#doesn't really involve a LOT of the events of the episode (obviously they happen in the background. but I don't have to ADDRESS them)

[selfproclaimedunicorn]

Ate a very late lunch, discovered that the computer controls for Dragon Age: Inquisition suck actually & I'm gonna have to get a controller or something to play it on my laptop, & had a very nice nap. Time to get back to the rewatch/note taking grind & watch the second half of episode 5 so that I can work on outlining chapter 13 over the next week or so!

[emilybeemartin]

Ok ok ok ok listen. Because I have anxiety I feel it's my duty to say that this show won't be for everyone. I came to it over quarantine because my husband suggested we read Bernard Cornwell's series together, and I agreed because I liked Hornblower and knew this was the army equivalent and, let's face it, I wanted to see scruffy mid-thirties Sean Bean in uniform.

THE PREMISE:

Richard Sharpe is a lowborn rank-and-file soldier in the 95th Rifles during the Napoleonic Wars who is raised to an officer after saving Sir Arthur Wellesley's life (this all happens differently in the books, but the basic event is the same). Throughout the series, he rises in the ranks thanks to his bravery and heroism/recklessness, but he's always caught between two worlds--trying to be a leader of common men while never being accepted by the rest of the highborn officers.

Let's start with the bad:

CONS:

Look, this is a 90s drama glorifying the British army. So like, there are gonna be issues. Women are mostly romantic side pieces to be wooed and rescued, and there are plenty of subplots, verbiage, and stereotypes that didn't age well. Production values are low for the first few and so you've got battle scenes with like fifteen guys and a horse, which honestly I find endearing. But no episode is more cringey than Sharpe's Gold. Due to legal issues, the script had to be rewritten with none of the original material, and it turned into this bizarro semi-supernatural horror involving Aztec gold (in Spain, yes). It's completely different from all the other episodes, and even Sean Bean didn't like it (he called it a "mish mash," which is true). It's such a weird piece of work that we almost stopped watching the show, but we continued, and we were relieved to find that the rest of the series is markedly better. History Hack podcast does a great dive into why this episode was so whack.

PROS:

I MEAN COME ON

Sean really understood this character--absolute chaos on the battlefield and shy and awkward pretty much everywhere else. He's amazing in battle scenes and he's EPIC at acting wounded. But the scenes I replay over and over are when he's socially out of his depth and gets flustered and sputtery and so Sheffield the captions can't handle it.

Supporting cast:

You'll find a lot of your classic British TV favorites making appearances throughout this series, and the camaraderie among the riflemen is always fun. Obviously this is a dude fest, as stated above, but some of the women are also written and acted really, really well--- Assumpta Serna as Teresa is that winning combination of a love interest/action heroine who doesn't devolve into a damsel in distress, and even passes the Bechdel test on a few occasions. And Diana Perez as Ramona is so badass and enjoyable.

Locations: Aside from a few interior sets, these films are mostly shot outside on location, with practical effects and stunts. There's some gorgeous scenery of the Crimean peninsula standing in for Spain and Portugal, and it's just really fun watching these guys run around rocky escarpments and fields with flares and stage explosives going off around them.

Music: I saw someone tag the opening theme as "electric guitar jumpscare" and they're not wrong. It's wonderfully anachronistic and totally 90s and you'll never get used to it. But far better are the soldiers' songs John Tams threads throughout, as well as his and Muldowney's thematic scores, and you will always, always finish an episode with him singing "Over the Hills and Far Away" stuck in your head.

Filming Lore: There was a LOT that happened during filming. Everything from Paul McGann having to drop out as the lead to misadventures in filming in Crimea just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. History Hack podcast has an awesome series of "filming of" episodes with input from cast, crew, and historians, and Jason Salkey (Rifleman Harris) has a book called "From Crimea With Love" that details the batshit filming adventures. I haven't read it but he references it every six minutes throughout the podcasts.

So: you've been warned, you've been primed. Start with Sharpe's Rifles; it's on Youtube. Watch it and Eagle, maybe jump to Battle or Siege if you're not sure, and then make up your mind.

If this all sounds enjoyable to you, but you wish there were more tall ships, more Paul McGann, more heroic brooding, and even MORE true love cosplaying as masculine camaraderie, you're in luck! Because you should also watch Hornblower!

And then draw fan art of it all! Please,,, I am so lon el y

[strawberryicemoon]

You should watch Pokemon Horizons

You should watch Pokemon Horizons. No seriously. You should watch the most recent Pokemon anime. Obviously people have different tastes and a children's anime isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. But if you've ever enjoyed Pokemon, or are a fan of children's cartoons (particularly children's anime), I have to recommend trying Pokemon Horizons. Pokemon Horizons isn't finished yet, at 25 episodes, so there is always time for it to take a turn, but it has just completed its first arc "Liko and Roy's Departure", so I feel confident in recommending it. And with the English dub coming out soon (hopefully), bringing availability to a wider audience so whenever you get the chance, I’d recommend it.

Our main protagonist is Liko. And I don't want to define her by her predecessor, but she really is Ash's antithesis in the best of ways. Nothing against Ash, it’s just a change was necessary. Ash is a hot-headed, straight-forward, confident, extroverted. Liko is an anxious introvert. She's unsure of her identity, and what she really wants to do at first. You could say she's a lot like previous female Pokemon protagonists in that regard; though it's too early to make any conclusive statements about where she's going, I will say I think her particular flavor of self-discovering protagonist hasn't quite been fully utilized. To be brief, I think she's less focused on figuring out her dream, and more on figuring out what she wants next, in a step by step fashion. She’s learning to understand and prioritize what she really wants, not what she thinks she should do. One of the earliest bits we get in the series is her grandmother telling her the importance of that first step, and so as Liko continues to grow in tiny steps, and makes more of her own decisions it feels like growth. Liko is most charming for who she shows herself to be when she stops thinking. Stops hesitating and worrying about doing the right thing. Someone who jumps off buildings. Who charges into battle because it's the right thing to do. We are often treated to Liko's internal dialogue. Where we hear the thoughts she doesn't say aloud due to her more introverted nature. She often expresses her anxiety, her surprise when she does something rash or when something weird happens to her. Which makes her moments of strength all the better, as she grows into a strong trainer, who more easily and more deliberately makes decisions about her future. Also, despite not actively thinking about it as much, Liko does figure out what she wants. And without spoiling it, she’s more like Ash than it may seem at first.

Liko also is in the center of a minor chosen one narrative, possessing a mysterious pendant inherited from her grandmother (and it's suggested she may be descended from an ancient hero), with a power that only Liko can unlock. (Side note: we haven’t gotten too much of her grandmother yet, but she is just a fantastic example of a badass old lady). That may not necessarily be appealing to many people, but it’s a great catalyst for her growth and a justification for her to be getting involved in bigger conflicts in what will probably be a shorter series in a franchise that has escalated the stakes a lot since Red and Blue. She is at series start, a damsel in distress. She's a brand new trainer, targeted by an evil organization for reasons she doesn't understand, rescued by people who are just hired to protect her. But Liko, despite starting out somewhat meek, and overly people pleasing, decides very quickly that she doesn't want to just stand by and let events happen to her. She wants to chase them herself. It may have been extraordinary circumstances that lead her to the Rising Volt Tacklers. But she stays with them because she realizes that this is what she wants to do, this is where she'll grow, and become the person she wants to be. Currently in the series she has already shown very tangible growth as both a person, and a Pokemon trainer. 

Speaking of her being a Pokemon trainer, her Pokemon complement her and her goals well. She was given Sprigatito specifically as the result of an interview judging her personality, so we the audience are instantly cued in that we can use Sprigatito as a way of understanding Liko’s personality. At the beginning Liko doesn't understand Sprigatito, but she also admits that she also doesn't understand herself very well. All the while Sprigatito is very much so, a cat. Who does exactly what she wants to do, when she wants to do it, taking life one action at a time, something Liko does throughout the show. Sprigatito seems to respond better to Liko when Liko is confident and when she does things that she really wants to, not things she feels she should. Sprigatito and Liko are naturally on the same page, so when Liko deviates from that, in the name of doing something she feels she should do rather than wants to do, Sprigatito gets upset. This is an effective way of building up both their relationship, and helping us to clearly understand the girl who doesn't understand herself, providing a catalyst for Liko’s growth. In addition Sprigatito’s calming aroma, and ability to use Leafage as a smokescreen are fitting tools for Liko’s goals and habits.

Hattena, Liko’s first catch, is caught later into the arc, but also fits Liko well. And gets along well with Sprigatito. Hattena is a pokemon known for being sensitive to emotions, and requiring a gentle, calming trainer, which helps highlight Liko’s strengths, and is relevant to Liko’s personal ambitions.

Roy is a passionate, energetic, friendly boy. He has more of an idea of what he wants than Liko, which is to unravel the secrets of his mysterious ancient Pokeball, but he’s still rather laid back. This may make him sound more like Ash, to which I won’t disagree but he is still a defined character himself. (And being “Like Ash” could mean a lot of things considering Ash took on many characterizations throughout his history). He has a big grand dream, but it’s unique to him, and is well defined. He's not as nuanced as Liko, but he makes a charming foil to her. While Liko can be more hesitant and had to be circumstanced into the journey, Roy’s been itching for one for a while. Liko’s grandmother pushed her forward, Roy’s grandfather’s been holding him back. Liko has to learn to consider what she wants, Roy has to learn to support others. Like Liko, Roy’s been making progress on becoming a trainer, often through the support of each other and helping his Pokemon out. 

Though Sprigatito and Liko were a pair assigned to each other and had to learn to get along, Roy and Fuecoco just matched vibes and decided that they actually wanted to help each other reach their goals. Fuecoco and Roy are a great pair too. Fuecoco is a simple type of 'mon. He likes to eat, sing, and wants to be strong like Friede's Charizard. They sing a lot as a form of bonding, which is adorable

Roy's other pokemon is Wattrel. Another glutton. Who also likes to sing. Who has his own ambitions. Unlike Hattenna and Sprigatito who get along well, Wattrel and Fuecoco often argue. Both are boisterous Pokemon with a lot of (metaphorical as of now) firepower, with a lot of ambition. While Fuecoco is more cheerful, and Wattrel grumpy, their inability to naturally support each other fits with Roy’s more individualistic personality. 

Okay, Spoiler time...

The show has gone out of its way to keep them hidden. If you want to keep the twist please skip. However, I think this twist is going to go the way of the identity of Luke's father, so your days are numbered before it's spoiled forever. And I feel I can't really talk about Horizon's and why you should watch it without discussing them. So skip to the end of this section if you don't want to hear it. For the third member of our trio and Quaxly's partner, I am going to talk about spoilers.

While Dot's voice actress and presence in show was announced very early on, along with the rest of the crew, it wasn't immediately clear what was going on. Or rather, she was announced as Nidothing/Gurumin. Liko's favorite streamer. Which was an odd character to give such importance. But by the end of the first episode it's apparent there's more to Nidothing to the story. She does the next episode previews. And while Quaxly had featured in the first poster and was clearly set to be part of the crew, it was not clear who Quaxly belonged to, and it just so happened that Gurumin had a Quaxly. And then the reveal of a Quaxly and a Fuecoco that was certain to become Roy's partner already as part of the Rising Volt Tackler's crew made it a sure bet that Nidothing was part of the crew. The only question was who. The mystery was a good hook, at the start of the series, but they didn't leave it dangling too long.

