#have to draw s2 cast too

[wishfulsketching]

Quick doodles of dungeons and daddies S1 cast cause I'm re-listening to it. It's such a great Not A BDSM Podcast, Sometimes A DnD Podcast.

[hatosaur]

i realized that i hadn't said anything here so this is a bit belated but i'm super unhappy with the casting choices of tlou hbo, and just the general direction it's going toward.

in abby's case, it's been well-pointed out at this point her body type is a narrative device, a catalyst for showing just how her dedication and obsession with tracking joel down and killing him. i don't doubt that kaitlyn dever will be working out for this role but i can only imagine she'll end with a sort of lean muscular physique that will hardly illustrate the point of the body type, rather than one that takes fat into consideration. dever is far too small to achieve it, and what's more is, i think it's super unethical to bank on someone working out in order to fit a role. the announcement of the casting came about a month after the trailer for that new kristen stewart movie, the one where she falls for a bodybuilder, came out. there are fully actresses who lift and bodybuilder and have similar body types, and yet their choice leaves us wanting.

dina's case feels a lot more sacrilegious. isabel merced isn't jewish, nor has any of dina's defining features. granted, i'm well-aware that neither cascina caradonna, her face model, nor shannon woodward, her voice actor, are jewish, but i feel like this is what made the casting choice matter all the more. dina's a character whose heritage matters to her character, and there was such a clear chance to have her be portrayed by a jewish actor.

like a lot of people, i think that they chose the more palatable route, considering the massive backlash against both abby's body type and dina's more prominent features, which is both incredibly sad to see but also infuriating. particularly with the issue of neil druckmann's batting for jewish rep under the veil of his allegiance with israel. i obviously can't speak for the feelings of jewish fans but i imagine to pull the rug out from underneath us on a character that he has said is a connection to his jewish like this would be like spit in the face.

the whole thing has just made me disinterested with season 2 of tlou hbo. there are already issues with the games' representation of people of color, and seeing as i could tell there was a small (i cannot stress how miniscule) attempt to "fix it, i'd held out hope prior to this but...no.

IN ALL HONESTY, i'd already been content to not engage with s2. i was skeptical enough from the get-go when it was announced, but truth be told, too many red flags are cropping up. obviously, there's the zionist stuff that i think, right now especially, literally everyone can do without (though i'm sure neil and craig are rubbing their hands together over how the people NEED a great "both sides are bad, completely and totally biased view of the conflict in palestine" story), but even to like pirate is a no-go for me.

all of this to say, since i've already gotten some people asking, you shouldn't expect me to draw or indulge in any of the content from it.

[amuseoffyre]

The more I write of my OFMD speculative S3 fic, the more I realise how much the writers were constrained for writing S2, by budget and executive interference about content and the limited time given by 8 episodes with reduced duration caps - I hadn't realised how much shorter some of the S2 episodes were than S1.

It makes me spit tacks thinking how much they could have done with the full 10 episodes, how so much of the stuff that felt rushed or pruned down or even fully cut was because too many CEOs spoiling the broth and forcing them to speedrun (and censor) so much.

We know they had:

a reunion scene with Jim and Olu - Samba mentioned it in WJW. Roach bringing them the soup and Olu crying on Jim's shoulder.

scenes setting up Zheng and Olu in the Republic from the press stills so it wasn't just hacked and slashed down to "you're the break in my day"

Wee John had more scenes with a through-line through multiple episodes about being tired of just being the Big Guy/muscle.

the entire planned polycule during episode 6 that was fully vetoed to the point that the cast and writers had to resort to slipping in coded references ("we've shared before" / "he's my anchor")

episode 6 originally meant to be a wedding episode where Ed actually pays for Lucius and Pete's wedding which again, vetoed, and we were only given a 2 minute ceremony tacked on the end - the fact that "Calypso's birthday" is literally "something you just made up as an excuse for a party" because they had to rewrite the episode

Ed and Stede actually spending episode 6 with them both not dealing well with "going slow" but it also being vetoed because Heaven forfend showing positive sexual desire between gay characters. But sure, lets show them being tortured instead. Max likes that.

Related to this is the 24 sexathon. Originally, it was meant to be Jim/Olu/Archie but it was shifted over to Lucius and Pete. Look at S1 when we had naked Olu and Jim snuggled post-coitus and Lucius drawing dick-pics and flirting shamelessly, 'we don't belong to each other'.

By comparison, S2 was pared back to a handful of kisses, one fade to black and a 60-second wedding. Nothing says sterilising the queer sex experience like having two people standing two feet apart, fully-dressed and not touching while saying "Oh yeah we had so much sex" 😤 THEY COULD HAVE BEEN CUDDLING IN BED. WE DESERVED CUDDLES. THIS GOES FOR EVERYONE.

But no. You may only have [this] much open queer affection in this show and then we shall destroy it because we never wanted to give you S2 in the first place.

[kiirotoao]

Protective Mike headcanons! To the whole main cast because a lot of my Byler headcanons involve Mike being protective already why not!

Mike will cross his arms and pretend that he’s not paying attention to Max when she skateboards beside him but after that fall in s2 he’s always ready to reach out and stabilize her in a split second

If Mike has any leftovers, he always offers his food to Holly first if she’s still hungry

He also makes sure she’s never unheard at the kitchen table. Lord save the soul who dares to speak over Holly because Mike will roar at them to SHUT UP and then smile at Holly like so what were you saying? :)

Lucas loves birds just because I’m projecting - and Mike doesn’t really care about birds but if Lucas sees a cool one nearby Mike won’t let anyone scare the bird off so that Lucas can have his fun

Mike is basically a crosswalk guard when he’s with anyone when they hit a crosswalk. Boy is extending his arms and holding the other person/people back, making sure the road is clear before they walk.

Mike is a notoriously slow biker when someone’s riding with him. In danger, he’s booking it, but otherwise, he’s vigilant and tries to avoid rocky paths

If anyone gets hurt near Mike, he’s going to become their personal crutch until they can move independently, sometimes even to the point of irritation. Like someone could hurt a toe and walk fine but Mike is right under their arm like hey you okay? He did this a lot to Dustin before s4 because I said so

Mike’s a little clumsy but if he’s carrying something hot or delicate or the like, he’s using both hands and shooing anyone in his way so he doesn’t drop that thing and hurt anyone

Going off his adorable binder of Will’s drawings, Mike keeps his school notes and papers (surprisingly to Lucas and Dustin) organized to the point where he can carry comics in perfect condition before he gives them away

When it’s raining, Mike makes sure that raincoat hoods are being affixed if they keep flying down - he started doing this to everyone in The Party after doing it to Holly so much

Mike gets so angry if people talk shit about his friends. This is canon, but I like to imagine that it extends to their families, too. Like he’ll throw Hopper under the bus but he’s actually really adamant that he’s a good person. Same with Joyce. You will see him after class if you even make a “your mom” joke about her

Mike is first to point out if someone is hurt and figure out the who, what, when, where, and why it happened and make sure they’re safe (Will’s first to notice which then leads to Mike interrogating)

[maxphilippa]

;; ( maxine philippa/max/mic | everything you have to know (byi, dni and art reqs) | check out my scenecore mic art! | any pronouns, aroace bi-oriented cupioromantic, panadoxgender. ) ;; self ship blog: @echoiclove || mic "daily" blog: @microphone-ii (inactive as of now) ||

character analysis masterpost

( Tags that I use and their meaning. )

#maxposteo :: your daily dose of Max's facts or shitpost.

#max does art :: full rendered/colored art, fics, edits, or others.

#max's raw art :: wips/unfinished artwork.

#max explains the ii gkgg au :: if you're interesed about the ii gkgg au, you can find some extra lore/fun shenanigans on the asks I answer! You can drop an ask there too!

#ii fandom neg: this tag is not exclusive (meaning that you can use it as well), but i basically rant about the ii fandom's stupidity and lack of media literacy.

Masterpost list! (Designs/Gijinkas and such!)

Can I use these designs?

- You can! But if you do, please do not change the headcanons that are on them! And don't use them to draw T4c0mic, S0apmic, Kn1fan or you know, anything shitty.

Can I get inspired off your designs?

- YES YOU CAN!!!

Can I draw them?

- Yes!

Note: Some designs need a rework and others are outdated. I'll be adding the edits on the list as well. A new masterpost will be made once I am happy with the designs.

( Inanimate Insanity. )

1. Mephone4, Co-hosts, Support Characters + Meeple HQ (Inanimate Insanity) [OUTDATED]

2. MADE A SHOW AND IT'S NAME IS INANIMATE INSANITY... it's very catchy!!! (Gijinkas of the FULL II cast) [OUTDATED]

3. My objectsona's ref! <- (Heart Locket) || My objectsona's ref! <- (Roots) || My ponysona's ref! <- (Stellar Astromane) || My Micsona's ref! || (more will be added)

4. Bot, Lifering, Soap, Box & Dough gijinka edits!

5. Post S2 Microphone design!

6. S2/ Post S2 Trophy redesign!

7. Lightbulb Gijinka Redesign!

8. OJ and Knife redesigns/updated ref.

9. The Floor (redesign) and Walkie Talkie Gijinka design!

10. Test Tube gijinka redesign!

11. Post II Knife gijinka design!

12. Clover gijinka redesign!

13. Silver Spoon gijinka redesign!

14. Fan gijinka redesign!

15. Bomb gijinka redesign!

16. Apple gijinka redesign!

17. Mephone4 post ii gijinka design!

18. Baseball, Suitcase, Salt, Pepper, Balloon, Paintbrush and Pickle gijinka redesigns!

19. Yinyang gijinka redesign!

(Other Object Shows)

1. IPad Gijinka (Object Invasion)

2. Kit & Pilly & Limey (BURNER), Moonlight & Nori & Skull (TDOS), Bubble & Snowball (BFDI/BFB/TPOT) [yes. all in one.]

(Other stuff)

1. II GKGG AU swap list

- more will be added once posted.

