#he had SO MUCH fucking growth from season 1 to where we are now

[grootslegion]

EJ deserved better. That’s it.

[yannaryartside]

I am tired of Sydney being a “knight in shining armor” for these immature men

The trailer of s3 made me reflect on a big problem with the show for me so far. The use of Sydney on the plot overall and in the character arcs of men. This is a rant, if you happen to be on the side of the fandom that think these men are perfect and Syd is valued as their support, feel free to scroll.

Part 1: the woman

Sydney Adamu is insecure on her leader/social skills and her creative habilities. That, and her kindness, is what makes the audience root for her. She is releatable but most important she is real, she has taken it impulse by impulse, creating on the fly ways to succeed in a industry not very welcoming to people with her personality (or that look like her). All of that makes sense in a story of an underdog.

But yet, the show has normalized at this point how much shit she takes from a group of really emotionally immature people. And how much they expect her to figure it out answers to the problems that they themselves cause.

Thinking about it like an animal getting into a new pack without the capacity to defend herself from any attack. The shitshow she tolerated in s1 has never been properly addressed and it seems like the worst storm is yet to come in s3. She fixed the logistics of the beef and implemented a hierarchy. Things that Carmy was incapable of doing due to his story with the staff and his own mental turmoil. In s2, she was the only professional chef actively making decisions and efforts in the future of the restaurant. Carmy even reprimanded her for not making the decisions he was supposed to do. And she reminded him “you wanted the final say, this is on you)

Syd is not helpless in any way, but she has applied kindness and fairness most of the time to this point, and I wonder if this time that is gonna cut it. I am mostly tired to get her back to that scenario again. If anything, the part that got me the most excited of Richie’s redemption is how she could actually rely on him. And then it came the trailer.

Part 2: the men

The part that got my blood boiling in the trailer is the response “Show me a functional one” from Richie and Carmy.

We are in season 3, and with all the growth and all those balls, these men seem to expect her to fix an issue, wich core is actually their own emotional immaturity. I am sick of it. “Mother, maid, therapist”🎶

She must deal with Carmy’s recklessness and the fight between him and Richie. A very green new staff and a unqualified old staff mostly. All of that creates the dysfunctionality in question, and I wonder where her character will go to resolve it. The restaurant had a shaky base (particularly on front house staff and line cooks) and now Carmy is getting on everyone’s nerves. Putting fire to an already unstable chemical.

Part 3: Heroine’s Journey

It would take a pro to resolve all of this shit, and the people involved (and responsible for the problem) turn to this young, inexperienced woman for guidance and answers because the only person in the kitchen with actual industry experience is trapped in his own destroying tendencies.

That is not only the underdog story that is human vs forces of nature, another common plot structure. Forces of nature incarnated in unstable men and our hero is a woman. That is so fucked up and yet so real. That is the value I give to this scenario.

I really don't think that, besides Tina and Nat, there is a single member if that kitchen aware of how much Syd was alone last season picking Carmy’s slack. And even they were barely able to help her. Everybody else was to happy for Carmy loosing his virginity apparently. All this scenario could very well repeat itself this season on how much they are insisting on Claire and Carmy getting back together.

I know the show is about leaving toxic cycles and the people who can help you get better. Sydney is supposed to be made from a different matter than the Bearzattos because otherwise, the toxicity will continue. I just wish she could coldly let them know how much of a pest they can be sometimes. And not be treated as unfair because she left her “role” in creating a new system. Anger is boundarie setting emotion and it can be very constructive, and expressed without the chaos of the Bearzattos. She did this in s1 and if done again I think this time the general audience (except the racist/misogynistic obviously) will understand that this tough love is necessary as well.

Let's not normalize (in this show) women taking shit to be good women and a reward for seeing the potential of men. It is not like society is not doing that for us already.

Sydney is not a punching bag, and she knows it, she definitely will stand her ground this season, wich can be very encouraging to young woman entering a workforce that is not designed to support them. I think she will go to Ember to work closely with Chef Terry (Olivia Coleman) to get knowledge of how women can shape this toxic places. It will be her version of forks. The toxicity may escalate to a turning point for her. She tolerated (and transformed) s1 and s2, we know what is in her heart. The point will definitely come, because this is the time for evolving or dying, for everyone.

But again, I need these men (besides you, Marcus, you are going to be her rock) to start taking responsibility for the shit they are fucking up. That would be nice. I am sure there will be moments of it since this growth is literally the show's theme. I am just kind of tired of the “Mother, maid, therapist🎶” undertone of it all. It could be applied to Nat and Tina as well.

[howtosingit]

Tag Game: 911 Lone Star Fandom Edition

Tagged by @rmd-writes and this is probably the first tag game I've done in... *checks calendar* I can't count that high 🤷🏻‍♂️

When did you first start watching Lone Star? Who or what introduced you to the show?

I've been watching since the pilot premiered on Sunday, January 19, 2020 🙃 I actually was still watching OG 911 at that time with @emisfritish and we were trying to decide if we wanted to watch the upcoming spinoff or not, so we checked out the trailer. Saw that first little clip of Carlos Reyes and that moment of Tarlos getting down to business in 1x02 and I was suddenly way more interested in LS than I had ever been in OG (sorry not sorry). And though she never really joined the LS fandom, I do still get to experience @emisfritish watching LS episodes for the first time (even if it's sometimes months after they air) and it's one of my favorite things.

Which season is your favorite?

Season 3, for sure. Best viewing experience of any season, really strong storylines, so much more Carlos than the previous 2 seasons (combined), the full tarlos arc from exes to fiancés and all the really good growth for them in-between those two moments... I don't know that the show will ever reach those heights again, but I'm so glad I got to experience every moment of it in real time.

[Seasons best-to-worst, imho, are: 3, 4, 2, 1]

Who is your favorite character? (Bonus: If you answered TK or Carlos, who is your favorite besides them?)

LOL such a mystery, my favorite character is obviously Caleb. Love that dumbass. (Real answer: my top 3 characters are Carlos, Grace, and Judd.)

Top five episodes. Go!

Oh goodness, okay...

Push Bad Call Saving Grace Riddle of the Sphynx Donors In Sickness and In Health (sorry I know that's six but rafa is just so fucking good)

If you could pick any character to be given a "begins" episode, who would it be and what would that episode look like?

First I will say that I'm really happy that we don't do "Begins" episodes with LS because I remember wanting to skip so many of those when watching OG (never grew attached to any of the characters, maybe I'd like them better in LS but let's not risk it) and I think there are more organic ways to incorporate backstory into the narrative than to say "here's 45 minutes of backstory!"

ANYWAY For a very long time my answer was uncontestedly Carlos Reyes, and I would still love to get every single moment of his life from his birth until now, but also... I don't know, I think at this point in the show we've gotten so much of Carlos's history (through what is sometimes messy writing, sure, but we still got it) that it feels selfish to keep asking for more when a character like Paul still feels really undervalued on the show. So, maybe Paul? But, also Carlos because... I'm me 🤷🏻‍♂️

What is a scenario or storyline that you would like to see in season 5?

Honestly, I would like to see Carlos have to face the consequences of his actions in the s4 finale. I love him, I would die on every damn hill for him, and I fully tracked his rationale for why he did what he did, but it was still really messed up, and I would love to see him battling with those decisions and what they mean for him at the top of the season. I'm not against Carlos struggling and messing up sometimes (two of my favorite episodes are "Cry Wolf" and "In Sickness and In Health"), but it's a way more interesting narrative if we actually see him confronting his mistakes rather than them disappearing into the unknown like most of the consequences on LS... Also, Rafa would destroy scenes like that and I always want to see Rafa at the top of his game.

Would also love to see him get a different job but that seems unlikely and we'd lose that glorious utility belt strut

What do you think is going on in this still?

I do think it's most likely related to Gabriel's murder. It could be an update on where the Rangers are at in the case, it could be them calling Carlos in to assist with something (undercover Carlos mayhaps?), or maybe Carlos got suspended after what he did last season and this is him receiving a call from his boss with an update on his job status... honestly, no idea, but it's making me want to know things so fuck you tim minear

We all know about the elusive 5x05 spicy scene that has been teased, so what is your prediction for how it could possibly top 1x02?

See, I thought elements of the 2x12 sex scene were better than the 1x02 sex scene because there was all of this added intimacy and emotion between them, which just makes every touch and kiss and look and breath that much deeper and richer and sexier. Like, that look Carlos gives TK after taking his shirt off while straddling TK's thighs? That's sex right there. So, honestly, I don't know what they're going to go through between 5x01 and 5x04, but as long as the 5x05 scene contains all of that context that makes the moment about them and how they feel to be with each other, it's already topped 1x02 in my opinion. Rushed, casual, fun sex is great and hot and obviously I didn't hate it, but the combination of lust AND love? You can't ever beat that.

Where was the Tarlos honeymoon in your mind?

You know, I honestly don't know... I haven't really thought about it. Their honeymoon has kind of been a non-thing for me, so I hope wherever it was it was peaceful and exactly what they both needed.

Shoutout one of your favorite fan creations.

