#but even though i prefer s2 over s1

[phantom-of-the-501st]

Slightly Bitter

It's been over 24 hours now and I seem to have transitioned from denial into anger. 😅 Not incredibly pissed off or anything, but a little bit jaded.

I said early on in the season that I didn't want them to give Tech all of this character development only to kill him off straight away; it's cheap storytelling. And that's part of why I don't think that he's dead. It would be a bad narrative decision if he was. And me not believing that he was dead helped me accept this part of the story.

HOWEVER, having a few hours to sit on it, actually getting some sleep, and then crying about it again this morning seems to have cleared my head enough to take this all in and... I'm not totally happy with it. Okay, we don't think that Tech is dead, but him being dead is what the writers want us to think. And that's why I think that it all still feels a little cheap.

Even if he isn't gone, it still feels like they gave Tech so much focus this season just for the purpose of getting a stronger reaction out of us. They wanted us to get more attached to this character so that they could make us even more sad over a supposed death that doesn't even make sense narratively.

It's a level of emotional manipulation with the audience that doesn't sit right with me.

I don't hate this moment and I do think that a lot of it is because I don't truly believe that he's dead, and that Tech sacrificing himself is something that I can see him doing, but the fact that they want us to believe that him dying is what happened is why it's rubbing me the wrong way. Had he had more character development in S1, then I don't think it would bother me as much, but because it's so heavily focused in season 2, it feels too manipulative.

Characters shouldn't be given development purely for the reason of getting a stronger reaction over their death.

[spacedlexi]

Wait, people think Carver is the best TWDG villain?? I always thought he was basic as hell, and the fact that he was beefing with an 11-years old girl... Now Stranger on the other hand was great, he was super intimidating and off-putting and I was genuinely so scared he would hurt Clementine. I also liked Minnie for the same reasons (she was so creepy/off-putting), but I still think Stranger is the best villain bc he had a great setup while Minnie was kind of a secondary villain. But going back to Lilly/Carver, I also definitely prefer Lilly over Carver even though neither are my favorite... And now I'm kind of curious how you would rank the rest of the TWDG villains? 🤔

carver being the best villain is a sentiment ive heard for years 😭 im sure its coming from the "S2 is the best season" crowd tho which i also dont agree with 💀

the stranger is an effective villain. hes not exactly the typical villain type people expect. but hes very unsettling and him stalking clementine for who even knows how long through the walkie talkie is 🤢 he really makes me feel sick. she was using that talkie to deal with the loss of her parents, and this fucking creep took advantage of that so hard he was able to convince her to trust him. ugh he makes me feel so gross. and think of all the guilt clem must have about that situation. trusting this freak to help her find her parents, when if she had just stayed then lee wouldnt have gotten bit looking for her, and her parents were already dead the entire time anyway. oof. theres no way that isnt one of the biggest regrets of her life

carver is fine. i definitely think his character wouldve made more sense if they put kenny in that role instead. that way theres less "i am a grown man beefing with an 11 year old" and more "this is a child i helped look out for once, and im gonna make sure shes raised Right". but i agree that carver as he is is just over the top. overly villainous to the point of it being a little comical. like when villains are all tough like that my reaction is usually "god i WISH youd fucking kill me already so i dont have to hear your bullshit anymore do you know how GOOFY you sound??". if it was kenny in that role i definitely think they wouldve been able to tone it back a bit, and him "having a good side" wouldve been way more believable. as he is carver is kind of one note

joan.... definitely the weakest of the bunch. i dont really have much to say about her. david isnt even technically a villain but i definitely saw him as the better antagonist for the season. i mean hes definitely a villain in clems eyes. and is a constant semi-antagonist towards javi throughout the whole season. joans just kinda.. there.. doing things behind the scenes to cause conflict until the final confrontation. and then she can just disappear... okay

i like the way the antagonists work in S4. theres more of a discussion around what actually makes someone a villain and the difference between a person who fucked up and made (very horrible) mistakes, and a person who is straight up a threat. and i like that it connects back to the idea of lee and his murder of that senator. did he do something horrible? yes. did he destroy his relationship to his family? yes. does he regret what he did? i think so. and he definitely has guilt about his fucked up relationship with his wife. in S1 they mention how non-guilty people got sent to prison all the time. while lee is Definitely a murderer, we get to see over the season that hes a good guy who just wanted a family and in a moment of rage and betrayal did something he can never take back. this is why i never hated marlon. did he fuck up and do horrible things? of course. but he was a scared fucked up teen leading a group of other scared fucked up teens. he knows he fucked up, and continued fucking up to cover for his previous fuck ups lol. but he can be talked down. its a shame it ends the way it does, but i really like being able to teach aj the difference between people like marlon and people like lilly

lilly takes that kenny/carver idea and applies it to a clementine that has grown up and has been looking out for herself (and baby aj) for years now, instead of the 11 year old trying to figure shit out she was in S2. shes too old for lilly to be able to sway her in a way she couldve been more susceptible to in S2, and when lilly finally realizes this she just turns her attention to aj instead, seeing the potential in him (a potential clem does NOT want aj to live up to, wanting him to get to be a kid and not just a survivor, let alone a killer). lilly is fun because you can see in her that she WANTS clementine on her side, and throughout the season progressively realizes that its just never going to happen. both lilly AND clem come to the realization that this person they once considered family is beyond reason, their views too different, and so the fighting begins. their fight at the end of EP3 really feels like a "so its finally come to this" moment for both of them, their final fight. i always shoot her.

whats interesting about minnie is seeing her evolve from secondary antagonist in EP3 to straight up primary villain in EP4. the things shes done, the way shes been broken. she becomes her own downfall, seeing herself as someone beyond redemption. that this is just who she is now, its how things have to be. because if they didnt have to be this way? well then theres a lot more guilt she'd have to deal with. yelling at her in EP4 to just STOP FOR THE LOVE OF GOD YOU DONT HAVE TO DO THIS ANYMORE but she has been changed (in her eyes) so irreparably that she cant see any other option. and she progressively sees clem as the one who fucked everything up for her, instead of accepting that it could all finally be OVER. after killing sophie, the delta was all she had left. it cant have all been for nothing. and so she blames clem for taking it all away from her, even tho clem is just trying to protect her family. the family that used to be minnies. and so in her rage she gets bit. something else that she couldve avoided. but shes just too lost to her own downward spiral, unable to be reasoned with. by that point she just wants it all to be Over. and she wants to take tenn with her so she can finally pretend things can all go back to the way they used to be. her, sophie, tenn, and their parents all together again, where no more bad things have to happen to them. shes super tragic and i love her for that. and i love how she holds this dark mirror up to clem. clem struggles to let go of her past too, and the guilt she has over the things shes done and people shes hurt. and that if she cant learn to let go and move on she could get lost to it the same way minnie did. theres a reason clem is so quick to accept her fate, but shes finally able to leave that guilt holding her to her past behind in that barn. and she returns to ericson a much happier and lighter person, so much weight finally lifted from her shoulders. its finally over for her too

so yeah. my fave villains are definitely the S4 ones due to their nuance and layers. then the stranger, then carver, then joan. if i had to put david on this list he'd probably be above carver. but thats mainly because he has more nuance than carver ever did

[thestrangestthing89]

So I'm gonna say the kinda mean/exasperated thing because I keep seeing a lot of comments lately where people think Mike and El are going to be BFFs next season and they are all excited about it. People have made this relationship into more than it is.

Having headcanons is fine but some people are genuinely convinced they have a friendship and it's coming solely from fan fiction and not the narrative. Next season isn't going to show them suddenly working together and communicating. It isn't realistic and it's never been their story.

If Mike and El were friends they wouldn't be having the following problems:

El wouldn't feel insecure in their relationship in S4 because Mike didn't tell her he loved her. She would feel like they have a bond even if it's platonic. But instead she feels neglected and like he's pulling away.

Mike wouldn't feel insecure in S4 and tell Will several times that he doesn't feel like he has a place in her life because they fought. If they had a friendship as the basis of their relationship, it wouldn't matter if they fought. He'd still feel bad but he wouldn't worry she doesn't need him. He would know their friendship is still there and that they can talk it through.

