#not even necessarily the actors real ages but the way the dynamic is

[giuliettacapuleti]

Szabó P. Szilveszter and Vagó Zsuszi in Rebecca: A Manderley-ház asszonya

[i-sveikata]

Hi! I loooooved the new chapter, it was def worth the wait! So much to unpack this chapter but my main take aways are:

1. Love vegas' guards. I really relate to oat having to pee every five min. Same.

2. Super impressed with vegas and how he can get aroused in any situation. Like, bro you almost died and getting to smash pete is the first thing you think about??? He's gonna have a rough couple of weeks with no sex.

3. Kim is 25?????? I thought he was maybe a year or two older than chay. I know the series is very vague on the character ages. I think the novel is a little more clear with most of the characters being in their early twenties. How old are the all characters in your fic? Is vegas older than pete? I'm super curious.

4. I know this is a vp fic but I'm super excited to see how the other couples work out. Kinn is a massive tool but I'm still rooting for him and porsche to have a happy ending. Porsche deserves it. I was rooting for kimchay to patch things up in the show. I don't know about in this fic though 😅. I hope kim can at least give a real apology for Chay's sake at least. What are your thoughts on the kimchay relationship? Do you have any plans for them?

Thank you so much for the great chapter! Wishing you the best!

Ahh thank you angel!! Haha poor oat and his tiny bladder but of course Pete was just being impatient and getting annoyed by the smallest things because he was so worried about Vegas!

Omg Vegas is literally feral!!! But I do think there’s an edge of real insecurity to that where he’s afraid that if he’s not providing mind blowing sex at any given moment that Pete might not put up with him (this will eventually be addressed at some point tho) but yeah he is going to have a hard time in the next few weeks

Yeah all the ages were kinda vague so when I googled I basically just came across guesses for age ranges? So in this fic Kim is 25, I have Kinn as like 26/27 and tankhun around 29/30. Pete and Porsche are both around 24 and Macau and porchay are eighteen (though Macau is older and is closer to turning nineteen at this point) Vegas is a little older than Pete around 25/26. But also in the show the actor that played Kim looks wayyyy older than the actor playing chay so I did kind of want to play that up a bit to add to the unsettling vibe?? Like tbh all of these relationships in this fic (and in the show) are a bit unsettling that’s why the power and control and ideas of consent are all swirling around in the story tbh!

Kinn is a massive tool for sure but until things improve I basically considered that fight with him and Porsche as Porsche basically dumping his ass.

Tbh Kim and porchay were never particularly important to me but that’s because I don’t really find the young innocent/naive and ruthless/liar/false identity couple dynamic very interesting even if I do like their characters? Obviously there’s more to the story than what’s come to us in this chap from Porsches biased perspective but yeah I don’t really envision them having a happy ending in this (but I’m not sure if they did in the books anyway? But yeah it was a pretty bitter ending in the show) I think kim will do his best to apologise but he kinda seems to strike me as the most similar to mr korn personality wise? So he’ll be sorry that chay is hurt but not necessarily sorry for his actions if that makes sense? He’s ruthless and I think he got a little caught up in the pretending with chay too

But yeah basically I kinda wanted to highlight how the cruelty and the trauma trickles down into all of mr kan and mr korns sons and how they still pass that on in how they behave in their relationships in different ways tbh they’re all pretty fucked up

Oh you’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed the latest chap!

[denimbex1986]

'“Everybody’s got a relationship with a parent, even if it’s that they had no relationship with their parents,” says actor Andrew Scott. “Everyone’s got a relationship with the idea of themselves, if they have children. Everyone’s got a relationship with grief, even if it’s not actual grief through death; grief manifests itself in many different ways. And so people see themselves in this film.”

We’re talking to Scott about his new movie, All Of US Strangers, which sees a 40-something-year-old man, Adam (played by Scott) visit his childhood home, only to find his deceased parents (played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) living there, and they’re still the same age as when he last saw them.

The story is written and directed by British filmmaker Andrew Haigh and is inspired by the novel Strangers by Japanese author Taichi Yamada, which was first written in 1987 and translated into English in 2003.

Haigh changed the screenplay to something more personal to him, not only setting the story in England, but also swapping the protagonist to a gay man and exploring themes of sexuality as well as love and death.

Adam’s journey to his parents begins after he meets and falls and love with his neighbour Harry (played by Paul Mescal), and as the relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up.

When he finds his parents in his old house – being around the same age as he is no less – Adam is able to explore some of the unsaid things he never got the chance to say before his parents shockingly died in a car crash when he was a child, including his sexuality.

All Of Strangers is so personal to Haigh, that the movie is shot in his real childhood home – he went there while looking for a location for Adam’s childhood home and knocked on the door, just like Adam does in the movie.

