#he's going to be so powerful in s5 and i can't wait!!!!!!!

[bylertruther]

thinking out loud here, but i'm still not over just how much will has been able to grow into himself even despite all of the outside forces in his life trying to prevent that.

in a pre-season one flashback, we see will wanting to go to a baseball game with lonnie even if he doesn't actually like the sport, because he wants to spend time with his father. he's hesitant to say anything negative about lonnie trying to force him to like "normal" boyish things and doesn't stick up for his own interests. jonathan then encourages him to like what he likes regardless of what anyone thinks and tells him that he especially shouldn't be listening to lonnie who we know has abused will for being gay. it ends with will saying that he genuinely does like the clash, being given jonathan's mixtape, and happily headbanging along to the beat. it's a step in the right direction and i feel that it, and the way that will is so unapologetically will and thus surrounds himself with all that he loves, proves that his brother's support worked. will knows that he can like what he likes, that he doesn't have to conform to other people's beliefs of what he "should" like, and that there are people who will support him and his interests.

in season two, we see that will is struggling now with the last part of this ordeal: other people's lack of support in him and his interests. will continues to be a nerdy artsy little dweeb, but he's struggling with feeling like an outcast. it's worse now because of the whole upside down stuff: now, instead of just being a fairy or a nerd, he's mostly zombie boy. at school he continues to get bullied and his friends and family's support has changed. instead of being comforting, it's now smothering. they treat him like a baby, like he could shatter at any moment, and that makes him feel like a freak. that's what upsets him. he doesn't want to change himself, he wants to change how people view and treat him. he doesn't resent who or what he is, he resents how others treat him as a result of it. it isn't "why am i this way?" it's "why do you all have to treat me like that? why must you make me feel bad for something that isn't bad? why don't you believe in me or see me?" and it's that treatment which leads him to calling himself a freak--something we haven't seen or heard him do before, and this is because now he feels like he has no one (except for mike) that sees him for who he was and still is. and again, jonathan offers will support. he reassures will that he isn't anything Bad, that he's cool and his Otherness is what makes him even better and cooler. that conforming is bad, because when did anyone "normal" ever accomplish anything? he manages to somehow find a silver lining in will's feelings of being excluded/other / changes his perspective on it and makes him feel better. he also then takes what will said to heart by giving him more space to be independent and letting him go trick or treating on his own; aka, he quits treating will differently and treats him as he would treat anyone else, which means the world to will because that's what he wants: equal treatment. it isn't his otherness that makes him feel like a freak, but the way that people treat him that does.

in season three, will is undeterred in his efforts to get the party to play games like they used to. he trudges on even when they keep saying no and sets up his game anyway. he dresses up for it, plays music for it, and really throws himself into being the dm, trying his best to immerse them all in this and have fun for once without caring to be "cool" or "grown up". will is treated as being childish for this, but he's really not. he doesn't give a fuck about being cool or what he should or shouldn't be doing at his age, as if games have an age limit and you're supposed to suddenly drop all of your interests for more boring things when you become a teenager. he continues to be himself unapologetically until his best friends make a joke out of him and his efforts. at the end of the season we see will donate his dnd books, but he isn't throwing this away forever or ashamed of it. he just has no intention of joining another party and so he won't need them in the meantime and wants to give them to someone who'll actually use them. he even tells mike as much by saying he'll just borrow his stuff if they still want to play. we're reminded of how he hasn't given up on dnd in season four, too, which shows him painting their party and telling mike about them playing games for the rest of their lives (something that mike tried to use against him in their fight, which again... will didn’t shrink away from. he said yes, yes i do want that, and left mike to sit in his shame for it). he hasn't given up on his interests, he's just done trying to beg them to partake in them with him.

and thennnn in season four we undoubtedly see will being even more open and more himself, even if it presents differently than we've seen it before. he picks alan turing for his hero presentation that he has to give in front of the entire class. he spends so much time on a secret "for his crush bc he's been acting weird" painting that's for mike and literally puts a cute heart on his shield lol. he's been acting weird and different to the point where el picks up on it and thinks he has a crush and so does jonathan when he actually spends sober time with him later on. this is the first time that anyone has clocked will on screen, which means he's been acting differently/more openly than he has before and it's obvious to those that observe him and know him. he clearly wants to tell mike about his feelings, but is too scared and doesn't want to hurt him or his sister. (and this was told to us by the duffers.) he's dropping domers on mike time after time in each and every heart to heart, many of which are secretly alluding to his sexuality or his feelings for him. he sings neverending story without caring. he tells mike they could all commit fraud in vegas so that they never have to work and could just play games for the rest of their lives. he literally confesses his love for mike and pours his heart out while gifting him the painting but then slaps el's name on it because he needs to get it out but doesn't want to hurt his friendship with mike. and then when jonathan confronts him in the kitchen he tells will what he's always told him year after year: that he will always be there, will always support him, will always love him, and that there isn't and never has been anything about will that could change his love for him. and will knows what jonathan is talking about here. it's no longer about sports or being babied. he knows that jonathan is talking about his feelings for mike/his sexuality. and he doesn't shy away from it or deny it. he accepts jonathan's love and says he'll always be there for him, too. he lets jonathan see him and the relief of that fucking breaks him because for once he has someone to help shoulder the burden of keeping it a secret, even if just for a moment.

like... i just don't have the words to describe how much i love will. will, who could very easily internalize the hate that people have had for him his entire life, but doesn't. will, who could very easily believe that his otherness, whether it be trauma or sexuality related, is something that makes him Bad, but doesn't. instead he feels better for it when he's with those that know and love him, who don't treat him any differently than anyone else. will, who is strengthened by love. will, who has been hurt and refuses to hurt others. will, who has been through so much more than he ever deserved, but has come out stronger because of it.

i just... i love him! so much! so, so, so much! his story is heartbreaking, but so inspiring, too, and it'll continue to turn around next season when he sees that he's surrounded by people who love him more than anything and don't think any differently of him for any reason, no matter what; when he realizes and truly believes that he is and always has been their equal, and that there's nothing that could ever change that.

[bugsbenefit]

every time i see something relogged on my dash that says "remember guys we know xyz already" and then it's a screenshot of an anonymous curiouscat message someone got i die a little inside. think about what you're saying for a second that is not credible in any way, anyone can send messages like that hell, I could have sent that too for all anyone knows 😭 literally go off with theorizing but seeing people try to back it up with random anon claims is so frustrating, it'd be more credible if you just reasoned it without needing to rely on anonymous socmed users. especially because i check twt for (provable) leaks too and i've seen these accounts myself. and they always have a slew of anon "leakers" that either contradict each other or just say things we already know will happen based on what the crew have said. and then i go on tumblr and everyone cherry picks the "real" leaks from these anons because they like what anon is saying and is ignoring the batshit insane anon right after who's saying their fav is dying or something

old man yells at cloud here but it's just so stupid to see. random anon socmed users getting presented as real proof that can make or break a theory is the dumbest thing i can't take any of your other takes seriously if you do that help. getting an irl eye roll every time

[theerurishipper]

Gotta appreciate how the Paris special is being consistent with Ladybug not giving any emotional support back to Cat Noir in their partnership.

He is instantly supporting her the moment she starts freaking out again while he was now forced to Cataclysm the SECOND person in one day and that being his own evil alternate self. Both Monarch and Claw Noir forced Cat Noir to cataclysm them because their both suicidal wrecks.

One would think at one point Marinette would even just ATTEMPT at trying to give Cat some kind of emotional support in what he's constantly going through. But no I guess?

Ladybug never ever gives any support back in return besides the barest minimum she absolutely HAS to while constantly being showered in his support.

Man, she's just a bad partner at this point. And leader. And guardian. And friend too. Why is she being characterized like that, how am I supposed to NOT call this out for the awfully one-sided dynamic this is? Of course Adrien by the s5 finale ended up fearing his one powers and emotions so badly that he gave himself up because of the nightmares and his circumstances. He can't ask Ladybug for help in anything and Marinette is out here not reacting accordingly as a partner should to the most obvious fucking problems Cat Noir could have in front of her eyes!

Why does she apparently need an invitation and 30 pages essay of explicitly explained proof that Cat after having been forced to cataclysm Monarch and Claw Noir MIGHT for once actually need the emotional support from his friend, partner, leader and guardian!

Who could have fucking guessed! Oh wait everyone with a braincell could and SHOULD be able to figure that, then why is Marinette Galaxy brain Dupain-Cheng STILL doing nothing in this dynamic besides receiving??

At this point, I've honestly just given up on expecting that the writers will ever allow Marinette to return the support Chat Noir gives her. He literally just got back from being forced to Cataclysm someone and had it happen again, and we didn't even a get a little enquiry from her asking if he was alright. She saw that he was horrified, she herself was horrified, but not even a second was spared to ask him if he was okay after that. And yet, he gives her a pep talk when she breaks down again (this is the second time tonight) and supports her through it again. And true enough, he couldn't overcome this issue, and guess who spent the finale locked in a white room because he got no support from anyone for anything?

Shadybug and Claw Noir post-redemption are probably gonna have a healthier relationship than main universe Ladynoir atp. I almost wish we could just watch their relationship develop instead.

Thank you for your ask!

[mcgnagallsarmy]

Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (Sept 2023)

A Game of Getting Caught by EllieRose101 [NC-17]

The eternal question: What is the most powerful force in the universe? Buffy's denial, Spike's need to prove her wrong, or Xander's pig-headedness? (Set in a world in which Riley doesn’t visit Sunnydale in Season Six, so the Spuffy sexcapades continue––and so do the close calls of almost getting caught by the Scoobies.)

