#but the thing is like jonathan is the PERFECT simon lmao

[rigginsstreet]

billy and steve being stuck in a timeloop like simonalisha misfits.... fucked up if true

[beevean]

Rank your top 5 Belmonts And if you have the energy/desire to do more: Rank your top 5 Castlevania games Rank your top 5 Castlevania tracks

5) Richter. I don't think much of the guy, but undeniably he is a very important figure, the symbol of the cracking of the Belmont legacy. At first, he's a hotblooded shonen young warrior, full of energy and life and will to fight... and then we learn that the will to fight is actually an issue, because after he defeated Dracula at age 19, he found no other reason to live.

4) Simon. Got higher up to the list in recent times <3 he's the Belmont, without any drama or obvious flaw. But I've come to like that about him, and admire his feats in Simon's Quest that show that he's not just a formidable badass, but a very noble man too, willing to even bury his foe out of respect.

3) Leon. He deserved none of that :( Leon is another Belmont mainly defined by his noble nature, perhaps to a fault (my good man why are you storming a vampire castle without a sword). His shining moment is, of course, him rejecting Mathias' absurd proposal: he may be full of anger against his former friend, to the point of swearing vengeance and dooming his descendants to a lifetime of fighting, but he also refuses to fall into the pit Mathias won't escape from, and has the perfect rebuttal for his inane logic and indirectly Dracula as a whole: "But defeating him... No, preventing others from suffering the same cursed fate... That was Sara's dying wish... Granting my beloved's wish. That is all I can do to prove my love to Sara. Eternity without her would be nothing but emptiness."

2) Juste. The golden child in deep denial :D It's a bit unfair that he gets reduced to "Alucard Belmont" and at most praised for his OP powers, but hey, he's not the only one. He has an interesting personality if you read between the lines, from his brashness that contrasts with his angelic looks, to how fervently he forces Maxim to keep Lydie in the dark. Also he's the king of interior decor :P

1) Trevor. He's the Sonic of Castlevania. He invented the Superpower of Teamwork™. He's kind and helpful to those he considers his friends and a terrifying menace if he thinks you're in his way (he won't ask first). He has the Legs of all time. His theme slaps an inordinate amount of ass. He's shaped like a friend and I love him <3

(a close runnerup would be Christopher, because I really like the concept of an older Belmont, who thought that could retire, nyooming to rescue his son from Dracula's influence <3 a prelude of things to come <3)

~

I was sure I had already ranked them, but perhaps I need to remake the list anyway...

5) Adventure ReBirth. Admittedly it's been a while since I replayed it, but I have fond memories of it as far as Classics go. It's simple, it's well designed, it's fun, it has kickass remixes (Aquarius <3) I wish it wasn't so obscure because I think it's the best entry point for those interested in the genre.

4) Portrait of Ruin. Y'all sleep on this title unfairly. Jonathan and Charlotte are very fun to play as, the gimmick of the paintings allows for new locations rarely explored in the series, it has an interesting mission system that makes the game more fun to master, and an OST that seriously deserves more love.

3) Curse of Darkness. Yes, it's noticeably flawed, from the mindnumbing level design to the obtusity of Forging. It's not a game I can pick up whenever I want, the only reason I can't put it in first place. But aside from that, it honestly feels like it was designed just for me and my tastes lmao. The fighting/crafting/raising loop is incredibly addictive and reminds me of the Sonic Adventure games <3 and ofc, as you could tell, I'm in love with the characters and story :P

2) Symphony of the Night. The one, the myth, the legend. Describing it feels like a waste of time. It's a timeless classic for a reason. It may not be perfect, but much like Super Metroid, I think the atmosphere is so well crafted that it pulls you in regardless of any issues you might have. It's an experience to be had.

1) Harmony of Dissonance. Oh yeah. This game is stupid fun to me. I just pick it up and play it to wind down. The ability to dash in both directions makes it a 10/10, then you add the spells that are fun to experiment with, the breakability, the COLORS FEEL SO RIGHT, the eerie music (yes it's good! it's good!!! fight me!!!!), Maxim Mode...

