch, etc. she sees her mom as an equal rather than someone above her, and her mom often sees her the same way. her mom is very loving and supportive, but unfortunately has to take a full time job to provide for her 7 kids. even ruby has worked at a variety of jobs in her area sometimes. it leaves her kinda stressed out, but she loves her siblings and has a particularly close relationship with her younger brother ivyn, who likes to talk to her for advice since he's been questioning if he might be gay. he's also the second oldest (he's 17), which means he also babysits his younger siblings occasionally. going down the line, the 3rd oldest is natsuo (guy) (16), then rain (nb) (14), akira (girl) (12), paul (guy) (7), and eve (girl) (6).

if you asked swift who her family was, sky'd likely say something vague like "all the gods are like family to me". in reality, while they do have a good friendship with rynti (god of meadows), they mostly just say hi before walking past. sky isn't related to any of them (she was born from nothing), so they're moreso people she lives with.

as for found family? once they reconnect, python and swift go back to the relationship they had. sorta. it was different now in a lot of ways, but they managed. they definitely have a very sibing-esque dynamic, where they pick on and make fun each on each other but love each other deeply at the end if the day. she also takes on a mentor/cool aunt role with ruby and java, but especially java. they teach each other a lot about each others worlds, and they generally play off each other incredibly well.

33) how have they changed over time?

oh boy

obviously people get more mature as they grow up, but with ruby it really had to happen sooner than most people, especially her, were ready for. when she was younger, she was still super bubbly and happy, but it was without her more serious, if optimistic, world views and sense of cautiousness. her dad dying was really what woke her up to what the world was really like. her parents lived her, but at the same time hadn't at all prepared her for when disaster might happen. she didn't even have time to properly grieve, she was immediately forced into the role of taking care of her siblings. being thrown in this situation was extremely hard for her, more than she would ever want to admit. but it did get easier as time went on. as ivyn was able to help her out more with household chores and her mom was able to get a more stable and higher-paying job. and now, in a weird way, it was that time in her life that gave her the maturity to help lead java down the road of recovery. as a kid, she was very much stuck in a "if you're sad, just be happier" mentality which both wouldn't have worked and would've been toxic and ultimately damaging. however, through the work of essentially becoming a parent, they together were able to work out a recovery plan for java.

java as a whole taught ruby a lot too. before then, most of the people ruby knew were either her family or school friends. she was close with them of course, but outside of just doing schoolwork together, she didn't have much of anything in common with them. learning how to communicate and form bonds to others was a skill she picked up mostly with java, cuz even though she was certainly friendly before then, she suprisingly wasn't very outgoing.

what really changed about her the most was how her naïvete changed into optimism.

/

swift had a lot of hope when she was younger. for a lot of stuff, but particularly they had a lot of hope for humanity. the gods that led them were (mostly) confident and well-organized, and their civilization was only growing with time. they didn't really concern herself with what humanity was doing though, she mostly cared about the people sky lived with and her job. they had a reputation for being wise, seemingly knowing how to stop disputes whenever they arose. of course, she couldn't do it on her own. python was like their second half, two parts of the same whole. of course, python never really got the same recognition. it bothered sky. they didn't like it when stuff bothered her. so they tended to ignore it, brush it off as nothing more than sky being paranoid. it never seemed to bother python, so why should it bother her? they didn't take that kind of thing to heart.

everything changed when python left.

it was different now. to the outside world, everything looked the same. people spread around stuff like "well, it's not like python ever did anything anyways!" that bothered them, but in a new way. she knew it was lighthearted. they knew it was a joke. but sky couldn't brush it off. she took it to heart. they weren't just making fun of skies partner, they were making fun of her. they started to shut off many of the gods that day. rynti stayed skies friend, but it wasn't the same. swift was always bitter, tired, quiet, not the loving friend rynti knew. most days he figured it was better to leave sky alone. the loneliness started to seep in, so they started to build more walls. more and more until sky could barely breathe inside them.

and that hope she had for humanity? it was thouroughly dead.

the stress of being the keeper of both the positive and negative energy of the universe and being alone while doing it led to swift spending more and more time on earth. while she still resented humanity, the planet itself was peaceful enough. they spent years meditating there, trying to regain the strength sky once had. the stress was receeding, sure, but the burn out was a different story. it just kept getting worse and worse every day.

until they slipped.

the burn out was replaced with a new emotion. it was like the stress that game before, but that one was slow, burning. this was loud, intense, rapid. it was panic. sky spent almost all their time on earth now. she couldn't face anyone else. on the rare occasion skies'd visit home, her movements always seemed quicker, frantic. her eyes would dart everywhere, like every eye in the universe was on her. rynti could tell something was very wrong, but there wasn't anything he could so. she never talked to anyone anymore. they couldn't get out a coherent sentence, let alone carry a conversation. sky was in pain, a pain no one could see and no one could help them with.

except python.

when the group was brought together by circumstance, swift didn't know what to think. all they knew is this all sky had. she had to make the most of it.

through reconnecting with python and making a new connection with ruby and java, they were able to express what sky was truly going through at the time. for mere humans, ruby and especially java could understand their stuggles way more personally than anyone else sky knew. gradually, her anxiety steadily got better. they still felt sky had to put on a brave face to hide the true weight of what they're going though, but sky was doing much better with expressing her issues and letting down her walls. she was still stretched thin, but they started feeling more and more like skyself again.

they may be more wary now, but the unbridled love for those around sky and herself has resurfaced.

44) full pokemon team?

ruby:

her signature pokemon would be ribombee, and the rest of her team would be morpeko, quagsire, bewear, arcanine, and either jirachi or vileplume depending on whether or not legendaries would be allowed.

swift:

their signature pokemon would be either reshiram or volcarona, and the rest of skies team would be galarian rapidash, steelix, mega absol, luxray, and milotic.

(my choices don't have any lore significance, they're just pokemon i think they'd like)

that took a lot out of me HOUH

[aspoonofsugar]

Hi! How are you doing? Not sure if it's already been asked, but what are your top 10 favourite canon couples?

Hello!

I am doing fine, thank you! How are you doing?

It is alright, nobody has asked this before, so I can answer! That said, I am not really a hardcore shipper, so I am not sure I will come up with 10 pairs :’‘‘). I’ll do my best though! Also I have interpreted the term “canon” very freely.

As usual, here they are in no particular order:

1) Claire Stanfield and Chane Laforet (Baccano!):

I love their dynamic because they are fundamentally two almost opposite individuals who end up together in a surprising way. On one hand Claire thinks that he is the protagonist not only of his own story, but of the whole world. As a matter of fact he believes that the world is nothing more than a dream of his. Ironically, it is because of this selfish delusion that Claire is able to embrace the whole world:

“So what if I'd spare him? In my mind it's the certainty in myself that I possess which allows me to have that kind of mercy or compassion. There's no wavering on that point. It's fixed like the stars. The fact is I'm never gonna be killed! So remember this: mercy and compassion are virtues that only the strong are privileged to possess. And I am strong.”

On the other hand Chane has chosen to be nothing more than her father’s puppet. She is a satellite character in her own life and can’t absolutely think to live as a protagonist. If Claire’s world is too big, Chane’s too little because it has only her and her father in it. What is more, Chane has gone out of her way to make sure that it stays that way. For example, she asked her father to take her voice away and has not learnt alternative ways to communicate (like sign language).

Given this premise, it is interesting that a person so self-centered like Claire puts a person with such a frail sense of self like Chane at the centre of his world. Claire makes Chane, who is not even the lead of her own story, the heroine of his huge world. Claire instead plays a support role in Chane’s story. It is precisely because of this contradiction that their dynamic works. All in all Chane gets to get in contact with the world through Claire. Because of this, she is challenged to grow. This is another interesting difference between them. On one hand Claire is basically like Peter Pan and can’t really grow psychologically. On the other hand Chane is a character who has changed, but who is scared of this change. This is why she tries to actively regress, but she can’t really go back to who she was.

2) Komugi and Meruem (HxH):

I have explained here what I love about them. Their relationship conveys the themes of the chimera ants arc beautifully. I especially like it because it would have been easy to have Meruem grow fond of Komugi because of her kindness and goodness. However, this is not really what happens. The reason why Meruem is so attracted by Komugi is her prowess as a Gungi player. Komugi is not a character who coddles Meruem, but one who challenges him. As a result Meruem’s attraction for her is rooted in respect. Meruem brings out from Komugi her talent and stubborness, while Komugi brings out from him his caring and kind side. Meruem becomes interested in her because of the traits they share and grows to love what makes her different from him.

3) Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura (Banana Fish):

I like their relationship, but I would have loved for it to be explored even more throughout the story. All in all, they are attracted to each other because they want something the other has. Eiji wants Ash’s initiative and daring personality, while Ash wants Eiji’s freedom and soothing personality. Eiji wants Ash’s ability to fight for himself, while Ash wants Eiji’s talent to heal others instead of hurting them.

Despite this, they are not fully able to grow as they could have because of the violence of the conflict they are in. Eiji makes some steps in the right direction, but the moment a wound incapacitates him he goes back to his more passive behaviour. When it comes to Ash, he is not able to take fligth like he would like because of self-hate. Their ending is tragic, but I wonder if it could have been different. For example, after a meaningful conflict the two of them decide to avoid fighting and to simply enjoy the time they spend together. This is a relatable choice, but a series of things are left unexpressed and because of this they are not really able to overcome their flaws. Maybe, if they had fought a little more and had called each other out more, things could have been different in the end.

4) Claire Nunez and Jim Lake Jr (Tales of Arcadia):

I have talked about them here. They are two very similar people to the point that they have basically the same flaw. They both feel responsible for bad things happening to them and to their friends. This is why they end up trying to fix everything by their own and fail spectacularly. It is nice to see them find help and support by their loved ones. And it is heart-warming that they keep being there for each other.

5) Chidi Anagonye and Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place):

Eleanor and Chidi are completely different people and this is why they are perfect to challenge each other. Chidi inspires Eleanor to be more selfless and to open up to others, while Eleanor inspires Chidi to be daring. This is obvious since season 1 and it is a constant throughout the series. Their relationship is a good example of a relationship which is conflictual, but enriching. In order to stay together they (other than escaping hell) must overcome their respective flaws. Eleanor must be vulnerable and let Chidi in her life, while Chidi must be decisive and actively choose Eleanor.

I also like that this is true even in those timelines where they do not develop a romantic relationship. The fact that their relationship is the same, but also slightly differs in each reboot makes it gain a very nice thematic meaning and enriches it. All in all, what Chidi and Eleanor represent for each other is always the same and what changes is the platonic/romantic aspect of the bond.

Finally I like the motif of them leaving messages to their future selves about the other. At the end of season 1, Eleanor writes to herself: “Find Chidi”, while at the end of season 3 Chidi writes  to himself: “Eleanor is the answer”. This is a very cool motif which conveys their respective growth thanks to the other. Eleanor who only trusts herself chooses to trust Chidi’s ability to help her. Chidi who has spent his whole life searching for answers and failing to write them down decides that Eleanor is all he needs to find meaning in his life.

6) Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye:

Their relationship is my favourite of the whole series. Their characters are beautifully intertwined to the point that they can barely function without the other. This aspect of their bond is not excessively romanticized, but it is presented as a dreadful consequence of the traumatic past they share. At the end of the day Roy and Riza are too highly idealistic people whose ideals were shattered before they could evolve in something more than childish dreams. Despite this, they were able to put the fragments of those great dreams back together and have chosen to sacrifice their personal happiness to realize them.

All in all, Riza and Roy want redemption for their crimes and they find comfort in each other while they try to obtain it. In order to make things better they are ready to sacrifice their own existences and they have given up on the chance of living normal lives as civilians. However, they still have each other.

Roy gives Riza someone to protect, so that she does not fall apart and remains functional, while Riza restrains Roy’s most negative instincts. They make each other better even if they can’t completely overcome the pain of their past. They can just share it with the other.

Finally I especially like the scene where Roy chooses not to transmute humans even if it means Riza will most likely die. As a matter of fact, despite it all, that act is not framed as a betrayal of Riza, but rather as the only thing he can do not to betray her. I love both relationships where a character fixated on an ideal lets go of it because of people and relationships which make a person realize the importance of an ideal. They are both beautiful when well written. Here we are in front of a bond where both aspects are present. On one hand Roy must let go of his desire of vengeance not to lose Riza. On the other hand Roy must let go of Riza not to betray the ideals they share.

