#especially since they handled his journey so well this season

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

TBB S3 Retrospective

Looking back at S3, it's not a perfect season, but I still really, really enjoy it. And let's be honest, CW and Rebels didn't have flawless final seasons either. But what all 3 final seasons have in common is that they were emotional and stuck the landing.

Regarding Crosshair, S3 gave me pretty much everything I ever wanted. I couldn't believe that his story didn't end in the ultimate sacrifice but you know what? I'm glad it didn't. He now has the chance to heal after all he's been through. He also has to live with his choices and figure out who he really is now that he's retired. Still, I'm shocked. I got two Crosshair hugs. Not one, but two. He came home. And he lived. Crosshair definitely changed as a result of Tantiss and his time with the Empire post-S1. His demeanor is softer and he's more open. His experiences chipped away at that harsh outer shell and man we all know lay underneath emerged. Regardless, he's still our Crosshair with his snarky demeanor and love for toothpicks. That will never change about our beloved sniper.

And Omega! S3 handled her perfectly imo. Everything she's ever learned from her brothers has come into play here and I loved it. I don't think S1 Omega would've led the kids out of the Vault like she did in S3. But she's grown so much since then. The epilogue shows what a beautiful, mature young woman she's become.

Crosshair and Omega's relationship is also everything I ever wanted. His bond with her is deeply personal due to their time on Tantiss. He starts closed off and dismissive, but warms up to her. Eventually, he grows to love her deeply. I've talked a lot about Crosshair and after looking at his relationships in CW and the first two seasons, he always gave me the vibe that he's slow to bond with someone, but once he does, you're stuck with him. Omega is so patient and gentle with him. I also love how they trust each other to handle different situations. They know what the other is capable of and rely on each other for support. I love it.

As for the rest of CF99, I still love them in S3, especially Echo. We needed more Echo. But every time he showed up, he proved why he was the ARC Trooper. Seeing Echo get to use his skills to rescue the clones was simply beautiful. This was a man who lost everything and went through pure hell. But he gets to live, free of the Empire. In a way, he finished what Fives started and that's beautiful.

I may have had my grievances with certain choices regarding Hunter, but seeing him in S3 do his best to look out for everyone still warmed my heart. He's trying and in the end, he succeeded. Same with Wrecker. He's more serious, but he always looks out for his brothers and sister. That's never going to change.

S3 looking back has the best animation in the show and some of the best of music. The choice to have a more serialized story vs. episodic like the previous two seasons does change the pacing a bit as well. This season still flies by in comparison to the other two. It's not bad, per se, but it means I wish we got more episodes (or longer ones) because there is so much story that could be told with just one of these ideas alone. Although, I did thoroughly enjoy and appreciate a lot of these episodes more on rewatch. "Confined" and "Identity Crisis" are easily some of the best episodes in the entire show for their dark and mature storytelling. When I really think about it, S3 does honestly a great job tackling some pretty mature topics.

Crosshair's PTSD was a big part and to see him make an effort to begin his healing journey was amazing. The hand chop is another story, of course. But I did like that the show took time to focus on how Crosshair felt about it and that the others wanted to try and help. It wasn't resolved in a few episodes or by Crosshair just suddenly "getting over" it. It was going to take time to heal and as AZI said, it might never get back to 100%. Honestly, I was happy overall with this story arc. It's realistic that Crosshair wasn't coming out of Tantiss feeling 100% and mental health isn't a quick-fix. It's a journey. Hand chop aside, Crosshair has the rest of his life to heal.

Looking back at S3, some of the storylines being dropped or reduced didn't bother me as much because I knew the ending going in. Of course I wanted more from the Rex subplot and the CX subplot. But given that the show probably had to rewrite things for time constraints, I'm glad they at least decided to keep it focused on our little clone family instead of cramming everything in last minute. Remember when S8 of Game of Thrones tried to squeeze 3 giant story arcs into 6 episodes? Be glad we didn't get that. TBB S3 has its flaws and it's ok to be frustrated about them, but all and all, at least we didn't get S8 Game of Thrones cramming level bad. This is how I feel about it now. I'm rewatching Game of Thrones rn and the anticipation for the final seasons is killing me.

(the CX operatives were also really cool and the fact that their story kinda got brushed aside won't stop me from enjoying them).

Honestly, the one element that S3 didn't handle well at all was, we all know where this is going, say it with me: TECH. I've vented enough about this topic in my discussions about S2 so I will keep it brief. I will never understand why we couldn't get one episode of Tech mourning or at least one scene of it. Side note: I also with Phee got more to do then become a plot point. Maybe she gets to talk about Tech and what he meant to her or something. Idk. Just something. She deserved better. Tech deserved better. The way I would fix it is by:

Hunter and Wrecker talk about Crosshair in "Paths Unknown." That way, Tech's legacy is still honored through their search

We see Crosshair find out about Tech, he tells us about how he found out, we see him process it, or a combo of all 3

Omega gets a moment to process Tech, remembering what he did for his squad, and honors him somehow, like Ezra did with Kanan

The brothers talk it out. We needed more of the brothers talking

Tech memorial?

That's all I got off the top of my head right now. Ok, this is really long, but overall I still love S3, even if it's not perfect. Hemlock was a fantastic villain, I loved Emerie a lot more on my rewatch, Rampart makes a great foil to Cross, Nala Se honestly had a fitting end to her story, and Batcher is best girl.

I'll give a mini series overview in the next few days not that I've rewatched it. May the Force be with you all and CF99 has my heart forever.

[queenshelby]

The Fourth Season (Rewritten)

Part Two: First Day Blues

Pairing: Cillian Murphy x Reader

Warning: Religious and Anti-Religious Themes, Mild Smut, Sex Scene

Previous Parts: 1; 

Day One 

You slowly rolled over as the alarm from your phone started to increase in volume and then you groaned as you sat up, your hair especially wild this morning.

You sat there not exactly excited to be up at this hour, but then you knew that today was the day your life would change forever.

Reaching high above yourself, you stretched, feeling the pop and creak of your bones, which was something unusual for you and probably due to the fact that your new living arrangements were somewhat strange for you still.

Just two months ago, you separated from your husband and high-school sweetheart James and moved back into your parents’ house in Cork before embarking on your new acting journey.

You were now staying in Wexford to film a movie called “Small Things Like These” and since this was your first movie role, you were rather nervous about it. Thus, you didn’t sleep well which was pretty much what happened whenever you were placed into unfamiliar surroundings and the last two nights were somewhat uneasy for you.

The fact that your ex was working on set with you did not help either. He was in charge of logistics and placed you into a small unit with two other cast members named Lorraine and Emma respectively.

Being around strangers, however, didn’t bother you and after you hopped out of bed, you started about your morning routine, bounding across the tiny apartment, putting together a bag that would be needed for the day.

‘Are you ready? And excited?’ your new roommate Emma asked and, after taking one final step in front of your mirror, you nodded.

‘As ready as I can be’ you said before you took in a deep breath and, together with Emma, you walked out the front door of your apartment which was conveniently located right next to where the film crew had set up camp.

During your short walk downstairs, Emma tried to talk to you, but you were too nervous to respond. You struggled to focus and you could not fight the urge to start humming to yourself as you reflected on things including your separation from James after a total of eight years.

***Flashback***

 Two months ago, James admitted to infidelity which occurred when he was working on a set in the US and this mishap ultimately cost him his marriage.

You told him that it was over and, since he was the one with the higher income between you both, you decided to move out and leave him with the house you shared in Cork.

At the time, your parents were supportive of your decision, thinking that you simply needed a break but when they learned that you engaged a solicitor to handle your divorce, all hell broke loose.

As such, during the past two months, you were dragged through the so called “process” the church envisaged for members of your congregation and since both your families were strictly catholic, you had little but no choice than to attend numerous counselling sessions with James.

Thus, you sat down with the monsignor and a counsellor of your church on three separate occasions and every single time James repented and thought that you would forgive him for his indiscretions. According to the counsellor, it would have been the reasonable thing to do, but for you, it was not.

You told James to “go to hell” in no uncertain terms and this caused a shitstorm like you had never seen before.

Your parents were outraged by your attitude towards the church and your beloved husband and the fact that you took up a role in this upcoming movie made matters even worse for you and your family as the movie itself criticised the catholic church and their past actions.

Of course, for James to work on set and for you taking the role, were two entirely different things, which just highlighted again the double standards imposed by your kin and it were exactly those double standards you could no longer accept.

Thus, you applied to the courts for divorce  and you most certainly took the role which you knew would change your career forever, seeing that this was a movie produced by two famous actors.

 By this time, you had spent all your days learning and practicing your lines. You were sent your scripts and read them every day, over and over again, and soon began to realise that, what was expected of you, was much more than you had anticipated.

 Amongst the dialogue and acting out different kinds of emotions, there were two intimate scenes you had to participate in and, in one of those, you would be almost completely naked. All of the scenes were with Cillian Murphy whose wife you had to portray in the movie and, unbeknownst to you, when you signed up, these scenes were scripted entirely at the discretion of the screenwriter to gain more interest from the audience.

 Given your lack of sexual experience, this was something that concerned you. You had only ever been with James and your sex life had been rather vanilla to say the least. Nonetheless, you tried to get into character for the role and considered your own sexuality and femininity some more. You wasted a good eight years with your husband of being boring and unadventurous and, now, this had to change. You at least needed to learn how to flirt and be seductive and, sure enough, your best friend Siobhan, who lived in Dublin, gave you some good pointers.

The role required you to be stunning, to be open, and have the body language of a woman in control of her own emotions. This clearly wasn’t you, so you had some learning to do.

 According to the script, you were the one who needed to lead at least one of the scenes now scripted and this was something you were unsure about. How, on earth, could you do this with someone like Cillian Murphy? By what you have seen of his work, he was an incredibly talented actor. He was much more experienced than you and he was also twenty years older than you and, yet, you had to lead the scene? Seriously?

 ***End of Flashback***

  Making a quick right, you walked straight onto set with Emma. It was her first day too but, unlike you, she had worked with Cillian and some of the others before and thus was not completely overwhelmed by all the cameras and strangers.

‘Y/N, Emma, welcome’ a blonde woman by the name of Lorraine said to you and, just as you reached for her hand to shake it, the director, Tim, came flying by and pulled you aside.

‘You are early. Good’ he said before telling you that Lorraine, who happened to be Cillian’s personal assistant, would be looking after your schedule as well which, according to him, had just changed due to an equipment break down on set three.

‘Okay, right’ you panicked while Lorraine was flicking through her notes in a haste. Everyone seemed to have been stressed out that day because of the technical issues on set and Lorraine was no exception.

‘What scene is up first then? you thus enquired carefully after waiting patiently until, suddenly another man appeared and hurried you along.

‘We will start with scene four, then move to scene eleven and then, this afternoon, we will shoot scene thirty’ he told you and you were lucky that he handed you a running sheet as, otherwise, you would have gotten rather confused by now.

