#episode 8 and beyond doesn't exist for me

[bogusavathepit]

General House of Dragon Thought #2

After episode 7, there were clips of interviews with the cast and Emma D’Arcy said that (paraphrasing here) Daemon and Rhaenyra are a lot alike..too alike and that would be their end.

Book Rhaneyra is just as messy as TV Show & Book Daemon. 

But don’t get it twisted--Book Daemon is still messy and “boss”...in his own contradictory ways. But Book Daemon is also less...resplendently impressive than how the show makes him out to be before episode 10. 

Remember that threat he threw at Rhea Royce’s relative, about him going out to seize the lands and rights as his right as her widower? Yeah, that never happens. The Lady of Arryn at the time essentially told him he couldn’t do shit, so Daemon had to walk right out. But the show never lets you know that, only giving you this messy boss moment so we’re left with the impression that he actually was able to get those lands. We never know if he does, only left to assume that he does....but he actually doesn’t!

And if we go back to how Fire and Blood relates the Driftmark claim dispute, we find out that Rhaenyra was the one who ordered Daemon/her prince consort to kill Vaemond after he called her sons bastards. She was also the one who “urged her good-father [the fevered Corlys, who was still able to talk and was present] to name instead her son, Lucerys (386).” 

And nowhere in this account is it doubted that Rhaenyra was the one actively  pursued gains for herself and her sons without showing fear or stress doing it, as if it were a burden more than a desire. And more for herself than her children, though her kids well being and prestige do overlap with her own want for the throne for herself. (Love and ambition are not mutually exclusive.) There’s no Mushroom vs Septon Eustace versus anyone else to put doubt into it. It’s even corroborated by what happened next: Vaemond’s wife and kids flee to King’s Landing and ask for his aide but Viserys instead decides to mutilate them for bringing up the boys’ parentage again. 

Which means that Book Rhaenyra definitely performed her position as heir/political superior over her older, royal uncle-consort, instigating a violent political move to gain advantage. Exactly what A Song of Ice and Fire uses to illustrate the hunger and consequences of placing power above community?

Like, we’re told this is a power couple....but one person isn’t acting out their power and when we see the only event we are given where they could overtly work together for a purely political goal, instead we get Daemon choking Rhaenyra out. While the other is doing more than what they were narrated. Why? Why is Daemon given more brazen acts than his princess-wife-niece who will inherit the throne? Daemon would still look and have that badass element if he had killed Vaemond by Rhaenyra’s order, so I would have to guess that the writers had that change so that there’s some kind of reconciliation moment between Viserys and Daemon...but that could have been done in the Last Supper dinner.

Again, Rhaenyra continues her assertiveness that we glimpse in her teens into her adulthood. Her standing in this farce the greens put her in to get that claim for her son in order to have Viserys show how Jesus-like he is and how little she can actually do without him....where is she powerful again? 

Again, the show acts against itself and creates a far less nuanced plot from its predecessor.

[txttletale]

what would you say are the most over/underrated episodes/arcs of doctor who?

i think 'girl in the fireplace' is by far the most overrated episode of nuwho. rings of akhaten is maybe a close second (people just remember the speech being good and forget the rest of the spidoe, which was boring), but girl in the fireplace just straight up sucks and has next to no redeeming features except the incredible prop and costuming work on the clockwork robots. weird creepy story that sidelines the companions to focus on the doctor's Awesome Grooming Adventure. a bizarre focus on a B-list historical fdigure that then also doesn't really care about actually exploring that figure or what she even did. there's nothing in here that moffat wouldn't revisit and do better in the girl who waited or deep breath--a total dud of an episode to me.

other than that, i want to give a special mention to the zygon inversion, where capaldi delivered a moving speech so well that everyone's forgotten that in the context of the episode that speech makes no sense and is essentially telling oppressed people to cope and seethe. that two-parter is very loudly saying very vile islamophobic things and it's insane that people miss that. Sucks!

um. that said though the most underrated arc is definitely the entire capaldi era imo. especially the early episodes--among like, enfranchised fans, 'capaldi starts geting good during season 9' is a pretty common take and i hard disagree, season 8 is grea.t it has two really huge misfires in kill the moon and in the forest of the night, and danny's whole unbearable existence is a big thorn in the series' side, but like, time heist, mummy on the orient express, flatine--there's some incredible stuff here! deep breath is good, dammit, it's a good episode and the worst stuff about it is the paternoster gang still being there as a matt smith-era hangover.

it's hard for me to answer for classic who because i don't really have a good idea of what's liked or disliked about the old series, beyond, like, all the universally beloved classics, which i generally think are pretty good and don't have many super controversial opinions about, and all the universally hated bombs, which i don't have that many controversial opinions about either. i guess i don't think the invasion of time is that bad? i generally like gallifrey-as-useless-obstructive-stagnant-bureaucrats a lot more than gallifrey-as-distant-elf-gods, which i think counts as an 'underrated' and 'overrated' arc, respectively.

[tacticalrefrigerator]

For personal reasons im gonna ignore the last 10 ish minutes of season two episode 8. it's not canon its a fucked up fan fiction that someone wrote :)

⚠️Season two episode eight spoilers⚠️

Genuinely tho why the fuck did David Jenkins think that THAT was an appropriate send-off for izzy? To be a representation of the metaphorical death of blackbeard? That's it??? That's all he was in the end? His death taking blackbeard with him leaving just Edward?

My question is why couldn't he have lived and his "send off" be becoming Captain izzy hands aiding Zheng and company in revenge against prince ricky? He could have lived and taken on the role of "blackbeard" while leaving Ed and Stede to be innkeepers, that being the "death" of blackbeard. Or if Izzy had to die why couldn't the death of blackbeard be literal? Killing blackbeard and his first mate Izzy Hands, leaving not a trace of blackbeard leaving stede and company to either continue piracy or split up. I'll never be able to watch season two the same way knowing they, traumatized, abused, disabled, and grew Izzy all for him to die as a pawn for Ed's story. That was fucking soul crushing.

It wasn't even a character arc for Izzy, his own death. It was an obstacle for FUCKING ED. So everything leading up to this point, all of his growth, his acceptance within the crew as the unicorn, the abuse from Kraken!Blackbeard, the finding of himself, ALL OF THAT WAS FOR FUCKING NOTHING???

This character meant so much to me for so many reasons. He was an angry, traumatized man who was clinging to an ideal of someone who'd changed. As he grows as a character he realizes that Blackbeard doesn't exist anymore and what's left is Edward Teach, the man he fell for, his best friend. He realizes he's accepted by the crew of the revenge, and in turn realizes he's finally part of something again. His growth as an older queer disabled man from a hardened jerk who couldn't let go of blackbeard was beautiful to watch. And they cut it short. Izzy spoke to me as a character, watching him die in such an, undignified way killed me inside. I have very little in common with izzy yes. He's a 50 something heavily traumatized disabled man living in the (though not historically accurate) 1700's , im a queer, able bodied, teen from colorado in the 21st century who rants on tumblr for fun. But watching episode 6 in particular, knowing what he was in season 1, watching him fearful to be himself then be accepted beautifully when he started singing, accepted as their unicorn dressing in drag, performing during Calypso's birthday, It spoke to me. That process of being terrified of being yourself then finally finding the group that loves you for you. I related to that point in his story so much. I was and still in a sense am terrified of being myself. Im a weird little gay trans guy who's into weird niches. Seeing that struggle in a character and watching his acceptance resonated with me and meant the world and beyond to my little queer heart.