In the end theirs is a very tragic and strict relationship, but also a very warm and human one.

7) Kokomi Teruhashi and Saiki Kusuo (Saiki Q):

They are not properly canon since they are not together by the end. However, I think there is enough in the series to support the ship. Anyway, it is still a ship I enjoy a lot (and it is one of the few I feel strongly for, so I am adding it to the list no matter what).

I love their dynamic because it is hilarious, but it could also be surprisingly deep if the narrative wanted to explore it more. Teruhashi is my favourite character of the series because she is a nice subversion of both the yamato nadeshiko trope and of the alpha bitch one. She presents herself as an incredibly beautiful and yet innocent girl, but she is actually very aware of her looks and of others’ reactions. Despite this, she comes along as likeable mostly because she often genuinelly means well despite her being self-centered. Saiki instead projects the image of an average person, but he is actually the most powerful being of the world. In short, Teruhashi and Saiki are both opposite and the same.

They are the same because they both wear a carefully crafted mask. They are opposite because the masks they were are opposite. On one hand Teruhashi’s mask of the perfect girl attracts attention. On the other hand Saiki’s mask of the average guy is meant to make him invisible.

The difference between their two personas is the reason why Saiki wants to avoid Teruhashi at all costs. He wants to be average, so he can’t stay close to a person who attracts so much attention. At the same time, it is clear that Saiki grows to admire Teruhashi specifically because of her ability to always keep her mask up. He knows how difficult it is to realize such a feat and he recognizes Teruhashi’s dedication. Basically Saiki is the only person who knows the real Teruhashi and appreciates her for who she is and not for who she pretends to be.

In short, the series could have done a lot with them if it had wanted to go deeper in their dynamic. Saiki ends up coming to the spotlight multiple times to help Teruhashi, while Teruhashi breaks up her image of perfect girl when close to Saiki.

Unluckily this is the end of the list :’‘‘) I tried to think of other canon couples I enjoy, but even if there are some, I would not call them proper faves. At the same time, there are some ships I enjoy, but they are not properly canon/confirmed to be romantic, so I am not adding them.

Thank you for the ask!

[alexgreenwitch]

Hekate night ✨

Ancient devotees of the greek goddess Hecate celebrated with elaborate feasts and festivals. If you’re a devotee today, consider hosting a special supper on Hecate Night. This is an elegant, sacred meal dedicated to the Greek Goddess of the Crossroads. With traditional foods and good witchy friends, who wouldn’t want to join this dinner party?

Ancient Hecate Feasts

The ancient Greeks loved to party. And what better reason to party than to celebrate and honor a beloved deity? Hecate was once a widely-worshiped goddess, with her main cults located on Eleusis and Samothrake Island. Elaborate feasts and festivals were thrown every year in her name. But when her followers weren’t in a temple, they were meeting her at the crossroads with a Special Hecate Supper.

Supper At The Crossroads

Picture this. It’s the Dark Moon. The night is quiet, dark and warm. You’re carrying a lantern, a basket of offerings, a bottle of wine and a steaming hot loaf of garlic bread. Your friends, also your coven-mates, are meeting at the crossroads deep in the woods behind the old town cemetery. Tonight is the night to celebrate your matron goddess Hecate. You round the corner and see other bouncing lantern lights glowing in the darkness ahead.

As you walk closer, a long wooden table with benches is illuminated with candlelight. There’s laughter and anticipation in the air. You take a seat beside your best friend and surrounded by your coven. As you raise a toast in Hecate’s name, a dog howls in the distance. This is Hecate affirming her presence. You all feast on Hecate’s supper and enjoy one another’s company in the wild wood. Wine, homemade bread, fish, and fruit is shared among you. After the feast is over, the remnants are given as an offering and left at the crossroads. You don’t look back.

Hecate Night: How to Host a Dinner Party for the Greek Goddess

ENTERTAINMENT FOOD GODS AND GODDESSES HOME & HEARTH LIFESTYLE SEASONS & SABBATS SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

Hecate Night: Host a Sacred Supper for the Witch Goddess

Ancient devotees of the greek goddess Hecate celebrated with elaborate feasts and festivals. If you’re a devotee today, consider hosting a special supper on Hecate Night. This is an elegant, sacred meal dedicated to the Greek Goddess of the Crossroads. With traditional foods and good witchy friends, who wouldn’t want to join this dinner party?

Ancient Hecate Feasts

The ancient Greeks loved to party. And what better reason to party than to celebrate and honor a beloved deity? Hecate was once a widely-worshiped goddess, with her main cults located on Eleusis and Samothrake Island. Elaborate feasts and festivals were thrown every year in her name. But when her followers weren’t in a temple, they were meeting her at the crossroads with a Special Hecate Supper.

Supper At The Crossroads

Picture this. It’s the Dark Moon. The night is quiet, dark and warm. You’re carrying a lantern, a basket of offerings, a bottle of wine and a steaming hot loaf of garlic bread. Your friends, also your coven-mates, are meeting at the crossroads deep in the woods behind the old town cemetery. Tonight is the night to celebrate your matron goddess Hecate. You round the corner and see other bouncing lantern lights glowing in the darkness ahead.

As you walk closer, a long wooden table with benches is illuminated with candlelight. There’s laughter and anticipation in the air. You take a seat beside your best friend and surrounded by your coven. As you raise a toast in Hecate’s name, a dog howls in the distance. This is Hecate affirming her presence. You all feast on Hecate’s supper and enjoy one another’s company in the wild wood. Wine, homemade bread, fish, and fruit is shared among you. After the feast is over, the remnants are given as an offering and left at the crossroads. You don’t look back.

How to Host a Hecate Supper

Hecate Night is traditionally held on November 16th. This is the night she haunts the crossroads with her hounds. November 16th is also a night to initiate oneself or others under Hecate. Her feast day is January 31st; however, Samhain and the nights of the Dark Moon are also appropriate. Other days honoring Hecate in Greece include August 13th (a day offerings are left at the crossroads to appease Hecate’s wild stormy side).

Hecate Night: The Ambience

Whether you host supper inside or out, the ambience should be dark. Low lighting, candlelight is best. Lanterns, hurricane lamps, and oil lamps set the mood. Plates and napkins should be of dark colors: black, maroon, and/or shades of purple. Hecate particularly loves red and black. Incorporate these colors into the tablecloth, centerpiece, and invitations. Give every guest a skeleton key as a token to remember Hecate Night (keys are one of her symbols).

Flowers like dark red roses or black hollyhocks. A moon and stars motif would be perfect, too! It’s best to keep the dinner as quiet as possible – play classical piano or violin music on low. Place a statue or representation of Hecate at the head of the table. If you can host Hecate Night Supper at the crossroads, even better!

Hecate Night: The Supper Menu

Traditionally, Hecate loves garlic, fish, honey, eggs, cheese, mushrooms, cake and wine. Consider using our menu or building your own using each of Hecate’s traditional offerings mentioned above. Hecate should be set a place at the table and left offerings after the dinner is done (see below for more info). Alternatively, instead of cooking everything yourself, ask your friends to bring one dish or beverage as part of the offering.

As you’re setting the table OR as your guests arrive, invoke Hecate’s presence by inviting her to join for supper. Let her know she is the reason for the feast.

To Drink:

Red wine: Cabernet or Merlot (wine was sacred to the ancient Greeks and was no doubt given as an offering to Hecate)

Mead: honey-wine isn’t traditional to Greece, but Hecate loves honey so this drink is appropriate

Water

Pour a glass for Hecate first. Then clink glasses together and toast Hecate’s name before partaking in the wine, mead or water! Clinking glasses scares off the “spirits” and toasting Hecate is traditional.

Appetizers:

Dolmas: Stuffed Grape Leaves

Mydia: red mussels steamed in red wine and herb sauce

Charcuterie Board: including cheeses, meats, hard-boiled eggs, honey, jams, apricots, olives, etc.

Remember to serve Hecate first before the rest of your dinner party. Out of the utmost respect for the goddess.

Hecate Supper:

Red Mullet in Caper Sauce: red mullet is sacred to Hecate and traditional at Hecate Night Suppers

Marinated Mushrooms: mushrooms are also traditional to Hecate

Homemade Rosemary Garlic Bread with

Mediterranean Herb Butter Spread

Dessert:

Greek Honey Cake

Fruit: include pomegranates, figs, navel oranges, apples and peaches.

During Hecate Night, ask each individual to share their thoughts and experiences with the Goddess of the Crossroads. Read aloud poems and myths that honor Hecate. Sing songs. You might even consider allowing party guests to bring their canine friends and providing doggie treats. This would please Hecate immensely!

Ending Hecate Night With Traditional Offerings

If you hosted Hecate Night at the crossroads, it’s traditional to leave the remnants for the goddess and her hounds. Two things you MUST do:

1. Don’t leave anything at the crossroads that’s not perishable (no plates, cups, cutlery, etc. unless it’s perishable!)

2. Once you leave the offering at the crossroads, do NOT turn around and look back!

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s WandaVision Episode 3: MCU Easter Eggs and Reference Guide

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This article contains WANDAVISION Episode 3 spoilers, and potential spoilers for future episodes, the wider MCU, and Marvel Comics. We have a spoiler free review here.

WandaVision episode 3 is the first full color episode of the series, and moves the setting from the black-and-white 1960s of the previous episodes to a vibrant Brady Bunch-esque Technicolor of the early 1970s. There’s lots of fun weirdness to find between the lines, both from a Marvel and MCU Easter eggs standpoint and callouts to classic sitcoms of its era.

Let’s get to work…

SITCOM INSPIRATION

Let’s start with the big one…

The Brady Bunch

This episode borrows almost the entirety of its aesthetic from all-time classic sitcom The Brady Bunch. Wanda and Vis’s house strongly resembles Mike and Carol Brady’s humble ranch home inside and out. The gorgeous wide wooden staircase in particular is a real tell – as is Wanda’s bold ‘70s attire that seems to be right out of Marcia Brady’s closet in later seasons.

The opening credits title card even adopts the 3×3 grid format as seen on The Brady Bunch. Of course, the Wanda and Vision household isn’t as jam-packed as the Brady’s but there is an undeniable underlying theme of family throughout this installment.

Mork and Mindy

Mork and Mindy was a 70s-into-early-80s show with a weird sci-fi couple, in the sense that the husband is an alien. In the final season, there’s a one-and-done pregnancy storyline episode called “Three the Hard Way.” In it, Mork is the one with child. Due to his alien biology, an egg comes out of his navel and out of it hatches an elderly man, as their people age backwards.

Other Sitcom Stuff…

When Wanda tries to hide her pregnancy from Geraldine, she holds a small basket of fruit in front of her large stomach. This is likely a playful homage to all of the not-so-creative ways that sitcoms have tried to hide actress’s pregnancies over the years.  And funny enough, it seems like the fruit Wanda is eating at various points in the episode corresponds to the fetus size as outlined by their doctor.

The doctor’s name is “Dr. Stan Nielsen.” As in the Nielsen Ratings. And maybe Stan as in, you know, Stan Lee…

And now for the Marvel and MCU stuff!

Scarlet Witch

In the opening credits when Wanda is reading a magazine on the couch and using her powers to vacuum, she’s reading another issue of Glamorous (which we saw in episode one). This magazine features a woman in a red bathing suit, kind of like some of the skimpier Scarlet Witch costumes Wanda has worn through the years in the comics.

Vision

Similarly, the scene of Vision barbecuing on the patio shows him wearing an era-appropriate shirt in his comics colors of green and yellow. The swingset he’s struggling to put together is also in his colors.

Wanda’s Pregnancy and the Twins

When Wanda gave birth to her kids in the comics, something similar to what we saw here happened: nobody, not even the doctors, were aware that Wanda was carrying twins, so the arrival of the second child was a surprise to everyone.

Watch everything Marvel and more on Disney+, right here!

The way Wanda’s pregnancy rapidly progresses through the episode feels like a reference to Avengers #200, one of the most hated issues of any Marvel comic. In the comic, Carol Danvers is discovered to be suddenly pregnant and goes through the entire process over the course of a day or so. Nobody really bats an eye at this and all the creepy, questionable parts are handwaved as a good thing.

When Wanda’s pregnancy starts causing chaos, she and Vision strike a pose based on The Vision and the Scarlet Witch #1.

