#i have a LOT of issues with cole and his storylines and ESPECIALLY the way his fans treat him

[paigemathews]

@fullybeautifultheorist replied to your post “I know I have some drafts that at least mention...”:

Tbh the fact that Cole was possessed doesn't really change much. Cole was egoistical and obsessed murderer in season 3 as well as in season 5. There is literally no meaningful change in his behavior during all 3 season. And even un season 7 he is playing peeping Tom

​Hmm, honestly, I see your point, but I think I would disagree. I’m not a fan of Cole’s, by any means, but I think knowing that he did not purposefully become the Source of All Evil and he wasn’t in full control would change things for at least Phoebe. I don’t want to whitewash his sins, because there are many but there is at least some kind of inherent tragedy in his loss of agency and autonomy after he tried to redeem himself. He really was trying to become good, even if it was for flawed reasons. I also think that it could bring either more pain or comfort to Phoebe and the sisters, because on one hand, they hadn’t been tricked so badly that Cole had never actually changed sides but on the other, they’d still been manipulated enough that they thought he never did if that makes sense.

[buttdawg]

Bang Bang Scissor Gang

I'm not sure how to feel about this "supergroup" business. I mean, the crowd loves it and it sounds like it'll advance the plot, so it's probably a good thing, but it seems a little off somehow. I'm going to write about it for a bit and see if I can sort this out.

So I guess the main issue here is that Bullet Club Gold doesn't feel like it's been around all that long, and now they're combining with another group. Also, it's unclear whether Gold is an official wing of the main Bullet Club, or some sort of renegade unit, like the nWo Wolfpac.

My pet theory is that AEW is just getting as much out of the Bullet Club IP as they can while they have this agreement with NJPW to use it. Eventually the deal will end or be renegotiated, and New Japan won't let them use the name anymore, which is why AEW keeps referring to the group with the nickname "The Bang Bang Gang." If something falls through and they can't call it "Bullet Club Gold", there's a backup name ready to go.

Actually, maybe this supergroup angle is that scenario finally playing out. They're not calling it "Bullet Club Ass Boys" or "Scissor Club Gold". They're calling it "Bang Bang Scissor Gang". I was sort of wondering if this means Billy and the Acclaimed have joined Bullet Club, but this may actually be a transition to get Jay White's group away from BC altogether. If and when this union ends, Jay can just start calling it "The Bang Bang Gang" again like that's what it was always called.

From a storytelling perspective, I'm not sure why they're setting up two trios to join forces against a group of just four guys. Undisputed Kingdom is their common enemy, but right now it's just Wardlow, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett. Adam Cole's injured, but even if he gets cleared, they're still outnumbered. Maybe Kyle O'Reily or Bobby Fish will join at some point? Oh, and I forgot about Juice Robinson. Assuming he's on board with the merger, that puts BBSG up to seven guys. Then you factor in Cardblade and Juiceboard and things get really nutty.

The motives are bit wonky too. On paper, Bang Bang Scissor Gang's main purpose is to take on Undisputed Kingdom, to avenge all the beatdowns they got during the "Who is the Devil?" storyline. Except, Undisputed Kingdom doesn't seem to care much, since their goal is to capture a bunch of titles. Which works out, since BBSG holds the AEW and ROH trios belts... except UK doesn't seem very interested in trios gold.

On the other hand, BBSG wants more titles as well. Tag titles for the Acclaimed and Gunn Club, a singles belt for Billy, and nothing short of the AEW world title for Jay White. This sounds a lot like Adam Cole's manifesto when he did his first promo to introduce Undisputed Kingdom. He didn't just want belts, he had specific titles picked out for specific guys on his team. Taven and Bennett are already ROH tag champs, so they're covered, then he wants the International title on Roddy, and Warlow's job is t become AEW world champ so he can hand it over to Adam Cole when Cole's cleared to wrestle again.

So that's a cool way to keep this rivalry alive. They're two big groups who already have titles and crave more, and they can challenge each other or interfere with each other's ambitions. The grudge that started all of this is fine, but it's hard to recall those beatdowns from last year, especially when everyone was blaming it on MJF at the time. Billy taking an International title shot from Roddy keeps things fresh. Plus they can swap the tag and trios belts that both sides already control.

Or... this just peters out with BBSG imploding and setting up some trios feud with Billy/Acclaimed taking on Jay/Gunn Club for one or both sets of trios belts. That sounds fine, but I feel like that already happened at some point? This supergroup could be a way to build to a more epic six-man tag match later, and that's fine, but I really hope it doesn't play out that way. I guess that's what makes me apprehensive of this storyline. Like, if they're only building up this supergroup just to set up a trios title program a few months from now, then it'll feel like a real waste. They could do BC Gold vs. Scissor Party whenever they want. Both sides are pretty eager to issue and accept challenges.

This seems like a long term story. Both groups have declared their intentions very clearly, and yet they've both taken their time on achieving those goals. It took like three weeks to get Jay on board with BBSG, and Warlow isn't exactly calling out Samoa Joe. So it feels like a potboiler, except it also feels very thrown-together, like they took a bunch of guys and threw them together into this supergroup war that would probably need most of a year to do properly.

But I guess that makes sense, considering how this all started with Cole and MJF, and they're both out of action for a while. Whatever the original plans were, the new plan has to involve different players, and everybody in BBSG is a solid choice for that. Well, everyone but Juice Robinson, that guy sucks. I hope he comes back with some new personality where he took an oath of silence or something. Also, he should wear a luchador mask so I don't have to look at his goofy face.

I guess my feeling here is "cautious optimism", because this angle looks really promising and could lead to a lot of great matches, but it also could get really dumb if it ends too quickly or suffers from poor planning. But AEW did just book a round robin tournament, so I guess I shouldn't be too concerned...

[navree]

What’s your biggest issue with the writing for HOTD? Is there any storyline or plot point that really weighed the rest of the writing down?

I really didn’t like the reconciliation PLUS the prophecy. I thought it under-minded 1) Alicent’s totally legit fear and terror (even if Rhaenyra is accepted as queen, no way would the rest of Westeros accept her sons - the future heirs - given their illegitimacy, not while Aegon and his siblings live.)

2) it also messed with Aegon’s arc imo. I know they’re not following the book to a t but what is his arc if not a reluctant king who took the crown not because of a prophecy, but because he wants to protect his family? That’s his tragedy, the family tragedy.

3) sometimes it feels like they’re writing from the end to beginning, so they make characters do things that don’t make sense. Why is Otto planning on killing Rhaenyra right off the bat? I’m sure he doesn’t particularly like her but his problem was never really with Rhaenyra. They have tradition on their side, Rhaenyra’s children’s illegitimacy that points to treason, and most importantly Daemon. Nobody wanted him near the throne that’s why Rhaenyra was named heir. Killing her is just asking for Daemon to retaliate. Otto’s not dumb.

And then, like you mentioned, Cole’s writing.

My biggest issue with the writing of the show overall is that, as I've mentioned previously, the writing is incredibly inconsistent. There are times when it does not feel like the writers are on the same page, especially when it comes to character traits and motivations, and that whoever is meant to be in control just isn't, and can't stop writers from doing their own thing episode to episode. This is largely because, again as mentioned, the writer's room for HOTD is sooooooo much larger than GOT's, and that's a detriment. For context, here is a list of every "written by" credit for Game of Thrones season 1:

As you can see, it's D&D, D&D, more D&D, Bryan for one episode and Martin for another (makes sense, he's the creator), and then more D&D. To contrast that, here is a list of every "written by" credit for House of the Dragon season 1:

Here, Ryan wrote the first two, then it goes off the rails with a veritable cavalcade of writers before Ryan writes the last episode. And that means writers are just doing their own thing and it's very jarring as a viewer when things just do not stay consistent in terms of who a character is and what they want from one episode to the next. Eileen Shim clearly doesn't like Aegon as a character and chose to introduce him in a very bad way. In the next episode, Sara Hess likes Aegon a lot more and wants his family to love him more too (and said smth remarkably stupid about how aegon's assault on dyana was analogous to a college kid being wasted and not understanding the concept of "absence of no is not a yes" which???? ma'am what????? but i digress). So that's the big overarching issue for me, and it was something I literally guessed at because it just felt so messy and then lo and behold, I was write, large writer's room.

In terms of specific storylines and plots, the prophecy tie-in is my nemesis when it comes to this show. I think it's just dumb in general, and part of a small pattern of dumb generic shit this show does (the White Hart is my other nemesis but that's not a plot that's just a stupid scene), but the one thing I hate is that it makes no sense. For one, there is zero connection between the Dance and the eventual invasion of The Others and the Battle for the Dawn we're going to see eventually and already have seen in GOT, and it makes no sense to try and connect the two at all when they are not going to come into play in any pivotal manner. For two, in case the writers forgot, this is a prequel to Game of Thrones. That's the reason why you're reusing key images and designs and sets and whatnot, because it's the same universe. And you know what? In that universe, the prophecy is meaningless! A Targaryen was not seated upon the Iron Throne! No prophecy mattered at all what mattered is that some random chick learned the pole vault and had a fancy knife (which somehow got from the Targaryen kings' weapons room to the hands of a man from a very very minor House? The prophecy isn't even a good tie-in because of how badly GOT fucked everything up.

And more importantly, it's just a dumb choice. Game of Thrones ended badly. It ended really really badly and everyone hated it and D&D are virtually unemployable and all their projects got cancelled including the racist ones and I don't even know if they've done any public appearances since it ended and GOT and all subsequent fandom and discussion vanished from the Earth because of how put off everyone was and it became immediately irrelevant and synonymous with a show that crashes and burns to the point where Lost or The Walking Dead or whatever looks like genius storytelling by comparison. That makes HOTD a show that needs to succeed in spite of its originator show, not because of it. It needs to make us all forget how godawful GOT was and remember what it was like when we enjoyed it and get that feeling back (probably why they reused the theme, which I'm less mad about than other people cuz franchises do that all the time, Star Wars is built on it). And they're making it a lot harder on themselves if they keep reminding us of stuff that only became relevant to the show when the show was already speedrolling downhill and just about to crash and burn. It's dumb. It's so dumb. It's not so dumb it's brilliant, it's just dumb.

I also have a some of issues with what they did with Aegon, and as you said anon I think I also would have preferred if they'd hewed closer to the book in the idea that Aegon didn't want to be king (still have him be vehemently against it and try to run and all that), but that he eventually agreed to take it when reminded that he has trueborn Targaryen children, Targaryen sons, and they won't be safe so long as Rhaenyra's on the throne with her bastards next in line. I'm more fine with the rapprochement between Rhaenyra and Alicent than some because a) hashtag rhaenicent and b) relationships aren't linear, and I think it's good drama. I like the idea that these two have spent sixteen years just in this cold war and being really petty and thinking low of the other, but there's this one moment after a while where maybe...just maybe...it could work out the way it might have before...And then it all comes crashing down (plus it's be good character work for Rhaenyra if they choose to develop it, leaving Alicent thinking that she's warming up and things might be okay and maybe they'll get some form of friendship back and then the next she hears Alicent stole the throne from her and put her son on it and then kept people locked up until they acceded to her demands to bend the knee only for Aegon and fight for Aegon and not her, @ HBO my hourly rate is like a penny I'm available!!).

Other things are smaller, and more along the lines of things that I personally would like to have seen or changed due to my own preferences and what I happen to enjoy (would developing daemon and laena's romance more have added anything or been necessary or useful in any way? no but i like them so i wanted more of them). But in terms of the big things, it's mostly just the prophecy plotline that I really hate, with some gripes about some of the things they did with Aegon. But hopefully someone scales down the writer's room and the big things are less of an issue.

[wrestlingisfake]

Revolution preview

Adam Page vs. Adam Cole - Page is the 4th AEW men's world champion, and this is his fourth defense of the title. Cole likes to say he's held the top title everywhere he's been (in ROH, PWG, and NXT), and he hasn't lost a (sanctioned) singles match since he joined AEW.

Cole and Page both joined Bullet Club in May 2016, basically aligning with the US/Ring of Honor/friends with the Young Bucks side of the group. Cole was pushed as a major acquisition, and won the ROH world title later that summer. Page was more of a long-term project, and he was given the "Hangman" gimmick to avoid confusion with Cole. Luckily for Page, Cole left for NXT in 2017, leaving the way clear for Page to emerge as a key member of Bullet Club Elite. One can't help but wonder if Page's rise to the top in 2018-2021 would have happened at all if Cole has stuck around.

To me this doesn't feel like a hot main event, but that's probably because I didn't see much of Cole in ROH or NXT. Those who did follow him in NXT are red-hot--I've been to several shows where people were chanting "ADAM COLE BAY BAY" on their way into and out of the building, including one where he wasn't there. There are certainly fans who think it is inevitable that Cole will be coronated as champion on this show. It doesn't help that fandom has been tough on Page's run as champion--many argue he hasn't had enough appearances and defenses, and that other top names are more worthy of being the titleholder. So as usual, Page is under pressure to prove he's worthy of the position he's in.

A big x-factor in this storyline is Adam Cole's divided loyalties with the Young Bucks (his close friends from Bullet Club) and reDRagon (his teammates from NXT's Undisputed Era). The Bucks and reDRagon can't stand one another, and sooner or later Cole will have to take a side. Meanwhile the Bucks and Page appear to be (gradually) mending fences. Does that mean the Bucks will do a run-in here? I think AEW will be counting on fans to expect that, and plan accordingly.

I think Page will retain. Cole doesn't need the title--not yet, at least, and not necessarily this particular title. So the only good reason to take the belt off Page is if they've given up on him, and I can't believe AEW has given up so quickly. Many fans have, but the only way to overcome that attitude is to feed him some big wins. That could potentially backfire--especially if Cole's fans resent a big loss--but that's another problem for down the line.