I know this says one, but there are so many different types of creations and I won't be able to mention all of them (it's been FOUR YEARS OKAY) but I want to try to share a range...

I absolutely have to start out with all the incredible work that @reyeslonestar gave this fandom: I have this one printed and framed, but I also love this one and this one and this one and THIS ONE. Also love this one by @whatsintheboxmh so much. I also love these two NSFW pieces by @a-kinkajou (but the AO3 links seem to be broken so you'll have to look at the SFW versions here on tumblr and just trust me).

ALSO I really love fanvids and in particular this one and this one (SOBBING) and this one and THIS ONE. While I wish I could list every gifset that has sparked an emotional response for me, it would be impossible, so I'll share this one (@maxbegone) because it makes me smile, these two because the vows are ev-er-y-thing (@danieljradcliffe), and this one because the Carlos Reyes Strut is also everything (@evanzbuck).

I mean, the Teacher AU. It's the teacher au. You don't understand, it's THE TEACHER AU (@three-drink-amy). I'm already so in love with Call Me, but that's no surprise since it's from the writers of iconic works like these (@welcometololaland @rmd-writes) The Knave verse is beyond iconic at this point (@liminalmemories21). This Carlos begins fic is really beautiful (@freneticfloetry) and this early fic has one of my favorite Carlos characterizations ever (@singerofsimplesongs). I'm always down for a firefighter!Carlos AU (@reyesstrand) because the man should be wearing turnouts.

Tagging: I'm not going to tag anyone because I think this game was going around a few days ago and I missed the train, but if anyone likes the questions and wants to answer, they should!

[familyabolisher]

can you elaborate your thoughts on 'the bear' show? i keep seeing it all over my dash and it looks interesting but i wanna know what to look out for since you said the politics isn't handled well.

having now watched all of the second season—a major problem sticking out to me is that the show can’t quite decide what tone it wants to strike. in season one, you had these dream sequences intended to communicate carmy’s [in]ability to process his feelings about michael, spliced with an otherwise v realist tone—but the show never really leant into either consistently using a surrealist external world to represent something internal to a character or going straightforwardly realist. season two has, eg., a moment where syd sees the text on the rapidly generating tickets change from table orders to like “fuck” over and over, and, like—it’s the same thing again, it’s the use of an obviously not ‘literal’ physical space communicating the mental headspace of the character whose perspective we briefly occupy, but, like, the show can’t quite commit to the tone that this slightly trickier technique demands, so it just feels awkward and clumsy and like a cheap way of communicating a character’s internal state. i thought the bit in season one where carmy dreams he’s on a cooking show that goes horribly wrong was really tonally effective and an excellent segue into the rest of the episode, but, like, they just kind of pull this conceit out when they need it and ignore it when they don’t. and i wish they’d try to do more with it! shit or get off the pot.

the dialogue is also just … pretty weak at points. there’s a lot of like, characters launching into anecdotes as a technique of exposition, which … i can put up with once or twice, but when it just keeps happening, i can’t help but think of it as lazy writing. season 2 also seemed to spread itself far too thin; we have different episodes dedicated to different secondary characters, which if handled well could be effective—the idea is that they’re a team, that everyone contributes something and everyone has to pull their weight, and we spend time with each individual before seeing how it all comes together at the end. that did kind of half-land in the final episode, but on an individual level, the episodes just weren’t tightly constructed enough for any one storyline to feel complete. tina and marcus in particular felt … underused, underdeveloped, i feel like i barely have more of a sense of their characters than i did at the end of season 1. marcus’ episode especially felt incredibly flat; we learnt (through Dialogue Exposition) about his relationship to his terminally ill mother, which i think worked well enough, but other than that, the process of learning new baking techniques felt half-assed and lacked any real tension, will poulter’s character was completely forgettable. glad we got some pretty shots of copenhagen, but like, what was the point.

ideologically it sucks lol. there’s a chef who’s fired for doing drugs which the narrative is v much fine with, there’s pithy comments about people coming into the restaurant in groups and buying one thing so they can sit around, there’s … just no real sense of the ways in which restaurants are classed spaces, service work is a denigrated form of labour, hospitality is a v abusive industry … richie’s episode in season 2 focuses on him learning some nauseatingly bootlicky hospitality shit as a barometer of Character Growth to the point that i was laughing when i watched it because i couldn’t take it seriously at all. (there’s a line where a manager says that serving fine dining guests can be compared to looking after people in hospital in terms of the level of care you bring to the job … i guess that’s why they call it … Hospitality … and i was just sat there cackling. like, be serious.) there’s just no drive to interrogate the hospitality industry & how the impression of servitude and deference is built into the world of fine dining and what that means, no serious criticism of restaurant work beyond carmy’s flashbacks to chefs being abusive to him that become a discursive dead end when the show doesn’t develop them to tackle the nature of fine dining itself.

my final big problem is that it’s very thematically flimsy. the conceit of the show is that carmy has to interrupt his career as a fine-dining chef to come and work at michael’s v modest sandwich shop whilst emotionally processing his suicide—so it seems pretty clear to me that this would play with tensions between the culture of fine dining and that of a failing sandwich shop, right? like, clashes when the fine dining chef tries to bring fine dining techniques to the new place, in the end we all learn a valuable lesson about what we can all teach each other or whatever? and season 1 does do this, but even at the points where it seems to want to criticise the fine dining industry, by season 2 it seems to have pretty definitively joined the war on fine dining on the side of the fine dining. there’s not really a drive in season 2 to interrogate what it means to turn a neighbourhood sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment; how do regulars feel about this? what about the locals who might now be priced out of it? what about the question of gentrification? none of these are ever really brought to the forefront. in season 1, we got the sense that carmy’s fine dining world was sterile and alien where it wasn’t actively abusive, and the sandwich shop allowed him to escape that world—so why aren’t we asking questions about what kind of restaurant culture is really valuable, what really makes for good hospitality? even in a show that obviously doesn’t want to ask serious questions about restaurants under capitalism, there are all these little channels of negotiation that season 1 seemed to set up only for season 2 to let them drop.

so, yeah. i’m not convinced the show really has a strong sense of direction. season 2 felt very all over the place, and seemed to want to juggle so many things at once that it ended up not really landing any of them.

[multifandomgrabage]

Random and non cohesive HB thoughts, particularly season 2:

I don’t condone or support Stella’s actions, but I am very disappointed in how she is written. Im fine with her being a villain, and I’ll even let a lack of a backstory slide! My main issues with Stella are:

A) Being 1 dimensional. Please, give her traits outside of “bitch” and “angry at Stolas”. The majority of the fan base already is (somehow) in support of Stolitz, you don’t need another prop to keep your ship going. (subpoint to a): Also, not a fan of the “wife finds out that her husband is queer” trope, but whatever, she is a villain. Its pretty fucking basic though.

B) Her lines. My fucking gosh, her lines are so fucking flat and weightless. You’d think that something an abuser says would stick and sound intimidating, but no. We get “I LiKe ToRmEnTiNg YoU”. For fucks sake, what was that?! As someone who grew up with an abusive mother, I can confidently say that no one will say that. Its like they didnt respect their ADULT audience enough to figure things out and felt they had to have a giant ass neon sign screaming

“LOOK HERE, THIS IS ABUSIVE, SHE SAID SHE LIKES HURTING HIM! A-B-U-S-E! NOW GO AND FORGET ABOUT ANY TERRIBLY TOXIC THINGS STOLAS OR BLITZO HAVE DONE”

Clearly the show is meant for adult audiences. We don’t need to be told what is and isn’t abuse. Why not do a little something called “show vs tell”? Some alright examples they have previously done are the portraits usually having just Stolas and Octavia, or a pissed Stella. Or seeing how she threw a fucking imp butler across the room.

I got a bit off topic, but here are some ways id probably write her:

A narcissist. To the outside world, she is friendly Stella, who just likes to party and smile. She has a perfect family, and everyone loves her. But under the surface, in order to feel superior she puts Stolas down constantly, through verbal abuse and perhaps some physical. Her love for Octavia is conditional, she is only pleased as long as everyone is doing everything to her command. All this possibly stems from an inferiority complex that she desperately covers through a high ego, false confidence and making sure others feel lesser to her.

Some possible lines?:

“You are nothing without me. You think you can make it on your own without me? You cant even take care of Octavia, what makes you think you can handle yourself”

“You would choose a lowly imp over me? I guess I shouldn’t have expected more from someone as low as you”

“You don’t even deserve to have me, consider yourself lucky that I am willing to stay”

“You look so damn stupid like that, singing in your self pity. Had you stuck with me, you wouldn’t have been in that position.” That or someone else mentioned Blitzo and Stella being childhood friends, her being arranged with Stolas, and then having the cheating incident

whoever had that idea is a genius.

C: Why is her design so damn good? I love fancy pigeons and they made her a fancy pigeon. (this isn’t a complaint but a thought)

Moving on from Stella, lets get to S2 E2…

I was so excited to have an episode where it wasn’t the Stolitz shipping show. I got my hopes too high. The one positive thing Ill say is that I enjoyed the adoption flashback. Maybe I read too much into it but it feels kind of like a commentary in how shitty the adoption system is, especially to teenagers. Any kid really, as they’re treated like literal dogs, and then kicked out on the street.