Not particularly relevant right now, but in the comics, none other than Doctor Strange delivered Wanda’s twins. Given all the ways that this show is supposed to tie into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (some of which we think we’ve already spotted), this is just worth a mention.

Billy and Tommy

The twins are named “Billy and Tommy” just as they are in the comics. They were later reincarnated as Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd. You likely remember them as Wiccan, the First Gentleman of the Kree-Skrull Alliance, and Speed…uh…his best man? 

Very briefly, because a full discussion of this would take a while: Billy and Tommy were born to Wanda and Vizh in 1985’s Vision and Scarlet Witch. They were unmade when it was revealed they were figments of Wanda’s powers and imagination, imbued with shards of Mephisto’s soul and reabsorbed into Master Pandemonium’s arms in West Coast Avengers. They reappeared as heroes in the first Young Avengers series, and reunited with their mother in Avengers: Children’s Crusade. That is an extremely quick summary of what might be the most Gordian continuity knot in the entire Marvel Universe.

Geraldine

Teyonah Parris returns as “Geraldine” for this episode, but this time it’s even clearer that there’s more to her than meets the eye. As we’ve pointed out before, “Geraldine” is a cover for Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Carol Danvers’ best pal Maria Rambeau, and someone who will play a significant role in Captain Marvel 2.

“Geraldine” tells a rambling story about her boss, “Mr. Haddix.” There’s no obvious immediate Marvel connection with the name. However, it might just be part of the motif – the stork tries to eat the fish on Geraldine’s pants, maybe it’s actually “Mr. Haddocks”? We’re still not finding any Marvel connections with this one, though.

It’s also probably not an accident that Geraldine’s cover story involves her working for an ad agency. The commercials are one part of the show where reality peeks through vividly. Ad agencies are, in a sense, manipulating reality for consumers to make them want a product more, and there’s no shortage of reality manipulation going on here. 

Geraldine is rocking a striking blue and white outfit, with starburst type designs on them that could either recall the log she wore as Captain Marvel, Pulsar, and her other superheroic identities…or possibly dimensional portals.

SWORD

Geraldine is wearing a SWORD pendant, so it’s pretty clear who she’s working for. Those pesky SWORD agents seem to be everywhere, from our pal The Beekeeper to the folks monitoring Wanda in that command center to…well, who else in Westview is working for SWORD?

While we’re talking about Mr. Haddocks and Geraldine’s job, the cereal in Geraldine’s work story – Gravity O’s, with the marshmallow moon men – is likely a nod to SWORD’s mission in the comics, when they used to watch space rather than “sentient weapons.” 

We wrote more about SWORD here.

AGNES

Agnes’ brooch looks like it has three witches, one holding a scythe. There are a few options for what this might be referencing:

The obvious one is the three witches from Macbeth who use prophecy to steer the main character to his doom. 

Less obvious and much more unlikely is the Weird Sisters, Quasar villains (!) working for Maelstrom, an Inhuman/Deviant hybrid who has had several run-ins with the Avengers

And the least likely: Jennifer Kale (from Man-Thing), Satana (sister to Damian Hellstrom and the Daughter of Satan), and Topaz (of Werewolf by Night…fame?), three Marvel witches who starred together in a four-issue Jemas era series in 2004. It’s definitely not this one.

Pietro and Age of Ultron

Geraldine mentions to Wanda that Pietro was “killed by Ultron,” referencing the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is clearly one of the memories Wanda is trying to suppress with her sitcom antics, and it doesn’t go well for Geraldine/Monica…who finds herself “banished” back to the real world of the MCU.

We wrote more about what the Pietro connection could mean here.

Westview

We actually just wrote in detail about the significance of Westview (which is kind of a real place, too), but here we see the town’s slogan: “Home, it’s where you make it.”

Wanda is indeed “making” her home in whatever image she feels most comfortable with at the moment, so this is a further clue to the House of M-esque shenanigans that seem to be going on with her.

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Other Marvel Stuff

Not strictly a Marvel thing, but the opening credits feature a lot of hexagons, the same kinds of shapes you see in beehives, which brings our creepy beekeeper friend from episode 2 to mind.

The paint cans in the nursery are from a fictional brand known as “Simser” which promises “a universe of color.” Jeremy Simser who works as a storyboard artist on WandaVision, and who is also doing work on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. So…perhaps “a multiverse of color” might have been more appropriate?

Dottie’s husband fill is reading a newspaper with a headline that says “TWO FIRE HYDRANTS ADDED ON MAIN STREET” but the paper is folded so it says “TWO FIRE HYDRA” at one point. Also…twins. Note the “twin motif” on Phil and Dottie’s lamp, too.

Wanda sings a Sokovian lullaby to the twins.

The episode goes from fullscreen to a more MCU-appropriate and cinematic widescreen when it cuts to Geraldine/Monica back in what appears to be the real world. Not that there was any doubt, but whatever is happening in “sitcom land” is definitely not reality, and time travel has nothing to do with whatever’s going on here.

The final song is The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” which was also used in trailers. The title is pretty on-the-nose if you consider the dominant House of M-esque theory about what’s actually happening on this show, and that Wanda is using her powers to manipulate reality.

THE COMMERCIAL

Hydra Soak implores its consumers to “Find the Goddess Within.” We don’t have to tell you what HYDRA is, but what about this “find the goddess within” stuff?

Well, we can kind of speculate that this is a reference to the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, in which Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will end up becoming the new god/goddess of thunder, just as she did in the comics.

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

The post Marvel’s WandaVision Episode 3: MCU Easter Eggs and Reference Guide appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[mahou-queen]

♡52 Weeks of Lolita Questionnaire♡

In a recent Lovely Lor video, Lor answered questions from Loliprompts’ questionnaire “52 weeks of lolita”. It seems like a fun list of questions and I thought I would answer them too~ ♡

1. What is your favorite brand, and why? What’s its history? ♡  I guess my favorite brand would have to be Angelic Pretty. I love a lot of other brands, but the majority of dresses in my wish list right now are Angelic Pretty. As for their history? I don’t really know haha, I guess I should research that a bit.

2. How would you describe lolita fashion to a curious person you met in passing? ♡ I always just say I am apart of a fashion club? People don’t generally require more than that but if they did I would probably tell them that it’s an alternative fashion based on Victorian fashion and we have a fashion club and we get dressed up and meet for tea and stuff.

3. What style do you think is the most underrated, and why? ♡ qi and wa lolita. I almost never see them, or see interest in them which is a shame because there are some really beautiful dresses out there that are suited for these styles.

4. What does the phrase “lolita lifestyle” mean to you, and do you, or would you like to, adhere to it? ♡ lolita lifestyle is when you try to bring lolita or lolita-esque aesthetics into every aspect of your life. Maybe wearing lolita every or most days, and having a very “loliable” home/room. I could never be a lifestyler because I have other fashion interests. Also lolita is not appropriate at my workplace.

5. What do you think constitutes lolita etiquette or good manners? ♡ I don’t believe there is any “lolita etiquette” I think you should just be yourself. Good manner are good manners, don’t be rude to your comm members, don’t dance on the tables at a tea party. But that’s just commonsense I don’t think there is a way to behave that is lolita.

6. Does your style change with the seasons, or do you dress the same and try to bear the cold/heat? ♡ I try, but admittedly I am awful at it. I try to keep berets in the cooler months, as well as long sleeves. BUT I’m a sucker for ankle socks and I wear them all year despite the cold and I do freeze my legs off at winter meets. 

7. Do you have a fashion role-model? What do you admire most about them? ♡ I actually have several! I will list them and their instagrams here: sleepyriri  - Her coords are so dreamy looking, very light floaty aesthetic which I love. She also has her own lolita brand! Le_verger_sucre - Her coords are so pink and princess-y. I find myself sharing her photos a lot. Fannyrosie - the classic lolita queen. Need I say more? Tokimeki.bunny - I love the cuteness of her coords. They always have a lot of extra elements and are so well balanced. She’s also really good at coordinating printed tights which I am awful at. Tsumikko - Lavender QUEEN! I love her use of aprons, layering, and color balancing. Very light, floaty vibes.  Milkcircus - Print QUEEN. Her use of prints and patterns absolutely inspires me. Coords are always very multi-dimensional  Cursed.Kaiser - They’re coords are honestly so cool, there’s a kind of drama in them that I really like. Darkxdelirium - She almost made me want honey cake with her impeccable coording skills. 

8. What are the top 10 things you love most about lolita? Can you also compile a list of things you hate? ♡ I don’t think I can come up with 10 but I’ll do my best. ♡ Loves: The community aspect, the ability to reclaim my femininity through lolita, the creativity that goes into building coords, crafting to make one of a kind pieces, being able to feel beautiful without being “sexy”, having a hobby to focus on when I need something to escape to.

♡ Hates: Second-hand market price fluctuation, brands still releasing dresses with a max 96cm bust, buying petticoats, storing my stuff (especially purses), brands who charge astronomical prices for low quality materials (AP purses, Q-pot jewelry, etc).

9. How strict are you in applying the rules to yourself? To others? ♡  I am pretty strict on myself. For a long time I was terrified to be seen as ita. I was even afraid to wear bodyline for fear of being ”ita” even though my coord was good. These days I am less strict on myself and worry much less about these things, but I still struggle to get out of the strict mindset from time to time. others? I love experimentation even if I am afraid to do so so I am really not too strict on others, if it works, it works, and I am not going to criticize anyone. 

10. What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever incorporated into a coord, or the weirdest material you’ve ever worn? ♡ The weirdest thing I think I have ever worn in a coord were a pair of korilakkuma bell earrings. As you can imagine, bells on your ears? not great.

11. What’s the story behind your discovery of lolita fashion? ♡ When I was a senior in high school, a new girl started attending my school. She wore fairy kei and sweet lolita to school. We became friends through art class and eventually she ended up teaching me about the fashion. She sold me my first dress, and later my first brand piece. I am really glad to have met her and to have been exposed to lolita. You can follow her on instagram here

12. What is the one item that you’ve owned the longest? ♡ I still own my very first dress I got in 2012. Bodyline Squirrel Party. However, I am planning to sell it since I’ve worn it in everyway I can think of.

13. Do you think lolita is only about clothes, or does it also encompass a certain attitude or mindset? ♡ Lolita is about the fashion. All kinds of people are lolitas and they like it or wear it for different reasons. 

14. Have you ever decorated a room or other space (car?) with lolita aesthetics in mind? ♡ My old bedroom used to be very “kawaii”. I love pink so my car stuff, my desk, as much as I can get away with, is pink. 

15. Is it possible to be too obsessed with lolita? ♡ If lolita is interfering with your ability to pay your bills, or to be happy, or to focus on school or work or family then you should probably pull back. Some people do get very absorbed by things and in those cases it can become too much.

16. What are you favorite and least favorite trends? Do you think it’s important to follow them, or to do as you like regardless of them? ♡ My favorite trend ever is the chiffon half blouse. So comfortable, affordable, light, cute, and much more size inclusive. Least favorite trend? mis-matched shoes from the 2010 era. I like my shoes to get equal wear. I think these days more than ever, you can really just do whatever you want. Wear the fashion is right now is like anything goes which I think is great,

17. How do you define “lolita cosplay” and how do you feel about it? ♡ Lolita cosplay is stupid. sorry

18. Are there other fashions that you wear regularly, or are you an everyday lolita? ♡ I don't wear other street fashions anymore. I used to wear fairy kei and himekaji but these days I just dress regular outside of lolita.

19. Do you look for bargains to save as much money as possible, or are you willing to make sacrifices for high-quality products? ♡ I try to find the best prices when applicable but if I am in love with something I’ll do what I have to do.

20. When was the last time you wore lolita, and what did you do that day? If you wear it daily, when was the last time you went OTT or extra-fancy? ♡ The last time I wore lolita was in April lmao. For a virtual meet-up with my comm.

21. If you were to combine lolita fashion with an unrelated style or theme, what would your new creation be? ♡uhhhh I honestly have no idea at all. 

22. What is your favorite accessory, and why is it your favorite? ♡ I have 2, 2-way bow clips from back when bodyline had a massive “sundries” section. They're no longer available and haven't been for a long time. I am really glad I got them, I wish I had bought more sundries when that section was still there.