[shinjisdone]

Two Humans in the Demon Realm - Fantasy And Nightmare

What if by the time Luz Noceda the human emerged into the demon realm...some other human did, too? However, instead of being joyful of being surrounded by all they love and taken in by a kind and openhearted witch...they are terrified of this place, taken in by the ruler of the realm?

[Basically I watched TOH again and dammit HUNTER SHALL HAVE A FRIEND I SAY NOT UNTIL S2 but NOW I SAY NOW]

BECOMING THE GOLDEN GUARD'S/HUNTER'S HUMAN FRIEND BECAUSE I SAID SO

Part 2 of this

Things seemed to become okayish.

The visits were more frequent and the Golden Guard would come in with different, hopefully tastier dishes to you. "Your little drawings of human food aren't the best, you know." He said as he returned with a plate of hot...moving...algae? When all you drew for him was bacon.

They don't even have bread here *crying*.

Alongside the questionable food he also brought writing utensils, something akin to a magical board and the like. You were unsure and so let him use the majority when teaching him about glyphs.

The Golden Guard would nod and hum before grabbing everything under his arm and excusing himself off until the next time he visits you. At times he seemed to be in a good mood so you assumed he made progress - yet he mostly returned tired and grumpy so you did not try your luck to ask how much progress he was doing and how much of it was actually successful.

You did not even know what he's doing with the knowledge or why he needs it.

Still...being kept in a room out of everyone's sight can be boring...and overwhelming.

You've asked your guard a couple of times if there isn't any other new places to be. Just for fresh air. Or to feel the sunlight directly and not through the window you weren't even allowed to touch.

However, one day after requesting it a couple of times, the Golden Guard halted with you almost bumping into him, spun around and agreed.

Under one condition: You'd go outside of the castle's barriers and into the wild to practice wild magic.

Learning about it by theory was no problem but the Guard couldnt risk practicing any of it on Belos' territory. The punishment would be too severe.

Besides...he won't ever tell you but he's scared of using it. Wild magic is dangerous.

Not that he wants to endanger your life but you have far more experiences with it, so he likes to believe that things will turn out fine if you practice them out. He can stay back with the theories on paper and you can actually cast them.

So clad once again with the humble scout uniform, you made your way - though you feel like you instant traveled or zapped - to an abandoned shore. The sea and cliffs would shield you from unwanted attention.

The Golden Guard is very much aware of what a risk he's taking - but it could lead to an solution, to healing.

He is still doing his job. Looking after you and making sure you don't kill yourself through careless spellcasting of wild magic. Thats what he tells himself at least.

The hours pass by and the two of you were engrossed in the many glyphs and the possibilities they offer. You so effortlessly draw them into the sand, it leaves him a bit impressed.

You finish drawing each glyph that you know. "I'm sure there are many more but the majority are like...basic ones from nature, you know? Light, fire, plants...they seem like any other magic spell of your Emperor's Coven, I don't know what else they could do."

He trotted over with his staff, inspecting the glyphs further. "They can be. I've read about it." He passed you by, letting the end of his staff draw along the sand and connecting your drawings with his own lines. "Magic has layers even when the core is the same. Light is more than just able to see in the dark, it filters through the atmosphere we exist in and can cast shadows - thats already another path that light glyph opens up for you!" You noted how much lighter and higher his tone gets as he jogs around the shore, drawing more circles. "Back then before the Savage Times witches were able to create more spells with their imagination and willpower alone just through understanding each core-!"

His figure froze mid-drawing as his gaze met your quizzical one. Straightening his posture, he cleared his throat and intentionally spoke sternly. "I, uh, read that. It's history 101 here on the Boiling Isles, nothing...crazy. You wouldn't know that."

You can't help but crack a smile. "You sure know a lot about magic even if it can be scary. You must be a master by now, is that what it means to be the Golden Guard?" You smiled and meant it as a compliment but your companion just seemed to shrink, looking away from you. "Magic isn't scary, well, wild magic doesn't have to be. There's an immense, just...pool of unlimited possibilities, its what this entire isle is made of. Magic at the very beginning was just like this, wild, and kind of endless," Halting, he continued in a low tone, "...but it can get out of control, thats why its wild in the first place. If you're not careful, if you don't know what you are doing, people might get hurt and-"

He hit a rock when shifitng his weight. A part of the circle had been cut by his foot and he gazed down at the grande symbol you two created. It seemed like art but he knew it couldn't ever be.

Taking a deep breath he called out louder with his hand shooting out. "Thats why I am the Golden Guard, yes, I'll take care of this, of everything. So stay back, human-!"

One shift of his foot too much and he came in contact with a glyph. The lines glowed a bright green and before he knew it, the Guard let out a yelp as his staff went flying up to the cliffs, getting stuck in the rocks.

"No! No, no, no!" His hands clutched his head. You jogged over to him and offered the lightest of condolences. "We can get it back. Should be easy with, yeah, magic-" Your shoulders jumped up, retracting your finger that was playfully drawing circles in the air when your companion started clinging up the cliff, only to slide and fall down again and again. You called out to him in assurance but had to snap when he didnt stop even when his uniform got ripped.

"Hey, hey, you're gonna get hurt! Just wait a moment!"

"I can't! This staff was given to me by Belos!"

"Just focus and cast a spell to get it back!"

His sudden silence surprised you. The Golden Guard shrunk in himself and avoided your gaze. He stood still for a few more awkward minutes - until you took a deep and loud breath.

"...Can't you...cast a magic spell? Like something with the wind, maybe?"

Once again, he stayed quiet and you took your book in your hands before drawing a circle in the sand. "Here, I'll go get it. I'll stand right here and jump on the vine, you'll just have to activate the glyph for me." Once again, he looked away before you urged him more with a trying smile. "You can do it, Golden Guard."

Without another exchange you took your position. The Guard hesitated as he kneled down. "I..."

Gingerly he grazed the outline with one finger and a small sprout grew - before he snapped his hand back and it died instantly.

Looking up to you - and somehow you could tell that he asked you on the 'how'. "You just touch it," you smiled, "I need it to be big and strong...you said that witches used to do that with willpower and imagination, right? Maybe...we could try that." You could feel his gaze, could tell how his chest heaved but with a deep breath he slammed his hand onto the sand. At the contact the glyph glowed bright, a sprout emmitted and you were quick to jump on the growing vine.

In an blink of an eye, the staff was retreated and the guard slowly imagined the vine becoming smaller and reshaping into a flower - which it did the moment you landed on your feet.

"Here." You returned the weapon that you so awkwardly held, "...That thing seems more unstable than my glyphs - from holding it at least."

You tried to smile for him but he remained silent. Throwing sand over the drawn glyphs, the both of you returned to the castle without another word.

Back in the discreet room, you took off the mask of the scout uniform with a frown. "Hey...I won't question anything of that...instance if you don't want me to."

He snapped his head back at you before slowly letting it fall. All you got were mumbles under his breath.

With yet another awkward smile that you could muster, you pointed towards his scraped skin. "I found some bandages here the other day...we'd best patch that up before it gets infected...if that uh, happens around here." This time however, he shook his head. "I can take care of myself. I don't need...your help..."

Underneath his mask he scowled as his words trailed off. What a lie.

He's pathetic.

Still, you tried to urge him to let you tend to him with sticking plaster in hand. Begrudgingly he let you - a bit unsure still. Even the act of sitting on that bed - which is your bed now (has been for a while...he wonders how long you'll stay) - has him thrown off. The confident aura of the Golden Guard leaving him and letting him down.

You talk about what you still were able to learn today, how in your world, water is connected to healing or seen as healing - after all, magic was fiction in your realm that you saw in "movies"...whatever illusions those might be - so maybe magic including a water glyph might ease his pain (which no, that's not how it works. However...he does not interrupt you).

It makes him realizes he doesn't know much about your realm despite keeping you here so that Belos can learn more about it. But what he does realize that in your strange human way, you were trying to comfort him.

He thinks. He never has been comforted before, not like this. Belos never comforted him like this.

After all was patched up, he was quick to collect his staff and leave yet stopped before reaching the door. "...Thanks..." You heard him hesitate and could almost not believe what he was saying, "...for today. And...for the other time where you helped me...with your wild magic."

A smile graced your face and your eyes lit up in a way that the Golden Guard did not know what to think of it. "You're welcome." Quickly he avoided your gaze. "But don't go overboard. Wild magic is dangerous, you could get hurt. So don't do anything without my supervision."

His attempt at sounding stern didn't go unnoticed but as he left, you couldn't find it in yourself to take it personal.

Things have become...challenging. For him.

He stood there with food in his hand right in front of your door, the illusion spell gone for a moment. In his pocket were a few bandages.

He can return your used ones - then again they aren't yours, they belong to the Emperor as everything does here on the Boiling Isles. Well, you could still have some in stock in case you get hurt with wild magic - which isn't something HE can allow to happen as the Golden Guard!

He groans and just goes in.

In time you appreaciated his visits. The extra bandages weren't...neccessary but welcomed. The dishes he brought resembled your doodles more and were *gasp* actually tasty! You asked him if he spend time in the kitchen and he answers embarrassingly (but at least you cannot see the cuts on his hands).

The Golden Guard liked taking his time with wild magic lessons this time though. The outings aren't this far away anymore but each one was at a different place that you appreciated.