And Haigh isn’t the only one who felt an attachment to the script… “I felt immediately connected to it,” nods Scott. “I felt like, ‘I know how to play that character.’

“The beautiful thing about Andrew’s screenplay… I was so moved by it and one of the reasons that I immediately recognised it was something that I feel, which is the accidental cruelty of families,” Scott continues. “That based on true love, we say things to our families that are brutalizing and make your family members feel unseen and you feel angry with them. And it’s the working through of that that I think is so beautiful because for a lot of people in the Adam situation, when they come out, it’s not about necessarily outright rejection and nor is it about full-hearted embracing. It’s somewhere in between. I think that’s an experience for a lot of gay/queer people and people in the LGBTQ+ community.”

In fact, Haigh’s script resonated with all of the movie’s small cast, including Jamie Bell, who plays ‘Dad’ in the movie: “I grew up without a father, so it’s interesting just playing a dad and being a dad; I’m a father to three small children,” Bell explains. “When I read the script, it was a horrifying concept for me to consider if my children were my age and I was my age and we were discussing what their life was like and what kind of a parent I was and how I treated them. And where I failed them and what complexes I gave them.

“I thought, ‘What an unbelievable, scary but fantastic opportunity that would be as a parent.”

Though Bell and Claire Foy (who plays ‘Mum’ in the movie), are of a similar age to Andrew Scott, they say they had no problem taking on the parental role and creating a family dynamic.

“We all have a very similar sort of energy in a way,” says Foy. “I knew Andrew Scott very well before, so I was already totally in love with him – as every human being who ever meets him is. That was very, very easy for me.”

Since the traumatic moment his parents die in a car crash, Adam hasn’t really been able to find a genuine connection with someone else, and when we first meet him as an adult man, he’s living in a modern, desolate-feeling, apartment.

“With Adam, you find him in a sort of purgatory space where he isn’t able to fully move on,” Scott explains. “He’s sort of stuck. I think part of that is because his development or some part of his growth as a person has been curtailed at a very particular point.

“In order for him to love himself, like a lot of people – not just gay people, but people in general – you need to be seen by your parents.”

When Adam gets the unbelievable and fantastical chance to speak to his deceased parents, they navigate their way through Adam’s sexuality, who he has become as an adult and parental mistakes.

For Foy, she believes the movie gives audiences a chance to reflect on what they might want to say to their loved ones.

“This film teaches you that life is too short to not say what you want to say – even if it hurts someone’s feelings,” she ponders. “Even if, you know, you feel like you might not be heard. Either you know you’ve said it or you’ve offered someone something by saying something.”

“I hope that as much as it’s about romantic connection and parental connection, I really hope that people go home and hug their kids,” Bell adds. “I know that sounds so hokey and ridiculous, but I think it’s worthwhile remembering that time is fleeting and I think that more than anything now is the time for connectivity between us – and that’s what this film is really all about.”'

[an-angels-fury]

A (Not So) Little SW Rant:

Or also my personal take on Anidala

(Disclaimer: before you start, I want to apologize for any grammar mistake. This post got bigger that I intended and I was too lazy to reread the whole text and, if you already saw my blog's description, you are aware that English isn't my first language.)

Okay, so...

I understand, at least to some extend, why some people might considerate Anidala a "dysfuncional" or a "toxic" relationship. YEAH, they married too quickly, only a few days after passing 10 years apart and meeting each other again (also right after Anakin confessing to commit the massacre of a entire village). YEAH, they demonstrated to have a certain idealized image of each other in their heads. YEAH, they had very different political ideals. YEAH, there was a level of emotional dependence in their bond (at least, from Anakin's side). YEAH, Padme didn't give the necessary attention to Anakin's "red flags" and she was naive in thinking that they would simply disappear one day and everything would be fine as if all those problems never happened. YEAH, their relationship was never 100% healthy. I won't disagree with this.

But that doesn't mean there wasn't love or a genuine care between them. That doesn't mean they didn't have anything in common. It's also important to remember that some of the biggest issues in their romance are related to the circunstances in which it happened, not necessarily to the personal flaws of the characters.

They came from very different backgrounds and those experiences shaped their personalities, beliefs and world views. It makes sense that Anakin, growing up as a slave and being exposed to a lot of injustice since a very young age, would think that a authoritarian regime where the laws and decisions are imposed by a wise leader would be the best option to bring peace and order to the galaxy. Just like it would make more sense that Padme, growing up in a privileged home and being involved with politics since she was a child and not knowing about the current presence of slavery in the galaxy until she meet one in person, would believe that the Republic's democracy, even with all its flaws and the corruption in the Senate, is the best way to reach truly good results to her and her people.