They would have shown them bonding over something in S3. Instead all we get is them making out. They make a point to go out of their way and show they have nothing in common and they don't bond over things. They don't have shopping and sleepovers like El and Max and they don't have D&D and the arcade like Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin. They don't have anything that they share besides trauma. They could have easily given us a moment here where they were playing board games, watching movies, or talking and they don't. And it's implied by Hopper and everyone else that those moments don't exist.

Mike wouldn't have been jealous she was hanging out with Max. He is upset Max became instant friends with her and bonded with her. It's a relationship that he wants - a plantonic one - and one that they can't manage to have.

Mike brings up very platonic things at the end of S3 when they move out. He wants her and Will to visit. It's a conversation about friendship. El quickly shifts the conversation to something romantic and it halts any friendship they could have established at this point. It's clearly something Mike would prefer to have and he's confused she pushes for romance instead.

S1 doesn't give them time to bond over anything. They are in danger and focused on saving Will. They don't talk about anything else except bullying for 1 min. Mike tries to bring up this brief moment of connection in S4 and gets shut down immediately by El. Bullying is not a conversation that brought them closer.

Mike also spends 1 day at home with her when they first find her. He shows her around the house and it's one of the few times this season we see them acting like kids. But bonding over how to work a La-z-boy isn't the foundation of a friendship. It's a very small moment. And it's tied to El's introduction to the real world. It's the bsy trope which doesn't represent healthy relationships.

They are apart for most of S2 and the only moment of potential bonding is the Snow Ball. We don't see much of this. Only Mike being upset that Will is dancing with someone and him looking pretty despondent even after El arrives. Since these two never talk I doubt they suddenly did here. What's more likely is the group hung out. Even though it's established they stop hanging out with them later, it's made clear by Will they were only getting ditched for the summer. The Snow Ball is never referenced by either of them again. They don't bring up that it was fun or reminisce or anything like that. They don't seem to have pictures either besides the one really awkward one that may just be of Finn and Millie behind the scenes and not meant to be them as a couple. They have very little time together and very little screen time. if they wanted to establish a close relationship they would have written it differently. Instead we get a very superficial relationship built off of their shared trauma. And this trauma could have been something that bonded them and gave them a deeper understanding of each other. Instead it's in stark contrast to the way the Nancy and Jonathan, and Mike and Will, and Lucas and Max respond to trauma together. They help each other through these moments and understand each other. Mike and El don't. So season 5 isn't suddenly going to show them bonding. They aren't going to be hanging out and watching movies just the two of them. Because it's established they don't have anything in common.The time for that in the narrative is passed. This doesn't mean they don't care about each other. They do. But you can care about people and not be close with them. Their character arcs have been about them learning how to exist without each other and be true to themselves. Mike uses her to hide his true feelings for Will and his sexuality, and El uses Mike to hide and be like the other kids. They use each other to feel normal. The whole point is that they find themselves and stop pretending and they can't do that with each other. Now at some point in the future it's possible for them to build some kind of friendship. But at this point their entire character development relies on them being separate from each other. They can't find independence when they are together. It causes them both to regress. Right now they basically forced a romantic relationship and coexist because of trauma. It's not a healthy foundation for any relationship. Having them be separated at this point in their development/character arc is the only way each of them will manage to progress. After they get some space from each other it's possible for them to form a friendship, but they can't do that when they don't establish a stronger sense of self because they end up creating codependency between them. It's the healthiest thing for them to be apart. They share the same friend group so it's not like they won't interact. But we aren't going to suddenly see them being close and being BFFs especially one on one. I'd be surprised if we even get a scene of just the two of them post-breakup. They'll likely be with the group. Their paths are different now and they don't need each other to fulfill a sense of normalcy the way they once did. And this is ok. It's good even. Mike's identity and character development involves Will and his friendships with Lucas and Dustin. I would also like to see him establish stronger familial bonds with Nancy and his mother specifically. And El's character arc has always been about finding family so it's much more important to see her with Will, Jonathan, Hopper, and Joyce. Her forming healthy friendships and actually hanging out and having fun with Max, Lucas, and Dustin in particular is so important for her character development. But they have more than established the Mike and El hold each other back. That's been the whole point.

[dilftesbiggestfan]

more dante pookie hcs plz its rare to see dante stans

on it bro I’m giving u mys and diaries hcs cuz why not we gotta be more annoying like laurence stans

Mystreet:

he gets Gene gifts every Father’s Day since from his perspective he was the one who raised him alongside his mom and was the only father figure he had :,)

Has like 12 guitars (this isn’t over-exaggerating)

started dyeing his hair blue after freshman year of HS, his natural hair color is black

he was a late bloomer so he looked more feminine while the others looked masculine and were developing quickly, Nana thought he was adorable which is why she dated him also at some point Zenix thought he was a girl 💀 after 16 he started developing quickly and becoming more masculine till he finished puberty at 20

grew up in Nashville before moving to the city pdh is located in then he went to college in Spain then he moved to wherever Mystreet is (still haven’t decided but its the USA).

has a masters degree in engineering, and has a great paying job which makes it easier for him to travel a lot, he always takes Gene and his friends/family with him though, he hatessss travelling alone

ages gracefully currently he’s 34 in my rewrite and he still looks 24 same goes to gene (but Mystreet seasons 1 - 3 takes place in their early 20’s and mid 20’s; which is the past I know it’s confusing but so is my head so yeah. If ur wondering seasons 4 - 6 don’t exist and never will be canon to me :))

pretty masculine but still uses makeup and “women’s” perfume / skin care doesn’t care tho

cooks really well but he’s not the best because Laurence is and no one else can compete

when he was dating nana he learned Japanese for her and can speak around 80% of it, basically he can hold up a long conversation he can also speak other languages:

English (obviously, American accent)

French 65% Spanish (Mexican dialect cuz he’s Mexican)

(Spain dialect, he learned the European dialect first then worked his way up to Mexican dialect, he can switch between dialects easily)

he can also understand some Portuguese :)

very picky with fast food, he prefers healthy food but he does like pizza

really calm and chill (unlike his canon version) opposite to Travis who’s extremely chaotic and messy

long hair and refuses to cut it

Eventually he does dye his hair back to black in his 30s after feeling like he damaged it (thankfully he didn’t and won’t be balding like dilfte 😇)

Favourite band is Metallica

nerd when it comes to astrophysics and astronomy

only ex he’s in good terms with is nana who he dated for a while in HS before they decided to mutually split up (no he never dated Nicole I hate that ship)

MCD:

Loves wolves and tames them he treats them like puppies even though they can rip apart peoples flesh :3

is 7’2… …. ..

insanely beefed up because bro ran a village all by himself for 15 years and trained hard everyday also he canonically beat both laurence and garroth in a fight after the timeskip he’s a beast

ambidextrous and can use both arms efficiently when it comes to combat and fighting

Dilfte rarely shows his face like how Garroth used to wear his helmet back in s1? it’s like that

Extremely gentle and cautious with his wife and kids because of his size

has 7 kids including Dmitri and naoki (so 5 other kids) yeah he been busy

in s2 he’s in his early/mid 30s but in s3 of MCD and afterwards he’s in his early/mid 40s

Still madly in love with his wife and still in that honeymoon stage

Unlike Nicole he let Dmitri pick who he wanted to live with and Dmitri chose Dilfte and Nana

Wraps injured people up in his cape and carries them in it

physically very strong slightly above garroth (if we’re counting physical strength and not magic)

as intimidating as he looks he’s super sweet and wouldn’t hurt a fly

likes to go on picnics with his kids and wife

Extremely supportive of his kids and very progressive (keep in mind this is the medieval ages so it was rare)

finds lizards intimidating

bisexual but he doesn’t know what it means all he knows is women and men are both hot

Moved on “quickly” from Nicole because they already were unhappy and distant before breaking up, for months he thought they’d break up the next day so he spent that time wallowing and grieving their relationship until she broke the news to him and left him alone, then he moved on with Nana 2 months later. Which isn’t even quick if we’re being historically accurate.

limits drinking and refuses drinking around any kids, not that he’d go crazy and hurt anyone but still he’s extremely cautious.