Dot’s a shut-in, who has already shown tremendous growth, beginning to leave her room, interact with her fellow crewmates, and acknowledge her friendship with the other kids, and her partnership with Quaxly. While we haven't gotten as much of them yet, Quaxly seems to be the perfect partner to Dot. Quaxly is a showy type of pokemon. Energetic and confident, everything she exudes as her Nidothing persona. Though time will show more depths to both characters. While we don't know much at all about her backstory, we know she's been a full-fledged member of the RVT for a while, as essentially their IT person (and internet research specialist), and that she's Murdock's niece (we'll talk about him too). We know she was inspired to begin streaming by Iono (the ScVi gym leader). But what exactly caused her to become a shut in, join the RVT, and befriend Quaxly remains to be seen. We are, afterall, 25 episodes into what is sure to be a 70+ episode show, (likely 100+). And things are just getting started.

That's enough of spoilers.

The kids have a strong friendship that is just starting to grow. It's already clear that they're becoming the kind of true companions that any group of traveling companions should be. Real ride or die for each other, and we're only 25 episodes in. They're goofy, inexperienced, and intensely curious with great potential for growth. We've already gotten instances of them inspiring and encouraging each other. While I don't think they are the most compelling group dynamic out there, they've got potential, and they certainly aren't bad. They're connected, either directly or indirectly, to the mystery of an ancient hero, and want to know more.

They also make for fantastic rookie trainers. Their team sizes are small, and they accumulate pokemon slowly. Which gives them time to show the growth of their individual pokemon and their bond. There’s also a lot of focus on the kids learning to BE trainers. Learning how to come up with strategies, be creative, expect the unexpected, and actually train their pokemon. It’s one thing to show a trainer training a pokemon, and another showing a trainer learning skills to help them direct their pokemon in battle so it's always good to see multiple aspects.

When the anime started there were 151 known pokemon and a promise of more, but nothing crazy. It was feasible to give every pokemon some degree of focus. To try and get as many pokemon as possible some of the limelight. But now there's over 1000. That's not really possible, so I think the quality over quantity works better. More importantly, working with the individual pokemon helps to highlight the growth of the trainer and why they're important. It's very important in Pokemon that battles don't turn into trainers yelling orders that pokemon interpret into all sorts of additional things, and probably didn't need to be told to do in the first place. Liko and Roy are shown to help their pokemon grow by encouraging them, and providing guidance on how to use their moves, and shows how they help in the heat of battle, by strategizing and helping to figure out not just which moves to use but how to utilize them in different ways. In short, Horizon's does a great job of demonstrating what skills are necessary to be a good trainer, and shows them honing those skills, rather than just focusing on their personal-emotional growth or the growing strength of their pokemon.

But the kids aren't the only ones who matter here. The brave Asagi is filled with adults with their own problems, histories and goals. Adults that help guide the Asagi's three charges, and are excellent role models.

Now, to preface, Pokemon has been increasing adult presence in the games especially since Sun and Moon, for better or for worse. After all, such a big draw of the Pokemon franchise was the power fantasy for kids. The ability to see a world, see in themselves, the ability to be independent and strong. (Which is a large part of kids growing to be independent and strong). I'm not really a fan of the way that the most recent games have commentary about the ways adults fail children. In Sun and Moon it's Lusamine's condescension towards kids, Sword and Shield it's the way Leon keeps Hop and the protag away from the conflict for most of it, In Scarlet and Violet, it's for better or for worse the school setting. On the anime side of things we had Ash going to school in Sun and Moon, and then establishing a base at Cerise laboratories where he gets adult supervision (and Chloe going to school). We sure are getting a lot of school these days. I think that erases a huge part of the big appeal for Pokemon, at least for child me, and likely for many of you at one point or another. The disappearing ability for children to explore the wilderness was the inspiration behind the franchise to begin with. It's a world where kids are treated seriously. Where they can be strong, because their strength comes from their bonds and their friendships, where their age and lack of experience doesn't make them babied. Where they are in control of their lives and given the respect they deserve. And in a world that's increasingly hostile towards children, a world where we are increasingly taking away children's freedoms in the name of keeping them safe it's more important than ever that the pokemon world remains a world where kids as young as 10, are free to choose their own path in life, change the world, and not be held back by what adults say they can or cannot do, a world where the god makes no such age distinctions. So no. I'm not generally a fan of the increased presence of school and adults in Pokemon and the commentary of "how fucked up is it that 10 year olds have to save the world". No It's an amazing world because 10 year olds have the power to save the world and aren't subject to the whims of the adults around them.

But all of this is to say that so far, I'm liking how the adult presence is handled in Horizons despite my predisposition against it. I think it's because the characters aren't above our children protagonists. Our children don't match the adults in strength and experience. But they are shown to be strong and drivers of their own stories. They aren't helpless. They chose to join the Brave Asagi's crew because it was the best way to accomplish their goals. The adults support the kids, they are never there as an obstacle for the kids to overcome, nor do they impede the kids abilities to face challenges and peril on their own. And the kids, while they may cause them problems, are never shown as a burden on the adults. The adults aren't useless though either. They're full-fledged characters in their own rights. If anything the story goes out of its way to tell its audience that children and adults aren't that different after all (particularly in episode 19). Adults struggle, they cry, they get excited. Being an adult doesn't have to mean getting trapped in mundanity. Being an adult can include doing the things you're passionate about and chasing your dreams. Being an adult doesn't have to mean you have to give anything up. Which is meaningful in a franchise old and beloved enough that whole families across generational lines can be invested. Now onto those adult characters.

Friede, the partner of Captain Pikachu, and the main adult character. He's kind of a spiritual successor to Ash, with his Pikachu and Charizard, and leader of a group of world travelers with a desire to learn about Pokemon. There's something poetic about the main adult character having Pikachu and Charizard. While Friede isn't Ash and Captain isn't Ash's Pikachu, they do have some similarities. Friede and Ash are both confident, passionate hot-heads who are skilled, albeit unconventional battlers. Captain is an unorthodox battler who breaks the mold of what a Pikachu is considered capable of doing. Episode 18 is their backstory, and if nothing else I would recommend the episode. Friede is a young pokemon professor, disillusioned with the title. Who, due to a fateful meeting with Captain Pikachu is inspired to start the Rising Voltacklers (RVT). The name actually has some significance. Despite Pikachu being Captain, he's the de facto human leader. But the fact that Captain gets to be well, Captain, is fantastic. Friede often forgets to tell people about his plans, and often causes problems with his lack of communication, but he's a strong and clever battler, who knows a lot about Pokemon.

Orla/Orio is the team mechanic. We really don't know much about her yet besides the fact she is originally from Kanto and Friede's childhood friend who at some point moved to Hoenn, before Friede asked her to make the Asagi fly. She asked to join the crew as a mechanic of Friede's half-thought out dream, in lieu of payment. She's cheerful, passionate and friendly. Her partner is a Metagross, and she often works with more rough around the edges fire types to keep the Brave Asagi aloft. It's clear that it's a lot of work for her but is something she's passionate about. 

Murdock is the chef, and a lot of his promo art shows him looking stern, and he's physically the largest member of the Brave Asagi's crew. However, the fact he has a Rockruff and an Alcremie will tell you far more about his personality. He's basically a surrogate dad to all the kids. He's shown to get along well with Roy and Liko, and worries about the kids. But he has been shown to get intense when it comes to his food, and the people and Pokemon he cares about getting hurt, even if he isn't too much of a battler. We don't know a lot about him yet, though we do know he used to be a Patisserie with Alcremie and an old friend who he separated with on poor terms due to tension involving Alcremie's evolution, but we don't know how he ended up joining the RVT.

Mollie, while not yet stated outright, is heavily implied to be a Joy. She at the very least, is from a family of Pokemon doctors and while she does love taking care of pokemon, knows that for every pokemon who can make it to get treatment, there are others who can't. This isn't the first Nurse Joy we've seen do this (there was the one in the Orange Islands at least), but it's always nice to get more insight into the Joy family and the worldbuilding that comes with that. And also characters who take a path layed out for them and instead of following it, or simply heading in a different direction, change the path to suit them. Mollie constantly has a grumpy look on her face, and avoids going into Pokemon centers. But she really is kind and cares deeply about Pokemon.

Last but not least is Ludlow, who I don't have much to comment on, since we don't know much yet. But his fishing boat (the Asagi) literally forms the foundation of what would become the Brave Asagi, the RVT base of operations. He's the team grandpa. He doesn't really do much, but he seems to be the character who everyone gets along with and respects, and is often off on his own, and looks after the Brave Asagi when everyone else is busy.

The nature of the conflict between the Explorers and the RVT leads the encounters between them to be large scale and action packed. Battles that take place in the air, across cities, in cave networks and in old castles. It’s rarely as simple as a 1v1 battle. There’s usually traps, escapes via misdirection, sneak attacks, and strategy employed on both sides. Humans are also often involved in the action themselves, shown riding on pokemon, running around, and even facing attacks on occasion. There are still of course more traditional battles, but they aren’t the majority of battles. With the more traditional battle rules off the table, the possibilities are increased. This also allows the kids more agency. They may not be strong enough to directly counter the RVT, but with some luck, teamwork and some creative thinking they can get themselves out of situations or hold their own until backup arrives. 

I'm not generally one to comment on the more technical animation aspects, primarily because I'm not much of an artist, but I think it's worth mentioning. While Horizons is still, first and foremost a long running children's anime so it's not like its animation is particularly mind blowing. But, it's still worth credit. I found myself pleasantly surprised at times. The airship setting allows for some truly fantastical settings.

I’m not saying Pokemon Horizons is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen or anything, so don’t set your expectations sky high. But it is a show with a lot of heart that I think deserves to be seen, so if you’ve wrote, the show off as just the Pokemon anime, give it a shot. The premise is different from the previous anime and is a completely different kind of show. The characters are lovable, the plot is intriguing, the battles are dynamic, and the atmosphere is filled with wonder and discovery. I think you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised. 

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

missed opportunities

This isn’t meant to be a summary or a translation of the Sunset Savanna event!! I just wanted to share my thoughts surrounding the actual tournament and the characters involved in the overall story.

I felt like??? This event was originally meant to be much bigger and much more elaborate than what we got. Is that just me?? Don’t get me wrong, what we ended up with was… okay. It was serviceable. It worked. I just feel like it could have easily been more, but there had to be significant downsizing for some reason.

One thing that kind of confused me was the hyping up of the Catch the Tail tournament versus what we actually got?? (Loved the tourism part though, hearing about local foods, stories, and customs is fun!) I understand the cultural significance of the game, but a tournament arc doesn't work that well if we're only invested in one side; obviously, we'll be rooting for NRC to win because we know them the best and have spent the most time with them, but... They have no significant rival or opposition to go against (which is at least one thing episode 5 had going for it in the form of Vil vs Neige, and even in the Harveston event when the Seven Dwarves reappear). We don't even really have names or faces to think of as their foes. We aren't really given the chance to cheer for anyone else. Like???? NRC's first opponents get no artwork at all, and then their second opponents are supposedly Cheka's usual trio of guards--except they're just beastmen mobs A, B, and C. What happened to the lore about "most of the important roles being fulfilled by female warriors"?? You really going to sit here and tell me that the people assigned to guard the person who is essentially the future of your country aren't roles traditionally fulfilled by strong "lionesses"? All three of the roles just happened be occupied by easily reused assets? Even the replacement/temporary guards assigned to Cheka were women, and the way the originals were foreshadowed made it seem like they would later be a big deal or the "rivals" NRC had to overcome in their final matchup. They technically were, but they were just your typical run-of-the-mill mobs. They have some investment, being that Kifaji trained them and they are bitter about having won previous years but Leona stood them up for training. It’s basically one big ploy to circumvent Leona not wanting to give the warrior lessons to the winning team, a way to counteract his laziness. It makes sense for the story, but it isn’t very high-stakes.

The other team NRC fought against was even more unremarkable; they cheated just as much as NRC did and didn't even compensate for it with at least recognizable artwork or personalities. In fact, they got NO art at all. If anything, this team should have been the run-of-the-mill mobs from how generically mean they were.