~

I was also sure I had this list... how could I pick only 5 tracks from this giant, beautiful repertoire...? D:

5) Chapel of Dissonance. Unlike many of the tracks in this soundtrack, this one is perfectly hummable and sweet. It fits the beautiful sky like a glove, and it may subtly reference Divine Bloodlines which is a stroke of genius :)

4) Lost Painting. SoTN abunds in jaw-dropping tracks, but this one feels uniquely magical, and it plays just in the right areas of the castle (a chapel, a library, and icy caves). It sounds like a sad lullaby sung to Alucard, and I hear reluctance to venture further and fight.

3) Garibaldi Courtyard. I have no clue why this mundane area in the game has music that brings me to tears. Similar in atmosphere to Lost Painting and Fog-Enshrouded Nightscape, but with CoD's more modern sound. I don't know how to put into words the profound sadness I hear here.

2) Dracula Battle (SCIV). I cannot gush enough about the genius of this track as the final boss theme. It never gets faster, or drop a harder beat: you only get these long strings and this complex arpeggio for an unsettling atmosphere. I said back then: "It sounds like you're quietly resigning yourself to your fate. You will die. But that's alright. He will die too."

1) Leon's Theme. This could pass for a classical piece. It's perfect in every way. You can almost touch Leon's sorrow and anger - you can hear the fingers pressing on the piano! It gets you pumped to reach the end of the game, and you get to grieve with Leon for the terrible night he's going through. Special shoutout for the part at 1:34 for sounding like the aforementioned Dracula theme.

[alrightsnaps]

I have a feeling S2 of Bridgerton will come around Spring (or is that too early?). I only assumed because of the events in TVWLM

Plus that teaser was everything. Reminded me of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy’s first interaction.

People are already judging a one minute click and I’m like “they’re not supposed to like each other at first”. A lot of people assume that Daphne and Simon was enemies-to-lovers but I don’t think so. They had arguments but it wasn’t that big of a deal but Kathony though... ultimate enemies-to-lovers. Like Simone and Jonathan said, they argue a lot, it’s a volatile relationship but passionate.

I was actually hoping for a Valentine's Day release, but if they're still filming that could be just (very) wishful thinking on my part lmao. Spring would be perfect though!

The teaser we got had big Lizzie/Darcy vibes, what with Kate overhearing Anthony being an arrogant dick and–dare I say–a nod to the iconic “what constitutes an accomplished woman” excerpt of Pride and Prejudice? I loved it! Maybe it's because I was really impressed by how the changes Shondaland made from book to screen with the first book just made the story work better on screen and elevated the source material while maintaining its essence, but I trust that any deviations from book canon are only going to enhance the couple's dynamic in TVWLM too. So I really dig Kate and Anthony having met apparently not once but twice, before Anthony even knows who this beautiful, opinionated woman that keeps putting him in his place even is! That being said I'm still holding out hope for Colin to introduce them. Colin Bridgerton is known for two things and these are eating and messing with his siblings’ love life, and I really need more of both on screen!!

There have been negative reactions to the sneak peek?! I'm mostly stuck in the Tumblr bubble where we're all just completely in awe of how much we lucked out with Simone as Kate and her dynamic with Jonathan’s Anthony so I didn't see anything tbh!

Oh yeah, I remember plenty of posts about Daphne and Simon supposedly being enemies-to-lovers but you're right, they're definitely not. What happened is that the adaptation (bless Shonda’s soul) gave them a spark they lacked in the book imo and some clever back and forth banter, especially in their early interactions, so it was largely misinterpreted as enemies-to-lovers online. They should buckle up for season 2 because Kathony is going to deliver the trope in the most delicious way! 🔥🔥🔥

[mermaidsirennikita]

Does it feel like the Bridgerton fandom specifically on twitter and tumblr has quickly fallen into the toxic fandom pattern where nothing is good enough? Cause I feel that way. The teaser promo was largely focused on K/A as much as S1’s was focused on S/D but people kicked up a fuss on the thumbnail. The teaser poster was generally a hit across platforms like tiktok and facebook but twitter and tumblr are acting like its an affront to society. And now every clickbait article that makes up ludicrous claims for views must be true because it affirms their preconceived hate for the season.