And another thing, Jenkins didn't even fucking tell Con that izzy would be killed when he signed onto ofmd 2. He broke the news halfway through FILMING. A character that meant that much to both Con and the fanbase was killed off to be nothing more than a CHARACTER ARC FOR EDWARD. And the actor who brought Izzy Hands to life was none the wiser until he'd already agreed to play Izzy again.

Now knowing that the story might go on without Izzy, without Con constantly reposting fanart of izzy, without his sass, without his vaguely nsfw quips. It makes the idea of season three less appetizing, for lack of a better word. Izzy was a key part of why i loved season 2 and was willing to excuse how rushed it was.

That's my 2 cents about that absolute bullshit ending to Izzy's story.

[itsclydebitches]

Right, so I was looking over your recap of Worthy again and didn't see you mention how absolutely contrived the circumstances of the James vs Winter fight were. If you remember from Creation, Winter explicitly states "No. When we're finished, we'll move both of you to safety." when Jacques asks if she'd be leaving him there. Logically, this would mean the next we see of Winter she'd be transporting James and Jacques to the nearest available portal but she doesn't? She just conveniently forgets about them. And I'd be FINE with that if it was written as a deliberate choice by Winter. "Sorry Weiss, these two men have negatively affected my life beyond repair and I can never forgive them." and while I don't necessarily agree wholeheartedly with that line of thinking because no matter what, every life should be fought for and saved in a scenario with magic transportation portals such as this. It'd at least be SOME sort of explanation that's in line with the narrative CRWBY is trying to tell. Instead we get her walking around aimlessly in the Atlas Vault, trying to communicate with everyone on the plan's status. Which makes no sense given that we've already seen the ground shake elsewhere meaning SOMETHING has happened to notify everyone that Atlas is falling. And I thought maybe I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, maybe she doesn't know since no portals have spawned in the vault yet and then I rechecked and they HAVE.

She should be sprinting for the portal. Atlas is falling. She needs to go go go but instead she just calmly walks towards it? Is time not of the essence? Where's the urgency? Like I get that sprinting in heels up a flight of stairs that large would be absolute murder on her ankles but still. They dumb her down just for the sake of a stupid fight that nerfs her so she NEEDS Penny to die to give her the powers and win in a fight she should have no issues with.

If I'm also giving her the benefit of the doubt - and from what I can recall after an admittedly long hiatus from watching this particular episode - I think she intended to move Ironwood and Jacques after the evacuation is complete. "When we're finished." So yes, she knows Atlas is falling because that's a prerequisite of the portals appearing. She knows the evacuation is underway and that something is going on thanks to communications being down, but not what. Winter has her next step planned, but no indication of if she should start it yet because she's not able to contact anyone and presumably she wouldn't want to go through the portal until she's planning to leave Atlas permanently. (We know that they can use the portals to get around Atlas/Mantle thanks to Jaune portal hopping to look for survivors, but I'm not sure that's ever established among the other characters. AKA Winter might think she shouldn't go through one until she's ready to leave it all behind, but she can't do that until she's gotten Ironwood and her dad).

But all the above keeps it just as contrived and stupid? Why does Winter need to wait until "When we're finished" to move them? To my recollection the show never establishes anything like, "You're a security risk so we're going to ensure everyone else is through before dealing with you" or "Based on our battle we'll need the rest of the team present to move Ironwood" or even a variation of your idea: "In theory I believe that no one should be left to die, but considering you made our lives hell, Jacques, we're not going to worry about you until everyone else is safe. You get rescued if there's time left :)" It's just such a weird situation that, yes, exists to ensure that Ironwood is conveniently alone so that only his cell can conveniently open so that he can conveniently go find Winter who is all alone in the vault... because?

This could 100% be me forgetting some aspect of Volume 8, but why is she in there again? She's not guarding the Staff because the girls already have it. She's not guarding the portal because portals have opened up all over the city and Ironwood/the villains can slip through any of them to reach the same place (as Cinder did). She's not playing decoy - misleading others into thinking the Staff is still there - because she's totally blindsided by Ironwood's attack. I'm just trying to remember/figure out the justification for this because if there isn't any that makes the fact that Winter isn't rounding up the prisoners all the more absurd. Her role in this plan seems to be to twiddle her thumbs (in a random place she has no good reason to be in) until she's told that all the hard work is already done. Then she can do the one errand she could have been doing this whole time.

I will say, thinking about it now I'm not against Winter being at a disadvantage against Ironwood, regardless of whether or not she's nerfed in terms of the skill she displays. Her losing tracks for me in terms of her being the subordinate/having him as a mentor in the early Volumes (implying that he's stronger not just politically, but combat-wise too), age (again, the older character is likely to have more experience + time to train their skills), and the fact that just recently we saw Ironwood going toe-to-toe against her, Emerald, and all of team JNOR, holding his own until he was inevitably overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, everything is still wrong with Penny dying to give Winter the Maiden powers, from how her death was orchestrated all the way to a semi-literal deus ex machina that lets Winter win via convenient magical powerup. We could have had the more interesting a) she wins through a really smart tactic or b) she looses and now Ironwood is thrown into the portal bridge fray instead of being left to presumably die off screen :/

[flower-boi16]

Why Adam & Lute Suck

So HH's first season is over, and after watching the whole thing I can say that...it was STILL painfully average. The last two episodes were kind of good I'll admit, but aside from that the show is still kind of a 6.5/10 to me. But now let's get into one of my biggest issues with the show, Adam and Lute. These guys are supposed to be the "main antagonists'' of the show, but unfortunately, not only do they suffer from many of the same issues that plenty of HB's villains have, they also have some...new ones, and so, In this post, I'm going to explain why Adam & Lute, as the show's main antagonists, suck.

1. They're 1-dimensional

Anybody who has seen my post about HB's villains would know that an issue that I have with a majority of them is how boring and 1-dimensional they are, and unfortunately, Adam and Lute have the same problem. Now, like I already said in that post, a villain doesn't always need to be super deep or compelling, sometimes they can just be fun and entertaining to watch. But as you can guess, Adam and Lute aren't interesting nor are they fun to watch.

Adam's one personality trait is that he has a big ego and he swears a lot. That's kind of it, he's not a character that's very interesting and again, he's extremely boring and 1-dimensional. He's not a character that's very fun and entertaining to watch as an antagonist, even those types of villains need to be interesting and have more personality traits beyond "ego and swears a lot".

Lute meanwhile...barely has much of a personality? Like, she doesn't have much of a character beyond being Adam's minion and right-hand woman, and also kind of violent. Lute, like Adam, isn't an interesting character nor is she fun to watch, they are both just criminally boring with little personality beyond very one-note traits. I'll admit, the final did give a hint that they cared about each other which does give them a little bit of depth, but aside from that, they aren't very interesting. They, like a majority of HB's villains, suffer from being incredibly boring and one-dimensional, they aren't interesting and compelling nor are they entertaining and fun to watch, they are just boring. Now let's get into the next problem I have with them, that being...

2. We Barely Ever See Them

Adam and Lute have VERY little presence as antagonists. This mainly has to do with the show having a pretty low amount of episodes (only eight), we only ever get to actually see Adam and Lute in episodes 1, 6, and 8. That's a pretty big gap throughout the season, and it makes it so they barely have any real presence within the story. Now, let's move onto my last problem with these two, that being...

