#its weird making our characters dislike each other

[mothofstars]

Epic: The Musical - Tier list to appease my autism

Epic is quite possibly my favourite musical of all time, and after the release of the Wisdom Saga, I really wanted to rank the songs and put my thoughts about them somewhere.

And I'm not about to spend 5 hours on this and not post it anywhere, so please enjoy my ramblings! From least favourite to most favourite, here is my Epic tier list!

30. Full Speed Ahead - Troy Saga

It's worth pointing out, I don't dislike any of these songs. I like all of the songs, and think they are all important and serve the overall musical. But this, for me, is a bit more of an 'establishing' song. It serves as exposition to get us from one place to another, both literally for the crew, and musically as we move from the emotional song of Just a Man to the more fun Open Arms.

29. Storm - Ocean Saga

This is also a little bit more of an exposition song, but for me I think this mix is stronger, I love the call and response, and for some reason still giggle when they all point towards the island in the sky!

28. Luck Runs Out - Ocean Saga

I like the way this shows the starts of the cracks forming between Ody and Eurylochus. Eurylochus, quite rightly, gets a little weirded out by the idea of climbing up to a floating island that has a potential god resting upon it. Ody on the other hand hasn't had the crap beaten out of him enough times yet, and still has the optimism that means he will do just that. You can hear a twinge of pain in Ody's voice as he realises that his second in command is starting to doubt his actions, all the while he is just doing his best to keep his crew together and alive.

27. Open Arms - Troy Saga

This song is great - What is there to say about this sweet boy that hasn't already been said? We all know and love him, and this song shows off that sweetness and love for life so well. However, this song is so much better when used in other songs to absolutely shatter your heart into a million tiny pieces as we all grieve our happy friend. This song is still strong, but I think its overall impact comes more from its use in other songs, rather than the original!

26. Polyphemus - Cyclops Saga

The brutality of this introduction to this saga is terrifying. I still get chills during the cyclops saga, and the turn at the end of the song is so well done. Each verse seems to add another layer of tension, and we feel like we are sneaking closer and closer to a conclusion that favours the crew, and then, we get stomped.

25. The Horse and the Infant - Troy Saga

This is one of the best openings to a musical - we know the main characters, we know what they want, and we know exactly where they all stand. This is achieved without too much wordy-ness and exposition, and just serves as a great and powerful introduction. Also, love how Ody is immediately humbled by being presented with a challenge he already struggles with, bringing him closer to the listener. I've been told by a few that if you have the prior context of the books that came before the Odyssy that the names being read out at the start is like a nice little round of references to previous stories - it's a shame this doesn't hit for me yet, as I am still learning quite a bit of the context surrounding this musical. For me, as well, there is just so much going on in this song, that my head spins a little lol.

24. Survive - Cyclops Saga

Very similarly to the Troy saga, the second song of the cyclops saga once again seems to have the aim of humbling Ody and making him closer to us, your average mortal, than a god. You can feel the genuine pain and fear in his voice as his friends fall, and the splashes and smashes of blood and club are poignant and painful to listen to. We get to see the tactician brain of his working to full speed, with a steady ticking in the background making it feel like Athena is right there with him, which is a lovely touch.

23. Remember Them - Cyclops Saga

Wow, this song is so strong and painful at the same time. The fade into the song, hearing Ody's mind snap straight into action and then him calling out to his friends with directions demonstrates his tactician brain and his ability to lead them really well, but also feels like he is also trying to guide the crew through the first big loss they will experience together. He steps right up, refocuses them, and gets shit done. Shame he didn't kill him, but this would be a very short story if he did!

22. Keep Your Friends Close - Ocean Saga

I am but a small, simple lesbian. The way Kira sings here just feels so nice and floaty, while also showing her more mischievous nature. The longing in Ody's voice as he sings for his family is so painful, and makes the next song hit so much harder. The promise of him being the same, knowing that not to be the case it heart-breaking. Also, give me more Winions. I need them as plushies please. Thank you.

21. Mutiny - Thunder Saga

The absolute gall of Eurylochus to be a massive fucking hypocrite and then pull out the line of "I'm starving my friend" with that much pain in his voice is breath-taking and incredible. He doesn't even feel like he really wants to betray Ody, but is just doing exactly what he thinks he needs to do to see another day. Little does he know. This song also suffers a little from the same problem I have with The Horse and The Infant - a lil too much going on

20. Ruthlessness - Ocean Saga

HELLO SIR! My goodness this mans vocals are so smooth but rough at the same time. The growl that he gives to his voice whilst still flowing the lyrics together so musically is just so impressive. And the background instrumentation imitating the crashing of waves against the ship is *chefs kiss*. And then..... ALL I GOTTA DO IS OPEN THIS BAG!!!!!! I think this song might rate higher for me if I didn't end it with the most tonal whiplash ever. It's hilarious, don't get me wrong. But my gods, does it pull me out of the song a little bit lol.

19. Different Beast - Thunder Saga

The way I jumped out of my seat when I first listened to this saga, admittedly at 6am, I think I could have punched a hole in the roof were I less vertically challenged. He means business, this song shows that, and gods is it good. The small plea for mercy from the sirens who feel like they already know the answer, and the ruthlessness of his response. Hey look, he is learning!...

18. Puppeteer - Circe Saga

A woman. What? She had me in just one song. I would thank her if she turned me into a pig. Her vocals are perfection, the chanting of her power, the way she can hypnotise a whole crew. I find it interesting too, how just the promise of a warm meal and a safe place, even if it might be a trick, is enough to pull the crew into her arms. They may be under her spell, but part of me thinks so may have chosen this if given the option.

17. Wouldn't You Like - Circe Saga

Look, all I'm saying is that it was very telling that the day after the Circe sage came out that my Spotify started filling up with TROY's music. He is amazing, plays the character in the best way I have seen bar none so far. And that fur coat and sunglasses?! What a look. Also its funny hearing a British phrase as a plant name.

16. The Underworld - Underworld Saga

Jorge please, my face is stained from tears shed in this song. Every single time I listen to this I shed at least 3 tears. It's like a subscription cost of pain in return for a song that is as moving as it is powerful and reflective. The call backs to the previous sings are haunting, no pun intended, and the choice to have his own mother play Ody's mother is genius, and I hate and love it. As someone who has lost a connection to their own mother, it always makes me tear up as he yearns to be with her again, and shows the regret in his voice that he never got to say goodbye.

15 and 14. Done For *and* There Are Other Ways - Circe Saga

I cannot separate these two songs in my mind. Not only do they flow from one to the other perfectly, but they just do such a good job of leading us from a battle of power to a battle of the mind, with the flowing, seductive vocals from Talya and the trance of the music behind it. Again, I would have absolutely stayed with her, I am weak. I like to think my wife would forgive me!

13. Little Wolf - Wisdom Saga

Little wolf is such a good song because, even without Athena, the vocals are just so damn crisp and punchy. When I saw that the animatic in the livestream showcase was a streetfighter style animation, it made perfect sense - the punch of the beat and the chanting of the team behind the enemy works so well. And then, my goddess arrives to swoop in and steal my heart. She has clearly grown in the last few sagas and years that have passed, and I think this introduction of her back into the musical does a great job doing that. She comes in, bestows wisdom, helps a kid kick some ass, and with it once again confirms my status as a lesbian.

12. Just a Man - Troy Saga

This. Is. Heart-breaking. I'm sure that many people have the same reaction to this, but as the beginning of Ody's journey, it just hits so hard. Him recalling his own young son, and then knowing how long they will be apart makes it even more impactful. The change of pacing from the lullaby of the first part, to the painful growl in his voice as his questions his actions and realises that he has done is just pain.

11. Monster - Underworld Saga

This was so hard to pick apart from I'm Just a Man. I love them both. The only reason this stands a little higher is the overall arc from the song that precedes this one into it is a little stronger, and I love the complete rage in his voice. He did all this, tried to do right by his crew and his wife, and is told by the man who he thinks will help him get home that "yeaaah nah you are absolutely fucked, have you seen yourself recently?!". Yeah, I would sing like this too. He can see where he went wrong, and this acts as a really nice turning point for him going forward. If he is going to be seen as a changed man, who's ruthless actions will hurt those him around him, he might as well go all in. he is the monster ra ra ra

10. Suffering - Thunder Saga

Jorge tucking his hair behind his ear. End of review. No but really, this is great. I know he did a TikTok on this, but the way the lyrics flow into each other to create this hypnotising melody is just breath-taking, and I will never forget the moment of 'wait hold up what is happening' the first time I listened to this song. First I thought that this was dream Penelope, back from her saga with the windy bag, and then was genuinely taken back by references to a daughter. oh no

9. Thunder Bringer - Thunder Saga

I get a bit annoyed, very stupidly, when I cannot sing along to a song I really like. It's one thing I love about listening to musicals, is learning the songs and then performing them to mu plushies in a vague attempt to satisfy the very anxious performer that lives inside me. Which means that a lot of my favourite songs are ones that fit within my vocal range, that i can sing along to. This one is so far outside of my vocal range, it might as well be on a whole other plane of existence. But my gods do I absolutely adore this song none the less. How can the asshole that is Zeus sound so fucking cool while being this much of a dick towards women while flipping off Ody in the background. This song is just an ego flex. Good job Luke Holt. Fuck Zeus.

8. My Goodbye - Cyclops Saga

I really like the way this song shows the 'youth', for want of a better word, of Athena and the impact on Ody's actions on her and its just so good. The vocals show so much of their pain and anger, and the mix is just perfect. The contrast is Ody screaming at her and then the genuine pain in her voice, the impact of her responsibility as a god is so good. No words can properly do this song justice. The best part is, neither of them are correct here. If they had just sat down and had a chat like grown ups they might have stayed alongside each other, but both think that their actions are the correct one, and i cannot entirely disagree with either response.

7. We'll Be Fine - Wisdom Saga

Kinda loving that most of the Athena songs are all sat together. It makes me so happy. The absolute sobbing that erupted from my eyes, nose and mouth during this song would have probably classed as a downpour. I love both of these characters so much, and Athena's vocals at the start are so heart-breaking and bittersweet, followed by the most heart-warming duet that has ever graced my ears. Also, the childlike joy and wonder behind the vocals from Telemachus are so beautiful and cute, and I would fight for him!!

6. Warrior of the Mind - Troy Saga

Ah, Athena, my beloved. I would perish for you in a heartbeat. I just love the heart that Teagan gives her through her performance - its so warm and playful in the introduction part, and they both almost feel like each others hype, its fantastic! It's also a great way to show off the influence that she has over Ody - she puts herself right in the centre, reminding him exactly why she respects him so much, while affirming her stance on his training.

5. Legendary - Wisdom Saga

Miguel's casting was one of the most perfect ones in this history of this musical. Not only because of his incredible vocals, but because they fit so perfectly with Jorge's. I can fully picture this kid and his dad together, their voices sound so much like each others, just like a younger version. This song is the perfect match of catchy and smooth, and it just soothes my brain perfectly. Special credit to the retort to Antinous about his mother. This is the perfect opening to one of the best sagas we have been gifted yet. Side note - I cannot wait to see Antinous get absolutely stomped into the ground (please gods tell me he does or I will never sleep at night) because my goodness, what a line delivery. I will throw this man. Protect Telemachus, throw Antinous off a roof like the baby, and someone get Argos a new toy.

4. God Games - Wisdom Saga

I'm not someone who listens to the demo's much (bar listening to Hermes laugh on repeat, and occasionally looking up lyrics). I like that they are out there, and my wife absolutely adores them, but I prefer to wait till the full release so I can listen to everything with a full cast and mix. Did that stop me from having over 20 videos of different people lip-syncing to the bits of Hera for this song, making me look like the thirstiest person in my area. No. I don't think that this song could be anywhere other than my top three. All the singers are incredible, all of the animatics are incredible (special shout out to Athena disco dancing into madness) and I wept like a baby when it was over.