How you feel about promotional material aside-no one thats a general fan has seen the show. Its like people just wanna be miserable. I don’t know if this is some manifestation of the fandom’s unacknowledged anxiety about RJP leaving where they’re preemptively looking for things to blame if the show isn’t as successful (and it likely won’t be given the perfect storm S1 had).

And even considering promotional press I find it hard to believe any TV journalist would not want J/S given that its a better scoop and its gonna get more hits so has anyone considered that its Jonathan and Simone that are like nah we’re good? At least for Jonathan in his BV spread he’s said this new play is the coolest thing he’s gotten to do ever. Clearly this is a project that means something to him and it seems Netflix/Shondaland are letting their casts explore their careers outside of Bridgerton maybe even so they don’t end up in a RJP situation every season.

I get this being a frustrating time for people and it doesn’t look great but the Showbiz144 article based doomsday declarations are insane lol.

Here's my thing--I've been critical of the promo, but I don't agree with people up in arms about the *amount* of promo and I never have. It's not about the amount; Netflix never does a fuckton of promo for returning shows, and whether or not we think that's smart it's not unusual for them. It's about the direction of the promo--the lack of romance, the lack of JB, and most importantly (for me) the lack of Simone Ashley, IN FAVOR of the promotion of a white woman who is a supporting character in this season and will get her own entire season to herself. It's pushing Penelope, who let's be real, not only is a white woman but is a white woman who basically socially terrorized a black woman last season... I don't know, man. Her getting that type of shine before they've even attempted a feeble redemption arc with her? Doesn't sit right with me.

With that being said, yes the fandom is ridiculous. The harassing of EW on Twitter lmao, the focus on clickbait. It's tiring. I have concerns about this season; I have concerns about the India plot, the focus Kate will get compared to Penelope, the general... weird genre discomfort. But I haven't seen it yet. I'm wary, but I don't think there's a point in throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I don't think there's a point in handwringing over RJP deciding to dip rather than stick around and ensure the ratings are steady. (And it's like... the ratings will dip just because this is a second season and very few shows pull a Euphoria and raise their ratings in s2. It can be successful with lower ratings. It's basically guaranteed two more seasons after this anyway.)

Where I disagree with you is that JB and Simone are saying nah we're good. Him, I could see being busy and focusing on other things, though again, if Netflix and production wanted him to promote, they could ensure that he would. Simone? She was literally just off on a girl's trip with Phoebe. She has stuff going on, but she's not what I would call booked and busy. She has an ambitious team. There's no way they wouldn't leap at the chance to promote her if she was being given offers via the show. She's not, and that's on Netflix/production.

But yeah honestly, at this point I don't really see a point in spinning out over random articles. The reviews for s1 were pretty descriptive tbh, and once s2 gets its embargo lifted I'm sure we'll have a better idea of where we stand. And ultimately.... There are bigger implications to certain things the show does on a cultural level, but it is still a TV show. It matters, but not to the point of the angst and hostility I've seen online.