3. There's No Dynamic/Chemistry Between Them

Part of what makes villainous duos or duos in general fun to watch is the dynamic and chemistry the two characters may have; whether it would be a friendship, a rivalry, or whatever, these dynamics can be fun and entertaining to watch if done right. Adam and Lute...don't have this. There doesn't feel like much of a real dynamic between either of these two, and that would most likely have to do with them again, them both being fairly one-dimensional as characters, meaning there can't really be any interesting and fun dynamics for them as characters.

As a duo, they kind of fail because there isn't a dynamic between them that's fun and interesting to watch, which contributes to the problem of them just being boring. Because of how one-dimensional both of their characters are, their personalities don't get to mix or clash with each other, it's just a very bland and milktoast "evil guy and right-hand woman" dynamic that isn't very fun to watch. Again, the final episode does bring something interesting to their dynamic by making it so they did care for each other, but that's kind of it. Aside from that, their dynamic is boring, uninteresting and downright non-existent.

4. Conclusion

So ya, that's why I don't like Adam and Lute as villains, so...bye.

[shadowed-dancer]

There's a lot to be said about Hazbin Hotel. I don't hate it, but I'm also not a die-hard fan. But one thing that gets me in terms of pacing is that it feels like Frankenstein's monster, stitching together important scenes from a longer show while leaving out any of the build up that would make those scenes so impactful.

Now, I get it. 8 episodes at 25 minutes each is an unfortunate hand to be dealt and they didn't know if they'd get a second season. But a bunch of the scenes that can be considered "good" are only good in isolation; the second they are put into context you realize "wow, that came WAY faster than it should have." Without context, they just feel hollow.

Like I actually got thrown for a loop when Husk said how he didn't want Angel to throw away all his progress because... did Angel make progress? There's one line in episode 5 that implies he's starting to make improvements but last I heard between Husk and Angel, Angel called himself a "coked-up d sucking h" and Husk's response was "baby that's fine by me." That doesn't exactly support this idea of Husk being invested in Angel trying to make progress.

"You didn't know" is an awesome song and a chilling scene but that doesn't take away the fact that it feels like we skipped 3 episodes of development for Emily and Sera. It's awesome in isolation, but when you watch the episode it feels less impactful because... these characters literally didn't exist prior to this episode. It's a cool scene built on the world's shakiest foundation.

Same thing happened with "whatever it takes". This gorgeous power ballad is sang by Carmilla, but it's cheapened by the fact that this is Carmilla's SECOND SCENE. The show has given us no reason why we should care, we haven't seen her interact with her daughters beyond one of them calling her "mom"... there's just no development.

Do you see what I mean when I say this feels like we are missing scenes??? Like yeah, the show has flaws, but I feel like a good 70% of the structural issues would have been fixed with a little more time, and it was time the crew was unfortunately not given.

TL;DR the best way to get a positive experience out of Hazbin Hotel is to watch the scenes you like and then imagine the moments that led up to them.

[roguephenon]

Hi, I started planning my own KND fic, and started with figuring out the ages and birthdates, and I have to ask. 1. How was it for you the process of coming up with a chronology of a show that doesn't really have a set and consistent timeline? 2. In what year does your fic takes place?

My process and answer is long so have it at under the cut

The first part of my process was deciding if I wanted a set timeline or just to go with what worked for me from fic to fic. Over the years (and after watching the series hundreds of times and taking novels worth of notes and screenshots), I’ve settled on a set timeline that works for me and what I like to do.

(Fun fact: I have 3 different timelines! 1 is the main one I use, and the other two are bit more loose depending on the AU I wrote. In one, the GKND doesn’t exist.)

First, I would decide how religiously you want to try and make sense of the timeline the show tries to give us. There aren’t many, but there are a few events that have specific years that can be pinned down. For example, one is the Great Junior High Rebellion of ‘99 where the recommissioning module was allegedly “damaged beyond repair” (maybe they didn’t try turning it off and back on again?). The next one is 1969 where the KND faked the moon landing so adults wouldn’t discover the Moonbase. They’re small throwaway mentions, but important if you need some dates to anchor to.

Also consider that (probably almost) everything in season 6 that’s not a flashback happens AFTER Op. ZERO due to the shots of the Moonbase being the rebuilt Moonbase Zero.

Now, saying all that, my next piece of advice may be weird, but honestly, I think it’s important: don’t stress too much about it! Details are essential, but getting hung up on them can be a headache and stop the process. As you mentioned, the show doesn’t have a consistent timeline, so trying to make sense of everything will run you up a wall.

Just breathe and pick any year or era you want that makes sense or resonates with you! Wanna set it in 2018 or even in 2024? Go for it!

But why aren't kids/teens seen using smartphones? Maybe there’s super duper strict regulation that keeps anyone under 13 (perhaps even 18 because Father apparently controls the Teen Ninjas) from not having smartphones, and the KND uses 2x4 tech as a way to get around it. There’s already legislation in the works in the US that does this already to ban kids from using social media.

How come sector V are all in the same grade yet are different ages? Again, maybe in this world, there’s some super weird law the adult villains lobbied for that keeps kids in certain grades for extended times. There was literally an episode that ended with a 4th Grade President going to City Hall and coming out and saying, “by the way, school day ends at 8:25pm now. Sucks to suck, also Father is the best.”

Let the show's lack of a consistent timeline be an unexpected strength! Besides one or two cultural nods as the show evolves, there's not too much to date it. For example, they make up corporations and franchises to parody real ones and never give the name of a sitting world leader.

Also, it’s a cartoon, and their world is not bound to the same laws as ours. It’s not real life! Be silly and stretch things if you need to! If trying to take the show and make it more realistic is your goal, then, of course, do that as well! Just for me personally, I try not to get bogged down with “this event or timeline doesn’t exactly match up or happen how it would in real life” because I’m not writing real life: I’m writing Kids Next Door fighting candy monsters or the living avatars of puberty.

I’m getting off-topic. Anyway, the last piece of help I offer is just (if you can) rewatching the show and paying attention to context clues in the background! In season 5, two shots of a gravestone end with 2005. So, with that in mind, we can infer a few things:

1. From wherever you put that episode in timeline, it at least happens during or after the year 2005.

2. The same gravestone appears again in IT, so everything that has happened up to Rachel deciding to call a game of tag, again, happens either during or after the year 2005.

Take that as you will!

For the next part of your question! If you’re talking about Cold Reception SPOILER AHEAD BECAUSE IT WILL NEVER BE DIRECTLY STATED IN THE FIC! ....

...

...

...

you really wanna know?

...

...

...

...

The year Cold Reception takes place is 2011.

Hope this helps! If not, let me know and maybe I can give more specifics! Good luck on your fic! Writing is fun.

[crazy-hanji]

théorie que j'ai postée sur une page facebook

Picture 1: Is it me where I see Roo marks on Charlie's arm? His arm transformed during the fight against Adam knowing that the eyes is a theme addressed by Roo which would be the reason for their presence in Alastor's tower in episode 8, another disturbing detail showing Alastor could well belong to Roo. is this nod to a certain scene

Picture 2: the caption says: it doesn't sound a bit like that and then moves on to the Facebook screenshot:

Lilith can't be possessed by Roo because her arrangement with Adam ruins everything. 1. It's not in Roo's interest for more demons to die every year 2. Lilith's songs were useful to strengthen the demons that were absent at night for 7 years 3. If she was really possessed Roo would have done everything to prevent it 4. Everything is put in place to incriminate Lilith visually and probably because of the future panic attack when Al really sees her in the series. For him it is his mastery but ROO beyond being the root of evil it It is the original sin. It therefore has a strong equalizing power or goes beyond Lucifer being a basic concept, therefore something unkillable or if we kill him we bring about the end of everything. 5. If it turns out it will be the first time she sees Al and will not understand why the deer sweats so much in his presence

Picture 3:

Then comes the resemblance between the VERY first design of Charlie and Roo which are quite similar, for me the arm is not just a reference to the old design: Having a similar posture

Next legend: To see if Lilith also has them in her true demonic form but the stigmata before her eyes As Emily said visually speaking and if everything was done to send us straight into the wall including Alastor concerning the identity of his mistress. He is not crazy enough to question the identity of the Queen of Hell under penalty of a correction.