Dilfte is probably the only dad who wants his kids to surpass him in the series 💀 he’s very proud of them no matter what though

long hair he puts it up usually (balding and short haired dilfte/dante ur dead to me.)

beard

Still tried to talk to Gene using the amulet even after the incident, Gene would always listen but never respond.

thanks for fuelling the hyperfixation

[buckybarnesss]

You are so right about people not wanting to admit Stiles is mean. I have no idea why. He is mean. He is rude. He lies. He manipulates.

Stiles knows that Lydia is dating and loves Jackson. He STILL hits on her. He still makes weird comments, he is completely obsessed with her. He does not see her as a person. She is an object, something to be won.

Derek is not mean. He does actually share information with people. He tries to help people. He doesn't insult Stiles, he doesn't insult Allison.

It is extremely telling that the rape survivor who enforces his boundaries is seen as the mean one, while Stiles is seen as the nice one even though he objectifies Lydia and doesn't respect her boundaries or her relationships.

it is one thing for stiles to have a crush on lydia, you know but stiles was obsessed with idea of lydia not lydia herself. she was not a person to him. he projects a lot onto her.

it's literally the nice guy trope. like jackson is a douche but is he really any worse than stiles is at the end of the day? i would've liked to see the jackson whittermore speech of "so you've been used against your will to murder people" to stiles.

but i digress.

the scene where stiles is in her room when she's drugged up and in a negligee is extremely uncomfortable. the way he buys her an expensive gift (multiple gifts even) for her birthday? fucking weird man.

it really isn't until season 3 he begins to actually view her as a person and they begin to become actual friends.

i have a lot of thoughts and feelings about the stiles and lydia dynamic that would make some people very upset i think. i don't believe they were ever in love with each other.

i think there's something interesting to how stiles treats derek compared to how stiles treats lydia. both derek and lydia are often put side by side by the narrative. they're very similar. i think learning how to treat derek better and as a complete person helped stiles treat lydia better.

stiles is a lot of things. he's contains multitudes. he's also a prickly asshole. some of the things he says are treated as funny when really it's like damn bro what.

i think people mistake derek's straightforward nature as being mean. derek can be blunt and seems to prefer it over peter's type of finessing. he can do these things but would rather not.

it's interesting how fanon and canon get all tangled up sometimes. especially how fandom sometimes gets so stuck on s1 and s2 characterizations.

[tillychmo]

S1-Izzy's Foreshadowed Road to Redemption in s2

(And me slightly gushing over Con O'Neill's acting on the way.)

Right-o. We need to talk about our man Izzy Hands. More specifically we need to talk about Izzy in ep110 and through to the second series, because I have yet to see anyone else comment with this particular angle, so here's my hot take:

(This will include obvious spoilers for all of the current two series of Our Flag Means Death)

I've seen some people talk about Izzy's character change as something that happened 'way too quickly' – I've seen others talk about Izzy not being a bad guy in series 1 at all – and I've seen a lot of people come away from the scene in ep. 110 where they're throwing out Stede's books and Fang/Kevin asks Izzy what happened to his foot with an understanding that Izzy's reaction to that question is one of gloading satisfaction, and because I kinda disagree with all of these takes (but especially the latter), here's my wee take on the lot – with particular emphasis on that 'smile' in ep. 110:

Jumping right in: The second 'Krackbeard' cuts off Izzy's toe Izzy knows that he has f*cked up and finally pushed Ed too far. Sure, Izzy has been used to Blackbeard cutting the toes off of other crew members and make them eat it "for a laugh" for years and years – but Blackbeard/Edward has never turned his violence on Izzy before.

Izzy wanted Blackbeard back, yes, and all the way through s1 he pushed and pushed and pushed him, even though Ed clearly didn't want to be 'Blackbeard' anymore.

We see this in the 'soft' manipulations – like him saying "My boss would like a word with you" to Stede, but telling Edward "I explicitly told him 'Blackbeard desires his company'" – and we see it more and more prevalent as Ed grows closer to and more and more fond of Stede – like Izzy ordering Fang/Kevin and Ivan to back him up in his demand that Edward kills Stede (based on Fang's & Ivan's reactions in the previous scene "This is the most open and available I've ever seen him", I feel OK with surmising that Izzy probably ordered them to back him up here) so that Edward will 'lose face' or even be looked at as weak if he refuses to do it; like insisting on a swordfight with Stede – directly against his captain's orderes – and choosing to not just banish Stede from the ship when it looks as though Izzy is going to win, but actually going in for the kill; like selling Stede (the man Ed loves) out to the English, while also basically treating Edward as a commodity, by making him the 'price' Izzy will earn from the British, when they've captured Stede.

The latter of which – and this is equally as important to note – literally sets the whole trajectory of Ed's fall into Krackbeard in motion.

Ed is the one who returns to the Revenge – not Blackbeard. And Izzy is continually at his wits end, because he has now done nearly every single manipulative thing he can think of (Izzy obviously doesn't think of these things as 'manipulative' – in his eyes he is still doing the 'right thing') to get Edward to 'snap out of it'. But Ed is still refusing to act the part of Izzy's preferred understanding of what masculinity is. In fact, after his return Ed slips even further into the kind of 'feminine'-masculinity that Izzy despises.

And Izzy finally cracks – insisting that 'Edward' and 'Blackbeard' are not the same, and then taunting Edward with his percieved weakness of being heartbroken. This finally goads a reaction out of Ed.

And for the glimmer of a second Izzy thinks he sees 'Blackbeard' in Ed – and you can see the sheer satisfaction on his face:

But Ed doesn't want to be Blackbeard. And the moment Izzy touches his face (other people have written brilliantly on Ed's reactions to physical touch – if I can find it, I will add a link to it here), Ed doesn't go in for the counter attack. Instead, he pushes Izzy's hand away, let's go of Izzy's neck, and takes several steps back. Even here, when he is being actively threatned, he is still refusing to 'act the part' of overt violence that Izzy is demanding of him.

And because Con O'Neill is an actor's absolute dream (side-note: seriously, I cannot get enough of watching his micro-expressions when a thought changes and you can see it so clearly in his eyes) we can see the split-second where Izzy realises this:

(Seriously that thiny change of his eyes is so easy to miss and yet it speaks VOLUMES for Izzy's character and character arc – Con O'Neill you brilliant bastard.)

So at the point where Ed is at his absolutely most vulnerable – because the crew has made him feel safe to do so – Izzy goes for the final 'trick' he has left: He threatens Ed on his life.

And this brings us back to the beginning of this post: Krackbeard cutting off Izzy's toe. Supposedly this should have been an indicator to Izzy that 'Blackbeard' is back and is "himself again" and Izzy even says this himself:

And here we arrive at the whole reason for why I've made this post (yeah, sorry, I know it took a while) :

Izzy is telling us that he finally got what he wanted: "Blackbeard is himself again". In other words: "I WON. YAY."

BUT – and I cannot stress this enough – look at the reaction that follows those words:

"I WON ... YAY?"

THIS is the look that clued me in on where Izzy's character arc was heading. Because there is only one reason to allow the antagonist of your story to crack even the flicker of an inch and acidentally show their true feelings like this – and that is if they are on their way to redemption. And with redemption more often than not also comes their inevitable demise.

THIS is not the face of a man who is happy. THIS is the face of a man who knows damn well that he just cosmically f*cked up and now has to live with the consequences.

Which is why we see him, immediately after this accidental facial honesty, putting on the face of a man who actually got what he wanted. Because he is suddenly finding himself in unchartered territory: Izzy knows who 'Blackbeard' is – but he has no clue who 'Krackbeard' is or how to handle him, because 'Krackbeard' is born from the lack of Stede, the heartbreak that followed, Ed's self-hatred, and the threats from Izzy. And Izzy didn't understand this ... Until he suddenly starts to realise it, when it is seemingly already too late.