It feels like this event had a handful of red herrings and cheeky lines thrown in to tease at the reveal of significant new characters, only to never follow through on them. I like Kifaji, and it's reasonable that Leona says tourists like the NRC kids can't possibly meet the head of state (Farena/Falena). However, I don't like that a lot surrounding Cheka's guards amounted to nothing?? They even mention they have a member to substitute in that's a retired imperial guard, but that ends up being of no real importance either… (he throws the match because Kalim showed him great kindness.) It’s more like a convenience that lets Leona swap in and cinch the win for NRC). It's so... anticlimactic????? Especially since the competition is supposedly for the best warriors to prove their wits and might.

Another missed opportunity is that??? The competition is supposedly open to anyone, even those from outside the Sunset Savanna. That may very well be just a writing loophole for Leona to easily shoehorn Kalim/Jack, Vil, and Lilia in as competitors, but there's so much more you could do with that idea!

Maybe there are other outsiders come to fight for the title. Maybe Rook shows up as a competitor to spook them if the devs don't want to design that many actual "rivals" with unique designs or new faces. Maybe there are your "non-traditional" fighters as well, people that are very young (just for the lols, imagine a kid Cheka's size kicking butt, using their small size and speed to their advantage) or very old (Rafiki weaponizing his wisdom and experience in combat, idk) but are still skilled enough in their own right to participate. Maybe show us more types of beastmen and how they use their specific animal’s physical traits to their advantage! I don't know how likely it is for merfolk or fae to join (since those races seem like recluses compared to beastmen and humans and merpeople don't do well in arid climates), but it would have been cool to see others throw their hats into the ring!

There were probably just limitations in place due to this being a hometown event…? It wouldn't be fair for the others to only feature one new character while this one features a TON of them, nor would it be fair for this hometown even to be significantly longer or more detailed than the others. Basically only the Halloween events are super extensive. In which case, I get it. I still would have really liked to see this concept more fleshed out and fully realized though!

[parkeryangs]

OK BUT THIS IS REALLY INTRIGUING ACTUALLY. tell me more about this 'mattkey' ............

YES ABSOLUTELY OH MY GOD

SO in episode 1 participant observation, the main character, mike walters, claims to be "investigating" a secret online game called woe.begone out of curiosity/boredom, via actually playing the game. w.bg is a series of challenges, the first being that mike had to call his ex-boyfriend and tell him the worst thing he ever did to you.

mike does this, explaining that his "lifelong best friend" (matt) had unexpectedly died in a car crash, and his ex wasn't home at the time/didn't realize how serious the situation was, so he left mike to worry alone before matt's death had actually been confirmed. he tells his ex that he doesn't forgive him and has a breakdown, then waking up the next day to realize that matt wasn't dead and there was no trace of the voicemail he left for his ex. (so, at this point, mike continues to play w.bg, with matt as his "prize")

there's several other challenges he completes, along with another old friend of theirs also playing woe.begone, but the next marker of their relationship is in episode 11 this is only temporary, when mike's woe.begone challenge is to kill the prize from his first challenge— which is obviously matt. he explains the situation, a future version of him shows up to "prove" everything to matt, and ultimately matt slides his gun across the table, mike apologizes, and tells matt he loves him. (i talk more about this in another post)

at the end of season 1, woe.begone contacts mike to tell him that he has to relocate to a government job, a place called o.v.e.r./oldbrush valley energy & resources. he does, with season 2/3 following the start of his time in the valley & continued problem-causing due to w.bg lol. then in episode 35 safehouse, he kills another character and flees o.v.e.r., driving 26 hours to matt's house. he doesn't tell him all the details of what happened, but episode 36 respite is mostly dedicated to mike talking about the few days he spent with matt ("we didn’t need to do anything other than be in each other’s company") (i ramble about matt in 35/36 here)

there's a lot of non-mattkey events that occur, lol, but it gets to a point where matt essentially wants to be involved with a time travel org mike creates called base, but mike kind of keeps him at a distance for reasons unknown (coughs. mike does have a boyfriend he meets at o.v.e.r. and not saying it has anything to do with that but i'm also not Not saying that) and in episode 84 panther, matt helps with stalking two "rogue" iterations of mike and his boyfriend edgar (and i believe this is the first episode where matt has a voice actor?) and continues to do so throughout the current point in the podcast/"about a year" in canon time.

at the end of episode 120 true story, a (drunk) mike transports to matt's house as there was a timeline they'd been in (~e104 to 120ish iirc) where matt was dead once again because of mike. mike gives matt a box of his old stuff, and matt, worrying over mike using time travel when he's drunk lol, brings mike to stay in his spare room (that he mentions he's kept open since mike was last there). mike tells matt he loves him, and matt returns the sentiment.

so YEAH. mattkey my absolute beloved. imo their dynamic is very much "knowing one another better than they know themselves" if that gives you a more direct idea jksdhfjksdf. also college-era mattkey has been brainrotting the fandom recently which might be my fault LOL but pre-wbg mattkey is SO compelling even if only mentioned in passing - i talk about college mattkey here, here, here (kind of), and here, and i wrote a short fic about them here. overall, essentially the catalyst for everything in woe.begone is literally just. matt. like... mike literally rewrites time to keep matt safe and while it's true that mike has a deep relationship with most of his friends, matt is so intrinsically tied to him in a way that nobody else is.

[bloodonhissocks]

I'm again overwhelmed by the force of nature whose name is Maggie Collins and I'm in love with her phenomenal debut in the last two episodes of season 1. Originally, I just wanted to talk about her phone conversation with Eliot/Adam Sinclair and their subsequent date. Nate's pacing behind Eliot as he rambles about how long it took to just get coffee with her followed by Eliot's immediate success at securing a date is comedic gold. And the way she dominated the conversation during the date by absolutely roasting Nate was incredible.

I had just wanted to scream about how amazing Maggie was during these scenes, but my roommate told me that his theory was that Maggie knew all along. Not everything, of course, but she knew that Nate was involved and listening. I only thought that it was funny for Eliot to score a coffee date so easily since it was so difficult for Nate, but if Maggie knew all along...well, that just makes everything so much more brilliant.

It makes sense, too. Having been married to Nate, Maggie knew his ego would be hung up on how long it took for them to get coffee in the past, so she deliberately agrees to set up a date with Eliot/Adam immediately because she knows exactly how much that will bother Nate. Later during the date, she clearly begins a conversation that revolves around Nate and keeps it there...because she knows he's listening. Every expression and comment is purposeful. Eliot asks her, "You come here a lot?" and she answers, "No. I just wanted to see you" with that expression on her face and that smile and the camera cuts to a close-up of Eliot's "wtf am I supposed to say to Nate's ex-wife" face. The wonky music, the knowing look and body language Maggie exhibits, and the moving shot to the van that the team is in—she knows, she has to have known the whole time.

Anyways, that was my Maggie Collins Appreciation™ rant, but now that I'm fully invested in this theory, new questions have flooded my mind. When did Maggie find out? Did she realize it on her own? How much of it had to do with Eliot/Adam's "ghosting" and the disappearance of Nate and "Portia"? Like, if you think about it, Maggie was completely uninvolved with the Sterling takeover at the end of The First David Job. Parker and Hardison got caught, but the team was able to escape and consequently split up. Maggie doesn't return until Eliot calls her. Obviously, Blackpoole has obtained both of the David statues, but as far as Maggie knows, she verified the "second David," so it's not out of the ordinary that Blackpoole is putting both on display. But then "Adam Sinclair," "Portia," and Nate suddenly vanish and "Adam" doesn't call until three months later since that's when The Second David Job begins following the events at the end of The First David Job. I doubt Blackpoole or Sterling filled her in on what actually happened. So, did she realize? How much did she realize? How did she know Nate was involved and how much he was involved? How did she know that "Adam" was not really "Adam"? This theory makes so much sense to me, but now there are such interesting gaps that aren't necessarily super significant to the overall plot of the last two episodes, BUT LIKE I NEED ANSWERS—

[randomidiocyncrazies]

Gwitch s2 e4: The Cycle of Sin

I'm glad Miorine is back with Earth House and Suletta! She's so happy :3

It's really unsettling when Suletta says she'll do whatever Prospera asks of her, even kill using gundams, though she's obviously troubled by this line of questioning. She can't get out of the cult mindset on her own, but hopefully she'll have slightly more doubt going forward...

Also, I'm so glad Mio doesn't get mad *at* her—rather, she gets mad *for* her and confronts the true source of the problem. She's not stupid and knows first hand how manipulative Prospera is, so it's good that she doesn't blame Suletta for it.

It's chilling that Prospera literally does not think of Suletta as anything but a tool in her revenge/for her 'real' daughter during her confrontation with Miorine, and the whole "hee hee do you want to have your way with her next?" is soooo gross

I'm curious about where the Space Assembly League plot is going, and I'm slightly worried that 8 eps will not be enough to wrap Witch from Mercury's story up and have a satisfying ending? There are quite a lot of plot points that need to be resolved, and while the show has a quick pace idk if they can address all those in a satisfying manner.

It's interesting that they cut to Felsi at that point of the couch duo's conversation. It seems to imply that Felsi will be gunning for the Holder title herself, and with how many times Suletta talks about how she hasn't lost a duel yet, it's foreshadowing that Suletta *will* lose. I've seen speculation that Miorine orchestrates to have another Holder in order to make Suletta a less attractive tool to Prospera and to get the backing of one of the big three—if that pans out, it might also add an obstacle on the Mio/Suletta romance that they can overcome together.

Also, Felsi already felt excluded by Lauda and Petra's closeness last ep, and this time only Lauda and Petra got to reunite with Guel, so Felsi might be doing what she can for Jeturk Heavy Machinery using the skills she has with very limited information. I'm looking forward to see how her character develops in future episodes.

I hope Guel doesn't do anything dumb, his family and team needs him. Jeturk Heavy Machinery's reputation is dragged through the mud, they're going bankrupt, the Group and stakeholders need an explanation for why Jeturk MS were piloted by the terrorists, and there's an upcoming election for a new Benenit Group president, so Guel is coming back to a volatile situation. Also, the fact that Guel accidentally killed his father will come out eventually—I'm scared about what will happen to the brothers when that gets revealed... And on the same note, Shaddiq's involvement in the terrorist attack will also get revealed eventually, maybe even during the election for the Benerit Group's next president (PLEASE).

Sabina being confirmed Earthian implies that all the girls in Shaddiq's squad are Earthians, or has Earthian heritage like him—my guess is that they all came from the same orphanage, or at the very least Shaddiq and Sabina did. Their group is an interesting look into how marginalized groups wield power & status once they've been (conditionally) accepted into the privileged group, and how they don't necessarily treat others within the marginalized group they were once part of with any more sympathy/kindness. Or like, they still treat Nika and Sophie+Norea like pawns in their grand scheme, despite their grand goal of redistributing the power dynamics.

Sabina's adoption by Grassley also suggests interesting CSR practices within Grassley—Shaddiq's adoptive dad was shocked and dismayed by the events of the prologue, so I guess he and his company adopt Earthian children to "make up for it"? Since Vanadis Institute was working with an Earthian company. It's also possibly a critique on international adoption practices, where the adoptive parents see their children's native culture as inferior and has a savior complex about it.

(Also, we finally see one (1) dude in Shaddiq's faction, and he looks quite a lot older than Shaddiq, so I wonder what his deal is. We also see Shaddiq's faction is the weakest within Grassley, but they seem convinced they'll come out on top quickly, so I'm guessing they got blackmail on hand. They should damn well hope none of their own skeletons get dragged out at inopportune moments lol.)

I'm looking forward to the Benerit Group president arc—Shaddiq is extremely confident, but I'm equally confident that he'll get his smug ass kicked. He wrote Miorine off as a contender and doesn't seem to be aware of Guel's return, so he's deffo getting blindsided by at least one of them.