3. No Longer You - Underworld Saga

This song is perfect. I have no notes. This is where my true top songs really begins. This song is so passionate while not straying into anger (outside of Jorge's owl impression that is), while at the same making the prophet sound entirely distant, almost uncaring. It's an added bonus that this song sits right near the bottom of my vocal range and so serves for great belting material when I need to let out feelings.

2. Scylla - Thunder Saga

This saga did an amazing job of making me absolutely loose my mind with every single one of its songs. Not all of them are what I would regard as my favourites, nor would I even say that this is necessarily my favourite saga (I think we can all guess which one is), but my gods can Scylla absolutely take my life. This song is perfect - The slow introduction into the absolutely mind bending vocals from KJ, with the growl of a monster and the voice of a monarch. Its incredible, and I will forever be trying to sing this just as half as well as they do.

1 . Love in Paradise - Wisdom Saga

I wish I could write all of the words that this song deserves, but I'm sobbing too much to focus, so you will have to deal with whatever I have that i can see behind this waterfall of tears. Athena travelling through the previous sagas and reliving all the pain that Ody went through sent me into a state to begin with. And then, Calypso arrives and reminds me how gay I am. I want to go to her island and give her hug. If it weren't for the animatic, and the little face that she makes when she finds out Ody is married, I wouldn't have stopped crying for a single second. Her intension aren't pure. She is desperate, she is alone, she is sad. She is very morally grey. All she wants is someone to soothe her, and in turn she tries to relieve his pain. It's important to note here that, outside of looking up her future songs, I have very little knowledge about Calypso. For me, based on the lyrics we have from "Not Sorry For Loving You", she seems to have been forced to remain on this island for hundreds of years with no contact. Is what she does to Ody horrible - yes. Do I think she wants to hurt him -no. And I also don't believe that she is trying to manipulate him to get off the ledge just so she can have her lover back - I read this as someone who is in love and trying their best to make them happy and keep them safe. Ody couldn't leave the island, and she couldn't let him be free, they have to ask Zeus for that. Not to get too deep, but her crying out to Ody makes me melt every time. The gut retching pain from Ody drying out for all those he has lost and who he thinks he will never see again is haunting. Give me a year and the ability to remove my fear of thousands of needle pokes, I will probably get the line "Life would be so much worse if you had died" nicely printed onto my body. This is the perfect song to top off all the other perfect songs here. I cannot express how much this song means to me.

Thank you, Jorge.

To give a summery, here are the Saga's ranked!

1 . Wisdom 2 . Underworld 3 . Thunder 4 . Circe 5 . Cyclops 6 . Troy 7 . Ocean

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Monday evening all :) Ewww an Ashley episode. Such a bummer after the last episode haha Not a ton of Chenford content but what we do get is good. There is a case involved but they're not in it enough to analyze anything. Oh also this ep is the intro of Chris so double eww. This episode is just one giant display of why Ashley and Chris aren't meant for either of them. But we knew that already didn't we? Let’s get started eh?

4x10 Heart Beat

Start our episode off with why Ashley isn’t right for Tim. Hit the ground running and the reasons are plentiful. First off Tim doesn’t even think to make Ashley anything. This is all for Kojo. Which I friggin love btw. The animal lover in me adores how spoiled Kojo is. Also imma need some more of this pup in S6. You hear me writers? I need this dog back. Ashley says she’s not a breakfast person but still the least romantic morning ever. They are very early in their dating period and its pretty tame. The way he moves around her. No intimacy at all. Avoiding her as he makes his way over to Kojo’s bowl.

Shows more affection towards his dog than her haha It’s the complete opposite of Tim and Lucy in 5x20. Where there is zero space, lots of touching, flirting and food to be had. Can't keep their hands off each other. The blahness that is Ashley is prominent in this opening scene. Also her judgy tone when she mentions that’s what he gets? If I was dating a man who took that good of care of his dog? I would be a goner. But this is Ashley so….

She is far too vapid for Tim. I looked up the definition of that word to reinforce my point. “Offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging.” If that isn’t the definition of their relationship and her as a character idk what is. Tim has found the very opposite from Lucy in Ashley. She is blah, doesn’t challenge him in any way and definitely doesn’t stimulate him whatsoever. All things he gets from Lucy. Interesting...Almost like he shouldn't be dating her....

She continues down her ‘Why she is wrong for Tim path' When she is afraid/doesn’t like Kojo. I already didn’t like her but this didn’t help her case. If I was dating someone and they didn’t like my dog?Goodbye sir. Twas fun while it lasted LOL Maybe it’s the protective dog person in me but I can not stand her first thought being ‘dangerous’ with Kojo. Just because he didn’t like her at first. Tim telling her he took him in cause Lucy couldn’t keep him.

He tries to help her adjust to him but she isn't about it. Just wants to leave. To me if my dog doesn’t like you that is far more telling than anything else IMO. Dogs have a good sense of people so this would’ve been telling to me as a dog owner. Ashley was already on my 'I don’t like you list.' But the not liking Kojo part plummets her to the very bottom…Also watching Tim with Kojo is ovary explosion for me. Way he pets him and loves on him. My heart. That's his kid.

We join our couple in their shop. Lucy asks how it’s going with Ashley? Tim says good but there was some weirdness this morning. Tim mentions he thinks she doesn’t like Kojo. Lucy’s reaction cracks me up. She could not be more telling when she says 'So you broke up with her? Thats too bad….I liked her…’ 'Lying liar. You know she was hoping he did. We all want that.

The way he loves that dog it actually would make sense. To Lucy as well her not liking Kojo is another strike against her anyways. It’s a valid response to anyone who is a pet owner really. Unfortunately we are stuck with her for a long while. Bleh. My dislike for her is very strong. Because she is everything he doesn’t need or want.

Tim says since when? Knowing she has never liked her. That Lucy had been giving him crap cause she’s a lifeguard ha I mean I can't say I blame her. I would too. Her sarcasm continuing with her reply. Fairly certain none of us considered it a career until Ashley came into the picture. Tim defends the training she had to go through. That it was rigorous training at the fire academy. Trying to make her job sound more prestigious than it is in just the name alone. Lucy doesn’t press it further and says my bad with a smile even though I think she is still secretly judging her LOL

Lucy has such a dog-mom moment here. I love it so very much. As she states his full name above LOL I bet you she has supplied that boy with many chew toys he’s destroyed. Makes me happy to think of Lucy going over to Tim's just to deliver treats and toys for their shared fur-child. Seriously going to need some couple moments with him in S6. It's a crime we haven't gotten them yet.

Lucy's transparency continues when she tells Tim 'Clearly Ashley has to go.' If only it was that easy. Saying it’s a moot point if she doesn’t like Kojo. Now anyone can see she isn’t right for him. The person who knows him the best? Can see it from a mile away the multiple reasons Ashley isn’t right for Tim. So might as well cut this off right now in her opinion. The look they share haha Even when talking about his relationship they are flirty af. So married in their disposition with one another. I love it. Also he's not really disagreeing with her...

Lucy ends up getting a phone call and it’s Ashley… She is confused but intrigued by this phone call. Idk how the hell she got her number. LOL Now you know Lucy is in love with Tim when she gives such solid advice to Ashley. It’s the way she talks about Kojo being like Tim. Girl is so gone for him. Something she continually tries to suppress this entire season. Like she is warding it off really.

Ashley tells her she likes Tim but she’s scared of his dog. Asking why she gave him away? Asking if he was too aggressive? Ugh I hate her animal ignorance so much. Maybe it’s because been I've been in dog world for over a decade but I cannot stand her going right to ‘aggressive.’ Lucy defends her boy says 'No! Not at all. He just wasn’t meant for her living situation.'

Lucy asks if she doesn’t like dogs? Secretly hoping she says yes heh Ashley tells she had a bad experience once. Lucy empathizes and says she gets it. Goes on to say Kojo is the sweetest guy. It’s here we see her switch over to gushing about Tim. It’s the way she’s looking at Tim in Grey’s office that gets me. As she explains how Kojo is just like Tim. Careful Lucy your feelings are showing.

He’s big, gruff, and a whole lot of bark but underneath is a sweetheart. I mean Tim is for HER. Let’s get that clear first. Tim is only soft for Lucy. I adore her helping out in this situation though. She didn't have to but it's Lucy. If Ashley could see how she was looking at Tim. She might feel a little threatened. Not only that but her deep knowledge of Tim. Might catch on she’s just the littlest bit in love with him lol But then 4x12 happens later on so.... How she didn’t break up with Tim after that display idk. So maybe she wouldn’t put 2 and 2 together.

I'm giving her too much credit haha Lucy speaks from a place of love about him. She probably has no idea how she is coming off but it's so obvious. Clearly not talking about Kojo in that tone. She loves that good boy but loves his owner more. Lucy tells her to talk to Tim about it. Ashley replies no that she’s not going to make him pick between her or his dog. That there is a whole genre of country songs about that. Before Lucy can defend Tim more or why she should Ashley cuts the convo off and says good night. Awkward…

It’s then we meet friggin Chris Sanford. *glares* The epitome of meh. Earlier in the ep they arrested young boy dealing drugs. He is one of James’s newest mentees. Lucy being the empathetic soul she is cites him out on a lower charge. That way he gets a fighting chance with James to turn his life around. Just has to attend his court date and such. Very kind thing of her to do for this young man.

He comes in like a mega douche. Instant dislike for his character for how he comes at Lucy. Trying to shame her for citing him out like she did. Calling her naive and basically being an absolute asshat. Lucy CRUSHES him in her reply above. I dislike Chris so very much so this was glorious to watch. Tim Bradford doesn’t stand a chance most days against her. You think your puny ass with 4 months of experience had a chance of winning that argument? What a putz…

Lucy catches Tim in the parking garage before he leaves. Ah this glorious place where all our wonderful moments occur. Lucy tells him it was Ashley who called her earlier. Gotta love how open she is with Tim always. As usual Lucy is toeing the line of personal boundaries with him. Possibly overstepping by bringing this up. But that’s kind of their thing.

Also like to note how telling it is that Ashley felt more comfortable coming to Lucy and not her BF about this. That she didn’t think he would listen to her but Lucy would. Because well she did. Lucy does get the other side of the story with Kojo. That is not a dislike but bad experience on her end. Which to be fair is valid when you’ve had a bad experience with a dog. Now that being said I still dislike so very much.

What I’m trying to get at here is Lucy interpreted this as Tim not fulling listening to Ashley’s concern. It’s not surprising Tim gets a little hard headed about things. Especially things he loves. So he’s instantly defensive about said things. I’m the same way. Lucy knows this about him. Which is why they’re having this conversation. So she can bring his attention to it in way only she can. Because Tim actually listens to Lucy. This scene really is more about their bond than his issue with Ashley. How Lucy is the only one who can ever get through to Tim. Her super power really.

He doesn’t listen to anyone the way he listens to Lucy. Especially when she is doling out advice for him. This is a kindness she is doing for him. Letting him know one his GF called her and two the reason behind it. That she is scared and he needs to listen to her about it. Tim shrugs it off like it’s nothing. Which you can see Lucy is a little taken aback with. How instantly shut off he is to this conversation. But like i said earlier he is defensive about things he loves. He LOVES that dog.

This is their dance with advice he is defensive or dismissive at first. Then it sinks in and he truly listens to what she is telling him. She may not like Ashley. (None of us do..) But she would be remiss not to share her opinion on this with him. Tim instead of thanking her for the advice deflects. Because well Tim. Asking why she is so invested in his love life? Asking with a little smile some sass in that question of his. Also gauging what her reaction will be. He is truly curious.

It is interesting how his love life is the only one she intercedes in. Not Nolan or any of his. She didn’t with Jackson for either of his love interests. Just Tim. Because that shows the level of importance this man has gained in her life. Saw some parallels to this moment and 2x03. When she was trying to pair Tim up with Rachel. How Lucy once again is involved in his love life. It’s true that she just wants him to be happy.

Also Tim’s interest in why she is interested in his love life is far different than 2x03. He didn’t question it then. Just thought it was apart of their bet. In S4 he is a lot more aware. Like I said in the last review their bond and their awareness of each other is far stronger than it was in S2. He is so genuinely curious why she is so invested in it?