CM Punk vs. MJF - This is a dog collar match, so the participants will wear collars connected by a length of chain. I'm pretty sure anything goes, although in practice the only weapon that gets used is the chain itself. This type of match has a reputation for being incredibly bloody and vicious, mainly based on the legendary Roddy Piper-Greg Valentine in December 1983. But more than anything, this match is designed to call back to Punk vs. Raven in July 2003.

This feud has been expected since the day rumors surfaced that Punk was coming to AEW--literally everyone had the idea that MJF should come out to Punk's music in Chicago to troll the audience. They finally faced off in November, with all the metanarrative and inside references you would expect from two smartass loudmouths in a war of words. Personally I'm kind of over the idea that a worky-shooty mic drop moment makes a wrestler a great talker, so this aspect of the feud hasn't worked for me. (On the other hand, Punk coming out to MJF's music in Long Island to troll the audience was *chef's kiss*)

They finally had the first match on February 2, which was Punk's first loss since joining AEW, and his first loss in Illinois since December 2011. After Punk issued the challenge for this rematch, MJF did a emotional promo about how much Punk meant to him when he was being bullied in school, and how heartbroken he was when Punk quit WWE in 2014. MJF earned a lot of genuine sympathy, which he then used to swerve Punk and the fans with a bloody beatdown. The conventional wisdom is that Punk bled buckets in that go-home angle, so this match can only be even bloodier.

I think the winner of this feud has to go on to challenge for the world title later this year, with the loser pushed back in line to simmer for a while. If it's me, I put Punk over here to build to Page-Punk at Chicago in September. But there is a solid case to make that MJF should win the feud and be a top contender ASAP. Thing is, if that was the plan, I would've done the February 2 match here, and ended the feud with a one-and-done. Of course, if Punk does win this rematch, that certainly sets up the possibility of a third encounter before the feud ends. I'm still leaning towards a Punk win, but I'm not confident about it.

Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa - Baker is the 4th AEW women's world champion, and this is her eighth title defense. Rosa's Warrior Wrestling title is not at stake. Rosa defeated Baker in March 2021, shortly before Baker won the title. But since the match was "unsanctioned," it didn't count in the rankings, so it's taken a year for Rosa to work her way into top contention.

This should be a great match, but I can't think of much to say because it's not complicated--AEW has pushed both women strongly, they've gotten super over with the fans, and now they're going to fight for the richest prize in the division. I guess they could add some intrigue about Mercedes Martinez or Jamie Hayter, but I don't think this is the time or place. I'm hoping they just wrestle a lot and one of them just wins.

It feels like they could easily keep the title on Baker for another year, and it's hard to imagine where she goes from here if she falls out of the title picture. But it also feels like it's time for Rosa to get to the top of the mountain. Of all the challengers on this card, she's the one where the stars are in alignment, and a loss would really embitter the audience.

Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson - Moxley is the GCW world champion, but the title is not on the line here. This match was supposed to happen on November 13 in a tournament to determine a challenger for the men's world title, but Moxley pulled out earlier that month to enter rehab. Danielson's been tailing him ever since he got back. On February 2 Danielson laid out his big idea to join forces with Moxley to mold young talent in their image and reshape the landscape of AEW. Mox was intrigued, but said he doesn't stand with anybody until he's bled with them first.

Moxley and Danielson both spent years in WWE, but they haven't faced off one-on-one since 2013. Danielson has never lost a singles match to Moxley, all the way back to their first encounter in Dragon Gate USA back in 2010. As it stands today, I think Moxley is the bigger name and AEW should protect him here.

It's not clear whether Moxley intends to join Danielson, or if the outcome of this match will affect his decision. If he loses and joins Danielson, I think that sets him up to look like a flunky, which is all wrong. If he wins and joins Danielson, I'm not sure if that will be a heel turn for Mox or a face turn for Bryan. I could imagine a swerve where somebody does a run-in, and Bryan aligns with that guy instead. But fans have gotten genuinely excited at the prospect of a Moxley/Danielson faction, so if it doesn't happen AEW better have something else just as hot.

Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Bobby Fish & Kyle O'Reilly vs. Nick Jackson & Matt Jackson - Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are the 6th AEW tag team championship team, and this is their fourth defense of the title. It's a three-way, so whoever scores the first fall on any opponent will win the match and the championship for his team. reDragon (Fish and O'Reilly) won a 10-team battle royale on February 23 to qualify for this match, whereas the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt) won a 16-team gauntlet battle royale on March 2.

This is one of those three-ways where the story is that two of the three parties are in an alliance, so the third is supposed to be outnumbered. Of course, in 95% of these situations, the two sides that are supposed to work together end up having a miscommunication and lose. Since the Bucks and reDRagon could barely tolerate one another before this match was made, I'm pretty sure that's where this match is headed. Which suggests this is also one of those three-ways where the champions are only involved to build to a bigger two-way match between the non-champions.

I guess reDRagon could win, but I think it's far more likely that Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus retain.

Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston - I think this feud started when Jericho and Kingston were both feuding with 2point0 and Daniel Garcia, so Jericho kept making the save for Eddie and Eddie resented it. Santana and Ortiz somehow got involved and it became a thing where those two like both guys, but being caught in the middle sort of turned them against Jericho. I've lost track of the actual issue. These two guys just hate each other.

This should be good since Jericho's a living legend of the majors and Eddie is a living legend of the indies, and they've never crossed paths to my knowledge. But I really don't get what they're fighting over, or what either hopes to achieve, or whether this is meant to turn one of them heel. I'm pulling for Eddie to win.

Jade Cargill vs. Tay Conti - Cargill is the first TBS champion, and this is her fifth title defense. Both of these ladies are great at what they do. But let's face it, this is going to be a two-minute squash match--maybe five minutes if they're trying to protect Tay a little. Jade retains.

Face of the Revolution ladder match - This is a six-way ladder match for a future TNT title match. A prop brass ring will be hung above the ring, and ladders will be provided for the wrestlers to climb up and retrieve it. The only way to win is to gain possession of the prize--that is, literally grab the brass ring. (Note that, unlike WWE's Money in the Bank ladder match, the person who wins the title shot here is not entitled to ambush the champion at a moment's notice; the match will be announced in advance for some future date.)

The participants are: Keith Lee, Orange Cassidy, Wardlow, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Christian Cage. Starks is recognized within his faction as the FTW champion, but that title is not at stake here.

I like that this match is for a midcard title shot (which will probably be on a random free TV broadcast rather than a pay-per-view), because it's easier to picture an upset. If this was for a world title shot at Double or Nothing, I'd have to give it to Keith Lee based on starpower alone. But any of these guys could job to Sammy Guevara on any given Friday night, so literally any of them has a good chance of winning. My brain says Lee is the favorite, and my gut says they've got an idea for Wardlow, but my heart is with Hobbs since he's cool and mean and huge.

Sammy Guevara & Darby Allin & Sting vs. Andrade El Idolo & Matt Hardy & Isiah Kassidy - This is billed as a tornado match, which means tags are not required and all the participants can fight at the same time. The match still has to end in the ring, but other than that there really aren't any rules.

This match stems from two of the random storylines they've done with Andrade. First, he decided that Allin was Sting's assistant and tried to purchase Allin's services. Second, Andrade bought a controlling stake in Hardy's HFO faction (now "AHFO"), and he was very displeased when faction member Kassidy failed to win the TNT championship from Guevara on February 2. Meanwhile, Allin has his own aims at taking the TNT title from Sammy, but it's clear that will have to wait until they solve their mutual AHFO problem.

Sting hasn't lost a single match since joining AEW, so I think the outcome of this match is not in doubt. The bigger question is whether we start seeing seeds of Andrade turning on Hardy and stealing the faction out from under him. With everybody expecting Jeff Hardy to join Matt in AEW, it seems like the turn has to go down fairly soon.

HOOK vs. QT Marshall - This is scheduled for the pre-show. Hook, the son of Taz, debuted a months weeks back after over a year of memes about how he's secretly the ultimate badass. Then he actually lived up to the hype, so it's sort of like if Ultra Instinct Shaggy was real. This match is probably going to take less time than it did to write this paragraph. Hook wins.

Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander - Another pre-show match. I guess these two were teaming all the time on Dark and Elevation, but I wasn't paying attention, and then Hirsch got fed up and turned on Statlander. Then Statlander did a promo with a weird line about how Hirsch is such a jerk that it's no wonder her birth parents put her up for adoption, and everybody was like "not cool, dude." So I don't even know who the babyface is here. I'll be rooting for Hirsch, personally.

[walkwithheroes84]

Immortals After Dark (Half Way) Series Thoughts And Couples Ranked

I started reading the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole on February 5th, 2021. In the last twelve days, I've read roughly half the series. And, believe me, I was crushed to find out that the last book was released in 2017. The fandom is dead and the author - whether due to publisher issues, health issues, or a mixture of both - hasn’t been active on any social media platforms since 2019. 

I have some mixed feelings on the series, but since I have no one to share them with, I’ve decided to put them here. I chose to read this series because I liked the idea of it: immortal beings, preparing for a major “battle”, all while dealing with last-minute villains and finding their true soulmates. Yeah, I’ll read that. So, what have I liked about the series?

Let’s start with the fact that it is very clear that Kresley Cole had a major game plan in mind. Hints of future books, hints of storylines, and future important characters are introduced in every book. Since most of the novels take place around (or even at the same time) readers are often given several perspectives of the same events. Someone who seemed like a no-so-great person in one novel is shown to be a better person two novels later - because we  now know their backstory and what makes them tick. A character might offhandedly mention something in a novel (example: Garreth mentioning Lucia is his destined mate in book one) and it comes full circle in another novel - we get to see that story play out. 

Even if your favorite character plays a minor or side role in one novel, there is a great chance they will be a main character at some point in the series. And, as someone who often loves the side characters more than the main characters, that was a nice surprise for me.

It’s also fairly clear that Cole took some time in developing the different (major) groups within the Lore: who they are, what they can do, who they are friendly with, etc. That was a nice detail that I liked, especially as it didn’t really change in the novels I’ve read. And to be honest, in such a long series, it would be very easy for an author to forget smaller details. But, I don’t think Cole has - yet. 

There were some things I didn’t like, of course. Having read books 1-7 and then 9-10 (I don’t have access to book 8 yet) in the span of twelve days - it is so painfully clear that Cole has a formula she likes to work with. 

Most of her novels play out the same way: ML and FL meet. An attraction forms, with the ML realizing that the FL is his destined mate/Bride/whatever. They fight, he chases her, they fight some more, there is a bit of sex, there is a misunderstanding, he’s possessive, they fight and have sex, there is something terrible looming in the background that gets quickly taken care of in the last 50 or so pages, they fight again, they makeup and then they ride off into the sunset until they have a few cameos in other couples’ novels. It’s painfully predictable at times, and in truth it works well with some couples and not so well with others. So, I do like when Cole changes things a bit. (See book ten, Dreams of a Dark Warrior, for example.)

I also have to fully admit that some of the Alpha males, who were so possessive, running around calling women “Mine,” while being borderline abusive or/and manipulative at times turned me off.  That kind of guy is just not my cup of tea. So, I’m sad to say I have not (as of yet) been a huge fan of the Lykae and the way they tend to treat their fated mates. 

That said, I’d like to go over each couple and rank them. 

09. Emma Troy and Lachlain MacRieve from A Hunger Like No Other (Book 1): I almost stopped reading because of this couple. I understand that he was tortured and hurt by vampires for years, but he was so awful toward Emma when he thought she was a full blooded vampire! He demanded she touch him in exchange for a phone call! It was so clear that she was scared, and because of his own trauma, he did nothing to calm her. Not a fan. 

08. Sabine, Sorceress of Illusions and Rydstrom Woede from Kiss of a Demon King (Book 6): While I liked them as characters, their relationship just felt very toxic to me. At times I was even uncomfortable with the way they treated one another. From reviews I can tell that a lot of people like them, so I may go back to this novel once I have finished the series. 

07. Holly the Bright and Cadeon Woede from Dark Desires After Dark (Book 5): Cadeon was fine. Holly was fine. But - he was going to sell her out! I can’t get behind that. In the end, they did win me over, but I just felt (at times) that Holly could be a bit boring and that Cadeon’s betrayal (while somewhat understandable) was too much. 

06: Mariketa the Awaited and Bowen MacRieve from Wicked Deeds on a Winter’s Night (Book 3): Mari was stronger than Emma in dealing with her Lykae and because Bowen thought his feelings were a spell he wasn’t as possessive with Mari as Lachlian had been with Emma. Mari and Bowen had a bit of humor in their relationship, a bit of teasing and they were just...fun. I enjoyed their interactions before and after they were together. Do I think Mari forgave him way too easily? Yes. Do I  think their issues were solved too easily? Yes. But, my goodness, I still enjoyed them. 

05. Kaderin the Cold/Kind Hearted and Sebastian Wroth from No Rest for the Wicked (Book 2): This is a weird one, because I can’t really tell you why they made my top 5, but they did. I liked Sebastain and the way he just wanted to make Kaderin happy. I loved that Kaderin was not the damsel in distress that some of the other heroines had been throughout the series. In fact, I would dare say that it was Kaderin who was leading the romance instead of Sebastian, which was a nice change of pace in this series. 

04:  Daniela the Ice Maiden and Murdoch Wroth from Untouched (Book 7): I really loved the setup here: when Murdoch had been alive, he had been a, well, he slept with a lot of women. Dani is a virgin at 2000 years old. Why? Because she is half Icere Fey, which means when anyone touches her skin they freeze and she burns. Dani also happens to be Murdoch’s Bride, which means after 300 years of no sex (or interest in sex) Murodch suddenly wants to have sex - with Dani - who can’t. They have a lot of back and forth, push and pull. They find some very creative ways to be together without actually touching. And, for some weird reason I really enjoyed them. They weren’t the typical story in this series and I liked that.

03: Carrow Graie and Malkom Slaine from Demon From the Dark (Book 9): Me, Tarzan. You, Jane. That’s what seems to come to mind for a lot of people who read this one. Malkom is a seriously traumatized demon/vampire, who knows nothing of the world and is somehow really sweet toward Carrow. Carrow is a witch, who's seen it all and done a lot of it. She’s using him to save her adopted daughter, but Carrow falls for Malkom. And it’s a weirdly sweet and cute story. 