The Bad Penny by OffYourBird [R]

Six years ago, Buffy made a home in a new dimension with a Spike who defied every rule to be by her side. Now it’s time to put to rest unfinished business in her original dimension. However, a visit there quickly turns apocalyptic, and at the heart of it is the two vampires who set Buffy's original journey in motion, and both of them have a lot of explaining to do.

Best Wishes by bookishy, Dusty, Grief Counseling, ashcrashed, MaggieLaFey, womanaction [R]

Well Hell's Bells! It's a Sunnydale style wedding! You know what that means: things are going to go very very smoothly.

Binding Effects by simmony [R]

What was supposed to be a simple truth spell takes a dark turn when Buffy can suddenly read Spike’s feelings—and he hers.

Future Happiness by EllieRose101 [R]

High School is over and Angel is gone, leaving Buffy worried about what lies ahead. At least until Willow tries to help. (Set in the summer between Seasons Three and Four. Mostly.)

The Future is Ours by DarkEternity96 [NC-17]

What if in mid-Season 4, Spike demands another spell from Willow, in a last-ditch attempt to get Dru back… but rather than having her cast a typical love spell, Spike wants to travel forward in time, to experience the future Drusilla claims she ‘sees’, and prove to her that there is bugger all between him and the Slayer. Cue the spell going awry, and S4 Spike being trapped in the body of his future self, in the very unexpected world of Season 6. And you can only imagine Spike’s utter shock when a lust-fuelled Buffy turns up at his door…

Night Swimming by Geliot99 [R]

An unexpected heatwave in mid-March is reason enough for an impromptu pool party for the Scoobies. But when Richard takes a second stab* at winning Buffy's affections, Spike is all too keen to show her how much fun night swimming with a vampire can really be… *see what I did there? Set between 'Older and Far Away' and 'As You Were'

Right Where You Left Me by acekoomboom [R]

Buffy is a newer ghost, as far as ghosts go, and she can't move on. She sits in the corner she haunts, right where he left her, waiting for him to return. Time moves differently for the dead. Haunted Diner AU.

Taste and Temptation by RavenLove12 [NC-17]

For a sticky sweet, tasty treat: Take one stressed-out Slayer, add one snarky vampire, place in an empty house and mix well. Bake on high and top with whipped cream.

Thing of Doom by Sunalso [Adult Only]

AtS S5. Things go a little off canon in Destiny and Buffy ends up with a whole lot more than she bargained for. Human? Demon? What makes Spike who he is and what’s a girl to do with the love of her life when he’s double the trouble?

[fluffypotatey]

Hello hello, S5 ep 9 let's-a-go! Warning, this one is BRUTAL. QXT: Macaque, what are you doing! M: Xiaotian, stop! You don’t need to do this. QXT: I do need to do this! M: I did tell you before to make your own choices, but this isn’t the way Xiaotian! QXT: You don’t understand. If I don’t do this, everyone will be done for! Everything will be destroyed! M: It doesn’t always have to be you! There’s always another way! QXT: But this is the only way! M: That’s not true. You don’t get it! Nines: Who says…*interrupts/traps* ...he doesn’t get it? Not bad. Who taught you that trick? Who did you make a deal with? M: What deal? Nines: Well, that’s not important. Everything’s ending soon anyways. The Harbinger of Chaos knows his mission. Only by sacrificing himself will you all be able to live. Nines is a real piece of work, making it seem like MK has a choice. That he doesn't care what he does, okay bud. Says that he's tired of being controlled by others LOL. Oh, the irony is enough to make this EP taste metallic. Tired of humans locking themselves in cages, ignoring chaos and destiny, etc. The quiet, seething way Macky asks "what deal?" almost seems guarded. Haha, perhaps he knows. MK saying "not this time" feels like a parallel to another episode, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe something Wukong said? Yeah, that sounds right. "Sorry bud. Not this time." Yeah, S3 no? Wasn't there something like that?SWK: Xiaotian, no! Macky, watching this: *sighs* Even if this doesn’t work, I still gotta give it a shot. HELLO SIR YOU TOTALLY KNOW WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR WEIRD POWERS HUH? I'm skipping some parts, mostly the gang and Nine bc this ep is loaded, but note the way Mac's shadows infiltrate and surround the midsection where the power core usually is. SWK: Huh? What? My boi just turned himself into a shadowy nuclear bomb. I don’t like his prospects for the next season. Nines: You- what did you do? Why have I been separated from the chaos? I- I can’t feel it anymore! What did you do?! *screams lungs out as Macky gasps for breath on the ground.* HELLO MACKY IS MY POWER STEALING HC TRUE???? AYOOOOO Nine's is really flipping here, voice going all glitchy, robotic and echo-y. SWK: Macaque, you good? M: What are you waiting for? Stop Xiaotian! It's all about the tentative way Wukong steps forward and asks and Macky is clearly unwell...Is it worse or better than he was down for longer after fighting possessed!Wukong so we couldn't see his half-lidded eyes/struggle for air. He got himself up in the background of the SunBurst hug in a way that could be memed, but this? Nope. I brought it up bc I wanted to see if possessed!Wukong was holding back bc someone said he was re: laser eyes, maybe they meant him not using it until that fight, or the slow way(?) it charged up bc some part of him didn't want to kill Macky, idk. SWK: I won’t let you sacrifice yourself! QXT: Don’t stand in my way, Monkey King. Please. SWK: Not a chance, Xiaotian. You never abandoned me, and I won’t ever abandon you. QXT: Don’t force my hand, Monkey King. EVILLLLLL. JUST LIKE WUKONG SAID TO MACAQUE- don’t make me do this, Liu’er! SWK: No, Xiaotian. Don’t force mine. DOUBLE EVIL OH MY GOSH HE SAID THE THING AND HIS EYES WENT BRIGHT GOLD HE MEANS BUSINESS. They gave us serious scary Wukong FR.

I’m starting to see how things so easily went wrong for Macky. Wukong does NOT play around, even if you’re MK. Seeing him use the same spell LBD used to trap Macky on top of all this is making me LOSE IT.

QXT: No! No! SWK: There is still a lot I haven't taught you yet. QXT: Monkey King, please! This is my destiny! This is the only way! Let me just say I HATE the expressions Wukong has been making this entire episode. They're ruining me. This one too. SWK: Yes. You're right. It seems like this really is the only way to save everyone. QXT: Then- Then let me go! SWK: Nuwa, or destiny. No matter how you look at it, as long as we came from the same stone... QXT: What? SWK: You don't have to bear this destiny. Let me bear it. QXT: No! Monkey King! SWK: This world needs you, Xiaotian. Thanks...for everything. QXT: Monkey King! Stop, please! THE DRAMA FLUFFY THE DRAMA-! AND WUKONG IS CRYING AS HE FLIES AWAY- and then MK USES THE FREAKING SPELL. I swear everybody is trying to hurt each other and squabbling for the right of who gets to sacrifice themselves first and I'm FLIPPING. WHAT IS THIS?!?!?! This is what happens when you put two sacrificial morons with personal issues in a room together. SWK: No! Xiaotian! No! No! Stop Xiaotian! QXT: I'm sorry. I will be the one to bear my destiny. SWK: Stop! Don't Xiaotian! So anyways, Fluffs. We had all this angsty audio about Wukong crying/yelling if MK got hurt taken from Goku...and now we have to HEAR IT FOR REAL. And like, his VA is seriously good and I think I'll be crying for months if I heard that. I'm going to be crying to YOU about it and that is a threat. We'll cry together. I can kind of see Buddhist influence here since the cycle of reincarnation, while normal here for the characters, is actually the goal to "escape from." So to MK, it's not a good thing. Asides from how much angst Wukong gets from it. You would think it'd be like "oh I get to meet my friends in the next life" but nada, MK here is shook by it. Tho maybe it's because it's not natural, letting them live out to the end, but forcing it early?

OH MY GOD EPISODE 9

I TOOK ALL THE SUNBURST DUO SCREENSHOTS THAT MADE ME FERAL

like…..HELLO?????? 911?????? THERE’S BEEN A MURDER

AND THE FUCKING EXPRESSION BEFORE THE FIGHT🫠🫠🫠🫠 I AM SOBBING

[forgive me for the bad quality 🤧]

AND SWK SO READY TO TAKE MK’S OLAXE BECAUSE “hey, we’re from the same stone, so this destiny of yours should also be tied to me” AND WHAT IF I DIED???? WHAT IF THIS DIALOGUE STABBED ME???? LMK ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES

and the way Macky mourned Wukong privately while everyone else cried for MK (bc they assumed the Pillar repairing itsel meant swk failed) since he knew the Monkey King would try to take MK’s place i— 🫠

also Pigsy trying to change MK’s mind and when that didn’t work:

SOMEBODY SEDATE ME 😭

THATS HIS SON!!!! THATS HIS LITTLE BOY WHO LOVES NOODLES AND SUCKS AT DELIVERING THEM AND SPENDS MOST IF HIS WORK HOURS LISTENING TI TABG’S STORIES BUT PIGSY WOULDNT HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY

🫠

also i think @/lunarwandering mentioned this in a post of theirs but Nines is so confusing lmaooooo like bro 🤨 do you or do you not want MK to sacrifice himself???? “i am giving you the choice he free!!! but i will also make sure to stop your friends from stopping me and you from operation Commit Die!”