So when series two started and we see a completely broken down Izzy, I was not surprised at all. Because not only did Izzy realise in ep. 110 that he had finally pushed Ed too far – he has, in the intervening weeks and months, seen Edward (the man Izzy was/has been/is coming to realise that he loves) deteriorate, doing more and more drugs and abusing alcohol and becoming more and more depressed and suicidal. Izzy has finally realised what antagonising Ed actually costs: Ed's attachment to life – Ed's willingness to live. And the reason why we see Izzy change his tune towards Stede fairly/incredibly quickly in s2, is because Izzy has realised that the only way to save Ed, is to accept that Stede is what brings Ed to life. Not 'Blackbeard', or 'Krackbeard', or any other performative persona, but "just Ed".

Which is why mirroring the 'attack' scene in 110 with the words "There he is" in Izzy's final words to Ed is so damn beautiful.

IZZY: "Just be Ed." Ed breaks down crying. IZZY: "There he is."

(An afterthought: Writing this I'm realising that Izzy's final scene with Edward in 208 actually beautifully mirrors their scene in 110 in more ways than "There he is". In 110 we see Izzy being pinned against the wall; he is 'finally' being touched by Edward, but it happens with violence and agression and with no hint of care or love – but in 208 Izzy asks Ed to sit with him, and not only does Ed stay with him, he is literally holding him, caringly and lovingly in his arms. No agression and no violence. Just care and love and familarity and warmth. Not telling Izzy that he loves him, but showing him. And I think that's quite a nice thought to end on.)

[emoxxzombie]

Winx Club Character Essays: Musa

Quick disclaimer: this is basically me just rambling (so be warned.) While I will present already known canon information, I will also be sharing my own hcs. So pretty much how I see Musa based on canon. Please keep that in mind as you read through, as I'm sure many of your guys' views on Musa are different from mine. Another thing that I'd like to add is that this "essay" specifically discusses Musa in the earlier seasons of Winx, since the writers did change her personality up a lot in the later seasons. Anyways, with that out of the way, let's get into the actual "essay"

So, let's start off with what we already know about Musa, shall we?

Musa is the fairy of music, and was born on the planet Melody. Her birthday is May 30th, and she is 16 years old during the first season of Winx. She is the daughter of Matlin and Ho-Boe, and her on-and off boyfriend being Riven. She is an aspiring singer and musician. Among her friends, Musa scores the best grades in her schoolwork. She's a bit of a loner and is one of the most tomboyish among the other Winx. Musa is very emotionally vulnerable, and offsets this by appearing strong and resilient, often times putting up a strong front.

Now, let's look a bit more into her personality. At times Musa can be quite a snide, as seen with Stella and even Flora in the earlier seasons. She is also short tempered and moody. We see her get quite defensive over herself (as well as her friends.) She's not afraid to get in people's faces if it comes down to it. Musa is a good listener too though. For instance, in s2 when Aisha/Layla had just transferred to Alphea, and felt like she didn't fit in, Musa was right there for her and comforted her when she needed it most.

I want to go over Musa's appearance now. She has a light skin complexion (close to pale), dark blue hair, and dark blue eyes. Clothing wise, in s1 her main civilian outfit consists of a single strapped red tank top, a purple bicep bracelet (that usually appears on her right bicep but you'll sometimes see it on the left), sagged baggy blue jeans that expose her pink underwear slightly, and red sneakers with white soles. I personally, think that Musa likes to dress for herself and doesn't give a shit about what others think of the way she dresses. She dresses for herself, not for the approval of others. Her clothing is another way she expresses herself freely, besides music. Non canonically, I think that Musa also likes to wear a lot of alternative leaning clothes. She mixes components of mall goth, punk, and skater into a sort of streetwear look. She's not that into makeup, and when she does decide to wear some it'll usually just be basic black eyeliner.

For interests, we obviously know that she loves to sing and play instruments, her favorite being a concert flute. She also likes to dance and party. But, let's look into some of my personal interest hcs for her. She likes to skateboard and can do numerous tricks. She may not be as good as Layla might be, but she's definitely good. She loves to watch horror and romance movies. Psychological horror is her favorite but she'll watch almost anything horror. She isn't much into reading and prefers to avoid it (unless it's for studying purposes.) But, she does enjoy graphic novels and comics. She likes to go on late night walks, which help her clear her head and think clearly. When she's not able to go out at night for a walk (for whatever reason), she'll usually stay up until 3 AM playing videogames with Tecna. I have more interest/hobby hcs but I'll stop there.

Now let's talk relationships. We already know who Musa's father and mother are. Her mother, Matlin, died when Musa was a very young child. I've already talked about her relationship with Riven before and have shared a brief bit of my thoughts and views on that so I'm not going to delve into that here (but I'd love to make a separate blog post about it sometime!) When she first met Bloom, she didn't really like her, but not too long after, she started to be able to tolerate her, and then they became friends. In s2, she grew very close to Layla, and they quickly befriended each other. They're best friends (and I will forever be mad about the writers deciding to randomly cut off their friendship in the later seasons.. but I'm going to completely ignore that rn.) Musa is also close to Tecna, but not as much as she is to Layla. She doesn't have many friends outside of the Winx, but that doesn't bother her, she's very happy with the friend group she has.

I could write so much more about Musa, but I think that this post is already long enough as is. To anyone and everyone who actually read all way the way up to this point I literally love you sm omg 😭. Winx is something that I'm really passionate about and it's been one of my biggest hyperfixtations for as long as I can remember.

I plan to write more character essays on some of the other characters from Winx, not sure when, but I'll get to it eventually :).

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"The Bad Batch" Series Review

Now that this show is over and I've had some time to think about it, I'll give my overall thoughts, its strengths, weaknesses, and how it compares to other two main popular animated shows. In general, TBB is a solid show with fun characters, beautiful animation/music, and moments of truly peak Star Wars. Is it perfect? Definitely not, but I love it all the same. It's probably a solid 8/10 for me. In many ways, TBB is the type of show I absolutely love. It's dark, character driven, and touches on mature themes. I love seeing how different characters came to terms with Order 66 and the birth of the Empire. At a time when hope seemed at its bleakest, seeing characters try and find it again is very compelling.

Tbh, I think one of the reasons why I love this show so much is because it really hits home for me. A lot of the themes and ideas that are explored by the characters are also things I've been exploring at the same time. TBB has been a comfort show for me as the world becomes even scarier and I grow as a person. It was the show I needed right now. Also, the Batch remind me of my own friend group. So, I might be a bit biased here.

In comparison to the other shows, I think I love TBB about the same as much as the others. Some days, I'll prefer TBB, other days, I might prefer Rebels or CW. Each show has something I truly love and something that frustrates me. For example, Rebels has a lot of emotional moments I enjoy, but Zeb was really slept on after S2. CW had an amazing scale and scope, but some arcs were just awful. You know which one I'm talking about. TBB is the same. It really depends on the vibe though. At the end of the day though, I truly love all 3 shows and all the joy (and tears) they give me.

Alright, let's get into the nitty gritty.

Weakness:

I'll start off with the flaws just to get them out of the way. I think TBB's biggest flaws are regarding balancing the character dynamics and arcs. I understand that Omega is more or less the main character since she really changes the Batch's life, but they needed to do more. I wanted to learn more about the Batch. However, sometimes it felt like characters could only grow when Omega was with them. Granted, this wasn't the case 100% of the time. Crosshair is the most notable example of this and I loved Tech's interactions with Romar and Phee. Unfortunately, it does affect the characters if they only get characterization with one character. Echo is the biggest victim of this imo. They had a goldmine to explore how he felt in the aftermath of Skako Minor, but they didn't. Crosshair wound up being the Batcher who would've understood him most, except they only exchange two lines of dialogue together in S3. That's it. Imagine how impactful it would've been for Cross if he talked to him. Echo truly understands the horrors of being turned into a lifeless machine. It was an opportunity that was practically gift wrapped for the writers. Sadly, it did not come to pass. Overall, this show just needed more Echo.

Btw, TBB wasn't the only show with this problem. As mentioned above, Zeb didn't get much to do after S2 and I'm disappointed in that. Even Rex and Kallus also got sidelined after S3. CW's format was more forgiving with this, but certain characters like Savage became more irrelevant once more popular characters showed up. Additionally, Echo not learning about Fives was a massive missed opportunity.