02:Néomi Laress and Conrad Wroth from Dark Needs at Night’s Edge (Book 4): A ghost and a vampire. Who knew I’d love them so much. It’s even better, because she’s his Bride, but she’s dead...so they can’t get physical. Instead they talk and get to know one another. She was a woman of the world, and he’s a half-crazed vampire bounty hunter, who was once a virginal vampire bounty hunter. She flirts and teases and he is angsty. They are basically perfect. 

01:Regin the Radiant and Declan Chase (Aidan the Fierce) from Dreams of a Dark Warrior (Book 10): Chef’s kiss. Regin does not take crap from Declan and he actually has to work to win back her trust. Declan is a mess, but it’s not used as an excuse for his misdeeds. Yes, he has had a traumatic past and he has been brainwashed, but his actions are not excused by Regin - especially when he goes back on his word. Declan has to fight for Regin, just as much as she has to fit for him. I loved them. 

I have book 8 on the way, I already have books 11, 13-15, and book 18. I’ll be buying books 12, 16, and 17 soon-ish. While the series has some flaws, I do like it overall. The books are really quick reads for me and overall I like the overarching story and a lot of the characters. I’m rather disappointed that nothing new has come out in four years and that Cole has fallen off the grid. I know she had books 18 and 19 planned, and reportedly book 18 is finished. I hope it is able to be published someday.

[fizzingwizard]

In winter I discovered the “Anne with an E” series on Netflix. Of course, I was excited, because I grew up with Anne of Green Gables - I am pretty sure I never finished the series, but I read at least half the books. I loved the early ones but lost interest when she grew up. I was not one of those kids who idolized adulthood; looking back, most of the stories I loved best were about kids, so I think I just didn’t connect with Anne the same way when she became an adult. I still adore her story, though, and the first book in particular.

(actually, I wrote my senior thesis on kids in literature, meaning outside of children’s/MA/YA books. It was fun)

The show’s been canceled after season 3, which I’m sad about, but it’s mixed feelings tbh. As usual I have Thoughts.

So there are a lot of great things about “Anne with an E.”

the intro is beautiful and fitting

the casting is pretty well done, imo. Matthew and Marilla in particular were just perfectly cast.

the setting, costumes, etc are really gorgeous, I get such a fresh, pastoral sense looking at it

the appreciation for and development of my quirky girl Anne is there

there is a huge focus on female relationships and friendships without much in the way of cattiness

the addition of some new characters and themes both keeps an old story alive and relevant while also pointing out that what we think of as “modern” problems (lgbtqa+ representation, for instance) are really things that have existed throughout history

and on that, I loved all of the new characters, especially Bash, Mary, and Ka’kwet. Also Diana’s lesbian aunt is Lifestyle Goals.

But there are also things I definitely didn’t like.

the acting... like I’m sure all the actors are very good, but the script I think doesn’t play to their strong points. There’s a lot of stiffness. The character I think who does the smoothest job no matter what is actually Bash. It’s worst with Gil. He can act, I think, he  seemed pretty good with body language, but I cringe when he talks. He only gets pure, wise things to say. He never sounds like a child. Everything he does is right. The same is true of Anne as well, and another thing that bothers me - as much as I appreciate her passion and sense of justice, I don’t like that it overrules her childishness so much of the time. But she’s the main character and has a lot more time to shine in many ways, while a lot of Gil’s storyline outside of Anne is new stuff not in the books, mainly not there to develop him.

three seasons of the show and very little of it seems to actually be from the pages of the books. They did the apple cordial scene, but there were so many others that Iooked forward to and they just didn’t bother with. Those scenes were the reason I loved Green Gables. I don’t mind that they changed characters etc so they could make room to include those so-called “modern” stories - like I said, that adds to its relevancy. But why cut out so much of what was good in the books?

because they skipped so much canon development, the rushed finale in season 3, presumably when they realized they were being canceled, has no tension or impact.

also because they skip so many good parts in the books, many episodes feel like a Hallmark TV show to me. Anne goes from quirky, clumsy, fiery, and interesting to the writers’ social issue megaphone. There’s got to be a way to Be Super Feminist or whatever without sucking all the life out of your main character. She’s not like that in *every* episode, but there are definitely those where you feel like you’re being hit on the head with a protest sign.

I hated them killing Mary, and I hated that they were setting up for Bash and Ms Stacy in season 4. I swear that’s what they were doing. I sensed it from the moment Mrs Lind says Bash has to find a new wife. The show was canceled, but already we’d had a sudden influx of significant scenes between Bash and Stacy that were nonexistent before Mary’s death, and these scenes were specifically themed around loss of loved ones, moving on, parenthood, and family. It was absolutely a set up. And given the incredible pace at which this show liked to tackle Social Issue after Social Issue, I have no doubt that “interracial marriage” was next on the list. Normally I wouldn’t care, except that it feels like Mary was killed in order to make room for this storyline! That’s my beef with it. I don’t think season 3 is all that well written, overall, to be honest.

But my biggest issue of all is with Ka’kwet. I remember reading about residential schools when I was a kid. They were horrifying. The show at least doesn’t mince how horrible it was. The introduction of Ka’kwet and her family was great. The inclusion of indigenous actors was great. The history is incredibly important. And then... we don’t even find out what happens to her. I read a bunch of people saying “That’s realistic! Those schools were terrible and letting her have a happy ending would have had white savior overtones and undermined how awful this was.” Perhaps if Anne with an E were a different kind of show, I’d agree. But everyone else got a satisfying conclusion. Even though Mary died, at least she found her happiness first, and her estranged son even comes back in the end to ask forgiveness at her grave and turn his life around. *Everyone* ends on a hopeful note, except the Mi’kmaq storyline, which ends with Ka’kwet imprisoned at school and separated from her desperate family. Even if you really believe the argument that “it’s realistic so it’s good,” the other issue is that that whole subplot was really short! It was suddenly introduced and had just got momentum when it fizzled out. I was SO confused in the final couple episodes because I could think about NOTHING but Ka’kwet and kept expecting news about her, one way or another, yet the show only wanted to talk about Anne & Gilbert, Diana and going to Queens, fricking Billy and Josie... Sorry, but it was a very, very bad look. I love Anne and Gil in the books, but when you put them up against the story of a 12 year old indigenous girl imprisoned by white people at a brainwashing school... I mean, how can you expect me to get all worked up over Anne’s note to Gil getting stuck under his boot when something much much larger is at stake?? Confusing. Exasperating. I am certain it’s this bad because of the cancellation, but I’m not super hot on the build up to it either.

Regarding Anne & Gil. I was confused through all three seasons about them. Their relationship did not remind me of what I remember from the books, but it’s possible I overlooked some things as a child, or just don’t remember it all. Anyway, I didn’t really care about their romance during the show. On the one hand, that’s good because it’d be a tragedy if Anne were spun into a romantic period chick flick. It’s not. But on the other, I can’t get excited about a character’s romantic journey if it’s underdeveloped. Not everyone may agree with me that it was underdeveloped, but I needed more - not even necessarily more romance, just more of what made Anne and Gil so magnetic to each other. I suppose it’s a moot point because in the books, it literally takes years before they even become close, and the show couldn’t wait that long. Plus they changed so many other things, why not this? That’s fine, but the why not spend more time of them too?

So... ultimately, I’m disappointed in this show. It’s not that it’s bad. It’s not. I enjoyed watching it, for the most part, though I had to struggle through some of the more Hallmark movie moments. It’s just not Anne. It had promise... it has some good scenes... but in changing so much, they lost a lot of what made the books magical. And a lot of the themes they took on appeared and then vanished, like Cole coming to terms with his sexuality and going to art school, and then only making cameos after that. (Though I highly appreciated that he went with Anne and comforted her when she returned to the orphanage.) It’s too bad. I don’t know how much other fans would agree with me - what I’ve seen online has mostly seemed positive. And it’s hard, because my overall opinion is a complicated “I feel positively towards this show but I’m also disappointed in it.”

But gotta be honest - I’d be much less disappointed if I hadn’t felt so let down with how Ka’kwet’s story disappeared. That I just can’t forgive.

[maddhatterreviews]

So something kinda funny happened a while ago

I was completely unaware that DC Superhero Girls had started airing again. That wouldn’t be that much of an issue, except I also forgot that I set my DVR to record new episodes months ago. So imagine my surprise when I check the DVR and find five new episodes of Superhero girls just there. 

And I thought it would be fun to go over the episodes I saw, since there’s actually some good stuff in them. I doubt I’ll do this again anytime soon, but still. 

Tween Titans: This actually came out after I found the recorded episodes, but I figured I’d throw it in too. Mostly because I don’t actually have that much to say about it. Karen and Jess get a job babysitting Dick Grayson and the other Titans, but they are all around ten years old. There wasn’t anything particularly special about this episode. It was just kinda fun watching Bumblebee and Green Lantern having to deal with a bunch of superpowered kids. 

I will say the time line seems about right. Dick is usually a few years younger than Barbara, and the characters are specifically called tweens, so he has to be somewhere between ten and twelve years old. We also got to see Bruce Wayne first hand for the first time. It is kinda funny to continue to see two of the three members of the Trinity being assholes. Although, to be fair we’ve really only seen Superman through Supergirl’s eyes and she has a pretty strong bias against him. And it’s unsure how much of Bruce’s douche nature is all part of the “Bruce Wayne Act” he usually has going on.

And I have a distinct feeling this episode is a direct response to Teen Titans Go. While most fans of the Titans either actively hate Go or are generally ambivalent towards it. I kinda have a feeling Lauren Faust might be slightly resentful towards Teen Titans Go since Super Best Friends Forever basically got passed over for it. It’s just the fact that they used the most popular version of the Titans, which just happens to be the same lineup as Go. It could be coincidence, but considering the Titans act like hyper-active brats, a fairly common criticism of Go, it really seems like Lauren Faust is taking a dig at Teen Titans Go.

All about Zee: A girl from school nobody talks to or really acknowledges becomes obsessed with Zatanna and eventually takes both her physical appearance and powers. She figures out Zatanna’s other friends are the superhero girls and takes their powers and appearances as well, becoming a hodgepodge of them all. This is easily the weakest episode for me. I’ve seen this premise a bunch of times and it’s never not felt cringy as shit. 

It feels like this was the episode that really felt like it was pulling influence for MLP. People were saying Zatanna was a lot like Rarity, and Rarity’s main thing was generosity right? I don’t know, that’s just how it feels to me. 

I think it is kinda funny that the running joke of the villain of this episode is that no one knows who she is and they can’t remember her name because I can’t either. And I’m also not sure if she existed in the comics either. Maybe she’s a Zatanna villain, I don’t know, I haven’t read many of her books. I thought she was Cole for a minute, but as far as I know, the whole changing appearance thing isn’t something Cole can do. 

I don’t know, this just didn’t feel like this show’s best, you know?

Living the Nightmare: Another Zatanna focused episode, and a marked improvement over the last. The Girls are having a sleepover at Zatanna’s place and they start talking about nightmares, specifically how Zatanna doesn’t have nightmares because she doesn’t have any insecurities or anxieties that can manifest within her subconscious. So, of course the villain of the episode attacks the girls through their dreams. 

I initially thought the villain was going to be long standing Justice League villain Dr. Destiny, but turned out to be a relatively new Zatanna villain named Fuseli. A demon who feeds off of people’s nightmares. And since Zatanna doesn’t get nightmares, she has to enter her friend’s dreams to find the little bastard. 

I usually like episodes like this. It’s a good way to quite literally get into the heads of the protagonists. We don’t get a lot of insight into most of the girls unfortunately. Most of their nightmares are by and large inconsequential. Kara is afraid of cockroaches, Diana is (Inexplicably) afraid of teddy bears, and Babs is afraid of...sharks I think? Karen’s fear has a bit more substance since she’s afraid of public speaking, but that’s to be expected from a character whose main defining trait is being shy. 

The two interesting dreams are Jess’s and Zatanna’s. A common criticism of the portrayal of the characters was the omission of the anxiety and mental issues that were part of Jess’s backstory. In the comics, Jess was an agoraphobic who experienced an extremely traumatic event before having the powers of Power Ring, the evil Earth-3 Green Lantern that’s powered by fear instead of Will power, forced on her. Lauren Faust has openly stated that Jess had gotten over most of her issues before the series began, but this episode alludes to the idea that she hasn’t gotten over them completely. And this could set up for future episodes to further explore Jess’s issues in full context. This episode is about Zatanna after all. 

Speaking of, Zatanna’s claim that she doesn’t have any issues isn’t entirely true. I wouldn’t call it a running joke, but a recurring plot point in the series is that Zatanna’s magic isn’t the best. She usually comes through at the end of the day, but more often than not, Zatanna’s attempts to perform magic will backfire in some way. And after tricking Fuseli out of her friends’ dreams and into her own, It’s revealed that she did in fact have something she was scared of. Zatanna is actually afraid of her own full magical potential, and that if she didn’t have enough control she might hurt someone. The reason she doesn’t have any nightmares about it was because someone, most likely her father, magically suppressed them. 

This is also one of the few times so far that the show brought up and expounded upon a storyline that appeared earlier in the series. Abrakadabrapalooza showed that Zatanna’s powers first manifesting scared the absolute shit out of her. While she quickly accepted her magical powers, I have to assume it still really freaked her out considering she almost destroyed the Green Room she was in, and could have easily developed a complex as she was learning to control her powers. Zatara, seeing the toll the incident in the Green Room was having on his daughter, could have locked away her fears so she could have peace of mind while she trains to become a better sorceress. 

Of course Fuseli, being a nightmare demon, manifests Zatanna’s repressed fears and there’s a big showdown where Zatanna obviously wins. There’s some interesting implications about Zatanna having her fears suppressed; like what will happen to her now that her fears are out and she acknowledges them. This was a fun episode and it does a decent amount to develop Zatanna. 