Back to me complaining about shit:

For one, why did we spend so much fucking tome in that stupid ass sitcom? If Stolas is such a caring dad, shouldn’t he just leave and look for Octavia? So much character growth could have happened in that time.

I know that Loona didn’t just tell Octavia to just deal with her dad neglecting her just because “he’s trying”. Its HIS responsibility as a parent to take care of his kid, and Octavia has every right to be upset st him and her circumstances. Her parents have been unstable, but after a divorce, even more so. Her dad has straight up ignored her, in favor of arguing with Stella. She did nothing wrong and has nothing to apologize for. I got so excited when Stolas started to apologize, but then Octavia apologized.

Did I mention that there was 4 minutes of Octavia and Loona together at most? Despite the thumbnail? Yeah, that blowed.

Honestly the only reason I keep up anymore is because of the animation and the weak dying hope that it’ll get better.

thats all ig, please don’t be rude in the comments. You can disagree but keep it civil. Going to bed now, bye

EDIT: So Imma randomly add a brainbarf of thoughts here too, because I do not feel like organizing shit. My brain's thoughts just expand everywhere, so bare with me.

Another reason why Stella's abuse doesn't really land is because Stolas just... doesn't seem afraid of her at all? For someone who claims to love tormenting someone, she sure is doing a shitty job at it. The way that Stolas would just have the balls (or cloaca ig) to keep going out using Blitz, worry free despite his wife doesn't give the vibes of "Victim of Domestic violence, verbal and physical abuse" to me.

To continue on why her abuse doesn't land, it has to do with the nature of this show and how it portrays stuff. It gets very confusing. Loona assaulting Blitz, Blitz and Asmodeus (on separate occasions) touching Moxie's groin area (without consent) and Multiple characters using slurs against Moxie is supposedly "funny".

Personally I don't find it humorous, but I do get somewhat jaded and desensitized to stuff like that happening. Not to say that it's acceptable behavior, but you do kind of get used to it and take it a little less seriously in the context. In S1E2 Stella is seen screaming and throwing shit around. This *can* be seen as portrayal of abuse, but given that many characters do similar shit it can also be seen as another unfunny attempt at humor.

Fast forward to season 2, if you've lasted that long you should expect some edgy shit like that to be written in a way that tries to excuse it. But all of a sudden, we get "Actually, abuse is bad. Feel bad for Stolas because he is abused by his wife. Yeah, we constantly make our characters do abusive things too, but it's funny when they do it, just ignore it and feel bad for Sad Gay Owl Man."

What? The fuck? Is the deal with powers, especially human disguises? Initially I thought that maybe only Succubi and Incubi, as well has hellhounds had the power because some hellborns are more powerful than others. How would that work if Hellhounds are below Imps in the hierarchy though? By that logic, shouldn't Imps also get that power? So that idea doesn't work. I don't fucking know why or how any of this works. Theres no storybuilding or explanation for it. For something that appears so often, I think there should be. The purpose of a human disguise is to blend in among the human world, so I can see Succubi/Incubi having that power because I'd assume they're some of the only demons allowed to go to the human world. I wouldn't know why a hellhound would come to Earth, but I guess they just have the power too?

Speaking of rules about demons on Earth that weren't explained!

Stolas is able to summon himself in some big scary owl demon form without his book ANYWHERE near him in "Truth Seekers". Yet in S2E2 he can only conjure up a poorly designed human form because now his powers are attached to the book? HUH?! Where is the consistency?

Also, given that IMP is big enough to get a commercial, how have they not gotten in trouble for breaking what I assume is one of hell's only rules? We know that they aren't supposed to be there, and yet this seems to have no consequence? Having them have to try and fly below the radar in hell would raise stakes a lot more imo.

But whatever, fuck the rules, because there are none!

______________________________________________________

Unrelated rambles, but still kind of relevant and similar? I just don't want to make a separate post.

I don't like Andrealphus' design. It's way too bright and saturated and honestly has my eyes strain a lot, despite not being red. I kinda wanna redesign him. Also I feel like he's gonna be yet another gay stereotype, which is always fun to have /s.

Lucifer's design is underwhelming. Not necessarly because the design is bad on its own, but because of two things:

A) Too many characters look like that. We have too many skinny white Tumblr Sexyman Twinks. We have too many characters with that copy paste smile. Too many characters in suits. He just doesn't stand out. This leads me to my next point.

B) His design doesn't say "Lucifer, King and Ruler of Hell, Fallen Angel". It says "Generic Vivziepop Snarky Guy with a quirky interest". BEFORE SOME OF YALL START SAYING "B-but ackshually he pwobably haz a more dwemwonic fowm 🤓", respectfully, no. I feel that the leader of hell should have a default design that commands some kind of respect out of fear, it doesn't have to be crazy, but it should be intimidating, and stand out. What kind of king just blends into a crowd of his own people? Especially in a fantasy? This is fiction, and there is no reason to hold back and not try something new. In fact, 90% of the characters being skinny could actually be used as an advantage, because then you could just make Lucifer's bodyshape different from the default and he'd already stand out much more.

Fuck it, two redesigns coming up. When I'm done I'll link them here.

[i-am-the-hero-alfred-jones]

OFMD Season 2 Finale Spoilers

That was THE MOST DISSATISFYING ENDING

Now granted, I'm usually dissatisfied with endings that wrap everything up in a neat little bow, because some stories just work better with an open-ended ending.

For example, one of my favorites will always be Labyrinth. Sarah goes back home, but the goblin king keeps his kingdom and power.

Let's talk about WHY I'm so disatisfied (and honestly, maybe that's the point, it sort of seems like they want the fandom to be like that in order to fix it later one, but idk) 1. Stede Fucking Bonnet STEDE DID NOT BECOME A PIRATE FOR ED

This ending is unsatisfying because why would Stede give this up?! Stede LOVES being a pirate, it's Ed who's disatisfied with that life. Stede CHOSE this life, Stede loves this life, for him to leave it for Ed is fucking ridiculous.

STEDE BONNET IS MORE THAN EDWARD'S BOYFRIEND HE'S HIS OWN GODDAMN CHARACTER AND HE'S THE MAIN CHARACTER FOR FUCK'S SAKE

His pirating is what attracted Edward to him in the first place! You can't take that away from him! It makes him a shell of what he is! Stede never wanted the good peaceful life- he had that. He hated it. Now he just has it with Edward. And sure, he loves Ed, but that's not gonna fix his disatisfaction.

-Now granted, this does seem intentional. It could very well be that this inn ending is intentionally there to show both Ed and Stede, that a part of them really does love the seafaring life, and that they want to return to it.

-You know, like a callback to when Stede returned to Mary and realized what he really wanted was Ed. Instead Stede and Ed are going to try the quiet life and realize what they always wanted was the sea. It was just that they wanted the sea with each other.

-If that's the route they take in Season 3 (or a similar one), I can totally get behind it, and I think it'll fix the Stede Bonnet Problem. [For the record, I think they handed Edward's arc CRAZY well]

2. Izzy Fucking Hands

-. . . Guys. . . One the one hand, the monologue he gave when he died NEEDED to be given.

-Izzy does things more with actions than words, and Ed needed to say how much Izzy meant to him, along with Izzy needing to say how much he loves this crew.

On the other hand- way to kill your guys. Way to immediately fall into old tropes and make us hate ya, Dave. Granted, in the past he has played with tropes intentionally, so this COULD be that (in which case he's sitting back and laughing maniacally like the BASTARD that he is-) Where he's making us believe Izzy is gone for good only to bring him back. [I HAVE HOPE DAMN IT]

-There seems to be this idea that Izzy was the last remaining bit of Blackbeard, but Izzy is his own person and he got to grow into his own person during this season.

Of course, now that he has no thematic relevance, to kill him off is fucking pathetic. NOW we kill him, he's of no use to us. Why keep the disabeled gay? We don't need him anymore. THAT is the vibe that we've been given. Now that he's grown, we're done with him. (as if anyone truly stops growing at any point-)

-Buuut, on the one leg that Izzy has remaining,

-This could be a really good way to tie into Edward's story that he is and always has been Blackbeard. That Blackbeard was never Izzy's creation, but rather a part of himself. And he gets to choose what to do with it.

BUT EVEN IF THAT HAPPENS IZZY JUST DIED FOR EDWARD (Sure, what the character always wanted- but not what he deserved)

-If Izzy comes back from the gravy basket (Maybe with Buttons? lmfao-) with a newfound sense of independence and growth (maybe he learns to love again, idk.), this could be beautiful. A beautiful way to fuck with tropes and to show other shows how people SHOULD be handled. Bury your gays, then bring them back fuckers.

If he doesn't, this fandom will never be the same. Nor will it ever forgive it's writers. We deserve better, man.

[elwynnie101]

OFMD Finale Spoilers

I've had to think about this for a few hours, literally slept on it, and I've finally come to my conclusion on how I feel about the Finale.