You were more open to tell him of your human world. Of quiet nights, of animals like wolves and how the rain is soothing and not boiling. How humans liked to go swim in the ocean as a pass time! (insanity to him).

You mentioned that he'd get it if he would see it...you hoped you'd be able to see it too.

It was interesting...if not fantastical in his mind.

Even with your frequent meetings with Belos who grew more and more impatient, he always stood by your side. Protecting you even with excuses when the emperor chose harsh words. Nevertheless, the man always tried to be a delight in your presence but you could never truly believe him. He did not make ultimatums or threatened or hurt you...did he pity you because you were human?

You always made sure to thank your guard in situations like these even when he had trouble accepting your gratitude or showing any of his own. You assumed he was never upset by it though.

However, when it came to him he was more than reserved. Any questions of his day, interests, well-being, age or even his name he never really answered. It felt all too compelling to just give up on asking him.

The day started off normal enough. What you learned was normal around here.

The Golden Guard announced that he'd go on a mission right before bidding goodbye after his visits. It will be on the airship...not known to Belos but he will be happy with that he'd bring back. No, you cannot come.

"It's top secret, so just between you and me. I won't be back after bringing in victory so don't try to leave this room - okay, byyyeeee!"

There he was again zapping away and leaving you to kill off your boredom all by yourself. It wasnt until the late evening when crashing and guards stomping by your room was heard. In a panic you rushed towards the wall to eavesdrop.

'Airship' and 'Golden Guard' was all you could hear out by a small, high-pitched voice...squealing over the possibility of his death and taking his place.

Your heart skipped a beat and your throat felt dry. Death? What did they mean with him dying? Taking his place? This - This has to be a joke!

But the demon realm taught you quick that nothing was a joke here. Many things could have taken your life and you were sure members of the Emperor's Coven would be more than willing to be the most dangerous things on the isles.

There was no time to think. Your heart was pounding so hard leaving you with a headache yet you did not stop when putting on the scout uniform nor did you falter when stealing from the Healing Coven's closet. It was terrifying but you did not think about it nor about the consequences that could follow if Belos found out. You could imagine that he wouldn't be pleased when the human got out of his castle.

You refused to think about it or else you might shake in your boots with no power to continue to help him.

Sneaking out you were met with rubble and it confirmed your suspicions. You didn't know how to really find him if other witches were already after him. Making sure you stayed out of anyone's sight, you tightly held onto the bag filled with healing potions. You stumbled through the dark and the debris, falling hard enough to lose your mask - but secured the bottles from shattering.

It's alright, you tell yourself and took a deep breath, you can still hide your ears with the cape.

Other scouts searched the area and suddenly you had a bad feeling about dressing as one yourself. Though beyond the orders shouted out, you heard a high voice not belonging to any of the Emperor's Coven and followed it. Without realizing whats in front of you, you collapsed with another person.

You shrieked but caught the bottles just in time. Whipping your head up, you came face to face with another witch - a boy your age with hair pale blonde, scars on his face and ear and heavy eyebags just under his ruby red eyes.

His jaw hung open with a tooth gap peeking from his lips. He looked at you as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Before he could speak you interrupted him: "Have you seen the Golden Guard?!"

Jumping, he recoiled.

You only stared at him with white panic. "He was steering the airship that crashed here I heard! I, I've got to find him - Emperor's orders!" You hoped he'd take the bait - but only kept staring at you in shock.

In turn you shook your head with a scoff and passed by him yet still stopped and gazed at him over your shoulder. "...You look hurt," Your hand fished out a few potions, "I got these for him but you look like you could use them, too." Without another word you shoved a few potions into his arms and made a run deeper into the debris.

After your figure dissapeared, he still stood there. Beyond the smoke another person emerged through. "Who was that?" Her brown eyes looked worriedly over to him as she adjusted the cape around her round ears.

The blonde frowned before quickly packing the potions out of her sight. "No one. Let's go."

The moment he got back, he barged into your room.

It was long nighttime. You did not sleep, refused to rest your eyes as you skimmed around your book for some kind of glyph that lets you track people. Find their belongings, their status. Anything.

He should've expected it but it still startled him when you rushed over, yelling at him with panicked eyes on where he had been.

The Golden Guard told you the truth - part of it at least and sprinkled a bit of fantasy on it. How he was found and brought back to the castle.

"And what about 'taking your place'?! I saw members of the Coven trying to track you down and..." Your eyes softened, your face grim, "...they talked about getting rid of you."

He looked briefly away from your sullen gaze. "They weren't able to."

"So thats just, a thing that happens here? Scouts and generals wanting to get rid of others for their position?! Thats not normal! Thats something that happened in kingdoms and dynasties and..."

You halt and deflate. Your arms that were wildly gesturing just a moment ago slowly fell to your sides. "...empires."

The Golden Guard assured you while shaking his head. "Listen, I don't know what these are but! I'm fine! I'm fine. You don't have...to worry about someone like me."

"Your airship crashed, thats enough reason to worry - and after hearing the members of your own Coven want you dead, of course I'd come looking for you!"

You saw his shoulders jump. He tilted his head up in surprise and even though you couldn't see it, you were sure he was stunned. It only made you frown more.

"...Of course I'd look for you."

The way you looked at him was the final resolution he believed he needed. A sigh escaped and hit his mask as he avoided your gaze. "...Yeah, you did. You saved me. Thanks..." He saw you straightening your back as your head rose and your face grimaced with a puzzled expression. He bet you must be so confused, maybe hurt - of course you are, you just said it yourself. But still, he put the empty bottles into your hands.

"Human, I have to tell you something..." His voice shook as his hands went up to remove his mask. A gasp escaped you as the same bad but sad boy was looking at you. His blonde hair tussled and unruly as his red eyes seemed to beg you not to he angry. They were bandages on his face which somewhat eased your worries. He was hurt and roughed up but not as much as you feared.

"Why didn't you tell me that was you?" You approached him unsurely and he seemed to back away. He twiddled with his fingers and couldnt meet your eyes. "...No one was supposed to see me. I barely take off my mask anyway, only to Belos. And..." He scowled slightly, "I didn't know what to do. I didn't expect you, you weren't even supposed to be there!"

"I was worried they'd kill you! That was true what I heard, wasnt it? Or is that also a lie?" "I'm not lying to you!" He snapped back with a bit more bite in him, "Kikimora constantly tries to take my place! Thats why it was so weird to see you there with healing potions looking for me! And...I should thank you. I wanna thank you." As quick as his fierce glare came, it was gone again as the blonde shrunk meekly, begrudgingly admitting his fault in a soft voice. "...No one's done that for me before. Not even...Belos..."

You frown was filled with pity. "I figured as much." You softly let out and motioned towards your bed. With hesitancy, he sat down at the edge and you followed to do the same. Now sitting next to him, you hesitated yourself. "Is there anything more I should know?" "What do you want to know?" Looking back up, he saw you glaring slightly at him. "Your name for example. Or are you just known as the Golden Guard?"

"No!"

Your anger was nothing compared to the way he snapped.

But as fast as it came, he slowly shrunk again, turning away and fiddling with his hands.

His voice softened once again.

"...My name is Hunter."

You repeated his name and it left a shiver down his spine. Hearing you out of all people say it is weird, it is all so weird. No one adresses him by his name but you just did as if it were normal.

"Well...it's nice to meet you properly, Hunter." Again, you are acting weird, smiling at him ever so slightly and even if it was forced, it seemed genuine to him. That you'd even say something like that. You even repeated your name as if it really is the first time you two met.

He awkwardly shook your offering hand.

"It's...nice to meet you, too."

"But why are you telling me all this, Hunter?"

His red eyes flickered to the side before a more serious expression graced his face. He took a deep breath before staring into your eyes. "There's something you need to know." He began dryly, "When I was out there, running away from Kiki...I was with someone else. It...was another human, just like you."

Your eyes widened.

"If I'm right, she comes from the same place that you do. I believe she appeared later on the Boiling Isles than you did and she might have the means to return. She is not...a friend, but I can bring you to her."

"There is a way back home?!" Jumping up from the bed, you barely could believe your luck. But it still left you confused. "But...can you tell me even this? I-is that something I'm supposed to know? What about Belos?"

Hunter looked back up to you, his hands tightly gripping his knees. "You deserve to know. You...are the nicest, weirdest person I've ever met. And you want to go back home, to somewhere you belong..." Sadness briefly glimmered in his eyes and they glance back at you, "Human, I - no," Hunter corrected himself by saying your name, "I have to pay you back for all the...things you've done for me. Even if I am just a powerless witch...I want to help you get back to your realm."

You were speechless. Taking a step towards him, you opened your mouth but the next words that were heard were not yours but chirping.

On the window behind Hunter, was a red bird watching you two.