They’ve had a lot of intimate moments and work flirts since 4x01. Tim can feel the shift that has happened between them. So it makes him curious why she is helping him like she is? Lucy does some deflecting of her own for his question. Saying she doesn’t want to drive around on patrol while he is moping around about this girl. He is so offended by her saying this it's so funny. That if he likes this girl he should listen to her. It’s funny all the things she’s telling him to do with Ashley he naturally does with her. Funny old world lol

Tim’s reply back cracks me up. Saying when has he ever moped? That he doesn’t even know how to. Oh but you do my love. You perfect it in S5. While you pine for her while she is still with Chris the putz. But ok sure you don’t know how. His eye roll is so damn funny Eric always crushes it when he does this. Her little Mmhmm as she walks away smirking. Has this man wrapped around her finger. She drives him insane and Tim absolutely loves it.

Tim follows through on Lucy’s advice and listens to Ashley’s fears. Really Lucy extended this relationship when it was destined to fail. But she cares so much about Tim and his happiness she gave him solid advice. This bit made me chuckle. Saying Kojo needs to be bossed around a little to listen. heh. Just like daddy. There's a reason he only listen's to Lucy.

Kojo being just like Tim of course he needs a strong woman to boss him around to listen. I wouldn't call Ashley strong but she got the idea. I mean that scene in the parking garage kinda a parallel to this one in that regard. Doesn’t listen at first then eventually comes around when they're bossed around ha. Not a ton in this ep for them. Solid moments nonetheless. Sadly we are saddled with a Chris and Ashley for a little while. But we get tons of goodies between all that so it helps.

~~~

Side notes- non Chenford

I do love James and Wes starting up their bromance. They cute.

Thank you to all who continually support these reviews. Your likes, comments and reblogs make it all worth it. See you Wednesday with 4x11 :)

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

hi bestie saw ur post and im kinda curious about this since it's something not a lot of ppl are talking about next to ed's arc and izzy's death and all— what do you think about how they handled stede in the finale? I felt like a lot of the "incompetent wannabe pirate" jokes undermined his progress this season and also him deciding to stay at the inn with ed felt odd as he expressed he wanted to be a pirate and sail the sea. just wondering what other people think about that

[Oct 31, 2023]

Before we get into it, you are allowed to enjoy this show! My past (and next few) responses WILL be negative, but you aren't wrong for agreeing or disagreeing with most posts. Thanks to all the people who have already sent in messages! I can't wait to respond!!

I am an Izzy fan first and foremost, but how a show handles it's protagonist says a LOT about how it handles it' characters overall!

TLDR for this post: In any character-centric media, explore your characters as characters first. Develop your plot around them and their arcs. Don't treat an ensemble cast as faceless props for the story you're trying to tell. Stede's arc is weird because Stede is shoved in places where it feels like he doesn't fit anymore.

Creating a narrative focused on central character conflicts can work. This is how S1 was written. Stede and his actions directly lead to revealing truths of the world that push the plot forward. This worked because I'd argue the strongest part of OFMD overall is its characters. S2 misses out on this strongest aspect by only referencing its characters when it needs something from them.

S1 We went from Stede killing a guy-> The Act of Grace. S2 Stede tells a guy he shouldn't be an idiot and leave behind a calling card -> burning down the Republic of Pirates and killing Izzy. S2 doesn't feel as tied to Stede's arc of growing into a pirate. But Stede isn't the only person this has fucked over.

Each crew member has their role established from S1, we fans know how they work as a family. But in S2 most of the cast can be swapped out interchangeably unless its something that features this side character NICHE (Wee John in drag being good with fabrics, Roach being a cook).

Sadly, by focusing on the larger Zheng vs. Military arc, a story our characters BARELY caused, the audience misses out on potential character development. Instead of our characters facing the consequences of their actions, our favorite side characters are used as faceless narrative tools. This is largely why the crew was abandoned this season unless they had a romantic side plot. Seeing The Revenge sail off in episode 8, it feels like we barely care about them at all anymore.

As seen from @the-buttspie 's comment, even Stede's arc isn't left out of the firing range. His characterization in episode 8 is constantly thrown back and forth between 'Captain doing his best' and 'Village idiot' if the scene needs it.

Analyzing WHY I started to dislike Stede post episode 4 is FASCINATING, and I feel that digging all the way back to the beginning is a smart way to look at his character growth this season.

FRAMING: Stede's early story get's fucked over pacing-wise because his storyline happens side by side to that of Ed/Izzy.

Any dramatic moment is cut short to show just how much the other crew is NOT about to die. Every time I watch S2 with a new person, for episodes 1-3, they'll comment on how much they don't care about Stede's plot. Which is not a thing you'd want for your protagonist in a season of TV that's only 8 episodes long.

Stede goes through a really strong arc from S1 to the start of S2. For the first three episodes of S2, he puts the needs of his crew before the needs of himself. Literally making sure his crew is safe before going down to see Ed's corpse. I genuinely enjoyed how Stede stepped up for his family. How he doesn't blame the Revenge crew for killing Ed, realizing that yes. Ed is the love of his life and also a man who has seriously hurt so many people.

Eps 4-5: From that we see him trying to talk it through with Ed. While both of them aren't telling the whole truth, it's a good start! We're midway through the season, so we should expect things to get fleshed out more soon.

Until Stede decides 'I'm going to bring a man that tortured my family for 80+ days onboard less than 24 hours after my crew voted him off' Yes. Stede loves Ed to a stupid extent, but this starts the trend for Stede to be dangerously selfish this season using his power as captain to overwrite the want of his crew, a habit of his that partially gets Izzy killed.

I really enjoyed Stede in episode 5, and for me, this felt most like the Stede we recognize growing into a real Captain with hints of who he was. I think it says a lot that Stede still misses his layers and silks. That he craves the softness he used to have in the form of that cursed jacket. But as soon as Izzy is like 'you idiot, please listen to them, they will mutiny' Stede gives it up!!!! He's grown. He's listening to Izzy, he's talking with his crew! This episode did the one thing I wish the season did more of, show the reunited crew just living their lives.

This is where Stede stands out, it lets him be a bit more of a leader to the crew. Let him find his groove again. I loved it!!

Now: Killing Ned Low.

Stede choosing to kill Ned Low is the first time Stede killing someone counts. Yes, he burned down the ship French ship. But this is the first time the audience is supposed to care. I think this moment WAS in character and a really important moment for Stede. He chose this. This wasn't up to crew vote, Ned insulted Ed so fuck him, he deserves to die. Ned walks the plank, also referencing historical Bonnet's tendency to do the same thing.

This is where both Ed and Stede make an in-character mistake, having their first time after the rush of 'oh shit, I'm still alive, and I'm hurting and you're here too'. They don't regret their first time, clearly, they both enjoyed it, but both of them can't ignore what fueled it. Stede has had 3 episodes to re-establish himself with his crew, and now has very little time for the rest of the season with them to show off his growth. That's why, after the party, we don't feel like this show is showing off a family anymore. Even when reunited, they barely feel like a united front.

But from this point on, I personally feel that Stede should have toned down the humor a bit and act like he did in episode 3. Well, I'm getting a bit ahead of myself so-

Episode 7: Stede enjoys being popular, following in Ed's footsteps. He holds his ground against Ed, and overall this feels like a natural progression of his arc from episode 5. He knows what he wants in life and Ed not communicating is genuinely frustrating for him. Him being heartbroken and trying to fight Zheng like she's Izzy is one of the few callbacks I feel that works. As it compares a Stede who was supported by his crew, to this Stede who feels totally alone. I loved Stede this episode, only to be disappointed by-

Episode 8:

Where Ed is allowed to have his silly moments in private, I feel that Stede fluctuates between silly and serious WAY too much for us to take him seriously. Stede's response to Ed telling him he loved him being 'I know' also felt off to me.

"You're not a dick, life's a dick" This line is frustrating to me as it's Stede's response to Ed apologizing. Genuinely apologizing for his actions in the previous episode. This could have been a moment for us to feel like Stede and Ed were a united front but Stede's constant joking and not taking shit semi-seriously. Yes. He feels more comfortable around his family which is amazing.

But I can't help but point out how Stede chooses to go along with a plan the rest of the crew doesn't like. What NARRATIVE purpose was there for Stede trying to sell the captain? He has money, clearly. With the loot they still have, and a future alliance with Zheng.

Stede fucks up. His choice a plan that gets Izzy killed. The writers sacrificed Stede being a competent Captain who cares about his crew into what is described as a 'suicide mission' to push Izzy into his rushed death. A disservice to both characters.

ONTO:

Stede abandons piracy

I'm not shocked they did this, not after the other flubs of the episode, but I hate that it wasn't a conversation held between Ed and Stede.

They could cut the stupid joke about Ed being bad at fishing at the beginning and have these two idiots talking about their issues. Maybe establish that, yeah, piracy is a lot, and they deserve to settle down and get to know each other. Even if they return to the sea, this frames it as Ed finally finding peace and Stede getting pulled along, going against his character growth this season.

I'm surprised that they're setting this up now and not at the end of Season 3. Hell, I used to think S3 would be focused on Ed and Stede avoiding/faking their historical deaths. Given all the bullshit they'll have to clean up to wrap up all the loose ends established this season- S3 will be VERY Ed/Stede focused, I think the crew will still be inserted in without care or arc. Characters like Jim and Oluwande will be prioritized as they are in a relationship before our nonromantic characters like Wee John and Frenchie.

Stede and Ed's relationship, the driving force of the plot, still falls flat because after everything it still feels like puppy love. They've spent at most two months in person together, and two weeks in a serious relationship. I don't really feel convinced that they actually love each other. Ed still doesn't know that Stede was kidnapped at the end of S1, or why he struggles to talk about his feelings. Ed still hasn't talked about why he feels he needs to leave piracy, or his issues feeling like he doesn't belong anywhere in life. Their habit of running away the MOMENT things get hard just makes me not care about them.

I blame the size of the Izzy fandom on the fact that if you don't buy into the leads, there's almost nothing left here to sink your teeth into. The moment the show seems like they'll talk about it they hard pivot.

I hope S3ep1 happens after a LONG time jump. I want these fuckers to be snippy like two people snowed into a cabin for months. Sick of each other and bitching back and forth like no tomorrow. S3 is about genuinely breaking down their walls. Until then, I'll stick with Izzy, the Canyon, and his depressing version of this reality.

[georgiacooked]

I’ve loved your Dracula Daily drawings!

If you could cast any actor (living or dead) in your ideal version of Dracula, who would you choose for each role?

Someone asked the Question. SOMEONE ASKED THE QUESTION.

-DEEP BREATH-

(Below cut for VOLUME)

This is assuming a purely filmed adaptation, because let's be clear: the Re:Dracula squad have it down, and I would replace none of them.

DRACULA:

Don't fix what ain't broken. You can't go wrong with Christopher Lee as Dracula. But for this adaptation we're going with LOTR-era Christopher Lee. for the age and facial hair.

(Shout out also to an older Christopher Plummer. )

JONATHAN HARKER:

He's not the right age for book Johnny, but Dracula 2020's John Heffernan as Jonathan Harker is my Jonathan. I don't think it's any secret I have a soft spot for him, despite the shambles.

(Tbh he'd also make a great Van Helsing, based off of Abraham's description in the book)

MINA HARKER:

Lashana Lynch. Capable of both badassery and sweetness itself? Hell yes.

LUCY WESTERNRA:

I'm seeing Poldark-Era Eleanor Tomlinson as the closest to the Lucy I tried to design in my DD sketches.

(Also shout out to the Lucy @fiotrethewey and I saw the other day in Bram Stoker's Van Helsing. Weird Movie, great Lucy.

Charlie Bond. 10/10. Loved her.)

JACK SEWARD:

Biggest casting slip-up goes to 2020 Dracula for getting Sacha Dhawan and NOT HAVING HIM PLAY JACK SEWARD. LOOK at that man. Look at those SPECS.

(Special mention to a young Peter Cushing. Who would also crush it as our man Jack.)

ARTHUR HOLMWOOD:

Royce Pierreson. Without Question.

QUINCEY MORRIS:

Bram Stoker's Dracula did a 10/10 casting with Billy Campbell. Look at that tache'. Look at that hat. Yee Haw indeed.

Really, all the Coppola Suitors are excellent.

VAN HELSING:

The man, the myth, the legend. I may wildly dislike Bram Stoker's Dracula for its adaptational readings of the book, but damn if it didn't hit it with the character designs.

[dross-the-fish]

what do you think of the 1994 Frankenstein movie?

I'll be honest, I hate on that one more for its wasted potential than anything else. I feel like it tried to adapt the book but then it kept adding stupid shit and missing the mark.

Let's start with it's biggest crime. Kenneth Branagh, our director.

Oh Kenny Branagh my beloathed. We meet again. I've had it out for you ever since I had to stomach your ridiculous Shakespeare movies in high school drama class. I've watched as you brought your overwrought hammy sensibilities to Agatha Christie's Poirot and now here you are, injecting all of your overblown histrionics into Frankenstein.

I didn't think it was possible to be too dramatic for Frankenstein. But by god you've done it. There is so much scenery chewing, screeching, writhing and sweating in this that I actually started to feel fatigued and clocked out mentally about half way through the film.

Kenneth cast himself as the lead and I hate this version of Victor so much.

Wtf is this? Why does he have abs? Why is he in his mid 30's? Where is my sickly waif who gets feverish at the drop of a hat? Why have you done this?

Also I know they're canonically engaged but I really dislike for Victor and Elizabeth to be horny for each other especially in this movie because they keep bringing up their relationship as siblings and it's just eugh, please don't talk about her like that and then remind us that she's your sister you fucking weirdo. Their relationship in the book comes off as super uncomfortable to me and I swear Victor is way more into Robert and Henry than he is Elizabeth. Naturally this movie decided it should have next to no homoeroticism.

"How do brothers and sisters say good bye?" - start aggressively making out. No I'm not joking this movie goes out of its way to remind you that they are siblings.

.... And then it goes there with it.

Victor actually proposes to her and then asks her to come to Ingolstadt with him or offers to stay in Geneva with her and it's at that point where I'm like: did you read this book? Victor dodged their semi-arranged engagement like the woman had cooties and didn't write to her for two years because he's an obsessive, neurotic wreck.

Oh yeah and Henry Clerval is in it.

Oh were you hoping for more of him? That's a shame because so was I.

I've mentioned that this movie is over dramatic. But that really can't be understated. It's like a mac truck crashing through an English garden. No subtlety at all. If a character has to feel something they're usually screaming at the top of their lungs. Victor screaming at the creature to live, the creature literally ripping Elizabeth's still beating heart from her chest and showing it to Victor. They decided the bride should be Elizabeth and that there should be weird tension between her and the creature. Then after she's brought back to life she sets herself on fire and starts running down the halls of the manor.

I should probably have found that more tragic than I did but I just found the whole thing silly.

Justine's death in particular should have been more heavy and somber. She gets dragged off by a mob and hung. The scene is violent and cruel but it lacks the tragedy of the book. We have none of Justine quietly giving up and Elizabeth vehemently refusing to believe she's guilty. It's one of the few character building moments Elizabeth gets and this movie takes what should be a touching, somber and heartbreaking scene and turns it into a spectacle.

Everyone's reaction to everything is to do the most extreme thing possible but they never actually earn it because moments were the film SHOULD have emotional weight are kind of glanced over. The book has a lot of themes of grief and isolation but the film doesn't really explore those aspects effectively. It never stops to have a quiet or thoughtful moment. Almost like it's afraid the audience will get bored if someone isn't shrieking at the top of their lungs and some action heavy drama is going down.

The pacing in this film is jarring. Kenneth Branagh has a love for lavish sets, beautiful scenery and his films, if nothing else, are opulent spectacles, there are moments in this film where the cinematography is actually quite beautiful but I always feel that it's wasted by clumsy execution.

There are also scenes that come so painfully close to working, like early on in the movie Elizabeth and Justine drag Victor away from his work to go on a picnic and he only goes because he's hoping for a storm. He puts down a lightning rod and has everyone get down so they can observe the strike. I thought that could have been really neat and a good way to set up Victor's obsession but the execution was so clunky and the moment the lightning strikes and the four of them feel the static isn't allowed to sit and breathe. It jolts to the very next scene with no transition.

There are things I like about Robert De Nero's creature.

I like his design, even if it's not book accurate. I don't inherently like the idea of him being a resurrected cadaver of a specific criminal but I do, at times, almost like what they do with it, like having him wonder who all of his various parts came from. De Niro is a strong actor and I feel like there were the makings of a good performance here and it was stifled under bad writing and directing. I actually like most of the scenes where the creature speaks to Victor and the line "What of my soul? Do I have one? Or was that a part you left out? Who were these people of which I am comprised? Good people? Bad people?" is spoken with such poignant suffering that you really see how lost the creature is and it drives home the tragedy of the creature's condition. The creature is begging Victor to see him as human and Victor cannot or will not.

But these rare moments of something good peeking out are few and far between and the movie devolves again into it's predilection for overblown bombast. Even the final scene where the creature finds Victor dead on Robert Walton's ship isn't allowed to have the gravitas it deserves because Victor's funeral ends with the ice breaking in yet another tedious action sequence and the creature floats out to sea on a chunk of the broken ice setting himself and Victor's corpse on fire.

This was a moment in the movie that should have been handled with dignity and regret and I got this:

There's really not much else to say about this film. I went into it hoping for a good Frankenstein adaptation and I tried to find salvageable scraps but there just wasn't enough good to make the movie worthwhile for me.

Anyway, sorry this turned into a whole review but I was bitterly disappointed in this film and ended up having a lot to say.

[aveys6]

spent a whole two days avoiding spoilers just for my dad to cancel our ted lasso watch party. i miss him dearly, but i can't keep ted lasso away too long

episode 8 was... weird

a good weird i think

i dont know

more human than heartwarming

but heartwarming all the same

felt like a beard after hours type film.

anyway here were my highs and my not-quite-low-but-not-great-either middles.

in no particular order of scenes:

highs!

- nate and jade. god i love them. so beautiful and kind. about time nate got the loving he deserves.

hes also hot as hell yummm

- love hounds LMFAO

its very sweet that disco and the other quirky man didnt make fun of the man-meeting. sad that nate misses so much of what he used to have

- locker room boys holding each other accountable

- colin really overcompensating his supposed straightness :(

- isaac and colin scene. quick. catches you off guard. disorienting for viewers and characters. real sad

- gay mug

- win streak

- beard being emotional with henry

- hey jude sing-along

- everyone was so soft-spoken this episode. and insightful. a really different style of writing

- barbara apparently being a party animal

- westham support

- beard and mae's little comradery

- jamie apology + hug

- im just glad jack's gone i could not stand their relationship. she's added to the list of characters i did not believe were necessary to the plot

feel free to discuss with me! i am never opposed to differing opinions

middles.

- trent's diamond dogs induction was too short. the scene felt rushed and lonely. everyone was so soft-spoken. especially roy. idk.

- roy is still so insecure, asking who the video was for. we saw the beginnings of that in season 1, what with him praising keeley on breaking up with jamie when his opinion was unnecessary. their breakup was mostly based on him not feeling good enough for keeley. idk. its just sad

- rebecca's scenes being too quick, all used to support characters in need. sure, we got a lot of vulnerability in episode 6, but the 180 from that to barely anything... not feeling it

- ted wanting to hire a private investigator? i know he's hung up on michelle and dr jacob but, man, what an uncharacteristic action

also discuss with me if you so please. i can explain myself

- interesting filming techniques. not as snappy and impersonal.

* i think my main grievance is the divergence from routine ted lasso style film. happy go lucky, dramatized character voices, + more to low voices, wisdom, close-ups. its a little too human for me. a little too raw. i tend to dislike episodes similar to this one, like no weddings and a funeral, though that was more tolerable (? hell of a word, it was more than tolerable but whatever)

i think right now i need an escape rather than reflection. so its really a me-thing rather than a poor-writing thing. or maybe its both.

[archivist-the-knight]

oh my god... spoilers under the cut but i need to talk about here for sweethearts

this is the first arcadekitt game i've played [not the first ive seen!! i saw my neighbor enid in a playthrough format and decided to check out the author's other work.] and??? best one i could've chosen i loved the experience.

first off even without the plot twist the game is really good. its so sweet and genuine, all of the characters are super nice and the dialogue feels natural. each character is likeable, and you have equal reasons to like and dislike each of them. their flaws are balanced out as equally as their pros. also?? the pride flags were really cleverly incorporated into the designs. especially acanthibar... the others are cool i love em but acanthibar... he takes the cake. the aro sleeves... the trans sash... he's giving it his all dude highest respect for my frog guy. also, i do like how the pride flags kinda matched with each of the characters personalities if it made sense? there's more to be said about that but biggest example i can draw from is vatilis and crowven... vatilis, try as they might, wears their heart on their sleeve and has a hard time keeping their emotions down, so theirs is a sweater that compliments the rest of the outfit, but you can still see it. crowven is casual about it, if you bring it up he'll confirm it with pride and isn't as scared of hiding his emotions. his main alt sprite is him itching hsi nose with the pride bracelet hand...

also mary... the fact that until we see her most of what we've heard about her is the fact that she's "scary" and weird from netina, and that she doesn't like being called that from crowven. and when we actually meet her... she's so kind, out of everyone in the game she has the most decorated, personality-filled room, and is generally just a big sweetheart. also points. she and reggie are autism4autism ace4ace they're literally adorable together... who gave them the riiight oh my goddd /pos

anyway!!! :-3 i really like games that subvert your expectations both narratively and aesthetically. which sucks, because i don't see it done often. but??? oh my god here for sweethearts filled that niche perfectly... the genuine suprise i felt hearing them mention "hunger" until i realized... the protagonist never mentioned anything beyond "i'd feel nice" to why they wanted that connection... and then i was pleasantly surprised by the twist that the protag was here to feed off of the heartbreak ooooh my god... genuinely everything i had building up for the dance stopped in the best way possible.

like the signs were pointing towards natina being the secret killer, but... reginald being the supposed killer the ghost saw was actually the first witness of the crime, and twyla actually being the one to commit the murder? and how, once you realize this, it's already too late?

and twyla being onto us the whole time... asking us if we eat in our room at all, having gunther distract us when she literally said she just needed him out of the way for a little bit to get his keys, which she could have easily done without us. once you get that information, so many events prior make so much sense! hell, some of the incorrect dialogue makes sense! of course we'd accidentally slip up, we're hungry and desperate!! its just .... ooo eated. pun intented.

anyway the only real con i had about this game was that there wasn't a seperation between how you presented and what pronouns people used for you. but even then i'm fine with that!! theres only like two moments that i encountered it, its fairly casual and ultimately didn't take away from the experience. + i know it would've been hard to code... the game already has so much going for it in that department so i get it!! and plus... they were all conveniently terms i'm okay with being used for me so there's that hehe [oh they also all still use they/them for you no matter what. its just like a few instances of them calling you pretty so again; its okay and in fact im fine with it being kept that way tbh]

regardless!! i had so much fun with this game, please play it on itch.io its free and really entertaining. it takes a while to complete, it took me an entire afternoon, so keep that in mind. but i personally really liked it!!

bonus... the player character looks exactly like me/one of my sonas. HELP...

[isatumbles]

OKAY

NOW THE PROMISED RAMBLE

So uh I have weird obsessions every now and then and I thought why not ramble about em here bc Twitter is scary and idfk I wanna see other people get into new stuff

Topic of the day: Mahjong