23. What’s your favorite online lolita community or forum? Are there any that you avoid?  ♡ I don’t have a favorite tbh. I have never been on 4chan and I never will be.

24. What is your favorite theme (e.g. school loli, pirate loli, nurse loli) or motif (e.g. deer, music notes, stars/constellations)? ♡ black and gold stars! Valentines day! fruits! gingham!

25. Is there any music that you associate with lolita? ♡ orange caramel lol

26. Will you ever be too old for lolita? ♡  never

27. Do you enjoy sewing? Why or why not? ♡ I don’t know how to sew :(

28. How does your location affect your involvement in the local lolita community? Would you like to move elsewhere to be closer, or perhaps farther away? ♡ I drive about 1.5 hours for meetups because that’s the closest active comm. I do not mind so much. I’d like to maybe be closer.

29. Does your sleepwear resemble lolita at all? ♡  not at all. I sleep in oversized t-shirts

30. Can you admit to any unpopular opinions regarding lolita? ♡ I hate peeking bloomers. I’m sorry :(

31. How do you feel about Visual kei or Jrock, and do you feel it’s related to lolita, or not? ♡ Love it, and absolutely. Visual Kei is like lolitas relative. 

32. Whether or not you wear them (looking at you, Ouji), do you prefer the look of skirts, JSKs, and OPs with or without prints? ♡ I like both, but these days I am appreciating non-printed items more.

33. How has your style evolved over time? ♡ It hasn't really, just gotten more refined. 

34. If applicable, what other communities do you belong to? What other identities do you adopt? ♡ I’m queer, so the LGBTQ community is important to me.

35. What are your favorite shoes to wear with your style, or what’s your dream pair? ♡ I love heels. I do not like flat shoes because I like to elongate my legs. I don’t have a dream pair.

36. Would you, or have you ever, dressed your pets in lolita? ♡ lol I’d try but I don't think it would work.

37. How do you feel about people who wear lolita for Halloween? Does it depend on whether that person is already a lolita? ♡ Wearing lolita for Halloween as a lolita is fine, but wearing it as a costume is kind of meh.

38. Excluding fashion shows, what’s the most amount of outfits you’ve ever worn in a day? ♡ just 1 haha

39. What’s your worst lolita horror story? ♡  I don’t really have any. I one time went with some of my college friends to a con and I left my dorm building in full sweet early in the morning. I was afraid my dormmates would see me cause I did not want to explain but luckily no one was awake and I made it to the van unscathed. 

40. Do you like sweets? If so, what’s your favorite dessert? ♡ I love angel food cake 

41. Do you have any beauty products, health routines, or special diet to keep you at your best? ♡ I take co-q-10 for my eczema, I like laneige lip sleeping mask, especially in the winter.

42. What were the best and worst meetups you’ve hosted? If you haven’t hosted, would you like to someday? ♡ I wanted to host a garden meet this summer but covid ruined that. Maybe next year.

43. Who is your favorite artist? If not famous for lolita art, do you think they have lolita appeal? ♡ I love a lot of artists, some of them I think are lolita-adjacent because their style is kawaii. I’ll list some here: jisaaaa!  ubokhee MISOART_ meowwniz gojio_ hanavbara Fancy Surprise Arcade Healer Yurie Sekiya and many many more. Go stalk my following on instagram for lots of kawaii artists.

44. How do you feel about wigs? Do you wear any, or style your natural hair? ♡ I used to wear wigs, but my hair is too long now so I use my natural hair with fake bangs.

45. What’s your favorite animal motif? ♡ bears?

46. Have you ever visited a brand’s shop/boutique? If so, what was your reaction? If not, what shop would you most like to visit? ♡ I want to visit AP San Francisco 

47. Do you think posting photos of your coord online is a crucial part of belonging to the community? ♡ YES, it’s how we all stay connected and inspired 

48. How has the lolita community changed since you became a part of it? Where do you see lolita heading in the future in terms of community and networking? ♡ I think it’s become way more accepting and accessible. When I got into lolita there were virtually no legit resellers, the community was entirely on livejournal, buying second hand was a nightmare. Buying anything! was a nightmare. There was so much stress around looking “ita”, and the superiority of brand. These days its just not like that. So much amazing taobao brands have really helped even the field for lolita. We have so much more access to the clothes, the community, everything. It’s great. I only see it getting better as years go on.

49. What advice would you give someone who is nervous about starting lolita? Or do you think they should learn their own lessons? ♡ I think too many lolitas today rely on seasoned lolitas to tell them everything. I would say, go watch lovely lor, read @lolita-tips and look at other peoples coordinates. Lolita Tips tumblr taught me basically everything I know back in the day and it a wealth of info and concrit. Part of what makes the lolita journey so great is the research, the learning, the mistakes. You don’t wanna be like someone else, you wanna be you. So you really need to do the work yourself so you can put your personal flair into the fashion. That’s when it’s at its best. 

50. What’s your dream dress/garment? Is it a faraway goal or have you obtained it? ♡ My dream dress was AP sweetie violet jsk in lavender. Which I got in 2019. My new dream dress is AP rose tea garden jsk in navy. It’ll probably be a while before I can afford to buy one.

51. How do you feel about the stereotype that lolitas are full of drama? What’s the worst drama you’ve ever witnessed or been involved in? ♡ I think any and all groups of people are bound to have drama. I don’t believe that’s specific to lolita at all. I personally have not been involved in any lolita drama.

52. Are you loyal to any particular makeup brands? ♡ I am very particular about my makeup because I do not like to use certain ingredients. I really like Pacifica. But I also like some Korean brands like The Saem, MISSHA, and TonyMoly.

This was super long but I had fun answering all the questions. Have you done this questionnaire? I’d love to see your answers~

[sometimesrosy]

Do you think we will ever get a bellarke kiss? i know we got plenty of other confirmations, but it would be nice for it to be spelt out for me? i want endgame without a shadow of a doubt, is that too much to ask?

I actually believe that The 100 is around 25% ABOUT Bellarke and I believe the end game of that story is romantic fulfillment, because their relationship is NOT platonic. A platonic soulmate pairing is Sherlock and Joan, not Clarke and Bellamy. They yearn for each other and are jealous when the other is with someone else and long for something more, mutually. They are MUTUALLY PINING, which is an awesome story, imo. 

It can be hard to tell what KIND of story a person is telling, and so our task as the audience, if we want to follow along and be on top of the story instead of just sitting back and enjoying the rollercoaster ride is to figure out what the story is, what genre it is, what tropes they’re using, what archetypes, what themes, what style... what TYPE of story.

A lot of genre stories are very simple and not surprising, a soap offers melodrama and mix and matching relationships, an action show offers big fights and exciting adventures and a victory to reach for, romances offer love and consummation and if a tragedy pain and loss and if a comedy or romantic genre happiness and unification of the couple.. Right? 

So what the hell story are they telling HERE? It IS a post apocalyptic science fiction action adventure survival show, and so we have science fiction tropes like spaceships, AIs, mad scientists, and we have post apoclayptic tropes like quests for redemption, birth and rebirth, scavengers and warriors, mutants, savages, and we have battle scenes and sword fights and gun fights and kidnappings and rescue missions and death.

There is an OBVIOUS Bellarke storyline, and it is OBVIOUSLY (not a delusion) a love story. It IS about their partnership, a soulmate relationship, her head to his heart, their NEED to be together, she is the hero but he is the key, her need to redeem him his need to save her.  Their feelings are not platonic, which precludes romance or sexual desire or longing, thus the jealous watching while one is with someone else romantically or sexually.  BUT the question is, what KIND of romance is it??? We know already it’s a slow burn, but are we getting our established relationship? It’s what I want, but what I want is not relevant to what story they are telling. I suppose I shouldn’t have to tell you that what YOU want isn’t relevant to what story they are telling, either. This kiss and confirmation you want? It doesn’t matter. Us wanting something to happen doesn’t mean that’s the story, doesn’t mean that’s what we’re getting. That’s the kind of interpretation that leads to people deciding Lxa was the hero and Clarke her reward and Bellamy the villain, or Spacekru were the stars with Echo (WTF!? That doesn’t even make any sense,) the new hero and Clarke was the villain. Or ignoring Marper and Mackson because you ship Minty, when Marper and Mackson are also beautiful? And ignoring the actual story and the actual heroes leads to being disappointed when our wants don’t happen the way we want them to. Also, my opinion about what is going to happen isn’t relevant to what is going to happen, either. I am an observer, looking for textual clues for what story is going to happen. Now I’m a GOOD observer, and I spend a lot of time double checking my theories against the text and against logic and literary analysis thought, but I am still only putting the puzzle pieces together trying to make it fit the story they are telling.

I will say that the theory I have found MOST useful in puzzling out the story is Jungian Literary Theory. 

Jung is also an influential force in myth (archetypal) criticism. Psychological critics are generally concerned with his concept of the process of individuation (the process of discovering what makes one different form everyone else). Jung labelled three parts of the self:

Shadow – the darker, unconscious self; rarely surfaces, yet must be faced for totality of SelfPersona – the public personality/mask (particularly masculine)Anima/Animus – a man’s/woman’s “soul image” (the negative that makes a composite whole)

A neurosis occurs when someone fails to assimilate one of these unconscious components into his conscious and projects it on someone else. The persona must be flexible and be able to balance the components of the psyche.

Mythological / Archetypal: A mythological / archetypal approach to literature assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters, and motifs (i.e., archetypes) that evokes a similar response in all people. According to the psychologist Carl Jung, mankind possesses a “collective unconscious” (a cosmic reservoir of human experience) that contains these archetypes and that is common to all of humanity. Myth critics identify these archetypal patterns and discuss how they function in the works. They believe that these archetypes are the source of much of literature’s power. [x]

The Shadow-Persona-Anima/Animus is a particularly good fit for The 100 AND Bellarke. Bellarke ARE the Anima/Animus. In fact, we have seen again and again the dark/light, yin yang symbolism to make us subconsciously connect them as two sides of the same coin, dark and light... and they take turns being the dark and light. If they are the anima/animus, then that means they need to integrate the other (which we saw between seasons 4/5) and it also means they need to be together which we’ve seen in seasons 1-6, and which need has only gotten BIGGER as the seasons have passed.

Oh when I consider this approach more fully, I think that Octavia is the Shadow to Bellamy’s Persona... the girl under the floor, rarely let out, and once free (after losing her animus [lincoln] going out of control and becoming a tyrant that destroys the world until the persona asserts itself and feelings/pain/emotion is balanced once again with purpose/ethics/doing what is right.) You know what? I’m shocked that no one has really delved into the Hades/Persephone/Demeter allegory of Dante/Clarke/Abby. I went with Dante’s Inferno as the allegory I explored... maybe because I didn’t start doing my Jungian analysis until season 3 and they showed us that Blake illustration of Dante’s Inferno, and I took the knock upside the head the show was giving me and went OH YOU MEAN IT’S AN ALLUSION!!!!

I think this show is, well, a mix and match of different influences, and I like that. I like that we get The Divine Comedy and the bible as well as Greek mythology as well as Game of Thrones and Battlestar Gallactica and Tangled and The Beauty and The Beast and Penelope and Odysseus as well as Elizabeth and Darcy. I like that shit. The mythic/archetypal stories can be seen in ALL those references. Bellamy is Han Solo and Clarke is Princess Leia. See I love that shit.

I think in some ways, this show is about healing and becoming whole and making peace with your darkness and choosing to be better and rebirth and redeeming humanity and hopefully in season 7, although it is by no means certain, the healing of the earth itself. It’s about trauma and how we struggle to come back from total destruction, because that’s what post apocalyptic fiction is about and one of the reasons we consume it... because we can see our OWN rebirth in the dramatic, fictional rebirth (and why I hate post apocalyptic fic where the guiding principle is that humanity is doomed and there’s no point.) 

Oh wait. You asked about Bellarke and I went into jungian literary analysis and Dante’s inferno and post apocalyptic fic... Okay so here’s the thing. I can not GUARANTEE you that you’ll get a kiss. Because a KISS isn’t the point. The point is UNITY, together, the head and the heart, becoming WHOLE. This is why they could end every season with Clarke and Bellamy together and victorious, but together in a different way, and still with more story to tell... because...wait... each season there has been a DIFFERENT mythic tale of the anima/animus coming together. If the show had ended at season 4, it would have been the sun/moon, always longing, never together. If it had ended at season 5, it might have been binary stars, aligned and moving in the same direction. Now in season 6, we don’t get the ending of our story. We’re still in the middle of it, but Clarke and Bellamy have actually come TOGETHER, and it is in an intimate, romantic way, with that fairy tale “true loves kiss bringing her back from the dead,” aka mouth to mouth aka “the kiss of life,”... when we know that mouth to mouth was not necessary to CPR, but it WAS necessary to the romantic trope of true love’s kiss.