the way he snaps at being called a monster 👀 Nines please share in a way that isn’t the Allegory of the Cave (like sir, that is Greek Philosophy come on) (tho interesting that the borders of the “cave” from ep8 looked like Nuwa 👀

ans Nines clearly has some beef with Nuwa 👀 so. what’s up with that)

i have so many questions about Nines

[thrandilf]

okay. for the first time in my life I'm using the #tdp critical tag because I have some things to get off my chest about s6 and I desperately need to focus on an exam for tomorrow and can't and idk I feel slightly out of my mind/wondering if this really is just a me problem but like

this season felt kind of sparse to me regarding character interactions outside of duos they wanted to focus on/letting characters present react to situations. stuff like Amaya not having a comment about Callum not being at her wedding or the Celestial Elves really not having much to say about Aaravos himself despite the Elder theoretically having been around in the days pre imprisonment like

I don't mind that Viren died but I do feel out of my MIND that he and Ezran didn't actually get a conversation, and beyond that that Viren didn't try to pass along any Aaravos information to anyone, and that even if Soren and Viren's relationship was just Maxed Out that we didn't get Opeli and Ezran talking about what to do with him (could've even had Soren walk in and do a Callum S4 moment of 'you ever walk into a room and everyone goes quiet and you know they were talking about you' moment), Opeli reacting/checking on Soren while Viren was imprisoned even if he didn't want to talk to her, there being any verdict about Viren at all and we're never getting anything else out of him again which is why no Ezran and by extension Callum/Rayla/ect feels sort of disappointing to me, as he hasn't interacted with Callum since S1

It's a really good moment, don't get me wrong, but we traded the suspense of thinking Viren had perhaps killed Soren for us getting any last words or gesture from him to Soren face to face

the Celestial Elves gave us info on Startouch Elves in general but not on Aaravos specifically even though the Elder I thought would know more? They aren't surprised at the idea of trying to kill a Great One/Aaravos but there wasn't even a word of warning about if he does get loose or anything Specific about the last time it happened or, if they didn't know anything, confusion about why a Great One is imprisoned like idk

no one had any concern either when getting access to the stars which again, idk, I thought Callum might've been more worried about Aaravos being at the Starscraper and the prison (when he thought he had it) being surrounded by Aaravos's main connection but idk, it didn't matter but I thought it could have

ALSO THE STAVES. HELLO. AT THE STARSCRAPER I JUST

No Aaravos and Callum interaction is also smth I've made my peace about but after the trailer, especially the choice to use that thumbnail for it/as a promo image, idk, I am kind of sad I have to wait until S7 for any of that and now I wonder how significant it can really be/why hes gonna need callum as a puppet now if he's Out and as powerful as he seems to be. we just raised the stakes but had three entire seasons of building towards it, so how can s7 handle getting callum to do dark magic again, theoretical possession/aaravos use, coming back from that, ect, all within 9 eps?

tbh no one really had grief about sir sparklepuff being gone which I guess he wasn't a full Person in anyone's eyes and the focus was all on Claudia/her state which was fine, like we did get some of that nonverbally with Terry at least but we kinda moved right past it. like even one line in ep 9 from terry like "look what he had you do to his most recent child" would have made me go yeah exactly that Mattered but it wasn't there

in addition to no Callum at the wedding Ezran also just sat on Viren being back like idk I guess I wish he'd talked to Amaya more. like I loved him and Aanya I just feel there was room for Both

Listen I'm not one of the people only watching the show for Aaravos and I am delighted with the two episodes we got of him but that he was in more episodes in S3 than in S6 does have me like. cries. really. s4 and s5 i didn't mind in part because I figured stars would be big and it Was but im like oh my god. i got to ep 7 and was like is he REALLY not gonna get out which thankfully he did but only at the end

and the end was like. the biggest cliffhanger we've ever had and i get going for the suspense but it's KILLING ME MAN

I know Aaravos's motivation/goal but not exactly how his actions are leading to that whatsoever as he seems to play every side and doesn't even favor humans if he's willing to torch katolis. unbridled chaos i guess? is that it? I don't even know what to be afraid of next season with him except I'd presume he's going to Xadia next and will Somehow be getting back at the Cosmic Order but idk what the past thousand years have truly been for unless it's waiting around for the stars to align and throwing a fit while doing so

Runaan is out and he and Callum didn't get so much as a sentence between them and that and the Aaravos out but also no conversation double whammy just has me like

PLEASE

at the end of this all this was a more dramatic/cinematic season but it didn't have a lot of the smaller character reaction moments/balance the prior seasons all seemed to give me tbh and it took all season to lead up to highly anticipated events aka letting Runaan and Aaravos out but I didn't get any of the Payoff of that characterwise except for Runaan and Rayla and idk I do feel both like S6 had some of the best moments of the show and also really disappointed in places where it feels like it could have been so easy to have had just a Bit more cohesion and characters plugged into their overarching circumstances/dynamics more

like I think we had the time for it

and going into this expecting a penultimate season and then learning theres a third arc planned, it makes the pacing and lack of aaravos sort of make sense but also has me like, we may not even get that and now I feel like s7 will make or break the Entire show for me which is terrifying

like we got a lot of new info but it was largely not what I was expecting without touching on a lot of stuff I was hoping for and I AGH. i didnt expect this season to continue the build up train and I'm having a hard time accepting that it's the first time tdp has ever like. idk. thrown me such a curveball that it's gotten me honest to god upset which is on me and not the show, and i keep hoping i feel better but so much rides on s7 now

[uptoolateart]

'Perfect' White

We can't have failed to notice that in S5 Gabriel has gone all white...like Cat Blanc. So my wheels got spinning and here I am, exploring the symbolism of this 'colour'.

Many viewers will link white to ideas of innocence, cleanliness or peace. Maybe even holiness - think angels. We've even seen Adrien wearing angel wings, in 'Simpleman'.

I once read an excellent analysis, I forget by whom, suggesting that Adrien is often in white to show that he's a blank slate, waiting to be written on. We even get the word 'blank' from the Latin root of the French 'blanc', meaning white. Taking this further, we could see it as Adrien not yet being certain of his own identity.

White is also linked with virginity - think of the Western European wedding dress colour. Applying this symbolically, Adrien begins the story inexperienced and naive, kept ignorant of the ways of the world. He also takes things at face value. But this is definitely changing.

I see irony, as well, because the angelic public image of Adrien hides his 'darker' thoughts and impulses. White is often linked to simplicity, and Adrien is perhaps most fascinating for being so much more complicated than anyone in his life believes.

We could also see virginity as not being 'used' yet, and this is ironic too because Adrien is used left and right, by both his father and by Ladybug.

And of course white is honesty. Nothing has been hidden. Adrien is typically the most honest one on the show and the most open with his feelings. An interesting fact I didn't know before some quick research today is that in ancient Rome, public officials wore white, and their robes were called 'candidus', which gives us the word 'candidate' but also 'candid' meaning honest and frank (because politicians never lie...???). We'll come back to this later.

White also indicates being innocent of sins or crimes. It tells us Adrien is a victim.

So why is Gabriel all in white?

Let's start with the obvious. Scientifically, white is both the source and absence of all colour.

On the one hand, we could see Gabriel in white as him trying to swallow up everything else - think of how colourful the kwamis are, and the way Gabriel tries to consume his son.

Or we could see it as his coldness. Think of the Hans Christian Andersen's Snow Queen, adapted as Elsa in 'Frozen' - or 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'. White is ice. We also saw this with Cat Blanc - we all talk about his 'ice-blue eyes' in fan fics.

But Gabriel's white could also be the antithesis of Cat Noir - white versus black. Gabriel is trapped in s state of mind that Adrien is gradually leaving behind.

Another thing I didn't know is that author Robert Graves tied white with the moon goddess, who in mythology is usually said to have three faces, standing for the stages of life - childhood (waxing), motherhood (the full moon), and old age (waning). I think Gabriel's powers are beginning to wane. And although it's a stretch to say the writers of Miraculous had Graves in mind, there is so much moon symbolism tied into the show that I thought this was interesting to think on nonetheless.

Getting heavier, let's travel around the world to places like China, where white is the colour of mourning and worn at funerals. This makes white the colour of sadness, which ties up with Cat Blanc's months of grief and loneliness - but also Gabriel, who literally lives in a mausoleum for his wife and refuses to let go. Suddenly dressing all in white tells us he's gone all in. This is endgame. He's totally embodying his grief. And with white being tied to the end of life, it's a sign that the end of this particular story is nigh.

Now let's remember the old saying that 'Death rides a pale horse'. This comes from the depiction of the Apocalypse found in The Book of Revelation, at the end of the Bible. In fact, in Celtic tradition, if you see a pure white animal (especially if it has red ears), it's supernatural and not to be trusted. White is otherworldly and unnatural - about as unnatural as Gabriel making banana pancakes, amiright?

Gabriel is also straddling life and death. He's been cataclysmed and is now rotting away before our eyes. He's on that pale horse and has nothing left to lose.

There’s also a suggestion of the unknown - going back to that idea of being a blank slate, Gabriel is a wild card here. When someone like that gets truly desperate, we can no longer predict what he will do. Forcing a cataclysm on himself was definitely the start of this.

Coming back to the notion of honesty - we could apply this ironically to Gabriel, who, in his new white suit, recently shook hands with Nino, as if they were partners working against a common enemy.

On that note, let's look again at the Latin 'candidus'. This was considered the brightest shade of white, and it gives us the word 'candle'. So, white can be illuminating. We can see this as Adrien heading towards understanding, revelation. Gabriel is posing in the colour of honesty and innocence, but Adrien is soon to see through the pancakes.

On the other hand, Gabriel is slipping into a state of ignorance. He has never gained anything from all this power because he no longer understands love. He claims to do all this for Emilie, but it's gone far, far beyond that goal. He has reached the point of seeking power for power's sake.