Dinner for five: Not my favorite of the bunch but it is up there. Dinner for Five doesn’t do much to develop the characters and the only one of the main Girls in the episode is Barbara. It’s just a really fun episode with a lot of action, great interactions and good comedy. It also introduces Deathstroke into the show, which is genuinely surprising. 

The episode is about Babs meeting a new friend in school, Rose Wilson, whose father just happens to be Deathstroke. The fights between Babs and Deathstroke are one of the highlights of the episode. Superhero Girls has some above board animation, but it’s not what the show is known for. This isn’t exactly Avatar, Rise of the TMNT, or even the original Teen Titans. The fight scenes have always been less about choreography and more about Loony Tunes’ esque slapstick and visual humor. And the fights between Babs and Deathstroke are some of the best mediums between the comedic style of fighting this show is known for and more serious fight animation. 

What really surprised me about this episode is the just that Deathstroke was the villain and the show actually named him Deathstroke, kept him as an assassin, and outright claimed that he killed many people, and the entire reason he and Rose came to Mertopolis was to murder Jim Gordon. This is especially surprising considering the reason Deathstroke was named Slade in Teen Titans was because Cartoon Network wasn’t sure they could get away with a recurring villain being named Deathstroke the Terminator. So it’s just kinda funny that DC Superhero Girls did that even though it’s  aiming at the same, if not a slightly younger demographic than Teen Titans. 

The story is also a prime example of the beauty in simplicity. With a premise like “Babs makes friends with Deathstorke’s daughter” I would have figured there’d be some kind of third act twist where it turns out Rose is actually Deathstroke herself, or she takes up her Ravager identity and she and Deathstroke both fight Babs. But no. Rose is just a nice sweet girl that really likes Babs and her dad just happens to be an infamous assassin. She even knows he’s Deathstroke and walks in on him about to murder Babs. And she just scolds him for doing so, and kind of implies Deathstroke has tried to kill her friends before. 

Bottom line, this was a fun simple episode 

Retreat: This is another low point for me. It’s not as bad as All about Zee, but there isn’t much to say about it either. Even though I don’t have a problem with episodes just being fun and not having any relevance to the larger narrative or developing the characters, Retreat especially feels like filler. 

Jess drags Babs, Karen, Hal, and Garth into the woods for a camping trip, and springs on them that she also invited Pam. And Pam immediately freaks out when the others start using various tree parts to do stuff around the campset. Pam runs off into the woods and turns into Poison Ivy to raise a small army of plant monsters to straight up kill the others. As she does this, Babs tells Garth, Karen, and Hal a scary story about a witch of the woods, and of course Ivy’s plant monsters attack just as she finishes her story. 

The rest of the episode is just the heroes fighting off the plant monsters with various shenanigans happening as they try to survive, since Jess insisted that they put all their technology, including all of their weapons, in a bag tied to a tree. And It’s all pretty solid. I can’t think of anything overtly wrong with this episode, it just doesn’t really do anything all that special. It is still a little annoying that the running joke of Aqualad being useless is still going on. But at least they acknowledge that Garth is the only one of the heroes whose powers don’t come from an external source. He still gets taken out pretty easily, but at least they show he is one of the strongest characters in the show, even if he is still a joke. 

It is still funny that Jess is so adamant that she and Pam are friends, when Pam’s antipathy towards her and the other is clear as fucking day. While it is kinda ridiculous that the Superhero Girls and Supervillain Girls can’t seem to put two and two together and figure out who the other is (Especially since Babs put it together that Rose’s dad was Deathstroke pretty fuckin quick) I honestly hope this dynamic sticks around for as long as possible. Logic be damned. 

Ally Cat: This is easily, the best episode of the bunch. And it brings up something I’ve been waiting for since the first episode: Lex Luthor coming back as a villain. And holy shit, was it worth the wait. 

The episode begins with a news report showing Lex digging up Stonehenge to find the mythical Book of Eternity. An ancient tome that Zatanna claims is able to predict the future with perfect accuracy. Because no one in this universe, or at least none of the six main girls, knows that Lex is a massive asshole they’re not too worried about him having a Book that powerful. But Zatanna insists that no one should have that much power and actually suggest they steal the book from Lex. 

Most of the girls are apprehensive, but Babs is surprisingly on board with the idea, and is sure she could come up with a plan to sneak into Lexcorp. Unfortunately, Babs has to go out of town with her dad, and can’t help heist. (And I kinda love that Babs insists that they’re not stealing they’re pulling off a heist, like there’s some kind of difference) So the girls do the only other logical thing they can think of; find Catwoman and get her to plan the heist for them. 

It is a solid plan, and it’s kinda funny that Diana either doesn’t understand the concept of blackmail or is so righteous and good she doesn’t recognize that she and the other girls are doing it to get Catwoman to help them. Either way, Catwoman does come up with a fairly genius plan to get them into Lex’s vault. 

I have to admit I really love what this series does with Catwoman. Making Selina black is whatever, it’s not that big of a deal to be honest. But the fact that Summer Cree was directed to emulate the Eartha Kit version of Catwoman adds a lot to the performance. And it’s kinda great that they made Catwoman the brains of the Villain Girls. Catwoman’s always been clever, but this show almost seems to make her out to be almost, if not just as intelligent as Lex. 

Speaking of Lex, after they just barely manage to get into the elevator to take them to Lex’s vault (Catwoman’s plan almost immediately goes south because the Girls absolutely suck at being criminals) Lex confronts them in his vault, traps the girls, and reveals that Catwoman had actually been working with Lex the whole time. It does make the Girls almost fucking up the plan to get here even funnier in retrospect, since it’s clear Lex wanted them in the vault in the first place. He also reveals that he’s managed to capture the Invinci-Bros and even Superman. 

Lex explains that he read the Book of Eternity, and knew that the Superhero Girls were going to try and steal the book by asking Catwoman for help, so he just got to her first. He was able to predict everyone’s moves thanks to the book, which allowed him to effortlessly incapacitate everyone he’s confronted so far. He claims he needed every hero in the city out of the way so he could enact his master plan. The plan he decides to tell Catwoman, simply because he doesn’t think she can stop him and he’s about to send her out of the city anyway. 

Thanks to the Book of Eternity, Lex knows that a huge meteor is hurtling towards Earth that will utterly destroy Metropolis and possibly cause global ecological devastation. Lex plans to let the meteor hit, have millions of people die and come in as the big goddamn hero he wants everyone to see him as, and have his technology save the surviving citizenry and rebuild the city in his own image. 

This is why I think this series is so good. It’s dumb and goofy, but when it wants to get dark, Holy Shit! They do not pull any punches with this plot. Catwoman out right says that countless people will die if Lex does this; and Lex does not give a shit. Lex Luthor’s main defining character trait is being a megalomaniacal sociopath with little to no regard for human life. He’s obsessed with his own self-image and will destroy anyone or anything to make himself look better. And this episode encapsulates that perfectly 

The show doesn’t do anything too extreme, but this plan shows just how evil Lex can be simply by not sugar coating the death toll that will result from it. To the point even one of our recurring villains is utterly horrified by it. But he does seem to scare her off before she can do anything to try and stop him. Fortunately, like in the comics, Catwoman admits that while she’s a thief, she isn’t willing to let an entire city die just to save herself. She doubles back and releases the Superhero Girls so that they can save the city from the meteor. 

Catwoman finds Lex on a boat and tells him that after he hired her to trick the Girls, she took a look at the book herself and figured out what Lex’s plan was. So she tore out the page that said what she’d do after the Girls were captured and double crossed Lex. This is also completely in character for Lex. He is so smart that Lex will always underestimate whoever he’s dealing with, so it’s usually surprisingly easy to trick or outsmart him. Especially for someone as clever as Catwoman. 

Of course, Catwoman tries to take the Book of Eternity from Lex, but the Girls show up and get the book from her. And the episode ends with Catwoman robbing Lex blind, and showing that the male superheroes are still in Lex’s cages. 

This was another thirty minute long special, and probably one of the best so far. It did a great job of showcasing just how dangerous this version of Lex is, while still keeping him kid friendly. He was silly and danced around during his fight with the heroes, but he still planned on letting an entire city be destroyed just to make himself look good. It was also fun to see Catwoman’s more anti-heroic side coming out in this, since DC Superhero Girls has her set up as a pure villain. 

And that pretty much everything. This took a lot longer to write, and I will never try to review five episodes of a tv show again, but it was fun to get all my thoughts about this show out. A new episode came out while I was writing this, but I’m not gonna talk about that one this time. I just want to get this one done. Still, as simple as this show is, it continues to be a fun superhero cartoon that I hope will get more kids into DC’s heroes. 

[unkindnessofsails]

August 2020 Book Roundup

Books I read:

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Writing Down Your Soul: How to Actiate and Listen to the Extraordinary Voice Within by Janet Conner

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura

The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole

My thoughts under the cut (not spoiler free):

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters:

Enjoyed the first half much more than the second half. The first half has a lot of the similar beats to its movie adaption ‘The Handmaiden’ which I watched and loved a couple of years ago. The second half is quite different though and some of the twists revealed felt contrived. Also SPOILERS for the ending tbh I didn’t buy that Sue would be in love with Maud, especially with her being put into the asylum and being so pissed throughout most of the second half due to this. Maud’s affection seemed more realistic, but it was Sue who went after Maud in the end so idk, the ending felt too nicely wrapped up considering everything that happened throughout the story.

Favourite Character: I liked both Maud and Sue and can’t really choose between the two. I just don’t think these versions of the characters should have ended up together.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn by Taylor Jenkins Reid:

This was a very quick read, which was good, because it sucks you in and is enjoyable to consume... but looking back on it, it’s a meh sort of book. Aside from Evelyn, most of the characters in her world are pretty one note and Evelyn’s relationship with Celia felt at times toxic. Like seriously Evelyn is an actor!!! getting jealous/upset over her acting out a sex scene in a movie is kind of stupid especially considering you yourself are also an actor.

Favourite Character: Evelyn I guess, she’s the only person the author developed fully. 

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman:

Ughhhhh. Nope. The teenage drama felt over the top and the storytelling was clunky with nothing really happening till the end then everything happened all at once and feeling unrealistic and undeserving at that.

Favourite Character: None. They all annoyed me.

Writing Down Your Soul by Janet Conner

Got this as a gift a lonnnng time ago, so decided to just give it a read. Had some interesting ideas, but some of her examples were very embedded in the patriarchal system. I do think writing down your thoughts to let loose steam is a useful practice though.

Favourite Character: n/a

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

This book has clear parallels with atla, which is cool, but doesn’t always work. The first half is good, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and the world and then... it just all fell apart. The biggest problem is Iman who is supposed to be the Zuko character, but his ‘redemption’ just doesn’t work and the romance is cringy and unrealistic as fuck. It just took me out of the book and all of the things that happened after the romance was introduced was just frustrating. The moral and societal issues brought up in this book that are a reflection of our society are very important, but the character development needs a lot of work. Don’t know if I’ll read the second book as by the end of the book I didn’t care for any of the characters.

Favourite Character: Zélie... up till halfway through and then I couldn’t stand anyone. I loved how she’s cocky and brave and at times selfish and can get annoyed easily, but she just doesn’t back down. She needs better taste in men though.

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura 

A teen romance book that actually doesn’t focus so much on the teen romance. The main character’s problems that she finds herself in are actually relatable which I found nice - like her procrastinating talking to someone because it’s a difficult conversation to have (legit what I do all the time and it’s bad...). Also, though clunky at times the author does bring up important discussions about race. I do think the whole resolution about the father cheating storyline was a bit hand wavey, but I can see why the author resolved it that way.

Favourite Character: Jamie Ramirez - she did not deserve the distaste she got from Sana’s friends and imo didn’t do anything wrong. Also, Sana can be so oblivious and racially insensitive at times which Jamie has to put up with along with everything else. If I was Jamie I wouldn’t have taken Sana back, but I suppose with it being high school and slim pickings and all... 

The Skin We’re In by Desmond Cole

100% recommend, especially for Canadians. So often Canadians, especially white Canadians like to say Canada is so much better than America when it comes to race issues, but this book clearly shows why this isn’t the case. It’s a picture of the issues Black Canadians face within the last decade (though the focus of the story is the year 2017). Given the racial climate we are living in now, this book is as relevant as ever.

Favourite Character: n/a

[appleslovescarrots]

What to expect from Season 3: Canon divergence and a possible timeline for AWAE

I’m back on my bullshit imagining how S3 might pan out if (hopefully) they will continue to diverge from Montgomery’s canon (especially re: the timeline of Shirbert). 

What we know so far: Anne will turn 16. In the book series we know that Anne’s age in Anne of Green Gables (AOGG) was 11-16. At the end of the book, Anne goes to Queens College and gets a B.A. with a licence to teach, which is her story in Anne of Avonlea (AOA) which covers age 16-18. 

Since Anne is only just turning 16 in S3 and the Avonlea kids have not graduated school yet nor seen Queens College, logically the story would pick up right there (canonically at the end of AOGG) with the “Queen’s class” and Anne, Gilbert, Charlie, Moody, Josie, Ruby and Jane going to Queen’s College/Academy in Charlottetown, PEI to get teaching degrees...while Diana has to stay in Avonlea. 

This^^ however also still falls into the timeline of Anne being enemies with Gilbert in the books. They are rivals during Miss Stacey’s “Queens class” and also compete for the scholarships at Queens. Since AWAE did away with the petty I-can’t-stand-Gilbert-Blythe storyline or at least cut it fairly short, this entire arc would play out differently in the show than it did in the books.  

Relationship-wise Anne and Gilbert are more in the AOA stage of the novels, where they’ve put their “issues” behind them and became (ahem) “friends” with a lot of UST and angst (because Ruby is after Gil and a dozen boys are after Anne)

Gilbert already knows he wants to become a doctor, not a teacher (which is something he does not realize before AOA) so it’s also not quite clear whether Gilbert will become a teacher first and then put himself through med school or take a shorter cut...