[m00nchldrn]

a few things about the finale of season 2 of shadowhunters:

Malec finally made up, i was hoping that would happen bc them not talking is the worst thing ever

this show's music is so good and bc i'm so into that kind of music rn it's a perfect match

for a moment i really thought Jace had died but wow okAy not mad just wasnt expecting that

my angsty ass was in general just expecting Valentine to win again but thank god he's finally dead (or is he?)

the scene with the whole gang fighting the demon in the middle of NYC reminded me of Avengers so badly lmao

Clary and Simon are still bfs despite what's between Jace n Clary and i live for that

so happy for Simon and Maia, they really seem like the perfect endgame couple and I hope it's gonna last

answered some of my questions but raised so many new ones

wtf is wrong with Luke's coworker like... she installed cameras in the restaurant and watched his pack?? what is she onto?

the whole ep was good but the last 5 minutes... if Jonathan survives this istg, also wtf is going on with Jace and Simon with the Seelie Queen???

it's half past two in the morning and i've watched the whole season today i didn't know i was capable of this i-

[jcmorgenstern]

3x14 Review

Hey so for once this is actually super positive! I loved this episode and can’t wait to gush about it! So without further ado, I’m gonna get the stuff I quibbled with outta the way before diving into what I liked:

The Bad: — I think my biggest problem overall was that scene between Alec and Lorenzo. I understand Alec was being protective and he goes into Fierce Mommy Tiger mode around those he considers family and those he loves (I think it’s important to show that Magnus isn’t just his boyfriend, Magnus has become integrated into the thing Alec bases his life around). But I had hoped Alec would have figured out by now that a Nephilim threatening to depose a Downward leader over an apartment is…..unideal, at least. — I get that this may have been designed as a plot hook as an understandable yet stupid thing Alec does that comes back to bite him later (i.e., if there is a Downward civil war in New York, and Lorenzo decides to fuck Alec over). Alec’s strength and weaknesses are tied to his family, and I think it’s a very believable mistake for him to make. I don’t expect him to be perfect, I just hope the narrative treats his threat to Lorenzo as less of a “pure uwu cutesy bf” move and more of a mistake, even if Lorenzo is being cruel to Magnus. — Honestly y’all I expected something WAY worse. Losing the apartment was nothing compared to the drama I expected—I thought Lorenzo was gonna ask Magnus to spy on Alec or go back to Asmodeus or something awful. Thankfully that was inverted by a very obvious attempt to get Magnus to move in with Alec, because apparently he can’t buy a new house with all his money. — I also quibbled a little with how Clary was written, especially in that scene where Jace comforts her (or, really, when Jace makes what happened to her about him and how angry he is and how he’s going to kill Jonathan etc. It’s a pattern with him, esp where Jonathan is involved, and I have more to say about it). Clary has always been a very temperamental, look before you leap sort of person, and I’m not sure that if she figured out Jonathan had hurt Jace she would just smile and pretend along. Clary would FREAK. This is Jocelyn’s daughter, y’all. The knives would be out. She stabbed herself to stab him before and she’d do it again. She has ALL the tools at her disposal to rune him or run away. — To be clear, I’m not shaming Clary for what she chose to do or not confronting a violently entitled dude who kidnapped her once already, I just felt the arc was artificially extended to let Jace be the hero instead of letting Clary kick Jonathan’s ass off a pier and rune him. There’s no way that bitch can swim. It seemed kind of….not how Clary would react and kind of artificially done for Jace and Jonathan’s benefit. — Last thing, which isn’t even a quibble but I feel people will be confused if it’s not on here: the Maia and Jordan thing. I’ll go into it more but basically: if they’re doing what I think, I think it worked shockingly well, but if it’s played straight yeah it’ll be Unfortunate.