He could learn a few lessons from Adrien, who reprised his Cat Blanc costume in 'Jubilation', this time worn as a wedding suit. It stands out because in European-style weddings the bride wears white but not the groom. The dream was a vision of grief and heartache being transmutated into something pure and beautiful - and of new starts. The slate had been wiped clean, ready for a new story to be written.

This leads me to think of the levels of karate. A lot of people don't realise that after the black belt, there's a higher level - the white belt. It's a sign of humility. Returning to the beginning shows an understanding that we never truly master anything. We're always learning. So Adrien moving from white (Alliance and other ads) to black (Cat Noir) to white again (the wedding vision) tells us he's completed one journey and is now applying the lessons he's learned to his next journey in life.

Of course, it was only a dream because he's not there yet. He needs to learn and deal with the truth about his father first. But all of this is coming.

Because white is the light at the end of the tunnel. As much as my son likes to say the Netflix show tags should now be 'grief', 'child abuse' and 'trauma', I truly see hope in every scene. White wipes the slate clean. Our favourite couple are so close to not a happy ending but a happy new beginning.

[skayafair]

Ok so we've all went through some stages regarding the finale and The Great Divorce (or lack thereof) in S5.

I'm not a patron so I have no idea which turn the plot is going to take in reality, but after some insight from the others I've noticed which way would have been the most enterteining for me.

So a lot of people already noticed that Arthur probably isn't going to be pissed at John all that much. Yeah the situation isn't peachy but they had worse, and I don't even mean like "part 18 The Madness" kind of worse. Whom Arthur took his rage on was Kayne, so the "you lied" might have referred to him as well. (REALLY, THANK YOU to those who noticed that, it made the finale MUCH better for me, although it was good and fun as is.)

If Arthur IS mad at Kayne:

Why did he sound so defeated in the end? Was it an act to gain some time to figure out how to get out of this predicament? Or was he shocked to witness two of his allies die or disappear (and I think he IS worried for Noel a fair amount), maybe spiraling to "everyone around you dies" and "nothing gold can stay" as a possible future implication again?

A fun part for me would be if there is some self-blaming, too. Because after hearing the whole story it's easy to arrive to a horried realization: after Arthur's deal John was supposed to be safe, and he wasn't, therefore, Arthur failed him.

Even though getting John back with no memory was selfish (because erasing the memory would have critically affected John when he didn't have a say in it, and that's obviously messed up) and not ideal (it still put him at least with his friend instead and gave a chance to develop on his own again rather than being consumed by the King, which... yeah... I often forget how fucked up Arthur's behaviour with Yellow actually was from this POV :')), it still helped them both. They had better chances at survival together rather than on their own. It wasn't the worst outcome, Arthur didn't betray his friend. John being safe(-er) was an equally important part of the deal as Arthur not being alone. But since Kayne didn't hold his end of the bargain, John wasn't just in danger. He was in the Dark World, for indefinite amount of time. That was a complete opposite to the conditions of the deal. If Kayne didn't strike another deal with John, they wouldn't have met again, probably. John would have stayed in the DW while Arthur could still have his life and a chance at a new friendship, however sour it turned in the end. So, in a distant, inderect way it was like Arthur was betraying John while not even knowing this. Because he thought he could trust Kayne on this deal. It's not exactly logical and is rather a stretch but it's easy to leap to this conclusion, especially for someone with self-depricating tendencies like Arthur's. He's doing better but I don't think he's completely past it yet. He was failing someone dear to him without knowing, again. We know how he feels about that.

Moreover, we know how Kayne emphasises time and again how powerless John is before him, but Arthur is just as helpless. His rage at Kayne seemed to die out in a span of a few minutes, giving way to a lifeless "I'll come" after Kayne's demonstration of power. Which feels unltimately out of character and I know HG knows his characters well, so there HAS to be an explanation and I'm just... WHICH ONE GRRR I NEED TO KNOW!11 He may be furious about Kayne's actions but still not be able to do anything about this. And in my mind this relates to the talk about faith he had with John: that if he believed in God, Arthur would have had to believe all the deaths around him, as well as Faroe's, was God's plan, and he just can't agree with that. Not said but I think implied: it would have meant that some very powerful entity decided to kill or hurt a person he deeply cares about with his own hands/ignorance, and Arthur doesn't have a say in this while being the one at fault. It's the same here.

Oh, wait, this isn't even the second time it would have happened! It's the third, the second was John's doing, with Parker's death. Arthur has a streak!

So all in all, if the finale revelations don't trigger some trauma in this department that needs dealing with, I'd be a bit sad. But not much, part 40 gave A LOT of new opportunities, so I feel like a kid in a candy store anyway. I wonder which ones are going to be explored in the show, and will be waiting for the ficwriters to do their magic, too :D

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

im starved of cannibalism . give me some cannibalism thoughts /nf -🤖

HI TORDSGIANTROBOT ANON ILY

Cannibalism thoughts... hmm well I'm always having those. I think they shall be of the convexian variety if thats alright with you.

Cannibalism talk below the cut ->

I was literally Just thinking about convexian cannibalism (as always) so here's some thoughts. This is kind of the same universe (?) as some of my other grian/scar/cub cannibalism oneshots, where the cannibalism is a somewhat new thing between scar and grian and then cub joins in later.

I was thinking about the possibility of Scar being a born-vex and Cub being someone who was turned into a vex in s5, so Scar had to teach Cub a bit about being a vex and how that all works. It's why Cub seems more hesitant and weirded out when Scar talks about eating people that one time (you know the clip)

Cub struggles with the whole cannibalism thing. Usually he's down for whatever, he's a pretty chill guy, and he likes the odd unethical experiment here and there, but eating people just feels icky. Or, in his mind, he can't quite get it to stop associating eating people with something really deeply wrong.

But a vex has gotta eat! And, well, Scar has also got some issues, pre-season 9, where no one really knows he eats people and he tends to just wait until he goes feral. But he doesn't want that for Cub so he offers himself. Cub definitely gets sick the first few times, but it's a mental thing rather than something physical. After a while he is able to stomach it.

He even admits that flesh tastes pretty good now he's a vex. And that it has brought him closer to Scar in a way he didn't know existed. But he's too afraid and nauseous to think about eating anyone who Isn't Scar. And it kind of sucks for Scar, too, because he knows in his little vex heart that vexes are meant to hunt together, in pairs or threes, and he's missing out on that... not that Scar is really choosing to hunt anyone.

Until Grian, that is. Scar is kinda over the moon about the arrangement they come up with. Tells Cub all about it and everything. Cub is only a little jealous.

Then Scar invites Cub to go cannibalise Grian with him, as a pair, and thus we get the oneshot with Cub joining the group. It's not clear 'cause it's all from Grian's POV but that fic is the first time Cub has eaten someone who isn't Scar.

And erm they all gaykiss. Yeah. It's about overcoming fears with the power of gay love. Or something.

[laszlo-cravensworth-enjoyer]

Okay, crazy what we do in the shadows season 5 theory time

Based upon s5 leaks!!!

(Long post, spoiler warning)

Well, I do think Guillermo is gonna turn into a vampire. Probably not in a permanent way, because we really need to see Nandor turning him properly!!!

Okay, last season everybody lost something important to them, and everything got back to the status quo. Laszlo lost his father-son relationship with Colin, Colin lost his "childhood" memories, Nadja lost the nightclub, Nandor lost his 37 wives, and Guillermo lost Freddie.... I guess? I do think it fits the whole theme of nothing ever changing in the vampire lifes, but what if he lost his humanity?

Soooo...

It may be a strecht but look at this picture!!!!!

Tell me this is not vampire!guillermo shinanigans!!! Or maybe some weird in between creature because of his Van Helsing blood?

It is stated by The Guide that his blood had to be drained for the vampires to suffer any damages while managing his body (s03e02), so Guillermo might not be entirely "poisonous" to vampires, but just enough to mess things up.

Also... look whos is credited for the first episode on imdb...

Guillermo's grandma! Maybe, he seeks advice from her, as she knows about vampires and stuff, maybe she could help in this unusual situation!

I also wanna talk about the optometrist, i know that Guillermo is wearing his glasses on the leaked picture, but somehow his powers are growing and now he has 20/20 vision? Would make sense for him to look for a professional in this case, because he, besides Colin, is the only one who really wears glasses.

Oh my God this is so long and its 3am but I am an Anxiety Machine and won't stop thinking about this for the next couple of months BUT i also think Sean is going to have a bigger role this season...

Its just a video of him hhmm... in a pride parade? Vampiric pride parade maybe? Who knows but it seams like a little event...

And I may be going crazy, but this could tie up with this pic that leaked too

Colin! I don't know what he is campaigning for, but I think Sean could also be running for... something and going for the gay votes? Or he is just coming out I don't know.

Either way Colin could gather lots of energy from an election, this should be so much fun!

Last but not least, the reason it can't be a permanent change to Guillermo's character (besides being the end of his character arch, literally in the first episode, 2 seasons before the end) is that we have this BTS pic from Harvey... okay he couldve just take off the fangs, but he is not even wearing the vampire makeup! (Pale skin and subtle red eyeliner)

If anyone reads this... im being delusional and really needed to take this off my system, can't wait to see this being completely useless in july! Thanks for bearing with me this long haha

[raayllum]

tbh i dont think callum freeing aaravos or whatevs to save rayla would be repetitive, rlly. cuz callum said he'd do anything for rayla, and he's shown that- but he could go SO much further (which i am rooting for) than what he's done after saying that to her. what would prove his dedication more than dooming the world? it's like chekhov's gun; he said he'd do anything, so i wanna see him do ANYTHING yk

NO TO BE CLEAR, MY DEAR SWEET ANON

I don't think it'd be repetitive either. Like I have been gunning for Callum to free Aaravos to save Rayla since September 2020. That was always the basis for Cube Hostage Exchange Theory (CHET) and what it was originally built on, and I feel INSANE (affectionate) that it's STILL on the fucking table in S6.