(I am not going to be discussing the representation of disability as I simply just do not have the ground to stand on for that it is not my place, I will just be coming from someone who's done film and media studies.)

I would have been okay with Izzys' death, if Ed deserved it.

Don't get me wrong, I love and adore Ed deeply, but he simply hasn't progressed enough as a character for Izzy to have this 'mentor death' as David Jenkins wanted it to be. Yes, Ed has grown as a character, from the persona of The Kraken, to who he is now is a big distance, but just as Lucius called out, he hasn't actually apologised for what he's done. I don't think his brief 'Sorry about your leg' was enough for the weight of what he and Izzy did to each other. And again, I understand their relationship isn't very emotionally open, but part of both of their character arcs was accepting the love of others and growing as people.

(also the other characters reactions felt so out of place? We had just gone through so many episodes of the crew caring for Izzy, making him the ships figure-head, to just have only Ed be near him in his final moments? Not even Fang or Jim?)

I think if Izzys' life was left ambiguous, if Ed and Stede had decided to separate from the Crew when Izzy was in critical condition, I think that would have given Ed the chance to reflect on his and Izzys' relationship now that he isn't in the homicidal-suicidal headspace like in episode 2. He has Stede now to be able to help him grow as a person (and Stede can tell him what happened to him with Chauncey and his insecurities, then they can both grow, don't want anyone to think I think Stede isn't guiltless, he has a lot he needs to apologise for and talk about), no longer at sea with the reputation of Blackbeard to smother him, and I would have been happy with that ending.

It leaves room for a third season, with the narrative theme still that Ed and Stede aren't perfect people and need to work on themselves and their relationship. I would have been happier with that ending, I know it isn't perfect but if the verdict was to kill of Izzy anyway, at least he would have been with the crew that truly cares about him, and Ed would have had to face the reality of his actions in a clearer headspace.

(Also I just feel so bad for Con, to have this character that obviously meant so much to him, to have him killed off in such a rushed and honestly anti-climatic way)

I'm also just appalled at Izzys' character at the very end, after all of his growth, being chalked up to just being the dark side of the Blackbeard persona and 'needed' to die to free Ed from that. And this is coming from a Season 1 Izzy suffering enjoyer (in the sense of him being a rabid chihuahua type, not the toe cutting and eating).

I fully get that with HBO Maxs' budget cuts and episode constriction this season wasn't going to be what the writers wanted, but in the end to me it felt like when you write big lettering in pen, starting off fine and even and then everything gets messy and crushed at the end. I honestly now just want a season 3 to just see where the fuck do they go from here? I legitimately just don't know what they can do.

I want to love this episode, everything until Izzys' death was fine, a bit rushed but I had come to expect that from the last 2 episodes, but then after that it was so rushed that it didn't even make sense to me narratively. It's now just left a bitter taste in my mouth for those last 3 episodes, and almost this whole season, it was going so well :(

[comma57]

devil may cry netflix show!?

hi everyone. welcome to my in-depth analysis of the upcoming devil may cry netflix anime. yesterday was the first time we got a look at what to expect visually. it was very short, but there's a lot to talk about. long, image heavy post ahead.

what's old?

firstly, let's briefly go over what we had known about the show before the trailer was shown. it's featuring dante (of course), and lady and vergil were confirmed to also make an appearance. so i had assumed it was a dmc3 adaptation, since it was unlikely to be post-dmc5. the first season would be 8 episodes long, with more seasons to come. the producer and co-writer is adi shankar, and is working with the producer for the original dmc and 2007 anime, hiroyuki kobayashi. (1)

here's a selection of quotes from some interviews with shankar, previously known for work on netflix's yasuke and other shows (something called "castle" "vania"). apparently he's working on a PUBG show too. okay.

"I've acquired these rights myself, so that the jabronies in Hollywood can't fuck this one up too." (2)

"Again, this was developed by a DMC fan for DMC fans, that was the ethos of this project. Production should start at the beginning of next year." (3)

"I feel like I can meaningfully contribute to the lore of the series. Devil May Cry has unique iconography and emotionally engaging lore." (4)

"The characters in DMC have an operatic depth and they experience growth across the series so it’s fun to – in a Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase 3 kind of way – play with and explore that depth through the lens of psychological realism and dissect the trauma buried below the surface of that depth." (4)

"Devil May Cry.. will join Castlevania in what we're now calling the 'bootleg multiverse'. Let the speculation begin." (6) (i forgot he said this i'm so scared)

"You're a Vergil fan? Are you also a Thanos fan?" (6)

what's new?

with that awesome start out of the way, let's get into the new stuff. with no release date other than "soon", we know it's being animated by studio mir, a studio based in south korea ("anime" feels like a misnomer now but i won't get into that) and previously worked on legend of korra, voltron legendary defender, and star wars visions vol 2, to name a few.

hideaki itsuno, director of the dmc series since dmc2, tweeted that he was "supervising it properly!" (7)

there was also a promo for the netflix stream that showed ebony & ivory.. from the DmC reboot. which hopefully was a mistake. and that the reboot has nothing to do with the show.

here's the tagline for the show: "In this animated adaptation of the popular Capcom game, sinister forces are at play to open the portal between the human and demon realms. In the middle of it all is Dante, an orphaned demon-hunter-for-hire, unaware that the fate of both worlds hangs around his neck." aww, dante.

alright, now let's get into the trailer analysis..!! LET'S ROCK!!!!

dante..?

here's everyone's favorite devil hunter- wait. where is he? who is this? checks notes um. well. i guess this is supposed to be dante. white hair, red coat, twin pistols, confident smirk.. it has the key points of dante, but something is off OH GOD IS HE WEARING A SHIRT? (and suspenders??)

1. his shirt? now, in all other iterations of dante he wears a shirt yes. but fans of the series would know in dante's look in devil may cry 3, he very much doesn't wear a shirt. that iconic red jacket is the only thing standing between him and catching a cold in cerberus' icy chambers. not having a shirt tells a lot about dante as a 19 year old living on his own. who's got time for shirts? he just took a shower and a demon crashed into his office. he's only got time to put on his coat in a very cool and dramatic manner. but that's not the only thing different from his dmc3 design.

2. his hair. dmc3 dante's hair is nearing shoulder length, and is pretty flat. his bangs have a tendency to cover his eyes, but in the original game (not hd collection, which fucked with the textures), there was a bit of transparency. (8) of course i would not expect the same level of detail in animation regarding the hair, so some liberties must be taken. going forward acknowledging that when i further discuss his design, netflix dante's hair is totally different when it didn't have to be. his hair is much shorter, and kinda flares up in the back. it's more like lady's hair in that regard. his bangs are also totally different. with the middle part, it looks like much inspiration was taken from dmc5 dante's hair.

3. his coat. or whatever his shoulder pads that connect to the back of his coat (to hold his sword and pistols) are different. personally i feel they take up too much real estate on his coat's striking red. the shoulder straps are there for dmc3, but the back part of it looks inspired by dmc5 (minus the skull, sadly).

4. his amulet. if nothing else, this is what confirms it's an adaptation of dmc3 for me, since we haven't seen the amulet since dmc3, and chronologically, since dmc1. it went into the sparda, after all. i'm actually very happy it's visible on his neck, since in the game, it's only visible when he's coat-less (at the beginning of the game), or when it's relevant. otherwise it's tucked away. so here's the slightly concerning news. the amulet doesn't look like how it appeared in dmc1/3. in fact, it bears a closer resemblance to the reboot, with the brown string and lack of silver encasing. scary! that's scary!

5. his guns..? these don't look like ebony and ivory, seeing as they're the same color. but honestly that's intriguing to me. it's possible the show could cover what the pre dmc3 novel covers—how dante got his iconic twin pistols, and lost a friend in the process (nico's grandma, nell goldstein the gunsmith), which i would actually love to see how that would be done.

6. his sword (OR LACK THEREOF) WHERE IS REBELLION?! maybe he stuck it in a beast. it literally took me this long to realize it's not there. feels intentionally omitted. what happened to it..

7. his voice. he has a different voice actor. which is awesome because reuben langdon sucks shit as a person.

now, there is nothing wrong with a redesign! but i can't help but be disappointed. the art style is not my favorite so far concerning his ..face.. but i think his hair was truly the biggest loss, especially when dmc3 dante is my favorite. it just doesn't look like dante to me. it's always possible he'll change over the course of the show (lose the shirt and suspenders for one).. maybe he gets a haircut.. one can hope. and those pants man. lose the gray pants. dark brown looks better.

miscellaneous musings

the last section of this analysis is on all other visual elements besides dante's design. you might want to turn your brightness up for this part.

here's a shot of some industrial looking area—looks like cement floors, some crates and metal shelves. there's a table? a bench?? and a support pillar, which makes me think it's in some kind of warehouse, lit up with moonlight from windows. also dante disappears for a moment, only to reappear a moment later, which i want to believe is him using air trick. one can believe.

the first picture looks like a tail or something slamming into the wall, which dante was jumping to avoid in the shot. for the second and third pictures, something with a bat wing like appendage swings at dante, and it becomes veiny and much like a blade. there are no dmc3, much less any dmc enemies that this could belong to. i would place my bets on it being a new demon designed for the show, unless they are drawing from some other media (novels, 2007 anime) that i'm less familiar with the demons of. it could look cool, i'm always down to look at new demon designs.

and that's pretty much it! i hope you enjoyed reading this. i will be watching it when it comes out and will definitely have thoughts and strong opinions on it, and probably will more informally discuss any other promotional materials they may share.