We know a lot of stuff will happen in Avonlea (one plot strand will cover the indigenous people for example), so it is unlikely that a huge chunk of the season will be set in Queens or Charlottetown - though this would give us an opportunity to have Cole and Aunt Jo back. 

My guess would actually be that Season 3 starts with the Queen’s class and the story will take us to Queen’s up to half of the season, and there is a big turn at half time (I’m dreading it, but this could well be where a major death happens...) while the second half will adapt parts of AOA: back in Avonlea, Anne and the others teach at schools around the area and hang out as a group of young adults. 

In AOA, they found the A.V.I.S. a society to improve the village in their spare time: Mrs Lynde thinks it’s an excuse to flirt around and she’s not wrong, since this is where some of the first loves, heartbreaks and rivalries happen. 

It is actually the time when Gilbert first actively “courts” Anne, though she keeps rebuffing him or pretending not to notice what he’s doing. It is also the time when Gilbert has to compete for Anne’s attention with other men (in the novels it’s an obnoxious Charlie Sloane) and the show has not made it quite clear yet who might be his competition (Charlie, Billy, Jerry even? Or someone else entirely?). Anne on the other hand gets jealous of Ruby’s pursuing Gilbert who only has eyes for Anne though. 

I really hope we do get to see a lot of this^^ because there was not that much Shirbert content in S2 and I think at age 16/17 they can definitely push the romance plot quite far now...fingers crossed that they will. 

Don’t get me wrong I love that AWAE has so many great and diverse themes beyond it being a mere romance, however, I also want to see a good adaptation of the main romance and I think this doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. 

I might well be wrong and they will take it very slow this season and we won’t get beyond them being in Avonlea and finishing the Queen’s class so S3 might still be stuck in AOGG, but I really hope not. While I like most of the canon divergence, I think it’s also ok to move along a bit also with the age of the actors and actresses. 

At any rate, I think now that Anne and Gilbert already have a firmly established friendship (unlike in the novels at this point), there is not that much in the way of the “courting” plot starting in S3. 

Can’t wait :D

[thoughtfulpaperback]

Charmed 02x08 Review SPOILERS!!!!

Sorry this took so long y'all. Family stuff just blew up in my face this month has been just terrible it's been terrible since the end of november to be honest, so I just wasnt in the mood to review. But I shall starts. In general i liked the episode 8/10 for me. I like the pacing, the general plot advancing. I liked it, but I have some complaints though. So let's just get those out of the way. So I'll do pros and cons by subject since there were things I both disliked and liked about each thing.

1. Hacy

Let's just get this big guy out of the way. So abby and Harry kiss was a big no for me, although it was hot for sure.

Now there has been a lot of back and forth about this so I actually wanted to compare to the things that bugged me about Macyx galvin and where I thought one does better than the other.

Communication

So like Harry and Macy do not communicate well with each other right now. I feel that thier communication issues though are better (or at least make more sense to me) than Macy x Galvin.

Macy while communicating with Galvin, as far as arranging things, was bad, but with her kiss on halloween she did make her interest in Galvin known. They both had an understanding that they were interested. So I thought the whole Summer ordeal was worse in that sense because, while the follow through was poorly done, Macy's interest was stated.

With Harry and Macy, it appears that neither of them have stated any interest to one another (neither has told the other thier feelings) and neither is aware. So harry kissing some one else isnt as bad to me as the Galvin x Summer situation because of that (speaking about this area soley).

The passive aggressiveness of Harry and Galvin in certain situation isnt comparable because Harry is doing it more.I felt Harry's reactions are more justified (we will get to the hypocritical portion later) in that he is going through the wringer, is hurting and confused, and self-deprecating and many of us agreed that the thought of Macy preferring Jimmy would be bad and hurtful to Harry and logically make no sense. But harry has more scenes than Galvin did in season one so he feel more passive aggressive than Galvin, but I attribute that to screen time and proximity to the Macy (he always there so more time and chances to interact). But also, for me, Galvin wasnt as passive agressive and his sometimes aggressive or snideness wasnt because of Macy. Outside stuff (problems with summer) would make him snap or his trauma also caused him to snap so the situations are comparable there but, again Harry has more screen time so his snapping feels worse to me because it happens multiple time in one episode versus one or twice in a whole season. Since the situation ( and right now I am speaking soley on the summer x Galvin situation) was different. I am up in the air I as to which was "worse" i think both situations are sucky and i think i am more bothered by Galvin x Summer because again Macy had actually expressed her interest (communication wise) but the hacy situation feels more full of that passive aggressiveness and that will turn it into something I really cant get behind. Right now I feel Harry is in a bad place and probably shouldnt be with anyone until he get himself settled personally.

Love triangle/square or whatever

So like with summer x Galvin it wasnt really a love triangle I mean kind of but not really. Galvin didnt pursue Macy while with summer and was generally nice during that time. Summer wasnt necessarily the jealous girlfriend stereotype she was nice, but did call out suspect behavior.

The abby xharryx Macy x jimmy thing is like aweful. It is the love triangle that I hate most at least where the abbyxharryxmacy part is concerned.

I mentioned it before but I hate when one or two people use another person as a means of getting release/relief when they are actually interested in someone else. I think it is cruel to both the used character and the main LI. Worse when both are using others because twice the cruelty. IDK what was going on in Harry's head. But I have never like that type of love triangle, and worse so because it is possibly the other type of triangle I hate which is (usually guy) caught between two ladies and one is clearly the villian (I thank novelas for this gem *sarcasm*) and it is mostly a lust thing.

Especially given that James Westwell was a serial cheater, apparently, this idea of "I love one person but am in lust with the other despite thier character" is like the worst to me. Abby is straight up an ambitious murder, and like I guess that maybe Harry's default type because Charity had similar qualities, but again for a guy who supposedly has strong feelings for Macy and was so confused and hurt by her attraction to Jimmy (which apparently wasnt attraction at all) the ease of him doing the very thing he was mad about , and the ease of being able to push aside his feeling for Macy and give in to that abby kiss was gross.

Sorry but although they werent together, for me, guys who can do that easily should be on our cheater radar. Knowing that James was a serial cheater just makes it worse imo.

While the summer x Galvin situation felt worse on the communication front (expressed feelings) it was better done than here because there is a lot more grossness in the dynamics of the love shape thing right now.

Overall, I get Harry isnt in a place to be with anyone and it's all confusing and he is lashing out. He has not told Macy his interest and neither has she so he shouldnt be held to the boyfriend standards. But still the writers are toeing the line here. What happens next will actually help me define whether this turns into a Galvin situation where I end up not liking the two characters together. If Harry tries to continue the passive aggressiveness about Macy and Jimmy. I'll be done. I mean if he does have feelings for abby and trying to move on, but still tries to pull that with Macy it will just be straight up manipulative. Right now I am like okay he was lashing out and I get it and the abby kiss is probably a big mistake. He can continue the mistake path if the writers wasnt to go there, but if he doesnt recognize that he did something hypocritical and still comes for Macy about Jimmy it will be very very wrong.

I think they for sure need to clear the air but if the writers wait to long or do too much damage I wont be satisfied with the clearing of the air.

I am not necessarily mad right now over the abbyx Harry thing because I am waiting to see how they will handle and present it, but I mean it is on that line and writers need to watch out. I dont think Harry was trying to be manipulative and the lashing out happened before abby kiss. As long as the lashing out (at Macy) doesnt continue I will watch and support the development and exploration of thier relationship and dynamic with the others.

2. Maggie

So like Maggie shows her naivety here and I am not that mad. Like she isn't pulling a "I am so in love and blind to the world" thing she makes her decision based on what she thinks will do the most good for the most people. It is still naive, but she is still maturing and you can see that. Her wanting her sisters to trust her judgment and not feel like they have to baby her is reasonable although again those insecurities clouded the main issues here. She is growing and I shall see how she continues to mature.

3. Mel

I think they tried to fit some personal development for mel here and it both worked and didnt work. I thought it wasnt done badly but at some points I was like....okay could this have been saved for another episode or done beforehand. I wanted to see it, just didn't think it felt in place, especially after leaving the wedding. She just had some development and then was like welp guess I am gonna stumble upon this amber. Like mel could have gotten her new powers before, I mean I felt they could have made the stumble upon the amber scene and new powers at any point before and it could have been more relevant and interesting placed somewhere else than this episode.

4. Abby/overlord/parker storyline

Abby was probably the best thing in this episode. I love her as a villian. I am here for it and I want it.

Parker got dark real quick and while I think he and Maggie shouldnt be together, I am glad he didnt die. Also glad abby clarified that his actions weren't caused by the apple. Because at least OG with Cole the tragedy (the first storyline) was that he made a choice to protect the person he loved but he ended up becoming the source and actually being taken over by the source so his actions were tinted by his OG love but corrupted by that force that possessed him. Where as abby tells him, that that jealousy and want for blood was all him. Maybe the apple and that power made him more likely to act on it than of he hadnt, but it wasnt the apples fault necessarily so. I am glad for the clarification, makes me not want Maggie and him together, but I like that exploration of power and choice. Even with Macy while the power amplified those insecurities she still was making choice which also made her choice to give up that power extra meaningful. Power is corrupting but you can still choose to fight that corruption or give in to it. I like that.

5. Jordan

I love this character to be honest. I am still figuring him out, but like dude is cursed and has been basically touched, punched, and robbed by these guys. He can't catch a break and like nobody even checks on him. Like he so far is a pretty decent although suspicious (like he doesnt trust others easily not like he himself is suspect) guy and I like him but he is getting some serious Darryl treatment right now. I dont like that, but I like him and want to see more of him. Plus, what the heck happened? Did they leave him passed out in the gym? Did they wipe his memory? What is going on?

Episode highlights

Jordan trying to defend maggie and get parker to leave

The power of Four looking fine as heck for a wedding

Mel as a fly talking to herself

Macy walking in on that kiss

[elizabethrobertajones]

Comparing Season 6 and Season 10 - which one do you think makes more sense as a whole, which one better pulls of seeming like what happened/was revealed at the end of the season is what was supposed to happen/was planned all along?

I may be biased, but for me, season 6 by miles. And almost all of that is Edlund desperately cramming everything that had happened so far into something that either made sense or handwaved why it didn’t make sense in an effectively emotional enough episode that by the end of TMWWBK you sort of feel like you’ve actually got your answers and Cas has been completely honest and open with YOU at least, making it that much easier to handle what was going on. 

I think for me season 10 was poorly handled in ways that weren’t particularly well addressed and the only offered explanation ever was “oh it was Amara after all” which in the context of season 11 gives us some more characterisation to begin to pull things together, though without addressing everything. Still if we’re dealing with things as a whole, season 10 doesn’t have an episode that scrapes everything together in the post-Edlund era and what we get only within the confines of season 10 is extremely unsatisfactory, even if later canon eases it a little bit, along with just… not being actively in SPN season 10 as it airs :P 

Going off my memories of being in the fandom at the time, we had a lot of issues with things like 

Dean’s incomplete demon reversal (so far as in 10x02, written by Dabb who invented the cure repeating the correct steps, then in 10x03 Buckleming not following through with them)

“the river ends at the source” “never mind I was screwing with you”

Did Cain still have the Mark after 9x11? lasting drama until 10x14, and still debated afterwards especially by people who had thought he didn’t have the Mark and had passed it entirely to Dean now being very confused  

What the fuck was this about Lucifer having the Mark and how did that last minute addition affect everything? 

the Colette parallel being wildly mis-applied by fandom but also issues with the show’s fear to explore it leading to “we are all the colette” episodes with lasting drama until 10x22, where Charlie, Sam and Cas all variously and persistently seemed to be suggested to be capable of being a team effort to pull Dean out of the darkness. 10x22 also wasn’t enough to stop Dean, and the final confrontation was with Sam, I think a general consensus was - especially again with season 11′s help - that the memory of Mary drew him back/unleashed Amara metaphorically who unleashed Mary literally - it wasn’t a great note to end on without season 11 context (as a whole, so, like, a whole YEAR later) that Sam had “won” the battle to bring Dean back from himself where Cas had failed, and the subtext and show and fandom most of all had made SUCH a huge deal out of Colette, after 9x11 over-told her story instead of retelling Cain & Abel, that it was set up with the expectation that saving Dean was a romantic quest, not a brotherly one. 10x14 sort of helped set things to rights with the list, but the fighting about what it all meant at the time was AWFUL, and though I think I was right and the show bore that out and these days I type it all with confidence, I’m pretty sure there’s a ton of buried wank about it that could be dragged out if we want >.>

the fact there wasn’t really an overarcing Mark of Cain plot except “Dean is suffering” with the only 3 actual plot points they could do with it being demon!Dean, kill Cain, and remove Mark. Because of that, everything else is literally set-dressing to fill the time and add drama in between, but these were played with poorly and there wasn’t any subterfuge we weren’t in on (i.e. sam stealing the book) vs Cas betraying both the Winchesters and US. The only retcon offered in the end was Death’s exposition about the Darkness.

people literally forgetting which order episodes came out in and being very confused about why Amara wasn’t released when Dean was 14 in 10x12 even though he didn’t kill Cain for 2 more episodes (like, within weeks of 10x14 airing, I swear)

the understandable disappearance of Cole but bizarre application of that hunter called Rudy who popped up in his place and featured in 10x23 along with Cas for Dean’s guilt trip. Even if Cole and TAW sucked ass, it’s much easier to understand the emotional impact of what happened to Rudy if you assume he has the exact same backstory as Cole and the same nonsense happened to Dean twice in the same year :P 

Pre-season hype about Rowena made a huge deal out of the Grand Coven, and for a brief moment it seemed like there might be a witch plotline, including new lore dumps about different types of witches in 10x07, characters like Olivette the Hamster, etc, but they squandered her first season and 10x19 was as close as we got to any pay off to her actual storyline

Then Oskaar happened and that was like ??? Okay just introduce him in the second to last episode and throw us into that emotional situation 

the entire cure coming out of nowhere as a random last minute macguffin instead of having been anything they put together over the season - even though the book of the damned thing showed up in 10x11 it changed substantially from the clue Charlie left with (a less than 100 year old book with a library reference number found on an antique rare book website, based on a real book, which we all picked over and were left wondering if the plot was to be about some sort of occultism thing as a result) to a much different lore. Then there were a few episodes dealing with it and the codex, the actual spell had no real struggle, and Crowley delivered all the pieces while Cas stood around scowling and Rowena stood around in chains eye-rolling. Compare season 13′s pacing with Sam and Dean cobbling together what they needed from halfway through the season, and being on the mission to get to the AU from episode 9, with relatively little of the endless sitting around googling and being frustrated of past seasons but ESPECIALLY season 10 where Sam was futilely trawling the results of googling “mark of cain” from mid-late season 9 through to like, 10x18 when an actual brief plot appeared around it directly. 