[microcomets]

can i ask for your thoughts on the netflix atla adaption? 👉👈 value ur opinion on media

aw, thank you!!! i admit i'm only halfway through watching s1, so my opinions may change as i reach the end of the season, but i can outline some of my thoughts so far!

pros:

overall, with a few exceptions, i think the casting so far is really solid. the asian and indigenous representation within the show is something they clearly took very seriously, and it shows! especially for a netflix show, that's something really groundbreaking and important and refreshing to see; and obviously a huge improvement on past whitewashed adaptations. overall, i think most of the effects are good, despite some weird cinematography choices — there are a handful of moments where the CGI looks particularly egregious, but overall, the bending and choreo look COOL. the opening scene of the pilot had me by the throat, even as it made very clear what a different kind of adaptation this would be. overall, i tend not to be too fussy about an adaptation altering things from originals to make more sense in different formats (with caveats, as i'll mention in the cons lol), so i wasn't mad about the way they've fused some of the storylines to make it flow better in a 60-minute format. (although i do question bringing in s2 stories so early, such as the secret tunnel.) there have been some moments where they've either built out character relationships (like zuko and iroh) or brought in supplementary canon from korra and the comics, which i have also enjoyed as a huge fan of the original. there are a few additions that i've really loved and had fun with — zuko's dream journal, for one, lmao, and his and aang's street fight in omashu.

cons:

honestly, my biggest gripe so far has been the alterations to characterization and character motivation. the cast and crew were sort of smugly talking about removing misogyny from the original and "updating" it, which is ironic because i think the live action is actually more sexist in many ways.

my BIGGEST disappointment has been katara, with no shade to the actor. this is one of the characters who means the most to me from the original, and the character that has hands-down been the least recognizable in natla. her fire, her temper, her unruliness, and her bossiness — all to say, her human traits — have been completely sanitized, presumably to avoid drawing any kind of criticism that she's "annoying." her anger is quite literally what kickstarts the entire show: katara losing her temper with sokka cracks open the iceberg that releases aang. katara's anger is, in a lot of ways, an outlet not only for her sense of injustice in the world, but also an outlet for coping with 1) immense colonial trauma and 2) the burden of being parentified. this, in my view, is IMPORTANT for young girls and particularly young girls of color to see — that anger doesn't have to be something you shy away from, but that you can embrace as a weapon of resistance. this anger is missing entirely, except in small snatches, from natla katara. the moments that make katara a flawed, interesting character — such as her stealing the waterbending scroll and getting jealous of aang's natural prowess — have been scrubbed completely. it is nearly impossible, at this point, to imagine this version of katara bloodbending or taking vengeance for her mother in s3. i think the re-characterization is a big misstep, due more to poor writing than anything. even the agency of katara's bending is "unlocked" and coached by male characters like aang (ep 1) and jet (ep 3), when katara is supposed to be the one teaching aang!

the inversion of sokka and katara's relationship — that is to say, parentifying sokka and making katara more of a "little sister" figure — is also a huge misstep IMO, because it misses a lot of the characterization fundamental to katara's arcs in the original, and even her later conflicts with other characters like toph. in s3 in the original, sokka says when he pictures his mother, he can only picture katara's face — this is, again, a central aspect to their dynamic and to katara's character! my guess is that they removed katara's overmothering qualities to avoid accusations of being anti-feminist, but ironically, by not acknowledging that in-text the way the original does, it bakes misogyny unspokenly into the atla world rather than explicitly acknowledging and challenging it. to clarify again, i have NOT seen the end of the season yet — i am curious what they do with katara's confrontation with paku, which is one of the biggest grapplings with misogyny in the original text. but for me, removing katara's motherly qualities/parentification, and above all her unsavory traits, are not accomplishing anti-sexist work the way the writers think they're doing, but rather sanitizing the original's social commentary on gender altogether.

one of my biggest squicks thus far has been suki and sokka's relationship; i saw suki's characterization described by someone here as a farmer girl p*rn trope where a naive village waif looks to a man to show her the outside world, or w/e, and i hate that this is what they did to suki's character. they keep her warrior qualities, yes, but this is undercut for me by the cringe comphet romance tropes of making her a wide-eyed blushing virgin around sokka. the insta-romance in the original makes more sense to me, obviously because of the format, but because in the span of 20 minutes, suki has taught sokka what it is to respect and reevaluate his relationship with women and femininity. the writers bragged about removing this from the natla representation, so what we have now is that suki doesn't really teach sokka anything substantial about himself, other than some moves. rather, it's sokka teaching suki about what it is to be "worldly" and how to unlock carnal desires. tbh, i hate that! lol! but that's just my onion.

zuko has been one of the strongest and most well-acted characterizations by far, but i do have a gripe with how they shifted his primary motivation from regaining his honor to reclaiming the throne. zuko at his essence has never been a power-hungry character. his entire drive, as we are told exhaustively through both the show and memes of the original, is regaining his honor — which is also an important cultural trope for many japanese warrior characters (though others not me can speak far more in-depth to this). his search for lost honor is incredibly important, if not central, to his entire character arc, which is zuko discovering that his honor does not come by acknowledgement from his abusive family or even imperial power, but through his own integrity and ethical code. so to have him make several lines about rightfully regaining what's his, the throne, and to make that the primary point of contention between him and azula.....is a misunderstanding, again, of the crucial aspects of zuko's character.

my other nitpicks with the characters are smaller — i miss sokka's slapstick, which has been substituted with very dry humor (and i understand this makes more sense for live action). i am still on the fence about how i feel about making ozai and azula such central characters in s1; i understand why they felt this was necessary for live action, but having those two be shadow figures in the original s1 was a really cool narrative effect for not only establishing zuko initially as a villain within his own right, but for building narrative suspense as to the fire nation's motivations.

ultimately, there's just some secret x ingredient that's missing from the live action that the original nailed effortlessly — maybe it's the sense of fun and wonder? i haven't really had fun watching this adaptation; i'm more just spectating, like watching some pretty fireworks before i move on with my day. my opinion may change slightly, as i hear the show is stronger in the second half; i wouldn't even say it's a BAD adaptation, but overall i feel like it's just kinda....meh, and i still question why it needs to exist in the first place when there are some things that animation as a medium just does far better.

also i just want to point out that i find it extremely frustrating that this show leans very hard into showing the atrocities and Moral Evil of genocide in literally the first 20 minutes of episode 1 and that while netflix wants the virtue-signaling brownie points for that, they'll still continue to give giant paychecks and platforms to brazen zionists. because after this dies down, the stranger things promo cycle is going to start up.

[dermiej]

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Levi 🎂🎉

A little costest I did some weeks back. My phone might've washed out part of the stitches OTL also plucked out 90% of my eyebrows for this mf. Gotta say the obscured vision in one eye is pretty draining too 🥲

Happy 10th anniversary AoT and congrats on the finale! 🎊 Never expected to stick around any anime for this long tbh. I recall watching the very first trailer and the immediate interest from Kaji Yuki casting and Sawano's OST, and of course, we all witnessed the hype that came as quickly as it went.

It felt like any hype in my local community had long been extinguished by the time S2 rolled around, but I was hooked way more and quickly found myself lurking Reddit subs for content. Side characters became so interesting I forgot Levi was absent that season, though in the first place I never actually was a Levi stan. I love that the story doesn’t ride on “humanity’s strongest” or any popular simp-able character to be engaging, rather the opposite at how much it values the flawed and ordinary. I love how dishonest, contradictory and irrational so many of them are, how you gotta pay attention and measure up what they do vs what they say vs what they think. No surprise that voice acting sessions often spill into overtime (sometimes seiyuu themselves opt for do-overs even after their takes were approved) because slight changes in the delivery of certain lines can convey potentially opposite meanings. Took me years later revisiting S1 to notice recurring themes and foreshadowing to even real-world developments, e.g. jabs at moralism before it became a hot topic, and today with wars and reactions to them. It has in no small amount influenced how I look at people and the world; not what I signed up for when I started out but wouldn’t have it any other way.

idk how else to put it other than Yams is a terrifying writer for his age. I've lately picked up Breaking Bad because of him (still on S4 no spoilers pls). Already drawing several thematic parallels between the two; notably addiction and self-deception.

Thank you WIT and MAPPA for delivering such a baller production from start to finish, and conveying Yams’ vision even with its inherent limitations 🥹 Drink all my tears

[thedancingcostumeyoungadult]

Smoke - Spencer Reid x Reader

A dark kitchen and a lit joint, anything could happen. 

Warnings: 18+, minors DNI. Contains descriptions of drug use (marijuana), otherwise just fluff

A/N- this is like late s1 to early s2 Spence

"Wha- Y/N I am an FBI agent!" Spencer's eyes flickered rapidly between you and the joint you held out to him, his voice pitching up in alarm. You shrugged and made a face at him.

"And I only get to turn 25 once. Let me share the first joint of my late mid-twenties with you." He kept his arms crossed, staring at you with furrowed brows. You rolled your eyes, taking another hit. 

"I can't smoke that." A lightbulb went off in your mind as the fresh high tingled over your skin. Pushing away from the counter, you took a deep hit as you raised your hand to his hair, pushing into your tiptoes and hovering your lips a hair's breadth from his. His hands shot to your waist, steadying you as his mouth dropped open. You let the smoke out in a thin trail and he breathed in, shotgunning the smoke from your lips. 

Spencer had seen people shotgun smoke several times but oh, oh, to be on the receiving end? And from you? He couldn't have described the feeling in any language known to man. His heart hammered against his ribs and his mind went blank. There was only you, your lips a breath away from meeting his, his hands gripping your waist the only thing grounding him to reality. 

All too soon, you were pulling away, swatting his chest lightly as you slipped from his grasp. Your face practically sparkled with self-satisfaction at his stunned state, the most beautiful shit-eating grin he'd ever had the joy of seeing playing across your face. 

"There," you said smugly, "now you didn't smoke it, I did." 

"Come back." He pleaded softly, barely catching your wrist with the tips of his fingers. You paused, then allowed him to draw you back in, surprised by the thinly veiled desperation in his voice. His hands wrapped around your lower back as yours came to rest on his chest. You studied his face, beautiful and angular, cast in shadow by the dim light over the stove. God, he made your knees weak. You were a lost cause the second he'd looked at you in that tutoring program four years ago. A complete goner.

And then he was kissing you, featherlight and tender and so sweet it made your head spin. You melted into him, sliding your arms around his neck. Finally, after four long years. 