TDP also looves its repeating plot lines (Rayla staying behind to save a dragon and Callum has Emotions over it / ultimately saves her has happened... four times; TDP's perpetual trolley problem and routine Exchanges every season) as well. There are also theories I have (the cube holding Aaravos' chest piece, or being connected to finding it - aka his HEART) that I think have merit and would slot soo well into a CHET scenario like please god

Like I do think 100% we'll see Rayla be the lynchpin that leads to Aaravos' release because of Callum's love for her tbh. The setup is all there and like you said, he'd do ANYTHING for her and while that was still clear in all previous seasons there's a reason in S5 they're ramping it up more. In 5x08 he's fully accepted that "I'd do anything for you" includes "however dangerous, however vile" and I think that has to be carried forward into S6. In the name of love and all that

With that in mind I think we have like, maybe 3 options that all end up at the same place:

A) Callum 'knowingly' (as in he knows what he could be risking) goes too far in whatever happens with the quasar diamonds on Rayla's behalf because he wants her to be happy/safe and he's possessed. He then frees Aaravos under possession (+ bonus Rayla failing to stop and/or kill him I guess, and she later saves him)

B) Rayla is put at risk (Celestial elves? Claudia? Aaravos through other means?) and Callum frees Aaravos and is subsequently possessed. This is one I really like for the merit of dark magic / possession being like a metaphorical Death alongside a loss of literal identity; it's also probably the most dramatic and 11ish hour-y.

C) Callum is randomly possessed at the Starscraper and then frees Aaravos. Rayla is injured in the fight against / saving him and, to save her, Callum gives Aaravos whatever he still needs (cube? chest piece? info / nova blade?) in order to wreck havoc on the other Startouch elves. This is the 'Callum has one of Aaravos' potential power-ups' on a backburner.

Cause yeah at this point, I can't see a season where Something like one of these three paths doesn't happen, if not one of them outright, tbh. There's very, very little doubt in my mind at this point (and compared to previous points) that we're going to get a truly heart wrenching "I would do anything for you / I can't lose you again" justification from Callum (and honestly probably Rayla as well with the possession plotline) and I cannot wait.

[bylertruther]

soooooo crazy how el is the brawn that goes toe to toe with the threat every season, but will is the one connected to it... the canary in the coal mine.. the seer... the one tht feels when it's returned and lets everyone know... the one tht knows how it's doing and what it feels... the one they have to consult for plans, knowledge on the enemy, and how to defeat it... the one tht died and was brought back and was almost consumed again but still never really left its clutches... the only one that hasn't gone toe to toe with the threat yet and who it all goes back to still...... aughhhhhhh he's jus so main character like.... i can't believe this is real life 🙏

[generalluxun]

You say that 'Strong Female Characters' are rarely allowed to struggle. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? How much can a person struggle and still be called a “strong character”? Is the common standard in mainstream fiction different between men and women? Is Felix a strong character? Is Gabriel a strong character? What about Andre Bourgeois? I’ve got a feeling Astruc considers Andre a strong character.

Felix is not a strong character. He is a Wiley powerbroker, but we saw the moment things didn't go his way he folded like a deck of cards in front of Adrien and Kagami in Emotion and had a breakdown.

Andre is a sack of meat and little more.

Gabriel is... strong in a sense? the show is very inconsistent on this front. It has taken time, planning, willpower, and determination to preserve his wife and become hawkmoth in the first place. Facing setback after setback and continuing on, also takes strength. S5 kind of goes all over with him in a messy way though so in the end it's. 🤷‍♀️

Marinette is supposed to be the 'Strong Female Character' in the show. She has all the earmarks of the old stereotype. She is good at all things, she plows through and always ends up winning. Her mistakes are trivialized and her victories amplified. This is a shame because honestly, a Marinette who struggled a little more would be a heck of a lot more compelling(seen in the movie and in lots of fanfiction)

But wait! you say, she struggles a lot! Her struggles are all self-inflicted, and while self inflicted struggles are valid, they can't be the *only* struggles someone faces. No one was ever a serious 'threat' to her love story with Adrien. Kagami was allowed to get in the way for one whole episode (and this after Marinette herself had Luka waiting in the wings) Adienette was just waiting for the train to arrive at the station. On the super side there was some build up of tension early on, but when the main char's power is 'Win the battle with this thing' it's hard to heap too much tension. Not only that S5 very quickly turned losing all the Miraculous into just the status quo of one akuma at a time. *They were fighting Monarch with paintball guns and winning* No stakes.

Before Emotion/Pretension I would have said Kagami qualifies as a strong character. She struggles in love and friendship, but she works and tries to find a path through. Her greatest enemy in love is also one of her first friends. How's that for a challenge? Watching how she interacted with the adrienette dynamic from day 1 up to Protection was great. THEN she got foisted off onto Felix as a prize and sold out Ladybug. Girl deserved better.

There are plenty of strong female characters (which is different than 'Strong female character') in other media though. Adora, Luz, Willow just to name a couple off the top of my head.

The problem with finding them in ML is that the plot tends to jerk them around randomly. Like, I would like to say Ms. Bustier, because she holds to an ideal and does work to keep to it until the end. But she also ignored one of her students doing zero work in her class for multiple years. That's... not good. That is what makes you think the strength might be vapid apathy instead. See how hard this is?

Oh hey! Duh, Alya! Alya is definitely a strong character. I mean, she's the one who gets Marinette on her feet. She threads this path of upholding her morals while tempering them with reality. She doesn't hide behind 'identity rules' to avoid tough decisions. She *trusts* people, though it can be a risk. She helps those around her whenever she can. Yes she's stuck holding the idiot ball for plot purposes now and then, but it's so blatant when it happens I can't count it against her.

[mythicalm0thii]

Okay wait, hear me out on this tma au-

Jon stays in research, and Sasha gets to be the Archivist, the archival assistants are Tim, Martin, and Rosie

She wanted to have Jon with her in the Archives, but didn't manage, so she just convinced Jon to do research for most of their cases

But here's where it gets wild, because Jon is vibing with the archival crew so much he also gets stuck in all the supernatural stuff, so the beholding also clings onto him, and he also gets the Archivist powers n stuff

Now, Elias doesn't have the upper hand on him because he is not unable to leave due to not being attached to the archives

Big problem: there's a rogue archivist who can leave the Magnus Institute at any time

Either way Elias finally succeeds and apocolypse happens, so Jon is stuck in the Web domain, but since he's archivist, he can technically just leave. Jonathan, of course, has no clue, and after seeing other people go through horrible consequences after trying to leave, he just decided not to

Also in the meantime Martin, Tim, and Sasha are going on the same quest as Jon and Martin were in s5, and they pass by the spider place, at this point they don't try to interact with anyone until they recognise Jon and are all like "I can't believe this happened", "there's nothing we can do for him... I wish there was", bla bla, and then he just runs up to them

He ends up going with them and Sasha, who realised he's an eyevatar, is just trying to find a way to explain to him that he serves the Eye

[emerald-cloud23]

Ninjago: Dragons Rising 2 LIVE REACTIONS:

Spoilers beneath the cut - this is super looong btw

[Monday, march 25th] (Ep. 1 ↓)

The intro goes crazyyyy

RAS AND JORDANA ARE AT THE SHADOW DOJOO-

I DIDNT EXPECT THE NINJA FAN CLIP TO BE IN THE SHOW-

SORAAA I LOVE YOUR POWERSS, HER AND ARIN HAVE BEEN TRAINING AHHDGFBFB-

RIYU LOOKS SO SILLYY- and apparently needs to train how to fly lMFAO TJE BIG GUY CAN'T FLY??

FROHICKYYY AYY HELLOOOO-

A LETTER FROM KREEL??? TO SORA AND ARIN? HUH?

THEYRE PUTTING LLOYD THROUGH IT FR

-WAKES UP ON THE TRAINING GROUND

-SLEEP WALKS LIKE A ZOMBIE

-PUTS TEA HE WANTS TO DRINK INTO A FLOWER POT (WITH A PLABT IN IT)

-OO COOL VISION

-WAKES UP AND SPINJITZUS AGAINST A WALL

Arin comforting Lloyd with a master Wu impression,, omfg

And the Wu ghost again- fr, I hope Wu is, like, dead or smth or at least gone for a while

Arin watching some youtuber, Sora telling him it's stupid & then watching that same guy herself to solve smth? lmfao

BIG SILLY TEEN RIYUUU AND SORA AND ARIN SNEAKY MISSION

Ooooh noo, Arin,, don't be jealous of Sora now because of her havjng po- wAIT A SECONS WHO-

cINDER?! HELLPOOO?!! HII?! NEW SMOKE MASTER ON SCREEEEEEEN AND A CONFRONTATION BY SORA, ARIN AND RIYU

OhH THE WOLF MASKS ARE HERE

YESSS FIRST FIGHT OF THE SHOOOW

LLOYF INTERRUPTS THE FIGHTHH AND GETS A VIDOON AND AND THE GONG AND OOOOO HE PANICS HE P A N I C S !!! I'm so sorry Lloyd btw

RINGING THE GOOONG WHEE I'M SURE NOTHING WILL GO WRONGGG-

(Ep. 2 ↓)

Ourgh. Ok. It has a "previously on Ninjago"

CLOUD KINGDOM AAA I JUST REWATCHED THE EP IN S5 WITH THEM

OHHH THEYRE TALKING ABOUT EUPHRASIA AND HER POWERS AND HOW THEYRE NOW ABLE TO DO MORE THAN WRITING AND WANTING TO DO FUN THINGS. Oh they have silly fun ideas. Like bagels ahaha

Imagine every pen in your class stops working at the same timr lMFAOOO hello another dark prophecy

CINDER AND WOLF MASKS IN THE CLOUD KINGDOM, SOMEONE RING THE ALARM BELLS. OR GET EUPHRASIA HOW THEIR MASTER WRITER SAID

PErcival, what are you doing on a rock outside of imperium with a motivational speec- EUPHRASIAAAAA

OH lloyd unpacks his visions to the others,, wait hr took frohickys f- hE DRANK THE FLY TEA. HE. DRANK. THE. TEAAAA. why, lloyd.