‘Scene thirty? Today?’ you asked with some confusion and, whilst you knew that the scenes for the movie were to be filmed out of order, this scene itself made you panic.

‘Yes. At 3 o’clock’ Tim, the director, then said before taking off again in order to deal with the camera issues on hand.

‘Dear god, they are throwing you right into the deep end, don’t they?’ Emma observed as she looked at your running sheet and saw that scene thirty was an intimate one with Cillian.

‘I am not prepared for this’ you pointed out to her anxiously especially since you have not even met your co-star yet but Emma reassured you that you would be fine.

‘No one ever is but Cillian is easy to work with. You will be fine’ Emma then reassured you, which is when Lorraine made a somewhat inappropriate joke.

‘I am sure some of the other cast members would happily trade places with you’ she teased before pulling you along and giving you a calm and relaxing stroll through the street  following which you spent some more time rehearsing your lines.

An hour later…

Your first scene was with Emma herself who played one of your daughters and, even though Emma was older than you, the make-up department did a fantastic job in making you look somewhat ancient.

This scene itself was easy to film. It took less than three takes and both, the director and Cillian, who had also stepped on to set a few minutes ago, were impressed by your efforts.

“I can see that you are doing well” Cillian said as he greeted you and his demur most certainly put you at ease. He appeared to be so comfortable even if surrounded by all these cameras and this really impressed you and calmed you down.

“It was an easy scene” you told him almost shyly before the director called you both. You had literally no time to chat until you were up, filming your second scene with the man himself.

This scene was more dialogue heavy but you were convincing and passionate nonetheless and, just as you filmed the end of this particular scene, Emma still watched you quietly and smiled.

She acted like a big sister, taking you under her wing and her presence clearly calmed you down as well.  

After about six takes, Tim and the others were happy with your work and praised you again. According to them, six takes for something like this was not a lot and you appreciated their kind words.

After you were done with the scene, you took a break and spent some more time with Emma, following which you were sent to the dressing rooms.

You had to get changed for your next scene, which was the rather raunchy scene between your character and Cillian’s character and, whilst there was not much dialogue in this scene, it was the scene that concerned you the most.

You were meant to lead this scene and, by this point, you had barely met the man who the scene was with. Cillian and you only exchanged a total of five sentences which, in your opinion, was not enough in order to get comfortable around him without wearing any clothes.

An hour later…

Luckily for you, you had waxed your legs and every other part of your body just two days ago and yet, when you sat down and a tall woman applied your make up, she still found a hair or two which she plugged away.

Unlike before when you were wearing somewhat ugly brown clothes for your scenes, this time around, you were sitting there in beige underwear while being assessed by the staff and, quickly, a few scars and blemishes were patched up with some foundation.

You were then given some lingerie which was raunchier than anything else you had ever worn before. It took your breath away and you felt incredibly vulnerable when you put it on. On top, you had to wear a woollen cardigan and you were also given some suspenders to put on which you knew your co-star would have to take off slowly.

‘Looks great. We are ready, I think’ the make-up artist eventually said and, out of respect for Cillian, you quickly brushed your teeth before having your lipstick topped up.

Regardless of all the preparation and your deep breathing techniques, you were out of your depth with a scene like this and, when you first walked onto the so called ‘closed’ set dressed in nothing more than a cardigan and underwear, you began to fidget a little.

You were the first one there and sat down in the area indicated for you. It was a tiny bed in the middle of a room which was said to be inside the main characters’ house. There were no windows, but several drapes which divided this part of the set from the rest of the building.

Eventually, Tim the director joined you and so did a camera man, followed by your co-star, Cillian and the crew’s intimacy co-ordinator shortly thereafter.

‘Hey’ Cillian said quietly and you could see that this was as at least a little awkward for him too. ‘Are you alright? You look nervous” he then asked while taking a seat next to you and you carefully bit your lip and stammered out a response.

‘Yes, for a matter of fact, I am nervous. This is my first day on set and I didn’t expect to film a scene like this quite so soon” you admitted while assessing your partner inadvertently as he wore nothing but a worn pair of brown trousers.

“Yeah, timing is not on your side, is it?” Cillian chuckled before apologising for the change in schedule which, you knew, he had nothing to do with, and just as you both sat there, making small talk, the director and intimacy co-coordinator came to see you both.

‘Now, this is what I need from you both’ the director began to say before explaining the scene to you.

According to Tim, it was you who had to take control while , yet, Cillian was to remove your cardigan, suspenders and bra. Tim also explained to Cillian where to place his arm so that your breasts would not be visible on camera before the intimacy co-ordinator addressed your comfortableness level with this kind of scene.

‘We know that Cillian is used to being naked on set but, to you, this is probably something new and my word of advice is to ignore the fact that we are here. You can improvise on the lines and we will shoot the scene in three steps, giving you a break in between’ Tim then furthermore explained and, with that, you nervously nodded before Cillian and you both waited for everyone to get into place.

***

Just as Tim was about to call action however, the team was interrupted as James barged on to scene, relaying yet another issue on set two.

“You cannot just barge in here. This is a closed set” the intimacy co-ordinator said somewhat angrily as James was standing there now, talking to both, Tim and Cillian, while you tried to cover up your semi naked body with the tiny cardigan you had.

“I am sure it is fine. He is her husband” Tim said, dismissing the fact that James saw you like this and you felt it be necessary to correct him.

“We are separated actually, but I am still fine” you pointed out, causing Cillian to look at you with some surprise before pulling his large jacket off the chair behind the camera and handing it to you.

“I am sorry” he then said and you were not quite sure what Cillian was apologising for, but nodded nonetheless before the three of them wrapped up their discussions.

***

After they were done and everyone was back in situ, the director outlined the scene to you once more and, after Tim indicated to the team that everyone was ready now, you took off Cillian’s jacket and placed it aside.

‘Are you alright?’ Cillian then asked and you immediately snapped out of your somewhat intrusive thoughts about how to pull this off.

‘Just nervous. Sorry’ you admitted shyly in response and Cillian smiled.

‘Like I said, there is no need to. We all dislike these kind of scenes. Just follow the directions of the crew and you will be fine. I promise’ he then reassured you and you nodded all while some sweat was building up on your forehead.

‘Okay, I will try. I am ready I think’ you then said, causing Cillian to nod and, whilst it was obvious to him that you had not done this kind of scene before, he remained calm and patient.

‘Me too’ Cillian then said, shortly after which Tim called “action” and you began your dialogue.

Cillian’s presence, however, threw you off guard completely and you needed at least three goes to even get your lines right at the beginning of the scene before you could even move on to the next part, which is where you were wrapping your arms around Cillian’s body.

You did, however, get there in the end and the director called cut. You took a breather and then commenced part two of the scene, which was also the longest and most uncomfortable part you.

‘I don’t know what to tell them. It has been fifteen years…” Cillian began to say with heavy Irish accent as part of the dialogue and you pulled him in tight.

‘You don’t tell them anything and, at least for now, forget about!” you said as you felt the bulging muscles of Cillian’s core.

“I am trying Eileen. I am trying, alright?” he asked and, just as you took in a deep breath and inhaled the fresh scent that accompanied him, you began to stammer.

‘Cut’ the director called and you quickly apologised.

‘You weren’t wrong when you said that you were nervous’ Cillian acknowledged and you wanted to responded with a snappy ‘duh’. Of course you were nervous. You were there, with a stranger, hugging his naked body.

‘I am sorry’ you told him and, just as the director gave you both another quick break, Cillian had a chat with you about the scene.

‘Take a deep breath and try to think about being somewhere else, with someone else. A park maybe, with someone you are attracted to…’ Cillian began to say before giving you some pointers on how to feel comfortable, naked, in front of the camera. But what he didn’t know was that the cameras weren’t what threw you off. It was him. You felt some strange kind of attraction towards this man all of a sudden and even though he was twenty years older than you. What he also did not know was that he was only the second man who had ever seen you like this and you knew that, within minutes, he would be taking off your cardigan, unclasping your bra and kiss you. This, too, was new for you and you began to panic.

‘A park? You want me to imagine being naked in a park, kissing someone I am attracted to?’ you then eventually asked him and laughed to cover up your nervousness and this, too, made Cillian laugh as well.

‘Okay, maybe a park was a bad example. Maybe your house. Your bedroom. Somewhere else, where you would usually have some privacy’ Cillian chuckled and you momentarily closed your eyes and tried.

‘Okay. Let’s do this’ you then said again and Cillian nodded before giving Tim the go ahead.

‘Okay then’ he confirmed and, after about three goes, you managed to say your lines and found yourself in Cillian’s embrace.

Just as the script demanded, Cillian then slid the cardigan off your shoulders and it landed on the floor while you tried to push him on to the bed. He let you, but each time you tried to be dominant, it looked awkward and, eventually, Tim called cut again, for the tenth’s time.

‘Okay, this is not going to work. Let’s move on and revisit this part later. Maybe we can even cut that part out. Let’s see what we get’ he then said before directing you to both get on to the bed which is where he would pick up on the scene.

You felt a little deflated but, just as you were supposed to do, you climbed on top of Cillian’s half naked body and he sat up and caressed your back.

You tried your best not to make contact with his intimate region as you rocked back and forth, allowing your clothed breasts to move against his body while caressing his face until, finally, he kissed you and you began to crumble again.

The nervousness inside your bones was evident to the director and so was the fact that, contrary to the script, you did not take the lead. You were unable to take the lead and Cillian realised that you were getting rather uncomfortable.

‘I am so sorry’ you said to Cillian who was nothing but professional and polite despite the fact that, no doubt, he didn’t really want to kiss you over and over again. By this point, you were up to take eight. Eight kisses and you simply couldn’t get it right.

You looked shy, afraid and nervous and Cillian was quick to hand you his jacket again as the scene was called off once more.

‘Don’t be sorry, alright!’ Cillian said. ‘It is your first day and a scene like this, on your first, is pretty harsh’ Cillian said before telling you about his embarrassing scene in a movie called 28 Days Later.

‘That is very reassuring, but I feel like a failure right now’ you said and there was something endearing about how he was so polite, yet his voice shook your core.

‘You are not. I have seen your stage work, Y/N. It was the best I have seen a very long time and this is exactly why I wanted you for this role” Cillian said and, after yet another break, the director picked up on the scene again and, this time around, gave you slightly different instructions.

As before, you tried to follow them and, this time around, you finally managed to get some of the scene right, including a close-up kiss with Cillian.

But then, the next part of this scene involved much more and when the director and the camera man gave Cillian instructions again on how to move and how to remove your bra so that your bare breasts were not visible on screen, your nervousness returned.

