#it would be SO DAMN INTERESTING if we get a whole episode designated on further explaining the thirteen

[transingthoseformers]

Given how Megatronus was misappropriated in RID15, I'm just hoping that Megatronus isn't protrayed as EVUL BADMAN GOD OF TEH DECEPTICONS again in Earthspark. We've seen the 13, or at least an interpretation of them and Megatronus wasn't drawn as looking (designwise) in some kind of evil fashion (ie spikes of doom, etc) in fact he kind of looks like a hybrid of Megatron and Optimus Prime, at least in the image shown in "Disarmed".

Also I don't know why, but Liege Maximo, or what I assume to be Liege Maximo in the lineup kind of makes me wonder if Liege in this continuity is female or maybe non-binary. ES Liege also has a hair bun, which I find both funny and neat.

Considering everything i know of earthspark i doubt that Megatronus Prime's depiction will be as strict as Ancient Evil Mc Evilman (no, that feels like a role for a more g1 esque Unicron which i admit I'm hoping for at som eff point), in fact i have a feeling none of the thirteen are going to be outright evil. Even if the theories suggesting there's more to Quintus than his benevolent actions so far, i don't think he's going to be a fully evil character.

Do i still feel like whatever depiction he gets will be filled with angst? Yes, that's based on how i interpreted his Aligned tfwiki entry though. It would be cool if he was a temporary antagonist who becomes/became an ally eventually (I'm having ideas regarding how the thirteen beat back unicron in Aligned, how Megatronus is the most connected with Unicron, the g1 heralds of unicron, and the roving planet eater model of unicron) but that's highly speculative on my part

Also oooo on femme or nonbinary Maximo?

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super Movie 2: Super Hero (4/5)

BIG

ORANGE!

The whole movie has been building to this. The Red Ribbon Army wants to take out Gohan, but they don't want to ambush him at home like they did with Piccolo, because Gohan lives in the city and there would be too many witnesses. So instead Commander Magenta has Gohan's daughter kidnapped from preschool, in order to lure him to the RR base. That way Dr. Hedo's new androids, the Gammas, can fight him on their home turf.

What the Red Ribbon doesn't know is that their kidnapping only got this far because Piccolo has infiltrated their ranks, and he managed to convince Pan to play along. His plan is to use Magenta's plan as a way to motivate Gohan so that he'll fight to his fullest potential and defeat the Red Ribbon Army.

Complicating matters even further is the fact that the Gammas are programmed to think of themselves as superheroes, i.e. the "good guys". When Gohan asks why they're doing this, Gamma 1 insists that it's all for the sake of bringing down Gohan's "evil secret organization". Naturally, Gohan has no idea what he's talking about, and it all sounds pretty stupid when Gamma's side is the one doing the kidnapping.

One thing that bugs me about Hedo and the Gammas is that this movie doesn't really spend a lot of time providing any context to the "super heroes" that Hedo loves so much. Everyone says the Gammas look like old fashioned superheroes, but I sure don't see it. Maybe they're meant to evoke the Sentai genre, but does that exist in the Dragon World? I mean, this fictional Earth has actual superheroes in it, like Mr. Satan and the Great Saiyaman. Shouldn't Dr. Hedo be idolizing those guys, and designing the Gammas to look like them instead?

I guess I should use an example. So in Batman: The Animated Series, there's an episode about "The Grey Ghost", a fictional hero within the world of the show. Bruce Wayne watched Grey Ghost episodes as a kid, and the character partially inspired a lot of the gadgets and tactics he later used as Batman. The episode was about the actor who played the Grey Ghost, Simon Trent, who was voiced by the late, great Adam West, just to hammer home the analogy.

Anyway, the way they made that work was by showing clips from the Grey Ghost's TV show, and flashbacks to when Bruce used to watch it as a kid, and all the merchandise made for the franchise. Grey Ghost was a pretty standard Golden Age pulp hero, like the Shadow or Green Hornet. The BTAS writers didn't just assume you already knew what kind of hero Grey Ghost was. They showed you.

Now, in Super Hero, they sort of take that concept for granted, and all we see of Hedo's "super heroes" are a few actors in costumes, or just the costumes as Dr. Hedo imagines them. We're never given a sense of just what the Gammas are supposed to be imitating. They're supposed to be very flamboyant and over-the-top, but they don't look that much flashier than Piccolo. I mean, he wears a cape too? He broods, he flies, he shoots lasers out of his eyes. Oh, and he has a kid sidekick who grew up to become even flashier:

Fuck yeah! This movie doesn't do much with Super Saiyan, but it looks damn good when it happens. See, Great Saiyaman got the super hero pastiche right because Gohan was using it as a disguise. He had to dress differently to protect his secret, and then he started getting into the act, talking all high and mighty, and doing Sentai poses. Then he'd take the costume off and act like his ordinary self. So the superhero tropes were obvious. Arguably, Gohan was already a superhero anyway, but as Great Saiyaman he turned that up to eleven by having a secret identity, a transformation watch, and a pesky love interest determined to expose him. The trouble with the Gammas is that they're only six months old, and the costumes is all they are. We never see the tropes that they're meant to resemble. The movie either assumes we already recognize the reference, or there is no reference. That's a tough tightrope to walk.

Anyway, Gohan and Gamma 1 fight for a bit, and Pan's excited to see this because at the beginning of the movie she told Piccolo that she never saw her daddy fight before. Earlier, she wondered if he would really leave his work to come rescue her, and Piccolo said he'd beat him up if he didn't. So Gohan had a lot to prove here, even if he didn't know it

But Piccolo is still concerned, because Gamma 1 seems to be learning Gohan's moves as they fight, which means Gohan will have trouble defeating him. He needs to fight at a higher level, and Piccolo has an idea to motivate him further...

Up close, this looks kind of silly, like you can obviously see he's not even holding Pan by her collar, and he's got his other hand holding her up. I guess Piccolo was afraid of damaging her preschool uniform while he toyed with Gohan's emotions, which is pretty much the most Piccolo thing ever.

But from a distance, it just looks like he's hurting Pan, and she cries out, which upsets Gohan... and the Gammas. Gamma 2's like "What are you doing!? We don't hurt kids!" And that surprises Piccolo and Pan.

But it still works. Gohan flips his shit and transforms to his Mystic/Ultimate/Elder Kai Unlock form. You know the one, he used it to fight Super Buu, and then he used it in the Tournament of Power. Piccolo is thrilled by this development and Pan wants to celebrate with double fistbumps. Pan is adorable in this movie.

The fight is a long way from finished, but Gohan does a lot better in this form. Also he blew away the rainclouds over the Red Ribbon Base, so we can see the fight better. Now, Gamma 1 is on the defensive, although with his powers, that's not a bad place to be.

Let's talk about Gohan a bit. One common critique about this movie is that it's all about super heroes, but Gohan never whips out his Great Saiyaman outfit. And I agree, it does feel like a missed opportunity, but I also think there's a very good reason for not having Great Saiyaman in this movie.

For one thing, Great Saiyaman would probably steal the Gamma's thunder. It's their only gimmick, and if Gohan's vamping it up in his own hero suit, then it dilutes the concept. Like I was saying before, Piccolo and Gohan are pretty much superhero characters already, so things are already strained enough.

More importantly, though, one of the major themes of this movie is "I wish Gohan would do (x) like he used to." Pan wants to see her daddy fight. Piccolo wants to see Gohan train. Magenta wants him to be the kid who defeated Cell, because otherwise he wasted two billion zenni on a pair of androids. If Gohan's just a mild-mannered biologist, then this battle was pointless.

The audience wants Gohan to be the Great Saiyaman, because Great Saiyaman is fun and cool, and it fits the tone of the movie. Only it doesn't fit the tone of the movie, because it never happens in the movie.

Well, some of the audience wanted Gohan to be Great Saiyaman. Then you have others who wanted Gohan to become this edgy badass, like when he slaughtered all the Cell Juniors, but to the nth degree. I remember after the movie came out, some fanartist was bitter because they should have done what he did in his fancomic, where Cell comes back and murders Videl and Pan right in front of Gohan, which makes him go berserk. Twitter dunked on that guy for a few weeks, and rightly so. Here's the thing: The Gammas desperately need Gohan to be that edgy fancomic version. Their programming only makes sense if Gohan's the villain in this story, and that would be easier to believe if Gohan would flip out and decapitate someone.

But that's not how Gohan works. He's not a machine like the Gammas who can be switched from one mode to the next. The Gammas have to be superheroes, but Gohan can be all sorts of things: father, husband, Saiyan, Earthling, warrior, scientist, superhero, etc. Piccolo can kind of steer Gohan in the direction he wants him to go, but he had to stage a phony kidnapping for this. And Piccolo is Gohan's best friend and mentor. If he has this much trouble putting Gohan in a box, then how can anyone else?

Gohan is a complex character, with many different aspects to him, and this is what makes all of his different facets work. The whole point of Kid Gohan flipping out and crushing the bad guys was that he was usually so meek and unassuming. If he was a badass all the time, it wouldn't matter. If he was Great Saiyaman all the time, no one would care. If he truly sat in his house studying bugs all the time, it wouldn't mean anything. What makes Gohan cool is that he can be all of these things and more. But he'll never be evil, and that's what's got the Gammas so flustered.

So Dr. Hedo gets worried about Gamma 1 and sends 2 in to back him up when...

OH YOU DIDN'T KNOW?

YOUR ASS BETTER CALLLLLLLL SOMEBODYYYYYYY!

Speaking of professional wrestling, check this shit out.

A brainbuster DDT? In my Dragon Ball? It's more likely than you think!

So while Gohan works over Gamma 1, Piccolo shows off his new power-up to Gamma 2. Unfortunately, it's still not enough. Gohan can fight evenly with 1, but it's the classic DBZ android problem, where the androids can fight at full strength without getting tired, and Gamma 1's battery is still at 82%. As for Piccolo, he soon discovers that his power up doesn't quite tip the scales against Gamma 2. Here we see him do a cool Special Beam Cannon, but 2 just throws up a force field to deflect it.

More importantly, Piccolo taunts 2 about how he seems like an okay dude, except he's following bad orders. 2 insists that he was created to follow orders, but Piccolo knows that on some level the Gammas must realize that this is wrong. And that dilemma is probably what's keeping Piccolo competitive in this fight. Gamma 2 is too distracted to deal with him properly.

So Gamma 2 gets so frustrated that he batters Piccolo and throws him down into the depths of this crater the Red Ribbon Base is in. I'm not sure how this place works. It looks like there's catacombs at the bottom or something. How ancient is this thing? Anyway, Piccolo does the anime thing where the hero seems to plummet to their depth, and then they have this big epiphany about friendship or believing in yourself or something. Except instead, he just flashes back to when Shenron boosted his power... and gave him "a little extra".

Awwww yeah!

Yeahhhhh!

Well now you fucked up, Gammas, because Piccolo's orange. What does this mean? Well, for one thing, Piccolo's antennae float instead of dangling over his brow. For another thing, he's got red eyes, which is always cool. Also his bara titties are even more bara than ever.

And I think you can work out the rest for yourself. One punch and Gamma 2 is down.

At this point, Magenta gets nervous and orders his troops to shoot Orange Piccolo, and that doesn't work at all, so everyone starts to run away. Carmine tries to cover Magenta's escape, but Pan chases after them, so Carmine starts shooting at Pan, but then...

Gamma 2 disarms Carmine with his pistol, and says he now understands who the real villains are. Kind of impressive he got his wits together so soon after taking that punch.

Then Pan wrecks Carmine's shit, which I just noticed is kind of like how Gohan took down Cell with two hits. I'm pretty sure it was a punch to the gut followed by a kick to the head, but Pan's only three, so it's okay if she gets the order wrong. The important thing is Pan gets to beat up a bad guy all by herself. If this were GT, they'd have Giru save her or something.

So Piccolo tells Gohan the fight is over, because it seems like Gamma 2 has finally seen the light. I guess Gamma 1 doesn't need much convincing, since he was having a similar crisis in his own fight.

So the fight is over, right? Not quite. Magenta runs, but he doesn't run away. Instead he goes deeper into the base and tries to activate his ultimate weapon, Cell Max. Dr. Hedo follows him and warns him that it's too dangerous. Hedo completed Cell Max's body, but his brain is still in development, and he'd be uncontrollable if brought online.

But Magenta doesn't care. As he sees it, things went wrong today because he trusted Hedo. The Gammas lost because they weren't powerful enough to defeat the enemy as quickly as Hedo boasted. Hedo says that they were only having trouble because they couldn't sense any malice in their opponents, but Magenta says that's the problem. Hedo insisted on programming them with all that superhero nonsense. Magenta wanted weapons, not cartoon characters, and so he's going to end things by unleashing Cell Max.

So Magenta shoots Hedo to stop him from interfering, but it doesn't work, because Hedo has bulletproof skin, thanks to some enhancement he made to his own body. So Magenta reveals that he has his own enhancements and takes off his shirt to reveal he's a cyborg. He admits that his body modifications might not be as sophisticated as Hedo's, but he's confident that he's strong enough to win in a fight.

You know, I was wondering why Magenta didn't make himself taller while he was having himself converted into a cyborg, but then it occurred to me that maybe he did make himself taller. He's still pretty short, but he's taller than his dad, Commander Red, so maybe he used to be the same height as Red, and made himself the height he is now. Maybe this is tall enough for him, or this was the practical limit of his cybernetics.

None of that matters, though, because Magenta forgot Hedo's other trick, that cyborg bee he used to spy on him at the beginning of the movie. It carries a powerful venom that can kill any living organism with one sting. Even cyborgs can't withstand it, because the venom disables their biological components. It seemed kind of weird when Hedo spelled that out in the limo scene, but now that we know Magenta is a cyborg, it makes sense. This is what they call Checkov's Cyborg Bee Sting.

So now the fight is definitely over, right? No, because Magenta presses the button to activate Cell Max right before he dies. Seriously, Hedo really fucked up here. Sure the bee sting was fatal, but it took a while for Magenta to actually keel over, and Hedo kept gloating about stealing Magenta's money instead of watching him.

