#but I also don’t want to scare people with my spoiler rambles so I’ll post those later in the weeks to play it safe

[oddly-casual]

I’m gonna try and keep this as non spoiler-ey as I can, but one thing about Mutant Mayhem that I appreciated was that the sewers felt lonely. Every iteration of tmnt makes the lair feel lonely and isolated at times because the turtles are literally forced into hiding (except for Rise, their lair always felt like a home).

But in MM they took extra steps to make the space feel cramped and dark, no major lighting source aside from lamps, candles, and phone lights. Warm colors are scarce in the sewer and the pipes and valves take away any space they could’ve have had, not just in their home but everywhere in the sewers. It actually makes you not want to be in the sewers, because it’s all cold. Even the bars of the sewer grate look like prison bars! Every time they close the manhole cover it sounds like a door being slammed, like they are sealing themselves away.

Obviously this changes, and MM isn’t the first to do this, but it’s the first time watching anything TMNT related that I actually felt uncomfortable in the space that was supposed to be their home.

[pierogi-potwater]

A rambling defence of the pines twins

(Part 1)

I’ve been thinking about them all day. I basically want to psychoanalyse them all a bit and attempt to explain why I think, they think the way they do.

Though this is a defence of the characters, they are not perfect people! I’m not trying to say they have done no wrong or haven’t hurt people because they have. I just like saying why I think they did what they did. All their choices make sense from their perspective and I’m just saying why I don’t think they are ‘terrible selfish people’.

Some of this might be stealing insights from other people…sorry y’all have great thoughts and I’ll mention any instance where a thought isn’t fully original because I miss some really obvious stuff and I couldn’t have made these conclusions without this great community!!! Please, please, please provide your own thoughts I love having discussions with people! Like if I missed anything or you disagree with anything please say!

Spoilers for the show, the book of Bill, lost legends and journal 3 but I won’t be showing an screenshots. I should also mention, all quotes are from memory and I haven’t fully read TBOB or Journal 3 so apologies if I get any info wrong!

This is my first text post so apologies for any incoherence or poor formatting/grammar.

So! Starting with…

Stanley Pines

Stan! This guy: I love him! (Quick edit! I was hesitant to call Stan and Ford co dependant because that’s a medicalised term and they were kids/ teens but ig Bill already pointed that out! And calling out Fords PTSD? Dang…)

Going straight in, Stan and Ford were lonely kids, they only really had each other growing up so that ended up with them becoming somewhat reliant on each other. They’re a dynamic duo and as kids their dynamic isn’t something I’d call unhealthy (yet). They have a good complementarity of brains and punches; they are shown to stick up for, and support, one another. When Stan is accused of stealing his father’s watch: Ford goes out of his way to disprove the accusation, with his brother by his side. Even when presented with evidence for Stan stealing the watch, Ford gives his brother the benefit of the doubt and hears out his brother’s explanation that it was an accident and he intended to give the watch back as a Father’s Day gift but was scared of his father’s reaction to the broken case. He was just trying to do a nice thing and it backfired to make him look worse than he intended.

This leads me to how Stan was perceived as a kid, as a troublemaker. His father, being a typical man in the 60’s didn’t really outwardly express any affection towards the boys. All mention of care is normally an assumption or through actions. Of course healthy family dynamics don’t require constant praise and verbal declarations of love. Stan’s dad showed his care for his kid through enrolling him in boxing classes. That being said, the boys clearly didn’t have a good dynamic with their dad. Stan is assumed to be a naughty child and isn’t shown any benefit of the doubt. It isn’t indicated that he’ll ever be seen as anything but a trouble maker. So of course he doesn’t try to be anything else. He cheats off his brother academically and his whole future plan is reliant upon his bother. His future plan, I should also add, doesn’t include trouble making. He hopes to be seen as an adventurer and in this, is still rejecting the deterministic fate of being a huckster and fraud. He thinks needs his brother for this identity though. He is constantly compared to his brother in a degrading manner and isn’t encouraged to find his own niche as it is assumed that he will automatically choose criminality. His brother on the other hand is a genius that can do basically anything he wants in the future. He has a large choice of things he’d be smart enough to do and chose to specialise in science. Stanley has cemented his future success as needing his brother, but his brother so clearly doesn’t need him. And so in an accident while letting out his frustration, slams the table the perpetual motion machine is on and breaks it. The same embarrassment and shame stopping him from confessing to the broken watch case: once again stops him from telling Ford about the broken machine. Telling him about the broken machine could have allowed him to fix it and thus get into that dream school but he couldn’t bring himself to. Either because he’d be accused of doing it purposefully to sabotage his brother or because a shameful part of him wanted to sabotage his brother so he could in some way prove his brother needed him too. To secure a safe future for himself with the only person that has unconditionally loved and trusted him.

Of course that’s not what happened. It’s been pointed out that Stan’s current obsession with money and swindling people is because of his dad disowning him saying ‘only come back once you’ve made millions.’ and so, he hoards money. But, I’d also add the fact that peoples perception of him already being cunning and a fraud definitely added to this. His only other role model aside from his brother was probably his parents ( famously con people). Their dad only viewed the two of them as pawns out of their current financial position [as people have pointed out before]. His mother cared about him though which is sweet (and there’s a high chance that she probably didn’t have much say in Stanley being disowned). Stan still subconsciously wanted to make his parents proud and be accepted again. Another part of the current money hoarding is probably scarcity related. Stan had to live in his car and has been in debt to what I can only assume is the mafia: he likely doesn’t want that same outcome for his niece and nephew. This also might be why he considers arts and crafting his own money to be a fun bonding exercise with the kids. Stan’s dad only seeing his kids as cash cows likely plays into that as well (but it’s very clearly shown that the kids mean more than just money to him but generational habits are hard to shake).

The portal fight. Gosh, what a way to lose your twin brother… Of course after around 10 years of no contact with Ford he’d be both delighted and apprehensive seeing him again. The shame and guilt of what the machine breaking cost Ford; mixed with the hope that this meeting means that’s an event in the past; they are about to reconcile. When met with his paranoid brother pointing a crossbow at him immediately as he opens the door. The suspicion that he inadvertently caused this paranoia (much like being disowned caused Stan’s poverty) lingers. Not a great start. The brother he so hoped called for a reconciliation, and more time together, immediately tells him to go as far away from him as he can: using the same childhood dream he so desperately wanted all this time as a reference for the isolation process. The exact opposite of the dream, the reason he accidentally ruined Fords future with the fear of them being separated . The guilt once again rising. Of course Stan is upset and so tries to burn the journal so he can appease Ford as quickly as possible and try and reform a connection with him. There is no way Stan could have ever known what any of the context around why Ford wanted the journal intact but far away. He had no way of knowing what any of the equipment would or could do. So the fight begins as a confused Stanley wants to spend time with his brother but has no meaningful way to express that. A hurt Stanley that wants his brother to understand him but doesn’t have the emotional intelligence to say that. Ford accidentally brands him with a plate burning through his jacket ( image how hot it must have been for it to burn through his jacket and permanently scar him in those seconds he was pushed against it). When he accidentally activates the portal by pushing Ford into it: he freezes. How could he possibly know what to do to save him? And with the pain in his shoulder also clouding his vision.

It was pointed out to me that the carpet diem room was the same room Stanley stayed in while he worked on trying to save his brother. Ford’s bedroom. ( DEVASTATING HOW HE SECRETLY POCKETS FORD’S GLASSES AND THE ROOM WAS BOARDED UP UNTOUCHED, THE CALENDAR DATE BEING THE ONE THEY FOUGHT ON AUGHHHH). Similarly pointed out that Stan’s affinity to the statue of him was because it reminded him of his brother and the funeral touched him so much because for 30 years he’s been working on this portal to save his brother not knowing if the guy was even alive or not. Grieving the possibility of his twin brother and only friend being dead. (This killed me man :( no pun intended).

Stan learned the complicated science behind the portal despite science never being his strong suit. He worked on it for 30 years not knowing if Ford was even alive. He was willing to potentially risk the safety of gravity falls ( and the universe it was implied) to save his brother. The first thing he gets is a punch to the face as his arms are excitedly outstretched for a hug. He gets called a knucklehead (the thing his father called him after disowning him). Stan asked for a thank you.

The argument about Stan not wanting Ford and the kids spending time together for fear of their safety is pretty self explanatory in the show. The fandom has recognised that Mabel was lying about what she heard to protect Dippers notions of the author he has looked up to all summer. I didn’t think of this at first which is on me. She’s not a dumb character she just likes having fun and is a 12 year old. She gets too much hate ( ANYWAY sorry I know this isn’t about her but it was a nice character moment for her).

In weirdmageddon Stan refuses to hold Ford’s hand. While it -at first- seemed like a purely petty and idiotic thing to do, like then wasn’t the time, I can see why he did that. For Stan, the ‘thank you’ wasn’t just an acknowledgment of the work putting into saving Ford . He needed to prove he wasn’t the heartless con man people always saw him as. (Like he says in the show) .It was a promise that they weren’t going to immediately be separated again. An absolution of the guilt held for the perpetual motion machine breaking and the fight that sent Ford into the portal. In that moment he needed that ‘thank you’ because he needed to know that after the armageddon he wouldn’t be alone again. He needed reassurance that Ford wouldn’t just evict him from the house he made and the stable job he had with no brother to show for it as soon as this calamity was over. A promise that his brother still loved him.

Ford corrects his grammar after the forced thank you: proving all his fears to be correct.

He later sacrifices everything he knows to save Gravity falls, the last coherent thought he has being that of Dipper and Mabel.

Once regaining his memories, he calls the kids ‘ knuckleheads’ affectionately. A phrase used repeatedly to belittle him as an idiot he uses as a send off to the kids he loves so dearly to jokingly show how much he loves them.

Best of all, Stan and Ford finally do get to go on that adventure with the stan’o war. He gets the relationship he dreamed of with him and his brother, the genuine acknowledgment of how hard he’s worked and the genuine ‘thank you he needed.’

I love Stanley Pines!!!!!

Ok so some extra little notes unrelated to analysis :

I was going to make a single post about both the Stan twins here but I didn’t expect how much I’d actually write about Stan here! So a post each it is I assume.

A little reminder I don’t think Ford is a bad person. I’ll get into it in the next post but yeah one perspective at a time!

I somewhat wish the whole erasing his entire memory held more weight. It would have been a lot more impactful seeing it take a bit longer for his memories to come back if at all and give more meaning to his sacrifice. That being said it is a kids show and a finale ep is already heart wrenching. It also seems to be established the gun doesn’t fully erase anything so. Ehhh?

I love his interactions with the kids. Like he clearly leans towards Mabel because of how similar they are but it’s clear he loves Dipper with all his heart also just in a different way to Mabel as he hopes it better caters to him as a kid. He’s a super sweet guy but his rough exterior might make him a bit hard to like at first.

The bro code is so cute. I loved seeing Stan’s little ‘ love ya bro’ in his note to Ford. Screaming crying.

If you made it this far OMG THANK YOU!!!! I’m so normal I prommy. Feel free to DM me if you enjoy listening to more incoherent ramblings!! But yeah seriously I love making new friends so! Yeah! Thanks :^]

[kemendin]

Epilogue

Or, I finished my first playthrough of BG3 and had many emotions (still processing) and many thoughts (also still processing), so here are some Kem ramblings on chosen endings and what happens post-game in Dhamari canon. Under cut because major spoilers of course!

So, for anyone curious, here's how things turned out, and these are fairly unsurprising I'd imagine:

Astarion did not ascend. I tried it for kicks, and I hated his ascended self lol. And Dhamari wouldn't have gone for the 'replace one tyrant with another' idea.

Gale did not claim godhood, BUT nor did he actually give the crown to Mystra - it was left in the sea. As Dhamari said, "If Mystra wants it, she can damn well fish it out herself."

Wyll became the Blade of Avernus, and went romping back to the Hells with Karlach. Go be badasses, guys!!

Lae'zel became the new Comet, and went sailing off to be the saviour of her people.

Shadowheart turned her back on Shar and went off to explore Faerûn and her new faith in Selûne (and got custody of the owlbear).

As for Dhamari and Gale... I had to do a lot of pondering on their ending, both in terms of in-game choices and how things ACTUALLY play out in my brain. While I’m very entertained by the idea of ‘Professor Dekarios’ I don’t think Dhamari is cut out for city life. So the short answer is, I went with the ‘I’ll marry you but I won’t live in Waterdeep’ option and they go off adventuring again instead.

The long version is, of course, more complicated:

Initially Dhamari is all 'yes of course I'll marry you and go back to Waterdeep with you' because frankly he's got no idea what to do with himself post-Netherbrain destruction. But that goes kinda not too well overall, for several reasons:

a) He really has no idea what he's getting into with the whole wedding business, because drow don't DO that. So while Gale's making all these plans and sending out multitudes of invitations, Dhamari's list consists of Wyll, who can't come, and Jaheira, who probably could, and he's just very overwhelmed by all the grand ceremony notions.

b) He's jealous of now having to share Gale with Tara and Mrs Dekarios and probably half of Waterdeep, because Gale's of course rather well known, and even more so after saving Baldur's Gate. Gale knows everyone and Dhamari knows no one, and he feels like he's being perceived as this odd little drow blemish on the local wizard celebrity (whether or not this is actually true is up for debate).

c) After the relief of no longer having a brain death sentence and the pressure of saving the world wears off, and he's had a little chill time, he starts feeling incredibly restless again. He's never had a point in his life till now where he wasn't scared or in danger or both - he has no idea how to live a life that doesn't involve fighting to survive. Unfortunately, in absence of obvious threats, he ends up on some mental level fighting Gale instead - lashing out with confusions and uncertainties he doesn't know how to cope with.

So within a month or so things get very tense between them, because Dhamari is rather terrible at communicating his problems to other people, but eventually they're forced to hash all this out. The end results are: a much smaller wedding than originally planned, Gale declining the offer to take a teaching post at Blackstaff Academy, and soon after the wedding they pack up and go adventuring again for a while so they can spend some time together that's ACTUALLY just the two of them.

At some point - dunno yet if it's pre- or post-epilogue reunion get-together - Dhamari visits with Jaheira, and she invites him to join the Harpers. Dhamari's felt a sort of half-conscious connection with the Harpers for a WHILE now, since finding the executed patrol of them in Grymforge (that's a whole other ramble/fic in process lol) and so when Jaheira makes this offer he's like '...huh yeah I could do that'. It gives him a much needed sense of purpose in life, gets him out and about and not quite so latched onto Gale every hour of the day. So when he and Gale take breaks from adventures and chill in Waterdeep for a bit, Gale can be doing his wizardy stuff with his wizardy friends, and Dhamari does whatever Harper business needs doing around the city.

So things aren't always perfect between them, and frankly these two will always find something to argue about because they ARE such different people. But they love each other, and they learn from each other, and as far as they're concerned - it's a happy ending.

Random tidbit - I really like that in the route I chose, Gale retains the mark of the orb. I think that despite what it was - a death sentence - Dhamari's actually rather fond of it aesthetically, and even sees it as a reminder - to both of them - that Gale survived. That Gale chose Dhamari, chose life, and it was the right choice.

[antaripirate]

Some final thoughts before Threads, from a place a little too close to my heart.

(and a note on Threads posts and spoilers)

So, its 11pm, and an hour untill I’ll have access to The Fragile Threads of Power (I ended up preordering the kindle edition on top of my physical ones, bc they are all delayed in shipping, and, as someone pointed out to me recently, I have the patience of a fruit fly).

I should probably preface this by saying that this will probably read as insanely cringey, but I have so much I want to say, and so much on my mind that I know I will never know how to convey.