See, this all brings me back to my ORIGINAL analysis on Bellarke after Hakeldama in season 3, when everyone thought Bellarke was dead and CL was the endgame story, and I went, no wait. They are the head and the heart and they can only do it TOGETHER and the main idea is bringing together the opposites/enemies/yin and yang to create a coherent whole that means that Clarke and Bellamy HAVE to be together that’s how this story works. Bellarke is endgame. I don’t make the rules.

Of course I was not aware that it wasn’t considering ONLY romance to be “together,” and the hands metaphor was used instead of fandom’s desire for a kiss, and there are other archetypal light/dark head/heart/ yin/yang king/queen stories than just the simple romance that shippers want. Not that there’s anything wrong with the simple romance. I think season 1 WAS a simple romance for them. It was enemies to friends to lovers... but without the resolution of the lovers part when they decided to drag it out into a slow burn that COULD, if we got to the end of it, be the most fantastic epic love story on tv. 

I’ve faced so many years of people telling me I was delusional, I have double checked my theories and compared the development of the bellarke relationship to canon, to romantic conventions, to archetypes, to allusions, to other ships on the show. I’ve watched and charted the relationship growth for all six seasons, and the thing is, yeah they sometimes pull back and they always put obstacles between clarke and bellamy and if I saw the direction going ELSEWHERE, that’s what I would go with, because I am more attached to the story than to my WANTING it to give me my ship. But they are NOT portraying Bellarke as platonic, and they are NOT portraying B/E as endgame, but as a romantic obstacle, family, spy/master, and a “right for now” romance, rather than a Ms. Right romance. And Echo’s story is not being portrayed as her being fulfilled by her relationship with Bellamy, but by rediscovering who she is and reclaiming her life from the people who would use her, who stole her identity. Echo’s story seems to be going in a feminist direction about female empowerment and not needing no man, while Clarke and Bellamy’s story has gone in a “yes I can do it without you but I don’t want to and I need you in my life because I love you and I won’t let you go.” Bellarke’s story has only gotten MORE romantic, culminating this season in that true love’s kiss/back from the dead... which leaves us season 7, to ratchet the epic love story up one last notch. 

Which notch? Consummation. So yeah, I think they’ll “kiss,” because the togetherness has steadily gotten more and more romantic every single season and I honestly can’t see what else could come between true love’s kiss and  endgame except a season worth of story about how they get from “I can’t lose you, I need you,” to endgame romantic physical and official “we are married and in love” status. But you know, i’m not one of the writers just an observer with some literary analysis.  My fave is jungian, but i like the others, too. Except maybe the first one, historical/biographical, because I don’t think that works at ALL unless you understand the text for itself outside of historical biographical context which would be a secondary analysis, and I think fandom prefers hist/bio but never bothers to understand the story being told for itself before deciding it means all sorts of things about context. oh my god rowena stop talking and just post. 

[ruwithmeguys]

Four episodes into season 7 and we’ve been told Felicity is dead…. Twice.

Now, I know a lot of people are worried about that reveal in the last moments of 7.04. The portent.

I’ve had a couple of anons leave me asks about this and it’s okay if you’re worried or damn near freaking out. Two years ago, I would have been too because I couldn't read the story. But I’ve learned a few things since then, like how to connect certain narrative points and how to see the structure of a scene, now… I’m not saying I can see things you can’t: the opposite. Just making people aware that I only gleam information FROM the stuff we’re already given. That’s it. I might be wrong. I might be right. But I don’t want people wasting their time asking me when I can just give it all here and do this.

Let’s look at the facts:

First. 7.01:

Your wife is dead.

BOOM.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but since when does Arrow take away the surprise factor?

This isn’t Glen from the walking dead; a character who supposedly ‘died’ and made the audience believe he had three or four times before truly kicking the bucket. They don’t do this in Arrow. They can’t afford to. This show is predicated on the belief that heroes can rise in all shapes and sizes, that heroism prevails; even if all else is lost. That good wins. Oliver Queen has been the only character who has technically/or as close as, died more than once on this show and that’s because he’s the principal hero of this story.

And he always comes back.

Now, Felicity - being his wife and the love of his life - is starring as a parallel archetype to Oliver this year which is astounding. Do you realise how rare it is for a female counterpart to any male hero on any TV show of any genre, when they aren’t the principal character, receiving that kind of agency, no matter how far into the game the show is? It’s like watching equality. It’s shown sporadically at best and it’s happening. Her story emulates her husband’s in almost every way without actually copying it and close encounters with death, her own, is one of those parallels. They completely took out the element of surprise.

They’ve made it a regular factor for her character now. Felicity Smoak will come close to death several times this year I feel.

Second. 7.04.

Felicity Smoak is dead.

When does Arrow reveal who’s dead in the future at the beginning of a season?

It doesn’t just take away the surprise factor, it kills the illusion of industry being brought to the table. It makes us think everything she’s doing now, will be worthless because she’s DEAD. In the next 20 years, according to the show, she dies… right? There’s no hope, right?

Look at Oliver and William’s faces:

It’s the death of hope right there: the show is signalling her meaning and is telling us that it’s important. SO IMPORTANT. 

Hope.

I mean, of course there’s still hope: there’s this little faction of renegades being brought together in the future and that’s something Felicity has done. And apparently she’s dead: well done! Bravo! Now you can argue that she programmed a bunch of things (kudos to Beth for reintroducing the audience to Felicity’s skill sets, unused since season 4) to make it all happen in the event of her death, but who’s changing the channels? And why does t have to happen AFTER she’s dead? Why are they being brought together? What has happened to instigate this because her supposed death isn’t brand new, according to Dinah.

So why are they being mobilised NOW? (I mean then… they will be. You get it.)

Third. 7.04. 7.03. 7.02. 7.01.

Can you be ruthless?

Black Siren asked if Felicity could do ANYTHING to get the job done. Could Felicity be ruthless and put the stakes above of her emotions?

Clearly, she CAN.

She tells BS that she is now a person who will not let herself get murdered, who will not allow her family to get murdered. She's afraid. She’s alone. And she’s done with that.

Correction: she’s FORCED herself to do this, to change. We’ve seen the signs already: she’s already there because she feels like she’s HAD to and it’s only a matter of time before something happens.

But this has also been stressed in each of the four episodes so far. That she will do whatever is necessary to bring her family home: together because they are each other’s home. That she has nothing to lose anymore until that happens.

Not even herself: her conscience. Soon she’ll do something she really can’t take back. It’ll be necessary, but it will be final. I THINK. Don’t quote me. She’s becoming a woman who CAN be ruthless.

The kind of woman who can, possible, fake her death. Who can disappear and leave her children behind because she must. For their sake. The type of woman who can orchestrate from behind the scenes, a coup d’etat.

Very clearly these flashforwards are focused on her family: Oliver, William, herself, Emiko, and Felicity’s possible daughter.

Solving the ‘mystery’ of her death will be part of the plot for the flash forwards and I can imagine it ending in discovering the truth and finding her alive. Again, don’t quote me.

Many times, she and Oliver have been forced to confront the reality of doing something cruel to achieve the required outcome; because in a world where you get put in prison for being a hero, in a world where the bad guys roam free and attack your loved ones while you’re helpless, in a world where no matter how hard you try, the evil keeps coming back in various forms, you can no longer play by a rule book that’s ineffective.

The city has already lost complete hope in the justice system and with good reason.

The dismal future shot of the city indicates that, with the rise of Smoak Tech, Felicity and Oliver get the city back into shape somewhat – but then something happens to royally crush their efforts. So, they succeed for a while, which is the point isn’t it? You fight to keep the bad at bay and it’s only ever temporary. Things can’t last: it’s physics. That’s why heroes are needed: to push back the evil over and over again: it’s like a cancer.

You have to cut it out, remember? Season 1. Oliver says it in one of his mental soliloquies. 

Four. Theme.

Legacy: now, I was sure season 5 was legacy and maybe it was in a very different way. S5 focused more on Oliver and his father and how Robert helped create who he’d become. Now it’s about how Oliver AND Felicity have helped create not only William, but whoever is going to bring back peace to a city that has clearly lost all hope of every finding it.

It’s about the fight being carried on both in Oliver’s absence as well as emboldening why it needs him back and it really does.

In the future, a plan has been set into motion to bring them all together again, one by one and I’ll be stunned if Oliver and Felicity aren’t at the helm. Everything that is happening of those flashforwards, feel like the results of everything happening to Oliver and Felicity in the present.

This season is also hugely promoting Oliver and Felicity as heroes TOGETHER. Almost as one hero and I’m not romanticising that. 

Their parallel story will lead to a brand-new understanding of each other that will go deeper than you could ever realise and it’s been in the works since this really:

This will probably come after they’ve focused on some issues, but the motif between them is hugely symbolic of a partnership to echo through the ages. Cheesy, I know; but true. But look at it this way: has anyone else on the show, shown that they are willing to go the depths that Oliver and Felicity are currently going: Felicity legitimately has to remind everyone of Oliver’s importance and Diaz’s lethality.

They are alone in this. But they are together in this: THEY JUST DON’T KNOW THEY ARE YET. And they will.

It feels like it’ll be them against the world eventually, fighting the good fight both alone and together.

They’ve both said it: William is the most important. But when Oliver and Felicity are apart, everything goes to hell anyway.

She demanded that Oliver accept her will to fight… and he DID accept.

That's the first step right there.

I have yet to be show ANY reason to believe that Felicity Smoak is dead in the future. Just because Dinah said she’s dead, doesn’t mean she’s dead. I’ve been given no reason to believe otherwise. Arrow and death are laughable bed friends after all, but it isn’t just that.

Let’s say, Felicity IS dead in that future. Knowing that completely takes away our horror because for the rest of the show, she’s not dying in the present. Which means we have nothing to fear in terms of her dying until the very last episode.

Let’s say she dies EVEN KNOWING THIS... her supposed future death makes zero sense in connection to the present and this show is all about connection. It’s nonsensical.

Now I know that many will argue that her death would make all the sense because of Smoak Tech. it’s in ruins. It’s in ruins because she died right?

It’s all clever camouflage to distract us from something else, which is why this revelation was released so early.

Oliver and felicity are different. they’re going to continue being different.

Do you feel a dividing note between them and everyone else? I do. I’m not saying that they won’t have friends or be happy but there’s something different now for them and between them. Something that may one day alone them to leave everyone behind.

For William, I almost guarantee it’s for his own safety. In Oliver’s mind in 7.04, one of his greatest fears is leaving William the traumatic way his dad left him. This ties into leaving him in the future: he will leave him. He’ll have too. SO will Felicity. We just don’t know why.

We need to see more to understand more because these two are IT:

After their forced independence from each other, their issues, their breaks int he armour; their love will have to see them through. And there is no couple on this show stronger than these two. This a marriage that didn’t come easy, until it really did. they’re it. Through thick and thin, which makes their coming issues so very bearable: imagine them relearning how to live together. Seeing new facets to each other.

EXQUISITE.

I see lots of exploration. Sex. Exposure. Arguments. Painful territory. LOVE IN ABUNDANCE.

Felicity Smoak is not dead, lastly, because the man she married is alive. And there is no point, for William or for the viewers in repeating that old dance:

He needs you!

He needs us.

But remember what she said?

I will always, always wait for you. I will always always love you.

It’s their vows: maybe Oliver will have to say it in the future. It stands forever.

And then for Oliver to botch it in the next episode. It’s not happening anymore. Beth has yet to waste a scene (*cough* CURTIS *cough*).

And it’s always brightest before the dawn @dust2dust34 - there’s no frigging way that Arrow spends an entire season showcasing the death of their favourite character from start to finish. They start out dark and work their way up to the dim light that comes. Her fate is not to die, but to inspire.

And to show the world why no one messes with Felicity Smoak, her husband and her son.