When I was taking a plane back home after visiting with family, I saw that the plane had a game called Mahjong. I thought "Huh, like Solitaire Mahjong?", but nope, it was a completely different game to what I was normally accustumed to. So as usual, after the plane ride was over, I decided to research the game and found myself a really fun game to spend time on!

So Mahjong is a really popular and old game that originates in China. It is a four-player strategic game often played with marble/wood tiles that are used to create hands to win the game. This game has sO many variations around asia, hell even America made their own mahjong variation (Which I personally dislike bc it makes it wayyy too close to poker). The main premise of the game is similar across the variations, so its not hard to get into different types of mahjong if you started off with something different. The one I got into was Riichi Mahjong, which is the Japanese variation of mahjong. (Note: Imma delve into the basics of the Jp variation of Mahjong bc I think it is the most readily available to play online and is the most popular)

So how does one play this game? The game has several tiles and your goal is to make a complete hand of 14 tiles having four sets of Chi/Pon/Kan (Will explain in a bit) and a pair of the same tile. The game has three suits, all numbered from 1-9. They are known as:

Pin/Dots: Use little circles that go from 1-9

Sou/Bamboo: Use bamboo that go from 1-9, the 1 is unique in which it is often represented as a bird such as a peacock or a sparrow.

Man/Characters: Use the chinese/japanese symbols for the numbers 1-9 (一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九) and the symbol for 10,000 (萬)

Along with these suits are the honor tiles:

Winds: Use the chinese/japanese characters for the cardinal East, South, West, and North directions (東、南、西、北)

Dragons: Arent denoted by their character, but instead by their color. So they are simply known as the white, green, and red dragons.

In other variations, there may be flower tiles and season tiles, which represent the four seasons in a year (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall), they serve as bonus tiles if they are drawn and can grant bonus points.

So now that we are familiar with the tiles, our goal is to now make that 14 tile hand that we mentioned. This is achieved by drawing a tile when it is your turn and discarding one you dont need. As you do this, you start forming a pile in the center that consists of all of your and your opponents discards. These discards are very important bc you can actually take your opponents discards to gain a hand! This is known as Chi/Pon/Kan!

A Chi is a set of three tiles of the same suit that go in a sequential order (So like a 1-2-3, 5-6-7, etc.), note that only the suits can do this, you cant do this with honor tiles! A Pon is a triplet of the same tile, and a Kan is a quad of the same tile! Kans are harder to get bc each tile has four copies of its own, meaning you have to be really lucky to draw all four during a match!

When you see a peice that has been discarded but can complete a Chi/Pon/Kan, you can call the piece and take it as your own! For Chi, you can only call to the discards of the player to the left of you (The turns are played counter-clockwise), but for Pon/Kan, you can call whichever player who discards it.

Here is an example of a player who called Pon on the 9 Sou and a Chi on the 2-3-4 Pin. The tiles are tilted on which player they got it from, so the Pon was called from the player to their right and the Chi has to be from the left so the left is tilted.

This makes the game really exciting and strategic, making you think about what tiles you discard while making your own hand.

Now how does one win a match? There are two ways to win, and these are either by Tsumo or Ron.

Tsumo is when you finally get the last tile you needed by drawing it, this one is pretty tough to get imo. Then theres Ron, where the piece you needed is discarded by a player and you call on their discard to win. This one I think is not only easier to get, but also more brutal since Tsumo makes everyone lose points depending on the hand, and Ron instead takes a BUNCH of points from the person who discarded it.

Heres an example of someone winning by Tsumo, they drew the 5 Sou to complete their hand!

SO UH

Imma wrap this up bc I realized theres so many more rules to go off about but I kidna wanna keep this short so if you want to get into this, you can do some research on other details such as Riichi, Yaku, Dora, etc.

I do wanna end this with how cool some of the Mahjonf equipment is. There are these tables that are fully automated and can help start the game with a simple push of a button!

I MEAN LOOK AT THIS THIS IS SO COOL

I also own a physical set myself, but due to image limitations I might have to show that in a sep post lmfoa

So yahoo thats me going nuts about a game I like. Will I do more of these? Possibly, I might do Yugioh or Chess if Im in the mood.

For now Imma detonate into confetti bc this took half an hour or more so sæyAA

[dragongutsixofficial]

Thoughts on one Monica von Ochs? Especially in regards to how Edelgard interacts with and feels about her.

I can't consider myself a big Monica fan. I find her character incredibly flat and "simp" will never be my choice for a character with one personality trait. Hubert doesn't bother me because keeping tabs on Edelgard is part of his job description and his interactions with the rest of the cast are more varied. If Hubert didn't have Edelgard I'm sure he'd be finding some other cause to champion and would pursue it with just as much dedication and fervor, but if Monica didn't have Edelgard I honest to Sothis have no idea what she'd be doing.

As far as Edelgard herself goes, I think she'd be fine, if a little weirded out, up until the moment she finds out Monica has been watching her so closely. Edelgard has always struck me as a very private person, and I think such close scrutiny would make her wildly uncomfortable. I want to see her explode at Monica over it (which is saying something because we all know Edelgard isn't normally one to shout) and although I think she'd come back to apologize for losing her cool, I also think it would take a while for her to be comfortable around Monica again.

Oh I absolutely agree with you here.

When I first played 3 Hopes (which I still haven't finished bit I will someday) I was really excited at the prospect of having her as a real member of the cast and I was really curious about what they would choose to do with her. I really wanted to love her, but it's as you say: she's got one(1) personality trait, and it's simping over Edelgard. Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and isn't meant to offend abybody who likes her or invalidate their feelings: that being said, here are some quick thoughts on why she makes me uncomfortable personally.

As you said yourself, her obsession (i think it's fair to say it's gone too far to be a crush) over Edelgard is a meager foundation to build a character upon. I think it would've been a lot more interesting if she could grow from that first feeling instead of being stuck in the same emotional place the whole time; it sucks because I love to see characters evolve and become new versions of themselves and she just. wasn't it.

I also completely agree that Hubie's relationship with Edelgard is a lot healthier and more balanced because Hubert doesn't limit himself to that. I think this is best explained in his supports with Dorothea:

Here, Dorothea misunderstands the bound that unites our iconic gothic duo together for simple unrequited love, which would fit the description of Monica's attitude towards El better and which Hubert himself qualifies as being like a "drooling simpleton". Ouch.

Hubert and Edelgard's bound is strong not because it's motivated by romantic love but because they know each other, their dreams and their motivations. Because they are friends who share a vision. Which is the reason why I personally dislike Edelbert (you go though Edelbert shippers)- I think their relationship is a lot more interesting if its platonic rather than the typical romantic tale.

This leads me to my next point: what is so important about the way Edelgard interacts with the people around her is that she wants them to feel like they're on an equal footing to her. She wants there to be respect and appreciation of her interlocutor's abilities and input. However, this means that their interlocutor themself must make the effort to realize that. Which... Monica never really does. She holds Edelgard in such high regard that she doesn't think she could ever be as good as her in any regard and thus locks herself in a perpetual state of submissive adoration and awe, if that makes sense. Which is not a good basis for a relationship nor personal growth and would most likely lead to an unvoluntary power imbalance if they were ever to enter a relationship. And that's not what Edelgard wants from a lover either:

She wants a partner and an equal because this is the world she wants to bring about. Simple as that. Which, in my humble opinon, makes Edelthea and Edeleth two of the best Edelgard ships.

Also... If I were a princess who had been stuck in an abusive situation for years under the thumb of a sect which was actively watching me day to day, had secret connections to all spheres of power and had abducted me and my siblings to torture and kill us... Yeah Monica's behavior would creep the everloving f*ck out of me. I could definitely see Edelgard snapping at her because of that- hopefully that'd be the waking call she needed all along to realize that she fucked up big time and to start working on herself and her obsession.

Soooo... yeah. Thanks but no thanks Monica. xD

[missusvixxen]

★ - Deceived Angel | Albert Wesker x OC - ★ Shorts(?!)

"Family Affair"

A/N: Sooo I've decided that I will be making shorts for this series which will mostly be side stories or a dlc if this was a game something like that. And uhhh they may or may not be revealing some OC history, a particular day of some characters, etc. I would also like to thank the readers who are reading my stuff cuz I really did not expect people would read them. So thank you and i hope you enjoy🙏👍😍

TW: Abandonment, brother-sister relationship, lying.

Main Series: Part 1 Part 2

★★★★★★★★★ ------------ • ------------ ★★★★★★★★★

"What's it like?" The sound of a clicking pen came to a halt. He tilted his head and raised a brow, "What's like what?" The man's leg continued to bounce up and down, I took note of it. He's bored when he does that. My back pressed itself on the wooden chair while crossing my arms, "You know," I inhaled and pointed a finger at him. "Being normal?" My eyes were engraved on the nameplate on his white vest, but I payed attention to his word, like he does to me. He was Project Borris' caretaker. The only person who never feared to approach me or my sister, the only person who was willing to take care of us.

I felt his wary gaze planted on me, he became still, interested. Even his shadow was speechless. The brunette man set his pen on the desk beside us and leaned back against his chair. "I don't know..." A hand found its way to his head, brushing his dark brown locks, looking for an answer. "It's fine. I mean, I guess it's the same as you, but... powerless and free?"

Phillip Borris, it read. There was a moment of silence between us. We enjoyed each other's company, even though we were different, he still saw us as his family.

"Do you think she's still alive?" I asked again, with a quiet voice. He stopped again and looked at the pen on the desk, his shadow tasted like uncertainty. "Probably. She's not hard to kill, so, yeah... I think that's that." His leg started to fidget again, he was uncomfortable, but I understood. Losing a sister felt weird, especially when you can't do anything about it. "I think she's onto something." His head was hanging low, arms crossed, leg still. 'He is thinking' my shadow whispered.

"I think so too. And I don't think it's a good one." He huffed, his hand now massaging the back of his neck. Something about it offended me. I was unsure why even though he had a point, that couldn't be it. "It's really no use thinking about her, Angel." The atmosphere changed rapidly, the air thickening, making the both of us tense. "We both know we can't do anything about it, so stop and just comply, unless you want them to hurt you." His voice raised slightly. He had told me that multiple times, yet I ask the same thing again and again.

The room fell silent again, one which we disliked, one that used to happen rarely, until our sister's disappearance. He chuckled, "You're so stubborn. You know that?" The brunette snatched his belongings on the table and stood, stopping to ruffle my hair. "You're going already?" I pouted, hoping for him to stay a little longer. Instead, he gave me a reassuring smile, "They're gonna be analyzing your results now. Once that's over, you're free."

There was that word again. My smile morphed into a frown, my heart clenched, and my stomach turned. Albert said it better. "I'm not leaving this place, am I?" I asked. He stopped halfway to the door, his shadow tensing. The news upset me, my hopes were crushed, fading away into the air.

"You're a bad liar. You know that?" I mocked.

[replicasoul]

1, 2, 8, 9, 13, 14, 18, 19!!! :3333 wuf. wuf

pale trying to kill me as per usual ok lemme see