The Good: — I’m just gonna come out and say this episode was AMAZING. Since this is mostly a positive review I’d like to credit the writer specifically—Zoe Broad. Honestly just the overall coherence of this episode was greater than any of the ones in S3 for me, it flowed from one scene to the other and there was no point where I had the urge to check Facebook or whatever. The dialogue was pretty good overall and truly amazing at parts, and I felt she had a pretty good handle on the characters, despite this being her first episode, which was very impressive. — I actually ENJOYED the ship content??? Clace was absolutely adorable on the rink, with Jace’s sometimes annoying bravado being played wryly both on his part and by the script. “I was born ahead of the curve” delivered with a smile and then nearly falling on his ass was. Very good. And Clary’s little “you’re doing better than me….when I was six” was equally great and I just. Really liked it? They felt like real people on a real date and it felt real and dynamic and cute. — Same with Malec’s grave-robbing date. Usually their scenes start to get weighed down by drama or just general “talking to the audience to make them happy rather than each other,” but this was just cute AND advanced the plot, and connected them back to the main storyline. I hadn’t liked how they were quarantined away from the main story and I’m glad they’re back, even if the “losing Magnus’ loft” was a weird way to do it. — Maia and Alisha particularly were really the breakout stars of the episode. Alisha really really SOLD that dialogue and was honestly incredible. Her terror and anger and desperation felt so visceral and real that even though I knew it would be resolved in the episode, it was gripping and I genuinely needed to know what happened next. — I also did like how Zoe wrote Maia (that “frickin” was TOTALLY a stand in for fuck and I APPRECIATE it) and I felt she really captured how she feels about Jordan—she does care about him as a person, or rather for the person he was at some point, but still refuses to not to push down on her own anger and hurt for his or anyone else’s sake. I felt it was really complex and confusing and emotional for her and overall I think that scene was meant to give her a sense of closure. Just because she recognizes that Jordan does care about her and can be supportive of her, doesn’t mean she’ll necessarily jump back into his arms. — That’s kind of my reading—I’m not sure where they’re going, obviously, but my instinct was that the less chill stuff Maia says (implying they may be going a romantic arc) was more due to the fact she was PANICKING IN A LOCKED CLOSET WITH A DYING DUDE. Like she says “I’m confused” like yes she meant before but honestly right then she obviously was, and I don’t really see the show going for Jordan/Maia? Especially since Todd has hinted Maia has a “don’t need no man” arc. Like she drifts apart from Simon but gets back with someone she hated for years?? Not seeing it. — However if they do go there I’ll be really disappointed, mostly because of the missed opportunity for complexity but also because yeahhhhh maybe not the chillest thing with how many people interpret their relationship as abuse. (I could make a separate post about it but yeah). — Onto Magnus. God okay I don’t know how others felt but I felt Zoe really got to the crux of why Magnus misses his magic. That how he feels connected to the world through his magic was just…such a good insight and it really impacted me because it wasn’t just some generic “magic is what makes me who I am,” it was so much more deep and personal and I felt it meant a lot that Magnus finally put that into words for Alec. He’d clearly been struggling to impart to Alec how he felt, both in terms of “how do I even explain this loss” and a his own emotional reticence. God that grave robbing scene!!!! — Umm the Morningstar sword actually being a sword to summon demons?? Kind of weird?? Esp if they play it off as an actual Morgenstern relic?? Not sure what’s happening but it was cool?? — honestly dudes I’ve been FUCKED UP about the Luke storyline and SUPER STRESSED and now IT’S ALL HAPPENIGN someone SAVE HIM oh my GOD I’m actually so stressed I’ve been stressed for 9 months FREE HIM — Ok now to Jonathan bc lbr y’all know I can’t shut up about him. Ok first off, that scene with the seelie gal, oh my FUCKING GOD I was screaming what a LOSER GHSDKLFJhghghhghgg. And she insults his shitty dialogue?? Zoe ma’am may I PROPOSE??? This keeps getting wilder and wilder I can’t believe they’re GOING THERE. THEY’RE GOING THERE SO HARD. HE’S SUCH A WILD LOSER. Can you BELIEVE he found someone off shadow world fetlife to be like “I’m a Morgenstern and I love you bro you’re so hot and clever and lovable” I just can’t. I bet you ANYTHING she tops and is only in it for the shadow hunter ass. — SHAPESHIFTING. YALL. I BUST A NUT. Look, it fixes so many fucking plot holes. His eyes look SO COOL when he does demon magic. He’s so OP and Chaotic Stupid it’s not even a joke  I Lov my Mary Sue Son. — Honestly having Jonathan impersonate Jace is so brilliant (remember when he said, “I don’t want your pity, I want your life?”) Like it is so fucked up but I love it.  Not looking forward to the mind control but maybe he just whispered “I’m a bottom” into her ear and ran off in her ensuing shock and confusion. You can’t prove me wrong until next week so until then LA LA LA LA CAN’T HEAR YOU — Personally I liked Dom’s performance as Jonathan, but not to be that Bitch I felt Will was a lot more subtle about it. Dom gave him a straight up thousand mile stare whereas Will played him as something charismatic and good at lying with a little edge of Something Wrong, a strain behind a smile. Sure, Jonathan was probably nervous for his little kidnapping date, but I felt it was unrealistic that he was so suave and convincing (sans the part where Aline comes to visit him that was hilarious, Jonathan you’re an idiot) as Seb and then is like “I eat ants sometimes” as Jace. Like. He’s an obsessive bitch. He’d have practiced Jace in the mirror. Fuck you. Probably while saying “fuck you.” ANYWAYS. — Izzy doing science? It’s not much but I’ll fucking take it lmao. I’m excited to see where Heavenly Fire is going. Matt’s Latin is still abysmal but whatever it’s ok. — also that rose?? A kiss from a rose?? Honestly this ep was so clever and thematically connected and just FLOWED like an ACTUAL EP OF TV god I’m emotional!!!! Thank you Zoe Broad ma’am you are a hero!!! — Again I’m gonna point out both Jace and Jonathan have a designated Brooding Fireplace. — Not super hyped about Heidi coming back but hey this ep was Worth It.