But I am just so fucking grateful that V has brought these worlds, these characters, back to us.

They feel like my home.

Something I always try to explain when people ask why Shades means so much to me, is that when I first read ADSOM, it was the first time I had ever seen myself in a character so entirely, and just felt so fucking seen.

I know that not everyone loves Delilah Bard, and that’s okay. But I’ve never felt quite so myself as I do when I have Lila there on the page next to me, as ridiculous as this probably sounds. I don’t really know how to explain this, because there are so many ways I could begin.

And then there’s Kell. Oh, Kell.

It’s so odd, to have never found a character like me, and then all of a sudden, stumbled across one who I wholeheartedly see myself in, and another where I can see pieces of me reflected.

If you couldn’t already tell, I’m not very good at putting these feelings into words, but trying is better than nothing, right? So I’ll continue.

The concept of having these characters back is so reassuring, so exciting, so nerve-wracking. I can’t wait to see what they’ve been up to, how their relationships have strengthened and changed, how new characters will push and pull on the threads of established dynamics and weave new ones.

I am scared of inevitably awful things happening to my favourites. The thought of Kell and Lila not being ok, and safe, and happy, and together fucking terrifies me. They are my entire world, both together and apart. But as terrified as I am, I can’t wait to have them back. To hear them snark at each other, and pull each other out of trouble, and just love each other.

I could writes essays on these two, and on all of the original ADSOM cast, and on predictions and theories and things I’d love to see, but I don’t think right now is the time for that. I’m already rambling and already so nervous with excitement.

I feel like a ball of adrenaline.

I can’t wait to come home.

A note on spoilers on posting:

So I’ve been wondering a lot about what to do regarding posting here about Threads whilst in the spoiler risk period, and I think what I’m gonna do is anything I do post, I’ll have a huge heading broadcasting spoilers for the book and also for which part within the book, because I am fucking terrified of accidentally spoillering someone. If anyone has any thoughts on this please do lmk!!

Anyway, if you read this, thank you - I hope it didn’t sound too ridiculous.

Anoshe.

[tyrantisterror]

I Am A Shadow, the True Self: On the Complicated Relationship Between Two Wizard School Stories

Ok, so, I’ve joked about this a lot, explained a bit of it piecemeal over some trivia posts, and just danced around the issue in general, but the events of this month have made me feel it’s finally time to just address it outright and completely.  We’re going to talk about the relationship between my wizard school novel series and the far more famous one written by the Trans-Hunter General of Britain.  Along the way I’m going to talk about archetypes, formative fiction, being betrayed by the author of said formative fiction, and probably some petty jabs at the world’s favorite magical boy.  So if you’re down for me rambling about Wizard School Mysteries some more, or just want to hear me be a bit bitchy about Harry Potter, read on dear friends - and fear not, I’m not putting any WSM spoilers in this one.

Why A Wizard School Story?

It’s a valid question.  Wizard School Mysteries began life more as a Scooby Doo pastiche than anything - well, Scooby Doo, Persona 4/5, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer really.  I wanted to do a story about teenagers solving mysteries, because that’s a fun genre that many of my favorite stories belong to.  I knew that I wanted to have real monsters in mind, and, looking at most of the examples of the mystery solving teens genre that I enjoy, I noticed that the vast majority of them are contemporary - i.e. set in the present of whenever they were published.  So it felt like a way to avoid covering ground that my most favorite examples tread would be to set it outside of modern times, and, well, I have this big medieval fantasy setting to play around in.

But that’s where the problem comes in.  If you do a mystery solving teens story in a setting with monsters and magic from European mythologies, you’re going to get compared to Harry Potter.  Hell, even fucking Persona 5 got compared to Harry Potter, and that was just because it had main character with messy hair and glasses.  Harry Potter is such an omnipresent franchise in the current pop culture landscape, there’s no escaping it if you’re even the slightest bit in its orbit.

I don’t think this is fair, mind you.  Contrary to popular opinion, Harry Potter did not invent the concept of a magical school.  It did not invent the idea of using a magical school as a setting in a fantasy novel.  It did not invent using a magical setting as the main setting of a fantasy novel.  It didn’t even invent focusing on students at a magical school as your main characters in a fantasy novel.  The only reason Harry Potter is treated as synonymous with magical schools is because it made a shitload of money.  It’s popular, and so everyone assumes anything similar must be ripping it off, which likely scares a lot of people off of using the wizard school concept themselves for fear of being called a knockoff, which in turn perpetuates Harry Potter’s unofficial ownership of what was once a very common trope.

So what can you do?  As I see it, I had three options.  First, I could have just scrapped the idea and allow Harry Potter to continue its undisputed ownership of the magical school concept.  Option two, I could have just written my story under the pretense that Harry Potter didn’t exist, never addressing their similarities in text, and likely have it be written off as a ripoff anyway.

But then there’s option three: take the fact that people expect a post-Harry Potter wizard school story to imitate Harry Potter, and use it to your advantage to anticipate what your audience expects and subvert it - which, when writing a mystery, is actually pretty useful.  I like option three, and obviously it’s the one I chose, because I’ll be damned if I let Harry Potter own this trope, but I’m also mischevious, and if I can use people’s belief that Harry Potter owns the trope to fuck with people, then trust me, I will do it.

The Joy of Archetypes

One thing that my writing has probably made apparent by now is that I love archetypes.  Just love ‘em.  Love archetypes, love tropes, love stock characters and plot-lines and all these other recurring narrative ideas and tools that appear again and again in fiction.  I’m fascinated by how these ideas are modified and repurposed by different authors, how the same basic character can become countless variants all with their own specific meaning and personality depending on who wrote them and what story they were meant for.

Retelling old stories in a new way is how fiction began and how it survived in the days before the written word.  It’s a long and proud tradition of humanity, and I love how, if you chart the evolution of archetypes and the like, you can see a sort of conversation between different authors and even different eras of humanity.

Take Arthuriana for example.   There are so many different takes on King Arthur just in the middle ages alone, and while the same basic plot beats and casts are retained between them, how those beats play out and the role those characters have to play change depending on which author is telling the story.  Is Gawain Arthur’s best friend, or is it Kay, or Lancelot?  Is Lancelot the strongest knight, or is Galahad?  Is Morgan le Fay an ally or an enemy?  Is Guenevere kind or a shrew?  It all depends on who’s telling the story - what they liked from the versions that came before, what they disliked or wanted to change, and what they wanted their version of that story to mean.

As a writer, I want to join that conversation, to contribute what I can to it and see what others end up saying in response.  And I personally feel that no author has the right to have the final word - there should always be room for more King Arthur tales, and by the same token, there should be room for other wizard schools.

So, whats the conversation I wanted to have with Harry Potter?

Harry Potter Gallant

A part of me wishes I could be one of the cool kids who never liked Harry Potter and always knew JKR was a piece of shit, but alas, I, like many in my generation, was in fact a fervent and passionate fan of it.  It wasn’t just a popular thing when I grew up, but a popular thing that was tied to so many deeply personal memories.  I remember my  mom giving me the first book when I was in sixth grade and encouraging me to read it because I’d relate to Hagrid (I did).  I remember my dad taking me to see the movies and loving them so much that he’d initiate marathons of them at home with me during the holidays.  I remember brainstorming Harry Potter fanfic ideas with my sister. I remember having long conversations with cute older goth girls in Slytherin ties in high school because they wanted to talk about Harry Potter with someone.  And I remember big midnight release parties at Barnes & Noble, where people cosplayed as characters and I got to wander around a bookstore after hours with a dragon puppet on my shoulder.  A great deal of my adolescence was shaped by this series - it is, to an inextricable degree, a part of me.

And while I come to bury Harry Potter, not to praise it (for the evil that children’s book authors do lives after them, oh how it lives), I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit there are parts of it that I still find laudable.  It had this setting where all these creatures from different mythologies existed at once, often residing in the countries their myths hailed from, and that was neat and clever (I mean, she fucked this idea up royally in execution, but the concept is still fun).  There was some very snarky narration and fun humor, but it also had enough flexibility to make things feel real and perilous when the need arose.  The Hogwarts house system is this ingenious toyetic idea, and I was far from the only person who liked mulling over which house I thought I’d belong to - and this idea was so good that countless other young adult novels tried to cram it into their story regardless of whether it made any sense to *cough*Divergent*cough*.

It had characters I loved, like Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger.  Remus Lupin was one of the reasons I entered the teaching profession.  There’s the subplot of saving Buckbeak, a big friendly monster who is wrongfully written off as a dangerous creature and sentenced to death, which tugged at my monster-loving heart, and the scene where they set the dragon loose to destroy capitalism in the last book.  And there’s Hagrid, the large, oafish, cumbersome man who nonetheless has a soft spot for weird animals that other people write off, and who I related to on all those points.  A lot of things I loved and maybe could still love... in isolation, at least, from the rest of it.

Perhaps the most important thing about it was the fact that Harry, ostensibly at least, was a pacifist.  The seventh book makes a big deal of the fact that Harry’s signature combat spell is the one designed to disarm people rather than hurt them - I’m pretty sure I’m paraphrasing the book when I say Harry is defined as a person who prefers to make violence stop rather than inflict it.  That was huge to me at the time. 

I was very tender-hearted when I was a little kid.  I didn’t like violence most of the time, and preferred thinking of stories where heroes help and befriend people rather than hurt them.  I had to create my own, mind you, because when I was a kid there weren’t any stories aimed at boys where the heroes solved their problems with something other than violence.  A male hero, pop culture told me, is someone who yells and frowns and beats the shit out of people. 

My fellow boys agreed with that, and when they found out I wanted to play pretend about characters who act friendly and try to take care of each other, well, I got bullied to low fucking hell for it. The tenderness was literally beaten out of me over the course of several years, and eventually I learned to stop worrying and love violence, because I might not survive if I didn’t.

Harry Potter didn’t come soon enough to reach me before I grew my callous, but deep beneath it, hidden from the world, what remained of that tender-hearted boy finally saw a hero who reflected himself.  Here was a boy hero who stops fights rather than “wins” them, a boy who just wants to be nice.

We later got characters like Aang and Steven Universe, quite a bit after I had grown out of being a boy and a teenager and into adulthood, but Harry Potter was the first of them.  And even now there’s a part of me that gets really pissed at how people hate these characters specifically because of their pacifism, because HEAVEN FORBID a male hero doesn’t want to kill people.

...

So yes, Harry Potter affected me in some positive ways.  It left a deep impression, one that even now I can’t fully shake off, and one I can’t deny has impacted my own writing.  I mean, it was so important to me once that when I wrote my first book, I specifically compared its word count to the first Harry Potter book - once I reached/exceeded that book’s length, I knew I had actually written a novel instead of just a big short story.  Loathe as I am to admit it now, I wouldn’t be here without those wizard books.

...but all this said, there’s a reason I’m loathe to admit it.  Quite a few of them, in fact.

Harry Potter Goofus

I’m not going to list all of Harry Potter’s sins here, both because it would take way too long, and also because a bunch of other people have done it already. I mean, just check out that video by Shaun that people paraphrase whenever the topic comes up - no, seriously, check it out, I think it actually teaches a lot of lessons on how to do world-building by showing how Harry Potter fucks it up. And if that’s not enough for you, there’s a truly exhaustive 10 hour breakdown by Lily Simpson that’s also well worth a watch if you’ve got the time.

Or read that famous 4Chan greentext:

Harry Potter is filled with all sorts of bad, problematic shit because (spoilers for the next section) its author is a massive closet-fascist bigoted shithead.  And because I’m American, she can’t sue me for writing that!  But in addition to all its far more serious problems, there are some, well, quibbles I have with the series, some of which I had even when I was a big fan of it.

One of my first issues stems from the toyetic four houses, because even as a kid - in fact, especially as a kid - I knew that if you put a bunch of kids into arbitrary groups and tell them that those groups are going to be their friends, the first thing those kids are going to do 90% of the time is find a kid in one of the other groups and be friends with them instead, because kids don’t like to be assigned friends.  If teacher puts you in a group, it’s because they want to keep you from the people you’ll cause a ruckus with, and kids LOVE to cause a ruckus.  Yet rule-breaking Harry Potter doesn’t make a single friend outside of Gryfindor until book fucking five?  Bullshit, says I!  Absolute bullshit!

“But TT,” you might say, “The common rooms only allow students assigned to those rooms in!  How can they hang out with friends from other houses if their teacher-assigned hangout location is gated off?”  Kids don’t stay in assigned locations!  Those little fuckers would be camping in stairwells, hiding in basements, going on the roof, and generally getting in places the staff would rather they not know about, much less explore.  Why are Hary, Ron, Hermione, and the Weasely twins the only young people with the desire to get into some shit in this school?  Where’s the spirit of youthful rebellion?  Are British children actually this fucking domesticated?

And let’s expand on that, actually.  Our main trio go on adventures, sure, but where are the fucking shenanigans?  You’ve got a bunch of pubescent kids in a location where they outnumber the adults several dozen to one, and they’re also all gifted with the ability to warp reality to their will, albeit imperfectly.  Why don’t they do more stupid shit?  As my sister once pitched to me, there should be, like, scenes where wizard teenagers enchant shopping carts to fly and ride them off the roof, except one of them fucked up the charm and just plummets straight down.  Remember how the Prisoner of Azkaban movie had those wacky little mini-scenes of kids, like, eating candies that made they make animal noises?  Shit like that would be so damn common in a wizard school.  Where are the fucking hijinks?

Well, part of the reason there’s so few is because Harry Potter is a very focused narrative.  That’s generally considered a good thing - if a story meanders too much it risks losing the audience’s interest, especially in this day and age where we try to binge long-form stories as quickly as possible.  Audiences don’t like to have their time wasted, and the less focused your story is on its main conflict and characters, the more it risks people tuning out because they feel the story has lost its plot. 

Harry Potter is structured in such a way that makes meandering difficult - from top to bottom, its setting and conflict are shaped to serve one character and one character alone, that being Harry Potter himself.  Voldemort, the main antagonist, is inextricably tied to and obsessed with Harry Potter, as the plot heaps reason after reason for him to need Harry Potter’s death before he can do anything else.  And Harry is tied to Voldemort in the same way.  And because the other villains work for Voldemort, their plans revolve around Harry as well, and when other characters get caught in the crossfire, they flock to Harry, because circumstance has built things to make him the one to solve everything.  By building everything so thoroughly around the protagonist, you make it very hard to diverge into things that are irrelevant to his journey.

But the downside of that is that, well, the setting and conflict revolve around the protagonist, and as such they break down when you analyze them outside of his story.  Why is every player in Quidditch basically just buying time until the Seeker gets the snitch?  Because Harry is the seeker and has to be most important always.  Why is the conversion rate of wizard money so fucking stupid?  Because the books were meant to grow with Harry, so in the beginning the world was whimsical and nonsensical because that’s how it feels when you’re eleven, but then as things got more serious we were just kinda... stuck with those bits.  Why is Hermione, a person defined by her intelligence, not in the house whose whole thing is about being smart?  Well because we need to keep her and Harry on the same team so Harry’s victories are hers too, obviously!  It’s Harry, Harry, Harry, all the time, forever, to the detriment of the world he lives in.  There’s a lot of reasons the Fantastic Beasts movies are shit, but one of the big ones is that the wizarding world of Harry Potter just... can’t support stories that aren’t about Harry Potter, by design, because there’s all this baggage built into it purely to facilitate the story of the world’s most special wizard boy.  And it’s why Harry is impotent to correct the systemic justices in this poorly written world he inhabits - because those injustices don’t revolve around him, and, being in a focused story as he is, he can’t meander into them like other heroes might do.  He’s got a wizard hitler to stop, after all.