Picture 4:

Finally the proof that means everything and nothing at the same time. If Vizie raised doubts for nothing, that's pretty damn cheeky of him, but at least it would have given rise to theories. But often this kind of statement in the series is not trivial, I would have an example to give with a video game from a franchise to compare but I don't know if everyone will know it. The FF 16 saga the hero Clive was born to two human parents, except throughout the adventure we learn that he is the creation of a false divinity named Ultima. Who made sure to create his perfect host in the game world and become one when he has accomplished a certain mission. It is not impossible that this type of mechanic exists between Roo and the Morningstar family. Alastor would be a bit like the knight of Roo wanting to free himself from his yoke and in the end Charlie would perhaps be a kind of bargaining chip or even worse hostage against his freedom

[d3sertdream3r]

Do you think Sauron is actually capable of loving Galadriel? I ship it, but idk if he could really care about her outside of fan fiction, lol!

Hello anon!

First of all, it doesn't matter whether he actually could or couldn't love her in canon because the fun thing about being a fan and all of this being fake is that you get to interpret it however you want (despite what some people will try to tell you)! So, this is just my personal interpretation of Sauron and Galadriel; everyone is free to see it however they want to. I'm going to apologize for the length in advance, because I am as long-winded as a bagpipe player.

I don't think that Sauron actually loves her. At least, not in the way we think of "love" between two people. At this point in his existence, Sauron has done unspeakably evil things for thousands of years, and I feel like he's been twisted beyond the capability of truly loving anyone.

That being said, I think he admires Galadriel a lot; her strength, her determination, her power, her (temporary) bloodlust. He tells her that she pushed him to heights no one else could have, and he will always be grateful for that. I don't think he's lying to her when he says that; she truly inspires him in ways no one else ever has.

Tolkien even said that when Sauron first encountered her, he knew he'd met his match. That definitely rings true in the show; even more so than in the book material in my opinion. Galadriel is his exact opposite in the light; they're able to understand each other and connect with each other in ways they can't with anyone else. That's what makes them so fascinating!

To me, Sauron seemed pretty upset and even genuinely hurt that she didn't want to join him because of that deep connection that they have. I don't think he ever lied to her or was even really trying to manipulate her until he faked his injury to get to the elves. A lot of people get annoyed that Galadriel didn't sense that he wasn't being genuine like she did in the book material, but I think it's because he was being genuine for the first 7 episodes. As soon as Galadriel sensed he was being fake in Eregion, she acted on it and started looking into the royal family of the Southlands. Before that, she completely believed that he wasn't her enemy because he wasn't; he wasn't the version of Sauron she's been searching for all these years.

However, he is still narcissistic, power-hungry, sadistic, and manipulative or he would've chosen to follow her back into the light instead of plunge headfirst back into darkness. She definitely amuses him, inspires him, and he has great respect for her; he could even have affection for her. But loving her would mean putting her above his own ambitions, his powers, his interests, his needs and wants. As Mairon he could've done this, but never as Sauron. And when he took up the king's pouch again before heading back to Middle-Earth, Sauron is the identity he was choosing.

Galadriel would be his Queen in title alone; I think she'd probably be the head of his armies, similar to the way he used to serve Morgoth. But she would always be subservient to him and his personal desires.

I think one of his attributes is possessiveness, so I'm sure a large part of his anger in episode 8 came from wanting to own her and have all of her attention and loyalty to himself. That on top of the last sliver of Mairon dying in him as his only positive relationship in the last few millennia was sundered.

Both Sauron and Galadriel are at the lowest points of their lives when they meet on the raft, and they inspire each other to take their respective paths that lead them to becoming the iconic entities they are in the Third Age. I absolutely LOVE that! I love that in her darkest moment, Galadriel's worst enemy is the one to give her a semblance of hope again. I love that when Sauron was feeling completely powerless, the woman that vowed to destroy him was the one to build him up again (even if it's ultimately to her own detriment).

Their dynamic is INCREDIBLE and HEARTBREAKING and COSMIC and I am 100% here for it.

[athousandbyeol]

episode 8 stray thoughts

i can't stop cussing at mew and ray because good Lord, what the hell?

it's so ironic how mew insists he's leading a happier life without top when it's the exact opposite. it's also saddening to me how mew downgrades himself to the lowest of lows and thinks he's mighty and high and doing well emotionally when he isn't. it's just so not mew and i kind of understand that— but still, as much as it hurts top, mew is the one hurting the most in this. the jokes are on him, honestly. he's the one shattering.

and i love how top undresses mew— it's the first time he has ever done that. even when they had sex, they never undressed each other. but this moment right here kind of justifies that top sees mew beyond sex— top just really loves mew. and he's there to take care of him. he's there to exist for mew— even if he is no longer wanted. i'm going to pretend that top didn't say it was okay if he didn't get to be with mew in the end. that didn't hurt me one bit (i was choking on my own saliva because that killed me for real).

honestly, i'm so mad at ray. he... please don't make sand your second option. please don't toy with his feelings. i can't handle that, really. it's about freaking time you realise mew doesn't— and will never— love you that way. wake the f up, ray. please.

chuem, honest to God, thanks for knocking some senses in their heads. they really need this wake up call because no one is effing sober in this household but you and april. (and i kind of like this chuem/top friendship. i think she knows top's feelings for mew are genuine. i'm glad someone actually sees through top's feelings other than us the audience). if not, i'm going to bawl my eyes out because it's so obvious that top loves mew more than anything at this point...)

boston, really, are you going to be like this until the end? i wonder if something's going to happen to him? because i'm seriously rooting for nick and phi dan now... but i think atom will end up crying? does it have to do with boston? will he sleep with boston and end up being just like nick? will atom think he's special in boston's life? goodness. good luck then, atom. (and phi dan freaking ask nick to call him daddy dan. Lord. i died.)

chuem and april! i love you both. thank you so much. april, you're the best girlfriend ever. always level-headed and calm. it's so nice to see women characters not being interpreted as messy or emotional. (because ofts is where the guys are a mess of feelings and just very volatile). wonderful.

that little moment between mew and top though. "why do you have to be an asshole, top?" i just want them to talk things out because you can't convince me mew doesn't love top still. top is the only person in his head 25/8. and it breaks my heart how comfortable top and mew look together, lying on the same bed, sharing body heat. the look of contentment on mew's face as top embraced him from behind, and the fear in top's eyes because God knows if this is only for the night and not for tomorrow. i think top can't sleep at night. imagine how devastating that is. and how liberating it feels to be with someone who helps him sleep better. i'm crying.

i don't know where topmew's story is going, but i'm glad sand is just honest with his feelings. i hope that will help ray realise the person he loves is sand and not mew. i really want to see sand and ray together. sand deserves to be happy. ray too.

and please, top, don't give up on mew, okay? i know it's like going back to square one, but if you really love mew, please don't surrender too soon. mew will eventually come back— because only you can save him top. only you can save mew.