(Oh and, there’ll probably be another ‘Felicity Smoak is dead’ moment this season because they’re already on a curve)

But seriously: don’t take my word for it. I might be very wrong. This is just my point of view. And we are only 4 episodes in: presuming things and taking the words from characters at surface value and believing them immediately-

Felicity Smoak is dead

-will lead you down a miserable path this year. You miss all the cues they give doing that too. 4 episodes out of 22. There is so much more to the story guys: so much more. To be crude, we literally don’t know SHIT. Heck, Dinah does’t know shit about shit!

None of them do.

And that;s the beauty of good writing. This is what I would do with my most beloved character. I’d make everyone worry to death about her before letting her soar.

Again, I could be wrong. This is just me.

[0poole]

God, recent cartoons are/will be dope.

Just binged Twelve Forever in 3 days (because I wanted to prolong the experience, but failed quickly) and like, even though it’s not the best thing ever it’s super fun and cute. The fact that it’s on Netflix, not only meaning I can watch it without a second thought, but also meaning that they can slip in actual talk about puberty and shit instead of clearly alluding to it while simultaneously sweeping it under the rug, and even bringing up straight-up non-straight relationships, makes it more interesting to watch. Especially with that last one, because without the episode blurbs they totally could’ve slipped Reggie’s crush on Conelly under the rug. I mean, Mack and Beefhouse would still be there, but still.

I was super hopeful that that episode was going to be more like a generic cartoon crush episode, except with a girl-to-girl crush, but maybe something like that will end up in an inevitable Season 2. It’s weird, because usually when I hear about “progressiveness” in cartoons it kind of has a weird aftertaste, where I’m overtly okay with it but have some terrible gut feeling about it for some reason, but this time like 90% of me breaking me trying to prolong the experience was fueled by that episode. I was so excited!

And the Butt Witch is the classic part of most cartoons that make some part of it super creepy and dark. It’s funny, the fact that she has a male voice was fitting somehow, even outside of the obvious lore reason. Plus, you can never pass up a lady with multiple arms~ It’s also weird how, despite clearly being super sexualized, they managed to make her butt the sort of funny-haha-cartoon butt instead of the this-is-a-sexy-cartoon butt. There was a scene of her crawling on her knees for a second, and her but was seriously drawn like it was porn. Trust me, I should know. It was strange, considering the TV-Y7-ness of the show.

It’s not nice to play favorites, obviously, but I definitely think my favorite of the native islanders is Galaxander. First of all, his name is perfect. Second, I die for any kind of star-motif. It’s like he was made for/by me. That bit where he was showing a family photo album, except all the photos were of galaxies and planets, was genuinely the best joke in the entire show. I love it/him. Also, Ester’s nonspecific Saturn powers are really cool, as well as her vaguely retro-futuristic look. Oh, and Pretty Please? It’s always the rabbits. ALWAYS.

Really, the one thing that can sell me on any cartoon is just great art/animation/character design. Without that, I probably would’ve passed this show off as one of those “haha lol xd so ramdom111!!!1!!!” shows. Hell, even something so simple as the thumbnail for the pilot short sold me. Reggie and Shane (may he rest in peace) looked practically identical to a duo dynamic of my own creation (gung-ho long haired ginger and darker, medium-lengthed hair male friend) and that really caught my eye. It’s even funnier, because those two characters also ended up being too similar in concept to Inside Out, meaning I had to change them from that, so I guess they’re just a really “normal” character concept.

Apart from Twelve Forever, we got Mao Mao, Heroes of Pure Heart, also readily accessible via the Cartoon Network website. I love their set up for that, where you just need to log in with a network provider as proof you could’ve watched the episodes live if you wanted to. Anyway, Mao Mao has the same deal as I just mentioned: Mao Mao himself looks super dope. Plus, the overall concept of “Edgy warrior protects innocent town from evil monsters” Is what sold me in the first place. Not only do I get a fair dose of action, but I also get a fair dose of cuteness. Also, the concept of Orangusnake (had to rewatch the first episode with subtitles to figure that name out) is just stupid enough that it works. Also also, Mao Mao’s family clearly being set up as either appearing later as actual, professional warriors or as dopey losers that he thought were just cool is making me super invested. 

Then, Infinity Train. The show with the balls to kill of some random nobody in the first episode. Also, what’s the trend with every lead character in these cartoons having parental issues? Either way, everything seen is dope (even if pointy-chin pilot Tulip is superior) and it’s hard not to want more.

I also just bought the first season of Amphibia so I’ll check back on that, like, tomorrow maybe. Waiting is for the birds. I will say that the giant evil insect designs are amazing so far, from the first episode.

But, Owl House has the potential to overtake ALL of these. Oh my god, who knew that adding a little lip onto a character would instantly make their cuteness skyrocket? Luz (hopefully pronounced “Looz” because that’s how my mind is saying it) is actually one of the cutest characters I’ve ever seen. Plus, she has a tiny pet Cubone! And also the potential for creepy monster designs, amazing stories... The potential is high here. 

That’s not even talking about that “Curse of Molly Mcgee” that we’ve only seen a poster for. It’s like its the era of cute girls. I’m dying here.

I’ve also heard Victor and Valentino is pretty good, with true-to-culture Mexican supernatural stuff. Sounds pretty cool, but due to the lack of cute girls on the poster I’ll wait until I’m bored. I have seen a cute goth girl inside of it, though, so I’ll have to watch to see where she fits in. I’m a sucker for thick eye liner and eyelashes(?) that are only visible on the lower half of the eye. 

That’s not even it, either. There’s bound to be something I’m forgetting. OK KO Is also dope but I’ve been watching that for a while, and Hilda’s pretty sweet, but is also old news (until we get another season). Like, so many modern cartoons are so great. Who needs anime?

[austencello]

Arrow Music Notes 7x01 - Inmate 4857

A new season has returned with Oliver in prison, Felicity and William in witness protection, and a new Green Arrow running around bringing vigilante justice to Star City. 

Starting a new season is always interesting and a bit of an exciting challenge.  What musical themes are brought back from previous seasons?  What does that tell us about these characters and moments? What instruments and soundscapes stay the same and what changes?  Are there new themes to discover for characters and places? Welcome aboard another year of speculation and observation with the musical themes of Arrow.

Oliver in Prison

Every season begins with running and/or fighting whether it is on Lian Yu, Ivy Town, or Star City.  This year, instead of Oliver, it is William and Felicity who are running from Ricardo Diaz in Oliver’s recurring nightmare.  The music begins with isolated percussion for a feeling of danger and a string pattern for running, combined with two notes in the lower brass when Diaz appears.  What sets this scene apart from previous years is the lack of Oliver’s themes from the Arrow string motif to his hero brass themes.  In fact, these themes are almost completely lacking throughout the episode excepting the opening title.  Hints emerge here and there but his main themes never fully appear as he keeps his head down in prison. 

I don’t usually talk about songs added outside of the original score, but I will say that the song Madness by Ruelle was very effective.  The lower electronic slide and low bass beat fits with the tone of Neely’s score and the intensity and repetition of Oliver’s daily life.

Another thing that happens each year is a variation for the opening title.  This year, it was introduced with sounds of the jail bars.  It will interesting to see if that will happen each episode Oliver is in prison or just this opening one.

The music for Oliver and prison is harsher, reflecting more of Season 1 and 5.  It has a similar soundscape to the Hood’s music: electronics, low electric bass, string patterns, percussion.  It lacks heroic brass and sweeping melodies, reflecting the darker side and lack of humanity.  One of the percussive elements used is a metallic clanging that appeared a lot during the Flashbacks, Season 1 while Oliver was kidnapped by Fyers on the Island: “Inhospitable Island”, “Friends in Arms”, Caged (1x05). Here it occurs to set the mood and stage as Oliver walks into the mess hall before Brick and company attack (with electric guitar) and when they visit in his cell (along with a new high electronic motif).  It is music of being caged in, survival, and ruthless adversaries.

There are a few moments that include melodic (and minor) string chords which usually involve Stanley as he seeks protection from the Green Arrow, as Oliver regretfully walks away from Stanley being attacked, and after beaten Stanley talks to him in his cell, calling Oliver a coward instead of the hero he had thought he was.  The last one includes a melody on electric guitar harmonics which is an instrument often used Oliver in the earlier seasons. As Oliver tells Stanley that he can’t do anything to be on the guard’s radar in order to get back to his family, low strings holds a tri-tone: one of the most dissonant intervals that usually resolve. These instruments and moments give little insights into how hard it is for Oliver to hear these thoughts and walk away since he just wants to avoid trouble to see his family again. It reflects the struggle of the man desperate for his family with the man he had been a hero fighting injustice.

The soundscape changes for Oliver when he receives visitors, first with John. The first part of the conversation is quiet to give focus on their friendship and vulnerable relationships that Oliver still has contact with.  As they begin to talk about Oliver’s strategy to keep his head down and stay out of trouble, electronics and strings begin to play.  Piano plays a motif as John worries about the emotional toll this will take on Oliver.  Piano is Oliver’s instrument for his quieter and intimate moments and this motif is used both in 3x19 “Forgive Us” when Oliver believes Roy is dead in prison and then later for John and Andy’s relationship in Season 4.  It reminds the audience of the brother relationship between John and Oliver here as well as the consequences Oliver is suffering for the sake of his family and friends, just the way Roy did in Season 3.

The Queen Family

Meanwhile, Felicity and William are in witness protection, laying low to avoid Diaz and his men.  Felicity returns home to William after her shift and he asks her how long they have to stay there.  As they talk about missing Oliver, “Big Mistake” begins which is William’s theme.  Until now, it has always been Oliver and William’s theme but now it expands to the entire family as Felicity tells him “at least we still have each other.” 

Felicity and Oliver both get ready for a new day.  An electric beat gives a slight ominous undertone as they both do their same mind-numbing routine.  What is fascinating is the use of electric guitar harmonics during Felicity’s sequence as she gets ready.  This instrument is typically Oliver’s established in the pilot and the ascending 5th is the opening for his hero theme and Scars (1x01), both which are alluded to as Felicity quietly and sadly gets ready.  It alludes to the scars that have formed for hiding for the past 5 months and what is about to happen. 

The following fight scenes are brutal and intense with a soundtrack of percussion and electronics.  It gets quieter with Diaz’s monologues accompanied by sliding electronic notes to give a sense of foreboding and danger.  His low electronic glissando theme returns (first in 6x19 and used in moments of violence) as he pulls out his gun to shoot Felicity.  The music then goes seamlessly back and forth in intensity between the two fights.  Hints of the Arrow theme return in punctuated strings chords as Oliver is fighting near the end  (used in a similar fashion in “Damaged” S1).  The fighter in Oliver is returning before beaten down and told that Felicity was dead.

A repeated electronic note plays as Oliver paces in his cell reflecting his anxiety and then dissonant notes play together almost like a hum as he waits for his visitor, certain that it would be John telling him of Felicity’s death.  This is subtle but very effective music-wise to describe Oliver’s state of mind.  A french horn and strings quietly play and calm the scene as they both see each other for the first time in 5 months, both terrified for the other.  The horn motif is part of the horn melody in “Returning Home” (1x01) emphasizing that Felicity and William are his home and his life.

Like John’s conversation, the first half of their conversation is in silence to help bring focus on this emotionally charged scene.  Music enters the scene after Oliver asks Felicity to go back to witness protection.  As Felicity answer that she is sending William to boarding school but staying to fight herself, the theme “Felicity pleads with Ra’s” (3x20) begins in the piano, strings and flute.  While the instrumentation has changed to match these characters and setting (piano instead of Nanda Parbat crutales, flute instead of duduk), the emotional impact is the same.  Felicity needing to fight for the man and family she loves.  She is not willing to back down and while this breaks Oliver’s heart, he eventually says ok.  Back in 3x20, Ra’s told Felicity to tell Oliver that she loves him and then let him go.  In both cases, she does tell Oliver “I love you” and says goodbye but never lets him go.  Here, she tells Oliver that she will always, always wait for him.

Felicity tells William she is sending him away for his protection and gives him the hozen as hammered dulcimer plays “Scars.” This is important for several reasons.  This theme first appeared in the pilot, the same episode that he gave Thea the hozen for the first time, symbolizing re-connection.  It was also used in 6x23 as Oliver asks Felicity to go into witness protection for their safety.  Now, Felicity is doing the same thing for William.  It is also the first time this theme is used for someone other than Oliver: his son.  William has lots of emotional scars from the loss of his mom and his dad and now it feels like Felicity is abandoning him as well.  Felicity promises that she will always be able to find him.  I think it is quite possible that this music is also foreshadowing the last scene/reveal, being used for re-connection to the other person who received the hozen.