Branching off of that, having Omega as the centerpiece also means that the emotional moments tend to happen with her. Now, that's not a bad thing, except it only seems to happen with her. In S1, it really felt like no one cared that Crosshair was gone. This is their brother who they've known forever. Why is Crosshair the only one who seems to be really emotional about the whole thing? Since the Batch have only ever had each other, I would've expected them to be more upset/bothered when one of their own suddenly does a 180 in personality. And again, it's not like it's not there, it is, but it really needs more. I'll be honest, I really didn't like S1 Hunter at all. The man tunnel visioned on Omega.

I'm more forgiving about the rough start since both CW and Rebels were also kinda rough. However, I think the lack of clear focus did hurt the show a bit. Rebels and CW had a greater scope: fighting in a war/revolution. TBB doesn't have this since everything just got uprooted. Had the show been a bit more focused, I think it really would've helped a lot. S2 and 3 both established what the overall focus was pretty quickly. But with S1, it seemed to jump from the inhibitor chips to whatever Omega's purpose was to Project War Mantle and I was like: so, what was the Batch's goal other than survival?

There are other things that bugged me as well. Tech's death should've been handled better. I get that the Batch are soldiers so they aren't expected to cry in each others arms. Except the closure for Tech's death wasn't enough. What wound up happening was half the fandom questioning if he was really dead and searching for hints that he was alive. I covered this in my S3 review, but to summarize: the writers needed more time and more deep character moments. TBB thrived on those deep, mature conversations.

I know I just went off, but I truly love this show with all my heart. I know it's capable of so much more as shows in its strengths. It just frustrates me when it falls short.

Strengths:

Crosshair. Looking back at his overall journey, Crosshair is easily the most compelling character. I'm linking my study of him because his arc is just that good.

https://www.tumblr.com/marvel-starwarsfangirl/750696139213471744/crosshairs-character-in-tbb-a-study?source=share

What's so impressive to me about Cross is that he doesn't need to be in a lot of episodes in order to tell his story in a satisfactory way. Everything he's in is so well written that I can easily tell how he's feeling, why he feels that way, and why he makes the choices he does. In S2, not once did I have to wonder why he decided to betray the Empire or befriend Mayday despite that arc being only 2 episodes. The subtext really said it all perfectly. TBB does such a good job with his character, but I won't go on any further because we'd be here forever. Anyways, I love Crosshair and he has the best redemption arc in Star Wars. You can't change my mind.

TBB also touches on mature themes and I love that they are explored in a thoughtful way. Tech's conversation with Omega is really beautiful. It speaks to a lot of people and I love that the writers chose to take a thoughtful route instead of just having Tech say something nerdy and calling it at that. The same thing with Crosshair's PTSD. It was a genuine issue that affected him and not just when the plot needed it. I also appreciated that he was given time to actually try healing. Letting the characters sit down and have deep moments is what really connects the audiences to them because we see what makes them vulnerable. Light-hearted action is fun and all, but there is so much more to these characters than "blaster go pew." I really resonated with Crosshair's story and I know many people did the same with Tech's. I also loved how the show showed Omega adapting to the change around her; it can be very difficult sometimes and I appreciated that it wasn't still sunshine and rainbows after. Echo had a role within the Batch and his absence definitely shook the dynamics.

The animation and music are just perfection. It speaks for itself, but it's perfect imo. (yes, I'm aware of the errors, but it doesn't impact the actual quality).

The Empire was really freaking scary. TBB did a great job showing how the Empire started encroaching on the entire galaxy and began phasing out the clones. Occupations started, Rampart began his chain code system, and any form of dissent was immediately silenced. There was no question as to how ruthless they were. And there were genuine consequences to the actions of characters. Rampart was thrown under the bus for something he was ordered to do. The Empire doesn't protect anyone except Palpatine. "The Outpost" is so brutal and raw, but it perfectly shows how the Empire can drain a person until they break. Both Rampart and Hemlock are two fantastic villains that capture the true horrors of humanity. Rampart is a cold and greedy man. We all know people like him and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Not even humble juice in prison could make him reevaluate his views. Hemlock is a monster that only cares for his experiments. He was such a different villain compared to the Sith and greedy imperials we tend to see and I appreciated that. Even Crosshair was a good example of how misguided beliefs can turn people against one another. Like with Rampart, we all know people like Crosshair. It grounds TBB that much more.

I also loved the main focus on family in this show. It's a value that I hold dearly because of my beliefs and how I was raised. At the end of the day, the Batch's greatest strength comes from the bonds they have with each other. In times so dark, it's the people they love the most that will help them get through their struggles. I honestly love that. Whether it's friends, siblings, or parents, those bonds are so important. People aren't meant to tackle the world alone. TBB does a great job showing how hard it is when you're stuck in a dark place and how impactful it can be to have people who love and support you. Overall, I really loved it.

At the end of the day, I just really love the Batch. They mean a lot to me, especially Crosshair and Omega. Omega herself is such a sweet bean and her light truly is beautiful. I've loved watching her journey over the last several years. She's a wonderful character and I love her dearly. I love Crosshair (he's really hot, ok). I love Tech's charm and quips. I love Echo's strong drive for justice. I love Wrecker's big heart. I love Hunter's... fatherly instincts.

Ok, I know that was long, but I am so grateful for this show. I love TBB with all my heart and there's so much more to say. For now though, I'll just say that TBB has truly made an impact on my life. It gave me something to enjoy when times got rough and it gave me Crosshair. I will always be thankful for him.

[raayllum]

how long would you say you've actively shipped any of your favorite ships? - im curious specifically about sorvus, sorpeli, and claudiez

I wouldn't say Sorvus is one of my faves even if I do 1) love Soren and Corvus individually, 2) Corvus is one of my favourite side characters in the whole show (like top 5) and 3) I do really like them! That being said:

Canon

For the bulk of TDP ships, canon-wise, I shipped them as their relationships were revealed (aka Harrow/Sarai with the info we got in S1, Claudia/Terry with the info we get in S4, Runaan/Ethari back when he was known as 'Tinker' thanks to the S1 credit sketch, etc).

For Janaya, I shipped them from the first time they met in S2, since "rival intellectually and physically matched generals on the battlefield" along with both being very pretty is a decently long-ish homoerotic trend in literature (aka a production I saw of "Coriolanus" really leaned in on it, although I think I saw that pre-S2's release. Applies though)

For Rayllum, I shipped them pre-show even if I was also down to brotp them. They'd be travelling together, thus having plenty of time to develop an interesting dynamic / were around the same age, and the screencap released before the premiere of them sitting under the tree (Callum, distracted but eager, and Rayla, exasperated and fond) really drew me in since that's a ship type - dynamic and gender wise (I don't tend to love ships where the guy is the more grumpy/guarded one, I think, since women are so often forced to do More of the emotional labour in relationships Anyway) - I'm already Very susceptible to. I tried to hold off a little bit in early S1 cause I didn't want to ship them too hard, but then 1x05 came along with the boat scene and it was Over for me. They've had my heart ever since (5 years going on forever)

Requested Rarepairs

Sorvus

So I didn't really ship Sorvus (although I was never opposed to them) for the majority of the time post-S3. I didn't really ship Soren with anyone and preferred Gren/Corvus at that time (due to their personalities / closer dynamic to Amaya and therefore each other) as well as enjoying Corvus/Opeli. However I was also really hoping that Corvus would stay on the council/with Ezran, and figured that if Soren was going to end up with anyone, Corvus was probably the most realistic choice (shared goals, decent development, timeskip to help things, similar ages).

That said I still didn't actively ship them (like I didn't mind them but was completely impassive/neutral y'know?) until I wrote an interaction between them in "if heaven and hell decide" (a canon divergent S2 where Claudia and Soren decide to delay their betrayal of the trio, and therefore travel with them for much longer) and the fact that Corvus would see Soren at his worst in canon (S2) but also see and appreciate who Soren was becoming... I started to turn a corner and grew to ship them a lot more. I'm really excited for them to eventually be canon, it seems, even if they're not My Endgame for either character In My Head for years-post war, at least for now.