This man was about to take off part of your underwear. Your bare breasts were going to be visible to him and, the worst of it all, was that there was actual skin to skin contact between you. Bare chested and semi-naked, you had to pretend to have sex. You had to moan and pull his hair while he had to pretend to bite your neck. It was a raunchy scene and, after it took you one hour already to get a twenty second kiss and some mild physical interaction on camera, you didn’t know how long it would take you to get a scene like this wrapped up.

You did one take, then another, then a third and, eventually, during your fourth take your bra finally came off and the embarrassment and shame was written all over your face.

You tried again, and again and again but between that, the moaning and hairpulling, it soon became too much for you and Cillian put a stop to it. The scene was not going to get done today and you knew that this was your fault.

You felt deflated and thought that, perhaps, you were not meant to be an actress after all. Perhaps they should have casted someone older or someone with more experience.

You did not even know why you reacted like this in the first place. Why was this so god damn difficult? Was it because of your lack of experience or was it because you felt somewhat flustered in Cillian’s presence? The fact that you thought that he was incredibly attractive did not help you. It made it so much worse and you felt like a little school girl who was too afraid to steal a candy bar from the school cafeteria for the fear of getting caught by the principal.

Of course, no one should ever do that and you thought that this was the most ridiculous analogy you could ever think of but, in the end, you could not come up with anything else.

When you filmed this scene (or at least tried to film this scene) your body was waking up to the idea of having another man pressed against your body for which you did not have much experience at your age. But Cillian did, and tried to guide you, with his arms pulling you and manoeuvring you like a delicate doll. And yet, his efforts were futile as your actions did not translate to the dominance your character was meant to portray.  

It was a disaster and the director was not exactly impressed by how the filming day ended and neither were you.

***

Later that day, back at the small unit which you shared with Emma, you sat down and rehearsed your scenes for Day Two. You had two scenes with Cillian and, luckily for you, neither of them were intimate ones. Despite this, you knew that you had to pick up your game but Emma believed that you were doing much better than you had thought.

‘Listen, your scenes are great. Sex scenes are awkward and after having worked with Cillian in the past I can tell you that he will not be annoyed or frustrated with you. He is one of the producers of this movie and probably called off the scene to do you a favour. He is a nice and caring guy and is very professional even though, sometimes, he acts like a twelve year old child’ Emma laughed after you told her in great detail about what happened that day and what you thought that Cillian might think about you now, causing you to panic about tomorrow’s schedule scenes with him.

‘He seems nice. But still. I failed. Miserably’ you said but Emma shook her head and pulled you off your seat.

‘What are you doing?’ you wanted know and all she had told you was that you had to come with her.

“We are going for a quick drive” she announced and you didn’t dare to question her.

***

Fifteen minutes later, you eventually arrived at a small cottage outside Wexford and got out of Emma’s car.

As you stood there, wondering what was going on, Emma began to knock on the door and, after about a minute, you were surprised when Cillian opened it, seeing that this was his rather secluded accommodation for the duration of the show.

‘Hey’ Cillian said before smiling and furrowing his eyebrows all at the same time.

‘Do you want to come in?’ he then asked politely as Emma already marched through the door and you were still standing there, frozen to the spot.

‘Uhm, yeah. Sure. Thanks’ you stammered as, in his pyjamas, he was a little less intimidating than being half naked.

‘To what do I owe the pleasure?’ Cillian then joked, seeing that, clearly, Emma was not there, at the cottage, just for fun and, when she asked him for a quick chat about today, you began to get a little nervous again.

‘A chat? Sure’ he said. ‘Can I offer you a drink?’ he then asked with a smile. His demur was generally friendly and down to earth.

‘What do you have?’ Emma asked cheekily while looking through his fridge.

‘Guinness or tap water. I am out of wine’ he laughed, causing Emma to roll her eyes.

‘Tap water’ she chuckled and Cillian’s look turned to you.

‘I don’t drink alcohol, so water please’ you told him and he went to pour you and Emma a glass of water with some ice.

‘You don’t drink? At all?’ Cillian then asked surprised and you nodded while he handed you the glass.

‘So?’ Cillian then asked, waiting for Emma to fill him in and, when she asked Cillian to tell you the story about their first ever intimate scene together on stage, he began to laugh.

‘Fuck, really?’ Cillian chuckled before realising why Emma wanted him to spill the beans on his little mishap. What happened today was clearly embarrassing for you and Emma wanted you to realise that it was not as uncommon as you thought.

With that in mind, Cillian did, indeed, tell you what happened and, according to him, the stage production had to be called off for three days because he inadvertently broke Emma’s nose.

‘How?’ you wanted to know, causing Cillian to shake his head. He could laugh about it now and so could Emma but, back then, more than ten years ago, he was petrified.

‘We rehearsed a scene on stage and it took about ten takes. It was not as intense as the scene we filmed today but it was a difficult one for us both. Then, when Enda finally called cut, I got up, leaning against one of the props and it slipped.  My forehead went straight down and I hit Emma’s nose, breaking it’ Cillian explained reluctantly and you gasped.

‘Yeah, I was naked and covered in blood while Cillian almost fainted’ Emma laughed, causing Cillian to roll his eyes.

‘I did not almost faint’ he ought to clarify but Emma continued to tease him.

‘You so did. You turned pale and got all dizzy’ she said, causing even you to laugh.

‘Right, so today wasn’t so bad after all then?’ you acknowledged and both Emma and Cillian shook their heads.

‘Honestly? This scene should never have been scheduled for today.  It was your first day on set and I spoke to Tim about it. We will just give it another crack in a few weeks or scrap it’ Cillian said and you appreciated his words.

‘I don’t want to scrap the scene. Clearly, you think that it is important’ you then said but Cillian laughed.

‘It is not that important. The production company wanted some sex and nudity, that’s all it is’ Cillian acknowledged.

‘Aren’t they getting to see your naked butt in the first twenty minutes? Isn’t that enough’ Emma then teased, causing you both to laugh.

‘Apparently not’ Cillian told her and, just after you had a little laugh yourself, you asked them both how they ever manage to film scenes likes this, namely raunchy intimate scenes.

‘Cillian? You’ve done a few more than me. Tell her about them’ Emma went on to say but Cillian simply laughed again.

‘What works for me will not necessarily work for you. I honestly just try to switch off and focus on my lines and the directions given to me’ he explained while shrugging his shoulders.

‘Great. I did try that and, quite evidently, it did not work’ you told him.

‘It might after we have some more scenes together. Like I said, I think that it was a mistake having a scene like this scheduled for the first day on set even if it was scheduled that way simply due to the mechanical breakdown on set three. You’ll be fine and we can talk through the scene beforehand if you like’ Cillian suggested and you nodded nervously.

‘That’s true. You will get to know each other first before you have to make out again. That always helps’ Emma chuckled, causing Cillian to cock an eyebrow.

‘Your comment is not very helpful Emma. Making out? Really? This is art, work, or whatever you want to call it. But it is not making out’ Cillian laughed, trying to cheer you up and you sure had a quick chuckle yourself when he commented on Emma’s suggestion.

‘Well, I tell you what I do Y/N and no offense to you Cillian, but when I film a scene like this I think about the man in my life and just switch off. So, if you have a boyfriend, think about him. That might help with the comfort level’ Emma explained causing Cillian’s eyes to widen.

‘I do not. I am single. Happily so. I only just separated from my husband’ you said and Cillian couldn’t help but comment again.

‘Yeah, about that…” he said with some concern before carrying on. “How will you go working with him on set? He is our logistics manager and Tim is rather concerned about you having separated from each other” Cillian pointed out seeing that it was him who convinced Tim to cast you in the first place and in spite of the fact that you were married to someone else employed by the production company.

“Honestly? I hate his guts! But I am professional enough to put my personal life aside and concentrate on my work, so don’t worry. I will just be fine” you told him, hoping that James would be able to do the same.

To be continued…

Please comment and engage. I love getting comments and predictions pretty please!

Tag List

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[officalroyalsofpierreland]

Brotherly Advice

Woods Near the Royal Hunting Lodge, Argyll, Kingdom of Scots

Louis: Are you sure it's alright we've separated from the group? Oliver: Absolutely! I've been hunting these woods since I was old enough to safely hold a gun with Magnus, who is sadly left with Callen and his wild idea of where the deer went [Louis laughs] Do you hunt in Francesim? Uncle David mentioned he went with your father once. Louis: Sometimes, granted, the clothing is not as...practical... Though you lost me on the practicality when we drank 2 glasses of whiskey with breakfast! Oliver [laughing]: I am determined for you and Phillippe to get the full experience! It's more traditional in the colder months because some people says it helps them keep warm. I think those historically did not want to admit that a bit of a tipple in the morning was for relaxation and to ease into a hunt. That's what I do, sort of signals the mind that this is not all that serious and to think about the journey, not the fights like the one I almost got into with Callen. I love the man like my brother but he is stubborn. Louis[joking]: Should I be concerned for my sister? Oliver: No no. Honestly, I don't drink as much as the men in my family do historically. Which of course means I worry my father and uncle [Louis laughs] Louis: May I confide in you Oliver? On a personal matter? Oliver: Of course! Though we will be miles apart Louis we will be brothers and we will be one of the few people who understand the other's pressures Louis [softly]: I'm worried about leaving Charlotte for so long...especially with the baby on the way...I'm also worried she will be upset with me for this...in fact I know she is...

Oliver: Well...those are natural fears Louis. I imagine she didn't take you telling her your plans well? Louis: She did not...the reassurance of visits throught my 13 months of training did not do much... Oliver: I mean...could you blame her Louis? Imagine if I was to do the same to Hortense....how would you feel about it? Louis: I'd be angry...I guess, well... Oliver: Multiply the feeling by 30 and you will get closer to know how she feels my friend. My father has told me that...pregnancy is such a beautiful season, to marvel at the strength and resilience of women. Are you sure you'd want to miss that? Louis: There will be others- Oliver: How can you be so sure? It is your first child Louis, you feeling worried about leaving, your concerns about how Charlotte is taking all of this...heed those feelings. Your soul is telling you this may not be the best move. Louis: But I am a Simparte. I belong to a race of soldiers! It has been my dream to join the navy! You of all people must understand. [Gunshot rings out]

Louis: Excellent shot Oliver! Oliver: Thank you Louis…and I understand wanting to fulfill your dreams but during your coronation, did you not fully become the Emperor of Francesim, Napoleon V? Louis: Well yes but what does that have to do with- Oliver: The oath you took, vows you made, ceremony you undertook…the dreams of Louis Simparte no longer take priority. I am afraid to say this…because I do not want to offend you. Louis: Be honest with me Oliver…I find it…refreshing. Oliver [sighing]: The dreams of Louis Simparte died with your Father. Have you not though about how he’d handle this? Louis [dryly]: He never had to…he got to have his career.