Worth every second. 

- as a cute lil thing imagine the filter of the joint is a lil heart bc I finally learned how to do that and it's so fucking cute

*please like and reblog if you enjoyed!*

[askamnesiamoonjumper]

edit: HEY EVERYONE LOOKING AT THIS POST GO READ AAU FIC RIGHT NOW BC IM TIRED OF THIS POST BEING IN MY NOTIFS 24/7💥💥💥💥

Ok sorry about that now back to your regularly scheduled program: A!au toh au when??

Yeah hi I was bored n thinking about this idea and also wanted to do a style study for toh, (ignore that I had to use bases for the bodies I couldn’t draw them😭 my lines where too shaky I’m not the best at tracing stuff so I cheated a tiny bit) I had originally thought of this idea ages ago in a doodle where they all went to hexide and it was more a high school au if anything but now that the show is further along I thought of a more fleshed out idea for this hypothetical au!

Technically this could count as just a regular Ahit toh au BUT I based it off of ideas and hcs in aau so yeah I’m sticking with that

Also the characters aren’t one to one with toh characters it’s more just a “how would these characters and their story translate over to toh universe” thing but most characters can be tied to a toh character as being based on/in the role of if that makes sense like I said it’s a bit of a mixing pot with the characters

Uh yeah info about the basic idea for the characters/story:

The whole story with prince and Vanessa instead of prince getting locked in a cellar to die van curses him instead, but somehow idk how yet he ends up turning the tables and splitting the curse with her. I like the idea that prince is from his respective time period as Ahit and falls through a time pool so we get the same concept of this guy is old and from a long time ago just with skipping over the death ghost part so yeah he gets sent to present Snatcher is basically the eda character he has the curse and takes elixir (which I hc is blue bc haha Ahit reference)

If it’s not obvious from her design Vanessa is the belos of this au lol Probably instead of the emperors coven it’s something like the Queen’s court? I think it’s got a neat ring? Anyway yeah uh not much to say about her she’s basically the same lol, also I like the idea she uses illusions to hide her appearance and also to manipulate mj and the citizens 👀

mj is basically a combo of s2 Lilith and Hunter! He’s a grimwalker made by Vanessa to replace prince basically he’s made to be her perfect fairy tale Prince Charming that loves her and would never ever betray her <oblivious But yeah same idea as Hunter of being made as a clone of someone else BUT they’ve got a more similar role to Lilith in which they end up befriending the main cast and living with them Also included their “golden gaurd” design not sure what to call it? Moon prince? Moon something idk lol you guys might could help with that but yeah that’s the fit they got when with van also we got blood Amy too in which Vanessa gives her curse to mj after finding his palismen (she eats them belos style ofc lol) speaking of I still need to draw the palismen but I have some cool ideas!

Dels idk what to say besides uh she lives with snatcher n we still got the qpr going ofc lol sorry I don’t got much on her 💔 though I DID consider making her a star child to go with the twilight god thing but I also considered making eclipse a star child because the design is similar plus gives an excuse for him to be here without the fusion plus I think Vanessa using eclipse sounds cool it makes sense he’s prince in canon so like ofc she’s drawn to him but yeah still thinking about that

Time twins are our luz stand in, hc timmys jacket is snatchers like luzs jacket is eras bc I think it’s cute lol dont question why he has it idk I didn’t have the time pool idea at the time and bow is kinda like the willow/gus of the group and mu is the amity? Mu being a bully at first until joining the friend group n stuff and bow being the sweet straight man to the rests antics

Drawing time twins with round ears was cursed Anyway mu is a hybrid still, She’s half witch half eberwolf species! Cooking cat and Sam get to be her bio parents here instead of adopted so that’s cool

Shapes is the Vee stand in and omg they where really fun to design

I like the idea of the changelings/council being titan trappers? Considering they’re a cult? I think it sounds cool so maybe like shapes sneaks in with a disguise or like the trappers take them in or the trappers are basilisk in this universe? Idk considering no one in the cast is a titan it wouldnt really make sense so like maybe they are basilisk or basilisk hunters? Still chewing on the council lol sorry

Sorry I’ve been putting it off BUT curses!: basically same logic as canon they go by eda and belos logic respectively so van is a creepy skeleton cryptid ass monster and snatcher is a animal beast! BUT he’s not a bird like eda or Lilith ,and also not a snake though that would fit in being a more obvious choice, he’s ACTUALLY a ferret! Mostly bc I thought it was funny but it stuck lol they are furry and noodly so it works, plus I’m a sucker for the monster has innocent name but is actually terrifying trope lol, also idk about blood moon? They get cursed yeah but I don’t think they get transformed into anything mostly bc I have no ideas for them lol plus it’s more focused on the illusion hypnosis whatever abd not the curse itself

Anyway on to covens/magic specialties! The kids are obvious because they have the uniforms lol but I’ll still list them anyway: Time twins: Oracle/illusion Bow: beast keeping Mu: constructed Prince: Oracle/bard Snatcher: Oracle/potion Delilah: plant/healing Mj: bard Vanessa: illusion Shapes: abomination

But yeah that’s kinda it lol I do plan to add more doodles or ideas later but yeah hoo boy these took forever but it was a fun style challenge plus fun to design everyone!

Sorry if these notes are kinda all over the place oof I didn’t bother to double check them so sorry if it sounded rambley

[erikiara80]

ST will end like The Return of the King

I was thinking about the things the Duffers have said about the ending so far...

S5 will be similar to S1 in terms of dynamics and setting (edit: AND to S2 in terms of some big ideas they couldn’t include at the time)

No open ending 

The ending is like the epilogue of TROTK and they know what happens in the last 20-30 mins (TROTK epilogue is 20 min long)

Eight endings? 

Then there’s David, the only member of the cast who knows the ending. He said that it’s quite beautiful. Also a bit bittersweet. And in this interview with Finn, Wynona and Caleb, when they were talking about Will, he said that Will is not interested in El (like some fans suggested -sigh) but in another member of the party, and that “he wants to play D&D in Mike’s basement for the rest of his life” He said that with this smirk. And Finn laughed and said: “Yeah, Will said that”. Yeah. I’d say Byler is safe, lol. A sad, tragic ending for Will and Mike? Not possible : ) 

Yes. They do, lol So. How will ST end? 

1. S5 will more like S1 and S2, but bigger

This is just a theory, but I love good parallels and the Duffers have never disappointed me in that regard. So, in 1x08 both Will and El almost die, while the others try to help them. El kills the Demogorgon but disappears, and Will is physically connected to the UD and, well, he’s technically dead. He’s not breathing, and Joyce and Hopper have to revive him. I hope that in S5 Will and El will fight together to defeat Vecna and stop the spreading of the spores in our world. And I think they will both almost die, again. Will is a lot like Frodo, so I expect a lot of pain and torment for him in S5. But he’s also Radagast, the wizard who can communicate with the creatures of Mirkwood. So my theory is that in the last episode of S5 he’ll connect himself to the UD to destroy the spores, the vines, whatever. And since he’s always been associated with fire, in both the campaigns in 1x01 and 1x08 (not to mention the Will the Wise drawing in S2), maybe he will use fire to destroy the spores. Maybe he and El will connect their powers to do it together! 

Oh, and if he almost dies again, this time I think it is possible it’ll be Mike who saves him. Plus, if they really include many ideas they wanted to use in S2, well, Will’s connection to the UD and Henry/Mind Flayer was the most important part of the story, so it totally makes sense that he’ll be central in S5.

As for El, she needs to end her journey feeling that she finally belongs. That she’s found her place in the world, her home. She’s happy with Hopper and with the Byers, but I think that finding out that Will, her brother, someone so good and who loves her, is like her, would be the most important thing for El. It just feels so right. But yeah, in S1 she disappears. And she’s been compared to E.T. a lot throughout the show (mostly visually and by the Duffers). So maybe in S5 she will leave again. But she won’t be trapped in the UD. I have a theory about her mom. Or maybe it’s just wishful thinking. Watching El reliving all her memories, finding herself stuck in a loop and having to find the answers she needed to regain her powers, make me hope that maybe she can do the same for Terry, whose mind is also trapped in a loop. She could still feel her daughter and communicate with her. That means that her brain still works, maybe because she has powers too. Who knows? El saw her mom in her memory in S4, and was also able to revive Max. She’s much more powerful now than in S2. So yeah, I kinda hope she can heal her mother and go home. Like E.T. But it would be a happy ending. We’ll see.

2. No open ending

Yep. They will kill Vecna and close the gates once and for all. No more threats from the UD.  

3-4. The last 20-30 minutes will probably be an epilogue, a bit like the ending of TROTK (the Duffers joked about this in a podcast)

I think Will (or maybe him and Mike) is the one who will tell what happens to all the characters. Like Frodo. There’s going to be another time skip, but I hope it’s just a few years, like them in college, starting a new life and not 52 year old Will telling us what happened in these 30 years. But it is very possible. And if they do that, we could see some of the main characters die. Like Hopper and Joyce, who would be in their 80s now. The bittersweet part. Life goes on and at some point you’re going to lose your loved ones. But they’ll never really leave you. The love and the friendships that made you who you are, are real, are part of you, and sometimes they can literally save the world. (Sorry, I’m already crying)

The possible 8 endings

Joyce and Hopper

El

Jonathan and Nancy

Steve and Dustin (yes, I think they’ll leave Hawkins together)

The Sinclairs + Max (so, Lumax and Erica)

Robin and Vickie

Argyle 

and of course, Will and Mike

This is what I hope to see. If I’m wrong, maybe we won’t see Jancy but two separate endings for Jonathan and Nancy, or for Steve and Dustin  (maybe we’ll see Dustin and Suzie?)