Claudiez

For aged up Claudia/Ezran, I think this post (dated July 2021) was when I started to ship these two. There was something about the interplay of Claudia telling Callum about Harrow's death, but he only seeks out comfort from Rayla, and Ezran rejecting Rayla's offered comfort about Harrow and instead accepting it from Claudia, that felt very apt to me? And then a couple weeks later I wrote my formal "I actually do ship Claudiez and here's why" meta so it's been a few years now!

Both the younger sibling uniquely given their father's mantle to carry in ways their older brother just doesn't have to; Ezran being connected to all nature while Claudia continually perverts it, thus Ezran having the relationship to nature that she needs to learn/acquire for her own healing additionally; they both see the throne as a tool to help and breaking their fathers' cycles with each other; the childhood friends to enemies to friends to lovers of an according slow burn because of said age gap; ending up as Queen of Katolis but not the way her father imagined and ending up with one of the brothers, just not the one everyone previously expected; Ezran getting to grow up and into his own and assert his independence and choices (no matter what his brother thinks about it), etc. I also think personality wise they suit each other - Terry's parallels to Ezran in personality are some of the reasons I think Clauderry works at least as a short term pairing.

It's also kinda perfect bc, since they'd only get together like 10-15 years post the end of the show Anyway, so like. they're Endgame to me no matter what and there's nothing canon can really do about it, #improvise adapt overcome.

Sorpeli

This probably started out as the truest crack ship because it started as a joke of like, Soren flirting with her at 20 and easy to dismiss and then again when he's 30 and Opeli is like "I deserve a little fun," so they start having a physical fling, and then catch feelings (Soren falls first, she falls harder). The earliest post I have for them is from May 6th 2023 but I know realistically I'd probably shipped them for a lot longer (what can I say, younger men not being put off my older women aging bc society is bullshit, and contrasting personalities + devoted man & woman who feels undeserving will always get me) before I ever had mind to say anything. Then I dragged @jelzorz into it and the rest, they say, is history. So like 1.5 years at least now?

I'd probably be even more into Sorpeli than I already am but I'm not unconvinced that Opeli won't die (I really hope she doesn't, but I do understand how it could benefit Ezran's narrative in particular) but like if all seasons pass by and she's alive? Canon crack quartet with Endgame Rayllum, Claudiez, Sorpeli, and CorTerry is a go <3

TLDR;

Rayllum before the show started, Janaya in S2, everything else when the ships got introduced, then next we have Claudiez (July 2021), Sorvus (casually since Oct 2021), and Sorpeli (late 2022/early 2023).

[clambuoyance]

I know that you are a stalwart TimKon Shipper

But what are your opinions on other Kon ships?

KonCass

KonCassie

SuperMartian

KonBart

I am a firm KonCass Shipper through and through

even if i have my own personal hcs, i mean i don't mind any of these ships

koncass had a couple of cute issues and they very much feel like young teens trying to date kinda clumsily but i liked that they agreed to just be friends at the end of it T-T also given what cass says about how she's looked at and her relationships with other characters i cant really see her with a guy >_> they are definitely cute tho and glad you have a cute ship to enjoy!

i actually think koncassie are sweet to each other in tt03 but it's like very basic and surface level to me (that's just how johns wrote everyone there though so) and within canon, cassie had something of a celebrity crush for him at first, but there's the issue where cassie looks in the mirror and wishes she was beautiful and wishes kon would stop looking at her as if he only sees her as a sister and nothing more and then they kiss and i was like >_> okay i guess (if we had seen more of this romance from kon's pov i might have bought into it more) and later in tt03 johns writes cassie as if it was a flaw to act so boyish in her youth and while there's nothing wrong with characters growing up and changing it just felt cheap or whateverrr like at least write her realizing she doesn't need to be doing this for a man and only for herself. again, theyre okay to me as a ship on its own and are cute and i joke that kon got domesticated and learned to be a decentish boyfriend i guess (altho i think he was always going to be a loyal bf and the persona from his youth was more of an act). i could enjoy them more maybe in cases where they are presented in a way i find more interesting (such as both having similar journeys in exploring gender, making cassie's stories revolve less around kon or boy drama etc) or outside of canon but personally i also cannot see her with a man </3 koncassie really doesn't do it for me </3

supermartian really only exists within the yja show which i havent watched in over a decade so i can't say much except that i remember being obsessed with them in s1 and then i kinda lost interest and never finished s2

konbart is neat too even if i don't talk about them much either, they also have a lot of canon scenes showing their devotion and support to each other, not to mention the humor in all of yj and dynamic esp during the parts surrounding the apokolips-ish era(the guilt and worry kon felt, associating bart for a chick etc etc). they also have a lot in common origin/character wise (very sci-fi/experiment origins, inertia and match, interesting relationships with adult figures and expectations, both dying, being written off as stupid or immature, etc etc) so i can definitely see the appeal and think theyre also cute. honestly for me it probably just came down to preference and the order i read things in bc if i read yj2019 first or didn't tend towards tim drake/annabeth chase/rose lalonde coded characters i might've had a different main dc ship but theyre neat :)

ofc again these are just my personal opinions and hcs i have nothing against the people who like em (except maybe for the writers of some of these comics)

[imminent-danger-came]

Are there any clear parallels between Mei and Macaque other than they are/were the 'hero‘s closest friend'?

Like- MK and Wukong have similar storybeats and personality traits.

Same with Mei and Wukong.

(Even Azure and Mei have parallels. Containers for power. Azure‘s sword inspired her to make her own. There was a scene where they had the same battle ready pose. Azure‘s goal was to use the power of the emperor for something good, Mei thinks that power should be used for good whenever possible. Azure‘s first priority was trying to reunite the brotherhood, friends/family are very important to him too. Both willing to make sacrifices -like Wukong- to save the world, though Azure‘s method was admittedly less permanent than outright killing him.)

But other than the "Ugh, this guy." Facepalm Mei and Macaque did (at Ao Lie and Monkey King) in season 4, nothing springs to mind for me for this particular pair.

Macaque is cautious, Mei is the polar opposite of that. Macaque acts out of his own interest for the most part, for Mei, her friends (and the world) are priority.

Even looking at younger Macaque, from what little we‘ve seen, he was bit of a grouch, grumbling and half heartedly rolling his eyes at Wukong‘s antics. Whereas Mei is right there alongside MK being silly and goofing off.

(I‘m sorry for dragging the Warrior/Hero stuff back to the table, but with how often Mei is labeled as the Warrior in the fandom I would have thought there‘d be more. So I was wondering if I am just not very observant 😅)

First of all: never apologize for bringing up the Hero and the Warrior motif! I'd also like to thank you for your other thoughts, Azure and Mei parallels are always delicious.

Second of all: to quote my own Hero and Warrior meta, (mainly because I'm too lazy to rewrite anything):

"We know that the Warrior is someone who follows the hero, someone who is the moon to the Hero’s sun, someone who loves and looks up to the Hero. In this sense, the role of the Warrior is completely defined by the role of the Hero. [...] During the night, the Warrior is the moon that brings light to the world in the sun’s absence."

So, in regards to Mei being a Warrior to MK's Hero, I'd say she fits the bill pretty perfectly! "Together, there was nothing that could stop the two of them", and together MK and Mei are always going to be able to "figure it out". Even when MK isn't there or they're separated (particularly in 4x10), Mei and the gang are still going to step in and try and help (or be that light when the hero is absent).

Moving on: Mei and Macaque parallels.

I think the way Mei is treated by MK in s1-3 is reminiscent of both how Wukong treats MK during s2 and how Wukong treated Macaque in the past. MK ignores Mei—often letting his own reach for power affect his relationship with her, especially in episodes 1x06, 2x03, 2x06, and 3x03 (and honestly even 2x02). I'll just put shit MK does to Mei over Macaque dialogue lol:

Macaque: "Still the same Wukong—doing whatever he wants with no regard for others!" (3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

Macaque: "Look Wukong, I get you're excited, I do! But- crossing the Jade Emperor's going to have consequences—aaannnd you're not even listening." (4x02 New Adventures) (Thank you 2x03 for stating that MK doesn't listen outright. We owe you a lot.)