I also can't help but notice Peil doesn't seem to be pushing for their own contender in this ep—it fits their practice re: enhanced clones, in that they'll let someone else be the face (i.e. the Group's president) and pull strings from the shadows. Since El5n is unable to steal Ariel's secrets, they might back Miorine as president in an attempt to get at them, or even just because Mio isn't directly affiliated with one of the other big three, so them backing her gives them leverage further down the road—she'll owe them, and they don't have to contend with the pressures of Mio's own company; a Grassley candidate will have to answer to Grassley's interest first, and likewise for a Jeturk candidate. Gundam Inc. is a tiny company with little ability to push back against one of the big three, so by corporate logic Miorine 'has to' put them first.

On the subject of Peil, Belmeria talking about how she had no choice but to make enhanced clones on Peil's payroll in front of an enhanced clone whose life was fucked over because of the procedure she helped develop sure was a dumbass move—I understand that the Vanadis massacre was traumatizing and she needed to survive, but ngl I was rooting for El5n during their confrontation. And the clones are a foil to Suletta in terms of their lack of agency/autonomy—Suletta is raised to be blindly obedient through Prospera's fake care for Suletta's well-being, while the clones are not given any care and directly threatened with death for any perceived failures or refusals of compliance... but both Prospera and the Peil company sees them as nothing more but disposable tools. If given the chance, the clones will bite back, but someone who was brainwashed like Suletta would struggle a lot more with turning against their abusers.

Eri's confrontation with El5n is quite interesting: I assumed she let El4n pilot her because he was with Suletta and got her okay to do so. However, Miorine did not get Suletta's consent to pilot Ariel, but she emerged fine from the experience. Likewise, El5n did not get Suletta's consent to pilot Ariel, but unlike Miorine, he ended up violently rejected. IMO either Eri can tell that El5n intends to snoop around and uncover her secrets (Miorine didn't have that intent), or the reaction is because of El5n's enhanced Parmet sensitivity/data storm resistance (which Mio most likely lacks), or a combination of both. So far the only people who saw Eri were El4n, Sophie and El5n, all of whom are gundam pilots, and Eri/Ariel says "mom can't hear my voice" in the novella, suggesting that you have to have a certain level of Permet sensitivity(?) to communicate with her, and that maybe she only acts defensively if someone with the required Permet level who she doesn't trust is in the picture? idk if she can forcibly override the Permet scores of someone who is not receptive (connected to the GUND format), which might be why Miorine was okay back in the first ep.

the sentiment of "ends doesn't justify the means" has come up at least twice this ep, and I hope it will be more nuanced than how it's usually portrayed in most media—yanno, the kind of thing where it's like "the oppressed radical group has a good point! quick, make them so evil that the moderate course of action is the only morally justifiable one by comparison" etc etc.

Also I hope the power dynamics and structures will have a meaningful change at the end of the show, instead of "dw the right person is the supreme overlord now, so everything's gonna be okay" that a lot of stories default to. It's easy to criticize and replace a person in power; it's hard to criticize and change an oppressive system that perpetuates inequality and the suffering of minorities/the disadvantaged. the former is a superficial easy fix with no real substance, while the latter is meaningful but takes skill to write about. I'm... optimistic but cautious about Okouchi Ichirou's abilities—I've heard decent things about Code Geass, but I was personally disappointed by the ending of Sk8 (hopefully season 2 will be better?), and I've heard his endgame plots can be very divisive.

[legobiwan]

Tales of the Jedi 1:3 "Choices"

I'M FLIPPING OUT HERE

Just...my gods, there is a lot in this episode

Okay, okay - first of all, I do love Mace and Dooku's interactions here. Mace obviously respects, although doesn't always agree, with Dooku. But! Despite registering his protest to Dooku's so-called "interference," he also doesn't prevent Dooku from carrying out that investigation. The whole breakdown really happens when Mace inadvertently kills that one guard in self defence (I guess you could read it, from Mace's point of view, that this is what happens when the Jedi veer from their directives, from their rules. Innocent lives are lost and I don't think that death rested easy on Mace's conscience. And you could imagine him doubling down on the rules after that incident and inheriting Katri's seat due to the events just prior to that incident. Not to say that this is the entire reason Mace is rule-bound - it's certainly not - but it probably caused him to dig in a little more, especially during his initial tenure as a Council Member.)

ANYWAY, getting back to Dooku.

I thought this line was hilarious and my gods, is this man the teacher of Rael Averross and Qui-gon Jinn, or WHAT?

Can you imagine him saying the EXACT SAME THING to a young Obi-wan? BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL CAN!!!!!!!!!

The line about not getting involved in local political skirmishes without approval from the Council or Senate is fascinating. Just much autonomy do the Jedi have out there? You know Dooku disagrees with this philosophy and thinks the Jedi could do more but being an arm of the Senate - which they absolutely are at this point, involvement in "local politics" could upset the status quo, for both good and ill. Obviously, the death of Katri was something the corrupt Senator did not want investigated and he assumed it wouldn't be as it's probably well-known the Jedi cannot interfere as their own political arm...a philosophy that has two sides in that no, you can't save everyone but at the same time, at what point do you end up being the "lapdogs and enforcers" of the corrupt, rich and powerful?

Alright, I have to spend a moment talking about Dooku: Space Detective because this is 100% a precursor to Obi-wan Kenobi: Space Detective. The way they investigate their physical environments! Ask logical questions! LOOK AT THIS!

This is all to say we need an AU of Dooku and Obi-wan quitting the order to open up a Space Detective Agency because COULD. YOU. IMAGINE??? (And to make one more point, the opening of this episode reminded me a lot of the opening of the Utapau arc. Retrieving a dead Jedi body, a mysterious murder, etc.)

THAT MAKASHI THOUGH LOOK AT THIS MAN GO! THE BEHIND THE BACK DEFLECTION, THE THE RESET TO THE MAAKSHI SALUTE, BEST SABER FORM EVER HE TOTALLY SHOULD HAVE TAUGHT OBI-WAN TO MAKASHI

And also - the absolute control, strength, and focus it must take to do all this ONE-HANDED. With limited acrobatics. (Unlike Mace). INCREDIBLE.

One of the interesting facets of Dooku I feel isn't talked about enough is the fact that he comes from this patrician background. Is Serennian royalty. AND YET, his largest concern is the way in which the Order, to his mind, is abandoning planets and beings to serve the interests of the rich and powerful. Is it because he was forsaken by Serenno, by his family? (Which works both in the EU and Canon backstories). And then he returns to Serenno to claim that title and become one of the rich and the powerful (and yes, to a certain degree, corrupt). It's really a fascinating arc and one I'd like to tease out a little further to really get at all possible implications and motivations.

I also found the statement he made to the Raxxian prisoner that his people shouldn't "evolve" to be a precise and odd choice of wording. Dooku is a man of precision who wields his words as well as his lightsaber. "Evolve" is such an interesting term to use. Is this meant to contrast with the Jedi and the Senate, who have "evolved" so much as to consider themselves above what they came from, to have forgotten their roots and their peoples? That the Jedi are too concerned with philosophicals and not enough with practicals in the way they have "evolved" in the Temple? Their heads being too far up in the clouds, along with the Temple Spire, as it were?

Okay, I have to say, the funeral scene with Ki-Adi was a little funny, only because the minute I saw his comically elongated hood, this immediately popped into my deranged mind:

(Admittedly, I had been thinking of this meme this morning as a way to introduce enharmonic respellings for chromatic modulation in the class I teach. And this is where it all lands me. Ha!)

ANYWAY.

There are a lot of implications in Dooku's question to Mace regarding the timing of his knowledge of his new Council appointment. Is Dooku insinuating Mace was somehow in cahoots with the Senator? No, that would be ridiculous. But what, then? That Mace didn't want to interfere for fear of losing his new seat, or losing face with the Council. More likely.

And there's this line, which ages TERRIBLY in light of everything that happens in TCW.

And I know Filoni's going hard on the Council in this episode, but there is a point to be made - less about the corruption of the Council, but rather its stasis and its inflexibility in the light of a failing pangalactic government. (Even before anything with Palpatine or the War came to fruition). The Council is 1000% guided by politics - they would be independent of the Senate if they weren't. And ego - maybe not Mace, as much, but certainly Yoda (forget the whole Dark Side thing, I'm just thinking of sending Obi-wan alone after Maul when re-emerges due to whisperings from "the Force." If Yoda had actually listened to Mace and sent a task force, how different would things have turned out? At least in that situation).

Okay last point. When Dooku is doing his whole pensive reflection bit at the end of the episode in the Temple, we see these diamond-ish shaped obelisks as part of the Temple decor. It did not escape my attention that Dooku has similarly shaped obelisks on the grounds of his Serenno estate, specifically the area where he trains Savage. I DON'T THINK THAT IS A COINCIDENCE.

Anyway, so far, this series is doing a great job of painting Dooku and his fall as highly nuanced and is actually making valid criticisms of the Jedi - things that definitely helped lead to Palpatine's rise and the outcome of the war. I also like that this version of Dooku seems to be a little closer to his Dark Rendezvous iteration (which is my absolute favorite backstory and a favorite portrayal of older!Dooku. Although Jedi Lost and M&A do a first-rate job showing teacher!Dooku to Rael and Qui-gon).

I think the next episode is the one where Qui-gon is going to show up again and I'm going to lose it when that happens. I also really need to go to sleep so I can wake up for a flight in like, *checks watch and laughs nervously* 4ish hours. Oof.

Anyway, 10/10 LOVE

[voidstilesplease]

Patrivan Drives Me Nuts, And Here's Why: Part 5

S5E4: The Body [1,2,3,4]

->Because Ivan Is Really Pissing Me Off (but not as much as Ari)

Hm, how to even begin?

Look, this episode was as bad as episode 3 as far as patrivan is concerned, but I didn't hate it as much... I would say. And that's only because I think Cruz evened out this whole emotional mess, and Patrick isn't as inferior to Ivan anymore. Like, he's finally got a bullet to fire back at the idiot. Yeah, yeah. I'm toxic like that. But what I'm saying is, right when I saw that, I knew Patrick's trauma after seeing the boy he likes and his sister having sex in broad daylight will soon be returned. By, like, two-folds.

BUT. That doesn't make it any less fucked up. I know. Because, seriously? Ivan's dad? It couldn't be, idk, an older brother or something? Granted, his dad acts like a man-child than an actual father, but still. Cruz is a very questionable third party to involve.

But again, enough to satisfy my thirst for revenge. Lol.

Anyway. Let's break this post into 3 parts based on the sequence of events in the episode concerning our lovely (and suffering) otp. First would be Ari and Ivan's boat scenes 😒 (I'm still fuming), next is Patrick's whole emotional train wreck 🥺, and lastly, the aftermath of that wreck. Which, for Patrick, typically translates to 'another bad decision', a.k.a. Cruz. 🤷‍♀️

1. Ari and Ivan.

(yeah, I'm not... I'm not gonna add gifs of them. Lol)

So, Ari and Ivan's boat ride and eventual boat sex.... *sighs* I really don't want to talk about it because it just makes me angry, so I'll get to the point.

Wtf was that? Ari can't get her boyfriend to spend time with her, because he's working to have money, so she drinks, summons "Ira" as Patrick calls her evil alter ego, and cheats on her boyfriend with the guy she knows her brother likes? And Ivan lets it happen, but I don't expect much from him, so I'm not even disappointed (but I am, truly, lol).

That's all I have for them. *leaves*

2. Patrick.

Now, this episode wasn't very kind to him, was it? Poor baby.