One more quibble before our next section: Hogwarts is, like, one of the most hideously ill-managed schools in all of fucking fiction, a nightmare for students and teachers alike.  I’m not just talking about the fun life-threatening peril, which is obviously bad for people to live through but is required to have a fun adventure story, but about how teachers like Professor Snape can openly abuse the students to such a degree that one of them fears a teacher more than the witch who tortured his parents into insanity.  But it sucks for teachers too - poor Hagrid, a man with the wizard equivalent of a GED who’s been forcibly kept from using magic most of his life and treated as a second class citizen because of his heritage, is thrown to the fucking wolves as a first-year teacher without so much as a unit plan to work off of, and given no support or safety net when the dickwad parent of one of his students decides to sue him for a problem that was said dickwad’s shitty son’s fault.  Each year a new charlatan or murderer is hired to be a defense against the dark arts teacher because the position is cursed and no one gives enough of a find a way around that.  It’s a nightmare, an absolute nightmare, and as a person who works in the education profession I cannot think about Hogwarts without shuddering in secondhand anxiety.

JK Rowling Is A Bitch-Ass Motherfucker Who Pissed On My Fucking Life

I’m thinking about those nostalgic memories I had, specifically the older girls in the Slytherin ties.  You know why they liked Slytherin?  Not because of the characters in the books, that’s for sure, every Slytherin in Harry Potter is a fucking asshole.  But you know what Slytherins are?  Goth-coded.  They live in the dungeon, their symbol’s a snake, they like dark magic and skulls and everyone else in the school hates their guts.  The characters as written may act like snobby rich pricks (because they are), but they has the aesthetic of the freaks and the geeks, the social misfits, the goths, the punks, the oddballs.

That was a point of appeal to Harry Potter.  It had something for the kids who felt weird.  I mean, that’s the escapist fantasy of being Harry Potter himself - in the mundane world, he’s a mistreated kid with a shitty life, but then he’s whisked off to a fantastical world where he’s powerful and important and all the bullies who picked on him were wrong.  People love Hogwarts - enough to make it The Only Magical School 90% of People Know Of - because it’s a haven for misfits.

Or it was, anyway, until its creator pulled off her mask to show her true TERF colors.

Again, I’m not going to list J.K. Rowling’s sins here, there’s a billion youtube videos for that if you really need them litigated for you.  The cool kids who always hated Harry Potter can point to the ansemitic caricature goblins, the sheer fuckery of the race of elfs who are genetically predisposed to enjoying being slaves, the racist names given to non-white characters, the clumsy and poorly thought out way Rowling handled non-European mythical beasts, et fucking cetera, and say, “You should have known!  The signs were there!”

And yes, hindsight being what it is, they certainly were there.  But it didn’t make the turn less of a shock, unfortunately, and it doesn’t make it sting any less to see her sink further and further into frothing hatred for groups of people who are majorly oppressed.  It doesn’t make it hurt any less that last week, when a trans teenage girl was fucking murdered, the New York Times decided to run a piece on why Rowling’s transphobia is, in their view, unjustly maligned.  It doesn’t make the audacity of this fucking monster claiming she’s the real victim when the people she maligns are getting fucking murdered while she faces no repercussions beyond people rightly calling her a bigot.

Rowling’s most famous villain, Professor Umbridge, is a woman who believes in strict social hierarchies and orders, refuses to bend for others, and is utterly self righteous about it all.  As the story progresses, she ends up unwittingly becoming a staunch ally and servant of the rising fascist movement in her government, helping the forces that earlier she claimed to oppose because they happen to hate the same people she hates.  If you read Rowling’s books, you can feel the sheer hatred she has for this bigoted character she made.

And now Rowling tells us that the social construct of gender is universal and inescapable, that anyone who steps outside of it is a criminal and a monster, and she literally thanks people who fucking openly identify as fucking fascists because those people agree with her when it comes to hating the people she hates.  Rowling has become Umbridge.

I adored her stories.  I looked up to her.  The betrayal cannot be understated.  I’m furious.  I’ve been furious about this for years, and it feels like every week this bigot does some new horrible transphobic thing just to remind me of how utterly she has turned against the freaks and the outcasts to whom she once gave shelter.

Harry Potter is a big part of me and it is poisoned.  I can’t enjoy watching those movies with my dad anymore - not without Rowling’s bile seeping in the back of my mind.  I can’t enjoy the story of the boy wizard who refused to kill without seeing how he also refused to help, how the world around him paints non-white people in racist caricatures, how the gender essentialism of its creator peeks through cracks in the wallpaper and exudes toxic spores of her malign influence.  I was molded by this story and the parts of me it made are now broken beyond repair.

I can’t let that fucking woman have wizard schools.  She doesn’t get them.  Not without a fucking fight.

In Closing

My goal in writing Wizard School Mysteries was not to make a Harry Potter parody.  It was always the intention to make my own take on a mystery solving teens story, one that you should be able to enjoy if you’ve never read, seen, or even heard about any Harry Potter bullshit of any kind.  But I knew the comparison would be made - that, whether I liked it or not, Harry Potter owns the concept of wizard schools, at least for the time being.

But it might not own them forever.

And even if it does, well, fine!  So be it!  Perhaps my story will never escape Harry Potter’s shadow.  Who cares?  Hell, why not use that - why not poke a little fun at the cultural monolith, and maybe use its own well-known narrative as a way to give my own a little punch? 

I’m under no delusions here.  I’m a self-published author.  I’ve sold about a hundred copies of each book I’ve made, give or take, and suspect less than half of those sold copies were read.  I won’t be dethroning Rowling in my lifetime, if ever.  This isn’t David vs. Goliath so much as an ant vs. an industrial lawnmower.  But if Wizard School Mysteries is doomed to be Harry Potter’s shadow, then let it be a shadow in the vein of the Persona series (which, honestly, WSM takes a LOT more from than it does Harry Potter).  It is the shadow, the true self, and it aims to give Harry Potter one hell of a tough and thematically potent boss fight before its work is done.

[the-chihayafuru-landslide]

Charles Rambles: on Chiharata and shipping the losing ship

I’m currently working on something else but I had to break away for a bit because this train of thought was too long to include and needed a post proper. This is a topic I have always wanted to discuss but have been too scared to because people are always ready to jump you in a dark alleyway if they even hear Arata’s name mentioned in vain. Well guess what DING DONG bitch ANSWER THE FKIN DOOR because today I’m breaking my silence and talking about Chiharata.

I mean lucky for me most of the avid Chiharata shippers have died in the war and what else do I have to lose since I am already hated by quite a few in this fandom (lol). So anyways this is more of a ramble (not an essay) on why I never shipped Chiharata and the reasons why I think it would have been a lacklustre ending to Chihayafuru on the basis of the way that Chiharata was PURPOSELY written.

You should have known it was over for your when Arata did the platonic Eden no Hana goodbye handshake. I blame the flowers.

For anyone who knows me, I was an Arata hater from day 1. When I was about to watch the anime people told me I was going to like the 2ND ML (Taichi) more and be very depressed. I was like pffff yeah right we’ll see about that. Then it happened exactly the way they said it would. The moment Taichi was introduced I was like oh noooo that guy lol he’s the one. Then for the rest of Chihayafuru I laid awake in anguish as I watched Chihaya have a crush on Arata FOR NO DISCERNIBLE REASON (to me)!! I was like WHERE TF DID THIS COME FROM??

So she did want to see him but was it because of a crush or because she wanted to play him in a match? (Spoiler: it was about Karuta)

I’ll admit a little hatred began brewing for Arata (but like I didn’t hate him but I also did y’know??) and I’m going to be real, I wasn’t always fair to Arata’s character lmao. I was biased because of preconceived notions I had going into the anime. I know this, but I don’t regret it because at least it was funny:

OK NO THE SECOND TWEET I AM STILL RIGHT ARATA SHOULD HAVE DELIVERED IT HIMSELF? EVEN IF TAICHI WAS HER BF HE CAN GIVE HER HIS PHONE NUMBER WTF

Like at the start of the manga Arata was going through the traumatic loss of the person he loved the most (canon) his grandpa. And I was like HOW DARE YOU NOT TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS IMMEDIATELY?? Why was I so needlessly heartless towards him LMAO.

I mean he was purposely written as the boulder so WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO FEEL

Sometimes people tell me that Taichi was right (when they first visited him in Fukui) in pushing Arata over when he kicked the cards but Taichi really DID NOT need to do that at all idc what you say. I’m defending Arata’s big stinky dogs in this case. Taichi I still love you even when you make mistakes. Sorry this got off topic... (that’s why this is a ramble not an essay)

However, I never fully hated Arata. The problem was since I didn’t like him in the ship there wasn’t much to like him outside of that. I did like the relationship with his grandpa but it only seemed to be really relevant at the beginning of the manga and at the end. Arata’s Karuta arc was probably the messiest out of the three and it was really difficult for me to resonate with it. His arc seemed to be a prodigy not feeling bad for playing at his full strength and winning? I don’t know the jury is still out on that one (and I am simplifying it a lot for the comedy). I actively looked for people discussing Arata’s Karuta arc but I almost never found any and I’m not sure if it’s because they kept their analysis locked up behind an Arata loving paywall or because I quickly made myself known as another bitchass illiterate Taichihaya they kept me blocked and off their lawn. So I am not an authority on that but I think when I do a re-read I actually would like to try and figure it out.

What I did often read in relation to Arata was of course the romance the ship between him and Chihaya. Now, I didn’t read these analysis to piss myself (necessarily lol). I actually think to be fully critical and fair you should read the other side’s arguments if for no other reason than to rip them apart (which I could every single time lmao). However, now it make a me sad because now that Chiharata didn’t pan out nobody wants to talk about him much anymore. Taichihayas hate him and already dug his grave out back Chiharatas threw him in there started piling dirt on him. It’s ok Arata, if nobody loves you then I will. YES I HAD MY LOVING ARATA ARC…

Funny story after shipping him pettily with Sumire I flew to close to the sun b/c I wrote a 5k petty fic about him and Sumire (as a response to my ACTUAL LEAST FAVOURITE SHIP TAICHI AND SUMIRE) and then I started to like the ship and Arata… I was like oh no this isn’t a joke anymore… AND THEN I MANIFESTED MY CRACK SHIP? Crazy

Back on topic:

From what I observed through the bars of my Taichihaya cage these are some of the reasons people like Chiharata:

Arata not putting any sort of pressure on Chihaya when he confessed and respecting her boundaries (not that she ever had to explicitly set any since they barely interacted)

His earnestness

The connection they had to their childhood

Their flirting? (I mean people thought it was sweet the way they were always blushing around each other and using someone else’s words “the cautious touch” personally I found it awkward that’s why I cannot in good sense not put a question mark LMAO)

Both being Karuta Bakas and the idea that they would be clueless in their relationship because they would just hyper-fixate on their shared passion. (This was more a HC than what we actually saw considering Chihaya didn’t remember the game she played against Arata)

Right so on the surface level I don’t see anything wrong with any of these points? A lot of them I too like in theory. Especially a man who respects boundaries (side eyes at you Taichi). I don’t think shipping them because this kind of relationship appeals to you is bad even if they were not the canon ending. It’s fiction and you can do whatever you want. You can have your head canons and your fan fictions (like someone passively aggressively said to me about Taichihaya once lmao)! Please your Chiharata AO3 tag needs it there’s only 24 fics (I think)

Even I can think of moments between Arata and Chihaya that made me question my loyalty (ok there was only 1 LMAO).

Not gonna lie it’s kinda funny he picked hauled her up on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. ARATA IS SO IMPULSIVE AND THAT’S WHY HE’S A FUNNY LIL GUY.

Why did I like this moment despite finding it a lil awkward and cringe? Because for the first time Arata kind of understood the weight that Chihaya carried and he really saw who she was - someone who works hard and wants to win more than anything. He learned more in this little moment than he ever would playing against her. It was THIS that was needed… moments outside of a Karuta match where they could dispel the illusions that they had of each other and actually get to know WHO THEY WERE IN THE PRESENT!! Both of them had changed a lot since their childhood.

That was always my criticism of Arata and Chihaya’s relationship was that they really did not know each other beyond their childhood selves. Let’s look at what I tweeted I think 12 episodes into the anime:

This tweet still makes me laugh because of the Karuta name thing cddkj I was really going through it

That is not to say you need to know someone in order to date them. You can date anyone for any reason. In fact, people seem to forget that Chihaya herself was willing to date random man from train station who had no interest in Karuta lmao.

But surely, knowing someone intimately is something required to maintain a romantic relationship? I’m hoping that is a given for everyone. That’s why I failed to understand why people would see them dating as a victory in the romance department; that they would instantly have this incredible profound, moving, and impactful relationship instead of thing that happened because Chihaya had a crush and felt like it? Or was it because they both liked Karuta and dating would be an extension of their passion for Karuta…….. uh ok sounds gr8 but they don’t need to date to play Karuta together dclksdjknsdjk

Like what did Chihaya even see in Arata as a person? The only thing that she seems to admire about him is how he plays Karuta..

That and his big hands I guess lmao. Big hands to play Karuta with.

Because I am in my Arata defender stage I actually think THAT IS A CRIME BECAUSE ARATA HAS A LOT OF GOOD TRAITS GOING FOR HIM:

He’s shy and blushy

He’s awkward but cute

His black hakama

He’s blind in an endearing way

Domestic King (thanks to the spin off chapter)

Caring to the elderly

Occasionally very sweet when he feels like

Cares DEEPLY ABOUT HIS FRIENDS

Strong arms can pick you up because of his 500 practice swings

Gives tall guy vibes despite being shorter than Taichi (he’ll always be taller to me idc)

Now unlike Arata we actually saw Chihaya’s thoughts towards Taichi:

I mean I don’t even need to point out the stark difference between them lmao. That’s not even mentioning what the boys think of Chihaya. It’s pretty evident when you put their confessions side by side.

Like for Arata the basis of his confession is him thinking back to their childhood memories and Chihaya asking him to play Karuta together forever. So no wonder he ended his confession with “let’s play Karuta together sometime” because literally that’s all he knows about her.

Which brings me to my next point of why I never shipped Chiharata and this is due to their lack of present “screen time”. Now, do not misunderstand me, lack of screen time does not stop me from shipping two characters when I think characters might actually be a good pairing. I shipped Arata and Sumire based on their one single interaction in the manga BEFORE IT WAS COOL. So trust me when I say I AM OPEN TO FILLING THE GAPS OF CANON WITH HEADCANON.

Though it immediately becomes clear at the beginning of Chihayafuru that Chihaya feels some sort of way towards Arata (a crush) however we as the reader only got like 6 chapters of childhood backstory to explain their relationship which included Arata helping Chihaya make a dream of her own and her awesome moment when she takes a card from him. What is lacking is any cute childhood blooming romance. Most of the childhood arc is spent on the trio: Chihaya, Taichi and Arata. So I always failed to understand WHY she would be crushing on this guy other than guy really good at Karuta and me likey Karuta. Literally she said the time they spent apart made him become like a God of Karuta… Like uh this your man?

Chihaya and Arata’s bond based on their shared childhood dream is meant to be contrasted to the relationship Chihaya has with Taichi. While one is confined to Chihaya’s longing to see him (Arata) THE ONE SHE HAS WITH TAICHI IS REAL TANGIBLE AND CLEARLY UNFOLDS BEFORE OUR EYES.

This is from the first 11 chapters we early Taichihaya shippers were FEASTING

From this we understand their dynamic! Did Chiharata’s ever listen to the reasons we liked Taichihaya? Well here are my reasons: it was because of their chemistry, their banter and teasing. But they are also so caring towards each and supportive and it wasn’t one sided either. They help each other become the best versions of themselves and they also have something that the other person lacks. Chihaya has a terrible memory and Taichi doesn’t have naturally gifted hearing. They are soulmates but opposites. SUN AND MOON.