Oliver: do not get me wrong, I support you Louis. But…I’d be leery of how much power you give your councilors…some of them may try to take advantage of the Emperor being away and Charlotte being somewhat vulnerable due to pregnancy. Louis: Uncle Henri and Phillippe shall be there. Oliver: They aren’t who I’m worried about. Those who are new to the power game and think they have footholds in the future may try to…how do I say this nicely, flex their imagined power.

@empiredesimparte

[ask-kirfluffau]

how long has Fluff been officially king of Patchland? Also what are Fluff's opnions on Kirby's family?

Oh @monika-396; I've taken your humble ask and produced angst out of it.

This is based on the original plot of Epic Yarn where it was going to have Prince Fluff as the main character. Fluff was going to go on a journey to find his lost mother... BUT WE WERE DENIED THIS!

Until we get that Prince Fluff game... THAT WOMAN HAS ABANDONED HER SON!

So to answer your question, Prince Fluff has ruled the Kingdom as king for 3 years. But he's been running the kingdom since he was only (8-11 in Kirby years). So my HC for Fluff's mom is that she was not from Patchland. And that was the reason why the magic socks were created... for her.

But Fluff's father died, and she couldn't handle the pressures of running the kingdom by herself, so she left. Leaving everything to Yin-Yarn (the royal advisor). She swiped everything that was hers and left the other sock to ensure she'd never return. (Or that's what it seemed like... full story later.)

When days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months it was clear... the queen was never going to return. Yin-Yarn took advantage of his position: he started to extort money from the kingdom. Especially from"Quilt Square", Dom Woole had to declare bankruptcy but took this as a chance to get proof of Yin-yarn's corruption...

He was fired soon after

Fluff was hurt when he found out he trusted Yin-yarn and said, "...but mom will come back and fix this right." Sadly everyone had explained to him that his mother was never coming back. Fluff did not have time to mourn had to take all the responsibilities of a king all in the same day.

Cut back to the month of his coronation day... the dreams he had as a little boy suddenly came back. He always pictured that his mom would be with him the day he became king... but she wasn't there.

He drowned himself in work to avoid everything. Locking himself in his office for weeks: hiding away. Kirby knew something was up... so he came to his Fluff's castle. So he broke in (so Fluff couldn't avoid him) and knocked on his window in a desperate attempt to check on his friend...

(They weren't dating yet, but that was the level of love & care he had for Fluff he had already. The feeling was mutual on Fluff's end as well; they just didn't know what they had yet...)

He saw a side of Fluff he had never seen before which scared him... Hearing him try to reason out of his sorrow, and deny his feelings was so painful to watch.

(Kirby's Knighting Ceremony took place 10 months ago)

He put himself in his shoes and imagined what would have happened if Meta Knight wasn't able to be there at his knighting ceremony.

Kirby, he could only feel a fraction of the grief Fluff was feeling, but it made him feel awful. He wouldn't have wanted to do the ceremony or get knighted if Meta Knight couldn't be there.

He got everything he wanted at his knighting ceremony... seeing his friend couldn't have that... broke his heart. He desperately wanted to take his pain away. Fluff didn't even have the luxury to say "cancel it" or get the crown and say he's king.

He did the only thing he could do he wrapped Fluff in his cape to make him feel safe, warm, and loved. And with that, Fluff finally admitted that he couldn't do it without his mom.

So with the help of everyone, they used their powers to create cataclysmic weather conditions. Hail, thunderstorms, tornados, earthquakes, and one black hole. And just before the ceremony starts, Kirby bursts in:

"APOLOGIZES FOR BEING LATE BUT..., THE WEATHER... IT'S A CODE-RED NATURAL DISASTER! EVERYONE IS ENDANGERED! AS A SEASONED STAR WARRIOR: I SUGGEST WE MAKE THE CEREMONY SHORT TO PROTECT EVERYONE HERE!"

All the visiting galactic diplomats and nobles agreed in fear as the black hole of Marx & Magolor grew bigger. And that is how the ceremony was cut to 15 minutes. The minute they all left the weather cleared up and they all just had fun at the after-party.

On that day, Fluff was able to see that his friends were his actual family... he was loved. So yeah Fluff already loved Kirby's family (the GSA) to bits & pieces. And lets them get away with a lot of teasing, much to Kirby's annoyance; and tries to shoo them away before they have the chance (Knuckle Joe & Tuff/Bun).

And on that day, everyone in the friend group started to ship the hell out of Kirby & Fluff. Everyone already started to see that Fluff & Kirby had a thing since the knighting ceremony... but after this whole ordeal. But at the end of the day, everyone knew what they had...

"KIRBY, YOU'RE TELLING US YOU'RE WILLING TO COOK UP SEVERAL NATURAL ATROCITIES FOR ONE GUY WHO YOU JUST CONSIDER AS A FRIEND-!?" which was what everyone (namely Marx) wanted to say... But MK insisted this was their relationship, and they had to figure it out... on their own terms.

In the end, Kirby was gonna say, "I wish I could've found your mom..." Kirby wanted to give Fluff the ceremony he deserved (like he did). Needless to say, Fluff got everything he wanted, just in a different way that day.

(it'll take 9 months for these two to realize their feelings and 3 months more to confess, so at least a year) Hope guys enjoyed the angst I produced.

[esther-dot]

If good chunks of people are refusing to see Dark Dany even after reading books and watching show, could it be grrm fault somewhere? I am not saying that he is a bad writer or Dany is a badly written character. But sometime I wonder that writing could be better. Especially related to handling of POCs in her arc and her unnecessary sexualisation. She was the one character whose show character was close to book according to author.

I don’t think he’s playing games with the audience the way D&D did. People often say the show just needed more seasons, but I think the problem was, D&D wanted Dany to be a heroine in the audience’s eyes until the moment she burned KL, so their choice there, to essentially force-perspective things by excluding dark moments from the books re-writing Tyrion, Jon, even Davos once they came onto the screen with her, that makes them “responsible” for the audience not getting Dark Dany in a way Martin is not.

If, say, they had left in Dany’s command to kill everyone wearing a tokar, and we had witnessed teenagers being slaughtered at her bidding, I think the audience would have realized the story we were watching. Or, maybe if Davos who had just lost a little girl he adored to a fire obsessed woman had cautioned Jon, or if D&D had Jon admit his fears to Sansa... There are so many things D&D could have done that would have permitted the audience to draw their own conclusions as characters responded to Dany in a more believable way, but D&D didn’t want to give away the twist. I don’t think Martin is doing that.

What he is doing is expecting readers to engage with the emotional world of characters while simultaneously exerting some judgment about larger ethical ideas. I believe agentrouka-blog has written on this. Martin is dedicated to the reader doing the work and not compromising his artistic standards, we all come to different conclusions about what his moral framework is, hence all the contradictory spec. Because of how he's written ASOIAF, and since it is so much more demanding than one might expect from genre fiction, I can't really blame the casual reader for not coming to firm conclusions about what his view is/how it all will end. It can be difficult when reading something to tell what's merely being presented to us, and what the author is endorsing (two different things!) when we don't have the end of the story.

Do I blame Martin? Well...I certainly can't criticize him for not being didactic, no one wants to read that nowawdays, but when you try to be a hands-off writer, to show not tell, all sorts of different interpretations are gonna happen. As I've tried to improve my own writing and make it more immersive, I've gotten readers upset with me as if *I* am saying something about Sansa or Jon, and I had to clarify, well, that's how they see the situation, that's how they feel, that isn't the reality of the situation, and it isn't what *I* am telling the reader to think. Now, I am not a subtle writer, and Martin is far more sly than most, and yet in my very limited experience, you can be pretty dedicated to undercutting a character's version of reality to communicate something more to a reader, and they can still miss it. If good writing is showing, if respecting your audience is assuming they'll intellectually engage rather than immediately react, I'm not sure if you can fault him for people not picking up on Dark Dany. He's trying to write literature, not spoon food people. (This of course, is with the understanding he won't pull a D&D and destroy other characters to keep the burning of KL /Dany's final descent into darkness a surprise).

Something I have lamented are his blog posts assuring people how different his books will be from the show when he has to know, the vast majority of the fans are upset about Dany's ending, are taking his words to be about Dany. He isn't being dishonest--the journey to his ending will be quite different, he does have characters that weren't in the show etc, but I think we all know how misled people will feel when we get TWOW. Still not technically his fault tho! And I should note, he did make it clear how awful slavery is in his fictional world right at the beginning of AGOT, and then he had Dany witness the slavery and rape and death that happens as a result of a war campaign and then had her use forced labor and profit off of the slave trade. It isn't his fault people have chosen to defend it and convince themselves that we aren't meant to judge her. 🤷🏻‍♀️

It also isn't his fault that some of the smart fans, the dedicated fans, know Dany will burn KL, but still theorize that she is a hero who will die saving the world...ya know, after she commits mass slaughter. It isn't his fault the ASOIAF "experts" assure people Dany murdering countless civilians isn't her downfall, and is instead, a speedbump. This is the peril of mature writing, of trying to elevate the genre. You give your audience space and they may run in a…surprising direction. If he ever finishes, it will a wonderful pay-off, even if it is a headache for us Dark Dany fans. Even so, I know why other fans don't see Dark Dany. Literature is an emotional experience as well as an intellectual one. I read some of the posts about what Dany meant to abuse survivors after s8 and even though it didn’t change my mind about who she was/the fact that she had to be stopped, it did make me realize why people couldn’t fathom that she was always intended for such a fate.

I agree that Martin has issues with his writing, how he's handled POC in his world, how he has sexualized Dany in the text and how he has spoken of her in interviews…that’s on him. I do think you're onto something that if he had done more to flesh out the characters that surround Dany, people would have been clued into where it was all going. Maybe that's his thought process, if you aren't enamored with Dany, if you think of the people who suffer in order for her rise..we might be less lost in her struggle, less caught up in the moment, and perhaps he doesn't intend the reader to fully grasp it all just yet. However, I don’t think hiding Dark Dany is why she is overlysexualized or why he wrote the Dothraki the way he did. I attribute that more to the norms of the era he grew up in/the problems with the works that he was formed by.

[lokiondisneyplus]

Loki has worn many hats since his initial appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2011.

In the first “Avengers” movie, the God of Mischief, played by Tom Hiddleston, descended on New York City with an alien army. In “Thor: Ragnarok,” he teamed up with his brother to protect the people of Asgard, morphing from villain to antihero. And now, in the second season of the “Loki” television series, which premieres Thursday on Disney+, he embarks on a new and unlikely mission — saving the Time Variance Authority.

Season 2 of “Loki” takes place in the aftermath of the mayhem from the first installment, in which Loki and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), a free-spirited Loki variant, arrived at the end of history. There, they discovered He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors), the time-bending scientist who masterminded the T.V.A. to prevent another war between the many variants of himself.

When Sylvie stabs He Who Remains, she plunges the T.V.A. and the Sacred Timeline into chaos, unleashing the multiverse. As Season 2 commences, new worlds branch from the timeline, T.V.A. forces splinter into factions and Loki grapples with a problem called time-slipping as he is caught in a tug of war between past and present.