OHHH "WHRRE THERE'S AN ELEMENTAL MASTER OF SMOKE THERE'S AN ELEMENTAL MASTER OF FIRE" SOO A HINT AS S4 ASH VS KAI??

Green merlopian. I lobw u. U look so cool. The hammer came from u?? You're cool. I like your personality and color. Favorite side character now.

And arin is too trusting? Kinda expected

LLOYD WANTS A GRAPPLING HOOK OF HIS OWN !!

NOOO FAVORITE GREEN SIDE CHARACTER WORKD EIGH PURPLE SERPENTINE. IS IT THE ONE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION??

Sora dID GRAFFITI?!!!??!??! And theyre joking it looks like noodles and not a cat lMFAAAOO

OHH THE SERPENTINE oh it's pink not purple so it's not the one from the administration? Aww butterflies. You're really not intimidating and cute. I like you too. oH SHE KNOWS ABOUT THE GONG- AND HAMMER. "WOULD I LIE? YES, DEFINITELY. BUT NOT RIGHT NOW"

OHHH THE WOLF MASK + HITTING THE GONG WITH THE HAMMER = UHH SHATTERSPIN I ASSUME? SHE SAID IT DESTROYS THE GOOD IN YOU

Perciii at the monasteryy aND EUPHRASIA WITHOUT THE HOOOOOD YOU LOOK SOO GOOD

Aww she fought for her home against ras, cinder, jordana aND THE WOLF MASKS AND THE GONG THEY HAD WITH THEM

SHE HAS A CRUTCH AND BANDAGED LEGG- oh girl i am starting to like u too oh noo so many new characters i like

ARIN WANTING YO YRADE HIS GRAPPLING HOOK FOR ELEMENTAL POWRTS IM SO SORRY OH THEYRE IN CLOUD KINGDOM i was so busy writing this i didnt notice it

"An evil language" i love you robo zane- i think this is that ancient thexorian needed for the ritual

oH THE WAY KAI GOT THAT WOLF MASK

btw wyldfyre has knly spoken once so far- she's eerily quiet. she only spoke about the tea. That's one lin- oh nvm she just spoke again. I wonder when she gets her new outfit

LLOYD PANICKING AGAIN UPON SEEING THE WOLF MASKS BECAUSE VIDION BUT THEN FIGHTS

oh hi jordana, sora still doesn't know who you are aHAHAHHAAHHAHAH i love this dynamic

WOLFS GOT A POWER UP

AWW NYA CALMING LLOYD AND TAKING HIS HAND

AHH KAI MEMTIONED HIS FIGHT EIDH ASH AND THAT EAS SUCH A COOL SHORT FIGHT BETWEEN THEM EHEH OH ILY KAI IT WAS COOL HOW U KNOCKED HIM DOWN

oooo is that shatterspin now? OH IT IS IT ISSS !!!!!

OH GEEZ CINDER DID YOU DESTROY XANE? WHY WAS HE CACKLING WITH ELECTRICITY?!

Rip wyldfyres leg

OH HE DID BREAK ZANE A LITTLE

LLOYD DRAGGING ARIN ALONG AS THEY FLEE- AWW

KAI FLYING THE BOUNTY. DID HE EVER?? I DONT CAAARE I LIKE THIS

also the armor that cinder now has looks cool as fuuuck

OH THE FORBIDDEN FIVEE

[Tuesday, march 26th] (Ep. 3 ↓)

Cinder is like me in a Zelda game when there's pots around

And Kai is like me in a Zelda game when there's boxes around

OOOOH SORA MAKING THE NEW HOOKS

Oh, Lloyd- I feel so bad f- OOOO THE LITTLE DRAGONS- ARE THOSE THE OTHER FORMS OF THE SOURCE DRAGONS????

IS THE LIGHTNING SYMBOL ONE THE ONE FROM IMPERIUM? I CAN'T TELL I DIDN'T WATCH S1 IN GERMAN

"Who claims him?" eXCUSE ME?! THEY'LL, LIKE, CLAIM LLOYD?!

Egalt looks.. weird. Without the hat. And the dragons had an.. interesting conversation about him.

Ohh, poor Wyldfyr- KAI CHECKING IN ON HER IN THR MIDDLE OF THR NIGHT WAAAAAHHH IM NOT CRYING THATS TOTALLY NOT ADORABLE

and and her denying she's in pain,, ough. Don't lie, Kai, don't lie, do- god damn it, you lied to her. That mission is not gonna be boring, I assume

CLIMBER SUIIIITSSS !!!!

Oo jordana has a cool orb,,

AND HER AND CINDER NOT GETTING ALONG BECAUSE THEY WANNA BE MORE IMPORTANT TO RAS THAN THE OTHRT ONE AHAHa-

Oh. Okay. Just destroying Cloud Kingdom now, are we?

Man. Lloyd falling asleep on the steering wheel of the Bounty... I worry for him this season.

Eheh- hello, wyldfyre. Angry Kai is backkk. And Sora annoyed. And Lloyd also angry- bwahahah

God, Lloyd's uncertainty,, wHY DO THEY TORTURE YOUUU?

Awgh- cute childhood story from Sora :'(

Geez, the Bounty bARELY fit through there, didn't it?

Oh. Oh, that's like a ship graveyard down there.

OOOOH, COOL ELEMENTAL GRAPPLING HOOKS

RIYU ID OFFENDED BECAISE KAI SAID HE CAN'T FLY AHAHAHHDHDHFN

Oh shiiit, the cLIMBER MECH IS FUVKING COOL-

BROTHER KAI TO THE RESCUEE- sort of

Lmfao. The way the mech looks when looking out of the hole-

"Technical difficulties" with Kai's powers pFFFT-

OhH NO ARIN PARENTS VISION- AND SORA WITH RAS AND BESTRIX- LLOYD AND WUUU VISION OH NOO HE'S SO HAPPY IT'S NOT GONNA BE HAPPY IS IT?!?! OH NOOO. NOO! RAS IS THRRE TOO! AND JAY IN NYA'S VISION NOT REMEMBERING,, AAAH oh but at least she recognizes it's not rea- WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING?!!!!

AWWW RIYU COMFORTS WYLDFYREEEE

"The real Jay would never forget me" Nya, I feel bad about what might be real and what not with your relationship.

Rip Kai. He died jumping into clouds- KIDDINGGG HE'S FINEE AND ALIIIIVE

oh hello, hatless egalt

[Wednesday, march 27th] (Ep. 4 ↓)

Starting with a photo of Cole and thr others in the land of lost things (like a family photo and a s1 recap)

COLE COOKED FOR THEMMM AND THEYRE HAVING DINNER TOGETHER SJDJNFNG THERES A WHITE ROSE ON THE TABLE OUGHH THEIR FAMILY PHOTO

OOH HE ACTIVATED THE GA- THEYRR CALLING EACH OTHER FAMILYYYYYY

CLOUD KINGDOM NOO ITS OVERRUN BY RUN AND NOW THEYRE IN THE LAND OF LOST THINGSS

HEY YOU CANT CUT SO DRAMATICALLY AWAY FROM THEM TO EGALT

Gee, he's angy-angy and not wanting to talk

Riyu helping the injured Wyldfyre is adorable and a duo I didn't know I needed

God i love these action shots

Oooo female dragon from that clip !! I like her lanterns on her horns

"You're not the sharpest shuriken in the toolbox" OUCH EGALT, DON'T DO LLOYD DIRTY LIKE THAT

YAAA BACK IN THE LOLT WITH THE FINDERS

"They flew this far just to kick Geo?" I love you Bonzle

Geo building weapons lmaooo

NOO DONT TAKE BONZLEE

COLE COLE COLE HE'S BACK HE'S BACKKKKK AAAAAAAAAHDHHFJGNNGNG

idk so far i don't like egalt if I'm honest- "dragons are the best ninja" and he thinks they're lying over shatterspin being used

At least rontu seems to believe them more

YAYAYAY COLE FIGHTIIING

awww the bonzle-geo hug,,

"We missed your breakfast" aND THEN THEY ROAST GEO'S BREAKFAST OOOH FRITZ AND SPITZ ARE SO ADORABLEE

Cole casually makes Geo a seat out of earth while talking ajjdjfn

I think the thing Doc said about Skullkin getting powers through the bloodmoon could be real, idk this really feels like it-

Jordana being hesitant- a little, but still nice to see

ARIN KNOWS WHAT RAS' BREATH SMELLS LIKE?! YIIIKES-

EGALT IS SO MEAN. JUST TEACH THEM AND LET THEM SAVE THE WORLD, OLD MAN. YOU'RE WORSE THAN WU IN THE EARLY SEASONS SOMETIMES

GRAAH EGALT-

AYYY THEY REPAIRED THE PORTAL GATE NOW GO THROUGH ITT

AAAAA YASS THEY'RE AT THE MONASTERYY EITH XANE AND FROHICKYYY

ZANE HAS A FROHICKY PLUSH !!!!