(1) https://www.ign.com/articles/devil-may-cry-anime-scripts-done-multiple-seasons-dante-vergil (2), (6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i-bP9MSi0c (3) https://comicbook.com/anime/news/devil-may-cry-netflix-anime-producer-adi-shankar-update/ (4), (5) https://ftw.usatoday.com/2021/11/adi-shankar-interview-devil-may-cry-anime-netflix (7) https://twitter.com/tomqe/status/1707071614423310754 (8) really recommend this video for those interested in how the hd collection differs from the ps2 originals. also catbus has done one on dmc1 too. general flashing warning bc it's dmc. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USE6-uwB6gc

[juniperhillpatient]

ok, guess who has more to say about why I liked Stancy so much this season & where I think the show is going with it? this bitch. I'm late to the party so y'all got my liveblogs but now I'm like, thinking about & processing the season. & yes, I do have thoughts on characters other than Steve & Nancy too it's just that Steve & Nancy are more important. anyway. I feel like as much as it sucked that we didn't really see them interact post-breakup until now, it was almost necessary. They both had to grow & change apart to develop into people who could have a lasting relationship. As much as the love & chemistry were there from the start, they also had to grow as people before they could give each other their all. Also, they couldn't have shared too much screen time before it was their time again narratively because they're incapable of existing in the same vicinity without wanting to jump each other's bones. More below the cut because this got long :)

Steve's development & growth this season was a big theme. He himself outlined it specifically in his speech to Nancy about "crawling forward." Which is huge! In season 1 Steve NEVER would've been so self-aware or introspective. Last season we saw Steve & Nancy on separate adventures, both learning about themselves & growing. Steve specifically, had a lot of growing up to do. And looking out for the kids & becoming best friends with Robin (& accepting her rejection!) was huge for him. He grew into himself in terms of handling his platonic relationships & taking on a leadership role.

Nancy's grown a lot too, she's just not as talkative about it as Steve. Nancy is someone who's very reserved about her emotions. She's not afraid to take risks when it comes to fighting monsters, but when it comes to being vulnerable with another person, I think that she is. I do think that Nancy's romance with Jonathan, & his willingness to talk to her about how she's afraid of becoming her mom - of becoming complacent in life - as well as their adventures in high-stakes investigative journalism together - were important to Nancy's development.

I had honestly come to assume that Stancy was never going to be an endgame ship & that we'd be lucky to see them interact much in the future of the show. But as soon as they saw each other again this season the sparks were flying. Nancy is still not being honest with herself about her feelings or her relationship with Jonathan at this point but right away we see how she's curt with Robin thinking that Steve & Robin are a thing. Then when we really get to see them interact it's clear that all that chemistry is still there & that's why they couldn't interact much during the time she was having her romance with Jonatha. They're each other's first love, & that hasn't gone away.

But the thing is - yeah, they were each other's first love but also - they were never going to work out back then. They were both too immature & unsure about what they wanted or how to go about a mature relationship. This season though, we saw Steve take on a leadership role - something he never could've done in earlier seasons. We saw Nancy dive without HESITATION into the Upside Down to save Steve. We saw how desperate he was to help her when Vecna had her in a trance. We saw how well they worked together in The Upside Down. We saw them LITERALLY go back in time to when they were dating as they fought monsters together in another world.

Then, in the end...Nancy's still with Jonathan (even after admitting her concerns about the relationship to Robin) but the one focused conversation we get between them has him still lying to her, & her defending Steve to him. Not exactly promising for the future of their relationship.

So, here's my prediction for the final season: I think that we'll see Nancy really & truly overcome her emotional hangups when it comes to being honest about how she's feeling & what she wants. Again, Nancy is brave as fuck. The girl investigates murders & fights monsters & dives into hell dimensions without flinching. Something worth noting about Steve & Nancy's visions for their futures - Steve sees himself as a father, & that seems more important to him than any particular career. Nancy wants to go to a good school & have a career, & she does not want to become like her mother, stuck in a mediocre marriage or a life that doesn't fulfill her. Self-fulfillment as well as her education & career are the most important things to Nancy. I've seen some anti-Stancy people say that Nancy doesn't want kids, but she actually never says that so I'm ignoring it.

I think that we'll see more of Steve & Nancy working together & both taking on that leadership role they shared this season & kicking ass next season. Obviously, there'll be some focus on the love triangle. I know some of y'all hate that but I'm not opposed, I love love- triangles & I love drama & the Jancy vs. Stancy love triangle is fun to me. I think that what we'll find is that Jonathan (who I've talked about minimally in this post since it is a Stancy post) doesn't actually want the same things in life as Nancy, & isn't sure about their relationship. This season we saw how the relationship didn't seem to bring him anything but stress. Nancy will have sparks with Steve, OBVIOUSLY, this season has made it incredibly clear that these two are incapable of sharing a vicinity without sparks flying. And, well, I foresee more unambiguous signs of true love (as well as a confession from Nancy) next season! I wouldn't be surprised if Steve almost dies & Nancy gives an emotional confession at that point, which I personally would love :) (as long as it's just almost of course)

[ygodmyy20]

Ramblings about Separate Ways Arc

I am rewatching Mob Psycho 100 with my fiancée right now and wow, Separate Ways Arc was tough before but rewatching it was way harder.

I didn't really like Reigen much on the first watch through haha Until the end of season 2 that is. I was 100% with Ritsu. I thought "This guy is an asshole, how can he use someone like Mob like that?? Fuck him, I don't like him." I hate seeing a character get used by another—it reminds me too much of myself. So I had a weird satisfaction with Reigen digging his hole the first time I watched, like a character getting what was coming to them.

I was happy to see Reigen get dragged through the mud.

But then, I got to know Reigen's character more as the series went on. And after rewatching the start of the season and getting to this point, I was picking up so much more of Reigen's unsaid feelings, about himself, about Mob. I was seeing the little insecurities more, in different ways he was animated (even when over the top), in his dialogue, in just the framing of shots. God damn this show and all the little things it sprinkles in to add clarity and color to a character.

What I didn't expect on this rewatch, was feeling so sad watching these two episodes. All of his over the top antics, everything just made me...

really really sad.

Knowing that we're going to go from here...

to here...

God I just, I really get why people like him so much haha The separation arc rings so much more beautifully after I know where we end up. Reigen fucked up. Reigen said some bad shit. Reigen hurt the people he cares about, but in the end, Reigen cares so much, and his failure is like beautiful little vignette.

Shigeo is still my favorite character, and I love his arc above all else. But I am falling in love with Reigen's growth this second time around.

Even the monster of the week episode at the start of season 2, where he starts to really think about Mob and what his needs are, I felt myself being pulled into his character more than ever before. He had to be thinking about all that stuff when he says those awful things to Mob. Deep down he knew that Mob was struggling and trying to change, and he both wanted to embrace that because he knows it's right but also fears it because he is lonely.

God damnit Reigen. You and your...Reigen-ness. Making me feel shit.

ALSO I have been meaning to do little posts/thoughts as I rewatch with my partner. The Mogami Arc needs it's own post too, same with season 1 haha But maybe I can just start here, I dunno.

(I actually gave my partner a trigger warning before going into Mogami arc which I am glad I did that one was hard for him to watch)

[iboatedhere]

I just read Tim's comment, and – meh. It's one thing to read his ideas for this storyline, but a lot of what he's saying just didn't translate well onto screen, and we can only judge the finished product. Also not really a fan of the "if you don't like it, you can fuck off" attitude. If you put something out there, guess what, people are going to have feelings about it and comment on it. Especially if it's something we used to like very much and that suddenly feels different.

It's a swiss cheese plotline.

This gets long so:

He spent the first 90% of that comment justifying what happened in the past---which is not the part that anyone I've seen has a problem with and then follows it up with this doesn't have anything to do with TK which, I'm sorry, yes it does. It does when you decided to have Carlos be married when he accepted TK's proposal and only tell TK when his hand was forced. He's married, which is now stopping him and TK from being married. It has to do with TK when you have her walk out without signing the divorce papers, and leave him wondering if she will in time for him and Carlos to get married. When you send him to the shelter to talk to her. When you have Carlos blaming him for her going missing and then have Carlos being a dick to him all episode long. "Can't let go of bad relationship"....what does that even mean? Shooting daggers at him while he worked on Iris? Dude, c'mon.