1. who was the first alter? who was the most recently formed? im not sure how much we like.. Work, like that? like for a huge portion of our life we didnt realize that a LOT of us were switching around really Really often without realizing it. we have definitely Noticed some ppl more recently than others, but that doesnt mean they werent already there and doing things but just hadnt realized 'oh im a different person than [x]' if we're talking earliest that we can remember? probably Carina or X0. latest would probably be Fetch 2. what do you all have in common? is there something you like to do together? a good chunk of us all like to write, which helps when thats also an activity we end up doing together a lot. we all have our preferences for characters, settings, etc. but its usually something thats more fun Together than separate 8. are there certain alters who excel at certain things? who, and at what? althea is rly good (as in Not As Terrible as anyone else whos tried) at Hollow Knight and nobody knows why; usually we're terrible at 2D stuff. TV tends to be good at planning out creative projects as well as like, doing repetitive tasks (like at work and such). im (X0) pretty decent at keeping up w/ more involved conversations w/ strangers/coworkers/acquaintances/etc. carina is usually super polite in convos so is usually better at talking to like... older folks or ppl in public who are upset about something; its also pretty good at analyzing things idk, i could go on but thats plenty 9. do you have any awkward stories about cofronting? ooh,,, share cofronting is Always weird with conversations, bc the way we talk can switch just, constantly as different ppl are talking. its not usually noticeable over text if ppl dont know us, but it can make things Awkward in person, especially if we're too exhausted to keep up appearances at that time 13. what makes each alter laugh? tbh i feel like this and some of the other questions require a better awareness of which of us is fronting (at any given time) than we actually have. like i Know theres Differences, i know its easier to get a laugh out of me than it is with Althea, for instance. but as far as knowing what Content does it for which system member? idfk 14. storytime! share your favorite memories of the system see this kinda stuff is mostly like. Private. but uh. trying to figure out althea's potential fursona species was a Time (its still kinda up in the air but it landing on shiba inu was VERY unexpected) us singing along to Classic J Dies And Goes To Hell Part 1 in the care w/ seth is one that comes to mind rn and i think just. Writing Together makes up a big portion of the best experiences we have together 18. what shows do you watch? are there any that you all love? what about some you hate? oh god too many. when youre collectively laid the fuck up bc of nerve pain and All you can do like 60% of the time is watch shows n movies, we end up doin that way Way more often than we'd like. i know Beef and Scavengers Reign have been recent favs for us. Carina's been watchin the new pokemon show (its ok), and i think Althea + TV were the ones who watched Severance first?? idr tho we dont tend to differentiate System Member-Specific Activities a lot of the time, we just kinda do w/e with whoever happens to be fronting there are definitely exceptions but its usually like. Games, or writing. like Althea playing hollow knight. someone else was also doing Killer7 but i forget who 19. is there anything or anyone you all share equal distaste for? salt + vinegar potato chips?? i dont know, im sure theres Plenty of things we dislike if youre counting like... All Things That Exist

[twilightmalachite]

Altered - Heaven and Hell 10

Author: Akira

Characters: Eichi, Hiyori, Nagisa

Translator: Mika Enstars

"Nagisa-kun, your innocence is your cutest charm, but the only ones who should find happiness in and be loved for being cute are babies and myself, okay?"

Season: Autumn

Location: Yumenosaki Academy Student Council Room

⚠️ This is an import from a unproofed Twitter Livetweet!

Hiyori: Anyways, what’s important is, what will we be doing now, Eichi-kun?

Eichi: What do you mean?

Hiyori: We fine made our spectacular debut the other day.

I mean, obviously we made our debut quite a long time ago, but that performance was like our first full-scale one.

Eichi: Yeah, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? Our first live was when the Five Eccentrics canceled on us last minute.

Hiyori: It’s really only been a couple months. Still, I had gotten fed up with how everyone was appreciated except for me.

I’m glad that situation’s finally been reversed and I’m getting some public attention at long last.

I’ve been able to make Valkyrie, whom I’ve never liked, finally bow down at my feet, too. Yep yup, this is exactly what I deserve.

Ahh, feels great.

Eichi: Unlike what your words may suggest, your eyes aren’t smiling, Hiyori-kun.

We’ve known each other for a long time. You can try to play the part, but you can’t fool or deceive me.

Hiyori: I can say the same thing right back at you.

You may be able to fool stupid students, but you can’t fool me, Eichi-kun.

We’re causing a revolution for a great cause. In order to restore the corrupt and rapidly decaying Yumenosaki back to good condition, we will defeat the root of all evil, the Five Eccentrics.

Do you think we’d really believe such childish fiction?

Nagisa: …Eh, was that not the case?

Hiyori: Nagisa-kun, your innocence is your cutest charm, but the only ones who should find happiness in and be loved for being cute are babies and myself, okay?

Unlike you, ordinary people are filthy. They think evil thoughts that’d make you feel sick. All without acknowledging they’re evil.

A perfect representation of such people is that man absentmindedly standing right there, Tenshouin Eichi.

Eichi: That’s horrible. Don’t put weird things into Nagisa-kun’s head like that, you know he’ll believe anything you say.

It is not my intention to make my companions dislike me, so I’ll at least defend myself. I’ve misled and exaggerated, but I never said anything untrue.

The Five Eccentrics are the root of all evil. It’s not right that only ones valued and get anything are those with inborn talent such as themselves.

Geniuses like them make up a very small minority, less than 1% of the human race. The remaining 99%—the ordinary or rather, inferior human beings—wander around at the bottom, getting nothing.

In this ultra-disparate society, this sort of thing is commonplace.

I vow to change that. I will change this situation, so that even that “ordinary 99%, below them” can taste the fruits of paradise that only the 1% of geniuses may taste.

Let’s lower the price of these fruits of happiness and turn it into a commodity of the world. Let’s mass produce it in factories, increase its distribution, and sell cheaply!

That way, everyone else will have tasted it.

Originally, this should have been done by the privileged 1% who had monopolized it all.

However, they’ve neglected to. Instead, as long as they have their peace and happiness, they’ve ignored the remaining 99%’s suffering.

That is their sin.

I will balance the books. Let’s redistribute the wealth and happiness by cutting those who’ve the monopoly out.

By defeating the Five Eccentrics, let’s take everything they’ve taken away from us back.

With fine being the majority, we’ll redistribute everything back to our “followers”—back into the world.

We’ll take from the pockets of the wealthy 1%, and give it to the less fortunate 99%.

That is what justice is, about bringing as much happiness as you can to the most amount of people possible.

Do you have any objections?

← prev | story directory | next →

[crowbawt]

Duviri speculation: Who is Dominus Thrax? Short answer: I don’t know

Long answer: I don’t know but I want to talk about it

The devs repeatedly have hinted that Thrax is “someone we know.” There’s one answer to this that makes the most sense, and it is also my least favorite: The Man in the Wall. Dominus is childlike, petty, and seems to possess nigh-omnipotence in Duviri, bringing the Drifter back to life and molding time and space on a whim. There’s a few times we are mistaken for Thrax in the demo by Duviri npcs, he wears a mask which we know our Drifter will at some point wear in order to masquerade as him, and that we already have as a cosmetic item. This goes well with Wally being our doppelganger, and Thrax seems jealous of what we have which could explain Wally wanting to “replace” us. There’s also his line at the very ending about wanting to “just go there myself” in regards to escaping Duviri, and Wally’s motivation seems to be breaking into and invading our reality. Introducing the backstory of a major villain that was mysterious up until a point is a fairly common storytelling tool. It really seems obvious. This is why I’m hoping it’s not true, it’s... too obvious.

Cosmic villains like the Man in the Wall are very hard to pull off well and learning the truth about them can be ultimately disappointing in comparison to the built up idea of them in your head. In my opinion, Warframe has handled this better than most stories do. Wally has been built up as a force truly beyond our comprehension, as something as unknowable as the mysteries of the universe itself. He presents as manifestation of quantum strangeness, the vastness of space, the unknown and the Void. The story has been very careful about revealing anything about him, to the point that his existence in the story was not really acknowledged in official materials until very recently.

Having Wally turn out to have once been a specific individual that later “ascended” is probably the least interesting way I could see them going with him, just because it’s been done before so many times. It is, in my opinion, the easy way out as far as storytelling goes. You may disagree with my opinion, and that’s very fair. I’m aware it’s not necessarily a popular one, and I won’t pretend to know more about storytelling than the writers of Warframe do. This is just my hopes for the character, not what is “correct,” and the writing in Warframe is good enough they could likely make it interesting in its own way.

But I am hopeful that the answer is not the most obvious one, mostly for personal preference more so than any actual evidence. So, I’d like to consider some other options: who else could Thrax be? The next most obvious answer is that he is another version of our Tenno, like how the Drifter is an alternate outcome of ourselves. While I don’t dislike this idea in the same way I do him being Wally, I don’t think it’s that likely. My reasoning for this is because of how important the concept of “duality” has been in Warframe’s themes. Sun vs moon. Mind vs body. Rage vs joy. Reality, and the Void. Tenno, and the Drifter. Shaking Wally’s hand vs refusing to. For this reason I don’t believe we are going to get a bunch of alternate selves running about like some kind of Marvel movie. There’s also a bit of graffiti in the Zariman that looks like two of the ship overlapping each other, presumably the version that is in our reality and then again in Duviri. I think we are only going to be dealing with the two of ourselves, Tenno and Drifter, as defined by the decision to accept Wally’s “help” or not. Watch me be proven wrong lol  Now, it IS possible that Thrax is a version of us, but not one that is a distinct “third” timeline. Maybe he’s our Tenno via some weird paradox time shit, something like a bad end or a time within the void that we forgot. This does run into the issue of gendering our Tenno, but I could see the excuse of “King” being used in a gender neutral manner, and Thrax’s voice is filtered and somewhat ambiguous. Who knows.  Other options... Dominus has what seems to be an elongated prosthetic arm that calls to mind the Orokin, so he could be an alternative of one that we know. The most obvious candidates for this are Ballas and Albrecht Entrati: remember that the paintings of those two that you can purchase as decorations on the Zariman have the curious description of being called portrait of “a” Ballas, or “a” Albrecht.  After the New War, I’d prefer for Ballas’ role as the major antagonist to be over and to give a different villain time to shine. Both Thrax and Ballas are egotistical and have delusions of grandeur, but those are very common villainous traits and could be explained just by Thrax seeming “young” and childish. He seems more naïve than anything, which I would not say is a trait of Ballas, who is usually more manipulative than he is direct. Of those two choices, Albrecht is the better one I feel. He is, as far as we know, the first person to ever encounter Wally. His line about wondering if he truly escaped the Void, or if it was “the Other,” could be a parallel to our Tenno and the Drifter. Perhaps there is a version of Albrecht who, instead of fleeing, accepted Wally’s handshake when he reached out to him. Maybe Dominus Thrax is the Tenno to Albrecht Entrati’s Drifter, a “Void Demon” with terrifying control over it in the same way we are able to wield its energies to our will. Wally calls Albrecht “Little Bengel,” a nickname his mother gave him as a child. Supposedly “bengel” is German slang for rascal or scamp, and Albrecht is a very German name. Albrecht being a rascal as a child could explain Thrax’s personality. 

Why would Thrax be young if Albrecht met Wally as an adult, and why wouldn’t this version of him remember the outside world? I have no idea, but those seem like things you could find an excuse for with Void paradox bullshit. This is long as hell so I’m stopping now, but tl;dr: The Man in the Wall is the answer with the most evidence while also being the option I most actively dislike and hope isn’t true, my favorite explanation is that he’s some kind of Tenno-esque alternate of Albrecht Entrati resulting from his original interaction with the Void.

[alien-slushie]

My Duncney Opinion that nobody asked for but that I'm sharing anyway because its my blog and I can do as I please!

Warning: The following blog contains MY OPINION. While constructive criticism, and sharing an opposing opinion is accepted, know that meaningless hate will be laughed at and then subsequently ignored!

Contains Spoilers for: Total Drama Island(2007), Total Drama Action, Total Drama World Tour, (Miniscule) Total Drama Revenge of the Island, and Total Drama All Stars

I started watching TDI when I was, maybe eight years old? Time is a bit fuzzy to me, so I can't narrow it down to the exact age or anything but 8yo sounds about right. Regardless, even as I kid I never really liked Duncney.

To be honest, I didn't even really ship any of the characters on TDI except maybe Linsey and Tylor. Despite the internet being a thing at the time, my family didn't have a computer and if they did we were only allowed on the computer for school. I didn't even have a phone back then because this was back when children having phones weren't common(around 2008-10 ish). So at the time I didn't really know what shipping, and fanfiction were, I was the only one in our small town to have watched the show as far as I know, and even if I hadn't been me and my friends were too busy playing outside than to sit around and talk about a television show, so other than watching it I had not other exposure to TDI or the seasons there after.