Maybe all of this could have been used to develop a friendship? You know sure I’ll roll with that let’s say it was all leading to something completely platonic. Then please explain to me what would be the reason of PURPOSELY DEPICTING TAICHI AND CHIHAYA LIKE THIS?? LIKE THE PICTURES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

I purposely picked moments from Chihaya’s perspective to make a point lol

The only thing that was lacking from these interactions is the shoujo filters, sparkles and flowers almost like the point was a superficial teenage crush vs. SOMETHING WITH A BIT MORE SERIOUSNESS AND DEPTH.

I have always ascertained that Chihaya is clueless when it comes to love but I never meant that in a derogatory sense. She is a teenager who is figuring herself out IN A COMING OF AGE STORY! She has to start as a dumbass in order to grow up!! People always seemed to get it wrong and think that Chihaya was somehow very mature in her feelings when it came to Arata when she was most certainly not. Why did she leave Arata hanging for 8 months only to be reminded by Kana’s remarks about turning into sea foam (sea weed?) that she should actually respond to his confession like kdjsnakjdsnsc.

It’s fine that she had a crush on Arata though. At that age, I too had dumb ideas about love. I thought that the person I marry should be good at piano because it would be very important to be serenaded in the future. While this certainly would be nice I AM WISER that there are far more important qualities to look for in a partner.

Since Chiharata shippers have also suddenly become cognizant that Chihaya and Arata had little screen time together (and none outside of Karuta) they are calling it bad writing since it wasn’t “fair”. First of all, real relationships are not always “fair” - not everyone gets an equal chance to become a couple with someone and spend time with them? Not to mention that it wasn’t the problem that Arata didn’t live in Tokyo because LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS EXIST? If Chihaya and Arata wanted to they could (Taichihaya ending up long distance is almost like Suetsugu is trying to say the distance was never the problem). It was never supposed to be “fair” because thematically that’s not what Chihaya’s crush on Arata was ever about.

These girls are me being like Chihaya what on earth are you talking about.

Chihaya’s views about love at the beginning are incredibly and purposely naive and immature. The only thing that seems to matter to her in a partner is being good at Karuta. THIS IS NOT TREATED AS SOMETHING SERIOUS AND OR MEANINGFUL IT IS PURPOSELY RIDICULOUS!! Because of this being one of the only traits Chihaya looked for in a partner IT MADE HER FIRST CRUSH BE her MARRIED sensei.

On the one hand I get it Chihaya Harada is a dilf you are valid.

That’s why when Chihaya said she needed to be “worthy” to sit in front of her crush I hope every single one of the people who shipped Chiharata realized this was an arbitrary standard and really should not matter when it comes to love?

If you or someone you know had to say this line with any ounce of seriousness as a defence for your ship you may be owed financial compensation.

I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were thinking that eventually this notion would be deconstructed afterwards because damn that is very shallow and also stupid lol. It’s just very weird that so many people still thought that “feeling worthy to sit in front of him” was relevant for Chihaya to be able to confess back to Arata because…

Arata confessed independently from Chihaya feeling “worthy”

She already sat in front of him and smoked him

It definitely does help when the person that you love shares your passion absolutely but again “passion” for another (love) is not the same as “passion” for sport. They are separate and not interchangeable. That was the point.

Like I’m sorry it couldn’t get more on the nose when some NPC said this about Chihaya’s crush dcndacjkjkn.

Then of course there are the subjective reasons why I don’t think a relationship between Chihaya and Arata would be really good for them. In a lot of ways they are too similar to each other in the sense of being “clueless” Karuta bakas. That’s why so many people made a ship where Chihaya and Arata’s relationship had to be mediated by Taichi who would keep both of them in line, which, would be fine if Taichi wasn’t a miserable sod who had his heart broken. Like that was simply too much to expect from him even if he was the happily rejected party in the end… Like sorry I don’t wish that for him !! He has the self esteem of a roll of paper towel in what world would that be a good ending for him kjncjdjkn

Even in canon like Arata simply must let Chiha go to move forward (I will expand on this a later time). The love that was pushing him forward (unlike for Taichi) was actually the love he had for his grandpa.

That’s beautiful, I guess platonic love wins! Thank you, I’m collecting tips in my hat.

No but seriously there was also this holier than thou attitude that some Chiharata shippers had that they were the enlightened ones who valued the true platonic love that Taichi and Chihaya had and that people who thought it was romance were simply projecting. Taichihayas simply were not respecting Chihaya’s agency! Because YES it was so clear that Chihaya was already in love with Arata!!

Damn Kana that manipulative mastermind making Chihaya doubt her strong and passionate love for Arata!

I mean she had a crush on him, she already said she was in love with him (even though she said she didn’t understand her feelings platonic love could never apply to Arata shhh) and rejected Taichi. The thing is, it’s fiction idc what the author might have “intended”. The depth in a relationship I wanted was in the Taichihaya pairing. I never once felt guilty shipping them even though I didn’t genuinely believe in a Taichihaya ending until 246. Not because Chiharata was better written but because I am a depressed bitch. But like if Chiharata was canon I could simply write it off as being dumb and pretend away the ending while enjoying everything else. However, I was always willing to accept a Chiharata ending because at the end of the day I actually do respect the character’s “agency” to pick their partner and love doesn’t always make sense.

What would not make sense to me in the slightest is why Taichi and Chihaya would be written like that to have a more meaningful and impactful relationship than the guy who she was in love with. But then we get to subjectivity, maybe people consider their best friends to be their closest relationships and the guy is the one you date because of his large hands and supposed sexual tension. Idk to each their own.

It speaks volumes that now that Chiharata didn’t become canon people are pissed off because at the end of it they don’t even consider Chihaya and Arata to be friends? SO WAIT A MINUTE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS ENOUGH TO SUGGEST LOVERS BUT NOT FRIENDS?? I don’t even need to say much about that.

I know some people REALLY wanted a friendship ending with Taichi maybe more than they even wanted Chiharata to happen. I get it, the idea that your friend can be crazy in love with you but then be you know what after everything we can still be friends (WHICH TAICHI FKIN DID). So if you liked that theme, why are you not satisfied with it being told through Arata? HELL SUMIRE HAD THAT EXACT STORYLINE?? YOU HATE WOMEN OR WHAT.

Is it because Arata didn’t need that much time to process getting rejected (well he did actually b/c as we always said he got soft rejected) because MAYBE HE CLUED INTO THE FACT that he was fighting a losing battle? Or is it the fact that absolutely nothing changed Chiharata’s relationship with Chihaya not reciprocating his feelings? If that’s the case, then maybe the author was trying to say that Arata’s feelings weren’t that DEEP for Chihaya. Maybe HE VALUES friendship with both Taichi and Chihaya more than to make a big scene. He has been set up to process disappointment easier than say Taichi?

LIKE LOOK:

I guess it sucks when it turns out you guys were PROJECTING as much into the story as those Taichihaya romance obsessed baboons. Everyone projects into a story. It’s actually ok ! WE ARE THE SAME IN THIS REGARD. LET’S JOIN HANDS AND UNDIG ARATA FROM HIS GRAVE PLEASEEEEEEE. To conclude my massively long rant and because I can no longer add any pictures, by the time we got to 246 without Chihaya and Arata dating it should have been fairly clear that it was not going to happen. Their relationship had barely progressed and if Chihaya would date Arata with the intention of getting to know him more OUTSIDE of Karuta... SHE’D NEED TIME FOR THAT!! It should have happened much earlier and not been dragged out to the end of the manga. (A topic I will leave for another time)

However by the time we got to the ending if Chiharata happened it would simply just be the pairing off of two characters a romance conclusion a la shonen. Chihaya would be getting a trophy and a husband for accomplishing her dream.

Instead the thesis was actually that “love” like Kaurta is something you have to work towards. It’s not always easy nor is it always “happy”. Yet it is worth it when you find the right person- you will still want to be with them “by their side” even when it’s rough.

Crazy how Taichi said this in chapter 9.

SO that pretty much wraps up my thoughts on Chiharata (for now)

This is Charles reminding you that Arata is now in his Tokyo Hottie arc!

[jmakumatized]

⚠️STRIKE BACK SPOILERS ⚠️

I just fished the episode and I’m DEVASTATED. So much to unpack here and i want to type all my thoughts out but I’ll have to keep this rambling short because aghh I still have so much schoolwork to do

Let’s start with Felix because omg I’m so conflicted with my feelings about this boy

Firstly, him in this scene made my heart break. Considering the Senti!Felix theory, I could just imagine how scared and helpless he must’ve felt in this moment. Since he already knows he’s a sentibeing, he must’ve felt at least a bit of connection with all the other sentibeings. So, with all the heroes of Paris just dooming these creatures who’re essentially like him into a fiery demise, careless of whatever emotion or consciousness they might have, that must’ve been so terrifying to watch.

So far, all of Felix’s actions were to just ultimately get the ring and peacock miraculous, which are things that can control his free will or even existence as a sentibeing. Thus, I’m honestly not that worried that he’s now the holder of the peacock miraculous. I think all he ever really wanted was to feel safe… even if it meant putting others in danger. Also, his version of the peacock miraculous is so cool! I’m loving the new look but I hope we don’t see him use it for evil gains. I wish I’m right with his ultimate motivation of just finally feeling safe. (Which might be short lived since Ladybug knows that it’s him who stole all the other miraculous)

Speaking of evil gains, it caught me off guard to see Lila smiling upon seeing Nathalie so sick?? Like, what can she gain from this?? Iirc all her past bad behaviors were to just either get closer to Adrien, make Marinette’s life miserable, or to get attention from other people. This just surprised me and I’m wondering what she might be scheming for this to make her so happy.

This man is officially 100% coo coo, my dudes. No sane man can look like that. Constantly using 2 miraculous at once finally kicked him off into the deep end

I just love this frame because they’re both together in it lol! I hope we can get an episode centered around these two in the next season I just want to see more of them together !!😭

I also love this foreshadowing from risk

Welp, I better stop typing now before I make this post any longer. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my ramblings lol. Can’t wait for what happens next in season 5 AND for the upcoming Miraculous awakening movie!!

[damnredthing]

Fairy tale ramblings – SNW S1E08

This post – naturally – contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode yet and do not want to read spoilers, please do not read any further.

This is not an episode review but rather just a bunch of ramblings which I’ve tried to at least sort a little bit into categories.

Season 1 – Episode 8 – The Elysian Kingdom

My ramblings will be a bit different this time, mostly because I have done something I usually don’t do. I’ve read critics (and instantly regretted it. Thankfully I kept my hands off the vitriolic youtube reviews). But no worries, I’ll not just beat on a dead horse, I also have other things to say about this episode. But to get the unpleasant part out of the way (just skip to the next headline if you don’t want to go through the stupid criticisms):

.

I’m sorry but I have to ask

What is wrong with Star Trek fans? Why does this episode get so many shitty reviews? What is it you want from a Star Trek show that pays homage to TOS, what? Because I don’t get it. You want serialized episodes, yet people whine when one out of 10 episodes gets “wasted” to a comedy episode.

You want story arcs resolved, yet people whine when a story gets resolved but it happens within a comedic environment.

You want the silliness that turned some TOS episodes into classics, but when SNW goes exactly that, people whine that it’s cringy?

I don’t get some fans anymore.

I tried to understand them by doing what I usually keep my hands off, I read some of the reviews. I don’t want to comment all of them, but some just stand out that I really don’t get at all.

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A comedic episode should not have been done in season 1

Some critics claim that a comedic episode came too soon, and that the characters had no right to be comical when they weren’t even properly introduced yet.

So that means we are only allowed to watch serious episodes in the first season until every single character has enough depth to show other sides of themselves? That doesn’t even make sense. The other shows also goofed off already in season 1. Remember a certain pregnancy in Enterprise? Or a batshit crazy game in DS9’s Move along home?

When did some Trek fans turn into people who have to go outside to laugh?

.

Captain Pike was damaged

I have read some really disturbing critics, some went even so far to be flat out homophobic. It seems to some people that being a whiney weakling fairy tale figure equals to being gay. Some critics claim that Pike is now “forever” damaged and cannot be taken seriously anymore.

Really? Rauth is not Pike, how is it so difficult to understand that? Pike did not exist while his body was possessed. Pike, just like everyone else who was possessed, did not even remember any of what happened. Just because the body of Pike acted all differently, people now cannot take the real Pike seriously anymore?

And what’s with all the homophobic shit? EVEN IF Rauth was gay, what’s the problem with that? Are you so scared Pike might be gay or bi that this little fun gig already made you lose your masculine coolness? But the firm conclusion that Rauth is whiney and weak, therefore he MUST be gay speaks volumes about some fans.

.

More LGBTQ+ phobic critics

There are really people who bitch about Una’s and Erica’s characters supposedly being in a relationship and call that “preaching”.

Heaven forbid there is a little girl who was raised with an open mind and who dared to ship two female characters. This was such a short sequence in the entire episode that it hardly qualifies as “preaching”. It’s not like it was forced down your throat. It was just a tiny remark followed by a tiny “oh we know” smirk. That’s all there was! If anything, I applaud M’Benga for having his daughter raised so open minded that it felt like a completely normal thing for her.

.

Gender swap crap

Some critics bitched about the gender swapping of Sir Adya and claim it preaches feminism in our faces!

Oh cry me a river! The characters were matched solely by choice of a child! And if the child would have wanted a space amoeba to be Sir Adya, we would have seen an amoeba in a shining knight armor!

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The story was childish and the characters were overacted

I’ve read many critics in which people claim the actors were so bad and were over acting, so that the whole episode seemed to have been written by children.

They almost understood the plot. But still missed it terribly. Of course the characters were over acted and of course the story seemed childish, BECAUSE THE ENTIRE STORY WAS TOLD FROM THE EYES OF CHILDREN!!! It’s like kids playing with dolls.

.

M’Benga’s story arc was destroyed by comedy

People wanted Rukiya’s story arc resolved (which I agree with). But there is a bunch that is now pissed off because it was done within a comedic setup which disrespected M’Benga’s sacrifice and tragic story.

Look at these two fellas, who represent the oldest story telling art in the world.

Comedy and drama have always been a classic to shock people. You feel safe and entertained, until the hammer drops. It’s a classic storytelling format.

What these people don’t understand is that the entire story was Rukiya centred. SHE drove all the characters. She was taken out of her isolation to have the best time she had in a long while. The fact that every character was so over the top hilarious just showed what a joyous person was hidden in the transporter buffer. We were shown a child’s world, which is actually a gift. Too many of us adults have forgotten what it’s like to be and think like a children (obviously!). For M’Benga it must have felt like salvation to see his child enjoy herself so much, even if it was at the cost of his friends, whose bodies were borrowed for a while. I am almost certain each and everyone of the crew forgave Debra for using them, because they all knew the gift they had given to Rukiya. This was a bittersweet story, seen through the eyes of a child to say a heartfelt goodbye. This is a dramedy to its core. I am sad so many people failed to see that.

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The writers destroyed their own story they built up two episodes earlier

In Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach, M’Benga saw a chance to heal his daughter when Elder Gamal shared some of his advanced medical knowledge. Some critics don’t get why just 2 episodes later M’Benga “sacrifices” his daughter to live in the nebula. They even go so far to call this lazy writing.

The thing is, M’Benga did NOT sacrifice Rukiya. He gave HER the CHOICE to decide what she wanted. Big difference.