He could have removed TK from this story. He could've dropped the marriage thing. He could've started with Iris going missing--Carlos found out about it at work or saw it on the news. That could've spurred the guilt plotline of him never checking up on her since she was found at the end of season 1. I could've bought that they were best friends all those years ago and now he's on a hunt to find her again. I could buy this kind of guilt and single minded focus as he throws everything he can into this investigation. I could see him pulling away from TK and the wedding planning because this is important to him, and TK doesn't know her and he doesn't understand what it's like to have someone you care about go missing, twice. He could still find her in that house, she could be okay, the detective still wouldn't believe her and Carlos would and he would go back out and get snatched by that serial killer and we'd be right where we are now without the slights to TK.

But to say that TK isn't involved in this, when his fiancé is married to someone else---whether it was legitimate or not--is just untrue.

To say that Carlos never thought about marrying TK until TK proposed.....They moved in together, they almost died together, he bought the loft for them---for their future--he sat there at TK's bedside after they were broken up for months, he listened to his mother call him the love of TK's life. And he never thought of marriage once? Except he had to have thought of something because Tim even said the only time he thought he could have more was when he first saw TK in the honky tonk that night....what more is he talking about?

Also to say that they just got engaged? After they've been touring venues? He said he thought he had more time, he thought he had 18 months, so clearly he'd been thinking of this. Suddenly it was cut to 8 weeks so he had to make a move. Even Andrea was surprised he hadn't told TK yet so this has been cooking for awhile.

I would honestly be okay with this plot---with Carlos having flaws--because he's human and of course he's not perfect--we saw in 3x13 that he's not perfect---if they were being viewed as flaws but they're not. By the end of 3x13 we saw some serious growth when he put aside his pride and his need to control and called Cooper because that's what TK needed. Currently, Tim has heaped on a mountain of questionable backstory with zero growth. Maybe it'll still happen. Maybe he'll have a dream conversation with Andrea like TK had with Gwyn last season and he'll see the light. I'm not gonna hold my breath, but I'm still hoping this will be resolved in a way that makes sense.

At the end of the day, he's holding onto this idea he had in season 1, cut for time, and then is expecting us all to roll with it two seasons later. There's no there-there. There's nothing on the show that we can look at and go oh yeah that makes sense. You threw this random plot in because he couldn't just kill his darling and move on. He could have had a successful variation of this. He still could have made this work. But he was stubborn and needed to have it this way, and he can do that. It is his show, they are his characters, but when the fans, the people that have watched this show from the start and care about it and the characters have some questions about it, I think that's legit.

But I'm also a big fan of never talking to the actors or creators about it. Talk shit in your own time, in your own space. You would never catch me dead leaving Tim a comment on Facebook of all places.

[devisrina]

(I have no idea if you've answered this b4) Who's ur fav? Benvi, Bela-Eric, or Danny/Mindy (Ryan/Kelly is not an option)?

Hello Anon! I actually have not answered this before. So I might have to describe each ship, so I can give you the gist of which is my favourite.

To be straightforward- My favourite is Bela Malhotra and Eric Miller.

And Because I love talking about these ships, I'm going to give you the rundown of how I view each ship and if I like them or not.

(SIDE NOTE: This is going to become a long post.)

Danny and Mindy - THEY ARE AN ABSOLUTE NO FOR ME. I have never liked them one bit. He was alright in season 1, and I did sort of see the potential. But if I'm being honest, I preferred Josh, Casey, Sam, and even Brendan Delaurier over that misogynistic dickhead.

And in season 2 of TMP, I preferred Cliff Gilbert Over any other love interest she had in that show. He was smart, sweet, and had nice banter with her. He genuinely had an interest in her. And it pissed me off so much how they ruined his character to make DANNY of all people seem to like her better match.

And believe it or not, it got worse. DANNY LITERALLY SA'd her in season 3 episode 4. And this issue got 'resolved' by him explaining to her that he was insecure about his experience and wanted to try it out. LIKE BITCH DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE, WITH words? He literally made her feel bad for something that he did when he violated her.

Ben and Devi - They are pretty neutral to me. I don't actually dislike them, nor do I love them. If you asked me in season 1 if I was either Team Ben or Team Paxton, I would've 100% said, Team Ben.

But now, I kind of just think that they kept fucking with their storyline. I got tired of the fact that we didn't even really see them date and how they would be in a relationship. I genuinely don't think that they would be toxic, they were really cute in season 4. But another thing that annoyed me quite a lot was the lack of communication, and the fact that Eleanor and Fabiola kind of push her away from ever really expressing to Ben how much she likes him. Like, Ben wants Devi to be open about her feelings, it really doesn't matter if she comes off looking uncool or not.

Also, I kind of liked how realistic Ben was in season 1 in comparison to how he is in the other seasons. In season 1, he was kind of like a mixture of himself and Ethan in the way he would respond to Devi. Like the way, he was just kind of chill and more grounded. they just made him super cocky in seasons 2 and 3 and then tried to give him growth beyond that. It was clear he kind of held a bit of resentment towards her after she broke his heart. I just wish that they quit trying to hit the replay button with them. They could've had more scenes together.

Bela and Eric - They are my favourites! They are the vibes, and like Quinn from Kappa says, "We have to preserve the vibes."

And I love to proclaim myself as one of the people who defended Eric even before season 2. I just thought he was capable of growing and changing. And I love how chill and unfazed he is by Bela, he sort of just accepts her for who she is. I love it so fucking much. It's not cringe, and it's very natural in comparison to Ben and Devi. I just see Bela and Eric as their ages and the writing team does a good job of connecting them to college life.

Because with Devi, you can kind of see when 'Mindy Kaling Dialogue' is set for her. And I wince every time I have to hear something along the lines of that. But with Bela, because the actress who plays her has this charisma where she doesn't really care what other people say, it just works. I know, Bela is insecure when it comes to how people view her, whether it is with her comedy writing, boys, making friends etc. The actress doesn't get enough credit for her variety and range.

Just to disclose, I am a Bela supporter. I think the fandom is too rude towards her, the fact that some of them even compare her to Ryan is truly gross to me. I don't like that she cheated on Eric, but it also kind of bothers me to see how many people were quick to dislike her. Especially since everything Eric says kind of gets swept under the rug the minute Bela does something shitty. And let's be honest, people love the 360 development of the 'asshole who is not so much of an asshole' and it happened with Eric. He literally heard her tell him that she was being ordered around by the comedian, and he just swivels in and takes the opportunity. Bela is not Innocent, what she did was horrible, and while the thing he did was not as wrong, it was still a shitty move. I've seen people dislike Bela since season 1, people will just jump at the chance to dislike her. And she got assaulted last season, and people overlook that because the narrative doesn't lead us into it. Like yes, the show is kind of shit when it comes to following up on major plot points, like with Whitney literally being Gr**med. But that doesn't mean that it didn't happen. It clearly affected her.

And people like to use the handjobs as a reflection of Bela always being sex-crazed. No, it just REINFORCES that she was broken even before college. She had all of this cultural pressure on her, she never had many friends, and she was nerdy and uncool. She had such a bad and negative view of herself before, so she's sadly just giving into any attention she might get even if it's bad.

And I think Eric would've been a good influence on her if they made a better choice in the way they wrote them. He warmed up to her in ep 10, he kind of just looked annoyed with her in Episode 1 of Season 2. There wasn't even any room left for subtext. After he gave her advice, and she left, he could've been seen looking at her walking away before he slowly closed the door. It could've been a parallel moment to the caution tape scene in the quad.

And the reason I loved Bela and Eric so much is that he was essentially who she would've been if she was more security with herself. Like, notice how she likes his glasses and his nerdy comedy vibe. He is the version that connects her to her old self where she was nerdy and loved comedy. Of course, she still loves comedy, but she tried to feed into that cool girl vibe. And that shows a lot about how she is with Priya. She is so insecure when she sees Priya's glow up and her jealousy of seeing how quick she got along with everyone kind of hurt her. It is wrong that she was projecting onto her, and it's not okay to be rude to people because they look nicer.

I think the most infuriating thing Bela did for me was when she was with Jorjia and ruined everything with the foxy. Evangeline and Jo were really on her side and it makes me sad that she self-sabotaged.

I do believe that Bela and Eric could get back together. But I think they need to develop a better connection as friends. Without the benefits lol.

I'm thinking that maybe they could have an encounter where they both have the same internship. At this point in time, Bela might be at another school if she did follow through with the transfer. Or she could still be in Essex, but they just don't talk to each other. Eric is mad at first and Bela doesn't blame him. Maybe there is a point where she helps him gain more exposure, and he kind of sees this as a silver lining. Like maybe she has changed. During this, Eric decides to let her in more and they have a nice friendship. He might try dating someone else for a bit, and Bela helps him navigate it because she doesn't want to be jealous or rude. I want her to go through therapy during this, so she can self-reflect. I think at some point Bela and Eric could have a moment where they almost kiss or gaze intently into each other's eyes. They kind of just brush it off, and Bela thinks everything is okay and it was a heat of the moment, thinking he didn't feel anything. But Eric wanted to kiss her. He might quit dating the girl afterwards because he realised he still has feelings for Bela. And because he's Eric, he kind of doesn't know how to deal with this, so he kind of pushes Bela away anytime they are at the internship and Bela asks him if he was okay.