Meanwhile, Bulma has arrived with reinforcements: Krillin, Android 18, Goten, and Trunks. I'm not sure why she did this, or how she even knew where to go, but it's Bulma, so she might have traced Piccolo's cell phone or something. Anyway, the big story here is that Goten and Trunks actually look like teenagers, and pretty close to their designs in the final three episodes of Dragon Ball Z. Fans have been asking about this ever since Battle of Gods premiered in 2013, because Goten and Trunks were supposed to be like 10 and 11, but they still looked like they did at ages 6 and 7. This kind of made sense, because Goku looked pretty teeny at 15, and Gohan was kind of small for 11, but the premise really felt strained beyond belief as Dragon Ball Super wore on, and the boys got older and older with each new story arc.

This movie tries to rationalize it by having Piccolo be all surprised to see this growth spurt, and Gohan tells him that this is how it is with Saiyan children. They stay small for a long time and just suddenly grow in their late teens. Okay, but Mai's not a Saiyan and she wasn't growing up either... Oh well.

Meanwhile, Hedo desperately tries to cancel Cell Max's activation, but it's too late. Different flavors of Kool-Aid are being pumped into his incubation chamber. Purplesauraus Rex, Pink Swimmingo, Great Blue-dini, Kickin' Kiwi Lime, and Black Cherry, the most powerful flavor of all.

I guess I have to give Hedo credit for trying, but the guy's busting out of the chamber right now. Cell Max is already active, my guy. It's just a matter of how strong you built the chamber. Meanwhile, the good guys are unaware of any of this. They're too busy asking Piccolo what he's gonna call his new orange transformation. "I guess I'll just call it 'Orange Piccolo'" he says. Thank you, Piccolo. Just for being you.

"Never mind that shit! Here comes Cell Max!"

Everyone's like, what the fuck are you talking about, Dr. Hedo, but then... yeah, you'll see. We'll all see, won't we?

[whatsagirltoblogabout]

Just finished Psych season 3. Those last 2 episodes sure were something /pos.

Episode 15 (“Tuesday the 17th”), the celebration of all things slasher, was an interesting one for me to watch, just being me. I stay as far away from horror as I possibly can. I do not like scary things. But I decided to be brave and commit to watching the episode regardless. If it got to be too much, I would try to look at it from a filmmaking point of view to alleviate the fear. And in doing that, it was abundantly clear just how much passion went into that episode. The slasher movie inspirations were embraced in full force, with so many classic filmmaking techniques and sound design elements. The damn colour correction. It was a genuine work of art. And, funnily enough, I watched that episode on Friday, January 13th, 2023.

The finale though. Episode 16, “An Evening with Mr. Yang.” A masterpiece of television storytelling, if I do say so myself. An exceptional balance of tension, humour, and emotion. A thoroughly entertaining ride from start to finish, with callbacks and character growth and all sorts of other good stuff like that. But what I loved the most, personally, was the deconstruction of Shawn as a character. We finally get to see further beneath the surface, past the facade of charisma and comedic references. And it’s so well done. The slow stripping away of the callousness and lighthearted quips. Confiding in Gus and relying on him to pick up that mantle in his place. The refusal to keep playing by someone else’s rules, especially in a game with stakes as high as life and death. Speaking of, the escalation of the stakes in this episode was absolutely stellar, it was a phenomenally natural progression that kept you on the edge of your seat the whole way through.

There’s this one moment in particular that really sticks with me, where the normally unflappable Shawn Spencer flinches. It’s at the abrupt and blunt description of his mother’s potential demise at the hands of a bomb, which is an understandable thing to flinch at. But it’s still a surprising involuntary display of vulnerability from Shawn, directly in front of the antagonist no less. And that really drove home the level of strength and courage that he was displaying throughout the episode, persisting and succeeding in the face of the unfair circumstances in which he finds himself. James Roday Rodriguez’s performance in this episode is a definite standout, it’s brilliant. That choice alone, the flinch, is a goldmine in itself. I also went back and watched the breakdown scene in the Psych office multiple times as soon as I finished the episode, it’s so damn good.

I’m so glad I finally got around to watching this show, it’s an absolute delight! And the blooper reels are such a treat, it really does feel like a perfect fit for me. :D

[aspiringsophrosyne]

Season 2, Episode 1: The Rise of The Chroma Conclave

Before we get started, I would be remiss not to address the passing of Lance Reddick, who provided the voice for Thordak and whose body of work included (but was far from limited to) the Wire, Lost, and Fringe. Most likely, the third season is already recorded, and if so, it will be one of his last projects.

The crew of Critical Role, us critters, and the newbies were even luckier to have him than we knew. Thank you, Lance Reddick, and rest easy.

On to the episode.

No intro again? Well let's get right to it then. Lights are going down, curtains are going up. Let's watch the show.

The Good

I mean....dragons. Dragons. There really isn't much I can say besides that. This whole episode is....dragons.

Dragons

I'd seen some fans call Brimscythe distracting; I never really thought so. But even so, the dragons here have very obviously had an overall. They look even more smoothly integrated into this world, and watching them fly over such a huge and beautiful city as Emon is a thing to behold.

Something interesting about Raishan's breath weapon: it's easier to notice when all four are in action that it contrasts starkly with the other dragons'. Umbrasyl's, Vorugal's, and Thordak's breath weapons are tremendously damaging to structures and buildings, but Raishan's is not. While the boys' breath weapons are very visually, viscerally, and dramatically deadly, Raishan's poison appears deceptively harmless until her victims start bleeding from every orifice. It marks her as much more subtle and insidious than the others, which is true to form.

Hearing lines right out of the campaign in Cree Summer's and Lance Reddick's voices; god damn. We can talk about Cree more later when she gets a more significant moment to herself, but with just what she gets here: she is terrifying. She gets Raishan's gleeful sadism and understated danger (understated compared to her peers, anyway) across perfectly. 

Lance Reddick's Thordak is commanding, authoritative, and dismissively confident. He talks, and he expects the insects who hear him to do as he bids without question, and given what he can do, it isn't a surprise. There is no room for doubt or bargaining. Only the promise of certain destruction. Lance played Thordak like a firestorm that can talk; you can't reason or argue with it. You can't stop it. It just is, and it's going to wreck your shit, and only if you're lucky will you live through what it deems to visit upon your houses. 

If he did record season 3 already, it's going to be very interesting to watch Thordak's further descent into madness play out. I can't wait. 

That acid attack is nightmarish. It already was even back during the stream when we didn't have a visual and it was left to our imagination. Seeing it here, and how excruciatingly it kills so many people of Emon and nearly Percy....it's shiver and shudder-inducing. And it helps set up Umbrasyl for later in the season. 

One thing I can't praise enough is the individual designs for the dragons. I never expected them to look that different from each other, but the design team went above and beyond for them. They all look like different species, which fits, given these are supposed to be very different kinds of dragons who are not supposed to work together. Umbrasyl's frog-like throat sack for his acid spew, Raishan's serpentine form and movements, Vorugal's bigger, stockier build with icicle rhino spikes coming out of his face and back....all of it is so, so good.

And Thordak....even from the previews, it was easy to pick out the crystal in his chest and those four curling horns that almost give a crown-like appearance. And even before we see his fire breath, the lamp posts melting in the presence of his body heat is just....it shows how hard it'll be just to get close to him and not burn; what's fighting him going to be like?

And then the actual fire breath weapon.....awe-inspiring. In the original (and we'll see how much this is touched upon going forward) Thordak being imprisoned in the Fire Plane and merging with that crystal physically changed him. It made him bigger and more dangerous than even normal red dragons, and those are pretty bad already. The vents and the horrendously devastating fire breath he unleashes to utterly destroy the palace of Emon are a fabulous way to lean into that; it establishes a distinct power gap between him and the other dragons. However hard they'll be to deal with, he'll be that much harder. 

The explosion of blood when Vorugal hits people with his ice breath...that's the best kind of nasty. It's a great way to avoid any ambiguity as to his victims' fate and avoid the Harmless Freezing trope, which Trinket actually fell victim to in the stream.

And that shield over Vorugal's eye was a clever way to portray blindsight. Another lovely example of show-don't-tell.

And that, alongside Grog breaking his axe against Raishan's throat, is another confirmation for the characters and the audience that they're going to need new tricks if they want to fight these guys. Because the ones that took down the Iron Storm are not going to work.

Miscellaneous

Allura and Gilmore get to flex!! We don't have a wizard or sorcerer in the main crew this campaign, so it's nice to see these two show off a little. And Kima even gets in a hit too!

I nearly lost my shit when I realized who decided to show up early. But...if there was ever a time or place that called for the Matron's presence, it would be there and then.

It's exciting to see they're already establishing a low-key rivalry between Keyleth and Raishan. The wind attack that mitigated the latter's breath, and then the flashback to the orbs as the green dragon makes it clear she very much remembers Vox Machina were the slayers of Brimscythe and it's another thing that makes for a pretty good set up.

I appreciated that they addressed whether or not this was Vox Machina's fault and rightfully dismissed it after Percy pointed out what Brimscythe had been up to. During the stream, the characters and some of the players agonized over whether or not they triggered the attack by killing Krieg and/or re-exploring his place right before the dragons attacked. It's just good to see that addressed here.

And yes!! Vasselheim! You guys don't know how much I wanted to see that and how worried I was we might not get to. To say nothing of who and what we might see on Issylra. That was the cherry on top of a hell of a first episode back.

The Bad (or at least not so great)

Because we were going to run into Allura later, I think it would've been better to show she was casting a spell before the rocks hit where she, Kima, the council, and the sovereign's family were. Just some visual flair to show she was trying to cast, even if the audience wouldn't know if it worked in time until later.

By the same token, it could've been made clearer (without Scanlan having to spell it out to the audience) that Raishan was using magic to dispel Scanlan's Foot.

And then there's this:

Gilmore: [...]This could be the end of civilization as we know it.

Scanlan: Yeah, but, come on, civilization's overrated. I say fսck it, let's hit Marquet.

I...am sure this wasn't deliberate, but doesn't this come off as saying Marquet isn't civilization/civilized?

You know, Marquet, the continent Matt made a deliberate effort to model after countries of the middle east like Turkey and Palestine? In order to break a little from the overly anglo influence in high fantasy in general that we can see in a lot of Exandria in particular?

And Scanlan's saying this to the Marquessian man who just saved all their lives and sells them all their stuff?

Oy vey. Badly phrased if nothing else.

Scanlan is also the most immediately and vehemently against even attempting to fight the dragons, and it's not portrayed as an unreasonable point of view....but, well, we'll get into that farther down the road.

After Scanlan suggests booking it, Pike says she thought they stopped running from their problems. Which...is something I'll address next episode. For now, I'll say it caught me by surprise.

I think it could've been hammered home a little harder that what they tried with Brimscythe wasn't going to work with the Conclave. Not just to drive it home for the audience, but because part of the group doesn't know Scanlan's illusion magic wouldn't work, and another part of the group doesn't know going for the throat again won't work. Not until they talk it out together, anyway.

The characters throw around the word "Ancient" more than a little here. While stream watchers and/or d&d enjoyers in general would know that when it comes to dragons that word is a crap-your-pants-and-run trigger, it means little to the newbies. It would've been better to take a second to explain it at some point.

Nitpicks

I'm a little sad we didn't get some of the things with Gilmore that we got in the stream, but there's time to get into something like that later. So we'll see about that.

On that note....why does Gilmore have a crystal that can teleport to Vox Machina's keep? I mean...I can make a pretty good guess why, but if it's not explicitly stated it can come off as weirdly convenient.

Also, I would've loved if after Grog flicked the rock off the balcony at the end with Scanlan, we heard Vax yell as he's hit from off-screen.

That's the start of Season 2, everybody. Things are about to get really damn crazy, for better or worse.

[lyrical-lovely]

Anime Review - Death Parade (S1)

This is another one that I watched as a girl and didn't really "get," and I'm just so glad I decided to give it another go!

Watch Death Parade if: - You enjoy a thriller/psychological anime - You want a short anime with a LOT of plot - You enjoy anime about supernatural, the afterlife, etc.

Do NOT watch Death Parade if: - You are under the age of 18 (there's some serious NSFW/dark stuff) - You are sensitive to ANY of the following topics: S*****e, s****l a*****t, violence/violent crime - You want to watch something you don't have to pay attention to

MILD SPOILERS below the cut- continue safely!

Oh boy, Death Parade. Where do I even begin? I feel as though the ideas described in this anime are FAR too broad to be encompassed in 12 episodes, and it felt like there was lots of lore and plot that they didn't quite get to touch on in the anime's brief existence. I think it's pretty sad that it didn't get much of the ending it deserves- it had a lot of great ideas in it and there were just so many plotlines unresolved and characters undeveloped. A shame.

Death Parade follows the story of a (temporarily) nameless girl who finds herself waking up as the assistant of an arbiter, someone who judges the dead and determines whether their souls go to heaven (reincarnation) or hell (the void). This is done in a bar called the Quindecim, and our protagonist is the assistant to a serious man named Decim. The judgements take place over bar games, being things like cards, air hockey, and darts, and the extremeness of thinking they're playing for their lives draws out the emotions in the recently deceased and allows the Arbiter to make a judgment. But, we soon find out that the system is unsustainable and highly flawed, and a cast of side characters who live in the afterlife work to make it right, or whatever their version of "right" is.

I think Death Parade really shines in its art style and attention to detail. The color palette chosen is incredible, and the character designs are interesting and highly distinguishable from one another. Furthermore, the characters are written incredibly, with interesting motives and worldviews, no two being anything alike. This goes, of course, for both the game players and the afterlife "employees." Unfortunately, the best animation in the show takes place all the way in Episode 11, but it's well worth the wait. The use of 2D animation to create revolving shots and complex character movement throughout the entire series, but particularly episode 11, is wonderful. I think whoever did the backgrounds, specifically in Nona's realm and the Quindecim, also deserves a special shoutout.

The weakness of this anime is quite obviously its length. There is absolutely no explanation of who the arbiters are, why the players are playing bar games to determine their fate, how their memories are compiled, where the arbiters come from, who Nona even really is, where the afterlife is taking place (Nona mentions she's in charge of "this tower"- are there other towers?), and so many more things that I think could have been explored in further seasons. It's a shame, really, because the result is that the 12 episodes are so bogged down with plot that there's hardly any filler content, which I find quite pleasant from time to time. The tension rarely lets up for the whole 12 episodes, and while many would see that as a good thing, I think it makes the ending a bit less exciting.