Anyway tldr I really liked it and wanted to spew semi-coherent positivity for once! About more characters than just my stupid fave!!! Wow!!! Good writing is SEXY and I LOVE IT!!!

[jcmorgenstern]

if they're doing Magic Traveling House, I hope they'll at least have Clary actually trying to do something helpful instead of just resisting the urge to bone possessed!Jace lmao. I love Clace but 99% of that storyline was a waste of time.

OH my fucking god same aghdlkjfhghghghgh her part in that story is a WRECK

like. she knows this is dangerous. she tells the reader this is dangerous. and what does she do? go to a fucking club with her possessed boyfriend and demon bro, get high off her ass AND have a horrible drug-fueled paranoia moment, AND manage to lose her one link to Simon in the midst of it all. I’m not mad at her for not being perfect or whatnot but IT LITERALLY MAKES NO SENSE hgaldjfhghhghghg why would you stick faerie drugs in your mouth in that situation??? I was so confused the entire time like save ur experimentation for later you nerd!! like holy shit!!!

also half the interactions between her and seb are a hot fucking mess, like who casually brings up the fact that their father whipped them within an inch of their life and the wounds will literally never heal and then just….never bring it up again, ever,

tbh i just really love that arc out of nostalgia and also for jonathan’s vampire threesome and annoying the fuck out of clary by being like “wanna hear about my vampire fetish” like…iconic he’s such an asshole?? and the conversation after she follows him is also pretty good, but most of that arc is just a drug-addled mess but i LOVE it ok i have Needs

also we learn more about seb there than anywhere else (the fact that he’s messy and apparently loves shopping and buying extremely expensive clothes was…formative, as well as just…seeing his personality when he’s trying to play nice). I also just pretend the last half of the book didn’t happen because…well. yeah. not a fan of some of the creative choices there.

I think it could be cool if Clary actually…does manage to figure out some of their plans, or at least thinks she does, or like…I dunno, works on making Jace fall back in love with her (I’m really hoping they ditch the second possession arc and keep the “Jace is magicked out of love” thing and the “what kills seb kills jace” thing and ditch the rest because….well, grubby sebjace reasons but also it would be really repetitive and tiring after the whole Owl debacle.

anyhow tldr Please For The Love Of Cod Let Clary Do Shit Tk18