He doesn't appear until around minute 19 and already you can tell that he's not doing great. First of all, he's late. He's supposed to be around during his dad's welcome speech, but even Ari has no idea where he could be. And when he does arrive, he's clearly on something. He's interrupting his dad, being rude to people, and breaking expensive sculptures - just being a total menace. And to make sense of it, remember that we're picking up from episode 3's rejection from Ivan.

Obviously, he got very upset about it that he went out and drank, got high, and probably fooled around with strangers if the huge-ass hickey on his neck is anything to go by. And sometimes it annoys me how he could be so fixated on one person, you know? Because he could get anyone, but he spends most of his time and invests his emotions choosing people who wouldn't choose him back. That's just really... ANYWAY-

So he gets into a verbal fight with his dad that ends up with him getting slapped (and oh my... that confrontation reveals a lot about his insecurities, doesn't it?). Then he walks out, throws a tantrum outside (which, Patrick, baby, seriously? 😒), and as if he hasn't had enough stabs into his chest, he gets stabbed in the back, too. He catches his sister Ari and Ivan having sex - out in the open jfc - and, ooooooof, the look in his eyes 🥺🥺🥺. Just- *gestures*

This is the exact look that makes Cruz's entrance in the picture satisfying to me (despite the, well, obvious age issues). Because trust Patrick to make things messier for everyone. He can't be the only one that suffers lol. Though, tbf, I don't think he intends to hurt Ivan. Ivan doesn't like him like that, as Ivan keeps on insisting, right?

3. Cruz.

But Patrick can't even take all the credit for this chaos, can he? Because to begin, it's not Patrick who showed intent first. Patrick's out there pouring his heart out to Ivan's dad because he just really needs someone to talk to, and Cruz flirts with him. Unintentionally, maybe, at first, but flirts with him nonetheless. So, what's Patrick supposed to do, really?

He just got bitch-slapped by his dad, saw his sister getting it on with the boy who spacezoned him, then there's Cruz who comforts him, tells him that it's impossible that no one notices and wants Patrick for who he is (because he clearly does), and Patrick's supposed to - what? Walk away? From the one person who seems to appreciate him at his very fragile moment? Who's showing interest in him when the persons he wants it from can't give it to him?

So, he goes for it. And, no, it's not a smart decision, but it's the decision that gave him peace temporarily - took his mind off things for a short while. And he really needs to chill after all that, tbh. And Cruz is neither in a committed relationship, nor too afraid to kiss him. So? Cruz just so happens to be Ivan's dad, just like Ari just so happens to be Patrick's sister. It's really.... not that crazy. (*snorts* Lmfao XD)

---

Anyway, that's all for episode 4. And, y'aaaaall. I can't wait to discuss episodes 5 and 6 because they're, by far, my favorite patrivan episodes this season. Like *screams incoherently*

Like, how my thoughts about Ivan gets proven in episode 5, and how Cruz is such a little shit dad, and how I think Patrick is too villainized for going through with *it* (ya know, the pool scene), or accused of self-destruction when he literally just accepted someone's attention to soothe his broken heart. You know, it's for him. It's not about someone else.

Don't get me wrong, Patrick has self-destructive tendencies (exhibit A: the entirety of season 4), but I don't believe that particular scene is one of those instances. The latter one, maybe, yes. (Okay, to be clear, I mean when Patrick runs away from home after that video of Ivan in Ibiza and seeks out Cruz for comfort? I think that's in episode 7... Yeah, that's the one. That's self-destruction right there.) But this one (as in: episode 6, the pool scene)? No, that's just what would have happened in episode 5 had Ivan been too chicken-shit to finally make a move.

Anyway, I'm gonna talk more about that in the next ones. Ciao!

[phoenixrisesoncemore]

(No?) Annatar in Rings of Power

I've now seen the first three episodes of Rings of Power and I have thoughts (and worries) regarding the Eregion storyline, the main worry being that they might (and I emphasize might) jump over much of the Annatar portion of the Eregion storyline entirely. I don't necessarily mean not have Sauron involved in the forging of the Rings--I don't think that's likely at all--but rather, not SHOW his infiltration of Eregion and the Gwaith-i-Mirdain and seduction of Celebrimbor, or only show the tail end of it.

Obviously, this has spoilers, so be warned.

While we are still very early in the series, I see some clues as well as a couple reasons for why they might want to make that choice (as much as I hope they don't).

First, there's Celebrimbor's conspicuous requirement in episode 1 that his new fancy forge that needs to be "as hot as dragon's fire and pure as starlight" be built by spring. This seems a pretty unusual requirement for en elf. What is driving this? Is there someone requesting this? Someone with less patience? Someone with lots of continent-wide ongoing plots? Perhaps Annatar has already *been* to Eregion prior to this.

The next is the greater POV focus on Elrond rather than Celebrimbor in the narrative thus far, particularly his relationship with the dwarves. That focus doesn't necessarily mean we won't get more story told from Celebrimbor's perspective later or that his relationship with Narvi won't happen—there are supposedly going to be five seasons after all. I also think it's to be expected that Elrond will have more focus in this series than writings about the Second Age give him, simply because he is one of only a handful of characters who bridge the gap between this show and The Lord of the Rings and specifically the PJ films. As much as the show cannot directly reference the films, it is certainly drawing inspiration from them, especially in regards to the early casting choices for Galadriel, Elrond, and Gil-Galad (Will Poulter, who was originally cast as Elrond, I believe, looks stunningly like a young Hugo Weaving). But Elrond's focus has already been strongly tied to the Eregion plot and I wonder if that means we will be seeing the events in Eregion play out from his perspective, a perspective that may not include encountering Annatar in this adaptation.

Then there is the apparent push in the show to keep us guessing about who among the OCs might be Sauron. Now, I get this choice, and honestly I LIKE it. It adds a layer of mystery and horror that both those familiar and not familiar with the Second Age can enjoy, and that layer of mystery is one that might be hard to come by if Annatar just shows up from the beginning. For those who know the story—be it from the Appendices or from reading The Silmarillion, UT, or any other works—the minute Annatar (or anyone new bearing gifts of knowledge) shows up in Eregion, they're going to be tipped off. And that can be done well; that can be done very well: (some of) us knowing things Celebrimbor doesn't can work deliciously from a dramatic perspective. But that's not the same kind of mystery and horror that comes from no one knowing if they've seen Sauron yet.

Part of Sauron's power, narratively, in LotR is the duality of his physical absence but narrative presence. That is what generates so much of the really effective horror in the novel. Can He see me? Or can He not? It's a magnificent device, but Annatar can't quite work that way. Now, he doesn't NEED to work that way, he can still be effective as he is, but I wouldn't be surprised if a desire to imitate the LotR formula isn't at work here, and once "Annatar" shows up, the Sauron box is opened. We're no longer in the mystery. His Schoedinger-like superposition is no more, the wave function has collapsed, and we know who he is (whether the characters do or not). I wonder (and worry) that the show may be more invested in that mystery than the Annatar storyline. They could attempt to do both the Annatar story *and* the "Sauron is someone else" story, but that would require a lot of literal footwork by these characters. It would be amazing, but I don't know if they can pull it off.

Then there's the queer issue.

How afraid is the show to allow viewers even a whiff of the homoerotic in the Annatar/Celebrimbor relationship? What better way to avoid that reading if they are worried about it AND keep their Sauron-box closed than to simply NOT SHOW the details of the Ring forging (or at least who is involved in it until later)?

I can see it playing out this way in the show: Celebrimbor starts acting strangely. Elrond, who has been helping him build a workforce but not been privy to the finer details, finally gets out of him why: Celebrimbor hadn't told anyone this, but he had been working in Eregion on his project with someone else in secret. This someone else offered him and his best craftsmen wonderful secrets about the nature of creation. But because Celebrimbor was worried about whether the High King would give him permission if he met this person (Gil Galad does seem to have a lot more authority in this show than I would have ever given to him) he hadn't revealed what was going on.

I won't like this. I will be very upset if anything like this happens. But I'm also already dissatisfied with how the lack of events prior to the Second Age has colored (or rather, de-colored) how all these characters are viewed, particularly Celebrimbor, who sits at an intersection of many conflicts with wounds that are almost certainly still open.

Celebrimbor is not JUST a great smith descended from a "greater" one. It's the tension and struggle between his grandfather's unmatched skill and his family's penchant for murder that gives Celebrimbor's ambitions during the forging of the Rings so much emotional and thematic weight.

Here's hoping I'm wrong.

[fzzr]

Why Do I Only Like Sports Anime When They're Weird?

In general I am not a fan of sports anime. If the show is about getting the team together to show skill matters more than expensive gear, or we're unbeatable if we just work together, etc. I usually don't even bother to sample it anymore. However, my list of anime watched and rated highly is not bereft of things that happen on courses, tracks, and unconventional fields of play. So let's talk about lesbian golfers, horse girls, and beating the shit out of people for discount lunches.

Reviews

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story is a 2022 anime about the most unethical sport that doesn't involve non-human animals. Now, I wouldn't watch golf even if it wasn't boring as shit, just in protest of the amount of land and water it wastes. I will admit that if real golf was like the sport of the same name in Birdie Wing, I would be more sorely tempted. You see, the protagonist of Birdie Wing isn't just a golfer, she's a golfer who plays underground matches for money, and the mob. Yes, in this setting gangsters work out their differences using golf duels (also sometimes regular violence, but golf first). Mobsters not being overburdened with an abundance of principles, they obviously cheat a whole lot, and our protagonist, Eve, just wants a good clean game.

Her world changes when she falls in rivalry with aspiring professional golfer Aoi. From here Eve works to escape from her crime-adjacent life and follow Aoi into the world of "real" golf. Along the way she faces off with such characters as "definitely not a vampire" and "don't worry at all about how mechanically perfect my play is". Birdie Wing has everything you would expect from a sports anime. There are our two leads with their different philosophical approaches to the game as they clash and cooperate. There's the example of how two good players don't just make a good team. There are the characters who will do anything to win, and those who just want to play.

This show has some absolutely wild moments, both of comedy and of emotional impact. Homoeroticism between rivals in a sports anime is by no means innovative, but the way Birdie Wing goes about it is distinct. I don't want to spoil how it happens, but I was so invested in their relationship by episode 4 that a particular moment hit me like a sack of bricks.

Birdie Wing: Golf Girls' Story is 8/10. It's just a little violent and just a little lewd, but there are sports anime that go further. I bet they're not this funny. Give it a try, especially if you want something wacky to watch while a little drunk.

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby is a 2018 anime about an unethical sport that does involve non-human animals. Specifically, each season of Uma Musume follows the actual career of a real life Japanese race horse... except instead of a horse it's about a horse girl with the same name. Also they're idols sometimes. Don't worry about it, it only comes up a few times. Given that it's built on a substrate of real life events, it really is crazy how much they manage to squeeze out of the plotlines. Most of the charm comes from the titular horse girls, of course. They're all fun characters, and even though the themes of hard work and believing in yourself are conventional the execution is solid all around.

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (both seasons) is 8/10. It's wholesome as hell, pretty much a show for everyone.

Ben-To is a 2011 anime about the highly ethical sport of beating people up in supermarkets. The titular bento are pre-made lunches made and sold daily by markets and convenience stores. Come dinner time, the stores need to clear out stock, so everything goes on sale. As soon as the discount stickers are applied and the staff are safely out of the way, the game starts. The rules are simple: If you get your hands on a bento, it's yours. Take only one. Speed, subterfuge, or brute force - use whatever you want to get that half-price lunch.

Given the... unconventional... premise, it takes a bit of extra work to make it clear that this IS a sports anime. The freeform nature of the brawls means no single collection of sports tropes applies. It's not martial arts, but there is an emphasis on the value of personal excellence and motivation. The protagonists are solo players, "wolves", who fight for honor and always go for the most premium bento on the shelf. There are "dogs" who work as a team, and "boars" who break the social contract, so shifting alliances form even among those who normally square off. There are cross-town rivalries and places where bad blood from past events impacts the tenor of the sport. Retired players give the newcomers advice and instruct them on the philosophy of the game.