-

Macaque: "Wukong didn't think so—he always felt he had to be stronger, more immortal." (4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

Hopefully that demonstrates my point!

I'm also banking on whatever went down between Wukong and Macaque paralleling 3x10 (Ending with SWK choosing to leave Macaque while MK refused to leave Mei), but we'll have to see!

Ultimately however, I'd say that rather than parallels, Mei and Macaque are foils. They have some similarities, but there are also a lot of key differences between these two characters. Like anon mentioned, Macaque is cautious while Mei is foolhardy, Macaque looks out for himself while Mei works to protect others, Macaque prefers to watch and wait while Mei believes in taking action, Macaque turned against Wukong when Mei could never turn against MK.

But, in that same vein, I think they're in the process of becoming more like each other. Mei is learning to slow down and focus, to "harness the wild energies and emotions burning within" her—essentially to be more cautious. Macaque on the other hand is learning how to be a team player, and is starting to put himself on the line for other people:

While MK and Wukong have always been pretty similar/have made similar mistakes, it's interesting to watch their counterparts slowly become more like one another, but instead with their virtues.

Speaking of, Macaque's 2x07 line-

"As time went on, the hero obtained power beyond comprehension. As the hero’s light grew, so too did his shadow—and soon, the Warrior was cast into that shadow."

-has uh, started to worry me, mainly because I'd say that now, post-s4 MK has quite literally obtained power beyond comprehension:

And while 3x10 will always be important because of MK's choice to stay by Mei, I wonder if we're due for another ultimatum where MK doesn't make that right choice (*cough cough* he leaves in 4x08 mainly because he's afraid of hurting the people he cares about—something that is going to come back later *cough cough*). Or perhaps it's a role reversal, where Mei and the Gang have to decide whether or not to "abandon" MK (aka destroy the "harbinger of chaos", al la 3x04 Macaque Flashback).

[lucianalight]

Connections between Gods of Stories: Control vs Freedom

From "Loki God of Stories - A Comparison between MCU and Comics" series - Co-Written by @lucianalight (Luci) and @theitcharchives (Hollow)

MCU Loki’s story begins as the sidelined, undervalued second prince of Asgard. He is different in all the wrong ways, preferring magic and cunning to “bravery” and brute force. After growing up lonely and internalizing the bias against the Jotnar he then learns he was stolen from Jotunheim (after seemingly being left to die of exposure, implied by the attitude of the movie towards the matter) to be a puppet king–his destiny chosen by others for him.

(Even though Odin says he changed his mind which would have been an amazing thing to explore in later movies or series.)

Breaking under the constant pressure plus the shocking revelations, Loki spiraled until suicide seemed to be his only remaining means of control over himself left.

And that didn’t work either. Thanos found him, saw he could handle the tesseract business and had him brainwashed into it through Ebony Maw’s torture (as can be assumed by Loki’s Stuttgart speech and Ebony Maw’s own speech and treatment of Doctor Strange in IW). So even in arguably his most dominating vestments, Loki had no true control over himself.

(Which was another thing ignored after the events.)

Being caught by the TVA showed him that actually, no one truly had control over their destiny. He discovered He Who Remains did.

And he saw himself and what he could be in HWR. Someone afraid (and yet morbidly proud) of what his actions could cause, driven to become the ultimate tyrant to prevent those consequences. Now he’s got a dilemma: eliminate the tyrant and leave everyone free to bring about multiversal wars, or maintain the “sacred” status quo?

In Comics the three All-Mothers promised Loki that with every mission as the agent of Asgard, one of his old crimes would be removed from history. It meant a new start for Loki but he later finds out that All-Mothers’ goal was for him to play his old role, a villain who brings Ragnarok because it was better for everyone else. Everyone but Loki.

(I think it’s worth acknowledging there’s a good chance that the s1 parallels are mostly accidents. That those verbal and physical dressing drowns were not born of a will to be inspired by good stories but a will to be cruel to the character due to ignorance, self-righteousness and arrogance. Still, with the s2 outcome, we can be charitable and also consider there's a good chance they were actually planned and waldron’s hackery did not supersede the overarching ideas. I still think the execution and out-universe presentation of it was horribly handed -Hollow)

Previous - Next

[tommygrace]

Hi, I have 2 questions, and I wanted to know your opinion. (sorry for my English, it's not my language)

1. Do you think it's disrespectful that Thomas had sex with Tatiana, the same woman who made comments mocking grace, the woman he loves, and that he "supposedly" had sex in his and Grace's room (in that scene where Tatiana tells him to kill the priest). Gave me the same vibe as season 6, of Thomas sleeping with the enemy who made fun of Lizzie.

2. I can't imagine Thomas not cheating on Grace at the Russian orgy if she were alive, he was extremely drunk and Tatiana would take advantage of that, and there was no way he would leave that party without his brothers. And even though Thomas hid it, I think he was sexually attracted to Tatiana, but he obviously preferred Grace. (besides that drinking can make you make reckless decisions, especially in that sexual atmosphere at the party).

Hello! How are you ? Your English is perfect! Thanks for the questions.

Well yes, I think it was disrespectful towards Grace, I hated that whole thing with Tatiana, and I think it was out of character. I don't think Tommy from S1 and S2 would have done that, I think it's simply SK's obsession that Tommy has to be with every woman who appears on the show and that's already tiring, that's not the Tommy we were introduced to at the beginning. Obviously he is devastated by Grace's death, and for him having sex is a way to forget his pain for a moment, that's why he thanks Lizzie but for him, having sex with Lizzie, Tatiana, Jesse Eden, May and Diana It's not romantic at all, he only makes love to Grace, the other women he just fuck.

And number 2, no, if Grace had lived, he would never cheat on her, with anyone, much less with Tatiana, I don't think he can stand that crazy Russian very much, and he told her himself at the end, "you didn't even come close" . And if she had been alive, he would never have gone to that orgy, and he was very drunk precisely because he can't stand so much pain over Grace's death, he didn't want to feel anything. And then we see the scene of him imagining that he is with Grace, it was very crazy, strange and dark, but they show you a completely destroyed Tommy. And of course Tatiana is a beautiful woman, but I never saw as if he had been attracted to her. Even he rejected her, when she told him I would sleep with you for the cause, and he simply looked at her as if she were crazy, because he only has eyes for Grace, she made him happy and gave him peace, that's why he would never be with another woman, because he doesn't feel that way, he doesn't need other women, he needs Grace. But with Lizzie it is different, because he never fell in love with her, she did not give him peace or make him happy, that is why it was easy for him to cheat on her with other women, because he did not see that marriage as something sacred, as he saw marriage with Grace. .

Well thanks for the questions, it was fun, hope it makes sense to you.

[shuttershocky]

Hi Shutters, I'd really appreciate your input on a dilemma I'm having with my 5★ selector ticket. I'm torn between going for Lappland and Warfarin. I've got plenty of good Medics, but not much in the way of ATK buffers — only Aak and Pallas, who are hardly one size fits all solutions. At the same time, though, I'm also lacking a bit in both Ranged Guards and Silence, with Midnight and more recently Arene being the best I've got in the former department, and Jaye and Podenco for the latter, and I broadly prefer Jaye's S2 to his S1 for most situations.

I could of course just hold on to the ticket until I get one and then pick the other, and I'm seriously considering that, but that's the least immediately useful option, so this is sort of a "if I had to pick one" thing.

Lappland.

Warf is great, but she's also an all-in option. Who she buffs is entirely random, so with buff comps you're often having only a single operator sit inside Warf's range and everyone else trying to throw buffs on your operator from further away. These are often used for speedrunning / cheesing boss stages, such as using Warfarin and Elysium to delete IC-9's drone boss in mere seconds.

Lappland on the other hand, is Lappland. With her range, versatile skillset, and 5 second long silence at E2 with no conditions (the jump in talent upgrade is 1 second silence at E1 to 5 seconds at E2 which is hilariously big), she's irreplaceable.