Anyways, I’m sure season 5 will be both epic and very emotional. I will definitely cry. But whatever happens, I will always love this beautiful story about family and love, and all its wonderful characters.

[burinazar]

I'm sure you've mentioned it before, but I was wondering who your favorite Made in Abyss character is and why they're your favorite? :3

I love all the main kids as well as many other characters so it's hard to choose but I think I'd have to say mine is Faputa. Not only is she a super interesting and cool character, but she's also A Creature. A little ball of fluff that can kill

---------------------

Thank you very much for the ask, anon! haha, "little ball of fluff that can kill"...yes, Faputa is great, and I think the main cast of Abyss is very endearing and very well fleshed-out. I was having a nice exchange on AO3 the other day regarding how GOOD the characterization of Abyss is and how it's often overlooked in favor of the also-extremely-good worldbuilding and plot, and why that might be, and was considering how it links together with some of my other Thoughts about ways this fandom is different from my other ones as far as what people are into (I need to finish the self-reblog I was gonna do about that on a recent related post actually). Anyway, pretty much the whole cast is endearing and/or enjoyable to watch in some capacity. But there is a definite answer as to favorite(s).

I put these up on my wall this evening, which may help to answer your question.

(Please note the scrolls. I missed the Amiami preorder period for those two because they closed earlier than the rest for some reason, but was able to get them from Suruga-ya eventually. They'll be on the wall at some point too.)

The story and cast prior to s2 I enjoyed in a, like, normal way, and then the Ganja squad arc hit me like a damn asteroid. These people...I've thought and felt and said so much about them, and after a year and a half I'm still brimming with something that feels like it has to be poured out, onto blank canvases and into the written word, and there's no end in sight. I have never had characters that were such good muses to me except perhaps for a couple I made up myself. Belaf has to be called my favorite at this point, but for a long time it was Vueko, and I really, really like Waz too; the manner in which these three characterize one another makes it a little painful to try to separate and rank them, but yes, that's the order. I dote on B and V in particular.

(Self portrait circa August 2023.)

At this point I have so much to say about them that being asked why I like them is hard to answer succinctly. Belaf is so, so sweet, but in an unusual weird, intense nerd way that I find incredibly endearing .....and then that kindness and strength of character fucking destroys him and it's tragic and beautiful and there is so much to pick apart in the manner and meaning of his transformation and his absolution, and it's also a great deal of fun to depict him as he was before. "Before" Belaf is such a fun sort of quirky nerd and his relationships wth Waz and Vue and Iru offer, like, SO much to turn over and look upon fondly, humor and friendship and loyalty and love.

And yet, when I write about his years of friendship with and loyalty and closeness to Wazukyan and Vueko and his parenthood and tutelage of Irumyuui and (note: hallucinatory) camaraderie with the other Ganja, hanging over my shoulder always is his downfall and it makes all of those things so much more beautiful, the tinny note of tragedy that is always playing at the edge of our hearing once we see it all and know how it must end.

(Another crispy fried self portrait from last year. I don't really draw myself these days at all EXCEPT in the context of making fun of my sages obsession.)

As for Vueko, since she's fairly popular maybe explaining her appeal isn't needed...or maybe it is, because it's so much more than the shy and gentle and somewhat silly person she is on the surface, it is so, so much more. Under the Layer of Fuheh she's made of steel --it's just that she's very, very softspoken, which people mistake for passivity and spinelessness. Even fans who purport to like her sometimes reduce her to victimhood and weakness. Perhaps because it's a misconception she clearly holds about herself, and a viewer can be forgiven for not putting together that Vueko might literally be the sage that acts with the most agency. There's so much more I can say that I love about her and her story, especially in the context of the other characters and the way she subtly skews some narrative and trope-related expectations, but I think that's the heart of it -- yes, she was endearing as soon as I met her, but when I saw the subtle yet unmistakeable strength under it all (and parsed that she never saw it herself, I think that little pop of tragedy really makes it hit for me lol), I think that's what made me adore her.

This next little bit might be kind of fucked up but what really makes that strength into something that haunts and compels me is that Vueko has so much determination and strength of character that she will unhesitatingly act to destroy the people she cares about very very much if she has decided at that moment that it is the best thing for them (Irumyuui, Belaf, Irumyuui again.) I can trace the real beginning of my obsession with these characters to when s2e8 aired and this is pretty much why.

So...yeah. Belaf and Vueko! Aaaand there's no way I can write about Waz here without making this post way too fucking long but.

One more shitty self portrait from earlier in the obsession should do it.

Yep!

[idealisticrealism]

TCL 3x01 thoughts

I think it's clear that I will never not have thoughts about this show (even if my days of wordvomiting 10k words per episode were over the moment we lost Arman) so here's some short(ish) notes about 3x01, which include heavy spoilers.

The main things:

The title of the ep is Arman which is both accurate and devastating

Adan is credited at the start with the rest of the cast, and don't think about how this is likely the last time we’ll see that or you'll cry

Where's Arman? is the catchprase of this ep. Everyone’s asking it; Thony, Nadia, Arman’s mother, Fi, Russo and the FBI, Ramona and Jorge…. 

Okay, I expected the use of the body double, but oh man when he turned around and had Arman's (CGI'd) face? God that hit me right in the chest. Overall it was done unexpectedly well for a show of this budget, even if the facial expression was more neutral than how Adan would have acted it in that scene. Honestly though, it was not getting to hear Arman's real voice that was the hardest part to bear

The Nadia & Thony of this ep was honestly everything I dreamed of. Nadia (unintentionally) saving Thony's life. Both of them escaping together and therefore being complicit in 'abandoning' the man they both love. Thony going to check on Nadia and looking after her like an older sister. The two of them bonded by their fear and desperation. Nadia hearing Thony’s sincerity when she told Arman’s parents that she owes Arman everything (proving that she wasn’t just using him like Nadia had previously accused her of). Them trying to come up with a plan in the office at La Habana, a place where they were both so connected to Arman. Thony stealing the cartel medallion so she could make the risky search for Arman without Nadia being endangered too. Like seriously, I’m hoping like hell this alliance continues for the whole season (and even beyond) because I’m legit so here for it

Wanna cry again? Think about how Arman technically saved Thony’s life twice in this ep, first by drawing the gunfire at the hangar to allow her to escape, and then by saving her from Sin Cara through her association with him. Which means that saving her was both his first (aka the night in the warehouse with Theo) and last acts towards her, and if that doesn’t capture just how deep their connection was, I don’t know what does 

“This season is dedicated to our beloved friend Adan Canto” it’s fine I was already crying anyway

Ok but seriously, the main takeaway here: I don’t think it is possible for anyone to watch this ep and not believe that Thony truly loves Arman. Not after seeing her sitting on the floor, half-drunk and ugly crying about losing him and leaving him behind. Or after she left Luca to spend hours searching for him. Or after she stood up to Arman’s father about the kind of man he was. Or after she literally lied to Jorge, even under threat of death, to protect him. Or after she told Ramona that she and Arman are “not exactly” together, while making it clear how important he is to her?? Other than the Thony & Nadia alliance, my only other desperate hope for this season was for it to show us even more evidence of Thony’s love for Arman (because both S1 and S2 already gave us plenty of proof, imo), and this episode already gave me that in spades.

Some other stuff:

Nadia definitely has access to RK's money despite it not making any legal sense, and it sounded like she was planning on leaving Arman, since she was buying a house just for herself

The Manila flashback where Fi and Thony are demonstrated as being 17ish years younger (aka in their mid 20s) purely by having different haircuts? Hilarious lol

"You're still protecting him? Even though his interests lie with another woman?" wow Russo calling it as she sees it re Thony/Arman

The re-use of the motel from when Arman and Nadia were in hiding in 1x09 was a really cool throwback (especially for me, as I've literally been in that room). Also, Arman's fake passport being under the name Eduardo Sanchez? Aka his father's birth name (as it seems his father took on his mother’s surname maybe?). Anyway help I'm crying again

Speaking of his parents, damn they haven’t seen him in 23 years? Since he was literally like 17 or 18?? Jeez. Also his dad’s eyes and mouth actually do remind me of him; definitely well-chosen casting

But tbh this family tree makes no sense. Arman’s dad has an older sister who’s 70 (as mentioned in S1) and yet apparently also has a younger brother (Jorge) who is maybe 45 at most???  Only a handful of years older than his own son?? It’s possible of course, but it would have made much more sense for the writers to have them be Arman’s mother’s siblings, yet Ramona refers to Eduardo specifically as their brother… anyway, ngl the whole idea of Arman being Jorge’s nephew (and so Jorge’s kid being Arman's cousin) feels weird to me. Why couldn’t they have just made Ramona & Jorge be Arman’s cousins????? 

Ohhh so the price on Thony’s head is in The Philippines, not the US. That changes some things with the cartel situation. Also looks like Thony is definitely never going back there then lol

The warehouse place where Thony meets the guys from the first cartel looks a lot like the crime scene Thony has to clean up in the trailers… maybe some gang war stuff happens?

I totally called it weeks ago that Paolo is Chris’ dad. The timeframe is weird though bc they make it sound like they were actually together right before she left, though he surely would have noticed her being very pregnant, since she gave birth to Chris while still in The Philippines… plus Fi told Chris he was the result of a one night stand, so who knows what’s going on with this continuity lol

I also called it about Ramona being Sin Cara. (Well, I had thought it might be Jorge until finding out the other week that she was the older sibling, but after that i called it lol)

Ngl I did not see Chris going to The Philippines coming but I should have haha. Makes sense that he’s now going to do the Mexico crossing with Fi, which is why we see him in the desert in one of the trailers.