To preserve the T.V.A., Loki reunites with familiar characters — including the wry Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Hunter B-15 (Wunmi Mosaku) — as well as new ones, such as O.B., a T.V.A. fix-it man played by the Oscar-winning actor Ke Huy Quan, and Victor Timely, a 19th-century inventor and Kang variant played by Majors. (Majors is facing charges related to a misdemeanor assault case after being arrested in March in New York. Filming for Season 2 of “Loki” had already finished before the arrest.)

With the original director Kate Herron leaving the project, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, who helped direct “Moon Knight,” became the new lead directors on a majority of the episodes. Eric Martin, who helped write some of the first season’s episodes, has become head writer.

In a video call from his writing studio in Los Angeles, Martin spoke about crafting the plot and characters of Season 2 and working with Quan in his new role.

ImageKe Huy Quan as O.B., Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15, Tom Hiddleston as Loki and Owen Wilson as Mobius.Credit...Marvel/Disney+

What were some of the themes you had in mind as you wrote the script for this show?

I think the most important thing to me is just character and emotionality. I wanted to have everything driven by the wants and needs of our characters and really just focus on their emotional journeys first and foremost. That is the basis for all the drama: Who are our people? Where are their heads at? What do they need? Those are the dramatic questions that drive everything.

As for themes, we still have the ideas of free will and destiny that continue on from Season 1. But for new things, I think order versus chaos is a continual theme. And then a power vacuum. What happens in a power vacuum? I think like the overarching concept of Season 2 is, “You break it, you buy it.” That’s what happened at the end of Season 1. They broke the system. And so now they own this nebulous thing, and it needs to reform and become something new.

How do you see Loki evolving as a character through the first season and into the second?

Season 1, and like Episode 1 especially, scrambled his brains. He sees his own death by the end of that. He realizes that even the infinity stones are pointless at this new level of things. And so he had to completely reset and figure out who he was. And so I think Season 1 we see him make this hero turn although he is still an antihero or villain. But I think Loki had kind of forgotten who he was, and Season 2 is like rebalancing that. So we still have this hero Loki, but we’re getting back to the meat and potatoes of who this guy is. We’re getting back to the God of Mischief. So we see him using all those talents of the God of Mischief but as a hero now.

All these characters are so intertwined across multiple different movies and TV shows in the MCU. So, I’m curious, how much creative freedom do you have in writing for this particular show?

We’re fortunate that we really have our own little sandbox here where we’re able to be really creative and branch off into other directions without stepping on other projects. And some of that’s by design, while some of that is just what we found along the way. In terms of actual marching orders, there have been certain points where it’s like, “Oh, you know what, this character is being used by another project,” and you just have to pivot. But in terms of our drama and our story and where we’re taking our characters, it really is just following them and their needs and proving them on the page. And if we can prove that then nobody steps in and says you need to do something different.

The interactions between Loki and Mobius and between Loki and Sylvie were captivating in Season 1. What should we expect from those interactions in Season 2?

Let me start with Loki and Mobius. They’re a lot of fun to write because they’re an odd couple. They are very different in how they do everything. They are on the same side. They’re on the same page, but they’re reading different books. They do not have the same path to getting the same thing done, and that’s what’s fun. You have that friction to play with, but they are on the same side. So scene to scene, there’s so much fun to have with them.

And with Loki and Sylvie, they’re a little bit of friends, couple, I’m not sure how you even want to look at them. These are two people that have had this intense experience together, and they split apart and went separate ways. Inevitably they’re going to come together, but how have they each changed? Where have they each gone? And are they going to be able to mesh again?

ImageTom Hiddleston as Loki, Ke Huy Quan as O.B. and Owen Wilson as Mobius.Credit...Marvel/Disney+

So O.B. is definitely an important character in Season 2. What was it like to create this character?

O.B. was born out of a desire to see the rest of the T.V.A. I feel like Season 1 we existed on a couple different levels, but this is a massive place. Like, what else is there? Who else is there? And as I was getting into the first episode of Season 2, I really started to think about who’s the person who is down there in the engine room of the ship. He’s the one who is looking over everything. He’s the fix-it guy. I just started to imagine a guy who was so busy running the machinery that he just doesn’t see anybody. But he loves his job. It very much is like the seven dwarfs and Snow White. They’re just whistling while they work because they love it.

And so Loki and Mobius show up there, and they’re like the first visitors O.B. has had in years. O.B. is just happily doing his job. It really crystallized in my head who that person was — somebody who loved his job. That conception of the character stuck and stayed. And when Ke came on, he just added a layer of sweet humanity to it that I thought brought a whole different level to what O.B. is.

How was Ke brought on for this role?

That was Kevin Feige. He saw him in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Kevin fell in love with O.B. on the page, and I think he just saw him and then he’s like, “This is our O.B. He’ll just step right in and be perfect for this.” The first day Ke came, he hadn’t started yet. He just wanted to visit the set and say hi. That’s who Ke is, he wants to know everybody. And we got to talking and had lunch together and it was just this nice lunch talking about his character and getting to hear him dig in and get under the skin of that character and how he was going to approach it. And all just over some cold Chinese noodles.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group D Round 2: #D6 vs #D4

#D6: Villainess dating game isekai

#D4: Two kids join in hunting monsters and uncovering secrets

Details and poll under the cut!

#D6: My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! (Otome Game no Hametsu Flag shika Nai Akuyaku Reijou ni Tensei shiteshimatta…)

Summary:

Most people would prefer being the protagonist of a world full of adventure, be it in a game or in another world. But, unfortunately, a certain girl is not so lucky. Regaining the memories of her past life, she realizes that she was reborn in the world of Fortune Lover—one of the games she used to play.

Unfortunately, the character she was reincarnated into—Catarina Claes—is the game's main antagonist, who faces utter doom in every ending. Using her extensive knowledge of the game, she takes it upon herself to escape from the chains of this accursed destiny.

However, this will not be an easy feat, especially since she needs to be cautious as to not set off death flags that may speed up the impending doom she is trying to avoid. Even so, to make a change that will affect the lives of everyone around her, she strives—not as the heroine—but as the villainess.

Propaganda:

This show is so much fun. The protagonist is a lovable girl himbo, who is completely oblivious to everyone around falling in love with her. It’s a bit of a harem anime, but with equal opportunities: the girls are just as enamored with the main character as the guys are. The increasingly dumber ways in which she thinks she’s going to meet her doom (she is supposed to be the villain of the story, after all) are a delight to behold.

Trigger Warnings: Incest, Rape/Non-Con. The main character gets assaulted like two or three times, but it’s not graphic. One of these instances, where a kiss is forced on her, is by her adoptive brother, who is also her cousin, who is one of her main love interests.

#D4: Karneval

Summary:

While in search of his precious friend, a young boy named Nai falls captive to a beautiful woman, whose looks are matched only by her taste for human flesh. Meanwhile Gareki, a clever thief, is in the midst of robbing her luxurious home. After causing a distraction, Gareki agrees to help Nai escape, but they are discovered upon the woman's return. As she transforms into a ghoulish monster, the boys flee.

On the run, Nai and Gareki are found by “Circus,” a government defense agency that deals with criminal activity too difficult for the police to handle and protects civilians from “varuga”—terrible monsters that devour humans for sustenance. In the hope that it will lead Nai to his missing friend, he and Gareki decide to join Circus. On their perilous journey, they face dangerous varuga and begin to uncover the secrets behind a shadowy organization known as Kafka.

Propaganda:

Karneval has two of the best protagonists I’ve ever seen. Gareki is superior to every other teenage boy protagonist in anime. His character arc, even in this one season that covers just a fraction of the manga, is so well-developed. I like that his arc is an emotionally driven coming-of-age and not a power fantasy.

Along with the main characters, Karneval has fantastic characters across the board. There is not a single supporting character I don't love (even the ones who annoy me). None of the female characters are reduced to love interests and are all unique and interesting, which can be hard to find sometimes in anime.

It is made by a female writer, which is always great to see, and for people who aren't really interested in romance, the anime is extremely friendship and found family driven. The found family aspect is really at the forefront of the series as Circus is not a glorified group and they don't get to have families which makes the bond between members so important.

The tone balance is amazing. In one episode, you can go on an emotional journey from laughing to crying in seconds. The plot is engaging with wild reveals and compelling mysteries to follow. The fantastical world is unique with the contrast of the dark monsters in a bright and colorful world. If you watch it in Japanese, the voice cast is so good and the soundtrack is also really good.

TL;DR it’s an interesting story with amazing characters to whom you will get attached.

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Misrepresentation of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how they’re presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[shimmer-wolf-arts]

I can blame/thank Pansy for why I'm gonna ramble a bit, LOL 🤣 /pos

like, we don't see Varian making a ton of friends his age. Like, all the people he hangs out with are either older or younger than him, and it's mostly adults. Poor kid is only 14-16 and he's friends with ppl who are mostly over 18. The only ones who aren't are Keira and Catalina, and they're, what, like 12 at the oldest, in season 3? Maybe?

I mean, don't get me started on Varian's neurodivergence/obvious ADHD. But that's probably one major reason why his friends are mostly older than him. I know my AuDHD is why I connect more with people older or younger than me.

And yeah. Varian literally befriended the raccoon that was intruding on his lab. And crushed on Cass like, 2 seconds after she saved him and 100% failed at flirting with her.

But you see how socially awkward this kid is when he's talking to other people, especially in season 3. Talking to Feldspar? Awkward as hell. He's stuttering, not making eye contact, and let's not forget the nervous laughs he makes. And if he's trying to argue a point, and someone very much calls him out on it (coughLANCEcough), he gets stuttery and trips over his words then too.

This poor kid just does not know how to socialize. And when he gets overwhelmed, he starts shutting down. "Be Very Afraid" was a perfect example of that, outside of the fact that his shutdown was also trauma induced.

So yeah, sending him out on the 7k journey, I can imagine he's in way over his head. And I imagine Hugo takes full advantage of that, a lot of the time.

But in my story, Grace is also very much isolated when it comes to kids her age. It's kind of why she and Varian bond is because they 1. Both have trauma, and 2. Both struggle to make friends their age. The only other person Grace knows that's her age is the person she considers her cousin bc their dads grew up together and consider each other brothers. So she's kinda lucky that she at least had one person her age to hang around. Varian didn't. So he meets Grace when they're both 17, and he's just thinking "Oh shit this is a pretty girl who is actually my age wtf do i do?!"

Poor kid does stumble over his words (and just in general) with her a lot until he becomes more comfortable around her. And especially after they start dating, he gets a bit more confident since they both help each other out with trauma and whatnot. He's still socially awkward with ppl his age, and just in general, but it's not nearly as bad as it was when he was 14-16.