Anyway, as it stands, I give this one a 8/10. EVERYTHING is good, but it's just so damn short! I cried like a baby at the end, and if you're looking for a good purge of emotions, this is a great place to start. Thanks for reading.

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom episode 4-7 Thoughts: (under a readmore because, these got kinda long!)

-the outfit danny had to buy for dash's party. CLASSIC 2000S i cannot stop laughing. And also showing up to the party and everyone is dressed like the trio is hilarious. and further proof that everyone looks good dressed goth.

-dash has a closet full of cute lil bear plushies?? LOVE that. adorable. also his response to danny trashing his room fighting a ghost was SO valid if somone BROKE MY BED IN HALF ID BE PISSED TOO.

-technus being like 'oh smart, u should be a tutor!' then later being like 'forget tutor, be a teacher!' :) supportive king <3 I also really like his upgraded suit/design. AND SPOCK CAMEO??? HELLO??

-the music in this show is super. its so funky. I looked it up and the guy who does it, guy moon (awesome name) also did music for other cartoons like fairly odd parents, barnyard, chalkzone, billy & mandy, AND some actual movies like FIGHT CLUB??? the whiplash I got from reading that)

-sam being rich explains a lot about her, actually.

-I know the moral of the episode was supposed to be 'dont ditch your friends for popular people/spend a lot of money on clothes that arent You to Fit In'. but tbh. it wouldve been easy for danny to have been like 'well, okay, ill come but only if my friends can!' but I get. that hes 14. so. not a lot to say there.

-BOX GHOST IS BACK!!!!! also, danny sitting up and wearing the dress/wig/makeup. umm thats how I dress everyday LMFAO. unironically me. (hate the jokes that boil down to 'haha funney man in dress' tho. but this is a look)

-jazz being protective of her brother once again being like NOOO YOU GUYS BETTER NOT STAKE OUT HIS (actually haunted) LOCKER!! shes aware of how people perceive him and she wants to help :( which is also probably why she told dash to invite him to that party even tho she had no interest in going!! she wants to help him out :(

-gotta say im with tucker on the whole 'should danny use his powers to get back at bullies' debate. 100% yes. let him teach kids to fight back. making dash throw his food at paulina out of the blue? no. but when hes actually about to pick on someone? yeah! for self defense? YEAH! if dash and his friends just threw food at him, I think rather than. idk doing sneaky shit with frogs he couldve just threw it back and not pulled punches if they tried to fight. I kNOOWWW its a kids show so they are like 'if u fight back ur just as bad!! violence bad!!' but. theyre HIS POWERS. WHO CARES.

-like my only gripe is that dash really isnt LEARNING ANYTHING WHEN DANNY GETS BACK AT HIM IN THE MOST PETTY INDIRECT WAYS. whatever they had to add a bully psa episode I guess. I hate it and I hate the way cartoons usually handle it because these methods simply Do Not Work. 'aND YouRE USinG YOur poWErs FOR EVill???!' this is Not Evil. even when poindexter takes dannys body, theyre only being 'nice' bc hes stealing soda for them!! bitches deserve what they get (nothing too brutal bc theyre high schoolers but damn, if they pick on danny he doesnt need to be the 'bigger person' he needs to start biting people)

-SAM TRYING TO SMUGGLE FROGS OUT OF THE BIO LAB?? girl in middle school when we had to dissect frogs we could opt out, also, they came to us already dead and preserved...

-sidney's lingo and the fact hes in black and white is sending me. also, danny is a ghost celebrity apparently for being a halfa?? ok. thats interesting to know

-the DENTIST BEING EXCITED ABOUT THE COTTON CANDY FLOOD IS THE FUNNIEST THING SO FAR.

-I LOOOVE the trope of 'wishes gone wrong'. not crazy about the stereotypical genie, or the use of the dreamcatcher looking design. (also, I KNOW theyre scientists but the way theyre handling a cold...are the fentons ANTIVAX)

-the genie. she. whitewished paulina. JKASDFHKJ. (the ghost literally just being hello kitty???? im dying) 'why do i feel that im special and wonderful? because I AM! <3' paulina ilu self worth queen. felt bad for her also getting possessed by (2) boys later who were arguing INSIDE HER. WTF.

-imagine being the guy trapped in his now flying car. he thought danny and tucker were HALUCINATIONS. imagine being trapped in a flying car with two, what you think are imaginary arguing 14 year olds convinced ur gonna die. i WOULD say this dude is gonna need so much therapy, but he seemed totally fine and excited when they landed (I would be happy too if a chicken was on my head. chickens rule) stoner rights

-sam's bat slippers??? iconic. SO cute.

-I think desiree's backstory is so :( do all ghosts have messed up sad backstories?? poindexter's was sad too...cannot imagine box ghost has any kind of fucked up backstory. but what if. his mom got pushed off cliffs by boxes...........a la cruella... anyway her 'no man may lay a hand on me' iconic. ilu

-I know danny has no concept of how much bras cost but my god dont attack tucker with some girls bra. those are so expensive.

-its really. well its not a GOOD THING he went into the portal and got fucked up, but its good danny was the one to do it rather than sam or tucker. because even tho he was being influenced by desiree and kept getting more malicious and it prob wasnt 100% him...he sucked as a ghost like most the people he 'pranked' were innocent ppl just Chillin and he didnt want to help anyone at all. I think danny is the most responsible out of them but also, hes 14 and shouldnt HAVE to feel obligated to fight every ghost. hes a good kid and wants to, but I also feel like he feels like...responsible for the portal turning on?? because his parents did give it up,, but it was an accident and not his fault (if anything, why was the on switch on the inside. why was it that easy. why was there no safety measures. that seems like smth OSHA needs to hear about). like thats my son. hes a good boy. and hes never done anything wrong in his life, ever. if anyone hurts him im killing everyone in this room and then myself. etc.

-danny's curfew is 10PM????? DUDE. when I was 14...shit I couldn't be out that late, I had to be back at like, 8 at the latest, and my parents had to know exactly where and who I was going with, AND i had to call/text them regularly...is this a case of my parents being overbearing, or the fentons sucking??? the only time i could EVER be out that late was if I was at an overnight sleepover or smth...

-the vultures have lil fezes. why do they have fezes...theyre so fuckin funny 'ask him for directions' 'I KNOW WHERE IM GOING' these ghost vultures are my new grandpas. pick them up, put them in the adopt box.

-'I wonder why those guys were trying to waste dad!' THEYRE GHOSTS. YOUR DAD HUNTS GHOSTS. why is that not a conclusion you'd immediately jump to??

-*jazz voice, clearly disgusted* WISCONSIN???

-mrs fenton with the lab coat and leg warmers and PERM. YESSS STYLISH.

-was going to say 'ew billionaire' @vlad but. super valid he used his powers to assumedly steal and cheat to get that money, thats how all billionaires do it! but ew hes a SIMP. and spending your billions on FOOTBALL STUFF?? you are Not Valid overall. I DO respect the fact you have a castle instead of a mansion. in wisconsin. if youre going to be stupidly rich might as well go all out, torches on the wall and all. I DO like his ghost form's little kitty ears. catman. and his cape! every design can benefit from a cape. and how different his forms look, like danny looks the EXACT SAME IN BOTH FORMS ASIDE FROM COLOR CHANGES. vlad's is like,, I could believe they were different people!! also I love the drama. but dude you are fighting a 14 year old. lame. also he was like, telling danny he wanted his mom and him and like, wanted him to renounce his dad?? WHAT ABOUT JAZZ?? bitch. those r MY kids and they are both important and special. I do agree they need better parents but thats not u sir <3

-I thought vlad's 'little badger' nickname for danny came from the football mascot of the packers, but google says they have NO MASCOT?? so now I'm like?? is it because his hair is sometimes black and sometimes white?? I hate to give him props but thats a PERFECT NICKNAME. theyre also tiny and vicious!

-why did I get so excited that Skulker is back!! its been like. 2-3 eps LMAO. AND THE DAIRY KING. ICONIC I LOVE HIM. hes the nicest guy ever :) more nice ghosts please. danny cannot be fighting alone everytime with no ghost buds like every ghost being hostile sucks :(

-mr. fenton knew vlad was controlling him, but a few episodes ago he had no clue danny was doing the same thing...is it something about how malicious the ghost is?? he just seemed to think his memory had gaps the first time, this time he was INSTANTLY LIKE 'GHOST'. then again in this ep when danny did it again he was just slightly confused but not immediately freaking out like he did with vlad possessing him!!

-'my parents will accept ME NO MATTER WHAT' so. so why haven't you come out to them yet, danny?? if you really think that?? if theres no harm, and you're sure??? if vlad is a real problem, wouldnt that make dealing with him easier, to expose him???? SO WHY HAVENT YOU COME OUT YET?? COULD IT BE,, MAYBE YOU HAVE DOUBTS ABOUT WHETHER YOUR PARENTS ACTUALLY WILL ACCEPT YOU??? 🤔 ... 🏳‍🌈 I get why people say He Is Trans. I totally totally get u danny.

-sorta unrelated, but it just occurred to me in one of these eps they go to casper HIGH not casper middle school??? theyre 14?? dont highschools usually do ages 15-18? (I didnt go to hs so I might be wrong, if I am ignore this...) freshmen are usually 14-15, could just be a case of them not turning 15 yet but they will sometime in the school year (I say they because tucker said he was 14 too)? I know the show has 3 seasons, so by the end of it will they be older? thatd be neat but usually cartoon characters stay the same age...I love shows where you can see the characters age and grow up, though...three seasons seems like a long time to spend on like, 1 year...

[trainsinanime]

I see a lot of posts in the Miraculous Ladybug fandom complaining that we never get to see Adrien (as Chat Noir) be as awesome as Marinette (as Ladybug). Even in situations that seem designed to do so, like the power swap episode, it’s still very much clear that Marinette remains in the lead and more powerful. This, many posts argue, is unfair and they hate it.

The thing is: I actually really love it. I do so because I’ve seen way too many animated TV shows that have a male/female duo that is set up as somewhat balanced, but then end up downplaying her competence in order to tell the boys’s story. Consider Sword Art Online, Fairy Tail, Bleach, or the one that personally frustrated me the most, Twin Star Exorcist. Man, I hate that show (Yes, these examples are all anime, because most of the western TV shows I watched as a child didn’t even try to have equal female representation. Anyone remember the Smurfs?).

Miraculous Ladybug is the inversion of that. Here we have a case with a male/female duo where the girl is the leader, and she’s just plain better. She has more powers (depending on how you count night vision and purring), but even if the powers are reversed or gone, she’s the one who leads the team and does all the planning. As one otherwise forgettable tie-in comic put it, her superpower is nothing to do with the magic, it’s her brain.

And the show is not shy about that at all. You don’t need to analyse their weapons, armour and skills to find out who would win in a fight. It has happened repeatedly, and the winner is Ladybug, always. In fact, she’s so clearly the winner that they had to ratchet up the difficulty for her. Can she defeat an evil Chat Noir… and also make out with him? Yes, as seen in Dark Cupid. Can she defeat an evil Chat Noir if he has been enhanced with the power of ultimate destruction? Yes, as seen in Chat Blanc. Can she defeat an evil Chat Noir and also like five other guys at the same time? Yes, totally, all she needs is a power strip that she uses as a second yo-yo, as seen in Puppeteer, in a case where her ultimate plan is just “do the same thing as always but twice as good”, and she pulls it off without a hitch. Ladybug is the better one. The show never tries to claim anything else. And that is, to me, really refreshing. If you have never almost torn your heart out in frustration because a show you watched forgot about the female half of its ostensibly equal leading duo in key moments, then well, congratulations, I guess, and don't watch Twin Star Exorcist.

That does not mean Chat Noir is useless. He’s a useful fighter in his own right, and clearly often the difference between winning and loosing a fight. He may not be her equal, but he is 100% indispensable.

For what it’s worth, he knows that and is perfectly alright with it. An interesting part of the show is the way its two leads are set up. It is generally not “He has quality A and she has it as well”, nor “He has quality A and she has the opposite” (aka a plug/socket situation). The defining characteristics of Adrien and Marinette are largely orthogonal and don’t have much to do with each other, but end up complementing each other very well anyway. In this case, that means that for Marinette, being Ladybug is a power fantasy where she, the shy, clumsy wallflower, can be bold and competent. Meanwhile, for Adrien, who is essentially in year fourteen of an eighteen-year prison sentence and trying to get out on good behaviour, Chat Noir is a wish fulfilment fantasy where he can be as free and silly as he likes. The result is that Ladybug goes for power and awesomeness, while Chat Noir is the silliest little kitty in the whole Île-de-France.

(These are not mutually exclusive, of course. Adrien is a capable fighter and, as seen in Oblivio, capable of planning as well. Meanwhile Marinette does a lot more joking and flirting as Ladybug than the fandom generally seems to want to acknowledge.)

This also means that the inversion goes one step further: Adrien’s role is, to a certain extent, to be the heart of the team. He keeps cheering up Ladybug when she’s down and unsure of herself (Origins, season finales). He inspires her to keep fighting on. Also, he’s the one who is better at dealing with small children. Again, this is not exclusive, Marinette is full of empathy herself, but there’s more emotional support from him for her than the other way around overall, because that is his role. He also often fulfils that role for Marinette, whether in or out of mask: He reassures her in Kung Food, builds up her confidence at the Heroes’ Day picnic, tries to cheer her up in Glaciator and so on.

There’s also the whole thing where he seems to be a meta-commentary on Batman, but that’s probably another post.

Another fun fact about the show is that both people’s greatest strengths are also their weaknesses. Marinette has a passion for justice, a strong desire to set things right that she thinks are wrong, and, like many people in the class, exactly no chill at all. Those qualities make her a great Ladybug, both actual and every-day. The very same qualities have also led to several akumatizations, because she forged straight ahead with a half-baked plan and hurt the people she was trying to help. Meanwhile, Adrien generally lets his heart do the thinking. That makes him great emotional support for Marinette. But it has also put strains on their relationship and caused him to make stupid decisions, most notably in the episode Ladybug.

(Not in Chameleon, though, his advice to her there was correct, no matter what so many people in the fandom think. Yes, I can back that up, I just don’t know whether I want to.)