So far, M’Benga had decided for his daughter what is best for her, by keeping her inside the transporter buffer. Rukiya grew increasingly upset with that and voiced it louder and louder. M’Benga might have improved his research with the help of Elder Gamal, but he did not find the cure yet. At the begining of this episode M'Benga said in his personal log that Rukiya has just little time left.

So for Rukiya the choice was either stay in the transporter buffer and hope for a cure (that might never come), or live a happy life within the nebula together with her new friend and with endless possibilities. She chose the latter. SHE chose, not M’Benga. And that’s why the solution (which wasn’t one just yet) from 2 episodes earlier became void.

.

-- ENOUGH WITH THE CRITICS --

From here on my real ramblings begin.

.

Why did Rukiya and Debra match Rauth to Pike?

I can only guess here as only the writers can really tell why Rukiya matched the characters as she did. But guessing is fun, so here I go.

Why did Rukiya and Debra match the least appealing character with Pike? Amand is a whiney coward and an opportunist who only thinks for his own advantage. He has no backbone and if given a sword, he probably would stab his own foot with it. No wonder he is scared of Sir Adya, he wouldn’t stand a chance against a skilled sword fighter.

Pike is the crass opposite of Rauth. Pike is brave, courageous and caring. He puts the well-being of everyone else above his own.

Were Rukiya and Debra mean spirited to match Pike to Rauth, as some critics claim? I cannot estimate the characteristics of Debra, but I don’t think Rukiya has any mean bone in her body. I think as for Rauth, the matching was done or pushed by Debra, but not in a mean spirited way.

Rauth had to be matched to someone. When going through the available people on the enterprise, I am sure the kids focused on the bridge and sickbay personnel. We know from Rukiya’s return as an adult that minutes in the “real world” can be months and years in the nebula. We also know that for Debra it is no problem at all to alter the appearance of the Enterprise and its crew and to even add new items, such as the costumes, twines and yes, even hair

(I am looking at you Spock)!

Debra was also able to shelf all personalities except Rukiya’s, M’Benga’s and Hemmer’s, everyone else was literally stored away. Not even the slightest glimpse of their true selves or their consciousness was allowed to the surface.

Is it so far off to assume that to do that, Debra had to invade everyone’s minds to then keep them subdued? One can argue that this alone was abusive. But it is also the behavior of a child who does a thing without realizing it’s a wrong thing to do.

Most likely, what Debra found in Pike’s head was his sad future and his mind constantly circling around it. Maybe Debra wanted to see Pike let go of that for a while and act completely differently. We have to remind ourselves that this story unfolds from the eyes of children. Imagine you’d have been told this story when you were 6 or 7 years old. Wouldn’t you find the character of Rauth extremely funny? Wouldn’t you want that character to pay the price for his selfish behavior? Children have a great sense of fairness and poetic justice, but they are not mean spirited. Rauth was never meant to be punished in a way adults would think. He was only meant to be pushed around a little and get his butt kicked (which happened in this episode, LITERALLY!).

I think the kids chose Pike for Rauth because they saw in him the best match for a funny result. They wanted to see him disconnected from his sadness for a while. They wanted him to be the character they could laugh about the most. It’s like when a child asks its dad to play the tickle monster. There is no hidden agenda, no mean spirit behind this choice. It’s just a kids choice.

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Erica’s and Pike’s banter continue even when they are not themselves

I absolutely loved this comedy duo. I had a moment in episode Memento Mori in which I was unsure about Ortegas, because she was cracking jokes and remarks non-stop without really being helpful. I now understand it was her outlet to deal with the angst and stress of the situation. I wish we could get a backstory episode for her because that would give her character even more depth. But at least she got away from her usual “helmsman problems” (as Melissa keeps calling it fittingly) in this episode and she could shine as badass knight.

She is one of the few characters that got matched without changing much of the real person behind it. Ortegas is a badass and strong character, and so is Sir Adya. Ortegas is witty and so it Sir Adya. And both love to banter with Pike/Rauth.

Rauth was so whiney that I wished Adya would really have slapped him around a bit. He so had it coming!

I also think that these two had the best comedic timing of all characters, individually and in scenes together.

.

Some Randoms

M’Benga’s first name is Joseph

Hemmer’s antennae DO move!

M’Benga did not tell Pike about Rukyia. Maybe they aren’t as close friends as I thought. I suppose Pike also didn’t tell M’Benga about his secret. It is a bit of a missed chance that we didn’t see how Pike reacted to this closing report and learnt what secret M’Benga had kept from him for so long. As the Captain he is responsible for every person onboard. How can he care for a person whose existence he isn’t even aware of? A person that’s stuck in some piece of technology that can give out during a power outage? I also think it was a missed chance not to show us how Una and Pike resolve this, because Una knew about M’Benga’s secret but didn’t confide in Pike, even though just some episodes earlier Pike proved to her that he is willing to risk his career to protect her own secret.

Little blooper when Pike called for the Jester, in one take he had his right hand up, in the next take it was his left. Oopsie

Was every character the exact opposite of what their true selves are?

Tough and reserved La’an turned into a pampered princess diva - check

Kind and helpful Uhura turned into mean spirited queen bitch - check

Courageous and empathic Pike turned into a wuss - check

Badass Ortegas turned into badass knight – miss

Tough Una turned into tough archer – miss

Logic driven and unemotional Spock turned into conniving witcher – check

Independent and witty Chapel turned into a witty psychic – um… check and miss?

I consider Lt. Mitchell main cast now, she keeps popping up in episodes so often and even played a bigger part in the medieval episode as one of the knights. I am sure Rong Fu had a ton of fun bossing Anson around and kicking his butt. 🤭😂 It was also a bittersweet little pun for Rauth to cry out that he was “too young to die”

Why didn’t M’Benga go with his daughter? What was keeping him in the real world? I understand that his wife is also dead. His daughter was offered a life in eternity with these nebula being, he could have gone with her, why did he not? The answer is plot armor, M’Benga was part of TOS for a few episodes. But I think it would have been a very brave choice if the writers had let him go with his daughter.

If Hemmer was able to block the entity from manipulating him due to his telepathic abilities, why couldn’t Spock use his? Was his human side maybe still too strong in his pre-TOS years?

Another funny pun: “do I have to commandeer a ship?” *makes a disgusted face*. This pun would also have worked with Sir Adya. But Adya would have gone head first into the adventure, so it had to be Rauth.

Rukiya got another of her wishes fulfilled. She got to see her dad’s quarters and the whole ship, just as M’Benga promised her. 😊

I love the ruse we were given about the chemical cloud that went off in M’Benga’s head. I bet I wasn’t the only one who thought he was hallucinating after he got affected by the chemicals.

Bonus-Gif! 😊

[srirachvbi]

Aran and Aone as dads headcanons !

requested by @kara-grayson04: would you do aone and aran as dads?

a/n: MY BOYS!!! i love these two sm and i actually meant to post smth for aone before but i lost inspiration :((( it was an imagine not headcanons and i struggle to write sometimes-- maybe i’ll rewrite it and post it but idk (it was based off of his concern that people didn’t like to sit next to him on the train) and... aran needs more content !!! i’m literally in love with him... ALSO TIMESKIP ARAN HAS ME 😳👉👈 LIKE THE BEARD??? he looks SO GOOD.. Also.. oh my god im so sorry it took me so long to post these 😭 i literally have no excuse i was just tired

warning(s): manga spoilers 

Ojirou Aran

hello sir, your hand in marriage pls <3

He’d be SUCH A GOOD DAD

I have no doubts in my mind that he’d literally be the best husband, father, brother in law, grandfather, uncle, cousin, sibling--

This is me saying that I love Aran and I think he’s perfect 

I also think this way about Kita

Kita Shinsuke, and Ojirou Aran, please... your hands in marriage

Osamu too-- he can cook 🥰

But Atsumu??? 🤢🤢

That’s a joke he’s one of my favorite characters

Anyways back to Aran <3

But like him having twins-- one boy and one girl

The amount of dread he had before they were born because all he could think about was what if they turned out like the Miya twins

But!! when they were born and weren't the devils incarnate he was like 🥰🥰

His twins are both super energetic and never sit down

But they're like!! so happy all the time and he just

*heart clench*

He'd literally do anything for them it's so cute

When they were born, he'd spend hours in their room after you went to sleep

He would like cradle them and tell them stories and all that :((

Since he's a pro volleyball player, he wouldn't be able to spend as much time as he'd actually like with them so that's why he'd stay up late just in their room

If they ever start crying in the middle of the night, he'd immediately let you go back to sleep and he'd take care of it !!

He thinks it's fair because you take care of them so much when he's away for games and you also birthed them so like

Whenever he's home, you don't have to do half of the things you normally do

As the twins grow older, you start bringing them to his games and he's like "!!!" cause they're his pride and joy 🥺🥺🥺

He'd show them off to his teammates after the game

Aran would be like "Look!! Here are my two angels who are nothing like the Miyas 🥰🥰"

Atsumu meeting them at MSBY vs Red Falcons cause you had time off from work and the twins wanted to go

The twins knowing what their dad has said about Atsumu and being like "👁️👄👁️ my dad says you're rude" and he just *clenches heart* cause its so cute yet so sad

CAUSE LIKE yeah they're insulting him but the look on their faces is just... so cute

That's kinda masochistic, Atsumu

Actually Atsumu's a lot better than he was in high school as an adult so they do warm up to him, sadly 😔

Aran is definitely the type of guy you see in public with his kids and immediately go like "wow, he's definitely a great father" because he just radiates that energy

okay i do this sometimes idk if others do

He never yells too much at his kids and always talks things out maturely with them and its 🥺🥺

He tries not to spoil them too much but definitely does on accident CJWJCIE

They'll come back from the store and you'll see toys in their hands and you just give him one look and he's like

LISTEN

They're just too damn cute for him to say no to sometimes

But he won't spoil them to the point of them becoming obnoxious!! he knows the limits and has set them !!

When you were pregnant, he was literally so helpful and you just... hardly had to do anything

He wasn't as strict with making you do LITERALLY nothing like Sakusa, but he definitely tried to do everything he could

Absolutely no!! carrying of anything!!

He's a strong volleyball player who was one of the best back in high school-- he refuses to let his wife carry anything !!

All in all, Aran would be the best dad of haikyuu and i would write more but that would be too long

Aone Takanobu

ohmygod

I literally love him so much hes just... his current concern knocked me out

I would sit next to you Aone 😔

anyways

Aone would definitely be a great dad but he'd be a bit aloof unlike Aran would be

He wouldn't really be too sure what to do cause he's scared his own kid would be afraid of him :(

For a while, he'd be extremely hesitant to take care of your guys' daughter because he just :(( he was scared that she would start crying

Turns out his daughter literally is a ball of sunshine who thinks her dad is!! the coolest!!

I mean he's really good at volleyball and he's so BIG 🌟👄🌟

L i k e

He's literally her walking jungle gym-- you can pry this headcanon from my dead body i REFUSE to see anything else

He would be in the kitchen drinking coffee first thing in the morning and suddenly, he hears her tiny footsteps and then theres something weighing down his arm

SURPRISE!!!!! it's Misa!!!!

Forgive me, i was binging Maid-sama

She's all like "dad! dad!!" and then she'll start rambling on and he just

heart clench

You both were such a blessing in his life because neither of you were afraid of him 🥺🥺

Aone and you met during college!!

You guys didn't go to the same college but you met him on the bus hehe

🥰🥰 and you sat next to him without hesitation and actually tried to start a conversation with him because he looked to be a similar age

Now you two are married and have your cute daughter, Misaki 🥺🥺💖

Futakuchi wasn't allowed to babysit her by himself because he said something bad in front of Misa once and she asked about it later to Aone and you at dinner

Futakuchi getting a call from Aone and it's completely silent

He got the message (๑•﹏•)

Hinata is Misa's favorite uncle!!

because Futakuchi said bad words that anyones not supposed to say >:((((

Hinata likes to tell her stories of his interactions with her dad and shes all like ✧\(>o<)ﾉ✧ cause!! her dad's so!! cool!!

Since Aone works in construction (i think), he's super strong so she's always testing his limits

"Dad... can you lift the couch?" "... yes."

He lifts the couch and she's squealing like "WOAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DADS SO COOL!!!!!!"

stop shes so proud that Aone's her dad and it's just so cute

all of her friends think that Aone's the coolest as well because Misa never stops talking about him!!

"Aone-san, you're so cool!!! Misa-chan was right!!" "RIGHT?? RIGHT?? My dads awesome!!!"

He's never felt so much happiness

When you were pregnant, he was this huge ball of anxiety... the poor thing...

He's super nervous he's gonna accidentally hurt you in some way and so for a while, he refuses to touch you im-

He doesn't know his own strength and if smth happens to you, he will literally die

It took you scolding him for like 20 minutes for him to finally understand

He's still hesitant to hold you when you guys are in bed tho cause he's 😔😔

Aone would definitely struggle at the beginning as a father but he's literally such a great dad after he lets go of his worries!!

[lokislittlesigyn]

// loki spoilers

This is basically a huge infodump on my thoughts about the first episode, because I doubt y’all want to sift through my trauma-ridden ramblings. I’ll make another post for the rest. This is just everything not related to the IW stuff/my reaction to that. It’s general thoughts, theories, musings.

1. When Loki gets first taken into the TVA. Is that Peggy Carter in the background? Others have suggested it might be. What would that mean??? Will we see the TVA fix the mess the Russos made with Steve/Peggy (not likely) or is it just a lookalike? Who knows..

2. A skrull at the main intake desk! Idk not super relevant just interesting!

3. I’m kind of glad they changed the... uncomfortable scene... with the robot burning his clothes off. He gets more time to react to seeing the machine itself, and he seems more shocked (”Now.. H-hang on just a minute.”) than angry (”Now hang on just a minute!”) i still feel.. horrible for him, i’m glad nobody Saw him and that the machine didn’t grab the clothes off, but still. Ehhh.. uncomfortable.

He is beautiful though, don’t get me wrong - I’d just prefer a shirtless Loki scene where he wants to be shirtless? let him do what he wants with his body?? he’s probably felt so out of control of his body, from being jotun to falling through space that any invasion of privacy like that hits extra deep...

That being said, I recognize the utility of the scene for the narrative - his lack of control, his literally being stripped of what he was before.

4. WHO IS THE MAN WITH THE CAT. What is his name. I love that he has a mug with his cat on it. But I want to know more. Who is he?

4.1 WHY DIDNT YOU LET LOKI PET THE CAT Please,,, I am begging you,,, let loki pet the cat and have something react kindly to him and purr all happily at his scratching behind their ears plea s e

5. The info sheet. Now this is just a little nitpicky tidbit, but in a previous promo they listed Loki’s height as 6′4 ft and weight as 525 lbs. This is taken directly from the comics if I’m not mistaken. However, in the actual show he’s listed as  6′2 (Tom’s height and Loki’s presumed height) but I don’t remember if his weight is the same. Is Loki 6′2? 6′4? please let me know i want to know how smol i am in comparison

6. His little aggressive shaking of the ticket at the guard makes me giggle each time.

7. The fact the turnstile hits so low on him reminds me,, I am short compared to him. Those things hit my stomach/waist. That one hit his legs. I am once again asking Loki to pick me up.

8. The cartoon with Miss Minutes introducing the TVA is wonderful, I love the art style especially. But it raises questions about Variants... I guess Variants can just, pop out of nowhere? Any action could be the wrong one? And then once you commit the wrong action you either get returned or pruned? Yikes??? And THIS ties into another thing later!

9. The trial scene. I have a hunch - a feeling, a suspicion. That one of three things may be true.

A. The Time-Keepers never actually existed. They’re fabricated, and now whoever runs the TVA is actually using the excuse of “The Time-Keepers decree it so!!!” to carry out whatever They think is right. The fact we haven’t seen the Time-Keepers makes me.. suspicious...