Well, good thing the child protective services lady didn’t show up while Luca was there for hours alone lol. Looks like this season’s Luca drama is going to be less medical and more custody related, though tbh I’m hoping the Luca stuff will be kept to a minimum in general… 

Anyway the TLDR is that I thought the ep was really good, and was a fitting tribute to both Arman and Adan. I'm interested to see where S3 goes, and I just hope that they manage to keep Arman feeling ~present~ in the storyline of the season even now that he's gone.

[chirpsythismorning]

What 'early breakups' are you even talking about? Steve and Nancy's? Lucas and Max's? Nancy and Steve broke up in an 'ambigious' way and it happened what? After the Party mess and when Nancy was drunk... so that did not exactly even happen that early into the season. Lucas and Max were broken up off-screen so they could get together.

They want Milvn to break up permanently in an unambiguous way, without any possibility of them romantically getting together while at the same time asserting their importance to each other on a personal sense with the show's narrative.

How's an early and quick breakup where El just goes 'i am done bye' does that, with the knowledge we have that El drew strength from Mike based on love, not hatred. The words 'Mike's hands were pulling her from her drowning' and other variations are not about El drawing strength from anger...

Sorry if you felt like I was calling you delusional. Pointing out that the almost entire fandom is willing to ignore canon narrative is not calling someone delusional it is just a fact. It's not even an interpretation.

We cannot expect to really expect anything going into S5 when the fandom almost consistently ignores canon and prefers to go by fanon instead. All the analyses then become heaaaaavy handed but very misguided expectations from an analyzing standpoint.

Yes all of those couples followed a somewhat similar pattern of breaking up early on. But specifically the Steve/Nancy/Jonathan love triangle is what I’m referring to.

In s1 they separated early on and the rest of the season Jonathan and Nancy were a focus, which allowed us to root for them the whole season, besides the beginning and end. In s2, they had their fight at the beginning revolve around Nancy not being able to say I love you, which allowed us to root for them for the rest of the season and followed by them getting together.

Mike literally refers to him and El’s fight in s4 as 'a fight that you can’t come back from', a fight that paralleled his sister’s fight with her first boyfriend, who she also ended up being broken up with after that incident, not years later, because we all know that that wasn't a fight you could just push under the rug and save for another time, it had to be addressed.

The thing is, the time jump for s5 is likely to occur early in the season, because the cast's age difference is something they don’t want to be too distracting. The earlier the time jump, the more they film stuff post time jump, accommodating to that age gap between s4-5.

So having Mike and El’s break up be midseason, means that’s Mike and El would presumably be ignoring all of the deep and very hard to ignore problems in their relationship, for those initial epiosdes, and then for another 1-2 years depending on how long the time jump is, which I just don't see happening. I don't see them putting on a show of a romantic relationship for much longer, and that's based on how S4 ends. For them to go from not talking and staying within at least like 3 feet of each other in those last moments, tells me that they're not going to be gravitating towards each other the way romantic love interests do, the way Mike and Will are doing at the end of the season in direct contrast.

I think holding off on it until mid-s5, is arguably even more ambiguous than what I would imagine is going to happen if it’s addressed sooner rather than later. Because that would mean them just awkwardly dancing around it and acting like it's not going to happen, even though we know it's inevitable.

Because Mike and El’s problems were highlighted in s3-4 in a big way. We saw how especially in s4 neither of them were being honest in their relationship. The romantic love there was lacking because neither of them were in it for genuine reasons, in terms of genuinely being in love and wanting to be together in a romantic way.

El craved normalcy bc she has always had so many things in her life making her feel different. Mike and his relationship with El is all he knows. And s4 made a point to build up just how impossible it is for them to keep this going and act like everything is okay when it’s not. Like did you see early s4, the fake sort of show they put on to act like everything was fine? Why would s5 be repeat of that? Why wouldn't they evolve that to show that their conflict is no longer something they can ignore, and instead convey that it was indeed a fight they can't come back from.

And I personally do not think that the break up is just going to be an 'I’m done, so bye!' scenario 🤣. Even if it was midseason, it wouldn’t be like that either.

It's a lot more likely that how El felt about their fight in early s4, and how she felt about his monologue, is going to at least be addressed and acknowledged in early s5, because the audience deserves that closure of knowing how El truly feels, with her being able to say it. Meaning that if they stayed together in early s5, we’d also need El in early s5 saying she loves Mike too and to actually resolve that conflict with her actually being able to even respond to it.

And with them breaking up and byler being endgame inevitable, I just highly doubt they’re going to play this game all over again, only to rip it away haphazardly.

She started the show barely being able to say a couple of words. And now despite the fact that she can talk and speak for herself, she hasn't been granted that affordance in the narrative. Instead her brother confessed her love for her, using all things that applied to him. If they wanted to give us El's genuine feelings about Mike, they wouldn't be identical to her brothers and given from him. That's just soooo sad and not fair for anyone in this situation and that's why it needs to be addressed.

We know she was upset with Mike calling her a superhero in their fight, we know that she looked at him with this frustration that he was still not getting it. That was like the climax of their fight in her room, with her looking at him with fed up determination, because saying something like that was the last thing she wanted to hear. And if anything, her experience at Nina, where Brenner told her she needed to fly and revealed that he used her to find Henry from the very beginning, how would Mike saying she could fly and she's his superhero, be something that provides her comfort, when if anything it's just a similar thing being expected of her, without her having any say in it?

The whole You're regressing Eleven is literally hinting at this idea that El is holding onto something in her life that is keeping her in the past, in a situation that makes her development sort of go backwards, and that is in large part highlighting her holding onto this idea that her and Mike are peak romance, despite the fact the that he isn't loving her the way she deserves. By staying with Mike despite knowing both of them are unhappy and forcing it at this point, is a huge regression to all of this build up leading to an inevitable separation, then being followed by them finally accepting themselves in each others lives without the obligation to be together because they met in the woods a few years ago and have felt this pressure to stay together ever since.

In their fight, she didn't want Mike to point to her powers as a way to deflect her genuine feelings about their relationship and her insecurities with him not being able to love her the way she wants, as a person and not as someone who can keep saving the day for him. And so how would him again saying she is a superhero, HIS superhero, suddenly be what she wants to hear in the end after everything she went through?

The problem with that moment in the script is that it's the only thing that is supporting the assumption she was happy with Mike's monologue. Everything else in the story goes against that. All of s4 makes it very clear that that was not what El wanted from Mike.

This is a big part of the reason byler makes sense, because they follow an I didn't say it/You didn't have to approach to love (show don't tell). Mike never should have had to say I love you for El to believe it. If it was something genuine between them, completely natural like breathing, El wouldn't have asked of it from him. But he made a point to struggle with merely writing it, avoiding it at all costs, making El feel even more insecure that there was something wrong with her causing Mike not to love her anymore. And the monologue didn't fix that.

You don't have to apologize but you also don't have to get upset and say everyone in the fandom is wrong, but you're right. If you truly believe that, continue to and leave other people alone. If people are on their posts saying how they feel and it upsets you, block them.

My problem is that everything leading up to byler, that makes it make sense, is at it's core what lead to Mike and El having conflict in the first place. And not addressing that and leading on Mike and El fans, for shock value isn't exactly good for the narrative. And it's never been good for the narrative which is why they like to address it early on so that we can move on to focusing on the pairing that they want us to root for.

Arguably, a break up before the time jump allows for byler to get together well after Mike and El separated instead of mere days/weeks. I would think with how much people are going to have a hard time with considering byler as it is, the time jump happening after Mike and El's break up would allow them to accept that Mike and El are for sure done and have been done for a while, and Will isn't some rebound because Mike is feeling insecure and he'll just be with him the second him and El end things.

How I imagine a mid-season 5 break up is that it would be even more ambiguous than an early one, because it would require El and Mike to ignore their problems for five episodes when there really is no reason to do that with how obvious it was that their fight was a fight that you couldn't come back from. And addressing that is what will allow us to watch El actually experience closure on screen and then be able to focus on Max and working with everyone to beat Vecna. If the whole audience is watching at the edge of their seat being led on the whole season that Mike and El have a chance of getting back together, they're not going to be able to focus on El's arc as an individual character, bc they're going to be waiting for Mike and El to make up and be together.

But then when it doesn't happen, and they've been led astray unnecessarily even more than the previous 2 times, we'll only have a mere 4 episodes to build up them being a platonic pairing with it being blatantly obvious that the audience needs to accept it AND that we need to accept Mike and Will being romantic.

Whereas with an early s5 break up, by episode 3-4 we will know that they are not together and can focus on the new conflicts that have arose from the final season, because dragging on stuff that has already been heavily built up in s4 as being a problem, just to give us the most obvious anti-climactic outcome halfway through in the middle of all the new storylines they are focused on, would fall flat.

Mid-season is likely going to be made up of Mike and Will having a substantial amount of time alone. That's something that those early break-ups allows, so that we can have that development for them that is necessary in order for them to be endgame. Arguably as Mike and Will are going through that, El isn't going to be around to break up with him.

If anything I could see an early s5 breakup, with the audience being aware of it, but not Will. This would mean that Mike and Will's interactions could still be interpreted as romantic comfortably, but we would see for the first time Mike pining and Will still assuming that Mike could never feel the same, until maybe mid-season he finds out that they are indeed not together.