This whole thing where the characters don’t have a list of “good traits” and “bad traits”, but rather just general traits that sometimes work out well and sometimes not so much (plus, for everyone, a general lack of chill), is one of the things that make the show interesting. It’s one of the ways in which it has way better characters than you’d expect in this otherwise honestly kind of mediocre show.

Obviously, the people who dislike (parts of) the show aren’t wrong, that’s just a matter of opinion. But I think that if you just wait for the moment when the show finally shows Adrien to be Marinette B, then you miss a lot of what makes the show so damn interesting.

[thecatsaesthetics]

Anne Boleyn 2021 Review

Okay, so I want to start this off by saying I am a day late and a dollar short. I know that. Who wants my, over thousand-word, essay on this... but I've gonna give it to you. So please keep reading and leave me comments with your thoughts about this show.

So I will start this off with the positives:

I think Jodie Turner-Smith was excellently cast as Anne Boleyn. Jodie has a remarkable range as an actress. Especially since this version of Anne Boleyn, she is both victim and villain Jodie was able to pull it off flawlessly. She jumped from being a heartbroken wife to manipulating Henry VIII very well. Two scenes that really highlight this are:

The one after her miscarriage and Henry riding off; showed Anne’s desperation and sorrow very well. “Won’t you say goodbye to your wife?” was a heartbreaking line and I very nearly lost it when she collapsed.

The second was in the next episode where she manipulated herself back into his “good graces” by proposing Cromwell had been double-crossing him. This didn’t come across as villainous to me, it came across as a woman in a struggle for survival. Playing the game to keep her station after miscarriage.

I will say this about the show Jodie carried it on her back. She made Anne very sympathetic but highlight that she had this temper that harmed her. However, unlike Claire Foy’s Anne Boleyn I never felt this Anne was unlikable. She came across as someone struggling to survive. The scene with Mary after she learns of potentially Mary being reinstated in the line of succession also highlighted this. The whole "The King never likes to be without me for long" was a lie given he had left her but it was to puff up her station. Reminding Norfolk that she helped his daughter marry the King's son. Forcing Chapuys to kiss her hand. These weren't just power moves, they were survival moves.

This Anne was similar to Natalie Dormer’s Anne in season 2 of the Tudor and Geneviève Bujold in Anne of a Thousand Days. I enjoyed how Jodie both made the performance utterly her own but also obviously drew inspiration from the others.

Moving on,

Another positive was George and Anne’s relationship. I did like how touching their scenes were. The final meeting between George and Anne was heartbreaking.

The horse symbolism, while oddly ripped off from The Tudor’s swan symbolism what I liked. Also, the clock from King Francis implying the “Her time is up” I truly enjoyed. I am just a sucker for symbolism

The Norris Comment

I LOVED THIS. I loved how not only it was said, Anne being flirtatious and joking but the immediate drop. This was the moment Anne truly screwed up. I loved how Norris reacted and the reactions of everyone in the room. This comment is oddly overlooked by most productions of Anne Boleyn or Henry VIII. From what I have read it was an incredibly important comment that was made by Anne. This in combination with her final miscarriage left her in a dangerous position.

Now to a more mixed feeling:

Henry and Anne’s relationship:

On the one hand, I liked it, it showed they were still into each other a lot. This is unlike The Tudors where Henry VIII weirdly loses all sexual interest in Anne (but somehow still expects her to have a baby). Most productions show Anne and Henry’s marriage crumbling the second she has Elizabeth which just isn’t true. I also liked how the miscarriage alone didn’t cause Anne’s downfall, which is usually how it’s done.

That being said the physical violence… Henry VIII was a lot of things but he really wasn’t a physically violent guy himself. He’d execute you but he was a coward about it. I think the one notable time Henry got physically violent with a wife is when he ordered a sword after discovering Katherine Howard’s prior “relationships” and people thought he was angry enough to execute her himself. Even with Jane Seymour, he seems more degrading of her at times than physically violent. Emotional violence was more Henry’s style.

I do understand that they were trying to show the relationship as chaotic, volatile, and unhealthy. However, I just didn’t think it was necessary to add physical violence to do this.

Now with the petty:

The costumes… were so god damn ugly. Just as a side note before we pass from the positives to the true negatives. I just don’t understand what goes through the minds of costume designers. Jodie is a beautiful actress and they put her in the ugliest of clothing.

I mean I have seen worse costumes. They weren't as bad as The White Princess or Wolf Hall. But I would put them alongside The White Queen honestly.

I don't think costumes must be accurate, but I want them to be pretty at least. If you aren't going to make them accurate can we at least have something interesting to look at?

The Negatives:

Jane Boleyn: Ummm I don’t know what to say other than this is fucking dumb. I mean I guess we should be glad there was no physical violence between George and Jane this time around. Other than that I don’t get it. We literally are three mins into episode one and they have Anne call Jane a “spiteful little bitch” why? Because she’s upset her husband is cheating on her? Like Anne is upset her husband is cheating on her? Why wouldn’t Anne sympathize with Jane if that were the case? Even if they wanted to make Jane Boleyn evil they did a bad job. Am I not supposed to have sympathy with the wife getting cheated on?

Also, Dan Jones should have his degree ripped from him. Dan Jones is an actual historian who is an executive producer on this show and he allowed them to have Jane be brought as a witness to Anne’s trial.

On that note let’s move to the Jousting Head Injury thing. Again Dan Jones should have his degree ripped from him. This event did not happen, at least not like this. You can watch Claire Ridgeway’s video on this but the historical records do not support Henry VIII being unconscious at all after this fall. And it was funny they had Chapuys heavily involved in these scenes since he never even wrote about this event. You’d think if it was that important he would have.

That gross miscarriage scene… for all that is holy I do not understand why we are getting these intense miscarriage scenes. The camera was literally between Jodie’s legs at one point. It was so nasty. The sounds… I just can’t. I won’t go into it further but I’d rather have Natalie’s Dormer’s implied miscarriages with just some bleeding then this shit any day.

Now before I tactical the racism I want to say the final episode was probably the weakest one. Anne’s trial… I hated it. I hated Anne speech it was way too much Feminism™. I would have rather had her execution speech or her confession with Crammer. I do get why they only chose to have one of these in the episode, it would totally over crowd the episode. That being said… not only was the directing weird in this scene the speech they wrote just was subpar at best.

The Racism:

Okay, I am going to try my best to tactical the racism in the show. Now I am white and I don’t want to say I should be speaking over ANYONE. Plenty of black Tudor fans have written this better than me.

However, two plot points on this show really struck me as racist.

Jane Seymour: the odd predator behavior Anne has around Jane Seymour. It must be noted that the age gap looks apparent on the screen. Jane’s actress is 25 and Jodie is 34. Jane looked like an innocent schoolgirl and the aggressive scenes with Anne made these seem incredibly predatory. In ALL other productions, I’ve seen this is never how Anne and Jane come across.

The weird kiss between them was both racist and homophobic. I think they said it was about Anne wanting to see the “appeal”. Again it just made her look predator. The worst scene was when she was circling Jane as she spoke a hymn. Honestly, they made Jodie look like a fucking shark in that scene. It was so nasty.

The second and less talked about was Anne and Kingston. I don’t get why nobody is talking about that disturbing scene where Kingston physically pushes Anne onto the bed and holds her there. It was utterly disturbing, and quite frankly I am shocked anyone found that appropriate. You cannot separate Anne being portrayed by Jodie, a black woman, and having a white man grip her head down on a bed saying “She’s only a woman” as an insult. It was incredibly disturbing.

Also in general having Kingston treats Anne so awful… when all other productions of Anne Boleyn have Kingston treat her remarkably well. Racism is implied here. Why in every other production Anne's ladies are kind and gentle to her, and Kingston is moved by her, but when it's Jodie he's physically brutalizing her?

I think there were obviously other incidents, including all the shit with George and Jane but I don’t feel that equipped to handle them. I just wanted to bring these two to light.

Overall:

Jodie was amazing, carried the show on her back. That’s kind of it. It was very subpar. For a show that claims in the beginning inspired by “The Truth… and lies,” it seems more inspired by lies than by any sort of truth.

I mean did we need another Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn TV show. Probably not. Which makes me feel sad. Jodie was so good. She truly pulls off regal. I want to see her in more period dramas. But other than that… 5.5 stars maybe?

[nexyra]

I got an ask for Qrow Branwen so here it comes !

My fav ship(s) for the character

I think my favorite ships for Qrow are Cloqwork and Fair Game ! Cloqwork lacked screentime in terms of canon content of course, but I love the potential here. I also have a things for shipping the sad men together xD There are a lot of REALLY great Cloqwork fanfics out there and I love seeing people write about these two <3 It's in the details but I think there's something interesting here. With Qrow who is convinced to be a curse, who came from such a harsh background... And with Ozpin who is so convinced of humanity's inherent goodness and that anyone deserves a chance. At the same time they're both very complicated people who I think would interact in cool ways. Ozpin is wise but does have a mischievous streak that I think also helped in making them both get along. Qrow is much more perceptive than he appears and that's also good for dealing with someone as secretive as Ozpin.

Fair Game also had a very good start ! The relationship was admittedly a bit tilted toward Qrow's recovery in the show, but they were nice to see together. Clover was perceptive & caring as well as patient. All great qualities for a relationship with Qrow, who has a hard time breaking down his walls and a shot mental health. At the same time, Atlas is very professional, straight-to-the-point and I think Qrow is a real breath of fresh hair in that environment. He brings a different viewpoint to the table, he's very loyal & caring and it's clear that his sass amused Clover greatly. We didn't get to learn enough about him, but Clover's VA hinted that Clover's trust was a fragile thing and he wasn't a fan of showing vulnerability. Qrow, who gives everything he has in all his relationships, would have been a great balm for that uncertainty. So yeah !

My least favorite ship(s) for the character

There are, of course, any & all ships between Qrow & the kids or Qrow & Salem's team. But outside of these obvious "nope", I'll have to go with Jailbirds. This is COMPLETELY personal but I have a really hard time liking Robyn's character as of V7 end/V8 so I'm barely interested in her dynamic with Qrow. I did appreciate her talking down Qrow from revenge because he was only doing it for his own sake but... That's about it. I find her way too abrasive (hidden behind her shiny Robinhood looks). And whereas Clover (imo) was pretty good at getting Qrow to face his issus head-on & building him up, I feel like Robyn relies more on humour & deflection... Which is an art Qrow is already acquainted with, and not the best coping mechanism for him. Aaaand I just feel like she put Clover down several time in order to lift Qrow up. That, plus the queerbaiting controversy, plus her having indirectly participated to Clover's death... The ship makes me a bit uncomfortable.

My fav & least fav platonic relationship(s) for the character

My fav platonic relationship for Qrow is his bond with Ruby ! I really hope they bring it back because these two were GREAT together. Ruby's admiration was adorable. Qrow's nonchalent but clearly protective streak. They care about each other A LOT and I really loved them together. I hope they can have more moments together like back in V3-V4 or V6.

I'm not sure what my least liked platonic relationship would be. Saying Robyn again feels like beating on a dead horse but I don't really have a problem with any other ones. They're all, if not kind & good for him, at least interesting (like Raven)

My favorite thing about the character

The combination of his sassy/cynic personnality and how loyal & caring of a person he actually he is. Qrow is rough around the edges, leans easily into banter but he cares so damn much. He fit so easily next to Ruby's peppy enthusiasm in Vol 1-3, and then he was just an incredible badass and yet so damn vulnerable human in Vol 4-6. I liked that about him. How all the pieces fit together

My biggest criticism for the character

Well I have 2 things to say about that. First : V7C12 With Friends like these. What the fuck was this episode qkfazkfhkgh Qrow's brain was nerfed SO DAMN HARD, I was genuinely pissed while watching the episode. This was just a string of dumb decisions from everyone except Tyrian. But I digress -

In a more general sense, I'd say... putting Qrow in the sidelines. Him falling further into depression was a sound decision. It was interesting and fitting of his character imo. But I feel like they tied "Ruby having enough of his alcooholism" and "Ruby growing away from adults" in a way that kind of.... just put Qrow to the side and doesn't allow him to do much. In V6 finale, Qrow expresses understandable concerns about their plan to steal an airship, but instead of dealing with that Ruby's frustration with his cynicism is aired out and... the timing kind of makes the whole thing weird becaus Qrow isn't allowed to disagree with their plan ("we'll do it with you or without you") and then has to trust Ruby and let her go which AGAIN is a great moment in itself. But all that put together just like... rid Qrow of his function as a parental figure because Ruby is the leader now and he's just... kind of following along.

When was their writing at the peak according to me (ex : best season)

Okay for this one Q, I'll have to go with Vol 4 and Vol 6 for very different reasons. V4 was great because we really got to get to know Qrow. His complicated relationship with Raven. How BADASS his encounter with Tyrian was I freaking loved it. What his semblance and how it shaped his life. And it also let him be vulnerable through the poison & seeing Ruby repay his care was very nice.

Vol 6 for fleshing out, taking his issues & drinking more seriously. Showing more hopelesness and cynicism, and that he had a real drinking problem and he wasn't just a fun drunk. Plus the loss of faith in Oz showed how much Qrow needs stability and secure certainties to orbit around despite his nonchalant personnality. But I like it a bit less because it was the starting point of putting him on the side kind of.

A song I think fits them & why

Ship in a Bottle (Steffan Argus) ➸ A song about being alone in your fight, in the sense that your life is like a sail on the ocean and you are the only captain, the only one who can choose what to do with it. At the same time, there are several mentions of a "captain" as if the singer/Qrow adresses someone else. It's reminiscent of his relation with Ozpin or Clover : speaking of a deal, of being honest and sharing what's on your mind. Qrow thinks too much, he's scared and he sinks more & more as he delves into his cynicism (V6). Qrow cries, things get worse, the mention of the glass echoes his struggle with alcooholism. And the Scarewrow loses his brain, "lose touch with all the things that made [him] feel sane."

+ Problem child (Simple Plan) The Star song (Amanda Palmer) Would anyone care (Citizen Soldier) Wasted (8 Graves)

A headcanon to make up about them

Qrow didn't have the most normal childhood and because of that he had to learn a lot for Ruby & Yang. Notably, Qrow had absolutely 0 notion of what was an appropriate presents for young girls. As a result, he tended to simply bring back from his travels whatever shiny thing might have caught his attention. Could be a weird flower. Could be a pretty knife. Or even junk that his corvid brain latched upon.