And Hugo, being street smart, as well as putting on the facade that he knows everything (and that making him look like an asshole lol), it very much throws Varian for a loop, lol. He doesn't know what to do with it at first, and he's very thrown off and unsure of how to handle it.

[destinygoldenstar]

I got to Episode 6 so far

I’ll make a post on full thoughts when I finish

It’s wild to me cause I’ve never seen Ninjago be trending this much since Sons of Garmadon in 2018. So I had to question “What in the name of FSM caused THIS much riot”?!

It’s good so far. Obviously it is.

The fear sequence REALLY took me for a loop in craziness.

And Bonzle… I didn’t think she was gonna play a major role at all, but the casual way she revealed her identity… Me and my GF literally paused and went “I’m sorry, WHAT?!”

I also find a lot of relatability with Arin so much, especially nowadays. And right now, I think this arc is being handled very well. I think Arin is one of those characters that speaks to adults more than kids. Ironic. Him not understanding social cues, his insecurity about being inferior to everyone around him even when they encourage you it’s just mistakes and it doesn’t help your case at all especially when everyone seems to have their thing figured out when you have absolutely no idea what you’re doing and why you’re even here-

IM IN THIS AND I DONT LIKE IT

Gosh I hate that dragon teacher. He reminds me a lot of the worst teachers I’ve had growing up. But I think I’m supposed to hate him.

Also, they are HEAVILY building up to Sora and Riyu learning Spinjitsu. They’re gonna learn it at the end, aren’t they? ARINS GONNA BE SO CRUSHED.

So yeah, it’s good. And we know now why it’s called Dragons Rising.

Is it better than season one?

SO FAR, eh…?

I do have some problems right now. I think Dragons Rising’s weakest aspect is it’s villains, compared to one’s in the main show that interact with the main characters quite a bit, these ones kinda just have a handful of confrontations and then do their own scheming thing and let the armies do the work. It’s kinda less threatening for them as a result.

And even then, those armies went after the lost family once, the ninja once when they went to cloud kingdom, and that’s it.

Except for Cinder shattering Wyldfyre’s bones, that’s insane. I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often in this show.

It’s kinda off to me that we haven’t seen what went down in Cole’s little journey before he’s suddenly back. And I’m not a fan with putting the mech disks in this with no explanation on how they got them unless you’ve seen the shorts.

I also am hoping Lloyd’s little PTSD, or… foresight traumatic stress disorder, FTSD I guess, isn’t resolved yet.

Also WHAT DID KAI AND WYLDFYRE SEE IN THEIR FEAR VISIONS?!?! THAT IS GONNA DRIVE ME INSANE UNTIL I GET AN ANSWER

I need to get my full thoughts once the whole season is done. I always kinda have to do that.

But RIGHT NOW, I still question the hype a bit. Yeah it’s good, but… wow, WHAT happens in these last four episodes that could’ve POSSIBLY caused this much insanity across the community?

[theromanticrationalist]

Well, I finished The Big Bang Theory. That was a wild ride! I know this show ran for a long time, but when you binge watch it for several weeks it goes by SO fast, omg. Season 12 felt rather rushed to me, like they had to hurry and get the characters to their end points. I also do not feel like their stories are really finished, but just getting started! AKA if they wanted to make a Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler show, that would be fine be me! I want to see them continue on with their science projects, getting pregnant, having babies, raising children - I WANT IT ALL. GIVE IT TO ME. *ahem*

Some criticism, the emotions at the end didn’t feel necessarily earned. I mean it was beautiful how Sheldon Cooper said he loved his friends and honored them as part of his journey to the Nobel Prize. Only, I am remembering in Young Sheldon, how Sheldon thanked Missy Cooper in his High School President speech, and I was like a MESS. I wanted to just outright bawl my eyes out! There was so much earned emotion there between Sheldon and Missy. Also, Sheldon thanked Missy from his own heart, and wasn’t bullied by his friends and loved ones.

So, I get that this is a sitcom, so it just comes with the territory, but everyone was so angry and upset at Sheldon, when in reality they literally never fully communicated any of their problems WITH Sheldon. They always just enabled him or submitted to him in resentment, when a good direct face to face chat was all they needed to do. Amy does it all the time, when the writers decide to make her smart. I don’t like how utterly clueless everyone acts about Sheldon. He’s like literally autistic, full stop. It is obvious as day. It is so clear that things just have to be explained to him and have it be processed by him in a certain way. Of course he always loved his friends, though! That was so freak’in obvious, these guys are dopes to not see it! Sheldon’s love goes so deep.

Obviously, I am not excusing his selfishness or self-centeredness, which anyone can be these things no matter your cognitive ability, but that isn’t the problem for me about this show. It is the fact that everyone acts like Sheldon is the sole source of the problem, walking on eggshells around him, acting as if he is the vulnerable one everyone needs to protect, when they could have just treated him as an adult to begin with! It is the same mistake Mary Cooper made in raising Sheldon, wanting to protect him vs allowing him to discover the world and learn, like George often argued for (Dad Cooper was right, yo!). Yes, this boy is a sensitive, precious little baby cakes who is rather naive and gullible, but also - he’s a grown ass man. Just because his behaviors are primarily associated with children doesn’t make him an actual child. (At least Mary Cooper had that excuse, she was raising the little green bean!) He absolutely isn’t, though. And as the show proved, Sheldon CAN accept change, be humbled, and express love through physical and emotional means. Guess what guys, HE COULD HAVE DONE THAT THE WHOLE FREAK’IN TIME. No one had to slap him or yell at him or hurt him, they could have just TOLD HIM. You know, like rational adults? So who are the children in this situation, hmm?

Anyway, it is just something I am frustrated with about the whole show, especially since it effected him and Amy and how they communicated. The writing was rather frustrating in many ways. That is why I prefer Young Sheldon as a show and how they handle Sheldon’s character in it, which is with so much more nuance, depth, and maturity.

But again, this is a sitcom. So, whatta ya gonna do? It was an absolute delight, though, and I am going to HYPERFIXATE THE HELL out of Shamy!!

King and Queen of the Universe! Their brains are so much better than everyone’s!! 😍😍😍

[blehblarghblah]

Opinion on S3 of Infinity Train?

Tl;DR, I really enjoyed this Book! Grace's growth from a manipulator matched with Simon's trust issues were a clever pairing, especially in the regard that they are codependent enablers (Grace more than Simon at first). Hazel's presence was an excellent match for Grace and Simon's "companion" but Tuba leaving an imprint the way she did despite not being there for the majority only shows how good her character was.

The themes overall were done really well, as the show demonstrated a nice portrayal of how conflicting people can exist and what one can do to better themselves, or help others.

Good season, good characters.

To get into it in more depth...

My sister and I did not like these two because of Book 2, but when we learned they were gonna be the Book 3 protagonists I figured we'd learn to like at least one of them. Character wise, I prefer Grace over Simon but I still liked how they handled everyone's characters within this book. They really did feel like snarky teenagers with no adult guidance, who at their core were really the same scared old kids who got on the train.

When Grace told Simon, "I don't owe you anything" I really liked the emotions of that scene and dialogue. How Simon was portrayed with his trust issues, compared to Grace and her manipulation, I think was done well. He was meant to be someone frustrating and both the VA and animation carried that snark very well.

I also liked how their codependent relationship as mutual (though more on Grace's end) enablers was subtly expressed at first. It was a great take on expressing the problems of acting out for attention and issue of trust, but on top of recognizing good and bad friends. Or in other words, conveying the journey of recognizing flaws in an individual or self, and either striving to help others from them or realizing to distance yourself from the company you keep.

On that notion, Grace's number going down the way it did was a good way of expressing that while you've done a lot of wrongs in life, starting the path to redemption or making up for it can be an even greater step than you realize. I also kinda liked that One-One didn't know about The Apex. It sucked, obviously, but it evolved into an interesting element with Grace having to recognize her faults and the impact she's had on others, then expand on the idea of pushing out of that toxic mentality.

Good example would be Jesse confronting The Apex: as a Passenger, it sucked his "goal" was kind of being hampered by other Passengers who misunderstood the Train, but it did lead to him outright asserting he will be better which led to his escape.

Also, this Book had Samantha the Cat! Which was always a fun recurring character to me, so seeing some backstory for her was neat! I liked Hazel's character and what she did for Grace, her presence set a standard for Grace and Simon and I liked that a lot, since it forced them to compromise on the one thing we already knew they were adamant about: wheeling denizens. Amelia's return and knowing she's helping One-One now was cool to know, but it was also saddening to learn why Hazel existed in the first place. And Holy Hades did Tuba's death hit hard, she was such a good mother-figure and the delivery of that scene was so well done (followed up with the most twisted scene where Simon just happily tells Hazel he killed her).

The amount of characters within this Book blended well together, especially in terms of narrative. A lot of themes took place in this Book, and I liked that our cast of (mostly) four balanced each other out in terms of dynamics. Overall, I think this Book carried itself well with the characters it introduced and reintroduced. My sister and I really liked it!

Until next ask,

- Bleh

[curtsies-from-princess-ashlyn]

At long last, a reflection on season 3

Just like the Wildcats, the show finally found itself at summer camp in s3. I have so many great things to say about this season, but lest I be accused of heavy bias, let me first address my criticisms of this season.

This season did have a problem with ending each episode with a cliffhanger that sometimes had very little dramatic payoff in the next episode. I think this would sometimes be a little jarring, as the tone of the scene could radically shift and break the tension. It also limited the emotional poignancy of some episodes. Nini's storyline wasn't very well-integrated with the rest of the season, so it ended up being really distracting. I know it's not the writers' fault, as they were extremely limited on the days Olivia was available to shoot, and thankfully it only lasts the first 2 episodes until the finale. Additionally, some of the dialogue could be very on-the-nose (more than previous seasons), but I actually think it works, since the show is more self-aware than its ever been this season. The show is aware of how ridiculous its premise can be, so some on-the-nose dialogue is fitting. It also becomes more grounded later in the season, so this isn't an issue for the entire season.

Now that we got those out of the way, let me say that this is the most compelling and tightly written season by far. From the first episode, it is clear the journeys each of the characters will be going on in the season, and the story fully commits to them until the end. I was amazed at how well the storylines were balanced this season, which is something that s2 never quite perfected. I think limiting the cast helped, but how the storylines intersected and developed together was really well done. Each relationship established or featured in this season was purposeful and furthered both the plot and character growth. Something meaningful was also communicated through each character's story (yes, even EJ's), rather than a tacked-on afterthought like a lot of the supporting cast was in s1 and a bit in s2. One of my favorite sequences is during "Here I Come" and we see the culmination of 3 significant arcs (Carlos, Kourtney, and Maddox) connect through the friendship and support of the rest of the cast. I think it's handled beautifully, especially Carlos' scene, which shows him feel safe enough to overcome his body-image issues with the guys, but the camera sensitively keeps it a private moment by only showing a closeup of his face. I also really loved that Kourtney's story with anxiety didn't end at the wall, but that there was an honest portrayal that anxiety is an ongoing struggle for those who face it.