Ben-To is 8/10. (It would have been 9/10 if it didn't get distracted by anime tiddy for a few episodes). The concept is wild, the action is great, and it's just a fun time all around. It has some parts that require an elevated power level (if you know what a "fujoshi" is you have the prerequisites) so you can't show it to just anyone, but I think almost anyone can have fun with it.

OK but why though

So, why is it that I find the WE GOTTA DO IT FOR THE SENPAIS and IF WE BELIEVE IN EACH OTHER WE CAN BEAT ANYONE of conventional sports anime boring, but these all do it for me? One thing they have in common is that they're not depicting a real game being played in a real way - the unfamiliarity clearly adds something to the experience. I do think each of them shows how to make sports anime good in a different way, though.

Birdie Wing takes golf as a stepping off point, but chooses not to limit itself by the rules of reality. The tools and terms are what you have overheard people talk about when clubball is in the news for some reason, but also Eve calls out special move names and a mob boss spent millions of dollars on a reconfigurable subterranean golf course. In essence, this is a sports anime that chooses to indulge in what you might call "anime bullshit" and does it well.

Uma Musume is about running. It's truly impressive where the strategic complexity is found - different turf, different training patterns - but the sport itself isn't the source of the hyperreality. Instead, it's everything else. The characters use the actual names of the horses they're based on, so you have Special Week looking up to senpai Silence Suzuka. The designs and personalities are strong and distinct. There's nothing revolutionary about wanting to get a sports scholarship to a school in the big city because you want to play, with the school being secondary. It's just that there's this whole unstated bit of worldbuilding where oh yeah, these are horse girls who dream of growing up to be like their role model horse girls and be famous horse girl idols and horse girl champions.

Ben-To is the Chaotic Good of sports anime. It doesn't go off the rails, because it's too busy assuming you understand that of course grocery stores keep first aid stations in the back in case of concussions during the nightly refrigerator section brawls to be on rails in the first place. The freedom granted by the premise lets it pick and choose the best parts of sports anime without being beholden to the mundane things that hold the genre back. It doesn't have to deal with the heartbeat of a school year or tournament season schedule. All it takes to introduce a new twist is to brawl at a different market or have someone new show up to yours.

No seriously, why?

After stepping through all that, I think the answer is simple and a bit unsatisfying. I like weird sports anime because of the weird, not because of the sports. Weird anime are just fun, and taking something I find less fun and weirding it up means I get a bit of extra unfamiliarity from the weirdness.

[lolly-dolli]

Crossover episode in which Interview is canon in that it's ALSO about true events in the form of a docudrama made from an autobiography and Lestat is just straight up Some Guy Who Exists, and because vampires usually only care about human media according to the Roger Rabbit law of comedy none of the vampires really care. There's a cutaway gag during a talking head interview where Louis explains via voice over that it ended up failing as a docudrama as a shot of the end of the credits is shown saying "some events are dramaticized" that every human somehow missed, and Queen of the Damned is referenced as a Noodle Incident that killed any hope of trying again to reveal the novels as stealth autobiographies and maybe also alluding to and implying that the Great Fanfic Purges were due to some sort of ego meltdown on Lestat's part.

Guillermo (who has canonically at least seen the first movie, and I'd like to imagine has read the books) proceeds to find this VERY amusing because, as the Vampire Chronicles Vampires have vastly different origins to those in the WWDITS universe; and obviously none of the world-changing events from the book have actually happened here (as I'm in the middle of season 3 and quite enjoying his bastardization arc), he is the only person in the room besides the two guys who are visiting due to [insert funny council shenanigans here, IDK maybe they're getting divorced or un-divorced again and there's a lot of paperwork bullshit and Lestat invites himself into their mansion as Lestat is wont to do]. And because Guillermo is seemingly the only person here who realizes that everything post-interview is just self-insert fanfic, he proceeds to subtly call him out on his bullshit for to make him squirm.

Due to legal reasons there is a running joke in which the vampires keep mistakenly calling them Tom and Brad because None Of Them Know Who These Two Are and having to be corrected (minus Collin Robinson, who picks up on this bullshit and joins in on it for fun, and reveals that he too has seen the movie and then very awkwardly imitates a line from it in order to feed off the cameraman). Guillermo purposefully enables this.

Guillermo brings up that he's heard Lestat had a prominent musical career in the 80s but he's never had a chance to actually listen to any of his work, and asks if he can reccomend any songs for him to listen to. He purposefully does this while Lazslo and Nadja are in the room so that he can't hypnosis his way out of it and Lazslo will of course want to talk with a fellow musician (the word "musician" overenunciated in true Lazslo fashion) and asking if he wants to play some of his work later.

Louis leaves the room because he's tired of this bullshit and can't watch anymore and there's a b-plot where Nadja tries to help him reign in his idiot husband and, "stop being such a pathetic wet baby owl eating rats all of the time." She interrupts him when he says he actually doesn't do that anymore. She and him and the Nadja Doll end up having group therapy over mutual Idiot Man Who I Love problems, and Nadja especially bonds with him because, "your idiot husband turned a toddler to see what would happen? My idiot husband turned a baby!" the bonding becomes increasingly one-sided, however, when Nadja mentions that the baby is at least doing well for itself as a member of the vampiric council and when asked how Claudia is Louis is just like "well. Um. She's. Not around anymore." And Nadja assumes this as pathetic wet baby owl man speak for Claudia being estranged from them.

The climax involves Lestat being put on the spot in such a way that he cannot easily weasel his way out of it and Guillermo letting out a very small laugh which Nandoor picks up on, and upon Guillermo going "oh, nothing, I just feel kind of bad for him is all."

To which Nandoor responds with, "Tom Cruise does not need your pity, Guillermo," implying he not only was getting the names wrong despite having mediated in Vampire Divorce Or Un-Divorce court, but may have thought that Tom Cruise was actually in their home.

Guillermo has to try even harder to resist laughter.

The episode ends probably with some sort of violent chaos amongst the group as Guillermo looks to the camera with a very subtle, politely evil little smile for half a second and Louis in the background looking incredibly exhausted

[shihalyfie]

Kouji and kouichi’s parents split sounds even more messy then Yamato and takeru’s parents. If the boys’ dad claimed their mom was dead.

It is obviously messy, but one thing to remember is that Natsuko and Hiroaki seemed to have largely been willing to maintain contact because they cared enough about their sons meeting each other knowing that the divorce had happened when both boys were old enough to witness it. According to the testimony in the Adventure novel, even the idea of calling each other to arrange a meeting filled them with dread. The rift between them was enough that Yamato considered the sheer act of meeting his mother to be a "betrayal" of his father. It is very, very, very fortunate that the events of Adventure seem to have gotten them on better speaking terms by the time of 02, but even then Hiroaki sending Natsuko an email in 02 episode 47 is also spotlighted like it's some kind of big deal.

So the divorce was messy even then; it's just that because the boys had also witnessed the fallout themselves, they were in a position to work a little harder for the sake of their sons, but in a situation like that of the twins, when it was obvious they would grow up with no memory of the other parent or twin at all, it probably was much more tempting to just claim the other parent was deceased to prevent things from getting messy until they were old enough.

This is, again, something that heavily ties into not only culture regarding divorce in Japan but also laws surrounding it. Joint custody doesn't exist in Japan, so the child will legally be assigned to one parent and one parent only, and the other parent has virtually no rights whatsoever regarding the other child. Visitation rights have to be negotiated and are rarely allowed (so, again, Natsuko and Hiroaki were going above and beyond), and they're not even really enforced by law. The system itself isn't remotely conducive to what would fit Western ideas of expecting divorced parents to be involved in their kids' lives (on the flip side, a parent trying too hard to visit a kid they don't have custody of might get them pinned as being invasive and violating their ex-spouse or child's privacy rights). Both the system and the surrounding culture encourage making the split cleaner than it does trying to reconnect.

Besides, as much as I have misgivings about how The Parent Trap seems to have had a really nasty impact in terms of giving people a lot of very dangerous ideas about divorce (that an "ideal situation" is to get divorcees to remarry, encouraging further stigma against remarried spouses, etc.), there's a reason that one is also premised on having lied to the girls about the existence of a twin sibling because the parents were capable of getting away with it. It is, unfortunately, always a very tempting thing to keep things from kids when you don't think they're old enough for the truth.

[dear-wormwoods]

So in light of the events of the Vaccination Special, I want to explore the different fights and breakups Stan and Kyle have had over the years, and the overall state of their friendship.

First up we have Prehistoric Ice Man, all the way back at the end of Season 2. The problems begin when Stan and Kyle disagree on what to name their discovery, and both feel entitled to the name because they each think they discovered the ice man first. It's important to note that Kyle is the one who misremembers what happened, and Stan is correct. Things escalate, and eventually the two decide that they aren't best friends anymore and Cartman is their new best friend. When the two decide that fighting is the only way to resolve things, they make the decision together and respect each other's wants and opinions (agreeing not to fight during Terrance & Phillip), and even while physically fighting they are careful with each other. Larry/Steve/Gorak talks to them about the meaning of friendship, and they ignore him, but have to work together anyway to help save him. This is what ultimately brings them back together, and then they make up. They each say something positive about the other's name choice, and Kyle admits to being wrong about finding the ice man first. But they don't actually apologize to each other, they just move on and agree to be best friends again.

There are a few moments in the middle seasons where Stan and Kyle don't have each other's backs. These include the boys picking on Kyle for being behind on the Chinpokomon fad, the boys leaving Stan out of the period club in Are You There God? It's Me Jesus, the boys picking on Kyle and excluding him in South Park is Gay, Kyle giving up on Stan because he's miserable in Raisins (which we'll return to in Ass Burgers later), and Stan taking his jealousy out on Kyle in Follow That Egg. None of these instances involve an actual break up or an intense fight, but they do show that Stan and Kyle are both capable of not putting each other first, even early on in the show. We talk a lot about the times they save each other or stick together, but the strife in the later seasons hasn't come out of no where. I want to mention, too, that Follow That Egg features the only time they ever actually apologize to each other instead of brushing their issues under the rug. This is really important because it's the only time they really overcome and talk about what's bothering them and truly make up in a way that doesn't cause lingering resentments or something that repeats itself later. For example, in South Park is Gay, when Kyle asks for an apology, Stan basically tells him to suck it up and stop whining, which I think lays the groundwork for Kyle's lasting insecurities about fitting in. And obviously the unresolved issue in Raisins comes back later in a big way. Compare these to Follow That Egg, where there was an apology from both sides - jealousy is never an issue again between the two of them. Apologizing matters, but Stan and Kyle both have a tendency to sweep things under the rug instead of swallowing their pride and admitting wrongdoing.

Which brings us to Guitar Queer-o, a prime example of a fight that gets resolved without an actual apology, and therefore sowing lasting seeds of resentment. In this episode, Stan leaves Kyle behind in an effort to become famous, something that connects back to insecurities Kyle already has from being left behind in other episodes. For once he was in on a fad and admired by his friends, and still ended up not being good enough for Stan, who puts fame before their friendship. I love this episode because it shows what kind of lives they could potentially lead without the other there to influence them - Stan ends up a burnt out addict without Kyle's moral compass, and Kyle ends up lonely and bitter without Stan to lean on. It gives us a preview of Stan's addictive personality, which rears its ugly head again and again, as well as Kyle's inability to function properly without someone more assertive to anchor himself to (but that's a meta for another time). Their resolution comes at the bowling alley, with Skid Row's romantic ballad 'I Remember You' playing in the background despite the drama of the conversation being had. Stan starts off on the wrong foot completely by saying "You've gotten a lot better", which is condescending and puts Kyle immediately on the defensive. Stan admits that he needs Kyle, and explains that he wants their friendship back and that he doesn't care about the points, which is all Kyle really wanted to hear - except, yet again, there's no real apology being made. Stan doesn't say he's sorry. He explains his side, he says some of the right things, but he doesn't set his pride aside enough to really apologize. But Kyle, lost and alone without Stan, is ready to move on without that. They both know now that they're better together than apart.