Sure you could argue that silence isn't needed all the time whereas DPS rules over the whole Tower Defense genre, but the thing is you can solve most problems without Warfarin without seeing much change in difficulty, only speed. Lappland on the other hand, is an extremely hard counter to anything that CAN be silenced. Even in the current event, silence disables the Durin's 100% physical evasion, meaning you can just slap them normally and ignore their whole enemy faction gimmick with no shits given.

Any time someone tries to argue that Lappland is situational, it's good to remind yourself that Arknights is a puzzle game and brother, you're going to find yourself in situations eventually.

[charmixpower]

Think about the girlies nails rn bc I haven't gotten mine done in a while

Bloom: Bites, worries, and rips up her nails all the fucking time. At first it's just because she has pretty bad anxiety and is constantly fidgeting, and part of that is fucking up her nails, but after her first transformation when her Domino looks are restored she starts ripping them up because she hates how shes reminded of how fucked up her life has gotten. During s3 when Bloom is calming down after the pure anger she was running on for the end of s1 and most of s2 Stella starts painting her nails so they taste bad to bite and are harder to rip up so Bloom breaks her bad habit of destroying them. After this Bloom starts growing her nails out because she never actually cut them in the first place so they just grow out until she accidentally breaks them. They're usually like mountain peak claw shaped nails, because that's how they grow, but when Bloom gets them done she sometimes gets them in a oval kinda shape to have her old nail shape back for a little while.

Stella: Always has her nails done because of course she does she's Stella, fingernails and toenails. She usually has nails extending as well. Her nails aren't super long, she prefers medium length extensions. Her nails in s1-3 are done in an almond shaped, but in s4 she starts getting them done in a ballerina shape. After all that she needed a change, and it matches her new vibe and style better. They're usually in orange, blue, or green, but sometimes she gets them in white a more neutral color if she has a specific outfit planned that her usual nail colors will clash with. In her magic forms her nails are much shorter and don't go past her finger, as she uses a staff in combat and that can get difficult with long nails.

Flora: Her nails are usually pretty short, barely going past her finger in a oval shape. Mostly so they won't get broken while she's gardening and won't hurt under her gardening gloves. Even though she usually wears sandals and flip flops she usually doesn't bother doing her toe nails. She's usually not looking at her feet and neither are most people so it doesn't matter to her. Sometimes she'll do it for a special event or just because she wants to but it isn't usual.

Tecna: In s1 Tecna keeps her nails short in a square shape. Just a little bit of her diva energy seeping out despite the fact that she's convinced herself that emotions are cringe and logic is king. Though she's always been terrible at actually controlling her emotions lmao. When Tecna finally allows herself to express herself properly, instead of pushing all her emotions down and ignoring her anger until it boils over, her nails get longer. Not super long because typing would be inconvenient, but visibly pasted her finger. Like medium short. She'd love nail art and doing funny things, she has gauges and dimple piercings in my thing she tries flare nails and edge nails at least once.

Musa: Girlie does not take care of her nails. She's a tomboy and she plays instruments. While Musa primarily plays the flute, she can play every instrument. Which means string instruments, which notoriously do not get along with having any length to your nails. Due to her rejection of girly things in s1-s2 she doesn't really paint her nails, when she accepts herself, her sister, and stops distancing herself from feminine things she allows Stella to paint them or drag her along to a salon s3 on. The more she gets into fun performance outfits the more she does her nails as well.

Aisha: Very well manicured short nails. Aisha does a lot of stuff with her hands and long nails does not play nice with rock climbing so she cuts and flies them often. Very well maintained though, usually wears a clear coat, or skin tone colored nail polish that goes with everything. However in her magic forms her nails are usually longer and always fun colors, it's a chance to express herself without her nail polish being immediately ruined. At first she really didn't like nail polish because all it did was remind her of getting ready to essentially be a living ornament during noble gatherings, but then Anne painted her nails in rainbow colors and her gay heart was immediately won over.

Icy: She has long ass stiletto nails. She's had them for as long as she could confidently pull off the long ass nails look. Long, but not like x-long or any further. She still wants to be able to use her hands without too much of an inconvenience from her nails. I think she'd do her nails as long square nails in her civilian form right up until they get kicked out of CT and any pretense of not being evil is immediately dropped. Takes immaculate care of her nails, she even uses her ice to reinforce her nails so they don't break. They look too good for that.

Darcy: Short-medium squared oval nails, she does not have the time nor the energy to keep up with nails like Icy does and doesn't feel like them constantly getting in her way or getting them redone when they break so she just takes care of her natural nails and paints them herself. Laughs at Stormy when she accidentally stabs herself or at Icy when she struggles to do something because of her nails. In her magical forms her nails are much longer as she doesn't need to take care of them because of magic.

Stormy: Medium length almond shaped nails that she is CONSTANTLY breaking and getting redone. I'm so obsessed with how Stormy is the most feminine and the most chaotic of the Trix. Yes she only wears heels and mini skirts, yes she'll chase you down without breaking a sweat. I'm obsessed with her, but yeah she breaks her nails all the time because she's heavy handed and doing stupid shit and I love her.

A little guide, because I needed to Google this stuff to know them all:

[textbysunny]

Why Wolf has to do with Stede

In the following I will argue and prove why Wolf the rabbit as a character and as a name has to do with Stede. I will skip the formalities of introducing the text and summarizing everything, I will assume you have seen the entirety of ofmd s1+2.

First we have to look at Ed and how he deals with his inner conflicts and desires. He very much prefers to talk about them indirectly or deflect from the problem at hand. s1 ep9 when he retreats to his pillow fort and talks with Lucius about his own poetry he refused to admit the poem is about himself. In actuality the poem reflects his mental state he had at that time. Here he is deflecting from himself while expressing his inner problems. When in s2 Ed tells Stede he will become a fisherman and claims his inner turmoil is about fishing he talks indirectly about his problem. Can he be more than just a pirate? Is he good at anything else other than being a bloodthirsty pirate? These are the questions that I believe he is asking himself. Knowing this makes Wolf make a lot more sense.

When Ed is talking to the rabbit Wolf in s2 ep4 he isn't actually talking to an animal, subconsciously or not he is actually talking to Stede. In prior events like mermaid Stede saving Ed from purgatory and then being banished from the ship. Not to mention the inner conflict inside him at waking up to his ex, Stede, after a near death experience would create. Because of all these events Stede is on Eds mind, and to deal with this he indirectly addresses some of them by projecting Stede onto Wolf.

The name Wolf does relate to Stede. Ed doesn't know the new Stede yet, he hadn't had the time to get to know him again. In his mind Stede still is the same person who he was in s1: more soft and not that fierce, yet he is a pirate captain even though he isn't a typical pirate. Similarly Wolf isn't the typical wolf, it's more soft and not as fierce. Here Ed shows us he sees Wolf, in actuality Stede, as an equal. This gets highlited when he calls himself a lone wolf too, like how he sees both Stede and himself as pirates. Additionally he physically gets down on the ground to be on the same eye level as Wolf, showing us physically how he thinks of them as being equal.

Through Wolf we also know Ed still trusts Stede. Ed opens up about his tattoos to Wolf. This is later confirmed when we're shown how Ed trusts Stede enough to introduce him back to the revenge with that silly cat bell in ep5.

By calling Wolf and himself lone wolves Ed reveals what he desires. In a classic sense lone wolves are alone, which was Eds original plan in s1 ep4: take on Stedes identity and retire, presumably alone. This plan changes over time as we see in s1 ep8 when he wants to go to China with Stede, the two lone wolves retiring together. This wish doesn't change in s2, Ed still wants to be with Stede as complicated as his feelings are. Wolf even reflects this wish with the lone wolf metaphor. Ultimately Ed and Stede do end up becoming the two lone wolves Ed wanted and they retire from piracy together. Trough this metaphor the name Wolf directly relates to Stede.

In conclusion the name Wolf does relate to Stede. Ed deals with his issues indirectly as shown throughout the show Ed projects Stede onto Wolf. Because of this Wolf is Stede in a sense, as a result the name Wolf is inherently connected to Stede. This is further enhanced by the metaphor of Ed and Stede retiring together as lone wolves.