I can't subscribe to the monologue when all of the conflict leading up to it makes it abundantly clear that isn't what El wanted to hear. And we would see in mid-season 5 that El is just going to end up saying all of the stuff we already knew. She's not stupid. She knows that something is off with Mike, that was the whole point from the beginning. That inner struggle he is having is even more heightened and made obvious by the fact that Will was what encouraged Mike to say I love you in the first place. She heard all of that. And then she proceeded to ignore them at the cabin.

How s4 ended is not at all giving the impression El is going to start s5 by gravitating towards Mike and looking to him for comfort, it was actually the direct opposite.

If I were to subscribe to the monologue being a convincing love confession to El, at that point I'd rather Mike and El just stay together instead of holding off even more on facing the truth about the conflict of their relationship that didn't just get fixed by the words I love you. I'd rather byler didn't end up together if Mike is just stringing El along to inevitably choose Will over her anyways at the last minute.

I do think that I love you is what El thought she wanted to hear from Mike, but not like that. And it would be a disservice to her character to have the focus be on her hoping he might choose her for any longer, only for him not to.

If a bunch of people are interpreting the show this way, then there's a good chance that they could be right. We were right about byler being endgame and all of our reasoning is supported by the conflict that has been building up for seasons, and that love confession that paralleled to El beating Henry in 79', doesn't look like one rooted in love, whereas that first face off was. Mike's monologue was bathed in red, El's memory of her birth bathed her in light.

Will on the other hand is bathed in light from Mike's perspective, most prominently at the end of s4. That wasn't in the script, does that mean it's not important? Almost all of bylers moments aren't in the script, does that mean everything about them means nothing?

Feel free to subscribe to whatever you want to. If you end up being right you can say I told you so and live with that satisfaction! Personally, if I'm right, I won't feel the need to come and say I told you so, bc it's not about some sort of vindication for me. I don't even plan on doing that to redditors bc they're going to be dealing with that enough as it is. I'd rather them just insist we're crazy right now and let it all unfold and let the show speak for itself. If I have to subscribe with everything they think bc of the scripts, then I'd be pretty bored rn because all of the evidence for byler would essentially mean nothing and they're just being put together for no reason. All of that lead up meant something, otherwise their endgame wouldn't be satisfying, least of all if El is once again being framed as waiting for Mike to choose, only to not choose her this time. She deserves so much better than that. They all deserve better than that.

Will on one hand assuming for a little longer that Mike doesn't feel the same merely drags out the mutual pining leading to that endgame. El assuming for a little longer that Mike does feel the same is just making her plot regressive for no reason when she could be finally getting that independance arc, truly separated from being linked to Mike in a way that prevents her from truly progressing and knowing her worth and living up to that authentically.

We'll have to wait and see. But I don't see the use in coming in other peoples inboxes and directing your dissatisfaction with their interpretation of things as contradicting yours and so they need to just drop it and subscribe to what you think or else...

Everyone on here can interpret things how they want since there is still a season left and everything is still up in the air. If you want to blow off steam and say your piece on your profile, then do that and if other people resonate with it then that's great! You don't have to force other people to involve themselves with your narrative. If people are doing that to you, you have every right to block them because you also shouldn't have to have people in your inbox saying that your interpretation of things is wrong.

I'll continue to analyze and break things down as I choose. That's not stopping anytime soon. And IDK why you would want others to. It would be pretty dead on here if we all just stopped and believed everything we've been told superficially despite everything we've been shown contradicting that. If everything we're being told is all there is to it, you could argue byler isn't even happening. But most of us can agree that isn't the case.

I hope you can continue to analyze how you view things and embrace your interpretation instead of tearing others' down. We still have two years left, let's not make this more unnecessarily unbearable than it needs to be.

[mofffun]

Greetings to you. My question for you is what's your favorite moments in King-Ohger? Also, if they decide to do a sequel like say in a case of a manga like how Fuuto PI did, would you like to see it happen or no?

Greetings to you too! I have so many favourite kingoh moments so maybe I'll just limit myself to 10:

Rita's speech ep5

Roll call ep10

Roll call ep27

Ritamoru hug ep10

Gira's tyrant king act ep1

movie wings advice scene

Yanma's defeat ep17

Yano's smile ep42

Jeramie's sacrifice + beating up Hilbil ep29

Honourable mentions: movie ritamoru rescue scene, 五王国異様事案対策用戦略救命部隊 + himerita vs. kamejim fight ep19, roll call ep25, Jeramie's persuasion and Gira's apology ep26, himerita's promise ep30

What I picked scenes that surprised me, the 120+, while all King-Ohger has been serving 100 the whole time.

And a manga/anime sequel? Absolutely Yes!! JP fans have been drawing #animeohger since sunmer. It'd really fit the theatricality of Kingoh. I think they are willing to explore the possibility if Rita manga does well enough. In an ideal world, by the time it catches up to the TV finale in a few years, we get an anime adaptation/sequel (●´ϖ`●)

I think they are going to solve the first human-bugnarok war in TV but I wouldn't mind a spin-off of past or even future generations of kings either.

Buff up the worldbuilding there! I wounldn't mind if Takano takes a backseat from writing every episode to just key dialogues and a master plan if the anime takes time to give us fillers. It's kind of hard to one-up the galactic king… Peace time after the war please! (Then crank up the plot in S2 hehe)

If kingoh does become an anime franchise, I hope it runs for at least 5 seasons and 10 years lol. And it'll be event of the century when the cast got big but came back for the anniversary *single tear*

[heirtotheempire]

The Bad Batch S2 has honestly left much to be desired. I do not understand the people who claim filler does not exist, to me it does. There are absolutely episodes where a character arc (positive or negative) does not progress, where addition to a plot is absent. This may make sense in shows where each episode is a contained story such as in classic Saturday Morning Cartoons, but in a show that claims to be serialized such as TBB, it ends up looking lazy.

Episode 4 for example, titled Faster, is what I would call a good character arc episode. It does not include any overarching plot about the Empire or the Batch as a whole, but shines light onto Tech's attitude and pushes his character to do something he most likely wouldn't do otherwise. And, it even brings up possible issues with Cid, such as her rocky past and potential to hurt the team. The events aren't mentioned again, but it actually explores a handful of characters in a believable and fun way. The mini-arc Tech goes through will (hopefully) be retained. It matches the tone of the series without being too angsty or too wholesome.

Episode 3, The Solitary Clone, is a good story based episode. It dives into how the Empire is treating clones, and its shaky morals. The events that occur do impact future episodes and are mentioned again, because the plot adds to the overarching story about a post-Clone War world with Imperial rule crawling in.

Both these episodes are very very different, but actually contribute to the show and it's characters. While Faster could be labelled a filler episode since it doesn't include the same story themes The Solitary Clone does, I would argue that because of its character exploration, it is not filler.

What IS filler in my eyes, are episodes like number 6, Tribe. The Gungi appearance acts as a cameo, but does not do much other then give The Clone Wars (2008) fans a chance to point at him and go "LOOK ITS HIM" and be happy. A lot of Star Wars has become this, but is a lot more noticable in the live action series (did R5 really have to be the droid Mando picked up...). Cameos are not inherently bad, this is a story that spans many years after all. It only makes sense for characters from other shows to make an appearance. But what matters is how the cameo functions.

Star Wars Rebels has fantastic inclusions of The Clone Wars (2008) and Original Trilogy characters. They have Ahsoka present for a good chunk of the series, but not simply as a draw to get people to watch the show. It expands on her character, she has a duel with Vader, she functions as a teacher to Ezra, and most importantly we see her fight for the Rebellion, something that makes her appearance in Rebels make SENSE and add to her story in a thoughtful way. Similarly, Rex joins the cast as a disillusioned old man who needs to be convinced to join the Rebellion. But even after he does, he acts as a source of conflict for Kanan, which helps both characters with their own long-lasting emotions about Order 66. In short: their long-term roles within Rebels help progress the story and the character arcs the show wishes to portray without feeling invasive or like a gimmick.

Pivoting back to The Bad Batch, Gungi's cameo does none of this. We learn he's in trouble for being a Wookie, the team saves him, and then they fight some Imperial shenanigans on Kashyyyk. Gungi could have been any Wookie, hell he didnt even need to be a Jedi for the story to work. None of the characters other than Omega really 'connect' to the culture on Kashyyyk, theres no thoughtful arcs or progression in the overarching plot, the episode simply exists. Omega and Gungi's friendship is surface level and does not challenge or change anything about Omega, its purely there for the cute factor. And again, it did not even have to be Gungi for this to occur.

Ahsoka being the one to duel Anakin, the one to commit to the rebellion, thats something specific that actually means something for Ahsoka to be doing it. Gungi's story in Tribe is so generic it can be applied to any of the other Padawan children he was with in The Clone Wars if the writers felt like showcasing them instead. It does not mean much for Gungi to be the specific Padawan returning to his home. Perhaps, if the writers actually went into the effects it had on Gungi to return to a place that is theoretically his home, but is not where he grew up nor a place he has memories of... Then maybe it would actually matter that it was his story. He would not be interchangable anymore.

I don't think that enjoying the episode is a bad thing persay, but it is important to understand why some of us may be more critical about this season, or just about any Star Wars media in general. If I wanted to watch a show with no conflict, and everyone was happy and safe, then I would turn on some Cartoon Network show or whatever. Star Wars can be silly and goofy, and it absolutely fails when it takes itself too seriously, but there is a difference between that and just poor writing.

I really do love this show, but more for the potential it has to be great. Episodes such as The Clone Conspiracy, Truth and Consequences, and my personal favorite so far, The Outpost, showcase how fantastic the premise is, how interesting the material present can be. It's kind of a bummer watching thay go down the drain.