Things are good until You're Getting Old and Ass Burgers, when the problem that began in Raisins rears its ugly head again: Stan is not the emotional rock that Kyle needs him to be, he's prone to depression in the face of major setbacks. There are a few things going on here - for one, Stan is in some ways outpacing Kyle when it comes to growing up. Kyle has always been... not necessarily immature, but more childlike than the other main boys when it comes to his interests and attitude. Add to that his insecurities about being left behind like he has in prior episodes, and his initial concern is that Stan might be outgrowing him. Second, Kyle has always put Stan on a pedestal as this stable, stoic person who can ground him when he himself gets emotional, and who can save him when he needs saving, but here Stan is proving that he can't be that person 100% of the time, and sometimes he needs saving too. But unfortunately Stan's problems are not as easily solved as being rescued from a cult or tricking Cartman into giving up his kidney. Stan's problem goes way beyond Kyle's capacity to understand or help with, as a 9 year old kid who can't even control or comprehend his own emotions. Third, Kyle lies to Stan about being sick, which Stan is hurt by, and I think it's a lasting sort of hurt, since he gets so upset by Kyle lying to him again in the Vaccination Special. Kyle is one of the last things to turn into shit in Stan's eyes.

In Ass Burgers, Kyle tells Wendy that he's tried to stay connected to Stan but his emotional state is only getting worse, and it's impacting Kyle's own mental health. Kyle makes the choice to cut Stan off and embrace positivity, which I know is controversial in the fandom. Kyle, unable to anchor himself to Stan anymore, anchors himself to Cartman instead. Meanwhile Stan gets introduced to alcohol. Like Guitar Queer-o, Ass Burgers showcases Stan's addictive personality and what can happen when he doesn't have his friends, specifically Kyle, around. The conflict comes to a head when Stan shows up to Cartman Burger drunk to apologize to Kyle, but the drunkenness negates the apology. When Kyle isn't receptive to Stan's new worldview and picks up on him being drunk, Stan gets defensive. Then Kyle digs the knife in deeper by saying he's with Cartman (Burger) now, and Cartman, of course, is watching all of this from the background with much interest and comes to Kyle's "rescue" by trying to force Kyle away from Stan and giving Stan a threatening look. Stan, hurt by all of this and the distance Kyle is putting between them, turns on Kyle in anger and shouts abusive language at him - then says 'I love you' - then turns on him again - then says 'I love you' again - in a tragic summary of what it can be like to be with an angry, depressed addict. Kyle comes back for the first 'I love you', because he does love Stan and he wants things to be okay again, despite what he says, but Stan breaks that trust by turning abusive again, so Kyle doesn't come back to him on the second 'I love you'. The next time they meet, they both offer insincere "I'm sorry, but -" apologies, and Kyle reminds Stan of his drunken behavior. In the end, Stan agrees to move on and give Kyle space to be with Cartman (Burger) (lol), but the decision is short lived because Stan's parents decide to get back together, thus returning everything to normal. No sincere apologies are made and Stan and Kyle never actually talk about what happened or what it all means for their now fragile friendship, they just sweep it under the rug and Stan continues to drink in secret.

Things never quite go back to normal, though. Stan and Kyle are never quite the same again, because they never actually resolve the issues raised in those two episodes. The next time things really come to a head is in The Black Friday Trilogy, where they disagree over gaming consoles, but it goes so much deeper than that. When Stan says "you never listened" with tears in his eyes, he's not just talking about the PS4, he's talking about how he's feeling in general. He's still hurt that Kyle left him while he was depressed instead of listening to him, because, again, they never actually resolved that issue or talked about it. When he says "Because that's how X-Box people are", he's saying that Kyle's stubbornness and need to always be right is too much for him now, it's not endearing the way it once was. But instead of reading into it and understanding where Stan is coming from, Kyle takes it at face value, accepts their different console preferences, and again anchors himself to Cartman in Stan's place. Later, when Cartman says "Sony people don't think with logic", he's manipulating Kyle into keeping his distance from Stan, and preventing Kyle from reading between the lines of Stan's thought process. Later, when Cartman takes Kyle to the garden and suggests that Stan should get grounded to give their army the advantage, Kyle refuses to stoop to his level, but Cartman manipulates him into thinking Stan is responsible for Randy's mall job. Later, when Kyle accuses Stan of starting the whole thing and Stan says "What *I* started? How dare you?!", he's yet again talking about things that go way beyond game consoles, but they both still talk about it like it's just about the gaming, because they're unwilling to dig deeper.

When Kyle sets up the Red Robin Wedding, he lies to Stan about being on his side (Strike 2 for lying, Kyle). After Cartman gets Stan grounded, Kyle goes to visit him and Stan confronts him about lying, saying "You completely betrayed the last bit of friendship we still had". Kyle apologizes sincerely, but he still thinks he's only apologizing for what's currently going on - he doesn't understand that Stan's hurt goes deeper than that, but Stan makes it clear that he's not willing to brush things under the rug again. Kyle then sides with Princess Kenny to betray Cartman to make things up to Stan by getting him a PS4, still thinking that will fix things. Ultimately, though, Stan places the conflict on the shoulders of the companies and goes along with those results so that he doesn't have to be fighting with Kyle anymore. I think he understands that neither of them are ready to talk about their deeper issues, so yet again they resolve things by resolving nothing, and move on with a friendship that's being held together by bandaids when it really needs stitches. The bandaids work for a while, but things start coming apart again when they physically fight in Truth and Advertising, because they no longer trust each other.

So the rift between them keeps widening, their trust in each other keeps eroding, and they keep trying to pretend everything is okay. Which leads us to The Vaccination Special. Cartman and Kenny start out being concerned about the "broship" between the four of them, but I want to focus on Stan and Kyle's interactions specifically for the purposes of this meta. Just before Kyle makes Kenny cry, he says to Stan, "Dude are you just gonna stand there and listen to this crap?". Then, later after Cartman's phone call with Ms. Nelson, Kyle and Stan exchange a Look and then Kyle says "Will you please say something to him?" followed by Stan's "What the hell did I do?" to which Kenny responds by preemptively getting between them. Kyle ultimately wants Stan to be on his side and back him up, and he's extra needy and written like a 'nagging wife' in this episode because he knows Cartman is right, their friendship has deteriorated, possibly beyond the point of saving, but he desperately wants things to be as they always were before. That's why his "Right, Stan?" after saying they need to do the right thing is so unsure and earnest, because he knows so much is riding on Stan agreeing with him. When Stan doesn't, Kyle gets more upset. The irony here is that Cartman says to Stan "I don't understand why you don't stand up to him more, it's really disappointing", despite the fact that Stan just openly disagreed with Kyle, which is a rarity.

Things come to a head after Kyle gives into his parents' manipulations and tries taking vaccines for them. Despite initially lying to Stan, Kyle does try to tell the truth about his dad calling, but Stan doesn't want to hear it. It was Strike 3 for lying. The hurt in his voice when he says "I can't believe that you would lie to me! That you would hide shit from me!" is the result of all of the situations that came before this, not just the incident with the vaccines. Kyle has lied to him before, and he's finally ready to fight about it. Kyle has also been manipulated before, whether by his parents or by Cartman, and Stan is tired of going through the motions. He doesn't understand why Kyle, who claims to be so morally superior, is so easily swayed by manipulative people. But although Stan is ready to hash things out for real, Kenny interrupts them and he decides it's best for Kenny to sweep it all under the rug, yet again. Is it really about Kenny though? Or is it what's "best" for their already delicate friendship? On the bridge, when Stan says "We don't trust each other, and we don't like each other. We can't keep pretending," he's including Cartman but it's really about Kyle. Stan and Kyle already don't trust or like Cartman, so this argument comes down to the two of them. Kyle has broken Stan's trust, and he sees it as beyond repairing. Kyle, on the other hand, is afraid of being left behind, so he's the one who doesn't want the divorce to happen. It's obvious in the conference room scene that they're on different pages, with Stan sitting back in his chair, angry and checked out, refusing to look at Kyle, and Kyle sitting up straight, unsure of what's happening and giving Stan side glances (6 of them!) looking for reassurance, which he doesn't receive. Stan looks at him just once, when Kyle is finally defeated and staring at the floor.

But Kyle's not ready to give up the way Stan is. He's still focusing on the matter at hand, not realizing that the rift runs deeper than that, that Stan is upset about their entire history, not just this one thing. But Kyle isn't emotionally mature enough to put all the pieces together; he thinks that if they can get the vaccines to the teachers, if he can follow through on the original plan, things will get fixed. And he almost gets that wish, because Stan and Cartman both turn up to support him and keep him from getting himself killed, in Stan's words. They still care, Stan still cares, and that's all the motivation Kyle needs to believe that their relationship is salvageable.

When Garrison shows up and says "but relationships are very fragile things," Stan and Kyle look at each other, and Cartman looks at Kyle. And I think that's really telling. They understand the truth of that statement, and there's an unspoken agreement that they'll try harder, and hope that they can make it through anything. But that hope dies with Ms. Nelson, and even Kyle acquiesces in the end.

The long and short of it is that Stan and Kyle need to communicate better. If they have any desire to come back together after this, they'll need to really talk about their lingering resentments and insecurities. Will M&T make that happen? Doubt it. Chances are they'll be "back to normal" the next time we see them, and this episode will just become one of many where their unresolved issues get put on the back burner to fester. I'd love to see them really overcome their issues and come back stronger because of it, but I don't think M&T are ready to open that can of worms.

[burgerpocalypse]

I've been trying to run through some free games I got from the Epic game store, specifically Grand Theft Auto V, Creature in the Well, and most recently Night in the Woods. I quit GTAV about 60% of the way because it sucked, and I can't beat the last area of Creature, so that leaves me to talk a little about NitW and the emotional turmoil it gave me.

Upfront, I'm not interested in games with heavy emphasis on story, least of all visual novels or whatever you want to call this game. However, I've heard mostly positive things about Night in the Woods here and there for the better part of the previous decade. That and the fact I got it for $0 convinced me to finally try it out.

Night in the Woods is an adventure focused on exploration and character drama. Mae Borowski, the protagonist, is a college dropout that just moved back to her Rust Belt hometown for mysterious reasons, and becomes entangled in suspicious happenings. The player will traverse the aged suburban sprawl and rural outskirts of Possum Springs, conversing with family, friends, strangers, and everyone else, uncovering secrets and opening wounds along the way.

Seeing as how Night in the Woods is primarily a story, I'll mostly be discussing that, so look out for spoilers, yo.

After spending two years away, Mae attempts to reconnect with her previously closest friends Bea (an idealist goth whomst had considerable familial and financial responsibility thrust upon her at a young age), Gregg (an anarchist punk with bipolar tendencies), and Angus (an incredibly nice man). Mae pushes the story forward by hanging out with Bea and Gregg, and sometimes Angus. This will often involve going to social outings, running errands, committing crimes, and so on.

Other than her friends, Mae will also have opportunities to interact with her parents, various citizens, and vagrants. whom provide flavor and history to the world while also bringing some of Mae's muddled past to light. The player will traverse environments through walking and jumping around, with the occasional platforming feat required to progress or access certain areas. Occasionally, you'll be presented with small minigames, like a Guitar Hero-clone or red light/green light shoplifting, and a game-within-a-game dungeon crawler that pissed me off to no end. While most activities in the town are benign, certain important events will move the day along and lock you out of further exploration.