I think all of it points to a problem of working forwards from where they were instead of backwards to tidy up what was left. In season 6 Edlund took as many loose plot threads, from how Sam lost his soul, what was up with Crowley and Cas, the angel war, explanations for Sam and Samuel working together, why eve happened, everything, and put it all together to explain the elements of the season so far in a new light. Despite how disastrous that season was, PRETENDING you knew like you meant to do it all along glosses over inconsistencies in Samuel’s story or Cas and Crowley’s 6x10 interactions, and makes them relatively inconsequential when most of the details add up. 

The same thing works with the Lucifer as Sam’s vessel storyline, in the sense that while Azazel’s plan is fucking ridiculous in its over-complex bizarre attempt to find a worthy true vessel that Heaven had fated, comparing season 1-2 to season 5 head on is bad, each season explains itself from the last in enough of a way and with enough knowledge of what already happened that really despite vast inconsistencies in the lore, by 5x22 we are pretty much all on board to accept the way it all played out because they use what was previously written to build up Sam’s arc, and little details thrown in towards the end like Brady and then Lucifer revealing ALL of Sam’s closer rando peeps had been demons, tidy up more and more loose ends and there’s left with plausible deniability about a lot of the issues.

In season 10 they kept on introducing elements instead of working with what they had already established, and also discarded what seemed like major plot hooks for Rowena and Cole, one annoyingly, one completely metatextually understandably and fuck TAW, I’m glad the show never brought Cole back as soon as rumours of him groping fans appeared, and it makes me genuinely trust that the SPN set is a safe place. But yeah. 

Things they set up and could have worked with, were the Cas’s grace arc, which was resolved to a small personal satisfaction to Cas without any major plot impact except we could stop worrying about when Cas would get sick and die from bad grace, or steal more. 

The demon!Dean issue was bad writing from Buckleming re: was he still a demon or not, but given Dean was supposed to be struggling with succumbing to darkness the season actually kept him almost completely level without any significant relapses, even after killing Cain. The sense of needing a functional Dean Winchester to keep hunting monsters and prop up the show as both the carrier of the mytharc, the emotional core, and the go-between between Sam and Cas even when the show was trying to figure out if Sam and Cas could function without Dean, it was all still so much about Dean that in 10x21 when they’re doing the cringeworthy “for Dean” thing and Rowena rolls her eyes like “I barely know the man”, I was actually applauding Buckleming snark thinking they maybe briefly had a handle on how ridiculous Dean’s position in the narrative was. (Listen, this was the last 10 minutes of my innocence about how awful Buckleming could be, leave past!me alone. She’s sweet and precious and not bitter :P) In any case, a more effective season would have utilised him more to slip and slide between light and dark and explore it in much deeper detail, but balancing that with a procedural formula doesn’t work as well and they were lacking enough philosophers on staff. I think the Dabb era writing team could handle it, because Yockey, Perez, and Glynn especially, who seems to have a psychology background based on her writing, all have a sharp attention to the exact things in emotional arcs that would have made it work better, even just as it was. Since this was a weaker writing team where Robbie, Bobo and Dabb episodes were little islands of excellence and the motw were fun but more shallow even with strong foreshadowing themes, it just didn’t pay off. 

I think the biggest waste of time was “the river ends at the source” which was either Buckleming trying to introduce a concept and hoping someone else dealt with it, or an agreed plot hook which never materialised, or Metatron literally spoke the truth, that the line had only ever been written to mess with us. However 10x23 could have actually included more of a “river ends at the source” sort of slant and had Death confirm it in so many words because Amara really did sort of seem to be the answer to the question. In 10x10 it seemed like they knew where the season was going, but by 10x17 it was obvious they DIDN’T, and it was during 10x18 that the plot actually got hashed out and Robbie was handed heavy revisions to make to change the Stynes to end of season villains and the Book of the Damned was going to be used how it was. I think this is really weak plotting, as someone who always puts in fun lines and then attempts like crazy to pay off on them. My first novel has the line “you can’t talk to me yet” and I play through that the whole book until they CAN talk and make it a major motif, goal and in the end try to explain it as best I can about how it’s all plot relevant and why using that for tension to put off the explanations and such was a valid thing to throw at my main character, and then the springboard to more adventure when she was ready for it. I literally do not understand putting a portentous line into your story, and not becoming desperately eager to answer it or twist something into revealing how it all fits at the end, if not basing your entire story off of it. Sam and Dean seemed wildly uncurious about how to apply that or what it means. 

In season 6 one of the more frustrating things is the “it’s all about the souls” line because Dean fails to investigate until someone or other rolls their eyes and makes it all clear to him. But we get a few more reminders in Cas’s presence, until we find out his plan, and Crowley repeats that line in 6x20 when making his sales pitch to Cas, if I’m remembering rightly (I hope so :/) and so despite Dean’s infuriating lack of investigation (not that he had a great deal of leads, but still - you could build a plot around it by GIVING him a lead, he’s the fictional character and you’re the writer :P) at the very least they repeat the motif in at least 6x17 and 6x20 to my memory, before the souls thing becomes a lot more obvious about Cas taking the purgatory souls and we’re allowed to actually discuss what he’s up to instead of the vague hints Atropos and Rachel give that they know his plans. 6x07 also hints early on that Purgatory is full of monster souls if you add it all up - the writers knew they were doing SOMETHING with this even if it took to the end of the season for it to all come together. (And that’s something that’s clearly and overarcing plot that Gamble oversaw because she wrote 6x11 and the line then appears in multiple episodes around the place, so that’s not just something Edlund tidied up but an actual effort to write the season well.)

Throwing aside the “river ends at the source” line is wildly frustrating because it wouldn’t have been too hard to apply it thematically and even keep Metatron being a douche while giving the viewer a pay off anyway for our own satisfaction, by showing it had been a theme all along anyway. You CAN squint at season 10 and analyse it through that lens but it’s exhausting when the show doesn’t give us the themes on a platter. It also shows that the plotting is careless and they’re experimenting, and rather than working with what they have, this is in a path of episodes where they’re discarding some plotlines, and we’re beginning to have end of season plotlines hastily pasted onto the end of the season, but they make very little of any of the work already done to build up the season as we’d seen it so far.

Add onto that Charlie being murdered for manpain to motivate some things into action and all the random elements being used, and the sense that Crowley, Cas and Rowena all abruptly ran out of a plotline that had been intended to utilise them and put on a side character duty away from Sam and Dean, the season is extremely messily and carelessly written, and without any real attention to detail to its own themes and characters and plotlines. Even if they’d gone into the season not particularly expecting where to go, they brought a lot to the table early on but then quickly wiped a lot of it off, and brought a lot more stuff to the table instead, which makes season 10 a really wonky, unfinished feeling product as a thing on its own, and the overall story is scrappy and carelessly plotted.

And that is speaking just about the easy plot stuff without getting into the absolute mess of speculation from the Destiel side of fandom wondering wtf was going on with the seeming build up to crypt scenes, colette, the grace cure, etc, that made up the bulk of the speculation but makes actually analysing expectations vs presented product completely impossible to evaluate on that side of things because as always Destiel speculation really overshoots what is expected and was really running wild at that point. I mean, not being judgemental because that was the year I was right in the thick of it. 3 years clear of it now, some of it seems really silly, but those 3 things all seemed clearly built up to our eyes, and we got the reverse crypt scene we’d been expecting since before the season started, and we got the Colette reference which slotted Cas firmly into place as a reminder of how Cain’s peeps lined up against Dean’s, as well as Cas asking Dean to stop, which satisfied the terms and conditions of Dean resisting walking in Cain’s footsteps with the overall set up of the scene. With the way Cas got his grace back and then some other rando cure popped up where Rowena of all people made the sacrifice, I really can’t help feeling like the conspiracy theorist who knows they were right but with the way it all shook out, only people who knew the conspiracy would understand how it didn’t happen and it’s very hard for me to look at that and say that some non-Cas-related cure was coming all along, given the conspicuous dropping of one plotline sort of day of picking up the next >.> But I’ll cede that from my position I might be a bit compromised on that one. 

Anyways. To me season 10 is a disaster that only season 11 really justifies, while season 6 has some truly low points but in the end the actual writing skill hauls it through so that it creates the illusion that there was consistency, if you ignore everything outside of the text suggesting it may have been as poorly planned as season 10. Planning isn’t everything - it’s what you do when confronted with the unplanned wire tangle in front of you that really marks how well they were written, and just shoving it under the table and putting a new wire tangle down vs actually unpicking it and making them as neat as possible? Gamble slam dunks Carver :P

[crackmonkeytrash]

Inquisitor ask: 1-10? (Lmao again sorry rip goodluck scrolling)

*i added some extra questions because i felt like it lmao

1. Name and Race: Magnariel Dasanehn, originally of clan lavellan

2. Sexual Orientation: Grey-Pansexual Homoromantic

3. Appearance: hip-length black hair, turquoise-violet eyes, androgynous, tri-split bangs, long eyelashes, about 5′6″, lean, left above knee amputation (sylvan wood knowledge-spirit possessed prosthetic), thin and angular longish face, high cheekbones, lots of little scars, wider hips, large oak tree tattoo on his back. Very pretty. Long thin elven ears with a few piercings. 

4. How did they feel about being called the Herald of Andraste? Mags really didn’t like it. He felt incredibly uncomfortable being referred to as the Herald of Andraste, especially since he doesn’t even believe in the andrastian religion despite knowing Andraste was a real person he just… yeah he didn’t like it.

5. Religious beliefs? Honestly, not many? Like he knows that the Elven gods existed, but through his travels through the fade and conversations with spirits he knows they weren’t really Gods, so he doesn’t really revere them at all?? Like, he respects them but he doesn’t like.. y’know. Anyways, yeah he’s not religious.

6. Opinion on mage/templar war? Oh, Mags hates that everyone is fighting but he completely gets why they’re fighting. He completely supports the mages but he doesn’t like, Hate every templar either. 

7. Who is their best friend? Oh noooo…. maybe… maybe Cole?? He gets on extremely well with Solas but thats a different question ;) Yeah!! so in the storyline his bff would be Cole because as a spirit of compassion, he wouldn’t need to be super vocal? Mags has sort of an issue with talking too much so a companion he wouldn’t need to be wary around or really hide too much from would be really helpful. Plus, he’s had a very close friendship with Syl, the spirit of Knowledge, so another spirit when Syl isn’t around would be very familiar and nice for him. But obviously, Syl is Mags’ closest and longest friend.

8. Who is their rival? Hm… honestly, I’m going to have to say Vivienne, the french chantry circle mage bitch lady. They agree on almost nothing, and Vivienne’s goals would actively harm Magnariel and his children, so he really does NOT like her, and her him neither. 

9. who is their love interest? do I ship them with anyone else? Unromanceable characters? Who other than dearest Solas ;) Like… no one would understand him the same way Solas does?? him being male-aligned is uhhh not a concern for me so bleh! I briefly considered Cullen but i don’t like him so neither can Mags lmao. Other than them like… Mags would have a tiny little spark with Dorian but it doesn’t go anywhere.

10. warrior, rogue, mage? Mage, baby!! Mags is a shapeshifting nature and healing mage :) so basically, he can shapeshift, communicate with animals, heal injuries, and nature magic essentially encompasses like.. he can create large vines to entrap people, make the earth grab at people, shit like that. He’s not very skilled with offensive magic though; he’s not a very violent person.

23. Are there any wild animals they refuse to kill? Yes!! Unless he absolutely has to, Magnariel doesn’t like killing any animals, but ESPECIALLY wolves and bears. His kids are shifters of those species so yeah. Plus, as a shifter himself, he prefers to not kill animals, and is a vegetarian in elven form. Killing animals is, in his opinion, only to be used to survive; for food, or when attacked.

29. Does sleeping in tents on the road bother them? It’s not the tent or sleeping on the road that bothers him, but sleeping alone. Honestly, Mags hasn’t slept alone… ever, really. As an infant he slept in the Aravel with his Mamae, then after he was abandoned at age 8, he was always with Knowledge. Then at seventeen he gave birth to his first kiddos, so from that point on he always slept in close quarters if not completely cuddled up to by his kids, Knowledge, and Marrok (the wolf, father of aeri and saia). So, Mags hasn’t truly slept alone ever, and the events of Inquisition see him separated from his children for eight months (they arrive shortly after Mags arrives at Skyhold.) Sleeping alone is terrifying for Mags, and he really doesn’t do very well without company. 

[wrestlingisfake]

AEW Fake Rankings, 9/25/2021

Men's singles division - babyfaces

CM Punk

Bryan Danielson

Jon Moxley (GCW world champion)

Chris Jericho

Cody Rhodes

Darby Allin

Christian Cage (Impact men's world champion)

Eddie Kingston

Orange Cassidy

Brian Pillman, Jr.