And there could be a point where he almost sabotages the internship for himself and he bursts out the door. Bela could follow him out. Then she'd be like. "I have tried so hard to get on your good side. What else do you want?" It's kind of like a parallel to the summer theta party where Eric asks her what she wants.

Then he's feeling a mixture of conflict, anger, and everything above. But he knows he can't blame her. "I-I'm just mad."

And she shouts. "Why?!"

Then he's like. "Because you made end things with ____"

And she's all confused. "Why is that my fault?"

And then there is a moment of silence and the tension is thick. And she's like. "Well?"

And then he's like. "God damn it Bela-" and then he leans forward and they both know what is about to happen next when he kisses her.

It's all passionate, and then he releases for a second when they have to breathe, and they're all wide-eyed and their lips are swollen. And he says "Because she wasn't you."

And then following it, they slowly take their relationship slow. They talk to each other about their feelings, and they become an official couple this time.

So yeah, I didn't expect this to be such a long post. But yeah, thanks for the question!

[koala2055]

Yay opinion time:

Volume 2 kind of sucked.

Like sure, it had some great parts and I guess the plot worked, but it could have been so much better.

Eddie's death made no sense. I get that they wanted him to have a resolution of him not running for once and shit, but it didn't make sense for him to die because of it.

a) Steve survived numerous demobat wounds

b) All the bats died literally seconds later

It really didn't do much for Dustin's character growth either, tbh. Like sure it encouraged him to be responsible for the others but like really, Dustin was doing that anyway.

And Eddie had so much potential. The fandom loves him. There were so many things they could have done with his character, but no, they stuck to their formula and killed the new guy.

Which brings me to Max.

In that brief moment where I believed Max was dead, it hurt. Especially with Lucas and El there, unable to do anything about it.

It was powerful. And exactly what the group would have needed to push themselves forward.

I'm not saying I wanted Max to die. She was a brilliant character and this season she had so much development. But it would have been an amazing plot point, so much better than killing Eddie. It would show us that there are actually stakes here, that the characters aren't indefinitely shielded by plot armor.

As for the other deaths... I'll be honest I barely even realized Jason died. It was so fast and it really didn't mean anything.

Brenner's death was painted as a tragedy and I fucking hate that. I suppose I could understand his apparent change of heart with the whole Nina project, but after he trapped Eleven again- I don't understand how they were trying to paint him as a sympathetic character or whatever they were doing. That man was a monster and he deserved to die.

The cast and advertising for volume 2 promised deaths and we just... didn't get any good ones.

Which brings us to the other part of the false advertising, the queerbaiting.

There were three super strong queer ships after volume 1, and they were byler, steddie, and ronance.

Now I never put too much faith into ronance, it didn't seem like it made sense since they just introduced a love interest for Robin, so that wasn't too significant.

Steddie had a lot of support. And it definitely seemed like a possibility. But assuming their plan was to kill off Eddie anyway, I'll let it slide.

Byler.

The level of teasing and hinting at Byler from the cast was unprecedented.

And what happened?

Almost nothing.

Sure, we get more hints that Will is queer, but nothing is explicitly said.

And worst of all, they used Will's unrequited love to further mileven. That made me furious.

Complete queerbait.

I don't know why I expected better.

And many people have pointed out the problems with Mike's love monologue to El, so I'm not going to bother. It was stupid.

Mileven wasn't terrible at all, it had genuine build up and wasn't just romance for the sake of romance. But claiming that Mike fell in love with her the day they met is just- stupid. And making El need that speech to motivate her instead of just finding the strength within herself was a bit meh.

I'll probably make another post with the things that they did right, but for now I'm done ranting.

[minalblood]

Ep 2 is here now and I gotta say, the fact that Lata just finds all things monster fascinating is my fav thing cuz that is just me. Her playing with the jaw of the zombie was adorable and I wish i could've done the same. Carlos finding it disturbing just added to the charm of the whole scene.

Millie immediately yelling at John before he even got the chance to exit the car was oof, big oof. Mainly cuz it reminded me of my own mother's control tendencies. And because of that, I also tend to try and understand her point: admittedly John could've died and she wouldn't have know anything til after the fact. I get that fear, especially after the 2 years of no contact and likely a not good break before that with John at war. But fuck if she didn't just make it way harder for John to ever try bridging that gap or learning actual skills on dealing with conplex shit like that because she was just unreasonable about it all and taking it out on him. And the fact that La Tunda is actually calm when talking to John later is sooo interesting. I can't say she was nicer than Millie, cuz she wasn't but it def counts as another of those [insert crowley here saying :so my demons were too polite?] moments. I just found it all soo interesting and I have to add thay sadly her story at the end of the episode where she tells John about her and Henry's dealing with arguements doesnt actually help her case too much because of how she reacted initially. All thay teaches John is that he can take out his fear on others and then smooth it over with an "ull understand when ure older/had kids/been through similar shit" she is somply not constructive at all. But it a bit of an improvement because she, i believe, meant it as an explanation and apology despite it sounding as an excuse to me.

John being clearly not a pro at hunting or even just the type of fighting style hunting requires (and especially with a group of hunters) sent me. It's soo good. And it just makes me think of SPN!John learning to hunt and with the trauma of Mary's death it suddenly seems like even more reasons he didn't engage with a hunter's network. He just isn't a team player in that sense, he's too hyperfocused on his own fight that he loses sight of anyone else, and more than that, he had to have learned to adjust the fighting style he'd known to something that would work for hunting. It was basically ego and refusal to change, surpise surprise. TW!John tho keeps trying even after he fucks up, and while Im sure the constatly getting splashed with monster guts isnt fun, he doesn't have the same hang ups about not being perceived as indestructible. He essentially rolls with the punches and learns and is allowed to have flaws on display. Its not the pedestal SPN!John is put and puts himself on.

Mary's bullheadedness is absolutely fantastic in an extremely frustrating way. She is so fixated on getting through the case as fast as possible so she can get back to finding her dad that I actually got some season 1 Sam vibes from her this episode. I will say I find it soo interesting we got a John focus, cuz we all know the Cambells aren't that off for La Tunda to go for. Carlos giving her a pep talk about it and also admonishing her for her behaviour is def deserved and just top notch friendship tbh. As is the Cabaret gag with Mary, Carlos and Lata. It shows in a small but important way that these 3 def have a history and it's a long and intricate one. And u see even more later after John gets taken. It's in the way they talk to each other even in a high stress situation. Also Mary ackowledging she fucked up and thanking Caelos at the end... ughhhh I love growth.

Ada get to show off a bit more in this one, her scrying was genuinely sooo good, like this episode does a fantastic job of making you ask yourself what is actually up with Ada, whats her deal?? Because on the one hand, she recognized the flower off the top of her head and helped Lata instantly, on the other hand the way the scrying was shot was almost unnearving. And im not sure if it's cuz spn got me/us used to seeing scrying done by villains or as a subterfuge tactic or what, but yea, it added another air of mystery to Ada. And then u you have her conversation with Millie which has a hell of a ripple effect cuz I genuinely believe it's that converation that led to her actually trying with John at the end a bit. It's not solving anything broken there yet, but it does help. And adding ehat we know of about Ada's past to this makes me cry cuz shes just trying to prevent Millie from making the same mistake she had basically.

Carlos was more mediator this episode. Between the Lata and Carlos show (as per usual their friendship is everything to me) and seeing the complexity of that relationship as it stands and their dynamic with each other, to lecturing Mary on her behaviour, to just being highly competent at the job overall. Like they might not have done too much in the foreground, but damn if it wasn't a shitton of background work there. You can tell here that for all the "Im a solo act " bravado, Carlos is actually very much a team player and it's due to the emotional inteligence they have thats on full display here, in their usual jokey manner of course, that thats the case.

Aaaannd we get the 1st mention of Betty in this. I won't touch on that in this one but I like Betty a lot.

The end of this episode is my fav thing. Because it's pizza and joking and hanging out beside having the plot move forward once Ada brings up what shes been up to this episode. And still the focus isn't on the demon memories, but on them bonding. Uhhhh I love it.

We also have the 1st glimpse of the Akrida and if you were skulking around here when the show was airing in autumn u know I think the Akrida are adorable and I want a plushy with them. So the pure joy the shot of who we now know is likely Roxy with all them little critters around gave me cannot be overstated.

This ep def is much better paced than the Pilot, and also just lays clear the main there of this show, which is intergenerational trauma. It literally slaps u with it, it's front and centre and will continue to be shown in its many varried forms as the show progressed and I fucking love it for that because ultimately that is what Dean is doing here, beside once more saving the world. He is like i said, woeking through his own intergenerational trauma through these young versions of his parents that haven't yet had more trauma pilled onto them.

Stay tuned for ep 3 whenever I find the time to rewatch it!

[ruiniel]

Storm

Fandom: Castlevania animated series (2017-2021)

Rating: G

Relationships: Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades

Characters: Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades

Tags: melancholy, Trevor Belmont POV

Summary:

A short written a while ago for trephaweek Day 1: Stormy weather.

Set after the events in season III.