B. The Time-Keepers existed, but they have since passed on, however that may have happened. Now someone is doing the same as above, using the excuse of the Time-Keepers apparent dictations to run things.

C. The Time-Keepers do exist, and do run the timeline/TVA, but maybe they’re not infallible? Maybe the TVA info video is lying or incomplete in some way? Idk I just feel like, something about the TVA and how they run things has to be wrong. It has to? Something is off. Again, this will tie into another thought later...

I have no idea if any of these are actually true! But Loki’s questions of “Who’s in charge here? What do they do? What do you do?” punctuated by laughter leads me to believe he’s suspecting something too, or perhaps just trying to figure this mess out.

10. Seiðr/Magic. We see in this scene, Loki’s magic (”powers”) don’t work in the TVA. (and a quick side note, did he have to Flex like that? do you have to make me see Loki’s bare arms Flex like that? be still my heart. anyway please get that collar off of him and let him rest for five minutes) This makes me wonder.. Why isn’t Loki in his Jotun form? His pale skin and blue eyes are decided by magic, are they not? I suppose this is 2012, so perhaps Odin’s magic is keeping Loki looking like that. But if magic doesn’t work in the TVA, why would his spell reach so far? Clearly Loki’s magic isn’t what’s doing it. How is Loki not appearing as a Jotun? Is his Jotun form repressed - is pale skin his default now, rather than something hidden by magic? I need answers!

11. he sounds so scared about being “reset” please dont hurt him,,

12. cALLING LOKI A PUSSYCAT? (lokitty confirmed) I think Mobius was goading him (Mobius strikes me.. As extremely clever. He’s trying to push Loki’s buttons to see who he’s dealing with. At least, I hope so. Because if he really meant that “You were born to cause pain and suffering and death... All so that others can achieve the best versions of themselves.” and that line about killing Frigga??? No no no he is not guilty. He had no way of knowing what would happen. It wasn’t right to send Algrim up to Asgard (i think algrim wouldve found the way up anyway) but there was no intent to hurt Frigga. I really hope you’re trying to goad him, Mobius, because if you believe that I trust you much less. anyway i digress) but wow is he pushing Loki’s buttons a lot. I can’t... Blame him entirely, I understand he’s trying to make sure Loki’s on his side, maybe I’m just too soft for Loki idk. But some of that was very cruel to say. /:

12.1 AND ANOTHER THING ABOUT MOBIUS. That scene with the girl in the church?? Did that little girl kill the men? Is that young Sylvie? Or is she using an illusion to make herself look young and innocent? What’s going on!!!!

13. LOKI SNATCHING THE LITTLE TIME-TWISTER DEVICE AND STOWING IT IN HIS POCKET.... POCKET....... sorry sometimes i get so caught up about loki that i just say random words in between little noises and squeals,,, i am a silly thing

14. CASEY. CASEY??? That whole exchange is funny. Poor Loki, just trying to intimidate this guy so he can escape but - Casey doesn’t know what a fish is. to be fair.... thor doesn’t seem to know what a raccoon is... right?

15. That bit with the infinity stones is kind of funny until you realize

A. Natasha died for a paperweight

B. Tony died from paperweights

C. Loki was tortured for paperweights

D. Oh, and Gamora died for a paperweight too. And Vision. Need I go on?

Then it becomes less of exclusively “haha funny” and now it’s a mix of funny and pain and gosh, is that a good way to sum up being a Marvel/Loki fan sometimes...

16. Loki gazing at the timeline all “Is this the most powerful thing in the universe?” or something, i’m sorry i don’t remember exactly... made me think of a meme and i shall make it presently.

17. I love that Loki got to see examples of how his family loves him but the fact he’s all “I can’t go back.” really just breaks me. It’s like he can finally see they love him after all of this mess, and now he doesn’t have the chance. Please, please let him be happy. Give him some relief. This is the Loki that just came off finding out about being Jotun, falling from the Bifrost, encountering Thanos, attacking Earth, facing defeat, and now he’s being thrashed around in this wild place and has just found out he inadvertently caused Frigga’s death (he did not kill her: his actions, by mistake, lead to her murder, let me be very clear) AND Odin will die AND all the rest... And he wants to be with them.

18. Loki’s reaction to Thor suggesting the hug makes me soft. Please I want to hug this little mischief man so so so bad-

19. Skipping over the iw parts! That’s for another post because this one will be grossly long anyway.

20. “I don’t enjoy hurting people.” and “It's part of the illusion. It's the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear. A desperate play for control.” was all so, so validating. I’ve been trying to argue on Loki’s behalf for almost a solid decade. Seeing the show recognize that Loki’s not all just violence and hurting for “fun”, that he’s not unhinged and bloodthirsty.. Is so nice. It’s just so, so comforting. and it gives me hope for future episodes that they won’t go the route of “oh haha loki bullied and mistreated and stabbed thor for years!!! :)” loki cries during basically every fight with Thor and you want me to believe he stabs Thor for fun? absolutely not.

21. Theory.. Just another hunch.. So we know a fugitive variant, aka Loki, is running amok. Refer back to 8 and 9.C. What if the Time-Keepers never actually fixed the timeline into a single timeline? What if there are other timelines, and these different Loki variants have hopped over to the current one? Or, maybe the Time-Keepers did fix the timeline into a single one, and these Lokis are remnants from that huge time-war at the beginning? Time runs differently in relative spaces, they may have Just Left that war from their perspective!

I say Lokis and not Loki because we’re pretty sure there’s Female/Lady Loki, Old Man/King Loki, and possibly Young/Kid Loki. That’s at least three. From the peeks of Asgard and NYC we’ve seen from the trailers, I think we’re also getting an Asgardian King!Loki and Midgardian King/Vote!Loki. (unless our dearest variant is hopping into timelines and situating into them, but I doubt Mobius would let that happen..?) That’s five.

To further support this, keep in mind, I believe recently six (i think 6 regular and 6 rare...) different funko pops were announced for the series? I’m not sure if they’re in addition to the Loki and Mobius already released. If they are, there’s enough room for each Loki and maybe a TVA agent. One of the pops is supposed to have a buddy/companion I think? Maybe they’re making the cat guy into one, or maybe there’s something else (Throg, anyone?).

22. That is totally Lady Loki/Sylvie at the end by the way. Has to be. But why does she want the reset devices? Why did she snatch that TVA Hunter? Again, WHAT’S GOING ON

ANYWAY this was a very long post if you made it this far, I commend you.

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

Continued thoughts on RE8

This was copied when I was making my DeviantArt journal about this. And ah, thank goodness, I don’t need to space out shit. Guess DA using numbers like that helps me out lol.

Hope the title is creative enough. But...the game has been out a month. But I'll tag spoilers anyway. So I got done with the game at 12:04 or well, I put my PS4 into rest mode to charge my controller. I'm gonna say three things.

Donna's death honestly fucked me up...and not in a good way.

Moreau is likely the best boss in the game. Maybe.

Shut your fucking hole is honestly funny.

Okay but yes, I finally played more of Resident Evil 8. And surprisingly, and I wanted to save and be done with the game after I got into the confrontation with Heisenberg.

Let me be honest with you all. Resident Evil 8 is a fine game. While I am still critical about it's story and what choices they made. The gameplay is pretty fine, and I think it's an overall nice or alright experience. While I don't think this is the best RE game ever. And I do think this game got too much of high praising. It was overhyped honestly. But I do feel like it becomes I guess more enjoyable as you play it.

Now I'm gonna go over me going through the sections I talked about real quick. And no, I didn't beat Heisenberg...I haven't yet.

Donna and Angie's section is maybe the best part of the game. Gonna admit when you go to House Beneviento, it's actually beautiful seeing a waterfall beside it. And while I do think the Silent Hill comparisons are...I'm no expert. I've only watched movie format of the first four Silent Hill games. But that part is where the game is scariest at. Despite me being annoyed by the puzzle stuff in one part of this game. Luckily, I feel great I decided not to look anything up.

But I guess it's the closest we'll get to a modern Silent Hill game. But I overall loved this part of the game. Despite I was being stupid and didn't put half of a child puzzle piece into a door for a few minutes. I will admit, I do feel like the puzzles are easier than usual than older RE games...which is kind of fine with me.

Also that giant fetus baby thing is fucking creepy. Thank God I wasn't devoured by it...but amused I was spooked by maybe the projection falling and bookcases moving. Which I dubbed Scooby Doo shit.

And...I'm sorry, I was not expecting Donna's death to go like that...like wow...despite what my friend told me about...wow...just saying, I am not selling Alcina Dimitrescu's or Moreau's remains to the Duke. And I'm sure as Hell not selling Angie either. Besides, I get a lot of money in this game already. Seriously, I'm loaded.

It's just silly like...I didn't want to go to Donna's house first but I had to. Will admit, I do feel like she was underdeveloped. And that could go as well to maybe the other lords. And I did go back to Donna's place to get her treasure...where I fought this fucking giant with an axe...and I'm really interested in who the Hell is that Claudia Beneviento. Considering she died very young.

Moreau's section was pretty fine. But I think along with Alcina's section, was a pretty nice place. While Donna's section seemed a bit more simple, it was more focused on, creeping the shit out of me. Yet I was still terrified being in Castle Dimitrescu because it was my first time...and may still could be scared if I replay the game again after I finish it.

Will admit, I was annoyed I got killed by Moreau three times in the water. I think the reason I liked his part because his boss felt very classic Resident Evil. Maybe almost like Nemesis when he's fully unleashed in the original RE3. I feel like Moreau was pretty unique. Despite at first...kind of wonder if I do want him to look more a Gilman creature. Because he's likely inspired by that those kinds of films.

Also I will admit this, him popping up as a huge fish at first spooked me. Continuing on, I have been going to wells and using the crank to collect shit. Which got me to collect Alcina's golden statue of herself. Which yes...is very narcissistic of her haha! Along with the treasure from Donna...and I forgot to mention I've finished those first three...weird ball games...

Gonna admit, I strangely feel reminded of Sonic Spinball and those pinball sections in the Sonic series. I sound stupid saying that. They are interesting puzzles. I'm just glad and to me personally, Alcina's ones was the most tricky.

So after I beat Moreau, I got the Wolfbane, which was the pistol I was very interested in and it killed that weird beast(Is it like a dog turned Lycan dog or something?)...in one shot...this is maybe the strongest gun in the game. Holy shit, Barry Burton would be proud.

But yeah, I went through the Lycan's den. Turns out, Heisenberg wasn't there. Also the grenade launcher is great to use too. And seriously, the amount of Lycans heads I've blown up with mainly a normal pistol amazes me. Holy crap, I killed a shit ton of them, so many heads blown up.

After getting that last flask and finally opening a way to Heisenberg's factory, I finally get to meet the fella. To be honest, I'm not huge on Karl's voice. I've heard it before, and I know the voice actor got inspiration from Nicholas Cage...but I just imagine Karl's voice to be different. Maybe Cage when his voice is higher pitched, but I forget. Maybe if I get used to it, I'll be fine with it. Here's one of the more amusing lords and...really, the four lords and a lot of other stuff is why I like this game.

What I hate is of what later on happens and...the future of these main games.

I also wanna say that the part I saved on is when I have to escape the factory. But holy shit, how the fuck can the Duke get into these fucking places or whatever. At least the Merchant made sense and whatever else...I'm rambling on. I just find it amusing that this huge character can get into certain places that would maybe seem impossible or not.

But yeah...I'm very likely close to the end of the game. Played a couple of hours. Maybe 3 to 4 or so. While I am...critical of this chapter of the RE franchise. There are things I genuinely liked. I just strangely hate...that this is the final product and we're gonna have to live with it. This is the RE game people are making memes about...I shouldn't be very excited for the new movie reboot this year...but that's what I'm more excited for.

The 25th anniversary of Resident Evil has been going good. Despite my feelings on this new main game.

I remember now, I feel like when I finish this game and I be more detailed with my criticisms. I've heard from a good friend of mine that Under The Mayo has similar opinions to us of how we feel about Resident Evil 8...yet before I decided to listen to the usual 1 hour version of the RE8 save room theme. Which is this.

Resident Evil 8: Village Save Room 1 Hour Extended - YouTube

A day ago, he posted a video that has this thumbnail and the title of how God Of War ruined Resident Evil...I'm really wondering how the fuck is that possible. And my usual bitching is about the fact we hardly see our old characters anymore(Such as Jill who isn't such a big focus anymore), some characters are not better expanded upon or whatever else, and the future...I'm just not interested. Despite I've said to a friend I could be interested in seeing how it goes...

I just explained a little of what I had problems with. I'm just gonna say Capcom needs to be a bit more ambitious and meaningful with their storytelling now. Which may sound stupid...I just want better for this series. And when mentioning that upcoming movie. If we ever get a movie adaption of RE7 and 8, ESPECIALLY 8, I want that to be a loose adaptation and some shit changed.

[charliemcarthy]

hello!! so ive been following u for a while now (since 2014 or earlier i think? i have vague memories of danny phantom merfic) and ur the only person i follow who posts about nancy drew so i Have to ask bc my curiosity keeps piquing over the years. i love puzzle/detective games, where do u think i should start if i wanted to get into the nancy drew games? :]

80 Hello! What a juicy ask to answer over my morning coffee >)

I have answered a couple asks/posts over the years about starting the games:

This one as well as this ask can be quick places to start <3

I also highly recommend this post made by Nancy-Drew-Designs that I just rebagled. I love the way they've organized the games into this chart, it's very reliable, even when taking int account that each game's difficulty can be suggestive. It might be easier to use this when you've got a few games below your belt, though! None of the above posts contain spoilers <3 (None of the below do either!)

This gets VERY long and rambly here, and I don't even mention all the games >>; Sorry!

So TBH my tastes/suggestions haven't changed much in the 4 years since I was asked which games were the 'best.' I will still stick by Ghost of Thorton Hall, Shadow at the Water's Edge, Final Scene. I will also toss Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake, The Haunted Carousel, or Message in a Haunted Mansion into the ring. ...Charlie loves spooky stuff, can you tell XD DOG, CAR, and MHM are all older games, and despite their age they have stood up to time pretty well.

MHM is a shorter game but riddled with spooks and creeps around every corner. There's a particular scare on the foyer staircase that chills me to this day. Play this in the dark with headphones on!

DOG was baby Charlie's first game and so it will always be one of my reccs. It's got ghost puppos, spooky woods, cemeteries, and talks of old gangsters in the roaring 20's! What's not to love!

CAR is another shortish game, with somewhat simple puzzles. I love theme parks too, I grew up with my folks working the town carnival. There's something about an empty theme park that soothes/relaxes me, but I think it's liminal space for a lotta people. I also like it's secondary plot/message about grieving and loss, and it's one of my most replayed games simply for the gentleness of it. The music is just haunting, too~

The nice thing about ND games is there is, literally, something for everyone! And they, most of them anyway, maintain their theme's integrity or showcase good, honest research to whatever their niche subject is. Some games you have to suspend disbelief more than others, for example Secret of the Scarlet Hand is NOT osha safe, and that's all I'll say about that. (But omg, is it a cool as fuck game, and they did their due diligence with Mayan culture, even made baby!Charlie stop and question why it was okay for museums to just...take from other cultures even in the name of learning and preservation. Like, good for them, my mom loved that sm.)

If you love orcas or the ocean, or perhaps have fond memories of East Coast livin', you'd enjoy Danger on Deception Island, or maybe you'd like to head to the tropics, in which case, Creature of Kapu Cave might be a fun one.

The Legend of the Crystal Skull has lots of perils and unease, and since it's rooted in New Orleans that's no surprise.