Men's singles division - heels

Kenny Omega (AEW men's world champion, AAA mega champion)

Miro (AEW TNT champion)

MJF

Malakai Black

Adam Cole

Andrade El Idolo

Matt Hardy

Powerhouse Hobbs

Shawn Spears

Daniel Garcia*

Unranked: Brian Cage, Dante Martin, Dustin Rhodes, Frankie Kazarian, Feugo Del Sol, Jake Hager, John Silver, Lance Archer, Lee Johnson, Matt Sydal, PAC, QT Marshall

* Not listed on official AEW website roster

A big talking point lately is that AEW's roster has gotten pretty huge. One effect of this expansion is that it's a major pain in the ass for me to keep track of all the wrestlers who mainly compete on the YouTube shows. Going forward, I'll be focusing on the performers who have wrestled in the past 30 days on television or pay-per-views.

There's concern that the big stars from other major-league companies (mostly WWE) will crowd out the wrestlers who came up from the minors. That issue became more clear to me when I put together the above list. Twelve of my men's top 20 came to AEW best known for their WWE runs, and Omega made his name in New Japan. So if you expected AEW to be "the best of the rest," you're left with Darby, Eddie, Orange, Pillman, MJF, Hobbs, Garcia, and a bunch of guys in the background.

We'll have to see if this becomes a problem. I'm optimistic that AEW knows what they're doing, and wrestlers will be regularly cycled into and out of the spotlight. But WWE has conditioned wrestling fans to think that if a wrestler only appears on the C-show, then the bookers have totally given up on them. So I don't blame fans for being skeptical that AEW can find a better way. It's on AEW to prove that guys like Brian Cage, Pac, John Silver, Dante Martin, and Lee Johnson will get their day in the sun. And that's not even getting into the dozens of wrestlers that aren't listed above.

Men's tag team division - babyfaces

Lucha Bros. - Rey Fenix & Penta El 0M (AEW tag team champions, AAA tag team champions)

Santana & Ortiz

Jurassic Express - Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy

Evil Uno & Stu Grayson

Chuck Taylor & Wheeler YUTA*

Men's tag team division - heels

The Young Bucks - Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson

Men of the Year - Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky

FTR - Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood

The Butcher & The Blade

Private Party & Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy

2point0 - Matt Lee & Jeff Parker

TH2 - Jack Evans & Angelico

* Not listed on official AEW website roster

At any given time, AEW has about 16-20 active tag teams, but a lot of them are mainly on Dark and Elevation. Limiting the rankings to teams that have been on real TV in the past month gives us just twelve men's teams. Then again, that's still more than you'll see on most other wrestling shows.

I think it's important that three of the heel teams (Butcher/Blade, Quen/Kassidy, Evans/Angelico) are in Matt Hardy's stable, so it feels like Matt is begging for one of those teams to break away and turn face. The Dark Order also features three teams (Uno/Grayson, John Silver/Alex Reynolds, Alan Angels/Preston Vance), but their storyline about internal problems could break up one or more of those pairings, if not the entire faction. Interestingly, they've started to set up a feud between the entire Hardy Family Office and the sort-of reunited Dark Order, which may be where they blow off a lot of these issues.

Women's division - babyfaces

Ruby Soho

Kris Statlander

Thunder Rosa

Anna Jay

Tay Conti

Hikaru Shida

Big Swole

Riho

Red Velvet

Leyla Hirsch

Women's division - heels

Britt Baker (AEW women's world champion)

Jade Cargill

Nyla Rose

The Bunny

Penelope Ford

Jamie Hayter

Abadon

Diamante*

Unranked: Emi Sakura, Kiera Hogan*, KiLynn King*

* Not listed on official AEW website roster

AEW doesn't do a lot of women's matches on Dynamite and Rampage, but because of the battle royale on the 9/4 pay-per-view some of the overlooked ladies managed to make the cut.

We've seen some alliances forming in this division, which has stoked talk of introducing a women's tag team championship. However, it looks like AEW has other plans, involving a new women's TBS title to complement the men's TNT title.

I don't think the women's roster is deep enough to support any new belts. That doesn't mean I don't want a secondary title or a tag title. I do. But I'm not convinced that introducing a new title will commit AEW to actually push more wrestlers and expand the roster. That commitment is what I really want; new belts are just gravy.

Part-time/semi-retired: Chavo Guerrero Jr., Homicide, Karl Anderson (Impact men's tag team champion), Luke Gallows (Impact men's tag team champion), Mark Henry, Minoru Suzuki, Rebel, Sting, Tully Blanchard, Paul Wight

I don't get the impression that Homicide and Suzuki will be sticking around for very long. Aside from them, all AEW is getting from the "forbidden door" these days is Gallows and Anderson, and all they do lately is stand in the back of Kenny Omega's entourage. These crossovers have been fun and all, but they've been more like Green Lantern/Silver Surfer than JLA/Avengers, if you get my drift.

The Dan Lambert/American Top Team storyline appears to be setting up some kind of match involving Junior dos Santos, Jorge Masvidal, Paige VanZant, and a bunch of other MMA jagoffs I can't be bothered to remember. We'll see if that actually happens, or if they just jerk around about it for another two months.

No TV or PPV matches in 30 days: Aaron Solo, Alan Angels, Alex Reynolds, Anthony Bowens, Austin Gunn, Billy Gunn, Colt Cabana, Colten Gunn, Griff Garrison, Joey Janela, Luther, Marko Stunt, Max Caster, Nick Comoroto, Peter Avalon, Preston Vance, Ricky Starks (FTW champion), Shawn Dean, Sonny Kiss, Wardlow

This doesn't include people like Julia Hart and Serpentico, who regularly appear for AEW but aren't on the official roster and apparently aren't under contract. Regardless, this gives you a good sense of which wrestlers would be the "AEW Dark roster," if we treated it like a separate brand or something. It'll be interesting to check in a few months which of these names are still stuck in this category.

No matches in 30 days: Anthony Ogogo, Brandi Rhodes, Brandon Cutler, Christopher Daniels, Leva Bates, Michael Nakazawa, Sammy Guevara, Yuka Sakazaki

As huge as AEW's roster is, it's impressive that only eight wrestlers are listed here. Guevara has a match set for 9/29, and Daniels is doing a little crossover thing on Impact Wrestling. Brandi just got back from maternity leave, and while I assume she plans to get back in the ring, that remains to be seen. As for the others, it's possible some of these people have injuries or are taking time off, and the details just haven't gotten out.

Inactive

Darius Martin (knee - unspecified ACL injury)

Hangman Page (paternity leave)

Kip Sabian (undisclosed injury)

Serena Deeb (left knee - unspecified injury)

Trent Beretta (neck - herniated intervertebral disc)

The big story here is Page, who was being set up for a major run for Kenny Omega only to suddenly lose his title shot and disappear from the show. That left everyone pretty anxious for Page to get back, especially since a wave of big new stars could crowd him out of his spot. I'm sure AEW knows when Hangman is scheduled to return, but there's no way for any of us to figure it out, which is frustrating.

Trent had neck fusion surgery, which has a notoriously slow recovery time; I don't expect him to be on TV until the middle of 2022. I haven't seen any kind of timetable for Sabian or Martin, probably because there are so few details available about the extent of their injuries.

Deeb had knee surgery in March, returned to the ring in May, and went back on the shelf in July. Evidently she came back too soon, and she's still rehabbing the original knee injury. I worry about that kind of thing when I see Britt Baker (or Impact's Chelsea Green) working through a broken wrist.

[charminglatina]

Why Bughead is a terrible couple.

1. They have no romantic or sexual chemistry: I’m sorry but it’s the truth. Bughead have absolutely zero chemistry. None! Nada! Zilch! Zip! There’s no romanticism in their relationship whatsoever. When Jughead and Betty kiss, I feel like I’m watching two siblings making out. Their relationship looks like two platonic friends (which is what Jughead and Betty canonically are in the comics by the way) trying to force a romantic connection between them that doesn’t exist by kissing each other. This is why I seriously don’t understand how people can say that Jughead and Betty have romantic or sexual chemistry because where is it? It’s just not there at all and it’s nowhere to be seen. I know chemistry is supposedly subjective, but as someone who’s been in numerous fandoms and has supported a variety of different romantic couples throughout my almost 29 years of life, Bughead just simply doesn’t cut it in the chemistry and romance department. Their chemistry comes across as forced, as if their trying to make themselves appear as a romantic couple but are badly failing at it. When Jughead and Betty were making out and almost had sex in 1x13, it came across as incredibly awkward and non-sexual. I don’t care how many times Bughead make out, THE. CHEMISTRY. IS. JUST. NOT. THERE. I don’t know but a large part of why I can’t buy them as a romantic couple is because of the serious lack of chemistry between the two. At this point, Jughead has more sexual tension and chemistry with food than he does with Betty Cooper.

2. They’re toxic and borderline dysfunctional: Jughead and Betty have proven over and over that they are a toxic and dysfunctional couple. Their relationship is borderline toxic (never mind, it IS toxic). All Jughead and Betty do since Season 1 is constantly argue and fight with each other and break up and make up afterwards. They insult each other constantly and then they apologize afterwards. It’s like a repetitive,vicious, ugly cycle of making up and breaking up between the two that it’s become almost abusive and destructive to both of their characters. THEY’RE RELATIONSHIP IS REPETITIVE AND BORING. Jughead is always fighting with Betty and putting her down constantly. He constantly points out her insecurities and makes Betty feel bad about herself. Like when Betty decided that she wanted to throw Jughead a birthday party, Jughead cursed Betty out and made her feel terrible for doing something nice for him on his birthday. What kind of relationship is that? If anything, Jughead should be appreciative of what Betty did for him but he wasn’t. Instead, he yells at her and then tells her that their relationship is on borrowed time because he  feels that she would drop him for Archie if he reciprocated her feelings eventually. That’s another thing that makes Bughead toxic: the fact that Jughead is insecure about Archie and Betty’s feelings about him. Jughead has known his whole life that Betty has always loved Archie and he’s always come first for her. Jughead knows at the back of his mind that Archie and Betty will always have this undeniable, powerful, and strong bond and connection that Jughead and Betty will never have. Barchie have HISTORY, they have friendship, they have companionship and they have things in common; that’s something that is going to make Jughead feel insecure and like he doesn’t measure up to Archie in Betty’s eyes. Insecurities in a relationship are never a good thing and that’s exactly what Jughead and Betty’s relationship is based on. Finally, they’re toxic because Betty feels she has to lose her identity and who she is to be with Jughead. The fact that Betty wanted to become a Serpent to be with Jughead is so disgusting. And the fact that Betty, a 15 year old minor, was willing to climb up on a stage and striptease on a  pole just so she could get a taste of the Serpent life is APPALLING. I don’t feel that Jughead and Betty accept each other for who they are. Their relationship is one of convenience I feel and I feel that Betty just using Jughead as a replacement for Archie rejecting her. And that’s not a healthy relationship.

3. They are forced/rushed/badly written: This is the biggest reason why I don’t ship Bughead. THEY ARE FORCED. Their relationship was rushed and it came out of nowhere. There was zero build up to their relationship and they had no development whatsoever. There were absolutely no hints that Jughead and Betty had any romantic attraction or connection whatsoever until Episode 5 and then the next episode they are making out with each other after one day. I mean, Betty has spent years loving Archie. In the first episode, she was clearly in love with Archie, and then he rejected her. But then four episodes later, she’s falling in love with Jughead and they are kissing each other? I mean, does that make sense at all? How can Betty go from loving Archie so much to all of a sudden declaring Jughead as this epic love and soulmate? Also, BETYT DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHEN JUGHEAD’S BIRTHDAY WAS and she’s supposedly known him since childhood? How could Betty have known Jughead since they were kids and for her to not know when his birthday is? That’s just bad writing.  Their relationship just doesn’t make sense at all and Bughead was very badly written which is why they are forced and rushed.

4. The ship name is ridiculous: Yeah, I said it. The ship name for Jughead and Betty’s relationship is Bughead. I mean, need I say more? Doesn’t that just give away how horrible and shitty of a couple Bughead is? If the fact that the ship is named Bughead doesn’t tell you how horrible the relationship is considering the fact that they’re named after fucking head lice, then I don’t know what does.

5. It’s not canon in the comics: I’ve been an avid Archie Comics reader since childhood and there has never been any inclination that Jughead and betty have a romantic connection or are more than friends. Their relationship is strictly platonic in the comics which is why I can’t buy them being a romantic couple on the show in any capacity. As someone who has a strong respect for the source material, I think if there’s going to be a television adaptation to any source material that’s a book or comic, they should follow what’s in the comics. Bughead doesn’t exist in the comics and it never has. Bughead aren’t a romantic couple int he comics and they never have been. Betty is and always will be in love with Archie and the main storyline of Archie Comics is the love triangle between Archie/Betty/Veronica, period. There is no room for a Bughead relationship in the comics so it doesn’t make any sense why the writers of Riverdale even tried to put Jughead and Betty together romantically on the show because it just doesn’t fit.

6. They are too different from each other: Let’s face it, other than a love for writing and both of them having dysfunctional families, Jughead and Betty have little to nothing in common in regards to outlooks, personalities, interests, etc. It’s not even the fact that Betty and Jughead come from different social classes, it’s the fact that I feel they don’t understand each other on a fundamentally deeper level. The lack of understanding between the two is a clear sign that they don’t understand each other at the core of who they are. It’s why Betty and Jughead are always fighting with each other because there is a serious lack of deep connection. The fact that Jughead and Betty have a serious lack of communication between the two is a huge issue, which brings me to my next point...

7. There’s a huge lack of communication: Jughead and Betty don't communicate or operate on the same level. They are constantly keeping things from each other and hiding things from each other. They don’t tell each other the truth about their problems. For example, Jughead didn’t tell Betty that he kissed Toni. And Betty didn’t tell Jughead about the Black Hood and the fact that he was threatening her. Also, Jughead and Betty don’t seem to support each other all that much anymore. Jughead and his lifestyle is indirectly causing Betty a lot of emotional pain and troubles and he doesn’t realize it. Also, Jughead hasn’t been the supportive boyfriend that he should be to Betty especially this season. Archie is the one who’s been acting like Betty’s boyfriend instead of Jughead. Jughead has made constant selfish and impulsive decisions which have beeb detrimental to Betty and his relationship with her. Him joining the Serpents and getting involved with Penny Peabody are just a few of them. The fact that Betty can’t turn to Jughead and tell him what’s on her mind or what’s bothering her is very problematic and is a sure sign that there’s a lack of communication in their relationship. The constant lying that the two of them do to each other is a sign of a relationship that is unstable and lacking something significant.