Tai designed a look(Tm) that Qrow learned to recognize as "No, not appropriate." After a while, Yang learned to mimick it (but rather at random, she didn't really recognze what was appropriate and what wasn't). Ruby always liked his presents though.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write

I CLEARLY would rewrite V7C12 so that Qrow & Clover keep their brains kzjhfkqhzk There were ways to reach the same conclusion without like... having a Qrow-Tyran team-up which was REALLY weird

I see 2 main possibilities to stick close to canon content - After the crash, Tyrian gets free but he keeps playing dead for a bit. Since there is no 3rd menace, Clover and Qrow's argument devolve into a fight as seen in canon. At one point, Clover manages to briefly disarm Qrow. They discuss for a bit, you can even put the exact same dialog as in the ep. Then Tyrian takes action, moving out of the shadows to kill Clover with Qrow's discarded weapon. Braincells saved. OR - Instead of having Qrow & Tyrian outright team up, Tyrian just... keeps instillating doubts in their mind. Qrow & Clover are temporarily allies in taking Tyrian down but because of this, they don't TRUST each other which cause missteps and make them less effective. At one point, Qrow tries to attack Tyrian who is behind Clover. But because neither Qrow nor Clover really have faith in the other at that moment (and because Tyrian is poisonning their mind), Clover automatically steps back or aside. He doesn't entirely trust Qrow. Because of this small hesitation, Qrow's attack fails. Tyrian manages to disarm him. Tyrian uses Qrow's weapon to kill Clover. There could even be some message here about the lack of Trust & letting Salem divide friends... something of that caliber in any case 🤔 It can even parallel V3 where Qrow did the same thing with Ironwood & Ironwood refused to stand aside even if he thought Qrow meant to attack him... Could lead somewhere ! Like, in V3 Qrow had faith that Ironwood wasn't to blame. Only Ironwood feared that Qrow blamed him, but Qrow knew & trusted that Ironwood wasn't to blame. In other words, Salem didn't divide them. Here, Qrow & Clover let Tyrian get into their head. And as a result Clover dies. "Together we stand, Divided we fall"

My guess for their MBTI/Enneagram

I'm still mulling on it right now but I think he might be some kind of ISTP 416. He has some weird 7ish behaviour but his need to orbit around someone/a goal, his relationship with Oz, how close he stuck to Tai & Summer sounds closer to 6 fix. He wants people to go home to. Certainty and security. His independance definitely is there but seems emphasized moreso out of necessity.

One aspect that I think would be nice to delve deeper into ? (optional)

I'm not sure mhmmm maybe his relationship with Summer ? It would be both cute & interesting. As well as finally giving us insight into who Summer was

[hopeymchope]

Godzilla Singular Point

I came into Singular Point with some trepidation because Godzilla’s history in anime is both very recent and extremely bad. The three anime movies released between 2017 and 2019 are easily the worst work of famed writer Gen Urobuchi and honestly contain more bullshit than I can even get into here. Those movies and this series were both Godzilla anime properties commissioned by Netflix, which didn’t get my hopes up very much. Thankfully, Singular Point is a very different beast from the anime trilogy. One could argue it’s very different from most Godzilla media, actually — at least from my perspective. And I’m still a pretty entry-level fan of Toho’s Big G, all things considered.

Let me just warn you right up front: This smartphone-based virtual assistant is basically the breakout star of the series. 

When you think “Godzilla,” you probably don’t think “incredibly dense sci-fi concepts,” but with the big G’s first-ever anime series, the writers clearly set out to change that perception. Before the first kaiju even appears, the lead characters are plucked from obscurity and dropped into a mystery that involves fourth-dimensional time travel, physical objects that look different from all sides, theoretical math concepts, self-propagating A.I., and a whole lot more. And it’s NEVER made clear how all of it connects to the rampaging kaiju! Although we spend a lot of time investigating a red dust or sand that is very obviously tied to the monsters in SOME way, no one ever makes a connection that explains the relationship. Maybe we’re supposed to wait for a later season to connect the threads... but let’s get into the idea of “another season” later.

I like to think of myself as someone who typically enjoys hard sci-fi, but even with the characters spending loads of time trying to explain the high concepts driving the story, I was never able to fully wrap my head around what was going on in the mystery at the center of GSP. I rewound and rewatched a few explanations, but I still walked away feeling lost. I eventually settled on some vague, loose understandings of most of the ideas mentioned, but those understandings were subject to being ripped apart in subsequent scenes when I was shown or told something completely at odds with what I thought I knew. I can’t say I was ever bored with the thick, dense scientific concepts on offer — trying to find purchase with these far-out ideas kept me glued to the screen — but damn, I sure wish I was able to comprehend them.

What do we want?! DENSE SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSION AND DEBATE! When do we want it?! AFTER THOROUGH RESEARCH, TESTING, AND PEER REVIEW!

Another weird thing about this show is that the lead characters remain in separate locations and on separate tracks for the entire duration. We have Yun — a mechanical engineer and programmer who has an amazing grasp on physics and human behavior. And we have Mei — a grad student who is deeply invested in theoretical science, UMAs, cryptids and other far-flung concepts. Both of them are basically geniuses in their fields, and even though they take opposing views of just how flexible reality is, their shared ability to think “outside the box” becomes the crucial component in solving the mystery at the core of the series. Because they don’t even know one another (despite being separated by like, ONE degree), they only ever interact via text messages and behind screen names, which feels pretty damn weird. At least  I immediately liked both of them, with Yun being the standout to me because of how his lowkey reactions to crazy shit generates a lot of humor.

This soundtrack cover LIES; you will never see these characters in a room together like this. 

Alas, we don’t get to know the characters a whole lot beyond what we learned of them in the first two episodes. It’s not long before they’re trapped in a series of complicated exposition dumps, endlessly attempting to explain the high concepts of the show to other characters as well as my dumb ass in the audience. The fact that I liked them in the first couple of episodes carried me through more than half of the show, but I was always hoping to see them share more of themselves or just display more emotion. Anime as a medium excels at emotional storytelling. But despite the major, world-altering events the characters are constantly warning us about, none of them seem to have many emotions about said events. 

Further complicating matters is how, when major events finally occur in this show, they are often kept off-screen. One character shockingly dies, but the portrayal of that death is so piss-poor that I didn’t even realize it’d happened until someone mentioned their death in the next episode. After that vague death, I was particularly sensitive to anything that looked like it might possibly be lethal. Yet a later event that is played up as a tragic, fatal occurrence ends up... fine, somehow? It’s not clear how the character survives, because — even after one of our heroes is left screaming their name in despair as they seemingly die — nobody ever talks about or explains how he’s just fine a couple of scenes later. And near the end of the series, there’s a major transformation that occurs for one of the characters, and we never see it happen nor do we understand HOW it happened. It’s just that suddenly, this character is extremely different due to off-screen reasons that are only vaguely verbalized.

I guess these two really bonded at some point for some reason? And what you are seeing here is literally the height of emotion shown in the entire show.

Even though the overarching story of the series so far pretty clearly wraps up in episode 13, we then get a post-credits tease for a potential second season. So the question becomes: Would I watch that?

Well... Godzilla Singular Point is a series with a lot of issues that kept me at arms’ length from it — tons of extremely confusing dialogue, highly frustrating choices in direction that lead to baffling storytelling, characters who are mostly exposition-dumping — and yet there’s still some foundational work here that I appreciated a lot. When the action occurs, it’s pretty cool/fun. And when urban destruction occurs, it can be awe-inspiring. The human characters, though little-explored, have likable and interesting foundations to them that could be expanded upon. And I didn’t even mention the soundtrack, which features a variety of musical styles combined with the classic Ifukube theme music and an OP that is an absolute banger. (I have a weakness when it comes to music; a good soundtrack can carry me through even the blandest series sometimes.) Even the core idea of centering a Godzilla series around hard science and mathematical concepts is a compelling one, I think! I just hated the execution of it; they went waaaaay too far on poorly explaining incredibly complex, mind-bending concepts for my pea brain to handle it. They spend so much time trying to explain things, yet somehow they never succeeded for me. 

Ultimately, I’d probably give the show another chance. But if I do give another season a chance, it’ll be on probation. I wouldn’t watch the entire season unless I could see within four episodes that they’d definitely improved things.

Would I recommend that anyone watch the series as it currently stands? I mean... not really? I guess if you really dig complex math, hard theoretical science, and/or Toho’s stable of monsters, then maaaaaaaaaaybe give it a shot. But otherwise? Naaaahh. It’s not good enough at anything to make it stand out from the anime crowd. I didn’t hate it like I hated the Godzilla anime films, but Singular Point is still something that both casual viewers and most fans can comfortably ignore for the time being. It’s not a complete disaster, and it’s not without its highlights... but it’s definitely disappointing in my opinion.

OKAYOKAYOKAY, so let’s talk about the kaiju for a bit! 

Below will be SPOILERS revealing all of the kaiju that appear in Godzilla Singular Point and giving my feelings on them. 

Godzilla — It’s interesting to see a version of Godzilla that borrows some ideas from Shin Godzilla. Shin G has been incredibly unique until now, but this Godzilla manages to fold some of Shin’s distinctive aspects in with the more classic/typical versions to build a fun new depiction. Be forewarned that Godzilla doesn’t show up until the series is halfway over, and he doesn’t get a ton of screen time, either. He’s used quite sparingly and kept in hazy settings, often framed from the neck-up when they show him. It’s a little frustrating that they felt the need to shroud him so much, but I respect the fact that whenever Godzilla is shown, the destruction he causes is on a scale far beyond anything that the rest of the kaiju ever do. He is pure devastation. 

Rodan — He’s easily the biological kaiju with the most screen time in Singular Point. Rodan is first introduced as one gigantic pterosaur, but if you’ve seen ANY trailers for this show then you already know that his depiction transitions into an asston of smaller pterosaurs, all of whom are also called “Rodan.” (Apparently the word Rodan is both singular and plural, like the word “buffalo.”) Although he looks kind of cool at first, pretty soon Rodan showing up isn’t special or threatening anymore. Rodan appearances go from “a big goddamn deal” to “some bland background noise” before the series is even 1/3 finished. The design might be a little too far removed from the original for my own taste, but even if I didn’t think that, I wouldn’t be able to care for this Rodan simply because he’s rendered so unimportant and unimpressive.

If you go out in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise... 

Anguirus — Now check this guy out! Anguirus gets one of the coolest fights in the show and also demonstrates some powers that are well beyond anything we’ve seen him do before. Because he sticks to unpopulated areas, we never see him do much damage to Japan, but he is definitely holding all the attention when he’s on-screen. He’s a highlight for me — a total badass who is very unique in his abilities. And the stated origin for his name is goddamn adorable.

Manda — Yup, Manda is in this series... but I don’t have much to say for him. It seems like the creators of the anime didn’t have much to say about him either. His role amounts to little more than a repeated cameo, and in most of those cameos you only ever see his tail. When we finally see his full body, it’s done so briefly and kept at a distance, leaving me with no real impression. I had to look up his design online and... yup, that sure looks like Manda. Final score: MEEEEHH.

Kumonga — I definitely did not see this appearance coming! Kumonga is much smaller here than you may be used to, but she gets to star in the most suspenseful sequence in the series and easily earns the most exciting cliffhanger moment at the end of an episode. I was utterly glued to the show during her screen time, which comes with a lot of icky twists. Good ones! I honestly like Kumonga here more than I ever have previously.

NEW PHONE WHO DIS

Salunga — Uh, who? This is the one monster that isn’t based on a classic Toho kaiju but instead is a brand-new creation. I suppose that everybody who touches the Toho Kaiju franchise wants to make their own mark on it in some regard. But a big part of the fun of this series for me personally was the anticipation of seeing new interpretations and designs of classic Toho monsters. And so, given that he kind of resembles both Baragon and Gabara, I never stopped wishing they’d just used one of those guys as the basis and namesake. Taken on his own, however? He’s... pretty neat. Not unique or exciting, but solidly above par.  He resembles a cross between a lizard/dinosaur and an ape, plus his head has some nifty coloration. 

Our Jaguar!

Jet Jaguar — I guess Jet Jaguar isn’t exactly a kaiju in the traditional sense because he’s a Giant Robot. However, if you want to consider him one, then I wager he probably gets even more screen time than Rodan! We meet him almost immediately when the series begins. Initially an odd pilot-driven robot that was constructed at the whim of a quirky old factory-owner with too much disposable income, Jet Jaguar grows and changes over the course of the show, ultimately undergoing a transition in episode 7 that makes him pretty damn impossible to dislike. In fact, I utterly adored him by then. This is definitely the best Jet Jaguar I’ve ever seen. His design is recognizably similar to the original yet utterly distinct, too. Like many of the other kaiju here, he’s not nearly as big as he was when he was first introduced to the movies, but his size is ideal for battling the smaller-scale monsters that we spend most of the series on.

[hopetofantasy]

Culture, parallels & meta - S3 E1

Previous season Prologue: Vlogs (1) - Vlogs (2)

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Zaterdag 21:43

The time lapse already showing us a string of places that will be important later, like the dark alley, the Meir with Noor’s workplace, the university neighborhood, the Scheldt river where the boys hang out, ...

Perfect parallel: 

The second season starts Zoë’s POV with a (washing machine) door, whilst the third opens with a door to a party that Robbe attends.

Robbe glances back at Noor passing through the shot this episode, an action he repeats when he spots Sander in the second episode. - A very subtle hint to where his love life may lead.

The first one starts with two unknown LGBT+ girls kissing at a party, the last episode shows two known LGBT+ boys (Sobbe) kissing at their own party.

The aerial shot through the floor to introduce us to Robbe’s POV here and the aerial shot through the roof to say goodbye to him in the last episode.

Moyo saying “No one would do you” to Aaron in this episode, Aaron realizing “No one here wants to do me!” in the last.

Where’s Wally? Noor greeting Marie, accompanied by Jana and Britt. Max dancing with Keisha in the crowd.

How ‘meta’ of you: Newsflash, yes you are!

Nod to the OG: 

The deliberate messy POV: following everyone that we know already and then slowly settling on the Isak version in a tub.

Robbe saying Noor looks like ‘Natalie Portman’, which is what people said to the OG Emma when they flirted with her. Everyone, except Isak, that is.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Moyo keeps pressuring Robbe into explaining what type of girl he likes. The boys laugh it off when he answers that ‘he doesn’t have a type’.