If you like horses, or old western romances, perhaps the Secret at Shadow Ranch will tempt you first!

You also can't go wrong with The Secret of the Old Clock, which is a cute lil rewind and lovingly recreates the first Nancy Drew book while still keeping itself fresh and unique. Plus hey, mini golf!

And if you were an Ancient Egypt kid, like so many of us were, then Secret of the Lost Tomb will be right up your alley~

And of course, if you want to literally start from the ground up, simply check the wiki, and you can play them in order <3 (Though I will suggest playing the Remastered Secrets Can Kill in place of game 1. XD It's a lil more fleshed out, more polished etc.)

The newer games, in my opinion, are sort of where things start to...fall apart. I have played The Silent Spy, Labyrinth of Lies and didn't like them. I played Sea of Darkness and did enjoy it but...well, let's put put this way:

I've played those newer games past GTH once. More out of desperation and loyalty for the old studio, frankly. They are not high on my list of recommendations, but perhaps you will play them and find something more to love than I did, Anon.

I've replayed most of the above recommendations since 2002, almost ad nausea, all different levels. Some of my best memories are playing them over with my friends, watching the game new through their eyes. I've converted a few who snubbed point and clicks into ND addicts, having had them tell me, "well these games are different. Even the campy, old ones--they just are."

Now, quickly, difficulty can be relative. I personally think some of the 'harder' games are easier and vice versa, but the games thankfully all come with Amateur and Master Sleuth modes.

There really isn't a wrong answer, to be honest. (Except Midnight in Salem. Please don't start with that one.)

Certainly go with your gut, and dig into titles that pique your interest beyond the ones I've mentioned. And of course, come back and tell me what you think!

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian s2 ep1 Reactions Post That’s right I’m BACK

and none of you not even god himself can stop me from rambling about space cowboy dad and tiny green baby stuff for much longer than any sane person should 

the TL;DR is that I still love this show SO MUCH, beware a bunch of spoilers under the cut!

- costume design wise I LOVE how badly the armour fits Cobb Vanth

 especially when you get shots with him and Din side by side for contrast:

It’s not just that it’s clearly not made for him (it seems he’s a lot lankier and more wiry than Boba is), he simply doesn’t know how to wear it, and he doesn’t know how to take care of it, because he doesn’t know what it means. Remember when Din’s breastplate got bent completely out of shape by the mudhorn and he had it repaired to the best of his ability long before they even finished with the ship? That’s why he looks so grounded and natural in it and Vanth has sort of a clumsy Spiderman-in-his-first-home-made-costume air about him. (also Boba’s helmet has a beautiful heft and solidity to it in this, they make all the beskar have a Feel and weight to it, makes it feel important)  

I like that Vanth is taller than Din; everything that drives home that Din’s strength doesn’t come from being naturally physically imposing or impressive is a joy to me 

- Boba’s armour seems to be confirmed to be real beskar, which gives me so much hope that they’re doing something actually nuanced and interesting with Boba and Jango’s cultural identities as Mandalorians (whether they do consider themselves that or not, for example), unlike George Lucas’ inexplicable yet unbending stance of ‘They aren’t and never were lol get fucked Fetts’  

the way the triumphant heroic part of the mando music sputtered and died when the man himself showed up tho... uh-oh this might be bad news 

man but that’s a stunning and surprising way to introduce a well-known character divorced from what makes them so iconic, though, just from that I’m going to trust they know what they’re doing (AND they got temuera morrison back I’m so EXCITED!!!). without the armor there’s the face of someone who shared that face with literal millions and at the same time must be looking older than his father ever got to at this point, and that’s super interesting as a starting point to me. (I... guess there’s still a chance it’s a fakeout and that it’s actually another clone, but that would be such a letdown when they’ve already given us this haha) 

- an excellent [mando sighs] moment

this opening scene did a great job of re-summarizing him for the audience -- establishing again that he gives you one chance at dealing with him fairly and if you insist on continuing to be an asshole about it, you’re toast, the fact that his fighting style is so much about being able to tank blows rather than not getting hit in the first place, the horror movie monster mando setup as he stalked the dude down and strung him up, the Poetic Justice predicated on some very careful word choices, and most importantly “where I go, he goes”... all wonderful, I’m sure I’ll watch this scene back for fine details and better looks at the background characters many many times 

(word seems to have spread about him and the baby for real now, which makes me VERY nervous btw)

- Pulserifle’s back! Jetpack’s back! Razor Crest’s back! Grappling line’s back! PELLI’S BACK!!!!!! Tattooine... is also back *Finn voice* Why does everyone want to go back to Tattooine????

I really enjoyed the way they fleshed out and (for lack of a better word) humanized the sand people, though, if you are going back to this desert hellplanet again that is a worthy reason to do it 

- Din swearing :O!! and one of the less egregious star wars swears too, I’m fine with this

- in campaign star wars news: I guess there was sort of both a binbon and a jubna in this ep! what a time to be alive

- as usual I love the jawa. a bright spot in any day, just a bunch of lil goblin-y friends hanging out having the best time loving sparkly crystals and rescuing silver foxes.  

get in loser we’re going shopping

-  

I uh. Do you think. Hm. Is there maybe a metaphor here somewhere. Is there perhaps a hidden, one may say double, meaning, at play, right here, in this image? Who can say, it’s just niggling at me (there’s a very similar set of shots with Toro in season 1, but seemingly the show went ‘I fear we might have gone too subtle with it, let’s amp it up this time’ over the season break loool)

honestly though this dynamic really highlighted everything I love about the ways Din performs masculinity. It’s so much softer and more community/collaboration focused and more comfortable to be around than Vanth’s version -- and Vanth isn’t a bad dude by any stretch of the imagination, it’s not hard to see why he’s like that considering where he’s from, he’s just such a... man. The lone person who can protect this village! The only man who’s got what it takes! It’s all on his shoulders and no one else’s, so do exactly as he says or he’ll put a hole in you! (I think it’s telling that one of his first comments to Din is ‘I’m sure you call the shots wherever you’re from, but ‘round here, I’m the person who tell folks what to do’, because as we as the audience knows, Din very much does not call the shots of where he’s from lol) I guess it says some nice things about the tribe of Mandos Din is from that this is how he approaches things, and it says some good things about Vanth how quickly he comes around to this smarter and less confrontational/domineering style of doing things once he’s been exposed to it and sees how it works. it’s just neat

(it’s smart of Favreau to set his ~*lone gunslinger*~ character up like this, too, it makes him so much more interesting and versatile)   

- With the way Din says ‘a Mandalorian Armorer sent me on my path’ it does seem confirmed that’s the equivalent of a priest role or a sort of shaman -- I wonder if he knows the name of ‘The’ Armorer or if they take on the role as a whole identity 

- the sheer contrast between the two people who wanted Din to take his helmet off for them in this ep tho... wants Mando’s armour off for horrible awful reasons and got exactly what he deserved:

wants Mando’s armour off for entirely sympathetic and understandable, just culturally uninformed, thirsty thirsty reasons & also having drinks together:

 (the sort of... little lick over his bottom lip he does there? keep it in your pants vanth my GODjflsadf he’s a good dude tho he understands and respects the ‘no armour removal before marriage’ thing and backs down gracefully)

- This is a nuanced thing: I don’t think I actually ship it (not in a requited way from Din’s side, anyway, Vanth I’m 100% sure about lol), but the incredible potential for out-of-context-taking of “Take it off, or I will”/”...we doin’ this in front of the kid?” is uh astounding  

(anyone got the vibe Vanth sort of had something with the bartender too? no just me? well well)

- I was never really scared Din was actually dead or hurt b/c baby wasn’t scared and I figure he’d know lol, a very useful fear barometer 

- “What’s the plan?” “Take care of the child” “What are you gonna do?” “I don’t know, but wish me luck *yeets his new bro out of harm’s way before diving in head first himself*” fksdjhfkjlashdfkjsldahfkasldjhfskldajhfsadkjfh WHAT a summation of Din’s entire approach to battle & life, dad please you carry a not insignificant part of my heart around with you be careful 

(Also with the heavy implication that Boba was watching the whole thing... can you imagine him just looking on as Din throws himself down that gullet like a madman. There must have been some ‘o_-7 *headscratch headscratch* ???’ going on for him there)

it’s kind of sweet that din trusts vanth will take care of the baby if something happens though, they really bonded quickly huh 

- the sand people who kept willingly going over to the krayt dragon’s cave are honestly braver and more admirable than anyone else has ever been, I kept just shouting in anguish as they were gobbled up, they deserved better 

- can we talk about how clear it still is that Din’s just... lonely. When he thinks he’s found another Mando and he sounds almost reverent with relief... and then it gets odder and odder (’uh... drinks? I guess... does he have drinking straws with him or -- HE’S TAKING THE HELMET OFF???’ oh buddy)

I wonder if they’re building towards something about him realizing it doesn’t have to be Mandos for him to trust and bond with people longer term? Basically all the characters he’s met and we’ve watched him form attachments to and get help from are non-Mandos -- Kuiil :’^(, Cara, Omera, Cobb Vanth, IG-11 :^’’(, Greef Karga to a degree. Establishing so firmly what he’s looking for this early would be good setup for a ‘what a character thinks they want vs. what they need’ thing later on just on a writing level, anyway, Boba Fett could bring in some interesting points of view about Mandalorianness too   

- baby’s happy gurgles when he sees pelli!!!!!! din speaking sand people language and petting alligator doggies!!!!!!

- pedro pascal’s voice work remains an utter joy to me. din’s measured, earnest, occasionally slightly stilted way of talking is still so good, and then he does things like inserting some more... idk life is the wrong word but that more charged and dynamic tone he took on when he said (”I thought you weren’t a gambler”) “I’m not”. *chef kiss*

- if the pulse rifle’s stun is able to do that to a fuckn krayt dragon... that’s some serious shit din is carrying around with him lol (interestingly the actual shooty pew-pew part of it didn’t seem to do much to it, but then I guess he was shocking it from the inside out and not through thick hide, so idk)

- my only real complaints about this ep: Vanth’s backstory ran a bit long, and not enough baby & dad interaction. the concept art’s got me tho: 

 (din often wears his original/old armour in concept art still, incidentally, don’t know what that’s about)

awwwwwww

+ omfg ;______;

- this sand people person conscientiously brushing a bantha’s teeth... blessed

- Customary flame thrower report: there was a rare useful deployment of the flamethrower. Good job Mando’s flame thrower for furthering the field of diplomacy

ETA: I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS: DIN BEING COMFORTABLE(ISH) AROUND DROIDS NOW!!!! GROWTH????!?! IG-11 WE MISS YOU??????????

[evalieena]

35 Questions for Fanfiction Writers

well since dearest @bachint​ asked, here goes nothing!

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

well if no downplaying’s allowed i guess i’d give it a 3/5? some mistakes since i’m not a native plus i”m still working on getting my english style better! i like what i come up with all the same, i’ve improved a lot these past two years, and my grammar isn’t that bad i guess?

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to do what developers didn’t do in the first place to make good use of my imagination, to cope with the fact that some characters don’t exist and i will never follow another one of their adventures, to forget about a boring real life...

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

my writing doesn’t stand out lmaooo but i guess i’m always trying to focus on the character’s psychology, struggles and all that, so if someone likes my work, it’s ‘original’ bc it’s usually quite different from the usual stories where there are a lot of dialogues and interactions.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

i’ve been inspired a lot by @welcometogressenheller​ (i wish i could do as well as she does.....), @aceklaviergavin​ (kudos to you even if you never see that post and you probably don’t know who i am), and some others whose name i forgot (sorry!)

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

i didn’t write much but i guess that my latest fics are really nice (There’s No Light In You Anymore, and the whole Faith series on AO3). also my big project “Now That You’re Gone”, i’m glad i’ve been able to write that much for it and i intend on continuing as soon as i find the motivation!

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

pain, struggles and all that comes with it as long as it’s in the character’s mind, because beware here you step in a dark space

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

ordinary scenes of life? i always find my writing lacking as soon as i step out of my comfort zone, i’m all for rambling and never-ending pain

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

desmond/descole surely

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

all the good guys (and dimitri allen because i’d love writing about him but i’m? just unable to?)

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

that may come as a surprise! angst!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

a mix of question 8 and 10 and you’ve got your answer

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

professor layton and the shattering secrets!!! i’m so happy of what this AU will look like when i’ll be done writing the following chapters, at first it probably looks annoying but heck i wanna promise anyone who’s reading it that the plot twists are gonna be worth it even though the overall background isn’t that original because i’ve mixed up different elements from other games (aaaand we’re back in our oh-so-amazing comfort zone that covers up a massive lack of imagination)

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

ummm? the vampire diaries maybe? back when i was 10 or 11 lol

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

hands up... pROFESsoR LayTON

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

i didn’t write for many fandoms but back in my younger days i used to do self-insert fics with the vampire diaries cast and it was so odd and i wish i hadn’t just confessed that on my tumblr blog

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

nothing that comes to mind

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

dunno either

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

PL and the shattering secrets! huge canon divergence and one heck of an AU (also its original version is much worse, my mind was going crazy when i was 15)

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

i love reading AUs, writing some requires solid imagination which i have not, but honestly i don’t really mind

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

gen

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

desmond sycamore x his wife / randall ascot x hershel layton (be it romantic or platonic) / randall ascot x basically anyone from the MM i guess though i didn’t write anything about that yet (it’s about to change guys)

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

yea i can’t write without listening to music - any playlist does the trick as long as i like what i’m listening to but usually i listen to sad soundtracks, or i’m inspired by some random lyrics

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

i’d go with challenges bc my horrible ass has very few ideas but i usually come up with independent ideas

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

one shots!

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

i don’t remember ;_;

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

i’ve got one OS in mind with randall/layton but i don’t want to be the talk of the town because it’s probably going to be awful? also any other fic including the PL3 crew

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

@welcometogressenheller telling me she believed i was a native!!! i struggle so much trying to improve my writing style in english and i have a lot of insecurities so it was so heartwarming and incredible to read...

also basically any other comment where people tell me they like what i write. i love that writers feel the need to take some time reviewing my works bc i need constant validation

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

well i’ve never really received ‘harsh’ criticism or anything, save for some very rare remarks on my grammar so i guess i don’t know? at first it’s always sad to see that what i’ve done isn’t perfect but i guess it’s impossible to be perfect so i’m really happy that people take some time to underline what looks wrong to them

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

currently trying to with shattering secrets and it’s actually a great way to improve!

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

MERCILESS ANGST

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

i wish i could but it would perhaps be a huge spoiler so i don’t wanna say much about them...

i have 1) annabell sycamore, des’s wife, whose personality fits very much mine. she’s a playwright, spends lot of her time writing and acting in front of des AND WITH des. also she’s a very realistic person and some people usually tell her that she’s being too pessimistic 

2) aurelia from the shattering secrets and on her i really cannot say much... if anyone’s read this far it would be so nice if you could give SS a shot by the way!! 

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

desmond sometimes finds happiness but it’s always taken from him

(isn’t that a summary for everything i’ve ever written?)

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

i don’t translate my works from my original language to english, i write straight in english. i spend a lot of time making sure i haven’t done any grammatical mistakes, checking the definition and the use of some words i’m not sure about, and sometimes it’s quite a pain and it can be also very discouraging bc i end up believing what i write comes from a random internet dictionary while deep down i know it’s not true but hey what can i say. huge insecurities laid bare here.

(if any reader of mine’s reading this, i apologize)

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

(beware: spoilers for the whole prequel trilogy!!!)

“Hershel Layton was puzzled. A funny emotion to feel for someone who loved puzzles that much, but nothing could ever describe better the way he’d felt for hours now, hours that seemed like ages.So much did happen in the span of a few hours.