I could honestly go through each character's storyline and discuss how well-developed it was, but that would take forever (we're in the final countdown to s4, I want this out before then haha), so I want to just address the most controversial one: EJ's. I understand why those who are big fans of EJ might be discontent with it, as it does end with him in a place of distress. However, it had direction and purpose for the overall path of his character, effectively transitioning him to adulthood. From the first episode, his desire for the 2 weeks at camp is to be a kid one last time, but rather than come to camp as a normal camper, he comes as a CIT. He doesn't really want his position of authority to distinguish him from the rest of his cabinmates, but as the season goes on his role as a CIT and directorial debut are symbolic of the responsibilities of adulthood that are inescapable. This is also why Val and Maddox, the other CITs, are the ones who are capable of supporting him in the ways he needs this season. Throughout the season he has a deep motivation to exceed the expectations of the adults putting pressure on him (his dad, Corbin and Channing), but in the final episode, he stands up to Channing and his father, consequences be damned, and chooses to do things his way. Assuming his overarching story through the entire series is about him finding his own story, I think it's also meaningful that by the end of the season he is faced with the reality that he can't let anyone else (a girlfriend or his father) be his defining motivation for his future. He needed to accept the responsibilities of adulthood, but in that he can also find a sense of autonomy and freedom that he never had before.

I'm not even sure how to organize these next thoughts, so I'll just speak. This season was incredibly funny, and in my opinion miles funnier than s1 or s2. It did feel briskly but well paced, and had almost no fluff or wasted scenes. This might be partly why it does feel like there could be one more episode to fill the season out a bit more, but it's still competent and solid for the length it is. I loved the introduction of the documentary and fame plot, but I won't go too deep since I already shared some thoughts. I especially think the documentary was utilized so well as a way to raise the stakes and serve as a framework for bringing out the internal drama of the wildcats. It also has real consequences (unlike the rivalry plotline) that will introduce interesting dynamics to the show moving forward. I know some people think Val is useless, but she's actually a classic example of the wizard archetype of the season. She shows up to advise and assist the main characters on their quests, often seeing the truth more clearly than them.

I'm sure I do have even more thoughts on s3, but I want to get this out as soon as possible. I have so much I could say about Ricky and Gina's story, but I've said so much about them and their s3 journey in various other posts that I don't feel the need to. I'm sure I'll be talking about them a lot more soon, hehehe.

[happymeishappylife]

TV Shows I Watched in 2023

1. Atelier

To prove how long and old my watchlist is, this was one of the first jdramas I ever found on Netflix and I finally got around to watching it. But I loved this show. Yes it had its slightly annoying characters and scenes but ultimately the message of the show is that you need to learn to grow and to do that you need to be passionate about what you do. But you also need to take yourself seriously in that journey. So when fresh out of college Mayuko Tokito joins a small company of luxury lingerie, she has a lot of growing to do. But I loved the whole cast and they all go through their own journeys. Plus one of the underlying messages about the lingerie shop was that this wasn't just to sell underwear, it was to make women feel great and special in their own life.

2. Heartstopper (Season 2)

Another great season of this show and I find this such a good adaptation from Alice's comics. Plus the things she has changed from comics to the screen still fit in perfectly to the overall theme and I love the extra side stories we get to explore outside of Nick and Charlie this season. I think Tao and Elle's relationship continues to evolve and grow closer, plus their date at the museum was super cute. Tara's hearbreaking scene with her mom and how that plays out with Darcy is so important to show and handled so well. Plus thank you Alice for creating more awesome and heartwarming Ace representation! I loved Isaac's exploration and discovery of asexuality and love that more and more young people are able to see themselves and identify so much earlier than I did.

3. Old Enough! (Season 2)

I wasn't expecting to get more seasons of this, but I absolutely adore this show. Sure its still the same premise of watching Japanese toddlers run their first errand, but a cool thing they did with these new episodes is they showed videos from 20 years ago (because the show has been running that long in Japan) and then they would flash forward to today to see where that kid was now and see how they react to sending their own kids out to run their errand. It's so cute and heartwarming.

4. Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj (Seasons 1-6)

Hasan Minhaj is smart, charismatic, and hilarious. And I've always appreciated him as a comedian and correspondent on The Daily Show, but he really shined in his own series. What was cool to me too, was while I wasn't watching these at the time they came out, most of the stories and subjects he talked about are still highly relevant and still as impactful as I'm sure they were when they released. And a lot of that has to do with how well presented they were, including the jokes that he had with his audience. Would love to seem him do another show like this, but until then, I'm excited to see his new standup show live.

5. The Dragon Prince (Seasons 1-5)

I knew I was going to love this show when I finally got around to it since it was co-created but Aaron Ehasz, but I didn't know how much until I really dived into this show. I love the story and am actually impressed how much they have been able to tell in just 45 episodes with such a rich premise and cast of characters. The diversity is also fantastic. I absolutely love General Amaya and love that while she is deaf, she is a badass but someone who also adores Queen Jinai. I think the growth with the 3-year story gap was also great because we really got to see the kid trio grow into their roles, especially Ezren who I adore. And honestly after season 1, I thought I would hate Soren forever, but I love this man because is a good hearted weirdo and he's had a lot growth from his family's trauma which is great to see.

6. Jane the Virgin (Seasons 1-3)

I added this show to my watchlist a long time ago and by the time I got to it, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it, but its just fun telenovella goodness. I think the over drama of every situation is hilarious, but it also has its tender moments. I think the cast is great and I love how each character goes through these periods of likability to hateable to redeemable and its what is keeping the show pretty fresh now that Mateo has born. My only gripe, I never was a fan of Michael and was sad to see them get married, but definitely didn't expect him to go out like that (if he really is dead, because who knows with a Telenovella). But I've been on team Rafael since the beginning because I honestly think, even when he's made mistakes, it's because the man is trying his best in the shittiest of situations he finds himself in. But honestly, Jane doesn't deserve him now.

7. Doctor Who Christmas Special (2023)

This was a fun return to Christmas specials and I really enjoyed seeing Ncuti in command finally. He's a joy to watch especially because he is already showing the perfect switches of being happily enthusiastic with the love of learning a new alien language, the in command way he handles the police officer and the goblins, but also the same woeful timelord who is still carrying on despite learning his past. I also love Ruby and I'm curious how RTD is going to do a mysterious girl story, though I am a little wary still since I haven't been his biggest fans. But overall its a very solid story.

8. Good Omens (Season 2)

I was curious to see where this show was going to go since their isn't a second book (or a third for that matter!), but I trust Neil at the helm. And the premise was enjoyable and entertaining with great appearances by our favorite characters as they tried to deal with this new issue of Gabriel appearing in Aziriphale's bookshop with no memories. The only thing I didn't like, was even in six short episodes, I felt like it took a while to really get down to the heart of the story and while it was fun to see how hell was responding to the issue, the rest of it dragged a little to me. Still I love the past scenes with Crowley and Aziriphale and understand why the ending happened. Now that its been renewed for a third and final season, it will be interesting to see where it goes.

9. Call the Midwife (Season 12 + 2023 Christmas Special)

Another great season of this beautiful show. I'm still impressed that they can continue to tell heartbreaking and heartwarming stories all these seasons later, but its also great to see the growth of all our favorite characters. Though I am a bit peeved at how they wrote out Lucille and I feel so bad for Cyril because he cares so much for her and I wonder what will happen to him now. Still, I'm so glad to see Trixie so happy and now married to Matthew who is honestly such a great guy. Can't wait to continue seeing what takes place in Nonnatus House as this show always makes me feel things.

10. Miraculous World: Shanghai

Finally getting back into this show now that I have Disney+. So far out of the two specials, this one was more enjoyable because it had way more story and didn't suffer from Marinette's constant cringe. And though it was a shit reason for her to visit her uncle, I know she got a lot more out of Shanghai than she was expecting and not just because Adrien happened to be there. Plus it really highlighted how much heart and how much of a hero she could be and introduced a great character in Fei. And who can go wrong with a superhero trained in kungfu?

Other shows I watched: 11. The David Tennant Specials Part 2 (AKA the Doctor Who "60th Anniversary" Specials) 12. The Flash (Season 10) 13. Hibana Spark 14. Miraculous World: New York 15. Stargirl (Season 3) 16. Explained (Seasons 1-3)

Shows I rewatched in 2023: 1. Doctor Who (Season 19-The Power of the Doctor)

[sallytwo]

I have 3 hours before my plane boards so here’s round 2 of sammy writing 18 paragraphs of the situation with my little Thing. Last time I was like 85% accurate in my predictions . You get proper puncaution for this.

Ok so now we know that Dear Wesley is still off being a traveler. I’m going to set aside the Jack 2 situation for now we will revisit it later but right now we don’t have nearly enough information to bring him into it. So what the biggest question right now is “did Wesley just cut everyone off and disappear off the face of the earth OR is everyone pretty well aware he’s off being a traveler” . Which is a split divide in beta canon so it’s a tossup when it comes to the show too. Let’s get into it.

The whole “wesley comes back every once in a while” thing (which is in like... one or two comics... mostly stuff that came out like Right After journeys end) is a mixed bag. Journeys end presents wesley leaving as like.. him going off to a study abroad or something it’s not treated with much weight. But it sort of undermines the situation and I don’t think just leaving starfleet and going on a little permanent vacation would fix .. like all that. Little Thing’s got Issuesssss.

Also I know Star Trek is terminally terrible at forgetting wesley but considering last season was an ENTIRE SEASON about time travel and fucking up the spacetime continuum and picard being like “ooohhhhh i dont know who could help with this”. If its not lazy writing then there’s gotta be a reason for purposefully not mentioning wesley. ESPECIALLY if they don’t mention him when it comes to Jack 2 . It could 100% be lazy writing I’m just acting on the assumption that maybe its not because that’s way more interesting.

Which leaves us with the “Wesley’s been gone since he left in journeys end and no one knows where the fuck he is” situation. Which is. Looks over the the side. Which is pretty prevalent in beta canon -_- And that makes the whole goodbye scene in journeys end really tragic!! Like Bev didn’t know he was going to just disappear like that and that’s the last time she saw him! #1 Reason I cant watch that scene without! The

The. -_- you cant ever really know thats the last time i’d see my brother ansel.. Moving Onnn. But wesley just being Gone makes a lot of sense continuity wise and sort of explains all these gaps where it makes logical sense to bring him up but no one does. It’s a sort of “no one really talks about him” vibe. I don’t really think wesley would choose to stay away that long but at least it gives significance to him leaving. Which is better than treating it super casually like you don’t just drop off the face of the universe because you’re normal. And ready to come visit every few months. Picard is literally a soap opera show so I wouldn’t be surprised if they went with this option.