Lost in translation: Moyo mocks Noor’s Dutch accent, making his ‘g’ and ‘st’ sound harsher, while also adding ‘hoor’ at the end - a typical word used by the Dutch to emphasize a point.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Jens is playing with the weed bag. Keisha is one of the girls that Moyo mentions as Jens’ ex-girlfriend or ex-fling. Not only did Noor nót flush the toilet, but she didn’t used any toilet paper either!

°

Zaterdag 22:44

C is for culture: 

Noor rescuing Robbe on her scooter - In Belgium, you’re allowed to drive a moped or scooter once you’ve reached the age of 16. Nothing is needed if the vehicle doesn’t go above 25 km/h. If it stays between the range of 25-45 km/h and max. 50 cc, you need to pass a theoretical exam, 4 hours of driver’s ed and a practical exam to get the license. Anything other than that, has a whole new set of restrictions, types of driver’s licenses and minimum ages.  Noor and Robbe are, however, still breaking the law. As long as you’re not 18, you’re not allowed to have an extra passenger with you. Especially if they’re not wearing a helmet. (Plus they ignored a red light. Those rebels!)

“You do know that you always have to have it with you?” - The Belgian law states that everyone above age twelve, has to get an ID to identify themselves. Some might have had a Kids-ID already - for travel purposes - but that’s not mandatory. However, once you're fifteen years old, you’re obligated to carry your ID with you at all times.

Perfect parallel:

Luca being all jealous whilst staring at Noor and Robbe making out in S3, her glaring at Maud and Robbe every chance she got in the last season.

Robbe and Noor having fun on the scooter while screaming and Robbe filming their adventure in this episode. Robbe and Sander doing a similar thing, but on their bikes in a later episode.

Wink to other remakes: Robbe sporting a brown jacket. (Eliott, anyone?)

Surprise bitch, guess who: It’s Willem Chanterie, the on-set costume designer and social media production assistant!

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Noor has a ‘Fuck Trump’ sticker on her helmet. Robbe says “Hey, it’s red” in a very clear Antwerp accent. 

°

Zaterdag 23:11

Hello from the outside: The garbage truck they sprayed, still drove around the city regularly. The art piece itself is named ‘#Genoeg mama' (= ‘#Enough mommy’). It blames the consumer society as toxic, making young people its victim.

Oopsie: Inside the graffiti den, Noor suddenly sports a tote bag with supplies, even though we never saw her wearing that in the previous shots.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Noor has black combat boots. The photographer is obviously Sander, in case you have missed that subtle clue.

°

Zondag 13:41

Lost in translation/Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: 

“Check die pekie’s”. The word ‘pekie’ is actually Amsterdam slang for ‘beautiful girl, girlfriend’. In recent years, more and more Dutch slang are making their way into the Flemish dialect, because of the Dutch rap songs gaining popularity with the youngsters.

“Vamos, flikkers”. The word ‘flikkers’ can mean ‘wussie’ as well as a derogatory term for ‘homosexual’. Again establishing the fact that the boys use a lot of homophobic or toxic words for each other.

Robbe’s clumsiness meter: +1, him tossing the bag behind Jens instead of into his hands.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: There is a football right next to the skateboards.

°

Maandag 16:04

C is for culture: “The whole art school was talking about it” - 

Secondary school is divided in four sections: general, technical, art and vocational. Which section you choose can have effect on further education. In one of these sections, you pick what you want to study from your first to last year (‘directions’). That means that you have some courses purely focused on the direction and others that are obligated for everyone, regardless.

Art high schoolers can choose to go to work or study a specialization afterwards. Their coursework isn’t solely art based, there are general required courses too. That’s why some foreigners - including the Dutch - come to Belgium, since they’ll get a more rounded and higher level of art education than in their countries. ‘de!KUNSTHUMANIORA’ is the high school in Antwerp Noor goes to and is known for having students with unique styles.

Perfect parallel: 

Noor waiting outside the school for Robbe and him reacting somewhat confused here, Sander doing the same and having an instantly happy Robbe in a later episode.

Robbe having no problem kissing a girl ‘as a straight guy’ in front of the gates in this episode and scared for what might happen if he kissed a boy ‘as a gay guy’ later on. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The insta caption underneath the art work says ‘An inspirational message on a Sunday! Just discovered this in Antwerp city today. Artist unknown... Can you remember when you last called on your mother?’ (That last sentence, oooofff, the symbolism!)

°

Dinsdag 14:57

C is for culture: 

“Yes, mini enterprises are so chill.” - Mini enterprises are often used as a tool for Economics in the fifth/sixth year. The goal of these is to ‘learn whilst doing it’. Like the name specifies, mini enterprises are actual miniature companies set up by a group of students. During the school year, they’ll try to work together on commercializing a product. All aspects of entrepreneurship are at play here: writing a business plan, holding meetings, doing bookkeeping, marketing the product, produce and sell it, ... If the enterprise idea is good or well executed, it might even win a national prize by the company making this education formula.

“What if he contacts child protection services” - Actually, those services doesn’t really exist in Belgium. There are, however, other youth organizations for these types of things, like JAC - Youth Advice Centre, CLB - Centre for Student Guidance and the Centre for Mental Healthcare.

Perfect parallel: The boys hyping Aaron up to walk over to Amber and talk to her - yet he fails in this episode, them doing the same and he succeeds (after some fails) in the last episode. 

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Jens saying “Damn, seems like someone is on his fucking period”, after Robbe snaps at him due to the difficult telephone call with his dad.

Lost in translation: Jens saying “Mijn kop staat er niet naar” (= “My head’s not standing there”) can actually mean different things: I’m not in the mood, it’s not the right time, I don't want to do it, my head’s all over the place, ... It depends on the context, on which interpretation would suit the situation the best. 

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The girls are all fawning all over Britt’s cellphone, so there is a good chance that they’re discussing (pictures of) her boyfriend, Sander. Also, Jana’s braces are gone! 

°

Donderdag 17:13

Perfect parallel: Robbe stating that he can’t talk to his dad or he’ll fight and Zoë getting that, as she said a similar thing to an understanding Senne about her parents in S2. 

How ‘meta’ of you: Ah, yes, fandom ship names in SKAM. We applaud!

Oopsie: If you look really hard, you see that the body type and hair of Robbe’s dad, doesn’t correspond with the version waiting at the restaurant later on.

Wink to other remakes: This shot reminding you of a certain S3 trailer?  👀

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: The numerous references to Zoënne’s relationship in their room (relationship pics, Senne’s guitar). The paper Milan gifts to Robbe is the written permission by his parent to live with them, as is obligated by law.

°

Vrijdag 20:04

Perfect parallel: 

Senne pulling Zoë up after a kiss here, just like with their first kiss in S2.

Robbe pushing Milan away after thinking he wanted to kiss him at the party in S2, them hugging it out in after talking about it in S3.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Zoë and Milan making some healthy party snacks like cauliflower and cocktail sauce, cheese with tomatoes and salami squares. She pulls back the bottle of gin that Milan wants to steal. Senne also bought paprika and tortilla chips from Colruyt (a discount store).

°

Vrijdag 20:54

C is for culture: “Noor, Robbe’s girlfriend” - (Teen) dating culture is different in Belgium. Usually, if you have kissed, hung out, texted or just said/did something to show your mutual interest, you’d pretty much consider yourself in a relationship. It can go from 0 to 100 very quick. Unless there is, of course, an agreement that what you’re doing is no such thing. Also, nobody really ask you to be their gf/bf. It just implied or stated to their family or friends. 

Perfect parallel: 

A reluctant Robbe pushing himself to do stuff to Noor (playful dancing, kissing, riling her up) as far as putting his hands on her bra here. A totally different, excited Robbe not even thinking twice about doing these things to Sander, even licking his nipple during their reunion.

Noor pushing Robbe on the bed and climbing over him, whilst Robbe looks all sad in this episode. Him pushing Sander on the bed and being happy as Sander crawls over him during their reunion.

Oop, there it is, the homophobia / heteronormativity: Robbe tries to convince himself into liking heterosexual sex with Noor and fake laughs with his friends about having it.

Where’s Wally? Keisha laughing with Amber and later dancing with Marie.

Blink-and-y’ll-miss-it: Jens is talking to Senne. The decorations behind Milan saying ‘Welkom Robbe’ (= ‘Welcome Robbe’). Noor has a beautiful tattoo of a pin-up girl covered with butterflies on her lower arm.

[katsidhe]

15.19 Final Thoughts

I was all set for disappointment after 15.18, but this was… good, actually! Not perfect by any means, but the beats it hit and the points it made were by and large ones I’d been waiting for all season. Where it wasn’t touching (and it was touching!), it was absurd enough for me to enjoy it heartily anyway. I wish that this episode had been split into, like, three, so that it could have spent the time it needed on wallowing.

I love the empty earth. Love it to absolute PIECES. Because it fits so, so well, right? The claustrophobia of the Winchesters’ lives writ grotesquely large. They’re the most important people in the universe, of COURSE they are, because Chuck feels like it, and of course they can’t die, of course they’re doomed to wander eternally—ughh I love it. It’s the natural, absurd, and absurdist conclusion to where this story has always been heading. I am so glad that they went there.

Sam’s heartbreaking guilt—his knowledge that his defiance in 15.17 was what led to this empty universe. Oh, Sam. Again sublimating his loss and his agony into personal responsibility. And the worst part is that he’s right. I love the tragicomedy of Sam and Dean’s offer to play along for Chuck, and that he refuses, preferring to watch them walk the earth alone. Honestly? if it had cut to black right there? I would be mightily pleased.

ok but SAM!!! if there was a winner of 15.19 (and therefore a winner of SPN in general? sure feels that way to me), it’s Sam. Sam defied Death and defied God (and in 15.17 defied Dean). Sam saved Jack, who was the key to everything. Sam got the assist on Lucifer. Sam tricked Michael. Just, GAHH, what a great episode for him.

I about lost my goddamn mind when Lucifer showed up, because I had lost any inkling of hope that he’d turn up again. Kinda figured that plot thread had been irrevocably dropped. I’m sorry for losing my faith, Show! I should have believed that you’d eventually give me a taste of what I wanted!

I predict this opinion is going to be a little unpopular, but I was so happy to see him. I don’t care that he was too quippy, I don’t care that he was gone in like six minutes, I don’t care that his and Michael’s fight was, again, anticlimactic (though at least there weren’t wires, t god). Here’s the thing. I don’t NEED my fictional suffering to be like, artisanal, and thoughtfully designed. I’ll buy that shit at Costco, in ten gallon drums. I’ll chug it straight from the bottle like trauma ketchup. I’ll watch Lucifer resurrected a thousand times, if it means I get to watch Sam’s FACE while they’re in the same room. PRAISE.

The corollary: the ABSOLUTELY AMAZING CONCEPT of the last five people in the entire world being Michael, Lucifer, Sam, Dean, and Jack, all stuck awkwardly in the Bunker. Omfg. This SENT me so hard I had to take a walk, I was laughing too much. What a ripe premise. What an ugly premise. I need fic, immediately, stat, stat means now.

Relatedly, I love the mental image of Sam unobtrusively going offscreen and getting the archangel blade and handing it to Michael and quietly hissing, “uh PLEASE ffs kill your goddamn brother.” Pfffffffffffffffff.

Deeply disappointed that Jack didn’t get a chance to say anything to Lucifer. Yet another thing that needs further treatment.

I’d figured Lucifer was telling the truth when he told them he was joining Team Kill Chuck. However, Lucifer’s willingness to be on board with Chuck’s plan makes, just, a ton of sense. He’s always had less to lose than Michael, when it comes to accepting his father’s olive branch, since he fell so far so long ago, while Michael is still teetering on that precipice. And Chuck’s just extended, basically, a massive apology to him by erasing all the people and places and stories that he favored over his children. Of COURSE Lucifer wants to be alone with his dad, the only chosen one left, in a universe that is finally pristine. Of course he wants to rub his new favor in Michael’s face. I just wish we’d seen and heard more of this. His resurrection wasn’t pointless at all, but it was underdeveloped.

Michael’s inability to separate himself from his father’s will at the bitter end is a tragic and somber end. Jake Abel brought his A-game again. I wish very deeply that we’d been able to see more of him this season: he is one of the few surviving people with genuine investment in Chuck as a person, and he had a deep, deep betrayal to unpack.

Chuck and his enemies: Billie was always too straightforward in her goals and motivations to be truly interesting as an enemy to Chuck; she is less a character, and more an avatar, a force of nature. She opposed him the way a river opposes stone. The Emptity is nearly disinterested in the whole mess—it just wanted to be left alone. The really interesting sources of conflict for Chuck were always going to come from his family: Amara, and the archangels. And I’m glad we got some of that conflict now, even if it was too little too late.

Both of his children were unable to separate themselves from craving his approval. It’s a dire, tragic condemnation of this immortal cosmic family. And it says something about the microcosm of the Winchesters, of them as the model for the stories Chuck enjoys, the stories he inhabits. Supernatural is a story about being trapped. 

Sam somehow tricking both Michael and God? Sam, your BRAIN, it’s simply too big! but real talk how did he manage this? Does he still have the protection from Chuck’s sight via his now-erased God hole? I’m gonna go with yes, and in fact I’m gonna go a step further and pretend he still had that bullet wound this entire season, and that it healed when Jack took Chuck’s power, because now it makes even less sense than ever that the writers chose to erase that tantalizing physical connection. There, in my head, I’ve now fixed it.

Jack. Oh, Jack, what was the show ever going to do with you? The only thing it could, I think. I love that Dean, with absolutely no sense of irony, demanded Jack return with Sam and Dean to where he ~belongs, accusing him tacitly of selfishness, as if not three days ago he’d been egging him on to suicide. For Jack’s own sake, I am glad he is away from the Winchesters, and I hope he spends several decades talking to Amara and like, manifesting as a tree or something, to get some badly needed emotional balance and sense of scale. There is still so much wrong with putting this much power and responsibility in the hands of a browbeaten three-year-old. But, yes, my heart does swell at the thought of Sam’s imperfect love fostering the new God.

The image of Sam and Dean, broken bones, bloodied faces, laughing in the face of God like they’re insane is a pretty damn good one.