First he’d learned his parents could be targeted by Targent, then Aurora had made it clear that she didn’t want to live anymore, all so she could protect them. Then Desmond—no, Descole—had taken the key from her hands, and revealed himself as the dangerous scientist Layton knew him to be.

Then they’d fought. Despair was filling the air, though Hershel didn’t understand what Descole meant when he cried that the Azran legacy was all he had to live for.

And as if there hadn’t been enough betrayals as it was, Emmy was soon to follow. Luke had been abducted. He’d had no other choice than siding with Descole to prevent Bronev from unleashing doom on Earth. Misery didn’t seem to end.

Just when he’d thought he’d finally be able to change things, Descole had been ready to sacrifice himself to save Luke. And then…

Then everything just collapsed.

He held his agonizing brother in his arms; the one who’d wanted so hard to take him down only a few hours back was now confessing, fearing death was on the way.“

[...]

from ‘Six Times Hershel Layton Remembered, Plus The One Time He Didn’t’

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

oops i haven’t got anything more to say but thank you for reading? perhaps?

[ichika27]

Thoughts about Yashahime pt2

Because I have more stuff in my mind and I have to ramble or else I’ll lose it. This is supposed to be a part of the overall post I did after watching season 1 but it was longer than expected so I made a second post. I wanted to post my thoughts on sessrin but that would make this more unbearably longer than it already is jfc.

This is my “additional thoughts on season 1 stuff and what I wish to see in season 2″ filled with spoilers and actually have more screenshots.

Thoughts on Moroha:

I know you’ve probably heard of it from everyone else but I’ll say my piece, too: they wasted Moroha’s character. I know the main protag is Towa and Setsuna (as seen by the summary) but it’s not an excuse to just... not give Moroha anything. Inuyasha’s main characters are Kagome and Inuyasha but they also gave their companions (Sango, Miroku, and Shippo) the spotlight with episodes dedicated to them and their issues and in battle, they do get to shine. Moroha keeps getting thrown off, injured, or passed out and the twins (esp. Towa) gets to finish off the bad guys (sometimes the buildup to it is too much but how she beat up the bad guy is anti-climatic). It’s a waste cause she’s a bounty hunter who is not only trained but also has a lot more experience than Towa does. She doesn’t even have to land the finishing blow but at least don’t make her lame.

I do understand why the battle in both Inuyasha and Yashahime is different though. The Shikon Jewel is powerful even when it’s in pieces. Even a shard could give an advantage to anyone who has it and so many demons are drawn to it and to the person who has it. The more Kagome and the gang get, the more enemies they would attract especially Naraku and his minions whose goal is similar to the protagonists that they also want the entire jewel. As such, there are many enemies to fight with and so even if Inuyasha and Kagome are fighting the boss, there are other enemies for their companions to fight with showing us what they’re capable of.

Yashahime has the seven rainbow pearls which not everyone knows about and while powerful, it’s not as great as the Shikon Jewel that helped create it. There’s also just one main bad guy group - Kirinmaru, his sister Zero, and the four perils (one of them is dead before the story starts, too so 3 perils). Not all of them have minions or bring a horde of demons in battle so in a fight with the trio, there’s a lack of enemy. Some episodes at least have 2-3 or so but the later boss fights are like, 1 or 2... and Moroha gets thrown off and the twins get the spotlight and there’s no other enemy they can give Moroha who ends up being used as comic relief.

I hope this changes in the second season at least. Let Moroha show off more of her badass abilities. Even if she's a quarter-demon, she is also the daughter of Kagome and have sacred abilities which can actually fight off demons and make her immune to some debilitating stuff for demons like her as shown in one of the episodes. There's so much potential there!

Also, I wish they let Hisui be a part of the team. Like, he’s Miroku and Sango’s kid. Can’t he be a part of the main cast, too? It’s a waste cause he is close with Setsuna having worked with her as a Demon Slayer. He could be incorporated in the story and could even give us insights as to what's happened with his family in the time when Inuyasha and Kagome disappeared and all that and even give a reason to have Miroku and Sango appearances from time to time.

Thoughts on Yawaragi and the wolves:

Another thing wasted. She helped raise Moroha who is a main character so she should've gotten a bit more screentime rather than everything about her shoved in one episode and is barely talked about after. If they just didn't do the whole mystery thing with Moroha's backstory they could've put more flashbacks with her time with Moroha earlier in the show. You can't tell me they weren't trying to make Moroha's past mysterious when she barely talked about her Master or her childhood with not even a single second of flashback showing up before the episode with Yawaragi. There's also that time when Towa asked why Moroha is trying so hard to get money from bounty hunting and then Moroha dodged answering. So many theories came out of that interaction! People thought her bounty hunting and debt is connected to her real parents even.

If they didn't go with this route we could've gotten attached to the idea that even if Moroha didn't have her real parents around, she's got someone else that care about her and their reunion and battle against each other would've felt more dramatic. I personally would've felt "No! She could've been here longer to see Moroha grow as a fighter and even talk to her parents once they're back!" but due to how it was done, I couldn't feel that. Moroha is already independent when she's introduced and again, we barely hear anything about Yawaragi. It would've also helped develop Moroha as a character cause we'd know more about her and how she became who she is now.

Also, Moroha is given to the wolf tribe led by Koga. Imagine if they showed that in flashbacks and expanded on it! Koga's a supporting character in Inuyasha and was even in a love triangle with him wanting to get Kagome. It would've been interesting to see the characters we knew from back then while also showing us Moroha's childhood.

Like, one of the things I mentioned that I wanted to see when I found out the sequel is about the next gen kids is seeing how the now grown up cast of Inuyasha interact with the kids and how they are as parents. With the kids' actual parents not around for reasons (depriving us of seeing how they'd handle being first time parents which is a shame), the kids' interaction with their foster family is the next best thing. They gave us a couple of episodes about Towa and her life with the Higurashi's (specifically, Kagome's now adult younger brother Souta and his family) and later Setsuna living in the hanyou village under Shiori - also a supporting character like Koga but appears only for a few episodes. Again, something for the twins but not much for Moroha. It could've been something!

Thoughts on Takechiyo:

He's kind of like the Shippo of the show but isn't treated like he is. I like it actually cause seeing the promotional materials made me think he'd be Shippo 2.0 but just like the other characters, he didn't become an actual copy-paste.

Takechiyo works for Jyubei just like Moroha does but he's more of Moroha's supervisor (could order her around and would send Jyubei reports of what Moroha is doing on the job) while also acting as transportation for Moroha (or Towa if bribed) towards where the demon they need to fight are. He's not a part of the main cast but shows up a lot due to the transportation thing.

He does seem to have a deeper backstory but it is barely touched upon at all. I do hope they do something about it in s2.

Thoughts on Riku x Towa:

From the episode where Riku is first introduced, many fans already wanted to ship Riku with Towa. They do have that feel to it with their interaction at the beginning - it's cute! It does get the spotlight and the fans do get an episode which is really shippy but as I pointed out in the main Yashahime post, it felt rushed.

The first time Riku appeared, they had a bit of moment and then Riku has Towa framed up for stealing a sword he probably took himself for entertainment, probably as there seem to have not been any important reason for this. It gets settled as we saw from episode 1 but it's never brought up again. When he shows up in front of the trio later on, he gets greeted like the issue never happened.

Anyways, Riku does get scenes for himself but it's either him being mysterious or interacting with the enemies (which made it hard for fans to pinpoint exactly where his loyalties lie and it was hard to know how exactly to feel about him). He doesn't have much interaction with the trio either only showing up from time to time and there didn't seem to be any personal talks either.. you know, bonding moment that isn't just going into battle?

I'm bringing all of this up because the shippy episode is, as I said, felt rushed. Riku suddenly feels something for Towa but it felt like it came out of nowhere due to the lack of meaningful scenes together. He's not human nor a normal being (he's a doll, apparently?) and don't understand emotions that well and the buildup to him suddenly having feelings for Towa felt unrealistic. Emotionless or stoic characters gaining an understanding of feelings, especially their own, is a big deal. Sesshoumaru himself, Towa's father, went through this and his character development from always annoyed and angry villain to actually-starting-to-care anti-hero is really fun to watch and it was something I looked forward to seeing in the original series. Riku's development didn't really have give the same satisfying feeling due to how it was handled. There was a lack of gradual buildup.

Upon revisiting past episodes and remembering that he doesn't think very well of half-demons and humans (probably cause of what happened to his mistress, Zero with the whole heartbreak thing) it makes the thing even weirder. I could maybe think that he might be lying to Towa but a couple of his actions later on like lying to Zero about Towa, it seems he does honestly care about her.

There's still a chance in s2 though since the two didn't really get together and were more "I don't get it but maybe I do feel something." in that episode. It's not fully romantic yet but could actually get there. With Riku being connected to Kirinmaru and Zero though, I'm kind of scared for how his character would develop outside of ships (like he could end up becoming a bad guy firmly on Zero's side with no hesitation anymore to uh... I do hope they don't kill him in the end).

His role of being in the enemy side but slowly cares for the heroes have so much potential for a fun story development!

Finally, thoughts on Kirinmaru:

He’s been kinda weird from the start. He could’ve killed the girls himself when he found out about them but he didn’t even though there’s this prophecy thing which is strange. I mean it was talked about like it was urgent but then again, most of it seem to be fueled by Zero and her personal issues at being heartbroken lol.

Kirinmaru is as confusing as Riku when it comes to understanding what he’s on about and where his character is gonna go. A bad guy who doesn’t really act like it and have mysterious plans. I guess this’ll be focused on in season 2. Hopefully. Please don’t drag this out longer than it should be.

On the other hand, a minor thing: final battle between the girls and Kirinmaru at the first season’s climax: Setsuna is probably dead and her sister and cousin are enraged. Moroha goes Beniyasha-mode and Towa finally goes demon-mode and both unleash their most powerful attacks onto Kirinmaru. They got beaten which isn’t as surprise at all cause Kirinmaru is supposed to be as powerful as the girls’ grandfather who is a Daiyoukai and there’s no way in hell a bunch of kids (with one lacking in a lot of battle experience) could suddenly beat him just like that.

Anyways, Moroha uses her most powerful attack which is something her grandpa, the Daiyoukai Toga created but had evolved into something more her own. Towa is similar with her using her most powerful attack that came from her father but this time, changed into something of her own. Kirinmaru notices and while blocking off their attacks actually talks to them basically saying “These techniques you’re using that originally came from your grandfather and father respectively have been changed into something else by yourselves so you guys should rename them appropriately.”

He said it so calmly before defeating them afterwards. I thought “lol this guy sounds like a teacher.”

Hehehe

[melonnlordd]

I have so many opinonsss

She-Ra Season 5 SPOILERS up ahead.

I'm going to start with the following:

This is my first original post. So, yay. It only took me 7 years to muster up the courage.

I understand and accept that people may have opinions/thoughts that are different from mine, and they're obviously just as valid.

I am up for friendly debates and exchanging of thoughts and opinions. Eg. "hey, catradora was so cool. But I don’t think I like the idea of Glimmer and Bow." To which I would respond saying "Why, yes friendo. Catradora was so cool. And while I ldidn’t thinkg Glimmer and Bow would be canon, I actually like them together." 

I honestly don't expect anyone to read any of this, but I really needed to get this all of my chest because my lack of friends - who share my interests. I have friends. The three of them are great 👍😬👍- and the overall loneliness that's accompanying my quarantining was driving me crazy. 

Hello, brave soul! If you read all that ^ and still want to see what I have to say, thanks bud! Without further ado, I present my mad-man ramblings and thoughts from various points of the day:    

The part where Micah called Glimmer a failure and then she "sees" Angela and gets up again and does that badass mini monologue? First came the goosebumps, then came the free-flowing tears.

I kid you not, at that part with Adora’s future dream/vision? I couldn't breathe at all. And omg babies! They grew up so much!

I was half yelling affirmations throughout the whole thing! And full yelling at Horde Prime: "LEAVE THEM ALONE! THEY'RE KIDS!!"

Omg I love how Bow didn't really trust Catra all that much but he integrated her into the Best Friends Squad so quickly. I love their interactions. Bow and Catra would make such a great duo. I see it as like a Rosa and Terry type duo (from Brooklyn 99). And I died with episode 8, "Shot in the Dark". It's probs one of my favourite episodes.

Oooooooh my god. Wrong Hordak is me. I am Wrong Hordak. Best character ever 👌👌👌. And that episode where he learns to wink and he even tries imitating Bow when he's trying to be all innocent and question a shop owner person in Erelandia? The. Best.

Wrong Hordak is goaals. I one day hope to be cute as him.

Also, did anyone else think of Dan (as in Daniel Howell) with all the inappropriate winking and existential crisis and overall adorableness. (Tangent: I miss him)

Shadow Weaver? Duuuuudes when she took off that mask I choked on my tears!

Catra and Glimmer's interactions on Horde Prime's ship? Pulled at my heart stings👌👌👌👌

And duudes! Adora and Catra!!! The BIGGEST BEST THING EVER. I've high-key shipped them for soooo long. And Glimmer and Bow too! Although, I wasn't sure if that would ever be canon. They're cute and good and they deserve good things.

SEAMISTA! They were just so darn adorable! I love them.

Episode 7, "Perils of Peekablue" was amazing. Not only cause of Double Trouble and Scorpia’s singing, but those outfits!!! They were soooo cool! Mermista's in particular. I aspire to be that well put together, nail polish included. Speaking of outfits, Catra's ensemble in Adora's future dream/vision was awesome! As a nerd who loves suits and blazers, I will be trying on the down low to get these looks for myself. And if I manage to pull them off, you bet I'll be wearing them out as much as I can. (excuse me, I'm busy imagining myself hitting up McDonald's looking hella fine)

Adora’s new look. 

I was so scared going into this season. I was scared they'd ruin Catra. Or pull a Legends of Korra at the end (I love Korra VERY much, so I feel a little weird about bashing it). BUT NAHHH! THEY DID US RIGHT! Nothing felt forced or unnaturally sped up to me. Catra and Adora BELONG together.

The whole time I was very scared they'd pull an Endgame and kill off someone and/orrr kill off their personalities/characters.

I'm not someone who's big on stuff where they push some sort of token character just for the sake of having it (eg. The token gay character), but I tend to I look past it. I’m also not someone who intentionally seeks out things that are known for doing it well. (Not sure if I’m making sense anymore, so haha) But THIS ENTIRE SHOW IS SOOO IMPORTANT! I actually feel represented in so many ways!! The levels of diversity are amazing and realistic and I love it. I get these characters. I see them everyday, in my friends, family, and definitely in myself. They all feel so real. I’m very pointedly not thinking about how season 5 was not only the best, but also the last.

Every time Catra had to face Horde Prime, I was sooo anxious for her!

And dudes, Kyle and Rogelio?  Even that bit with them at the end. Love that there's no loose ends.

I want a Melog. Someone give me one. Melog is great.

That part where Bow sends out that mass message to all of Etheria? I felt soo proud! And there's even that shot where Bow's dad's are watching the message and it's amazing. Bow was so brave. They were all brave. Brave Babies.

And oooooohh god. The theme song. THE THEME SONGGGGGGGG.

I usually don't click with a protagonist. They're so righteous and nice and kind and good. I just couldn't relate to that. But I love Adora, and I understand her. I see where she's coming from and I see her reasoning. I love her so much and she's been through so much and I really want her to be happy. And I never found her annoying or bland like some protagonists are. She was so much more than the Hero. She was human and relatable.

I am feeling soo many things. Happiness. Melancholy. Giddiness. Sleep Deprived (the season was released at 3am for me). It’s been a great day.