8. Bughead is fan service: Bughead doesn’t exist in the comics. The only reason why Bughead happened on Riverdale is because a small,yet vocal group of fans wanted Betty to get with Jughead because Jughead is portrayed by Cole Sprouse. Bughead is fan service because the writers have decided to appease high school age girls by getting the audience surrogate and self insert (aka Betty) to live out their fantasies with Cole Sprouse through shipping Bughead. Most Bughead fans are high school aged girls who think Cole Sprouse is the hottest thing in the world and the writers have chosen to destroy their own show and story by catering to these screaming Cole fangirls. Bughead is fan service with a capital F and if there was a definition for fanservice in the dictionary, Bughead would be the definition. 

I’ll be adding more reasons in a Pt. 2 post, but these are some of my reasons why I think Bughead is a bad couple and why I don’t support or ship them.

[csprousedaily]

Cole Sprouse gives insight into ‘Riverdale’s’ newest couple, Jughead’s daddy issues and the story behind the crown to Screener.

Well, things certainly have changed in "Riverdale." Though she spent the first few episodes of Season 1 coming to terms with her feelings for Archie (KJ Apa), Betty (Lili Reinhart) has seemingly moved on -- with none other than Jughead (Cole Sprouse). The relationship between Betty and Jughead is an interesting one -- and not just because what kickstarted it was the murder of Jason Blossom (Trevor Stines).

Jughead is a mystery of a character, and one fans of the "Archie" comics have been waiting to get some answers about. As this enigma is slowly unfolding, his connection to Betty almost seems like a natural progression. Still, there will be those who question if Jughead's heart is truly in it. After all, in the comics Jughead is asexual, and that's an aspect of the character Sprouse has voiced interest in exploring before.

The actor sat down with Screener to take a nosedive into the mind of Jughead, and exactly what this relationship means for him -- and Archie, for that matter. Sprouse also speaks to the developments in Jughead's family life, whether he'll share any screen time with Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) -- and where that crown he wears comes from...

You've been very open about your interest in pursuing Jughead as asexual -- which he is in the comics. Now with he and Betty becoming an item, is the door closed on that, or is it something you think the show could still tackle?

I don't know, you know? I'm the actor -- so when it comes to actual writing, and the narrative, and what will inevitably take place, I don't have too much to say. I've talked to Roberto [showrunner Aguirre-Sacasa] a little bit about it, and he and I have been interested in exploring the narrative for some time. But it's important to remember that there's a large group of people that want Jughead to be asexual. That was the same side I was on in the beginning, when I was fighting for it. Because that's [Chip] Zdarsky's new universe and all that. He's been aromatic for a long time in the comics -- but as I was doing my research, with Betty and Jughead, there was a ton of content -- and actually a large community that wanted Betty and Jughead together as well.

It's hard for me to say. I'm of a mind that I think a representation should exist, but it should feel organic and it should still feel genuine. I think the way that we're going right now -- that's Jughead and Betty [after this episode], people are going to clearly see that pursued more heavily -- it makes sense for this new narrative. We're in a new universe, there's still a large group of people that want Betty and Jughead together.

There is a real infatuation in the old digests between Betty and Jughead, it's just he has no room for it right now. I don't know if [asexuality will] end up being pursued. Like I said, I'm an actor not a writer. I don't know the sensitivities of the larger corporations at work. But I'm on the same side, I have been since the beginning. In the event that something does change, I'm right there on the front of it.

But I still want to make sure it's done right and it encompasses the entire argument, and doesn't mention it briefly or in passing or something that doesn't feel appropriate. I don't know how much of the asexuality thing will come into question -- but I certainly think that Jughead being a woman-hater will eventually come into question. That wouldn't surprise me in the slightest, and that's very much like his original digests.

I really couldn't tell you. As of now I don't know even what the idea of the second season is, so I don't really have too much money to put into the bag.

As this relationship goes on, what will we learn about Jughead? Because as you look at the show, these two come from very... let's say dramatic home lives, meanwhile everything seems to end up going Archie's way.

And that's important! Roberto wants that to be the case. Archie has always been a cipher and will always continue to be a cipher, but please continue!

That's what works about it so well -- but then you have Betty and Jughead, who don't necessary have the luck in life that Archie does. So given their connection, what will we learn about Jughead? Especially as the show starts delving more into his family?

Rather than thinking about Jughead as he has this huge comic lineage that we have to stay loyal to, let's think about Jughead as he's just a character in the town of Riverdale. He's a damaged kid, his father's not really in the picture, we don't know where his mother is, he's kind of searching for a connection with someone -- and he ends up teaming up with this hyper-nurturing, really emotionally sensitive, really caring individual who he finds some sort of mental connection with. And it works.

I feel like when I speak of Jughead, it's very hard to remove all of the meta-gaming I'm doing. It feels like I'm a Dungeon Master, and not like I'm an actual player in the world, and I don't think that's the right way to look at the relationship between Betty and Jughead. I think it's much more appropriate to look at them as real psychological entities within a town that's kind of going to sh*t, and who both have these dramatic lives. And Jughead is a character that's looking for some kind of real, emotional, mental, intellectual attachment to something -- and finds a person who's kind of yearning to do the same.

Betty's a character that just came off this infatuation with a childhood love that didn't work out. At the beginning of the season that's where we leave her, and she's still complicated with all of these ideas. She doesn't really know what to be a kind of lover means.

They end up meeting each other with similar passions and similar drive and it works. I think that's the way we should look at it as players in the world and not DMs.

First of all, where can we get an 'Archie Comics' or 'Riverdale' RPG game, where you can be the DM?

[There's this game] "Arkham Horror," it's a Lovecraftian boardgame -- but I would love to see that, kind of. All of the characters have to go through, and make mental will tests to make sure they don't go insane, and you get to pick between some of the Archie characters. That would be so much fun. I'm going to pitch that!

I would be very into playing a giant 'Riverdale' board game.

Like super gritty, old gods rising. All that stuff!

We know you won't be getting to the bottom of what went down with Archie and Jughead this season -- but what kind of impact will Jugs getting together with Betty have on their bond? It certainly can't help the situation.

It doesn't. We acknowledge that there's a tension that exists within the first season. Jughead, Betty and Archie were kind of like the Three Musketeers during their childhood, when Veronica (Camila Mendes) wasn't in the picture yet. So Jughead being with Betty is just as complicated as if Archie were with Betty. I think the rest of the season is us dealing with those narratives, and figuring out why that might be complicated, and that classic ooey-gooey romance.

The way that Roberto has spoken about this first season is that it's the origin season. The first season is essentially the origin story for the rest of the seasons: Why are these characters this way? What happens after their lives have gone through the entire arc, which was sort of ushered in by Jason Blossom's murder? I think that begs further questioning. In the event that we take off with a Season 2, how did the first story inform the origins of the rest of these characters?

Well, looking at that origin, we don't have Jughead's mom, or Jellybean, in the picture right now. But we are getting more FP Jones (Skeet Ulrich). How deep are you going to be delving into that relationship -- between father and son?

Huge! Massive. It becomes probably the single biggest storyline in the latter half of the season. Character-wise, Jughead narratively is like an old car that takes a while to start up. It just burns rubber but you don't stop. You can't stop the car, or it'll just shake to pieces. That's kind of how we treat him in Season 1.

You'll get to see a lot more of Skeet -- who's just the man -- and their relationship is one of the primary narratives in the latter half. It's great. It ends up becoming quite interesting. And Jughead has sort of this tortured youth, angsty side.

All he needs in life is his hat!

I found out recently from a man named Krishnan Menon -- he's like one of the biggest Archie collectors in the world -- I said a while ago that I always thought Jughead was sort of like an imaginary friend in the digest. He doesn't really have any real world connections. He's quite a strange character.

It turns out this guy's one of the foremost Archie collectors -- he has, like, "Pep" issue 21. Besides Roberto, he's probably one of the most well-read on the "Archie" comics. He was saying Jughead was originally supposed to be Archie's conscience. That's what he was as a character. So he wears this crown as a symbol of being in the head, or in the thoughts. He doesn't like women, which is the antithesis of Archie who's absolutely crazed about them. So he sits in opposition there. And he's obsessed with food, because I guess you're supposed to feed your thoughts and fuel your mind.

It was funny when he was explaining this to me, because I already had this idea of Jughead as an imaginary friend. As Jughead was developed as a character, he sort of became a real world physical character. It's very strange.

And that's kind of the origin of the crown too. It's the corona. It's the mind. Some sort of noble thing.

Lastly, we've seen Jug's interactions with a bunch of people but there's some he still hasn't really come into contact with yet.

Yeah, like Veronica?

Like Veronica! And there hasn't been much with Cheryl. I'm dying to see those two interact. Are we going to get these things?

Oh yeah -- Cheryl and Jughead, definitely. That's kind of inherently the way it's going to be. Jughead starts out as a character that's on the fringes and you don't see too much of him, and then slowly but surely he's reintegrated into the school society at large. I think someone you will never see Jughead interact with this season is Josie -- but you get snippets of Cheryl and Jughead, you get a tiny chunk of scenes between Veronica and Jughead in which Jughead acknowledges that "I never see this girl." A bit of Ethel and Jughead.

I'm excited for more Ethel.

Yeah, me too! I'd love to see that classic storyline take place where she's continuously trying to feed him food and he's just running away!

But yeah, he integrates himself into society a little more actively in the later half of the season, so you'll get to see more.

[packyourbagsjenny]

Thoughts on Riverdale

I read COUNTLESS Archie comics growing up as a kid. Yes, I know they’re corny and lame as hell, but I was obsessed. As someone who loves the mature themes the Archie writers have taken with Afterlife with Archie, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the new Mark Waid series, Archie vs. Predator, etc, etc, I was really excited for Riverdale. I knew going into it that it was going to be a campy, over the top soap opera with adults playing children that say dialogue no real person would ever say. So overall, going into it knowing what to expect, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Here’s what I liked and disliked.

Liked 

- Pretty much all the actors. Especially the ones who played Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, Kevin and the parents. The women really carried this episode, so I’m hoping the boys (especially the weirdly absent Cole Sprouse/Jughead) step up their game soon.

- Minor Archie characters getting a way bigger spotlight. Betty’s mom was a textbook, plain jane, supportive mother character in the comics. Now, she’s this poisonous woman with some obvious secrets and severe control issues over her daughter, who’s about to rebel any second. I’m really looking forward to seeing and learning more from her. Also props to the writers for ditching a very easy storyline of Veronica’s grumpy dad, and replacing him with her intriguing mother, who was next to invisible in the comics. 

- The darkness. Seeing Betty’s bloody palms after Cheryl’s teasing makes me really excited to see what dark twists lie inside her. Comic Betty was always a bit TOO sweet and over-the-top (and sometimes borderline obsessive over Arch), so I’m curious as to how dark they’ll go with her. Also the nod to a possible incestuous relationship with the Blossoms is defs intriguing (and creepy), especially since this show is from the same guy who wrote Afterlife with Archie. 

- The dialogue. Okay, okay, obviously no one talks like a real person in Riverdale, but Veronica calling Archie “Teen Outlander” was amazing, and the surprising amount of Mad Men references is hilarious. Cheryl’s “Faux-lesbian kissing hasn’t been taboo since 1994″ line was great too.

- The diversity. Archie Comics were never known as a diverse haven for teens. Chuck and Nancy were the only black people in town (and dated each other the entire series), and any attempts of adding in Asian, Mexican or East Indian characters were half-assed, as they faded into obscurity months later and were never seen again. In the show, Reggie, Moose, Pop, Veronica, and Josie and the Pussycats are all POC, and it’s great that the show is making up for the lack of colour the comics had. 

Disliked

- That Betty/Veronica kiss. Speaking of the faux-lesbian kissing...... Look, I get that you want to shock audiences with making the classic, goofy Archie characters as shocking as possible, but what the hell was that kiss? How was it part of the routine? Why did Veronica think that would be considered a great move to get on the team? Are the Riverdale cheerleaders just going to make out at the next football game? It came across as gross queer-baiting and a simple shocking image to show in the trailers. Unless Veronica turns out to be queer or something, I wasn’t a fan.

- The treatment of Kevin. I actually liked Kevin and how they’re presenting him as a very out-and-proud gay guy in a small town, who also gets action instead of doting on his straight friends. But Veronica’s “Gay. Thank GOD. Let’s be best friends.” reeked of GBF tokenism, and Cheryl’s comments also left a bad taste in my mouth. Hopefully the show makes Kevin into much more than “the gay one” later on. 

- Archie. It’s pretty ironic that the character with an entire comic series named after him ends up being the most uninteresting character with the most trivial problems. While Betty deals with an abusive mother, messed up family dynamic, and Veronica adjusts with reinvention, a family scandal, and incoming money troubles, Archie deals with....... being too talented? Being too good and busy with music, football, and screwing your music teacher seems pretty tame compared to everything else going on in Riverdale. 

- Archie and Ms. Grundy. First off, I can’t take Archie calling her “Geraldine”. Who names their kids that nowadays? Could the show not have gone with “Gerry”? Also, it was gross in Pretty Little Liars, and it’s still gross here. Sure, it’s seems a lot more discouraged here as opposed to PLL, but it’s obvious the affair is going to keep going, and I’m really not keen on watching statutory rape look “sexy”. Keep it. 

Overall though, really enjoyed the pilot and excited to see what it brings! Also LOL at Moose wanting to do “everything except kiss” with Kevin.