Also, Dean denying himself as the “ultimate killer”? Hahahaha so much to unpack there

My least favorite part was, predictably, the saccharine speech about #freewill, complete with the goddamn table carvings. I will certainly cop to really enjoying the montage, tho (but can anyone explain to me why it was like, almost-but-not-quite in chronological order? ).

I’m probably going to have more to say about all of this. Please talk to me about this episode. I’ll forgive 15.18, and hell, I’ll proactively forgive 15.20. Together with 15.17, 15.19 paints a more pleasing, more damning, and more fruitful conclusion for SPN than I ever dreamed I’d get.

[plasticnightmaredoll]

So, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" -- or more accurately "Captain America and the Winter Soldier" -- has its season 1 finale, and...hmmm...there are a lot of things to take in, dissect.

While I did enjoy this series, I felt that "WandaVision" flowed much more smoothly, and while it also took some time to really "get going," the sheer amount of questions proposed in the beginning episodes made up for it. There was so much to keep coming back for. TFatWS seems too short and probably should have been 9 episodes. A lot was crammed in 6 episodes, and it went over with decent success. But I think it could have been much better.

WandaVision final grade: A

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier final grade: B

Now, it's time to get into the spoiler-filled part of the review, so if you haven't seen episode 6 of TFatWS, or have yet to see the whole series, I highly recommend you DON'T read any further.

Karli and the Flag Smashers

The acting was great all around, so no qualms there. However, I do feel like Karli's character was too bland. I mean, I understood her struggle and could sympathize with her to some degree, but I thought she wasn't a compelling antagonist like Agatha Harkness from "WandaVision" or John Walker.

Sam's speech to politicians (and people in general) may seem kind of "woke," and perhaps it is. However, he made valid points. The Flag Smashers weren't evil. Their actions were "evil" but their intentions were good. They wanted a "world without borders," to unite all people. Labels can be dangerous, they can identify people as something they're not. People in power often forget there are those without power who are struggling and trying to survive.

It may seem like a plot hole or something similar that Karli didn't tell Sam who Sharon really was. I think it made sense, though, because who would believe it? Sharon could easily have found a way to prove her innocence.

Of course, Zemo still got to kill off some of the Flag Smashers. It isn't too surprising when you think about it. He is just too damn clever (and too damn rich).

John Walker/U.S. Agent

Speaking of John Walker, I was...surprised to see him stop being an ass and choose to save people instead of just smashing his shield into terrorist faces. I kind of wanted more build-up to this "redemption," so to speak. He was such a complex antagonist, I was hoping to see more of his dark side.

Maybe we don't have to worry, though, because John is now U.S. Agent, and he is working for/with Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine aka Madame Hydra (mostly like he has no idea who she truly is). I think he still has this delusion that he is the real Captain America or perhaps superior to Captain America.

Sam Wilson/Flacon/Captain America

Sam's Captain America suit looks incredible. It's still red, white and blue but a much different design. Including the wings brings forth an American eagle kind of aesthetic.

Sam demonstrated (per usual) why he is better suited (lol) as Captain America because he thinks before he acts. He's not out to kill, but he's out to protect and help people. He tries to de-escalate the situation with Karli despite her trying to fight him. He also makes sure to tell people not to see the Flag Smashers as simply terrorists. John Walker isn't this level-headed, which is why he failed as Captain America.

"A little birdie told me you know how to fly a helicopter." 🤭

It was lovely to see Isaiah Bradley get a tribute to him in a museum for all to see, so he wouldn't be left unremembered for all he did.

Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier

The moment we have been waiting for finally came: Bucky confessed to Nakajima what happened to his son. It had to be one of the most difficult things he's ever done, but it was the right decision in the end. Providing closure isn't always easy, but it's necessary. It let Nakajima finally know what happened to his son, something that plagued him daily. It also lets Bucky get some more weight off his shoulders by revealing the truth.

Sharon Carter

Sharon Carter, oh boy. Now, some say it could be inconsistent that she is the Power Broker when it was a man in the Marvel movies. I think if you look at it in different ways, it can make sense. For one, maybe the previous Power Broker is dead? Perhaps it is secretly more than one person? Maybe the man is a front and it's the woman who is in charge (a la "Tenet")? Perhaps the Power Broker recruited Sharon? Since there isn't a clear answer given, you can come up with various valid possibilities.

It does make me wonder how long Sharon has been working for the other side. It could have been during her exile that she decided to take some action? It will be interesting to see what happens with her character moving forward. I can't picture her just fading into the background since she's going to be in a position to play a crucial role in helping her group.

A lot of good stuff happened in this finale, but I feel like things were a bit rushed. The story didn't get interesting until episode 4, which left only 2 episodes to dive deeper. That's not a lot of time, especially with all the characters and subplots running around.

But I do hope we get a second season. I'd like to see more of Sam and Bucky's adventures, and hopefully see Bucky actually happy for once.

[bbwoulfc]

ML NY Special Review

Finally finished my review on the ML NY Special and it’s going to be a long review, I won’t lie.  I will be breaking this down in two sections.  First section will be focused through the perspective as a professional (animation industry) and the second section through the perspective as a viewer and ML fan.

I won’t deny, I will be criticizing a few things and really give large opinionated thoughts; I’m sure it will piss people off, but I’m gonna be honest and I don’t give a damn.  I’ve been here since the beginning and I’m gonna go all out.  It wouldn’t be the first time I pissed people off.

Again, keep in mind these are my views/opinions as a professional and as a viewer/fan.  If you can’t handle some of the strong opinions that will come from this review, then keep moving on.  Don’t waste your time if you can’t handle certain characters or subjects being discussed in a different light.

If you wish to continue, then click the “keep reading” option.

As an animator, this is one of my favorite things to do with animated shows or movies.  I absolutely love breaking things down and giving opinions on the whys, whats, and hows.  Never do I aim to prove my opinions right.  My goal is to simply make you think and consider.  And if you don’t agree then that’s completely fine.  That’s how it works.

Now, the NY Special has definitely exceeded the quality than what I expected.  I absolutely love SAMG as a company.  I think this is by far one of the best that SAMG has produced for Miraculous as a whole.  Even better than the origin episodes. The lighting is probably the best I’ve seen in a 3D animated tv series, by far. It was stunning and gorgeous and worked well with the given mood that was set throughout the hour of the special.  I would say there are two scenes in particular that I felt were the best lit scenes. 

The first scene is definitely near the beginning when the class landed in NY and where traveling in the bus.  They stopped either at the hotel or museum and the shot was the buses in front of the large building where you have the other city buildings around it.  That shot was gorgeous; the orange hues falling on top of the buildings and gaining that purple and blue shadows was great.  It’s honestly one of my favorite complementary color schemes to use when lighting most scenes in animation.  It helps achieve a nice balance when setting mood but also to get a nice glance at the shapes of the models in the scene.  Perfection.

As for the second scene, I would have to say it was the moment Adrien left and Marinette was biking to chase after him and she fell.  That moment the scene focused on Marinette on the ground and in the rain spoke many volumes.  The color tone of the scene was perfect and captured the common traits used in many shows and films to further drive the sense of sadness and overall emotional effect; using the traditional trait of rain made the scene work and stand out during the struggles that Marinette was dealing with. 

The rain in general was outstanding on it’s own.  Liquids in animation are tough, not an easy thing to do. The way the rain was animated was probably the best rain I’ve seen in most 3D animated tv series.  I will even say it beats the rain from the origin episodes which is amazing because it shows the growth alone that SAMG has come from since the first season of the series.  

They create stunning quality work and by far are the best of the best from all the companies that ZAG uses or had used for the show.  I won’t lie, I still can’t fathom how Jeremy/ZAG could let such a company go but Jeremy isn’t the greatest with the money, so it’s not a shocker.  It definitely shows that man doesn’t know how to properly run a company and treat a show.  I honestly blame him for pretty much the entire outcome of the series and that’s my god honest opinionated truth as a professional. 

The pacing of the special I felt was good, though I do think it would have been nice to have had an extra 30 minutes to help flow areas a bit better or more, but I can understand the time constraints, especially after hearing about how Thomas stated that the special was going to be two hours originally. And I will be honest, I wouldn’t have minded that.  I think it would have been fantastic to have had a longer span episode special, but I understand a lot of the struggles that no doubt the team had endured.

Overall, some issues, but 10 out of 10 on animation and quality output.

Now the second section; viewing through the eyes as a viewer and fan.

As a fan of ML, I will not beat around the bush, I truly believe this special was disappointing plot wise.  And I don’t blame Thomas and his team for the issue.  As stated previously, my anger and frustration is more on Jeremy/ZAG for everything that has come from ML as a show and especially the result of the NY special.

My biggest issue with the special was the focal point: Adrinette.

How many damn times must I hear, “they’re meant for each other” or “aren’t they perfect together” and so forth.  I get it. You can adore Adrientte but I don’t need it shoved down my throat every five minutes.  I don’t give an ounce of care that Adrien and Marinette are endgame and that they’re “soulmates”.  The romance between those two means absolutely nothing to me.  It was cute and fun in the beginning when the series first started, but I’m tired of it.  I don’t care about the love square.  I don’t care about the “soulmate” trope when in reality anyone can be someone’s soulmate with the right care.  That was no doubt the biggest issue for me in the entire special.  

In my opinion, it would have been perfect if it wasn’t Adrinette centric.  This was the best moment to show Marinette is improving herself but it had to become fan service because god forbid it felt like they needed to please the Adrinette shippers that their ship is still valid. If we’re judging this based off the season 3 finale, I won’t lie, this special fit better as a season 2 finale or mid season 3 than the end of season 3.

I’m seriously more disappointed that the special wasn’t more on Marinette and herself as a character.  They were in New York, another strong hub for fashion.  This was a perfect opportunity to explore more of her interests as a fashion designer and maybe meeting some new people.  Who knows, maybe even Jagged Stone as an international rock star. But overall it was a lost opportunity to expand more on her for the sake of shipping.  

I think it would have also been cool to see her and Chat Noir maybe learn some methods/training from the US heroes and get a glimpse into a world of heroism that is different in cultures and circumstances.  Which honestly made sense to me how US heroes didn’t care about identity because Ladybug and Chat Noir have magical based items that are no doubt more powerful and outside sources that I’m sure would be willing to destroy to obtain it.

Another problem I had was how I felt we were robbed without having Kagami and Luka go to New York. Or if anything, more with Luka than Kagami. I love Kagami with all my being, but I doubt her mother would let her go to New York.  But imagine Luka being there. We could have had a flipping jam session between Luka and Jess.  I felt we were cheated, it would have been amazing to see two incredible guitarists jam it out and two people who have a passion for music find a friend in each other. I would have given anything to have had that moment.

Though in general I would have enjoyed anything else if it just wasn’t Adrinette centric.  I’m positive everyone in the fandom is on the same page that they’re “soulmates” but there’s more that can be done than a damn ship that has followers that attack and annoy anyone who doesn’t ship them.  Because, god forbid, Adrien and Marinette apparently aren’t allowed to be happy with others. I swear, half the fandom (hardcore adrinette shippers) treat Adrien more as an object than the ML characters themselves. 

Nothing against the ship, but it’s just not for me and that’s okay.  I simply can’t relate to Adrien as a romantic choice of a character.  When Luka came into existence, I was in awe. I found a character I could relate too because I was as close to similarity than any other character in a show before.  And that’s something I’ve noticed with this fandom, hating characters because to them they’re nothing but boring.  

Fans need to understand that one will not understand everything in a show, especially characters.  Just because you hate a character and find them boring doesn’t mean they’re terribly written.  You as a viewer simply can’t relate to them and that’s completely fine.  There will always be some who can relate and understand while others don’t, but that shouldn’t be a reason to argue against people who love a certain character.

And I’m being serious, I enjoyed the 30 seconds of Kagami and Luka with their love interests more than the hour of Adrinette.  It’s just overall sad.  There is so much potential that could have been the special focus wise but felt it was there to show why Adrinette is “superior” when it’s really not.  They’re only one of many ships that are equally good.  It comes down to how it’s portrayed and done.

However, since I know we’re stuck with Adrinette no matter what, I’m going to end this review with this as a food for thought but again, this is a simple opinion.

There was one thing that stood out and caught myself and some of my friends in a ML server attention.  In the NY special there were strong moments that revolved around bikes.  So, out of curiosity, I searched for symbolism meanings about bikes during the server’s conversation and it might hint to what might happen or what might come in the future of the show.   

The bike symbolizes the moving circle of life. 

Seeing a bicycle is a hint that you will reach somewhere. This could either be your motivation or your future plan. Cycling refers to the different moods that a person feels. Bicycles are also related to the ups and downs of life. For instance, riding a bicycle gives you both smooth edges and rough pebbles on your journey. The smooth edges are related to the happy times of your life and the rough pebbles denote the challenges of life. 

So, if we want to use this to break down ML, this in a way, represents Lukanette and Adrinette.  Luka are the smooth edges in Marinette’s journey.  He’s the one that calms her, helps her think things through, focuses on what Marinette wants to do rather tell her what she should do.  Never once does he tell her to do this or do that, but simply asks her what it is she wants. Luka, is pretty much her guide. The happy times as Marinette where she appears happiest without the burdens and overwhelming stress of her other life.  Whereas Adrien is the rough pebbles in her journey, the challenges to properly talk with the one she views as a love interest or simply to build that perfect friendship/relationship.  Yes, they’re friends, but they’re not as strong as friends like Marinette and Alya or Adrien and Nino. Adrien is a challenge in her life and always will be until she learns to let go and mature.   

The other moment that stood out with the bike was the moment Marinette was pressured to chase after Adrien to get him to stay.  She chases after him on a bike but falls off in the end. 

Falling off the Bicycle: This indicates that you are losing your self-confidence. 

Spend time with your loved ones and take suggestions from the experienced people. Join a course on building your personality and motivation. Do things that interest you the most and this will surely help to bring back your confidence level. This indicates a frenzied lifestyle and the need to slow down. 

This here makes me believe that Luka is the “experienced people” in Marinette’s life.  Other than Kagami, Luka is the only mature one in Marinette’s life in her friend group.  He’s one of the biggest motivators in Marinette’s life as of recent.  Putting her interests at heart that have helped her build her confidence.  We know Marinette has a frenzied lifestyle with everything that she has on her shoulders as well as her passions.  And Luka is one of the very few, if not, only one in her friend group that can calm Marinette and help her slow down and simply relax.