What. That was. an abrupt end. Are you serious. THE WOLF MASKS JUST CAME THROUGH THE GATE AND YOU END IT THERE?! WHAT THE FUUUCK WHYYYYYYYYYY !!!

[Thursday, march 28th] (Ep. 5 ↓)

Okay, I'm still mad about how the cut yesterday's episode off at the end. That cliffhanger wasn't cool-

Zane, how are lanterns hung at the top of the gate blocking the door?

OOOO WU GHOST IS THERE TOO- DID HE CLOSE THE PORTAL? LOOKS LIKE IT!

Zane why do keep carrying the plush?

OOO BONZLE HAS A SECR- SHE'S WHAT NOW?! SHE'S NOT A SKELETON???????!!?!?!?????%!&;;%;%

AYYY NINJA BATTLE TRAINING BY THE DRAGONS- oh it's that clip they posted

RONTU IS SOOO KIND TO WYLDFYRE I LOVE IT

OO WYLDFYRE WAS OFFICIALLY TOLD WHAT HER ELEMENT IS

Oh bonzle i like your story. SHE EVEN PREPARED A LITTLE PAPER THEATER THINGY AND REHEARSED IT

OOOOOOOO SHE KNOOOWS ABOUT THE FORBIDDEN FIVE

two of the dragons look like egalt and rontu!!!

BONZLE IS A FORGOTTEN SPELL SJNDNGBBGBGN SHE LEARNED HOW TO FEEL AND LIVED FOR CENTURIES?! OO THE DRAGON STONE SHR- SHE KNEW WU!!!!!!?#!!%;5;

Riyu is so silly and expressive, he can't really jump and can't fly or talk or.. Spinjitzu like Rontu

WAIT THE FSM TAUGHT DRAGONS HOW TO SPINJITZU?! AEAEAEEAEGRH

SYNCHRONIZED MOVEMENTS WAAA I LOVE STUFF LIKE THIS

"Little fire-man" eheheheh new Kai nickname unlocked

Wu was the first to see Bonzle? Agrhjgngn Bonzle and loneliness- wU TALKING ABOUT HOW HE AND GARMADON WERE HAVING FU- HE'S TEACHING PEOPLE?! WHO??? OUR BELOVED NINJA??????? THEIR PARENTS?? WHY DON'T YOU SAYYYY?!

Omg he- he encouraged her to take a physical form of her own

Geez, what the? Wyldfyre, you're not good at disguises. WHERE'D SHD GET THE SUNGLASSES FROM??

SPINJITZU IN A BAYBLADE ARENAAAA

Wow, Egalt is soo disappointed in them. COME ON, DON'T BE SO HARSH ON ARIN

COLE AND GEO ARE SOO CUTE EHEN SHE SAYS THEYRE HER FAMILY WITH FRITZ AND SPITZ OMFGGG WAAH I WANNA CRYY COLE AND GEO SHIPPERS THIS SCENE HAS FOOD FOR YOUUU THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER SOOO SWEETLYYYYY AND AND HELD EACH OTHERS HANDS

cinder destroying more pots and jordana looking in that orb to search for bonz- wHAT THE FUCKKK JUST HAPPENED TO RAS?!! WHY DID- WHO- WAS THAT A SOURCE DRAGON OR SOMETHING?! WHY DID HIS MASTER SOUND LIKE ELECTRICITY?? LIKE- LIKE LIGHTNING, KINDA?? AM I STUPIID????

[Tuesday, april 2nd] (Ep. 6 ↓)

AaAEEE IT CONTINUES ! THOSE HOOKS ARE FUCKING COOL.

HII COLE, ZANE AND GANGG

AWWW FOREHEAD TOUCHING WITH COLE AND BONZLE omfg i got tears in my eyes

FRITZ AND SPITZ DISAPPEARED SO QUICKLY INTO THE UNDERGROUND BASE

OHHH COLE RAN OFF TO GET HID ELEMENTAL MECH TO HELP THEM EHHSHDHNFNGN NOW HE HAS THE MECH DISK WITH HIM TOO !!! BSBDBNF

Awwgh- arin and lloyd comfort aND MASTER WU IMPRESSION

.. Arin wants Lloyd's.. confidence? Poor baby is so unsure and that brief silence and close up of his face spoke worlds about his past experiences

KAI AND NYA SIBLING BONDING !!!! Oh this looks cool,, i love these siblings

AW WYLDFYRE TALKING TO A STONE-

DETECTIVE ZANE RETURNS

OHH IT'S THE GREEN MERLOPIAN GUY FROM BEFORE! THE GUY CINDER STOLE THE HAMMER FROM!!

Oh no cole looks so damn disgusted by the toothbrush,, aND BONZLE DANCES

THE GUY HAD A MAP IN HIS MOUTH?! WHAT. AND WHO IS HE TALKING TO NOW??

Omg. Climber cole and zane. They look so good. Cole ily you're so pretty

CLUMSY RIYU EHEHEH

Aww comforting rontu,, self doubt sora is back again- just like arin has his doubts about himself this season.. Huh.

OOOOH EGALT LOST A PRETTY SCALE

Cole talking about the finders being his family, zane giving him a look and he corrects himself to calling them his second family,, aND ZANE SMILES

Arin literally just broke a thick branch by throwing a rock at it. Without transferring spinjitzu to it, plus he hit egalt in the face (sorry but i feel like he deserved it)

NOOO DORAMA'S PUPPET FROM S1 EP.3 IN A DESERT WITH A POISON CLOUD.

Oh no they're capture- that's imperium technology, isn't it.

hE INJURED EGALTS EYE AND HE ISN'T SURE IF HE'LL SEE WITH IT AGAIN?!? ARIN WTF.

God, Dorama is so dramatic. Quite literally. OH HE'S FRIENDS WITH THE SHADY GREEN MERLOPIAN I LIKE (WHOSE NAME I CANNOT FIGURE OUT HOW TO SPELL SO I'LL JUST AVOID IT)

NOOO DON'T DO FIRE IN THERE WITH JIRO- AWW, COLE NEVER WANTED TO BE A PERFORMER OR ROAST CHICKEN AHAHHAHAH

Oh my god, Cole just FLATTENED that drone wITH HIS SHOULDER/BACK IN THE MIDDLE OF JUMPING.

YAYAYAYY COLE'S MECH VS DORAMA'S PUPPET

YEAAAAHHH KILL THAT PUPPET BY DESTROYING THE SET!!

Oh that stranger was so kind to cole, oh i like him

Ooooooo weird colored cloud and portal and the mONASTERY OF SPINJITZU?? WHAT. No that has to be a fake. Or something.

[Wednesday, april 3rd] (Ep. 7 ↓)

Mysterium is soo pretty tbh

AHAHAHHA BONZLE JUST INSULTED THE MONASTERY AND COLE LOOKED SO DAMN SAAAD

ooo more monastery mysteries because of where zane woke up

AWW COLE AND JAY ANGER FLASHBACK HEHDBFBNG honestly, that's cute- aWW HE WANTS JAY BACK

OOOOO WIZARD WOMAN PRETTYYYY

.. Gandala? Did I catch that name right?

OOH ARIN DESTROYING COLUMNS OR WHATEVER THEY'RE CALLED

ooooooo sad arin and happy sora trying to motivate/cheer him up :((

EHEHHE WYLDFYRE BOTHERING EGALT EHEH tbh i like this

PFFFT- MOUNT EGALT?!

ooo the pretty scale was an indicator for illness? :(

OH WHAT? SLOW SLUG MERCHANTS MENTIONED??

OH COLE LOOKS SO UNCOMFORTABLE AT THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING A (groovy) SLUG FOR WIZARD LADY

Awwgh bonzle and gandala hug,, awgh.

LLOYD AND RONTU COMFORT :'(

Oh- the visions are,, they're because of his connection to the source dragon?

OH NOO VISIONN OHH SILHOUETTE OF THE FORBIDDEN FIVE i love how everyone (kai, nya, arin, sora, egalt (wyldfyre? im sorry i was busy sneezing from hayfever)) came running to him when he screamed

"The forbidden five can't return" blah blah "only during a bloodmoon" blah blah "the instructions have been destroyed" blah blah- LIES!! IT'LL BE REAL. probably. at least according to the visions.

Jiro is the fastest dragon, huh?

OOHHHH THE ADMINISTRATION PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED LLOYD AND ARIN AND ZANE IN THE ADMINISTRATION

HHAAHHAHAH KAI TRIPPED OVER A ROCK WHILE SPINJITZU-ING

The hotheaded kai returnsss

OUGH SIBLING TRAININGG COMING IN?

KAI IS THE BEST ONE ACCORDING TO NYAAA-

AHHHHH CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK !!! WHILE TRAINING!!

H- hOLY SHIT THAT LOOKED COOL !!!!!!!!! OH MY GOOOD KAII !!! AND EVERYONE CAME TO CONGRATULATE HIM!!

OHNOO THE BLOODMOON IS RISING!!

WAIT WHAT. THEY'RE TURNING TO STONE AND ONLY KAI CAN DO THIS NEW TECHNIQUE NOW?? CRAP. THIS IS GETTING CRITICAL ON ALL SIDES OF THE POSSIBILITIES IN THE WORLD

god the administration people are bo- nOO THEY'RE TAKING JIRO! YAY ZANE TO KNOWING ABOUT THEIR FORMULAS OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED

WIZARD WOMAN HAD A CAT IN HER HAT AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUFF?!

Pushing the paper back and forth under the door is srsly funny

OH NOW THE DOORS BROKEN DOWN AND NOW COLE IS TAKING ON 3 OF THE ARIN & LLOYD MECHS AT ONCE

AGENT JAY WALKER?!?!!!! WHAAAAT A SURPRISE!! HE HAS A GUN!! HE- HE POINTS A GGUN AT BONZLE!!!!