Originally, I didn't even like Courtney as a character, and even now I don't really like her. She always seemed like a bossy know it all and she reminded me of someone in my class at the time, making me really dislike her.

Duncan I had no real opinion on, I thought he was a cool looking punk dude, but I didn't really think much of him at the time.

I think at the time my favorite characters were Gwen and Heather. I was a really timid and soft spoken child and seeing two 'teenagers' that were loud and outspoken was kind of inspiring. You would think that I would be drawn to Courtney because of this, after all she is extremely loud and outspoken, but for some reason she just never clicked for me.

When Duncan and Courtney got together, I didn't really pay much attention to it, I didn't really like either character so their relationship didn't matter to me.

It didn't get any better in TDA, at least not that I can think of. To be very honest with you, I don't remember watching TDA on the television. I don't know if I just didn't watch it or just don't remember because it was in a weird time of my life.

In TDWT I again didn't pay much attention to shipping. I knew there was a bit of tension with Duncan, Courtney, and Gwen but honestly, I was more invested in whatever was happening with Alahandro and Heather and Ceara and Cody. I knew it was wrong to cheat of course, but once Gwen was eliminated I didn't may any attention to it.(This was still before I knew what Shipping and Fandom was by the way, I had moved towns at this point and was watching the show with my siblings while our parents worked, but he's even younger than I was and I don't think he really understood anything like that, at least in detail, either.)

After TDWT though I kind of lost interest in Total Drama. I branched out, got interested in different things and didn't really think back on the show until a few years later.

So yeah, as I child I didn't think much of the ship because I didn't pay attention to it, but now as an adult, oh boy to I have an opinion!

Point blank; Duncney is toxic as all get out and I don't understand how people can support it so much.

Looking back at TDI, I can understand the relationship. Opposites Attract and other than getting on each other's nerves, there was nothing inherently wrong with their relationship, except for a few brief instances of gender stereotypes and misogyny, luckily Duncan seems to fade out of this mindset as the season goes on. Duncan encouraged Courtney to get out of her comfort zone and do things for the benefit of herself even if she has to break a few rules. Courtney on the other hand was Duncan's leash, tethering him to the real world and preventing him from causing too much harm to himself and others. As friends, and an unstable teenage romance, TDI Duncney doesn't bother me that much. I do think Courney is too goal oriented, at proven when she was ready to abandon an injured Duncan to get the 1mil even after it was because of him that she got it in the first place. It makes me uncomfortable that she was willing to let another person suffer without helping for money, even if it was a minor injury.

TDA Is when the ship starts to sour in my opinion. Courtney is not in the show at the start with a lot of the other cast, she is added later by twisting the legal system in her favor. From the beginning we do follow Duncan however. First season we didn't see him too much, he was simply the stereotypical punk/bully that we really only saw when interacting with Courtney and Harold, and a few times with the other guys, but in season two we get to see him interact with more people, Gwen, Trent, Harold, Heather, and Leshauna the most. While Duncan is still the tough punk/bully, we do get to see him take charge more often and exhibit his own traits more, he's a bit manipulative, but also resourceful. When Courtney does come back they're extremely aggressive with each other, there is some of the season 1 banter, but its mostly replaces with aggressive taunts and insults, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense on Courtney's part, seeing as she was the one who abandoned him before season 2. Courtney seems to blame Duncan, and Duncan meets her hostility with his own when he isn't flirting with her. Somehow during TDA Duncan and Courtney decide to work their relationship out, and the first thing Courtney does is make Duncan stay up all night reading rules, and demands from Courtney. I don't think setting up boundaries in a new relationship is a bad thing, I think its actually needed especially in new relationships where you're trying to figure each other and the shift in dynamic out, however Courney does go overboard, especially for a relationship between two 16-17 year olds, as she wants him to learn everything about her, and compliment her on a time table. This leads to Duncan voting her off, though it's implied that the two are still dating even when she's off the show. To me, this shows the first cracks. Duncan is too laid back for Courtney and he can't stand her need to control him, while Courtney needs to control him and can't stand not having a say. This is in no way healthy, a controlling partner is not healthy, especially ones that have no patience for failure and will turn to verbal berating, just because Duncan can and will fight back doesn't mean it's not a toxic situation.

Moving from that we get the break between TDA and TDWT. Duncney as sense broken up, how long did they date? We don't know because the break between seasons is a bit iffy. Either way, they had adopted a racoon together, where they found the racoon I have no idea, and are in a custody dispute over him when we see him, both teenagers having Lawyers to try and work things out. Over the course of them chasing down Chris' new show the two fight and bicker and seemingly get back together leading into season three.

Early TDWT we don't see much Duncney, but it's obvious that Duncan has already started to shift focus, having lost interest in the moment of peace, or what, we aren't really sure. His time in early show is limited, though Courney is always thinking about him. I want to mention this now even though it's mentioned in All Stars, but Gwen claims the two were on a break, meaning the two possibly called things to a halt while Courtney was competing and were going to get back together once she was kicked out or the end of the season. Gwen could simply be mistaken, but seeing as Duncan was on the run at the time, I can see how and why they would put such a versatile relationship on a break while away from each other. Again, this is speculation that I'll touch more on later. Anyway, through the season Courtney talks about Duncan in spurts and misses him, even blames him for leaving her to compete alone. When Duncan comes back, she's happy to see him but also berates him about leaving her. In my opinion he doesn't seem all that into the reaction, simply going along and looking to Gwen as he speaks. I'm not going to go into Gwuncan, I might make a later opinion piece later, but this is not that piece. Anyway, later after his return Duncan ends up kissing Gwen, rather its in the heat of the moment or what is up to you to decide, but he doesn't seem to upset about cheating on Courtney, more scared of her finding out. Before Courtney finds out about the kiss we find out that Courtney has a list of 47 things that she wants Duncan to change about himself before he's 'Perfect', something I find extremely disrespectful and demented. From there Courtney obviously suspects something is up, wanting to keep them apart, and when she finds out Courtney goes ballistic, needing to be held back from physically attacking Gwen and later Physically harming Duncan when they officially break things off. I am not defending cheaters, rather they were on a break or not it was obvious they were working to reinstate their relationship and Duncan kissed another girl(woman) who was Courtney's friend, it was a complete and utter betrayal of trust and Courtney had every right to be upset and lash out, that being said I never want to encourage physical violence against someone who isn't attacking back, dumping food on Duncan in her upset, understandable, it didn't cause him any physical pain unless it was burning hot(since he was just standing there, I doubt it was) but then going to kick him in the Kiwis when he was trying to apologize. Courtney didn't need to accept his apology, she had every right to yell her upset, cry, and refuse his apology, but she ended up physically hurting him. From there on Courtney harbors extreme resentment for Duncan and Gwen, understandably, and tries to make him jealous while trying to get him or Gwen eliminated. Shown later in the finale Courtney still harbors that grudge, understandably, and tries to sneak in some slam pieces against Gwen and Duncan, though the two don't seem to respond to it, either ignoring, or in one deleted/bonus scene throwing a sandal at her to make her stop, which again, I don't agree with Duncan resorting to physical violence in response to this shtick. Wasn't funny with a woman, isn't funny with a man.

Anyway, from the end of WT there on we don't really see them until Revenge of the Island where we get a clip at the very beginning. Here we see the OG cast on a boat heading to the island, where all we can see is Gwuncan making out, and Courtney frowning on a higher spot on the boat, but she's either trying not to look at them or is just pissed off as usual. Gwen is shown later this season, but doesn't say anything about Duncan or Courtney, so it doesn't matter much.

This leads to the season I like to pretend doesn't exist: Total Drama All Stars. At this point, Duncney is over, and is never getting back together as far as we know. Courtney ignores Duncan, and shoots mean looks at Gwen, Duncan trys to stand up for Gwen, but Courtney just ignores them. When they were together and Courtney was mad, heck when they weren't together and Courtney was mad, they would always fight, so when Courtney wouldn't fight and stayed silent, Duncan wasn't sure how to respond. He works mostly on ignoring her back, or trying to gain her attention but by the time Duncan goes to prison, nothing really changes between them.

I think the show had a lot to do about the relationship. After TDI and TDA they did break up, but it was in the spotlight, and I have no doubt that through the entire relationship they had pressure on them by fans. I feel like we've seen situations like this in real life with influencer couples and celebrities, where they were unhappy but felt like they had to stay together because of the fans, which just led to more fighting and stress on the both of them.

A part of me feels that if it weren't in the spotlight, if they didn't join a reality show and were able to fade into anonymity that they would have broken up and been done with it. I honestly think that if TDWT wasn't a thing and the two could have gone through the custody battle with the raccoon and split that that would have been the end of it.

As I said, I never really liked Duncney in the first place, and I honestly feel like people who do ship them ship Season 1 Duncney specifically or ship them because of nostalgia. I don't think shipping people for nostalgia's sake is wrong, I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of ships that if I sat down to think about it, I'd realize were toxic as all get out too but end up still shipping because of nostalgia or because I liked them once upon a time. That being said, I do not like Duncney, never had, probably never will, but if other people like this ship than okay, and more power to you, I simply disagree.

[todayimgonnaplay]

Today I'm gonna play: Final Fantasy XIII-2

This is my first post! I don't have a format on how I'm going to discuss games, so I'm just going to rant out whatever comes to mind I guess! I'm putting an apostrophe for terms exclusive to the game and will detail them at the end.

I've recently finished FF13, which...wasn't the most enjoyable FF I've played. Although its level design was linear, and the characters can be a little tropey, I had more issues with the lack of party customization that only gets unlocked later on in the game, and the general difficulty as well as its expensive economy, it had some very impressive art direction and music that still holds up to this day! I've jumped on to its sequel to see how it fares.

I'm currently on episode 4, and I've seen some nice improvements so far! The Paradigm Shift* system is a lot faster and responsive, and the game allows you to do Preemptive Strikes* which gives you an advantage with the Stagger Bar*, as well as grant Haste* temporarily which is a nice tactical advantage. Your additional party members now consist of up to 3 monsters you capture and equip, who each have their own paradigm class. Overall this makes the combat very fun and customizable!

The first game also constantly focused on combat. This time, I'm seeing puzzle segments, which are somewhat confusing, and some options to dress up monsters you catch. Not perfect systems, but it's nice to see some downtime. I do find the Mog Throw* funny though.

Levels this time are larger and non-linear, giving more replayability as well as a sense of exploration. This exploration is linked to the main story too, so it doesn't feel too much like a chore. I'd say it's somewhat of an improvement.

The graphics are still the same, but I'm enjoying one area in particular for its futuristic aesthetic, so it still has some nice artistic direction going on. I would say the character designs are a hit or miss compared to the first game. Serah's outfit in XIII-2 seems...odd despite looking more battle-ready. Her gloves and weapon are the only pluses, but it looks like they're more keen on showing more skin for some reason (with her having a swimsuit outfit too apparently). Noel on the other hand has a more appealing design! His head gives me Squall Leonhart vibes but with the hair grown a little.

I also like the characterization more than the first game. Noel is really smart and capable, and even shows a side of impatience so he's not perfect. Serah is also interesting as she journeys from being a girl that couldn't do anything to being a courageous heroine. The duo's dynamics are more pleasing to watch compared to where the first game had a larger cast that was constantly at odds with each other but awkwardly come together at some point.