I know Adrinette is endgame, but I won’t deny when I say if there was anything that ML could do, is that they make Adrigami and Lukanette endgame.  So many shows always pair the two main characters, always.  If there is any message that I would have loved to see come from a show like ML, it would simply be “Your first love/crush will not always be the one and that’s okay. That your first crush/love could be the greatest friendship you ever have. And the second chances in your life are just as valuable as the first and may be even better for you.”  

Fans might hate Kagami and Luka, but as far as I’m concerned from everything I’ve watched since the beginning, the only reason you’re getting your Adrinette in the end is all because of Luka.  If it weren’t for him majority of the time, y’all wouldn’t have half of your love square moments.  So, Luka is the true MVP in my book.  Because unlike many of the others, he doesn’t put pressure on Marinette and that’s what Marinette doesn’t need right now, more pressure.  

Adrien and Marinette might be endgame, but those two need people outside of their classmates because everyone is too tunnel vision.  Luka and Kagami are the only ones that will help Adrien and Marinette mature, cause those two will not be able to do it themselves.  So, if you want your Adrinette, you’re gonna have to suffer through Lukanette and Adrigami.

[cafedanslanuit]

RFA with a MC that has dyslexia

This is the last request I had saved! It’s by @gompereatsall​, who sent me this:

The other is where MC has dyslexia (and dropped out of high school, so she doesnt even have a high school education) and she struggles to keep it s secret from her S/O

I ended up having no ideas for Jaehee :( Since it was already long, she’s skipping this particular headcanon. I hope you liked it, sending hugs!

Yoosung

He was really, really excited when he learnt you were the same age as his. His excitement decreased a little when he realized you weren’t enrolled at SKY, though.

He asked for your major, but you decided to keep it a secret. Since he didn’t want to share his either, you joked you would tell him about yours when he told you about his.

It was all fun and games until he told you what his major was.

You tried to hide for months, even going to the extent to say you had online classes so that’s why you were almost always home.

Until that night came.

You had decided to spend the quarantine together and Yoosung was having trouble with the whole online classes idea. You had just woken up and were still half-asleep when he came to the bedroom to ask for your help, since his classes started in ten minutes and he couldn’t get the platform to work.

“MC, I really need your help, please, get up,” he asked, shaking your shoulder gently. You groaned and rubbed your eyes.

“Help you how?”

“I don’t know how to use this platform, and maybe it’s the one you’re using too. Please, they will count me as absent if I’m late!”

“Hmm, how would I know how that works?” you mumbled, turning around and trying to get to sleep again.

“Because you… take online classes,” Yoosung reasoned. He pouted, his eyes going around the bedroom. “Right? You told me all your classes were online”.

The realization you had just messed up made you sit up on the bed, startled.

Yoosung was looking at you confused and you realized there was no way to explain what you had just said. You just looked at him, feeling incredibly small in your pajamas, his confused expression hurting you. You bit your lip, and opened your mouth to talk, but Yoosung cut you off.

“Can we… talk about this later? I’ll call Seven for help”

You nodded as he shut the door behind him. You let yourself fall on the bed again. You knew how much he hated secrets and you couldn’t believe you had done well for so long before letting him find out like this.

A couple of hours later, you went to the kitchen and found him there, drinking a can of soda as he looked at his phone. You took a deep breath and asked him to sit down on the couch with you so you could explain.

Once you told him the real reason behind your lie, his anger seemed to go away for a bit. You explained you were so proud of him for going to school, and that you didn’t want to share your experience with the education system, since you felt it had failed you and your dyslexia diagnose. SKY was a tough uni to get into, and knowing he studied there, you didn’t want him to know you were actually stupid.

Yoosung immediately hugged you tightly against his chest.

“You’re not stupid! Never say that again,” he said, pressing a kiss on your forehead. “It’s not like only smart people get into good unis. The exam is design in a way only with good memory pass it, intelligence has nothing to do with it,” he assured you. “I’m not really smart either. But you’re definitely not stupid. You had something that got in the way of your learning! Your school should have helped instead of letting you drop out”.

The next days, Yoosung took his time in getting educated about everything and anything that had to do with your diagnose. He found out all the ways he could help and tried his best to make your life a little bit easier. He always asked you what else did you need and what else he could do to fill that need.

And, honestly? That level of love and support was everything you needed

Zen

You were watching a series with him after a long day of work. The protagonist and their love interest went to a classic American prom and had the mandatory slow dance scene.

“I guess having something like prom would have been fun. The guys at my school went on a trip” Zen commented. You stayed in silence for a moment, not knowing what to say next. You just hummed and nodded, your eyes fixed on the screen. The episode ended and as the credits rolled, he turned to you again. “How was your prom? Who did you go with?” he asked with a teasing smile.

“Oh-- it was nice,” you answered. “Hey, I’m making some coffee for myself, you want anything?” you offered, getting up from the couch and heading to the kitchen.

“Hey! Why don’t you wanna tell me who did you go with?”

“It’s not important!”

“Oh, that means you did go with someone!” Zen reasoned, following you. “Babe, it’s okay, it’s not like you are still dating or seeing that guy anymore,” he said, his expression falling shortly after. “You’re not, right?”

“Of course not!” you huffed.

“Right, sorry, my mind went somewhere really dangerous,” Zen apologized. “So, why won’t you tell me about your prom? C’mon, I wanna know”

You sighed and turned around, finally facing him.

“I didn’t have one,” you muttered. “I didn’t finish high school”

Zen furrowed his eyebrows. “Oh,” he said. “Why… why didn’t you tell me? You know I also dropped out.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t do it for… you know, your reasons. You had to make a choice to further your career and you were also going through issues. I was just stupid”

“You’re not stupid, what are you talking about?”

“I… I had a lot of trouble at school. I have dyslexia and it made school so damn difficult, I was about to fail the year so I… dropped out. My drawings were somewhat good so I became a freelancer but yeah, my stupid brain didn’t let me have a prom”

“Okay, you have to stop calling yourself stupid. You’re an amazing artist! C’mon, don’t be so hard on yourself,” he asked, pulling you to his chest and hugging you.

Two weeks after your conversation, you got home after delivering a project and found Zen’s apartment filled with balloons, a small disco ball on a table, soft music playing one of your favourite songs.

Zen came out of the window wearing a light blue shirt and black pants, a slightly loose tie around his neck. You smiled when you saw him and left your purse near the door. As soon as you were in reaching distance, he twirled you around and then set his hand on the small of you back, his other hand taking yours. He started slow-dancing with you, his soft eyes fixed on you.

“Where did all this come from?” you asked with a grin, swaying your body to the music.

“I guess this way we both get to have a prom dance like the ones we see on TV,” he shrugged. “I even prepared punch, it’s in the kitchen.”

“Is it spiked?”

“You know me too well, babe,” he laughed, pressing a kiss on your forehead.

Jumin

Jumin had noticed you didn’t tell him stories about your school. He would tell you all about his time with V, but you never shared stories of your own. He didn’t mind it at first but was curious.

For a moment, he thought you might feel uncomfortable since he went to a fancy private school and you didn’t, but when time passed and you easily accommodated to his lifestyle he realized that wasn’t the case.

Jumin is a very observant man, so he also noticed how you had trouble reading. He had never mentioned it, figuring you hadn’t put on your contacts lenses.

That night when he left work and came to you, something couldn’t leave his mind. And of course, you noticed the tiny tell-tales he wasn’t as relaxed as he usually was when you two were together. You both were sitting on the sofa in silence when you couldn’t hold it any longer.

“What’s going on, love?”

“You know I hate bringing up work when we’re together, but…” Jumin sighed. “Assistant Kang wrote the speech I’m supposed to give at the gala I told you about and I just can’t see why I don’t really like it. I can’t even tell her to do it again because I don’t know why is it about it that I dislike,” he paused and took out a piece of paper from his briefcase. “Would you take a look at it? Maybe you can help me pin what’s wrong about it”.

You nodded and took the piece of paper from Jumin’s hands. He watched you as you scrunched your eyebrows, but kept your eyes focused on the paper.

“Do you need me to hand you your contacts?” he offered.

“I have them on,” you muttered, trying to concentrate.

“Maybe those aren’t working for you anymore? I could have the best optician see you tomorrow morning”

“No, I just-- I have-- Give me a minute to try and read this,” you tried to explain. Jumin looked at you confused. “I have dyslexia, so I have a little trouble reading long texts. But give me more time and I can finish this”

“I didn’t know,” Jumin said. He stayed in silence for a moment. “Did that make school difficult?”

He noticed the way your hands tensed. “I… I didn’t finish high school. Couldn’t keep up”.

And that was the moment everything clicked for Jumin.

He gave you the time you needed to finish reading and then listened to your comments about it. Knowing it was a delicate subject, he didn’t make further comment on it, but rather tried to be more affectionate than ever that night.

In the following days, he asked you if you wanted to get your high school diploma. He offered the help of a therapist that could help you and a tutor if you needed one. If you didn’t want to get a diploma, he still offered the help, as he knew it could still be beneficial for you.

He would ask a lot of questions about it on how he could make life easier for you. Do you prefer audio messages rather than texts? Because he would ask Saeyoung to change the RFA chat if needed.

He just wanted to know he would try and give you anything that could make you feel as happy as he was with you.

Saeyoung

Working this under the theory that Saeyoung has ADHD.

Neurodivergent team!

SILENCE, NEUROTYPICAL is your favourite catchphrase tbh

You try to help each other as much as you can! You do your best to help with his cluttering and remind him when he should get some rest. You also played a big part in changing his eating habits.

He also makes sure to add a feature for voice messages. Jaehee hates it because she is always working or listening to Zen’s recordings and it’s not practical. But Saeyoung uses it all the time and has upped his prank game sending the most annoying audios to everyone. But you know the only reason why he added it was to make your life a little bit easier.

He offers to pay for a therapist if you want to exercise your reading skills.

One late night, as you both had just finished watching a movie and were cuddling on the couch, you confessed you hadn’t been able to finish high school due to the dyslexia. You told him you hadn’t told him before because you were ashamed of it, and would appreciate if he didn’t tell anyone either. You didn’t want them to know you didn’t have a diploma.

“You know I can hack your school system and get you a diploma, right?” he asked. You chuckled and shook your head.

“Thank you, baby. There’s not need, though”

“If you want to try again, it’s okay,” he said, kissing your cheek. “And if you don’t, that’s okay too. Just whatever you decided to do with it… remember you won’t have to do it alone this time”.

[cometcrystal]

scooby doo where are you + the 1960′s pop culture landscape

found an incredibly interesting article by vaka rangi titled “Sensor Scan Bonus: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” examining how SDWAY has connections to 60′s youth culture and how it was actually brilliantly revolutionary for its time! 

the link to the full article is in the replies, because tumblr’s hiding posts in tags that have links, but here’s my favorite excerpts -

“If we look at Shaggy in the earliest episodes of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! we might be surprised to find that his defining character trait is not, as we perhaps might expect, cowardice, but rather a world-weary and tired cynicism and a dry, jaded sense of humour. In fact, he's often the one who is tasked, to his exasperation, with coaxing the nerve-wracked Scooby into action... the Beats were arguably the oldest of the youth movements that came to define the 1960s counterculture landscape, and much of their guiding ethos is reflected in the way Shaggy behaves: “Beat” is literally a reference to a feeling of being “beaten down” by society.”

-

“[Velma’s] looks, unorthodox for a woman on US television, paired with her unabashed nerdiness and cool competence has rightly made her a hero for generations of feminists and other academics, and that alone makes her an iconic character.”

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“Daphne is not prissy heiress who can afford to live in luxury because of her amazingly wealthy family. She's a working class dandy performance artist. If you need further evidence, consider the fact her signature colour is purple: Traditionally, purple was seen as an exclusive symbol of the aristocracy because it's an extremely rare colour in nature and the dye could only be derived by harvesting thousands upon thousands of mollusks whose shells contained the necessary pigment. That changed in the Victorian age with the advent of artificial dyes which made purple a colour available to everybody. So, by wearing purple, Daphne is using her wardrobe to make a public statement about how she reappropriates symbols and tools of the ruling class for her own radical purposes and as a symbol of herself and her personal ideals, which is pure Mod.”

“But this also means Daphne is the character most hurt by the transition from Mysteries Five to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!: As the Mod, she is very clearly meant to have some kind of relationship with Shaggy, the Beat, because her subculture is an evolution of his. She's the more hopeful, optimistic yin to his cynical and jaded yang.”

-

“This may very well be the underlying point of Fred though, that he plays the role of leader even when it's not required. After all, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! absolutely needed to not arouse the ire of the media watchdogs again, so what better way to do that than have a token character designed to look as white bread as they come to contrast with the manic antics of our loveable clown troupe leads? Looking more carefully however, and it could be assured media watchdogs absolutely would not, it becomes clear Fred's leadership is redundant, but he doesn't really care because he's only playing the role halfheartedly. After all, he's hanging around with three overt symbols of 1960s subculture, so he must not mind them all that much. What Fred does then is, through his superficial displays of blandness, textually and metatextually allow his friends to be as wild, crazy and countercultural as they can get.”

-

“The gang are the only proactive characters in the entire show. Authority figures are not to be trusted because they're either evil and corrupt or weak and apathetic. The whole point of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! then, is that the world is full of manipulative, unscrupulous people who will callously play on people's fears to increase their lot in life at the expense of everyone else's. The only way to live justly and freely in it is to jump in with the spirit of the youth, live our life according to our terms damn what anyone else thinks of us, and expose the wrongdoers for what they are. Perhaps most importantly, we have to take up arms ourselves, because no-one will do it for us.”

-

“In postulating a dream-world alternate reality where the 1960s never needed to end, what Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! is saying is that Daphne's starry-eyed Mod utopianism has won the culture war. Our groovy heroes always triumph; the forces of hegemony, bullying and calculating dehumanization always fail. Of course it's a crook in disguise all the time: After all, there will always be someone cleverly hidden just out of plain sight who will use power, fear and intimidation to harm others, and that person will always be stopped by the young and young-at-heart rising up to point out the injustice of it all. Daphne and her friends don't have to be made to change by a shifting cultural zeitgeist: Rather, the world changes around them, the only strong and reliable things within it.”