[toujokaname]

Game master / Episode 8

Author: Akira

Characters: HiMERU, Rinne, Kohaku, Aira, Tatsumi, Hiiro, Takashi

"Ah, but, it's okay. Because all of this is for my beloved Nii-san's sake."

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[ Read on my site for a better viewing experience using Ois~su ♪ ]

Season: Winter

Location: Secluded Village

HiMERU: HiMERU would like to know the actual situation. Or is it that even we can't know all the details?

If that's the case, he also has a proposal. From today onward, HiMERU intends to sever all ties with you, Rinne.

Rinne: Hey, hey, you jealous, Merumeru? Just 'cause your beloved lil ol' me has a wife now?

HiMERU: HiMERU simply doesn't want to be dragged into a scandal.

Rinne: Still, at least see just this job—see Matrix through to the end.

Like I said, it's alright. I've got everything planned out so that it'll wrap up nice and tidy.

HiMERU: ...Though this skepticism isn't half-hearted, the reality is that Rinne has always managed to resolve matters in the end.

Since it smells dangerous, HiMERU doesn't want to get involved, but he is a professional. Let's finish the job.

Rinne: Thanks for that. For some reason, Niki passed out, so Crazy:B's short of manpower.

Kohaku: "For some reason," he says... Rinne-han, you for real?

Rinne: Ah, right, right... I explained briefly since you kept nagging, but remember to keep this hush-hush in front of the cameras.

Keep it secret that a child was born between me and Anzu-chan.

If that gets out, it won't affect just the filming of the show. Coming all the way to the Amagi Village would be meaningless, right?

HiMERU: Even without explicit instruction, there'd be no intention of disclosing that kind of scandal material to the public, though?

Hmph. Or rather, this is just another component of your usual malicious schemes, isn't it?

Even HiMERU has become accustomed to your way of doing things.

At this point, it's not like HiMERU would be so naive as to panic due to a storyline reminiscent of a shoujo manga or a cheap TV drama.

Kohaku: But when ya first heard about it, you were more panicked than anyone else. Your tone even changed.

HiMERU: Please forget about it. Rinne is always, always so abrupt.

Aira: Umm... So then, what does that mean?

HiMERU: Our stance on the matter is to treat the tale of Rinne and Anzu-san having a child as nothing more than a joke.

In fact, it is impossible for such a thing to happen.

Kohaku: When ya look at it calmly, that's right. We debuted this summer, and we met Anzu-han even later.

How could they have a grown kid when they've barely known each other for maybe six months tops? It's against biology.

Tatsumi: Is there a possibility that Rinne-san and Anzu-san had some interaction before that?

Kohaku: Well, that ain't entirely outta the question. Rinne-han didn't debut in the show business as Crazy:B, but as a solo act.

There must've been plenty of chances to get involved with producers we don't know about.

Shoot, we didn't even know of Akan-han's existence, who's apparently some kinda acquaintance of his.

Kohaku: But, even if we're in the dark 'bout Rinne-han's past, we do have a grasp of his character.

We've been put through the wringer in these six months. Laughin', cryin', gettin' mad, and buzzin' around with Rinne-han as Crazy:B—

That's why, from where we're standin', this tale's beyond belief.

Rinne-han may be human scum, but he ain't scum to that extent.

HiMERU: Yes. Rinne went out of his way to tell a lie that was easily identifiable as such.

Furthermore, he fabricated a dangerous subject that could escalate into a scandal.

HiMERU interprets this as Rinne's attempt to avoid further scrutiny into the matter.

In essence, this implies that if the issue continues to be prodded into, he'll end up causing trouble for Crazy:B by repeating the same falsehood to the public.

Tatsumi: Is that not more akin to self-destruction rather than a threat? Since Rinne-san is also a member of Crazy:B, or rather, at the center of the scandal, wouldn't he suffer more damage than anyone else?

HiMERU: Indeed. That's how far Rinne is determined to go with this ridiculous lie.

HiMERU can't fathom the intent behind it. As it stands, the only option is to ignore the unidentified child over there.

If you want to deliberately cross a dangerous bridge, HiMERU won't stop you. But he advises against it.

Aira: Ugh... It does worry me, and I also enjoy that kinda gossip.

But, considering Hiro-kun's feelings...

Hiiro: .........

Hiiro: ...Umu. It's okay, I'm calm.

Err... You're Takashi-kun, right?

Takashi: Yes.

Hiiro: You've had a rough time too, getting caught up in this strange situation...

Takashi: Yes... Ah, but, it's okay.

Because all of this is for my beloved Nii-san's sake.

Hiiro: ...?

[ ☆ ]

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[dorokora]

Chapter 14 Episode 8 Part 3 Final:

We start with narration from Solomon’s perspective. Everyone learns "who they are" by being seen by someone. If there is no one who sees you, it is the same as "the one who is nowhere". I've been watching you all along, I've seen you, who is not "omniscient and omnipotent", continue to struggle and struggle. I "know everything that was in this world." However, "I do not know what is not yet in this world." Far behind me, you fall, hurt, and backtrack again and again. There were times when I wanted to pretend I didn't see it. I felt pity. I got angry too. I was also merciful. I almost reached out my hand unintentionally. There must have been a scene like that somewhere. One step, another step. you (MC) keep going on your own pace. Before long, you will surpass me, and now you will advance to a future different from mine. At that moment you turned around and knew what I was looking at. And I knew too. Everything I've done so far will pay off. Many live as "Kyoma Mononobe". I live as a human being, and I am a human being. “This body has already reached its limits,” he (Mononobe) said. This was my first and last interference with this game. Knowing that it would destroy me and my "omniscient omnipotence". "Things (Lil’Sal) that came from the future" had fallen in front of me. Pick it up, hold it up in the air, and say: “Go”. And now, I'll send you off to some future. I don't know where it will lead to. Somewhere even an "omniscient and omnipotent" person doesn't know. Because the future is born out of the desire to have something that doesn't yet exist anywhere in this world.

Back to MC, they can see Lil’Sal and they reached out to them. Lil’Sal wakes up and MC’s missing arm returns to its rightful place. Lil’Sal and MC look at Overlord (who’s currently disappearing in light). The Exception says that Salomonis, O "great spirit of the omniscient king" from the past, you were sent to the past of this city. The "Time Exile" who came from the future, the destination you jumped to is the future of this city. Yes, that desolate scene they used to call the "backstage". That place does not belong to the present where you are now or anywhere in the past. That's right, that other dimension is the future of Tokyo that it will eventually arrive at. Humans on this planet will lose their "role" and will have no choice but to continue to devour the pleasures that have been given to them. We cut to Duo who said that, this means that the someone from Utopia with a “Time” ability was secretly interfering in the occurrence of the Exception Area. Bertro said this was inevitably that it will happen. It's on par with the Old Ones' "Space Leap". The Rule to jump the time of the future world Utopia. It is a threatening technology that can freely manipulate time to accelerate or vice versa. Duo and Bertro being successful clones born in test tubes are the basis of this technology. We cut to see the Exception are disappearing. Boogeyman reunited with Quantum. Barong was let go from Overlord and he and Amduscias share a smile as they reunite. Everything has return to normal. Solomon tells Christine that it was a wonderful performance and thanks her and the other Entertainers. Christine happily accepts. Solomon begins to introduce himself to everyone. He is an agent of "God". "God" is a "mechanism" and believed to be sacred. And the future of humans needed a new "god" in this era. That is why this Tokyo game is being held. A new future "mechanism" created for that. Yes, this "game" was created for the "mechanism" of majority voting, the next "mechanism of the future". The answer to the "antinomy" that he once showed. In order to create an answer to the "antinomy of the three laws" that goes beyond that.