The story is also easier to follow as there's not a lot of weird terminology anymore that doesn't explain itself. Even though it's about time travel, I haven't seen anything crazy yet.

One detail I really like is that it reminds you of previous events. Every time you get back into the game, it has a ''story so far'' segment that pops up before entering a world to catch you up to speed, and for those that have not played 13, there's a whole summary section available in the menu. This may be annoying for people who have been continuously playing the game (like me) and don't need to be reminded, but there are times where we drop a game because life happens, or another game catches our attention and we wander off to playing that. But having a reminder is a nice touch for a positive experience. Perhaps this feature could have a toggled off option in the settings.

One detail I dislike is the pacing of the extra dialogue that plays in the overworld. The first game paced this well, but this sequel seems to have longer dialogue that could potentially pressure you to stop and listen if you want to hear the extra details, otherwise interacting with anything else risks you from skipping them. Grand Theft Auto also has this issue, when you're driving during a story mission and you cannot hit the destination marker yet because the characters are still talking. The only solution I can see to amending this would be to allow the player to see/hear the next dialogue by pressing a button. NEO: The World Ends With You has (non-voiced) dialogue pop up in the overworld, which you can interact with to see the rest of it while still on the go.

Overall, I'm looking forward to what the rest of the game has in store! The music is as great, if not even better than the first! I have listened to some of the tracks long before getting on this game, but I've heard some new ones that are absolute bangers! 13 made me a fan of Masashi Hamauzu, but 13-2 is now making me a fan of Naoshi Mizuta too! I'm gonna put a link to my current favourite track.

Terms exclusive to the game: Paradigm shift - Strategic set of roles your characters can have which you can switch around during combat. Preemptive strike - Allows you to strike an enemy first to gain an advantage. Similar to Player Advantage/Ambush in the Persona/Shin Megami Tensei games. Stagger bar - A gauge the player fillswhen fighting (best by casting magic) which allows the enemy to be vulernable to more damage Haste - An effect (or spell) common in FF games that makes you act faster Mog Throw - An ability that allows you to throw Mog (Moogle, a creature in FF games) to inaccessible/far places and give you treasure in return

[joytraveler]

"......." Bea takes a little shot of honey bourbon before this one. "LLLGRrkk... wow, that's horrible. Okay, we're doing this. A lot of you weren't here for BB but it was.. yeah, y'know, weird and kind of threatening. At first! But the next time we met, I think we made friends!"

Baconnaise: Hellbaby thinks Bea is mum TaichouSenseiKun: We'll make it a new mom, with ParentBuilder 2 DueyDecimal: Is that a game on this too? TaichouSenseiKun: Not yet but we rule nothing out anymore


#72: BOX BABY 3

This game has a graphical change from the first two. The wrapped gift is now on the left side on the screen with the 'astronaut' on the right. The 'astronaut' is also wearing a blue suit rather than the original yellow. Also, the dialogue is in capital and lowercase letters, rather than all caps.

[Hello there.] [I know you can hear me.] [I know you can understand me.] [...] [I also know you don't like me.]

"Who told you that?" She frowns. "I mean, we got off to a rough start. Are you feeling okay there? ...Bea Talks At Games, The Show.."

HNV: Hey, at least you're not as bipolar as the box.

[...] [I'm right, aren't I?] [It's okay to say so. (Y/N)]

"No no no, don't be that way, we's cool! Right? Give Beas a chance?" [N], hoping it means no i don't dislike you and not no i don't like you..

>aroseahorseboy has entered the chat. aroseahorseboy: we're cool i'm sorry i made drama there guys. Klickitat_Street: Uh, she meant the game? But we're glad you're OK now.

"Heya seahawse, we're talking to BB again! Let's all BEE on our best behavior!"

HNV: I told Aro we were playing BB3 and he perked right up

[Come on, let's be honest with each other.] [I know I'm not the one you want to talk to.] [...I haven't seen her lately.] [That was going to be your next question, right? (Y/N)]

"Her? Who her, Redhead Mom? No.." [N] "Haven't seen her in a while, actually, but you must know each other, right?"

TaichouSenseiKun: Are we sure this is box baby we're talking to pigbarrel: Of course, it's the same beeping noise as it types out its text as last time. that's like the voice of a game character that doesn't talk aroseahorseboy: no no guys i figured it out WE ARE THE BOX Glockroach: you're a idiot, get out pigbarrel: we are each a dot on the box.. a speck in this great universe...... Baconnaise: This planet of Meat

[She hasn't come back yet.] [...] [It's you and me now, you know.] [Whether you like it or not.] HNV: Whoever's talking, they don't have as many questions this time

"I think someone switched boxes on us between games here. Get a box that isn't full of Jerk, please"

"Maybe it's the Monsters Inc. HazMat guy on the side there, what's your deal? I like the blue actually, you look less like a Neptunian"

[I like you. ] [No, really!] [Well, I like you better than the others do]. [They're afraid of you, aren't they? (Y/N)]

Bea makes the scariest face she can into the camera. "WELL?? ARE YOU???" she hisses

aroseahorseboy: aaaagh cringe HNV: I fear and respect the B-box Bee52: the Bea box! Glockroach: Bea-elzebib *bub TaichouSenseiKun: that's the bib she wears as she eats your soul

"Yeah gonna go with No on that one"

[You're not fooling anyone. You know they are.] [Because they know what you can do.] [Especially the big one.] [He's the one who wants to change you.] [Me?] [I'm the one who wants to be your friend.]

Llord_Kuruku: yeah, that's me, I'm The Big One

"Maybe the box has six personalities, one for each side, depending how it got flipped over that day.. I wanna be friends too but you gotta be good, okay?"

DueyDecimal: Cool, the box is like the Dodecahedron from The Phantom Tollbooth (a book you should all read)!

[...] [Her?] [Well, what about her?] [Don't you think that if she wanted to see you...] [She'd have come by now? ]

HNV: Wow, the game is as curious where Joyce went as we are

"Start talkin', Boxy. Tell me what you know and I won't let the dog have you"

[...] [You see what I mean.] [I'm the one who can protect you from him.] [I'm the one who's taken her place for you.] [...] [I'm the one who decides whether or not to let you out.]

TaichouSenseiKun: Again, who's talking here aroseahorseboy: kinda wish I was wrong but I called it

"Yeah and who's "him"? Did you do something with my horrible scary square child??"

[...] [No, I'm not kidding.] [Don't try to tell me you'd given up on that.] (Y/N)

"No, not giving up but.. I dunno, am I the bad guy here? What's happening? If that's true why am I a weird jerk.." she frowns.

[I thought not.] [Do you want me to let you out?] (Y)

There's no "no" option for that one.

"That would be nice, please.. " she says quietly as the horror washes over her. "Watch, I'm gonna Game Over myself in a second here"

HNV: Maybe there'll be a new death animation at least?

[Good.] [But it's not just that simple.] [I know what you can do for me in return.] [Do you remember what you told her you'd do for her?] (Y/N)

aroseahorseboy: is there going to be a quiz? DueyDecimal: I remember! A computer the size of a sesame seed!

"Ulp... yyyeah? I am a Bea of my word, even if it gets me in trouble.. I'm not gonna betray Joyce though, I can't do that!" [Y]

[Don't sound so surprised-- we were recording everything.] [That's what I want, you see; the things you promised her.] [All of them.] [Can you make me rich beyond my wildest dreams?] (Y/N)

"Sure, you can be my treasury secretary. No, I don't think I can do that but what the heck do I say??"

Glockroach: Bilk 'em for everything they got DueyDecimal: That was something the box offered Joyce before, do you think it was lying?

Bea is still weirded out and confused, but her fingers eventually find their way to [Y]

Syrupentine: (COVERS EYES)

"I don't know if I can afford to say no..." She grits her teeth and awaits the worst! Looks like that was the correct answer, though, there's no Game Over message.

[That computer the size of a poppyseed-- can you make that for me?]

"If I can't I'm sure we can figure it out! Any tech geniuses in here? Anyone? Duey?"

DueyDecimal: Iiii'm afraid I'm more of the sociological kind of genius... but saying yes seems to be your best bet?

[Real friends, you can get me those? The ones who won't abandon either of us.] (Y/ N)

"Sure can, on today's episode of Bea Lies Her Ass Off! Well, maybe I can get them to join my fandom!" [Y]

Box_Baby_420: You know i love you Bea

[Can you change ME, though? Make me handsome? Tall, even?] (Y/N)

HNV: UH-oh, someone has short man's disease and needs a Box Baby Aspirin

"I think we have a rack somewhere, we can stretch you out Gonzo style. Handsome, can't help you there. Have you tried not being a giant creep yet?"

[You said you could make her famous, too. I don't want that, though.] [Can you make me unfindable?] (Y/N)

Syrupentine: Yes, blue creep, disappear

"Sure, like I said, join the beehive! Then nobody will want to talk to you!" [Y]

DueyDecimal: ...Ouch, Bea. :S

"I"m sorry you know I love you guys more than anything, honest"

[And I mean untraceable.] [Invisible.] [Well, not literally invisible. You know what I mean.] [Of course you do. You understand idioms.] [You know she's not really your mother, for example.]

"Oh I forgot for a while, I thought I had been birthed from a video game! Er, no offense."

pigbarrel: bea you can't have two moms, don't be a mom-hog

"Like hell I can't, this is America!!"

[...No, you're not a real baby.] [We never feed you. You never sleep or laugh or cry.] [...] [Oh? ] [And what do you look like when you cry?] [Do you want to see what you really look like?] (Y/N)

Klickitat_Street: .......I am curious.

"I'm not, can we stop? We got more pages we can play!" She finally hits Y after the room starts getting impatient. "We are going to be a beautiful child, and don't try to convince me otherwise!"

aroseahorseboy: box needs a mom. everyone needs a mom. glem needed his mom too. Glockroach: Dammit seahorse, my old wounds Baconnaise: He's right, though aroseahorseboy: i'm aromantic but that doesn't cover moms

[Do you want to see her again?] (Y) [There isn't a 'No' option for this question.] [Are you going to give me the things I asked for?] (Y/N)

"I think you're going go be disappointed, but, you've got it, dinglenuts. If you did anything to Joyce or.. Royn or Crom or any of the others, I will hack you so fast"

HNV: do we have the chance to jump out of the box and grab this guy's mask off?

"I know how to hack. You dopple down into the mainframe, then defeat the enemy core"

Baconnaise: There's usually a dungeon involved

[Don't forget who did this for you.] [It wasn't her. It was me.]

The lid of the box opens, and the screen fades to black.

Syrupentine: Can I look now? aroseahorseboy: ...ominous

"SO! How we holdin' up, I'm great, no prpbleems wif meee nop." Bea has melted down into her chair a bit.

aroseahorseboy: maybe i don't feel better yet but you don't look good either Syrupentine: You're amazing, Bea, I couldn't handle something like that game HNV: Seriously, I can't believe we're almost half done! It felt like this took a year!

"Yeah HNV, and these are getting intense, right?? I feel like I had an actual baby."

Baconnaise: Bea, no, you have no idea aroseahorseboy: and you don't even get a baby as a reward actually maybe your reward is that you don't have to have a baby

"We better at least get to meet Boxy in person after all this! I'm really kind of worried about them now, anyone else?"

Glockroach: Kid owes you a good whuppin' for setting him up with that freako

"We don't even know for sure what that was! Coulda been another box, another baby, another, eviler mom"

DueyDecimal: So! Does anyone want to hear my theory on Box Baby's true identity? Because here it comes! TaichouSenseiKun: It was me, sorry I'd been meaning to tell you aroseahorseboy: what did you see in the box??? TaichouSenseiKun: Dark HNV: How dramatic DueyDecimal: I think what's in the box is the Joy Traveler itself! It's telling us its own story! DueyDecimal: Yes, I have absolutely NO evidence for this and am completely pulling it out of my ass, but I stand by it!

"It did come in a box. It COULD make someone's dreams come true, provided they're game related. We've seen the tools ourselves!"

aroseahorseboy: oh shit yeaaah! Klickitat_Street: Bea, were you going to do a stream where you play with the game maker more?

"I"m going to dedicate a whole stream to that somewhere down the line, maybe sooner than later. We could use the unwind, and yet we all want to keep going, don't we"

Syrupentine: Do we get a preview of screen 7? Or are you keeping us in suspense all week...

"Hey how do you keep a bunch of nerds in suspense?" She gets up and goes off for a glass of water!

"Okay, sorry, sorry, here we go"

HNV: BEA YOU MONSTER aroseahorseboy: just for that i'm naming my baby after duey instead

Screen 7 shows an image of a car driving down a long driveway to a house; the car has a big JUST MARRIED message written on it, and cans tied to the bumper like in the cartoons!

"What?? JOY in Joy Traveler, what's happening here??"

pigbarrel: soon they'll change it to "just buried"

The menu shown in the sky shows 12 more games:

73. Felinja

74. Super Water Polo

75. Kwaseed

76. Foot War

77. Party On, Planet of Pisces

78. Insecticide

79. Death Master II: The Lord Of Death

80. Freak Show Starring The Hero

81. Run The Gauntlet

82. Imagination: The Game

83. Box Baby World

84. Make Your Promise

DueyDecimal: Finally, they made a game about your imagination! Llord_Kuruku: wait, is that like the prequel to Keep Your Promise?