[Thursday, april 4th] (Ep. 8 ↓)

First of all, I know it came out on us netflix today. I'm avoiding tumblr, twitter and insta until the last two eps aired tomorrow. Which won't matter to you but it does to me. Alright, now into the ep.

The bloodmoon is actually pretty tbh

Wyldfyre is in denial over Rontu and Egalt being stone now lol

You know, Kai is right- he only managed to do the rising dragon strike once. That doesn't mean he knows how to use it

GAWDD LLOYD- I JUST WANNA HUG YOU

"The equipment known as Zane" AHAHAH

By the way, why has Galandarias orb thingy have so many cracks? I don't think that's good, to be honest. oH IT'S EVEN TAPED TOGETHER

Hi Jay

God, he's so boreddd by his job

OOO THAT'S FUNKY, SPRITE- Wait, he knew about his powers??

Rip Zane. Will there ever be a season where you don't get deactivated?

O- wait, SELF DESTRUCTION?! Oh, at least Zane was smart enough to leave the mech before they exploded

Wait, what. What happened to Jay?? And Sprite?

CLOUD KINGDOM, HIII

HIII WOLF MASKS YOU LOOK SO COOL IN 3D- I DON'T THINK I EVER MENTIONED THAT

So.. Jordana knows magic? To control the orb? Cool. No, genuinely- I'm impressed

RIP BOUNTYY- WILL YOU EVER NOT BE DESTROYED IN A SEASON? RIP ARIN AND RIYU AND LLOYD AND NYA

Oh that's not a good spot to crash. Poor Kai id left to take care of the two new girls

God, Lloyd, maybe stop saying you're safe or you'll probably crash through the ground one day too

I wouldn't call that flying but whatever floats your boat, Arin

SORA AND WYLDFYRE MINI BONDING-

Rip Bounty fr this time

Oh what a cute mushroom

Ohhh it's equally cute on the inside

That box was in Lloyd's visions, right? So this doesn't feel like a good idea

THE BOX IS COMFY?! Doesn't look like it

Ah, yes. I know that. It's so hard to do things while being watched

I KNEW IT'S A BAD IDEA WITH THE BOX

OH GREAT, IMPERIUM TECH. Jordana is actually starting to do things now? About time. We're pretty much close to the end of the first half of the season now so.. Yeah

Why does Arin immediately think the others died??

[Friday, april 5th] (Ep. 9 ↓)

The environments are beautiful

OHH TINY RAS STUCK IN A HOLE

Oh? Was that when he met his master??

Cool, telling Cinder to commit property damage

WYLDFYRE RIP- oh nvm, kai caught her

Did I already mention that I love the Climber Mech?

VISIOOON TIMEEE you poor, poor baby, lloyd-

OH THAT'S ARINS CAR BUGGY THING, WHATEVER IT'S CALLED

Coooole, what did you doo? WHY IS THE MUSHROOM SHAKING?!

Okay, trapped exists. Alright..

She doesn't appear to be the smartest wizard

OH, NOW RIYU CAN FLY? BUT NOT WHEN THEY FELL EARLIER?! Alriiight..

YASS FIGHT SCENE !!

"Don't tell Lloyd" god, she's still as motivated for training as she was in s1, huh? Lmfaooo

OOO JORDANA IS EVIL BUT STILL USES A SEATBELT. VERY RESPONSIBLE OF HER

HAH! GET SMACKED INTO THE WALL

"Why are you in that box?" → "What's your elemental power? The power to not understand sarcasm?" I LOVE YOU BONZLE

OMG RIYU ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR

AND ARIN BEING A HORRIBLE DRIVER AHAHHA

They look silly in those outfits ahah but something looks off about Kai's hair,,

... I would really not trust that wizard lady. Those are some weird objects and she's just tHROWING THEM ON ZANE AND COLE WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD-

omg he just turned into a cute little pupp- "At least you're adorable" → "I'm always adorable" ily cole you're my fav for a reason, i can't disagree

Ah, Kai's hair is sHORTER NOW! THAT'S WHY IT'S LOOKING SO OFF

EUPHRASIAAA HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN A BIT

EHEHEH CINDER AND JORDANA BICKERING

OOOOOOHH HE'S PLAYING INTO ARIN'S DOUBTS, THAT'S NOT COOL!!

Smth tells me that weren't actually his parents but maybe Nya and Lloyd-

(Ep. 10 ↓)

AHAHHA I WAS RIIGHT- IT'S LLOYD AND NYA-

Cinder looks so smug

Oh no, this isn't gonna go well.

Cole. Cole, you're the EARTH NINJA. JUST USE YOUR EARTH POWERS MAYBE TO ADD MORE LAND TO THE CLOUD KINGDOM OR SOMETHING???

EHEHEHEHEH WYLDFYRE PUT HIS HAIR ON FIRE

HAH! HERE'S YOUR PAYBACK, CINDER!! GET TRAPPED, IDIOT!

O- rip bonzle :(

NOO, KAI

YAAAY, NYA, LLOYD AND ARIN AND RIYU ARRIVED JUST IN TIME

Hehe how they're playing with Cinder for the mask

YAAAA KAI AND THE RISING DRAGON STRIKE !!!!

NoOOOO, KAIII-

Ew, I don't like the way you look for some reason

Euphrasia, I don't think you can do much with your power- wait what, was that her or Zane and Cole?

OOO MORE SIBLING FLASHBACKS AND NYA CAN DO THE RISING DRAGON STRIKE-

Vision of the fire source dragon symbol? And Lloyd's sword being broken?

NONONONO, WE'RE NOT GONNAA SEAL KAI IN THERE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !!!!

SORA HELPING ARIN AWW-

NooOOOO KAI- IS- IS HE LOST NOW?! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait, what? Where's the dojo now?? Oo, Jordana in the background- oh no- What happened to her????

OHHH THE TOURNAMENT WAS MENTIONED

LLOYD AND COLE HUG WAAAAAAAAHHH I'M CRYINGGGG

NOOO KAII IS GOOONE FOR REAL???!

No, it's not me with tears in my eyes, it's you !!

KAAAAAIIII- HIS SHOULDER PADS MOVE

OoOOO KAI AND BONZLE BONDING NOW?

... No, I'm definitely having teary eyes now. HE'S JUST STUCK THERE NOW. AT LEAST NOT ALONE BUT THE OTHER 4 OF THE FORBIDDEN 5 ARE THERE TOO, RIGHT?

[seraphtrevs]

my monkey brain saw fargo so i have to ask, how would you rank the seasons?

I hope you're still around anon because I love this ask. I just wanted to wait until I was finished with s5 to see if it effected my rankings, and turns out it did! Two caveats - I have only seen each season once so I don't have 100% recall on them lol and 2) I have not seen season 3 yet! which is completely insane because I love Ewan MacGregor. That's next on my to-watch list, but for now, here's my ranking of the seasons of fargo, from best to worst (I'm also going to grade them on a scale out of 10 because I think it's important to note that when I have criticisms, I still think this show is consistently excellent):

Season 2 - one of the best seasons of television in television history. An incredible work of art. This is the season that really exemplifies the kind of profound absurdity that defines the series. The comic and the tragic are perfectly blended, and the characters are all depicted with an unsentimental empathy that I found very moving and enlightening. All of the moving pieces of the plot slot together so perfectly and there is zero handholding. Like I love a show that respects me enough to not spell things out so I can have a little think for myself, as a treat. Perfect season, no notes. rating - 12/10

Season 4 - I guess there are people who don't like season 4?? I don't get it. Maybe I'm just predisposed to like it because I love the historical setting, feuding crime families, plucky girl detectives, and female serial killers. It doesn't get on the profound level of season 2 but it's very entertaining. rating - 9/10

Season 1 - there was a lot to love but i feel like they were kind of finding their footing. It's not as polished as the later seasons, and I actually find this one unpleasant because I hate Martin Freeman's character so much - like, he's meant to be hated and they did a super good job of making him hateable, so I can't knock them for it exactly. But seriously there was nothing to like about this guy and watching him was often very unpleasant. Obviously I love Malvo, because I can't resist satan-coded characters. But sometime I felt like they went a little too far with him - like sometimes his only motive is that he's just so cccrraaaazzzzzy! Like there were a couple of moments that were moriarty from sherlock kind of lameness. But those are very minor complaints. Rating - 8.5/10

Season 5 - I still really enjoyed the first half of this season, but the back half really rubbed me the wrong way. I loved Dot and I especially loved that when you discover she's a secret badass, it's not because she's really good at martial arts. Instead, her strength is in her quick thinking and ability to construct elaborate home alone traps, which is so much fun. I also love the actress - this is a great performance. John Hamm is also really good. But the whole season had this maudlin tone that was very at odds with the other seasons. Lorraine's character didn't work for me at all - like her "no daughter of mine will be held captive!" moment was supposed to make us feel good, i guess? except it felt so forced and unearned. And I really have no idea why the narrative decided that she was a cool girlboss for using her power to control people via their debt for....good, I guess, by giving the cop lady a nice job and using her influence to punish john hamm via prison violence. That last part I particularly hated - not that i have sympathy for asshole rancher john hamm but the idea that prison violence is a righteous part of the justice system is very fucking gross and they really wanted me cheering for that. the battle of the sexes aspect in general was very on the nose, and it read like a fantasy of domestic violence by a man who feels very upset and guilty over the fact that women suffer from domestic violence than a more serious look at the issue. I also HATED both of the deaths in this season - I'm not against character deaths but they both felt completely pointless and just there to add to the body count. rating - 7/10