We cut to Turing who explains King Solomon's dilemma. There is an antinomic solution called so. Turing refers to the story of two women once claimed in front of a great king that they were the mothers of this child. And the great king commanded that the child should be divided in two with the sword and distributed to each woman. The real mother who heard the order tried to give the child to the lying woman. And it is said that the woman who tried to do so was recognized as the mother and the child was handed over. The heart of this story is calculating the value of a child for each mother, which is not directly visible to the king. But even that is only the beginning. The true value of the "mechanism" created by the omniscient king, it's just a part of it. Mathematically speaking, he created an algorithm to order two different things. It would have been a great discovery in the past. And mankind has been aiming for better and higher rank. We then cut to Bael. Who explains the pecking order Solomon created. Solomon placed a hierarchy between the two, established a chain of command, and ordered the establishment of an ideal city. As a result, the order of the former ideal city was formed, and long-term stability was obtained. Bael list the current Demons of the Ars Goetia. 67th: Amduscias, 60th: Vapula. 57th: Ose, 35th: Marchosias. 29th: Astaroth. 18th: Bathym, 12th: Sitri, and #1: Bael. We then see Horus asking where is Michael and the others. Bael tells Horus that Michael already left along with Amaterasu and Utopia World Rep. This is surprising to Horus since the Rule Makers rarely move to the battlefield. There has always been stability among the seven Rulemakers World Reps but.. Horus ask if Michael and the others held a majority vote. He said it was a good idea to return to base like Ahura said. Otherwise, he would have really been placed in the “outside” at the center of what happened next. The "future" of Tokyo begins to move.

Back to Solomon. He tells everyone the "game" in Tokyo and it’s mechanism was proposed and created by Utopia. The loop is something that cannot be realized without the power of "time jumping" that those from Utopia have. The locals living in this Tokyo, the world of the future that they should soon welcome. To avoid that devastation, that Utopia World Rep proposed this 'game'. A "game" in which the locals are placed on the board of Tokyo's 23 wards as the foundation of "transient summoning". This should have stabilized this Tokyo 'game' and ensured that it would not end until the desired answer was given. We cut to see Nomad trying to get to the Rulemakers base but is intercepted by Algernon. Nomad ask him if he was hired by Rulemakers again. Nomad also ask where the hell did they kidnapped Claude to. We cut back to Barguest, Oscar was taken to custody. After that, the kidnapped people will be recovered and the case will be settled. Q’ursha said the kidnapped transients are said to have been found in the basement of the Opera House along with Leib and the other Beast Tamers. Barguest said, According to Oscar, if you connect the stolen "parts of your body", you'll be back to normal in no time. If that's the case, Barguest will ask Prometheus of to do the "connecting" work. Barguest calls Prometheus the weirdest member of their guild and said he’s a recluse. Barguest received a phone call from Prometheus. Prometheus tells him something big is happening and to check out the video he sent. Barguest ask Q’ursha if they found the all missing transients. Q’ursha said yeah. Barguest then ask where are the humans/locals that went missing then. We see drones mobs carrying Claude and Jacob somewhere. Back to Bertro and Duo. Bertro said the Utopia world Rep is involved in this incident. They are very familiar with their philosophy. Utopia is a world that "believes" in time acceleration. Spend all the resources in this world on acceleration. For them, "There is nothing to throw away in the world." It won't stop until the resources of the people in Tokyo are exhausted. Because, for that world agent, it belongs to the “him” in the "future".

Back to Barguest, he tells the other Wonderers they need to gather. We then see Raven and Gurangatch taking in a alley. Raven is surprise to see one of his students here and Gurangatch is surprise to see that Raven is a Game Master. Raven said he’s the Raven of the Tower of London. If the city is like a tower then he’ll be able to sense danger before anyone else. Raven tells Gurangatch that all transients need to evacuate this city immediately. Raven said he’s familiar with the plague that destroys cities. His intuition is ringing like alarm bells. If it's just transients who weren't born in Tokyo, they might still be able to evacuate in time. We cut to see Hanuman rushing over to the scene, he said he tried to reach Ryota and the others but they are no where to be seen. We see Wyrm handing Beowulf a sword. If Beowulf kills MC now the loop can start over. Just then there’s something in the sky. It’s Curren, Michael, and Amaterasu. Back to Bertro, he knows what Curren is thinking about. Duo said it’s the the necessary "time leap" to cause a loop. It's a system hack of this "game". Back to Solomon, he tells MC he’s both Solomon and Mononobe. Even if it wasn't the "first time" they met, he’s been watching them all this time. Solomon is looking forward to their future. It was at that time, Solomon was attacked. There was blood. As everyone watched in shocked and Christine screamed in horror. We cut to see Ahura and Loki. Ahura knows that Loki knew about the other faction within the Rule Maker. This faction consist of Michael, Amaterasu, and The Utopia World Rep. The majority is no longer in Ahura or Horus hands and new leadership was passed. We then see Nobumichi communicating with someone on the phone. He will now carry out his next order from the Rule Makers. He wishes for a net that will catch all sin in this world and leave none escaped.

We cut to see Michael and Amaterasu. Michael thanks the Entertainers for their services and that it’s now time for Rule Makers to fulfill their true purposes. The manifestation and elimination of the agent of the old God, King Solomon. We see Shiro, Ryota, and Kengo floating in the sky along with other humans. Amaterasu said the pure locals of Tokyo who are not here, especially the main guildmasters, have already been invited to their "base". Michael tells them that this Tokyo's future, the utopia's World Rep. The people of this land can never go against their power. It is an existence that is rooted in the world of Tokyo and has a higher rank than humans. A being who holds the “future” of those born on this planet in one hand. It is guaranteed to be ahead of the sacred artifacts of the guildmasters. Amaterasu said thisis the condition for Utopia's World Rep to ally with them. Michael talks to MC and said it’s been awhile since they met. Michael said in the future where all humans will lose their "role", MC will become a new god. Amaterasu tells MC it’s time for them to finally take their place. Maria tells them to wait. Solomon wants MC to listen to their words. As long as Mononobe’s memory remain in this loop, he won’t disappear. Solomon starts to slowly disappear. He tells MC he sees them moving forward…the future they chose for themselves. He wants to see them graduate from Shinjuku academy. “Give someone a choice.”, That's the only thing a person can do. Solomon then disappears in the wind. Leaving behind Bigfoot who was used as his vessel. And here begins the battle between the Rulemakers and the Great Guild Alliance. Not only the Gurus, Beasttamers, Wanderers, and Missionaries Guild. The Outlaws, Creators, and other guilds join the alliance. In order to save the disappeared humans and their friends, the Transients from all over Tokyo gather together in this alliance. We then see Toji standing in front of the next underground dungeon. The history of this Tokyo, the beginning of itself. Divided from Land of Wa, the origin of the "faith" of this land. A game around the 23 wards of Tokyo, the beginning and the story of the future.

Chapter 14 END

[variousqueerthings]

THE TIME THE DOCTOR WAS IN A COMMITTED TRIAD WITH HIS COMPANIONS FOR A FEW MONTHS

power of three here we goooo. we are now ONE episode out from the final Amy and Rory episode, and what we have learned is that there are now two episodes that could function as the last episode for them

and where does it rank?