Meanwhile, Oliver wipes out the numbers on his wall, coming out to fight.  The tone of electronics is different.  It now sounds purposeful instead of menacing with the instrumentation adding brass, plus the hints of the Arrow rhythmic theme in string chords (like the fight before) announcing that the Arrow and hero is fighting back. 

Star City and the new Green Arrow

A new Green Arrow emerges in Star City, first taking down someone on his list and delivering him to the police.  Rene Ramirez is the next one to see him, trying to stop someone from his gym from buying guns.  As Rene fights this gang, his theme comes back in full force “Time to Hang up the Hockey Mask” (5x02).  This Arrow returns and saves Rene, stopping the selling of the weapons, introducing a new motif for this vigilante: a glissando or slide but distorted almost resembling a siren, sometimes going up, sometimes down.  Similar but also clearly different from Oliver’s. 

Dinah is determined as the police captain to take this new vigilante down, setting up to stop both the weapons deal and catch this new person.  As the police surround this Arrow, lower electronics glide up and down before the previous Green Arrow motif comes back when Wild Dog covers for the vigilante to escape.  A variation of this is heard one last time as the vigilante is shown to cross off names off a list at the end.

William and Flash-forwards

One fascinating story-telling device was the introduction of William in the future but looking like it was the past.  The motif for Lian Yu returns as he heads towards it in a storm.  As he looks for Roy, he comes across the graves including his grandfather’s: Robert Queen.  The string melody of “Honor Memory”  (1x02) plays, first heard when Oliver was at this grave after burying him with a different piano melody playing over it.  This fooled me into thinking it was a son of Robert and half-brother of Oliver before it was revealed to be William visiting his grandfather’s grave while seeking to help his own father.

The music reveals Roy at the end with his horn motif “Try Roy Try” (2x02) as he confronts William about who sent him.  William reveals the hozen and then Roy’s theme repeats with a little faster as Roy takes off his hood and we realize that that we are seeing an older Roy and William.

Extra notes:

- This year, Blake Neely is joined by Nathaniel Blume as co-composers for Arrow.  Nathaniel has already been helping Neely’s team for several years with Arrow and joined co-writing the Flash last year.  Last year, Arrow was the only show Neely was doing on his own, so I am not surprised that he officially added a co-writer this year with the amount of shows that he is writing.  It will be interesting to see if there will be any significant changes.  Blume has six tracks that he wrote for Arrow on his own website (nathanielblume.com) including Helix Headquarters from season 5, which stood out to me during that season.  Most of the music he writes is fighting music while I believe Blake likes to write the emotional scenes.

- my next few weeks are really busy so I may just write highlights instead of a full review.  Let’s be honest, I’m not good at keeping these short

- The new Arrow soundtrack is scheduled to come out tomorrow!  It may take me a few weeks to write about it but I look forward to seeing what tracks will be on it.

- Glad to be back with a great first episode!

@smoakmonster @ah-maa-zing @herskirtsarentthatshort @mel-loves-all @almondblossomme @pulpklatura @jorahandal @scu11y22 @withgraceandlight99 @academyofshipping @thegeriatricfangirl

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 105

Episode: Futari wa Precure Splash Star 07 - “Ultra Serious! The Wrath of Karehaan!” Date watched: 28 February 2019 Original air date: 19 March 2006 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/FlLcGRc Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Can I get an AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Sorry it’s been so long. I gave my excuses on the other blog, so read that if you care.

The following episode contains these disturbing elements:

Engrish

An ugly final form

emotional manipulation

shameless product placement

children almost dying

leaves

Reader discretion is advised.

There are two main parts to this story that come together halfway through. Flappi and Choppi find themselves unable to contain the power of the Miracle Drops in their ears anymore, so Saki and Mai need to seek out the Fairy Carafe to hold them instead, but all the fairies know is that Princess Filia hid it somewhere in the Land of Greenery (Earth). Meanwhile, Akudaikaan is fed up with Karehaan’s repeated failure, and gives him one last chance to defeat the Precure and find the Fountain of the Sun. Gohyaan goads him into attacking that day, using the fullest extent of his powers. He finds the girls in a forest after school, where the Miracle Drops have led them to the general vicinity of the Fairy Carafe. Karehaan summons an uzainaa around himself and begins ferociously attacking the girls. They try to block and deflect with the power of the spirits but he just sucks up their spirit barriers and knocks them around a bit. Did I mention he’s ugly?

He’s big, he’s mean, he’s.... not green but rotted, and he’s whipping the girls around with his vines, blasting rotted gunk at them, and he even flexes his ability of destruction to kill a big area of the forest. But he gives the Precures an inch and they take a mile. They swear upon their promises to get home to their families that night, grab hands, and together they’re able to overcome his destruction. He tries to suck up their power again but it’s too much for him and it blows up his arm instead. The duo summon all their powers and the spirits and perform Twin Stream Splash, and Karehaan is no more, or so they think. They detransform, take the Miracle Drop he leaves behind, and then he divebombs them from above... only to collapse into a pile of dead leaves and blow away.

please press F to pay respects

With their last obstacle out of the way, Saki and Mai resume trying to find the Fairy Carafe. They do, and after a very exaggerated introduction they are transported to the Fountain of Trees. They never made an explicit connection between the different Fountains that the girls need to restore and the theme of the villains, but it’s clear now that there is one, as Karehaan’s motif was rotting leaves and plants. Saki uses the Miracle Drops to restore the Fountain and then a figure appears before them.... Princess Filia.

She only shows up for a moment and doesn’t say anything, but it’s enough to inspire Flappi and Choppi. Satisfied with their work, the fairies and girls are transported back home and crash land near the Sky Tree. Saki and Mai say their goodbyes and head home to see their families, before Flappi reminds Saki that she has an English test to study for. Oops. Roll credits.

We’ve seen time and again that when Bloom and Egret combine their powers, they can overcome anything, and this was a true test of their strength. It’s still early in the show but I want to say this may be the truest embodiment of Nishio Daisuke’s vision of the series, and that’s wonderful. Karehaan was a tough opponent, but honestly he was never particularly memorable to me. Maybe that’s because the later villains are much more interesting and fun, but Karehaan doesn’t have much personality beyond being irate all the time. Come to think of it he’s a lot like Pisard from the first season in that regard, except that Pisard at least looked neat. With him out of the way, all I can say is bring on Moerumba!

One detail I kind of overlooked in the summary is how at the start, Mai agrees to go out to eat with her family (a rare opportunity given her parents’ busy schedules) and Saki chooses to help Minori and her mom cook dinner that night. They both have important family time stuff to get home to so they’re really not in the mood for Dark Fall antics, which adds some nice seriousness.

Also at the very start, Saki is practicing her English. She’s honestly not too bad, but it’s presented as a comedy bit so laugh away.

The last thing I want to bring up is the Fairy Carafe. It’s..... well, it’s a toy.

The CGI in this show is still very obvious, and they choose to use it to heavily emphasize the functionality of the toys you can buy. While you saw this demonstrated heavily with the Queen Chairect last season, they take it a step further here.

I think it stands out to me because it’s yet another storage item for the Macguffins of the show, and also what it does isn’t really that special compared to the Queen Chairect or the Prism Hopish (okay that one wasn’t special either but it was also less extravagant). This is basically a pitcher and they stick marbles in it. It doesn’t need a special ramp, or lights and sounds, but it does and they make a big deal out of it to make kids want to buy the toy.

Here’s the wrap-up. This episode, overall, is alright, not great but not bad, just average, and that’s kind of a problem for me. There have been a lot of “just average” episodes already in this season, and this is the defeat of a villain so it should be meaningful but it just doesn’t do anything to really stand out. I realize I was generally positive in the body of the review and I want to reiterate that it’s not a bad episode, but it feels a little too generic for me to give it glowing praise. Thankfully, Moerumba drops by next time to heat things up, so we should be on the up and up. Look forward to it, and hopefully it will come a lot sooner than a month and a half from now.

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 1 “Zekkouchou nari!”

Miracle Drop Count: 7, then 0 after restoring the Fountain of Trees

[shipwreckseemssweet]

10 Figure Skating programs I love

With the FS off-season--and all related drama revelations--in full bloom, what better time to look back on beloved programs new and old.

Here are ten outstanding pieces (singles disciplines only) from the last couple of seasons that I managed to find online. I feel a bit guilty about not having put in Marin’s Romeo & Juliet. :(

10. Wakaba Higuchi - Skyfall (FS)

The best FS performance of the 2018 Worlds! I must admit I wasn’t a big Wakaba fan until this season. In my prejudiced view, I considered her too rough around the edges. Then she rolled out this season’s programs and I was sold. What’s more, she owned her FS - a mix of Bond music including Adele’s Skyfall - more than any other of her competitors. From her sleek dress to her cool final spin, Wakaba makes a case for a Bond girl movie starring her. And if her electrifying performance is any indication, it’ll be one to remember. The choreography unleashes all her power while funneling it in purposeful and creative ways, never letting the tension disperse. The crazy fast 3Lz3T may be her main weapon, but it’s the step sequence that steals the show.

9. Patrick Chan - Dear Prudence/Blackbird (SP)

I couldn’t skip over Patrick, our newly retired King of Skating Skills. Dear Prudence/Blackbird by The Beatles signaled his last great season and a return to form. A very good return, despite his jump ailments. If anyone can measure up to 60s pop rock, it’s Patrick with his effortless, flowing, confident skating. His classic elegance and somewhat old-fashion charm seem to recall a bygone idyllic spring. These are songs about inner awakening and struggles; about finding a place you belong. They seem to reflect Parick’s journey to reinvent himself. At the same time, Dear Prudence is about the beauty of nature: "The sun is up, the sky is blue, it's beautiful,” and it’s the pure feeling of connection to the music that stays with you.

8. Javier Fernandez -  Malagueña (SP)

Another great skater on his way out. Coming into Helsinki as the defending World champion, Javier managed to skate this short program cleanly in its two-quad glory. For me this is his finest, most sophisticated SP to date. (I welcome the absence of comical elements.) Certain programs can only be performed to their fullest potential when given another season to grow, and Malagueña is a perfect example. It’s all about getting into character, making every movement count. Obviously, having Javier perform the flamenco - choreographed by a Spanish ballet director - and go the extra mile on every element really adds to the authenticity of the program. His effortless skating is just a rung below Patrick and Yuzuru. This is what an energetic and mesmerizing skate looks like!

7. Mao Asada - Ritual Fire Dance (SP/FS)

If Mao can’t make you love figure skating nobody can. All my favorite skaters use their bodies as silent musical instruments and Mao is the leader of the pack. Her musicality, arm movements, footwork, versatility, attention to choreography and emotional projection are absolutely unmatched. In what turned out to be her swan song, all her best qualities shine through. Portraying a mysterious black bird, Mao transformed the piano version of Manuel de Falla’s ballet with her charismatic, soft interpretation. Every step and turn, every detail of the performance appears uninhibited yet polished. She has reached a level of fluidity and complexity where jump errors no longer detract from the overall quality. Also, I love the ponytail.

6. Boyang Jin - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (SP)

Boyang is one of my recent favs despite there being room for growth in his skating and other components. Beyond the excitement of watching a young skater evolve, I think he has great potential in every area and will just get better with time. His jumps are already prodigious, his performances iconic. Underlying this program is the idea to present a more complete (and serious) version of B for the Olympic season as well as blend in Chinese elements. Unfortunately I don’t think he got the recognition he deserved. Infused with the right mix of composure and energy, this is an atmospheric character-based program that wonderfully shows his refinements in interpretation and control of edges. That step sequence is *fire*.

5. Carolina Kostner - Ne Me Quitte Pas (SP)

A very sophisticated and adaptable lady. At 31 and having lived through many system changes, Caro brings new meaning to the word “veteran” in singles skating. She first hopped under the spotlight with her stunning jumps, but stayed on the stage until today thanks to her masterful skating prowess and evolving artistic “voice”. Her effortless glide and changes of speed/direction are done on the deepest of edges; her arms move like a painter’s brush. Every movement of hers is flowing, full of love for what she does. And rather than a competitive spirit, it’s the emotions and experience she brings to her performances that keep her in the sport. As Lori Nichol said, this short program allowed Caro to be the athletic and sensual woman that she is.