Whichhhh leads into speculation for this season. Jack 2 coming forward as Bev’s son like. If they dont mention Wesley at all here I Will Kill Myself consider this my suicide note. So it’s the perfect place to put in a little “well beverly other son has uhhhhh been like... gone...” Just one line is all we need for confirmation.. Please god. It wouldn’t make sense for wesley to be around and somehow not know about his secret brother and be fine with bev just cutting herself off from the crew for 20 years and also not be aware at all of all the time travel shit going on last season.

Little sidenote. Everytime in the show that wes has been in danger bev just fucking shuts down (and vice versa we love the Normal Fucking Crusher Family) . Theres a comic run where she thinks he’s dead for like two weeks and just doesn’t mention it or deal with that at all. So if wes did just drop off the face of the earth. I dont think she would handle it well (or handle it at all!) . Because they’re the only family each other has which leads to this like emotionally distant codependency and if she lost her son. after everything else . I think she would fucking cut everyone off and find this new fucking Thing Jack 2 . I’m not aware enough of what the timeline is for the show but “no ones talked to her in 20 years” … like I would be interested in seeing how that lined up. Especially if no one’s seen wesley in 20 years 🤨 Or the more likely option where she just cut everyone off cuz of Jack II (boring, lame) and everyone collectively forgot about her first gay son! Which the show would absolutely do because the world hates dear wesley crusher. I’m not saying this is an accurate prediction I’m talking what would be NARRATIVELY INTERESTING for the goddamn crusher family!

I’m not going to speculate on like “ohhh who’s jack 2s father is he actually bevs son was he adopted” but if. Star Trek Picard writers looking you tearfully and soulfully in the eyes if we get Jack 2 and Wesley interactions... Literally all I want. Ideal dynamic with Jack being like “UGH I hate my stupid older brother who I never met but everyone compares me too because he tragically disappeared and everyones sad about him all the time and no one can mention him he ruined my life!” and Wes being like. Hi ... am I supposed to know who you are. haha. And just leading to the worst buddy comedy ever. Wes has been shownnnn that he’s good with kids and would be a good brother but I think if Jack’s a little cunt to him (likely) he would be a mean bitch back and it would be the most entertaining TV ever shown ever! Again now likely I KNOW. Brining wes back now after being gone that long with all the drama with bev and jack 2… like it would be so interesting man. Obligatory he doesn’t know why fleet foxes refernce cuz like

Option 2 is that we just have like one singular wesley appearance where he shows up and reveals he’s been gay married this whole time and has been having a well adjusted nice normal time for yearsss while the rest of the crew is fighting among themselves and freaking out and he just didn’t help out cuz he didn’t feel like it. and he’s a bit of a mean bitch and then leaves. Number one most unhelpful person in the universe.

ALSO FINAL MESSAGE TO THE WORLD: If wes could come back and have like. one menaingful interaction with bev. Cuz their relationship was neverrr given the time it should’ve been by tng and i’m like still so mad about it.literally just one scene the bar is on the fucking floor LISTEN TO MY MESSAGE.

[the-sunshine-dragon]

A'ight, so I'm 10 years late to the party (and writing this at 2 in the morning), but over the last 2-ish months, I finally watched Merlin. And boy, was it a ride.

The first season I had a few doubts. I was enjoying it but finding myself skimming episodes here and there because the writing was easy to predict and follow to the point where I didn't like to sit and waste time on it. So I skimmed and moved on to the second season.

Season two I didn't have anything major to note other than the writing picking up, which was good. I was still liking what I was seeing and I think it was probably by the end of season two I decided to not give up on the show.

By the third season, I was beginning to be fairly impressed with the character development I was seeing and no longer skimming the occasionally slow episode. And what an almost flipped way of doing it, too. Discussing what I was seeing with friends who had already long since watched the show lead to the conclusion that Merlin got the character development route typical of Arthur's type of character, while Arthur got the character development route typical of Merlin's type of character. And it worked! It worked very, very well in my opinion.

Season four I think was maybe my favourite season, despite the dive into more horror-ish/scary themes. I definitely was jump-scared a few times and certain episodes I'm glad I didn't watch at night. Morgana I struggled with as an antagonist. I'm not sure if it was the acting or something else. Perhaps she's one of the few characters whose arrogance makes me so furious I can't stand to see her on screen. Most of the time, I think I also felt sad for her. But in essence, I think I found her to be a bit much. I understand her role and how it worked with the writing, but I found her in season five to be much more palatable as a villain.

Season five was reminicient of that one writing post about knowing how the story is going to end and barrelling towards it anyways despite everyone screaming for it to stop. Episode 11 had me crying with the parallels between Mordred, Merlin, Freya, and Kara. It packed a punch I wasn't expecting and I feel that this how they chose to show not only how tormented Merlin was feeling by the end he knew was coming but also how different of a person he could've become. Mordred ever since he was first introduced early on as a mere boy in the show had always held a certain air about him that lent to one perhaps not knowing whether or not he could be trusted. We still have no idea what he went through all of those years, what lead him to Morgana, to the Saxons (though it's perhaps not that far of a leap to figure it out), why and if he would have killed Arther another way if specific decisions hadn't been made. But in this particular episode, the way things are handled and how Mordred reacts shows you very clearly how human he is, and I think that was really, really important.

The ending. Ah, man. I'm still numb from it in that "wait is this over oh yeah it is" sort of way (much like after season seven of the clone wars). I've seen worse endings to a show. I have a couple points of contention (i.e. where Percival went after Gwaine died and knowing if Merlin ever came back to Camelot). Arthur and Merlin's conversations the entire journey to Avalon absolutely wrecked me, especially being on the other side of writing a fic involving difficult communication and trying to understand another. I think how the writers handled it was darn near perfect.

Other comments I'd like to make:

Gaius was a fantastic mentor and one of my favourites throughout the show. The gradual progression of him teaching Merlin not only about his magic but how to be a physician (something more implied than anything) was something I greatly appreciated. Goblin Gaius was something I didn't know I needed. He is maybe second to Old Man Merlin.

Gwen had interesting character development throughout the show. From a blacksmith's daughter serving in the castle to the queen, the majority of her character development for the most part felt natural, up to a point. I had a bit of difficulty with her in the later half of season four, as she did rightly mature but the sweetness she had had for most of the show seemed lost and that made me sad. I think they could've kept it, but she was faced with many difficult decisions that can change a person dramatically. Part of what made season five so devastating was how much of it she spent under Morgana's influence. I think I teared up a bit at the scene at the Cauldron where Arthur worked so hard to get her back. It was such a good scene of how faithful they were to each other.

Totally would've loved to see more of the Knights of the Round table, especially in season five. I feel I was particularly cheated out of Gwaine and Lancelot chaos, but alas, that is what fics are for.

I may add more to this later, but for now I think those were my biggest thoughts.

[sapphic-scylla]

Seasonal short story for Sera’s adventures. Season of the Witch has fed my Warlock’s soul and story so this is the culmination of her journeyings so far. @ebevkisk

Facade and Cruelty

Eris was finally worn out.

Sera had seen many hive gods and slayed just as many but Eris had done what many thought to be impossible. Not only had she outsmarted Savathûn, the Hive Queen of Trickery and Deception, but she had also been the first to defeat her in a VERY long time. Accumulating more power than any hive had ever held at one time, Eris severed Xivu Arath’s connection to her own throne world, leaving both Savathûn and Xivu without any connections to resurrections and leverage if they ever attempted to strike back against the Last city.

Sera had sealed Immaru in a soundproof transmat-proof box. The annoying little twit had spoken his peace and hell if she was going to ever let him drift back to his master. Ikora had taken him away and Eris, after a long hug with Sera and a cry, had left to go relax with some tea and silence, both well and truly deserved.

As Sera hung back and admired the corpse of the Leviathan-Eater she had just killed, a very familiar voice drifted throughout the corridors of the throne world.

“My, my, I thought they would never leave.”

Sera’s anger flared and ice crawled across her fingertips and gnawed at her senses as the tempting yet ever condescending voice of Savathûn manifested from somewhere in the room.

“Ever one to talk, moth. How does it feel to be beaten?” Sera yelled, trying to pinpoint where she was.

“Oh, darling, it wasn’t the first time. My brother and sister show love by besting each other in combat. I’ve died about as many times as you, lightbearer. I also count your shrewd perception as a loss, my dear. Don’t think I didn’t know that you had me pinned back when I borrowed that old warlock’s body. I’m just surprised you didn’t rat me out.”

Sera seethed as the hive rune on her wrist burned with a white heat in the presence of its maker. “Information is power. We both know that. I learned a lot about your tells, your flaws, and your missteps. Even an avatar of deception isn’t perfect. Plus, while I don’t believe in fate, I do know that someone with a plan such as you had a reason and the intelligence to follow through.”

Savathûn’s voice chuckled. “Clever girl. You remind me of my brother. He was just as shrewd if more arrogant and driven by emotion. He didn’t like you killing his son even if it did get you a shiny new tool that he could take from you.”

To Sera, this was all small talk. A meeting of the minds. Sera had outmatched the goddess of trickery before and none of this was anything new. Sera demanded answers.

“What is this marking and why did you give it to me? And, keep in mind, I know when you’re lying.” She said, revealing the glowing symbol that was still burning like coal on flesh.

Savathûn cackled again. “A mystery that the great Pale Shade can’t solve. Now I’ve seen everything.”

The voice then turned deadly serious. “To keep you on a leash. A tight one. You’re very dangerous and I don’t like unpredictable variables. You’re the first person to outsmart me and I don’t like when people can repel my chaos with logic. You’re also useful. Infusing you with hive magic gives you a deeper potential. Especially with ice in your veins and on your fingers.”

Sera looked at her hand to find it covered in frost. Savathûn continued. “Eris was a proof of concept, though an unexpected one due to me underestimating her capabilities. Humans can wield devastating hive magic and the mere fact that you can handle that rune tells me you could do it too if you applied yourself. You’re an experiment and a rival. And since you killed my brother and me, I just happened to be in the market for such a thing. We could be a wonderful duo albeit a very spiteful one. Neither of us die, so we’re doomed to do this forever.”

Sera snarled. “One toe out of line and I’ll make sure this throne world becomes rubble and ash.”

Savathûn cackled one last time, louder than she’d ever heard. “Poor wayward light. Honey, you don’t even realize how much you need me yet. Your title, your respect from the Eliksni, even your queen. All are important for you. But so am I. You crave a rival. An equal. Someone who will make you better. You don’t even know yet, but sword logic runs through your very body. But, you’ll understand in time. If you survive the Witness, who knows? As someone used to say, Pain is your oldest friend.”

As her voice disappeared, Sera’s blood ran chill. Sera had said that back when she had survived Crota’s Oversoul. As Sera left to return to the tower, she felt a deep uncertainty wash over her as she feared that not only had the Witch Queen gotten in her head, but that she was also right.