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 8/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 7/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 8/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 8/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 8/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 8/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 7/10

isn’t trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 9/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 7/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 7/10

FULL RATING: 77/100 (if I can count….)

well wouldya look at that... Chibnall can write something that doesn't make me want to claw my eyes out (but in all seriousness Dinos on a spaceship reads like half his episode and half M*ffats)

OBJECTIFICATION: Amy is a person. Everything is pretty chill. also Kate Stewart is introduced and is in personality so very different from M*ffat type characters

PLOT-POINT: this one features some lovely bits between Amy and the Doctor where he acknowledges her having moved beyond needing him as much as he needs her, and generally is just quite a nice little breather on Amy's story to this point

it has one of my favourite little moments between them

Amy: the travelling is starting to feel like running away The Doctor: I’m not running from things, I’m running to them before they flare and fade forever. But it’s alright, our lives don’t run the same. They can’t. one day… soon maybe, you’ll stop Amy: Then why do you keep coming back to us? The Doctor: Because you were the first. The first face this face saw. And you’re seared onto my hearts […] I’m running to you and Rory before you fade from me

this also matters in terms of Character/Lore/Plot, but I just like what it says about Amy as well, how far she's come in her story

COMPLEXITY: mmm so it... kiiiind of struggles to validate why the cubes needed so long to activate, but I can forgive it, because in the end it's all just a conceit to get the Doctor to earth for a bit to hang out with the Ponds in their lives

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: Amy and Rory have Lives, the Doctor feels very lonely, they're off for a final adventure, and that above speech that ties it all together in such a lovely way!

AND UNIT reappears (apparently at Chibnall's request, I was wondering why it wasn't in a M*ffat episode, but thank goodness because Kate Stewart might have been insufferable then, rather than lesbian-coded)

COMPANIONS MATTER: yeah, this is a good Amy and Rory episode, they're both being capable in each their own way (Amy in the action, Rory going back to his nurse roots and helping with crises points)

I had a Moment that I initially wasn't sure about, where the Doctor dismisses Rory's job as a nurse as unimportant, because I think the Doctor would think it's important, but I think it's saying way more about the Doctor's wanting to not let them go than actually being a real commentary on his life being "better"

Amy also restarts the Doctor's left heart with a defibrillator

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: the Doctor is at the center of this, but... Emotionally! and it's about the Doctor and the Ponds, and the Doctor being vulnerable and the like so. yeah, good stuff on the whole

he does solve the issue at the end without any great hassle, but again, it's not really about that, it's about polyamory

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: they brought back UNIT. and mentioned Lethbridge-Stewart! I think it's fair not to do too much legwork, since they brought back UNIT in s4. but yeah, it's fun to have some of that!

they also mention Zygons

aaaand they mention that some companions die: Some left me, some got left behind and some – not many, but some – died. Not them. Not them, Brian. Never them

I do want to note that this is very similar to bits and pieces Ten confessed, but only after serious Shit's Gone Down and to someone who's very close to him

I can accept that Eleven is more able to be emotionally vulnerable than Ten

“SEXINESS”: yeah, we're pretty good on this too!

INTERNAL WORLD: Amy and Rory live in London now (as of The God Complex). we see more of their friends and job (Amy allegedly has one "writing travel logs"? but it's never talked about really, but Rory is still a nurse) and Brian returns. it's better than previous Stuff, you do get a sense that they're living their lives

POLITICS: there's not much of that going on in this one really. I guess I'm consistently wary of UNIT (and am on my classic!who watch as well), because whether or not they're centering science like they say, they're still very much a military operation, but eh, that's a bit nitpicky for this episode

FULL RATING: 77/100 (if I can count….)

soooooo this episode rates pretty highly on the whole. it's mainly there for the Amy&Rory&The Doctor Stuff and it isn't bad at that

it's not the most "exciting" of episodes but it doesn't have to be. it's a nice little ending on the whole to their narrative

ALSO Most Episode Title of the era, in that "the power of three" refers to Amy, Rory, and The Doctor -- polycules are just stronger!

however, there is still one episode left!

[quodekash]

All The Times They Haven't Kissed - Soundwin edition! - FINAL UPDATED VERSION 

(keep in mind this is subjective, it's just parts of the show where i reckon they couldve plausibly kissed but couldnt/didnt due to unfortunate circumstances)

(and as time goes on those "unfortunate circumstances" are more and more because they just. didnt kiss.)

before i begin, i just wanna point out that in episode 4, win says to sound "i want to see if your skills are as good as your mouth" and I just--

Episode 5: Sound literally singing a line of a love song directly at Win

Episode 6: fighting part 1 (music club)

Episode 6: fighting part 2 (across the student council table)

Episode 6: badminton: nighttime edition

Episode 6: MEDAL KISS

Episode 7: tied up part 1

Episode 7: tied up part 2

Episode 7: tied up part 3 (look, they had a lot of opportunity while they were tied up)

Episode 8: MOTORBIKE SCENE

when Tinn and Gun left the room in the middle of the night (they would've been sleeping side-by-side once they were gone) (this scene doesn't technically exist so i can't technically count it but I'm allowed to imagine so I'm counting it)

Episode 8: THE WATER SCENE??

Episode 9: THE WATER SCENE??????

Episode 9: "wait to hear it" (SOUND THERE WAS NO NEED TO STEP THAT CLOSE TO HIM, ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US???)

Episode 9: UMBRELLA SCENE

stepping closer, both hands on Win's heart, staring into the other's soul

Episode 9: THE SHIRT GRAB #1

Episode 9: THE SHIRT GRAB #2 (HJJHKFJHJJHFFK)

Episode 11: after the hug (they’re liTERALLY BOYFRIENDS AND WE WEREN’T TOLD ABOUT IT, SURELY THEY CAN KISS NOW) 

Episode 11: after the fight when they’re sitting on the rock 

Episode 11: we could’ve gotten an after dinner scene of them strolling along on the beach in the dark and they kiss or something but no they had to give us tinngun instead (and tinngun diDNT EVEN KISS)

Episode 12: WIN, YOU COULD'VE MADE YOUR "PUMPKIN" (his words not mine btw pumpkin is a literal canonical pet name for sound and its killing me) EVEN MORE FLUSTERED BY KISSING HIM (even if it was just a little cheek kiss I DONT CARE JUST DO IT PLEASE)

Episode 12: "what a f**king coward. i can't believe i used to respect him." you should disrespect him even more by kiSSING A MAN (win) ON THE MOUTH!! SCARE AWAY THE HOMOPHOBIA! (for all intents and purposes, this is a joke)

Episode 12: they almost certainly could've kissed at some point during that final chinzhilla scene. just to keep us on our toes, y'know?

So we've got 23 in total (still nowhere near tinngun but the number is still way too big), and the winner is still episode 9, with 6 Times They Didn't Kiss

now time for...

All The Times They Have Kissed

Episode 12: CHEEK KISS #1 (if you have questions as to why a cheek kiss has made it here, ill explain at the end)

Episode 12: CHEEK KISS #1

Episode 12: WHAT THE FLIP I KNOW I KEPT ASKING FOR IT BUT I DIDNT KNOW THEY'D ACTUALLY DO IT I WOULD'VE BEEN CONTENT WITH JUST THE CHEEK KISSING BUT NO THEY HAD TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AAAAAAAAAAAA

Episode 12: AND THEY WENT DOUBLEY ABOVE AND BEYOND AND FULLY KISSED TWICE

and sound's little teasing kisses afterwards? my heart🥹🥹

(so i know for tinngun i counted cheek kisses and stuff as not actually kissing, but with those ones tinngun could've feasibly mouth-kissed but they didn't. here, soundwin are in front of an audience, so obviously they wouldn't mouth-kiss, but cheek kissing is still a lot, AND it's the furthest that soundwin have gone. so that's why i think the soundwin cheek kisses should go in the times they actually kissed section, reminder that this is all very subjective)

(all the times other ships in the show haven’t kissed: tinngun and tiwpor)

[itsclydebitches]

Since Ruby took like, ten second of self-doubt and some major (but overall shor) torture before just committing suicide, I can't help but think she must have had these feelings for years, buried deep down. It's eitehr that or the Ever After massively amplifies feelings. Or the writers are just hacks who cannot hack it. Thoughts?