He looks to where Sypha lies on her side, knees drawn to her chest and forearms crossed over her face. The rain is incessant, pelting the stretched canvas of their cart, the only sounds loud enough to matter in the afternoon's gloom. 

Having fed and tied their horse to a sheltering tree, Trevor climbs inside, rubbing his stiff hands together. He wipes his face with his sleeve and slinks over to their ‘bed’, a folded arrangement of cloaks and straw.

It’s been a week since Lindenfeld. A full fucking week of wondering where it all went so horribly wrong, and how they found themselves in the middle of it once again — someone else's story.

The hunter shuffles towards his Speaker, whose state had gradually gone from hopeful excitement about making a difference in the world during the first days of their travels, to cold and morose, to an ever-present melancholy; he can’t blame her, not when nausea takes him whenever the thought of those little boots arranged so daintily in a murderer’s hoard crosses his mind.

“Syph,” he calls softly.

No answer. Trevor curls up closer, listening for anything to give him an inkling of her present mood, but it’s pretty fucking obvious, isn’t it? And despite her prickly demeanor when she’s being crowded — a remnant, she says, from growing up with a large family, with little privacy — this time Sypha merely sighs as her body softens against him. She’s tired and sore, they both are.

“Are you cold?” Trevor asks, lying down and pulling her closer until his chest presses into her back. Wisps of rebellious hair tickle his nose as Sypha shakes her head. The rain still falls; faraway thunder joins in, roiling and rumbling. They spent the last of their earned coin in the previous town on bed and board, and some days they must make do with the amenities offered by their only possession, the wagon cart.

“We were so far from the truth,” Sypha murmurs out of nowhere.

So that’s where you are. Trevor brings her even closer to him. “We... we tried.” Not good enough. He was always shit at this, never a comforting word to leave his mouth. That’s a skill he’d always attributed to her.

His arm folds around her even as Sypha’s hand finds his own. It’s so long, spindly, and thin, that one would be hard-pressed to believe the unfettered power those fingers can wield. “I’m sorry,” she says.

The rain drowns out her words, stronger in its mourning as fat droplets fall in an endless pitter-patter, weaving with his thoughts, diluting the darkness within them. The thunder cracks like a heavenly whip.

“... for what?”

“For…” Sypha curls more into herself, and there are few things he wouldn’t do to make it all go away, to heal that festering wound of defeat and regret gaping wide in her chest. “For pushing us so much, for thinking we’ll make a difference. You were right, Trevor. The world is rotten and two people, even people with our skill, won’t make—“

“Hey,” Trevor blurts, because this isn’t right, and no way in hell is she picking up that shit-eating hopelessness he’s trying so, so hard to get rid of. He’s doing it for himself but owed to her, and everything he’s become, the growth he’s known since crawling out of his own ass and doing what he’s meant to be doing — it’s all her.

I know who I am now.

Trevor weaves slow fingers in her hair; it’s grown longer now and could use a trim again, something that took her a hilarious amount of time to trust him with. “I’ve learned a thing or two from these past weeks.”

The storm breaks the silence, gaining berth outside and settling like a third soul between them.

“Such as?...” Sypha finally asks. Her fingers sweep over his bruised knuckles, and he’s a selfish prick but a prick that’s never felt such relief as when she’s with him, a presence so steadying Trevor wouldn’t know what to do with himself, were she to be taken away; which is something he’ll never allow to happen if it kills him (it probably will).

“The world is shit,” says Trevor Belmont, “but we’re certainly not.”

A snort. “Trevor…”

“I’m serious,” well, this is harder than he thought. Come on, Belmont. “We did everything we could to prevent people from getting hurt. We did our part and gave our all. Nothing will change that.” He buries his nose in the nape of her neck, inhaling the embers and the winter frost and the distinct fragrance of her skin.

“We failed, Trevor. We failed them.”

“We did not fail. You and I did not fail.” More silence. More rain. “Will you trust me on this one? Yeah?” 

She doesn’t believe him, not now, that much he knows. Who is he to ask such a thing of her, anyway? But Sypha nods in acquiescence; does it for him. He knows that, too.

“That’s all I ask,” Trevor says. It’s enough, an opening. Enough for them to try again, to work around it all, to drag themselves out of this together as they’ve done before. His arm still around her, the hunter drifts away, body falling to exhaustion; holding her tighter than he’s ever held anyone in scores of years in their makeshift home on wheels at the edge of another small, obscure village.

[shushthisaintmytumbla]

I guess its the Summer Solstice so here we are again! 6/21/23

Wow I knew I neglected my last pot but here we are back even later than the last one! Like i say everytime it is wild to see how much has changed in my life the past couple of years. Ups down and everything in between I come back to this spot everytime and see the growth I’ve made. All by myself. All for myself. I cant always see it but moments where I read back on the past I am brought right back to those moments and never lose sight of how I felt in the past. 

I keep seeing on TikTok that today is a Summer Solstice meaning it is a great opportunity for manifestations so lets try this out why not! I guess I’ll start by giving a quick synopsyis of my life from the past 10 months or however long (wow sorry I abandoned this for that long!!!!)

Lets start with Work. I am still at the same OI job and feel like I have grown sooo much. I cant say im perfect at my job, but I know I have made a shit load of progress that i’m very proud of. I shifted off of working with my mngr which has made the biggest impact on my happiness at the job. I was going from having weekly panic attacks to not even having to review a single email anymore. I am really proud of myself for treading through the mud and getting to the point where I am at now. Now for the manifestation segment. I am going to get a promotion soon. This SUMMER! I FEEL IT. I am such a hard worker and really have gained the experience to move up in the company. I am confident it will happen in the next couple months. I cant wait to come back here and tell you all about it. It will be my first real promotion at a job which is something that I’ve really wanted to achieve since I havent gotten to this point at any of my previous jobs. You got this Case. 

Now for relationships. Tricky subject and yep you guessed it D is still around. I have tested a coupe other relationships with E and A and C... but somehow D makes it through the motions of every single season. I do want to touch on E for a sec. I have grown to build an amazing relationship with him, but I havent seen him for a few weeks and I feel like the relationship is starting to fade. Im sick of getting 100% and then a week later not even 1%. I am fully aware it has nothing to do with me and more so his own struggles, but I do need to realize at the end of the day that its ok to want more from someone and he cant give me what I need as much as hes shown me how I can be treated in a healthy way. He’s the boy Ive always dreamt of how someone can treat/care for you, but this story just isnt ours at this point in time. Who knows what the future holds. Now D. Oh boy. As we all know its been a fucking roller coaster. I have felt the highest of highs w him and the lowest of lows. I do hold love for him (but not so sure ive ever been in love... idk what that even is lmao). We’ve gotten to a point where I feel like I have been holding my power for quite some time now. I don’t have the same anxieties as I had for him in the past and i don’t prioritize him over others. We’ve tried not speaking (jan 2023) for a couple weeks and ultimately he just came back and I allowed it. I cant cut him out of it killed me. It’s so fucking hard. I am working on figuring out his place in my life and how we can carry on without hurt, but I feel like I am slowy falling back in the trap/cycle. We had a really nice day together the other weekend and I felt those anxious attachment feelings creeping in... I need to remember the things that have happened and try to prepare for the worst, but is it crazy to say that what if we are meant for each other? The other day I was able to imagine being in a relationship with him and it shocked me how I felt so good the whole day. Idk prob the worst thought ever but.. idk.. why are we magents to each other? Lastly I wanna touch on friendships and new york life. My friends here are still the same (but Karina now lives in Miami) and I love them so much, but I’ve been feeling myself longing for my relationships in LA. There are many weekends where my friends here are out of town and I feel left alone many times. In LA I would have the comfort of my family when friends arent around, but theyre 100s of miles away from me. I really miss them so fucking much it hurts. I think the longer I am away the more and more I realize how special my family is. I especially feel bad being away from my mom. She asks me nearly everytime we talk when I’ll come back and little does she know I’ve been toying with the idea of returning once my lease is up. If not that I think I have 1 year left in me. It still shocks me to say it and feel confident in that, but I really miss my family. Thats truly the only thing pulling me back bc I love this city and who I have become here so damn much. Im not putting too much pressure on the decision as I still have 10 months on my lease, but it is in the back of my mind. I feel like I’ll lead myself to the right choice soon though. So much would change though. I told D the other day about the idea and he said he would be so sad which kinda surprised me. It would be the end for us if I did move back which im not sure is a good or bad thing. Sometimes I tell myself the love of my life is not here and I wont meet them till I move back lol. Im not sure where the future is gonna bring me, but im confident in myself to do what is right for me. Leaving my friends here would also be horrible, but at the end of the day if they are the friendships I believe them to be, we will still be as close as ever and planes exist!! I guess thats kinda it for now. But this is still the start to an amazing summer with so much fun in store I can feel it!!! I have a trip to the shore coming up next weekend and then im going back home for my bday end of july - aug. Later in the summer I am going to portugal with my family!!! and something BIIGGGG is gonna happen in the fam :o Cant write it in words here till it happens. Until then, I love you. Im proud of you. and life is always working out in my favor. <3  Love,

C