4. Yuzuru Hanyu - Ballade No.1 in G minor 3.0 :) (SP)

Yuzuru knows how to start off the Olympic season with a bang: breaking his own WR in his first performance at the Autumn Classic. A horifically difficult piano composition, Chopin’s Ballade No.1, with its dramatic chords, abstract motifs, dynamic rhythm and interwoven themes running from subtle to stormy, seems to fit our agile FS King like an elegant glove. Over the years, Yuzuru gave us not less than three different and perhaps equally iconic interpretations of Chopin’s favorite music. This particular one is all about the aura and intricate details. Every element is blended with the music. The final jump combo comes out of nowhere. This emotional peak then transitions into the StSq which is majestic in its smoothness; it rumbles and flows together with the fiery chords running down the keyboard. All doubts are resolved yet the mystery persists. Nothing can be added or taken away--this is perfection.

3. Satoko Miyahara - Madame Butterfly & The Planets/Princess Leia (FS)

I adore Satoko’s skating, despite her imperfections (read: jumps). The world needs skaters like her, whose elegance, musical flow, precision, and subtle presentation touch your heart. Her body lines and layback spin are gorgeous; her multidirectional skating effortless. (That reverse Walley into the Salchow!) Satoko is a strong character performer. I loved her Goddess/Princess Leia FS from 2016/17, how original the choreography was and how engaged and fast Satoko seemed. It’s such a difficult piece to skate to yet she managed to showcase different sides to her. This year’s M Butterfly was, given the circumstances, a safer skate, but her emotional projection only increased. Her showing at the JNats was the finest in that regard. Butterfly’s anguish and suicide seem to become Satoko’s own struggle with her injuries. But the piece ends with a spin to the dreamlike yearning of Un bel di vedremo, as if we’re witnessing both Butterfly and Satoko’s rebirth.

2. Kaetlyn Osmond - Edith Piaf (SP)

IMO, to her belong the two best ladies’ performances of the 2018 Olympics. With Edith Piaf Kaetlyn has finally found an iconic short program! You can tell when a skater is truly feeling the music and looking happy while on the ice, and this program has accomplished just that for K. We meet a French young lady, sauntering down the streets of Paris, wanting to be noticed by someone special. Accompanying her is the voice of Edith Piaf, who sings Sous Le Ciel de Paris and Milord. The program has it all: purposeful choreography, powerful skating, sensitive interpretation of music, ease of movement, the speed going into her huge jumps. Her outgoing character just floats up so naturally. Thanks to her charm, K could indeed give Cotillard a run for her money.

1. Yuzuru Hanyu - Hope & Legacy (FS)

During the 2017 Worlds, Max Ambesi proclaimed this as Hanyu’s best skate, and also the best skate in history. I couldn’t agree more, even if everyone has their own favs. It was an inconsistent season before Hanyu had surpassed himself to skate clean a program massive in ambition and complex in expression. It was as if he’d become an ethereal nature spirit. He was the air, wind and water contained within the melody. He made himself appear weightless and effortless on the ice, seemingly not needing any strength to execute any of the elements. A dreamlike aura surrounded him. I just love how the program highlights his natural musicality and attention to detail. My favorite part: the serene StSq followed by the 3F as the music rises.

Bonus: Alena Kostornaia - Stella’s Theme (FS)

What a talented Junior we have! In her first international season Alena has shown she has nothing to fear from the Seniors. Her charisma, skating skills, and arm movements are those of a fairy. Her jumps are spiced up with steps/transitions. Her spins sizzle with creativity. Nothing feels rushed or incomplete. I challenge anyone to watch her lyrical, immersive performances and experience “backloading” done right. :)

[aion-rsa]

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6 Marvel, Captain America, MCU Easter Eggs

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6 spoilers and potential spoilers for the wider MCU.

Well, it’s finally here. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier episode 6 was an action-packed, but rather messy season finale for the show. Hopefully it isn’t a series finale, and we’ll see it continue in season 2 as Captain America and the Winter Soldier, but that’s an argument for another time.

For now, we’re here (as usual) to dig in to all the Marvel Comics and MCU references the show gave us this episode. We’ll be honest, it was relatively light on those, but there’s still plenty to speculate about. And if you spot anything we missed, be sure to let us know in the comments!

The New Captain America

Sam’s incredibly sharp-looking Captain America costume is a perfect live action translation of the version he wore in the comics. That costume was designed by Carlos Pacheco, and first hit the pages of Marvel Comics in October of 2014, in All-New Captain America #1. Even then, it felt like a perfectly movie-ready design, but to see it translated to beautifully to live action is a real treat, and this is an immediate contender for “best superhero movie or TV suit” right now. The additional stars and stripes motif added to the underside of the wings here seems to be an MCU flourish, but that’s just one little way they managed to improve on perfection.

It’s safe to assume that Sam’s new wings are vibranium, or at least vibranium laced, just like his shield, considering that it was made for him by the tech geniuses in Black Panther‘s Wakanda. There’s something to be said here about how America is stronger when it works with and accepts help from its allies, as opposed to going it alone. Just witness how much better Sam’s wings hold up under pressure than Walker’s homemade shield.

Similarly, Sam primarily uses the shield and the wings for defense. Compare that to how Walker wields his shield, as a slashing/bludgeoning weapon for offense. It’s a nice illustration of two different interpretations about how best to utilize America’s power.

Bucky

Bucky’s leap from a barrier-crashing motorcycle in episode 6 is a nice callback to Steve’s very similar move in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As a voice barked “stand down” from a SHIELD quinjet, Steve hit a barrier on his bike and was thrown forward into the action. 

We also see Bucky straining to open the back of the van with his vibranium arm, but he doesn’t flex as hard as Steve did when he stopped Bucky taking off in a helicopter in that same movie. Both Sam and Bucky reflect elements of what made Steve an exceptional Captain America in the finale, and prove to be a terrific team.

Bucky gives Steve’s notebook to his therapist as a thank you gift. Honestly, she deserves less. It belongs in a museum.

U.S. Agent

John Walker manages to control the effects that the super soldier serum is having on his psyche when he gets a second chance to prove himself, dropping his damaged makeshift shield and realizing he needs to prioritize human lives over vengeance. 

Val says that people will need a “US Agent” soon, and not a Captain America, as things are about to get “weird”. US Agent, of course, was the codename Walker took on after he stopped being Captain America in the comics. Speaking of which, Walker’s new costume is basically identical to his Marvel Comics US Agent costume and it looks really great here.  We wrote more about the Marvel Comics history of U.S. Agent here.

Why are Val, Walker and his wife back in the courthouse where Walker got court martialed to try on his new US Agent costume? Feels like pandemic-related restrictions forced the show to film all those scenes at the same time, doesn’t it?

Isaiah Bradley

Sam returning to properly make sure Isaiah Bradley gets his due once again mirrors the excellent Truth: Red, White, and Black story by Robert Morales and Kyle Baker. There it was Steve who made sure that Isaiah’s deeds were finally known to the world.

Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of Isaiah, but you can bet we’re going to get more of Elijah down the road. Between introducing two members of the Young Avengers in WandaVision with Billy and Tommy, and the impending arrival of Kate Bishop on Hawkeye later this year, young Elijah is due to get himself some red, white, and blue duds of his own.

Sharon Carter is the Power Broker?

Yes, Sharon Carter is the Power Broker. No, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. She took Sam, Bucky, and Zemo to see super soldier serum scientist Dr. Nagel in his lab. He was working for her! She let that dangerous shit play out, which was very much against her interests! What! No. What! The man must have been confused as hell in his final moments.

Sharon uses the same tech that Natasha Romanoff used to disguise her face during the climax of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 

We find out that Sharon was indeed behind Karli’s initial rise to Flag-Smasher power, after taking her in and giving her a chance in Madripoor. Sharon is willing to forgive the betrayal if Karli and her friends come back to the fold, but Karli’s too far gone for that.

Sharon gets a pardon from the US government. I guess it wasn’t that hard after all. Maybe you could click this link while you’re here.

Is this the first time Sharon has been called Agent Carter in the MCU? And is there some way to bring Peggy back to kick her narrow Power Brokering ass? How dare you besmirch the Carter name, girl.

Sharon’s “mercury vapor” bomb that takes out that poor dude kind of feels like the dust that the Red Skull used to use during the Mark Gruenwald era of the comics to kill people…which left them looking like red skulls. Uh-oh…this brings us to the next question…

Who was Sharon calling at the end? Val? Nick Fury? Her Skrull bosses? Alexander Lukin? Something is definitely wrong here. It’s possible that she’s working with Val to put together a team of Dark Avengers/Thunderbolts, but nothing makes a lot of sense with Sharon’s arc in the MCU in general, let alone this show.

Zemo

That is indeed Zemo’s butler Oeznik (played by Nicholas Pryor) who kills the fuck out of the Flag-Smashers in the police van with a remote controlled incendiary device. What an Evil Jarvis. In any case, Zemo got at least some of his wish, as now there are a few fewer super soldiers running around the MCU.

Among the books that Zemo is reading in his cell is Alexander von Humboldt’s Views of Nature – the German polymath, geographer, naturalist and explorer was the first person to truly make note of human-induced climate change. But we can only assume that the book Zemo is holding close to his heart as he hears the fate of the Flag-Smashers is the Machiavelli tome that Bucky rudely interrupted earlier in the series.

Despite the news saying that there are no suspects in the Flag-Smasher bombing, Val knows straight away that it was Zemo who had “the last laugh”. Huh. “Couldn’t have worked better if I planned it myself,” she jokes. “Oh, well, maybe I did. No, I’m kidding, I didn’t. Or did I?” Who the hell knows, Val.

Batroc

Is Batroc dead? Batroc had better not be dead! We demand more Georges St-Pierre in the MCU! Ze Leaper has managed to escape certain death multiple times in the MCU so far, and we’d like that trend to continue. He’s such a great all-purpose, kinda hapless baddie, that we’d love to just see him show up for the occasional slugfest. Or hell, maybe a Batroc fight can be a kind of “right of passage” for anyone else who has to wear the Captain America costume down the road!

And hey, he even did some leaping in this episode!

The Flag-Smashers

Sam’s face-off with Karli Morgenthau is a lot like Steve’s final face-off with Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when he tries to talk her down instead of fighting back.

The Raft

The Raft was first introduced to the MCU in Captain America: Civil War, but the fact that they’re going out of their way to mention it multiple times in this show, and the fact that the Flag-Smashers were destined for there (after all, they’re super soldiers) should be an indication of just how important that place is going to be to the MCU going forward. I think we can safely expect both Val and Sharon to be doing some recruiting out of there.

The New Falcon?

We only get a brief moment with Danny Ramirez’s Joaquin Torres, as he gazes adoringly at the TV broadcast with Sam as Captain America, but hopefully we get more of him in the future. After all, Joaquin became the new Falcon when Sam wore the red, white, and blue in the comics, and he DOES have Sam’s old wings.

Where is Steve Rogers?

You know, if they keep making that joke about Steve being “on the moon” maybe there’s gonna turn out to be some truth to it. Is this how the MCU will introduce the “man on the wall” concept from the Original Sin story in Marvel Comics? OK, fine, probably not.

The Bridge

Sam having his first big public moment on a bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn, where New Yorkers see him, cheer him, and implicitly accept him as a hero feels like moments in Sam Raimi’s first two Spider-Man movies, particularly the Brooklyn Bridge scene in the first one, and the subway car scene in Spider-Man 2. This is decidedly less heavy-handed, though.

Ayla

GRC representative Ayla is not from Marvel Comics. We don’t get her last name, and she shares a first name with extremely obscure Nightstalkers villain Rotwrap. Look, there’s not  a lot going on in this episode, we’re trying.

Speaking of things we don’t have a lot on…

“Government Official”

Can you believe that despite appearing in nearly every episode of this show, Alphie Hyorth’s bearded senator is still only named as “government official” in the credits? What are you hiding Marvel?!? Maybe he’s actually Mephisto! (sorry, a little WandaVision humor there) 

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But for real, why would you have a recurring character who ends up central to so many elements of this story and NOT name him? Is he a Skrull? Is he Senator Robert Kelly? (look, we miss all the mutant speculation from the WandaVision days)

Spot anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

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