I'm 95% "The writers don't know how to tackle a subject this sensitive and gave us such an extreme reaction for the drama" and 5% "There's a little evidence to suggest that this has been plaguing Ruby for at least a couple of days, but that still requires the audience to basically headcanon a conflict that never truly existed on screen." I say there's a little because Ruby was obviously stressed during Volume 8 too (which, again, only covered about 48 hours), however, I don't think that serves our Volume 9 arc well because:

Ruby is concerned with totally different stuff now. In Volume 8 she was upset over the confirmation that Salem knew Summer and the theory that she killed her as a result of her grimm experiments. Ruby is also frustrated that they rejected Ironwood's plan, but for two-ish days no one was able to come up with something better: "Then nothing has changed! We’re in the exact same spot we were yesterday. Arguing what to do while the Kingdom waits to die." While certainly connected to the overall repetition of Ruby throwing herself into situations that she then can't easily resolve, it's notable that she's not upset that she hasn't come up with a solution, but that the group hasn't. This is not presented as Ruby buckling under leadership because, frankly, no one is expecting her to lead. She chooses to make choices like starting the Ace Ops fight, but beyond that she's looking to others to problem solve, as Jaune, Oscar, and Ozpin do by Volume's end. So Volume 8 gives us "I'm crumbling under the knowledge that Salem killed my mom and I'm annoyed that we, as a group, haven't solved this horrific, time-sensitive problem." Then Volume 9 gives us, "I'm not thinking at all about Mom - look at me give up a keepsake of hers without a second thought! - and I'm crumbling under this sudden belief that everyone has always demanded that I solve all our problems." It's hard to say this has been building for a long time when what Ruby is stressed about keeps changing from Volume to Volume, even episode to episode. We start Volume 9 with her faltering due to Penny's death, but her breakdown comes about due to leadership. It's all too muddled to say this has been a years long problem in the making.

Much more simply, my second issue is that Ruby (like many other characters) doesn't keep consistent in her emotions either. Not just about what she's upset over, but her actually being upset. Volume 8 presented her mini-breakdown as something Ruby overcame - she gets upset on the staircase, but then they do come up with a plan and save "all" of the Kingdom, acting confident in their execution of this rescue - and though there's a major setback in regards to them falling/losing the Relics, Ruby only takes a second to cry about that then she becomes a part of Volume 9's early gags. Yes, her depression increases as the Volume goes on, getting more extreme the closer we get to her drinking that tea, but considering how much she's fluctuated and that her time in the Ever After has only been a day or so... that's too much too fast to justify her suddenly attempting suicide. All told, the content with ANY evidence from Ruby's depression covers about 4 days, maximum.

So yeah, I think RT massively dropped the ball on this one, though as always this is an easy situation for fans to project on. Anyone happy with RWBY's writing can easily headcanon that yeah, she's been feeling these emotions for an age - she must have because otherwise the suicide attempt doesn't make sense and RT wouldn't write something that doesn't make sense. See how that logic works? - and every moment that's even somewhat relavent can be re-read as a supposed buildup, regardless of what Ruby was upset about or whether she was presented as bouncing back almost immediately.

Plus, the nature of mental health means that ANY characterization technically fits. Ruby is bubbly all the time? Well, people with depression learn to hide it and overcompensate. Ruby appears to immediately bounce back? Again, she's playing a part. She was upset about thing A and then that changed to thing B and now we're on thing J? Don't you understand how all of this compounds and it's the sheer, overwhelming nature of everything she's been through that resulted in this? Because we understand that in real life depression is a complicated, often silent beast, people are tempted to map that onto the story, thereby justifying any version of the arc that we end up with. There's technically no wrong way to write it because there's no "right" way to be depressed. My problem is that this isn't real life. It's a story and we have expectations for how stories will differ from reality in order to serve their function as compelling entertainment. I don't want to go, "Oh, well Ruby was obviously grappling with depression this whole time and it was just hidden from us because that's one realistic means of depicting it. How many times has someone said, 'I had no idea' after learning about a suicide attempt?" But Ruby is our protagonist, the perspective through which we experience the entirety of the show, so keeping this hidden from the audience doesn't do anything except make it come across as a badly written, arguably insensitive arc. This is not real life. Ruby is not a real person with real feelings she may consciously or unconsciously be keeping from others. Ruby is a fiction whose purpose is to convey something to us, the audience, which means that outside of deliberate twists, a story that goes, "This was always occurring, you just never got to see it on screen" is rarely going to have that come across well.

[yaaboi-jay]

If I had a wish, it would be to rewrite reality, so underplayer is included in underverse from the start of 0.5, maybe a cameo in the back in every episode before being a main character in 0.8 and beyond (this is being written before 0.8 part one release)

1. It's a really cool comic that doesn't get a lot of attention lately. It would shed light on a really cool story and character.

2. The AU can easily just be an AT of the undertale, so it makes sense how underplayer exists in the story.

3. Player themself (idk their gender) could have interesting dynamics with both error and ink, seeing as they come from the same place as creators of AUs, the real world kinda. Error and ink could have wild questions and dynamics about someone outside of the multiverse.

Ink sees worlds as stories, player sees all stories as worlds.

Error sees no value in many different stories, player sees value in all worlds. (Also, Player and Error have already met in like a side page in the underplayer comic. Error would recognize them)

4. Player's true goal is to achieve the perfect ending. They would probably be pissed at a timeline where outside universes ruin a true pacifist timeline.

5. Their powers are really sick. Being able to edit code. Like overwrite but with the only limit being not being able to change the timeline completely. This limit is gone because the timeline is already messed up and an alternate timeline. Would be sick to see player using their powers to the fullest extent.

6. Clashing ideals with XGaster. Xgaster wants a perfect story, player just wants a story and ending where everyone is happy.

7. Fun tag along with sans. Sans would know who Player already is since all timeline variants have an inkling of an idea to what happens in other timelines like Killer or geno did. Maybe they help sans with their depression or just is a buddy to them.

8. Awesome fight scenes. Player is not a hand to hand fighter or magic user, which would make them unique from a fight perspective. Being able to edit any code, this would have great looking attacks or a fighting style that no one else could do.

9. Thematic purpose in the story is that someone who would oppose XGaster's need to create a perfect story. All main multiversal characters have a thematic or emotional purpose. Nightmare represents the darkness in everyone's heart and how bad feelings can never truly go away like cross in the 0.6 fight, core acts like a level-headed friend to everyone who needs it, etc.

Player acts like a creator or someone adjacent against XGaster. They are someone who's beyond the multiverse. Clashes between XGaster's selfishness with his story and Player's anger at someone who had real effects in the real world.

Anyways thanks for reading. @jakei95 , Thanks for making an amazing show with awesome writing and animation. I know you said that "the script is done, no more characters are gonna be added", but this is just a wish for me lol. Get better soon. The community rallies behind you to whatever you want to pursue!