Early on, Mae's group stumbles upon a discarded arm and some cryptic dialogue from a few characters. After each day, Mae experiences strange dream sequences that involve platforming segments and surreal representations of her friends and the town. Several hours of gameplay later, Mae witnesses a kidnapping on Halloween by what appears to be a ghost.

In the midst of all this, Mae hangs out with her friends and discovers what they've been up to in her absence. Bea runs the family business for her father, who broke down after her mom died, putting them in dire financial straits and preventing Bea from leaving Possum Springs; she bears resentment towards Mae, since she dropped out of college and came home for no apparent reason while also not maturing at all. Gregg is aimless, sporadic, and uninhibited, while his boyfriend Angus is neat, tidy, and overly helpful. Their relationship appears strong, and they are planning to move to a new city together, though Bea is convinced it won't last.

Mae does her best to strengthen bonds while suffering from a variety of stressors, like her family's money troubles, her self-destructive tendencies and dissociative episodes, and ominous celestial beings invading her mind. This sometimes leads to inadvertent and painful social situations, especially with Bea.

Mae attempts to investigate the supposedly supernatural happenings with the help of Bea, Gregg, and Angus, while her mental health steadily declines. Eventually, the group travels deep into the woods (at night) and stumble into a cult, after which Mae suffers a great fall and enters a coma. After waking up, Mae then attempts to confront the cult head-on, though her friends arrive to help. They enter a cave, find the cult again, discover the eldritch horror they serve and explore her personal connection to it, accidentally cause a cave-in and trap the cultists, escape the cave, and try to make sense of what happened after the fact.

Now, don't get me wrong. I rather enjoyed Night in the Wood's story. I really liked all the characters. I loved the dialogue. Even the platforming and various minigames were fine, if simplistic and occasionally annoying. The structure of this paragraph seems as though it's leading towards a big 'but'. I just wanted to say that I really liked the game, even though I don't generally enjoy video game stories, and especially not video games primarily about a story. Though I'm not from a run-down midwestern town, and obviously don't have the same sort of personal relationships she does, Mae's emotional strife and insecurities really resonated with me. Her personal thoughts and reactions often made me just stop and think about the many mistakes I've made with the people I care about and all the relationships I've ruined.

However, if the plot wanted to spend so much time on Mae and her friends, it should have been about Mae and her friends. Conversely, if it wanted to be about a spooky cult in a small town, it should have spent much more time on a spooky cult in a small town. The plot is torn between two diametrically opposed focuses, those being Mae's struggles to maintain relationships and her dealing with suspicious supernatural occurrences in Possum Springs. So much time passes before anything really happens with the cult and cosmic horror that I feel some people might even forget there is a cult and cosmic horror, and Mae isn't just experiencing a psychotic break for no reason.

In the end, the cult goes unresolved, and it's unclear what the relationship is with the residents of Possum Springs, or what its powers even are. I don't need the game to explain every aspect in detail, but no one appears to be affected by the existence of the cult and its god other than Mae. My brain was going into overdrive looking for clues, making patterns, identifying red herrings, anything that might help me understand the mystery, when in reality there was no mystery to understand.

There is also a severe lack of actual choice or decision making in terms of dialogue, and a distinct absence of any real challenge in gameplay. I definitely felt that this story could have been more efficiently told if it were in a book, usually after spending a few minutes walking around trying to find something important and

It doesn't help that I sometimes accidentally skipped certain segments, since it's not always explicitly clear if an action will push the day forward and lock me in. I even completely missed a third of the investigations since I chose to check out the historical society building with Gregg second when the game expected me to do it last. This sort of problem led to me giving up completely on other story-focus games like Kentucky Route Zero since I constantly skipped and missed chunks of stuff or did things out of the intended order and ruined the flow of events.

Now this has obviously gotten a little too long, so I'll just wrap it up by saying that Night in the Woods is great and I recommend it. It made me feel feelings, deep feelings, like I was moments away from crying on more than one occasion.

Thanks for reading. I have a lot on my mind because of this game, so I hope it was worth your time.

[starfallskitter]

The Guardian Alya Theory

Hi! Didn't expect to be writing Miraculous theory again so quickly, but I have an idea in my head that I needed to get out there. So hear me out.

Warning: major spoilers for Season 4 all throughout this theory. Specifically Gang of Secrets, Optigami, Truth, Furious Fu, Mr Pigeon 72... just, most of them.

In short, the theory is this: Marinette will discover that she can't be both Ladybug and the Guardian at the same time, and will make Alya the Guardian. Marinette's memory will be wiped and she will spend a few episodes re-learning how to be Ladybug, and re-learning Chat Noir, which will obviously change their relationship.

This means Alya will know who Chat Noir is. And I think, for a brief time before her memory is wiped, Marinette will know as well. Meaning: temporary one-sided reveal!

Now, here's all the evidence, below the cut.

There's a fundamental problem with Ladybug and the Guardian being the same person. There's the stress it places on Marinette, sure, and the Guardian certainly can have a Miraculous and use it, but the problem is right here:

Someone has to be the link between civilian identities, and right now Plagg and Tikki are the only ones who know- and that's useless when both heros are transformed. The Guardian needs to know the identity of both Ladybug and Chat Noir. And if there's one thing that the show has absolutely beaten into us by now...

It's that they can't know each others.

So, there's a fundamental tension here. Marinette is currently putting all of her focus on being the Guardian, on working with the kwamis and figuring things out about the Miracle Box; and as her plans increasingly involve her role as Guardian, using kwamis or the fact that Alya knows her civilian identity, she's not quite being Ladybug properly. She's not doing right by Chat Noir, because now, as her plans are increasingly involving things she as Marinette and/or she as the Guardian have access to, and Chat Noir is not knowingly included in either of those, he is being ousted. It turns out she still needs him (or Plagg, in Mr Pigeon 72) for her plans, but her relationship with him is suffering.

He says in Truth that he doesn't mind her being the Guardian as long as it doesn't change things between them:

Except it is changing, and it has been bothering him. Just look at his face when he realises (or more accurately, assumes) the akuma has been defeated without him in Optigami:

He is not happy.

I'm sure I don't need to tell anyone at this point that Ladybug is ousting Chat Noir and he's upset by it. At this point in the series he's doing okay about it, still managing to keep up a front and hoping this is temporary. Which, according to this theory, it is. Honestly, no matter how this goes, it's not going to make Chat happy, because in this theory, the ending won't please him. We'll get to that.

So Marinette can't be Guardian and Ladybug at the same time. So, she has to give one up.

She may try to give up being Ladybug, but I'm not convinced this will happen. She may try to give over guardianship to Su Han, but I'm also not convinced by this- it's not narratively interesting and seems to contradict the conclusion of Furious Fu. So, what might she do?

Well, there's a clear answer. Someone who's already helping figure out important features of the Miraculouses, who was able to figure out a whole new power of the Ladybug Miraculous:

And who has good investigative powers to reveal more secrets? Who is already heavily invested in the superheros? Who already knows that Marinette is Ladybug and is already helping her?

And who has Marinette possibly already said she's training up to be Guardian?

Now, whether she's reffering to being Ladybug or being the Guardian here is unclear. I've seen most interpretations suggesting she means Ladybug, and from the wording in this case it honestly seems like both; but it could definitely be either. And in the context of this theory, if we assume she means Guardian, then it's clear that Marinette is already noticing that Alya would make a good Guardian.

So, let's put the pieces together.

Premise: Ladybug and Chat Noir cannot know each other's identity until this Hawkmoth is defeated. Premise: The Guardian must know both Ladybug and Chat Noir's identity. Conclusion: Ladybug and the Guardian cannot be the same person at this point in time. (Chat Noir can't be either).

Premise: Ladybug and the Guardian cannot be the same person at this point in time. Premise: Alya would be a good Guardian. Premise: Marinette either will not, or should not, give up being Ladybug. Conclusion: Marinette will make Alya the Guardian.

There are two complications with this plan. One is in Alya being the Guardian, and one is in Marinette giving it up.

The complication with Alya being the guardian is that Hawkmoth knows her identity. He knows she's Rena Rouge, and as of Optigami knows that Rena Rouge is special as opposed to the other holders. This appears to not be stopping Marinette giving her the Miraculous, but obviously, based on the events of late season 3, it's more of a complication in her being the Guardian. She has, like, parents, and can't hide like Master Fu could.

A possible solution is some kind of trickery, in which they make it look like Alya has lost her miraculous, and make it seem like Ladybug's still the Guardian. I mean, Alya's miraculous is illusion-based, and this could be interesting if it's post one-sided reveal discussed below. I'm sure there are other solutions as well, but off the top of my head I'd assume that would be the plan. Perhaps the Box is camoflaged such that finding out what of Alya's is the Miracle Box at all would be a challenge. There's a lot of possibility.

The other complication: Marinette would lose all memory of the Miraculouses.

Now, it's presumed here that the way the memory loss works is that it happens every time (and it's not like the appearance of the box, or kwamis being in/out of it, in that it's a factor of what the owner believes), and that the memory loss only applies to the Miraculouses and the kwamis and all of that, and doesn't affect other memories- which seems to be Fu's experience of it, after all. He doesn't remember Marinette because he only ever knew her as Ladybug, but he seemed to remember the unrelated Marianne fine.

This means that if Marinette loses guardianship, she'll remember Alya, Adrien, her family, etc... but nothing about Ladybug, Chat Noir, Hawkmoth, Tikki, any of that.

Which means:

-She'll have to spend some amount of time re-learning how to be Ladybug, who Chat Noir is, etc. all of that. Chat Noir will probably be able to fill her in on all of this, and so will Alya and Tikki, so it won't take so long.

-She gets a total reset on her relationship with Chat Noir. Which I highly doubt he'll be happy with- but it might change her view of him. I say it might change her view of him because mainly, while their relationship has been pretty consistent, she definitely is starting to like him more in this season, seeing him differently- and I largely think that that's due to a change in circumstance, as Marinette can only trust so many people in her life:

But I think an important part of Adrien's character recently is that we've seen less dichotomy between Adrien and Chat Noir. His true personality is a little of both, but he puts both on to play various roles; but honestly, I've noticed some more of Adrien in Chat Noir, and some more of Chat Noir in Adrien. He's being more honest with himself around some people, the self we only really see him being with Plagg, which he was trying to be with Kagami and is increasingly being with Marinette. It's hard to provide specific examples, though.

But if Marinette's first impressions of Chat Noir are just a touch more Adrien-like than they were, perhaps her feelings towards him will change- without losing that aspect of trust. I know I'm being very vague here, but there's a lot of potential and it'll take a lot more episodes of this season than we've seen to predict how this might go.

It's also possible that Marinette will remember Chat Noir when she met him as Marinette. Then we might get some great Marichat, or her only having knowledge of him as that boy who came to her ledge or she fake-dated. Which would be interesting. It's not totally clear how this will work if it occurs, so it's up to the writers really.

So that situation provides a lot of angst: Ladybug forgetting Chat Noir. But what comes before her forgetting Chat Noir could be something really interesting. After all, if the Guardian must know Chat Noir's identity, perhaps Marinette will try that first. Adrien will, of course, trust her completely.

Cue at least one episode where Marinette knows that Chat Noir and Adrien are the same person (while Adrien not knowing the reverse). Cue Ladrien. And, right after that, an episode that revolves around Ladybug erasing those memories. While Alya knows everything that just happened. And that Chat Noir is Adrien. And she can't tell Marinette this as she has to re-teach her how to be Ladybug. Honestly, if any character knows what we as the audience know about the Love Square, it makes perfect sense that it's Alya.

In conclusion: angsty season finale that ends with Alya knowing everything, Chat Noir Very Upset, Ladybug getting a memory reset, and just generally everything changing? It's more likely than you think.