They were living a forbidden relationship, so it had to be kept in secret. That means they couldn't ask for help or advice from anyone, especially people close to them. The galaxy was at war, they both were conscious of their duties and the importance of their roles in the conflict. With Anakin far from home in the battlefield and Padme fighting in the political arena, they passed most of the war apart, not having the proper time to develop the relationship, learn to communicate and discuss about their problems in a healthy manner and know each other better.

Honestly... I don't mind if people dislike the ship in general, if they think the romance is "too forced" or "too rushed", if they think the dialogue is "unrealistic" and "cringe-worthy", if they think the actors have "no chemistry", or even if they think the ship is "problematic", but there are some arguments that don't make much sense to me. Like when people say they were incompatible, or they never loved each other as real people, or they were selfish for wanting to be with each other, or there was a "power imbalance" in their dynamic.

I also didn't get this fanon idea that Padme is much more mature, rational, serious, career-centred and is indiferent towards Anakin, only tolerating his presence because "he's hot" while Anakin is too immature, emotional, irresponsable, always reckless and only loves the way Padme makes him feel and not who she truly is. Or, in worst cases, because he associates her with Shmi, seeing her actually as another "mother figure" or a "caregiver" (I discovered that all this supposed Oedipus Complex shit between them is a far more famous theory that I thought). And don't even get me started about the theory that Anakin MIND-TRICKED Padme in falling in love with him! I swear my reaction is always like... WTF!

I mean... most of my impressions on the couple are based solely on the movies and their recorded delected scenes, the 2D Clone Wars series from 2003, metas from Anidala fans and quotes and pieces I read from some of the Legends books, so maybe I'm biased somehow, but anyway...

I don't care that much about 2008!TCW (I only watched a few episodes some years ago) and I didn't really buy the depiction of both characters and their relationship in the series (especially how they made Anakin this super unhealthy, jealous and possessive guy - like in that f*cking OOC Clovis Arc that I'll never get why it exists - and Padme as some workaholic politician who loves the Republic above everything and didn't have time for anything or anyone else). They had some cute moments together, but I had a hard time associating them with their counterparts in the prequels, both as a couple and individual characters.

I'm also not that invested in the Disney Canon books, so I don't really considerate them (It's OK if you consume and enjoy the Canon material, it's just not my thing. I only watched the sequels and the Kenobi series, but I'm not that curious to know more about the rest. When I want to know something or another, I rely on YouTube videos and, once again, on SW metas).

In my point of view, Anidala was supposed to be a tragic space fairytale. As far as I read, the whole story of the prequels was structured as a tragedy (with both Greek and Shakespearean elements) and the romance was inspired by medieval stories (especially in the "Lady and the Knight" trope and the "courtly love" concept), Romeo and Juliet (the idea of an epic story about the forbidden and doomed love between two young people who are separated by social bounderies and ends in tragedy, the utterly devotion and worship, the intense declarations of endless love) and 1930's romance movies (which where the overlydramatic and old-fashioned style of dialogue comes from).

Both Anakin and Padme were very gifted children in their respective careers and chose their paths based in the same desire to protect and save lives (Padme was already involved with politics since she was only 8 - if I'm not mistaken - and Anakin at 9 dreamed about being a Jedi so he could free his mother and all the slaves in the galaxy - and was considerated one of the most talent students of the Order). They were given many responsabilities since they were very young and were expected to carry great burdens for the lives of their people (Padme was elected Queen of Naboo at only 14 with the responsibility to protect the people of a whole planet from any menace while Anakin was speculated to be the Chosen One who would destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force, having to work it out everyday since he was 9 to prove he was worthy). But when both were with each other, they didn't need to worry too much about formalities or titles. Since they met each other on Tatooine, Padme never mistreated Anakin or his mother and saw them as less because of their background as slaves. Anakin fell in love with Padme before he discover she was a queen. He never cared about her power or her status. She didn't need to be "Queen Amidala" or "the Senator of Naboo" and he didn't need to be "the Jedi Knight", "General Skywalker" or "the Chosen One" when they were together. They could just be young, silly fools in love. They could laugh, flirt, say stupid things with no fear of being jugded. They can let their walls break down, be free of the chains of the roles they're expected to play, be in love. They can be themselves. Only Anakin and Padme. Only "her Ani" and "his Angel".

They both were inteligent, brave, stubborn, headstrong, reckless, impulsive, passionate, romantic and loved intensely. The difference is that Padme, since she was older, had some level of maturity and emotional control that Anakin didn't because she didn't face the same traumatic experiences that he's been through and wasn't raised by a organization of space monks that forbid attachments or any kind of familial and romantic bonds, was better in wear a metaphorical mask and hide what she truly feels.

Anakin loved Padme because of her beauty, her intelligence and her inner strength. As Hayden Christensen explained in "Love Featurette" from the Behind the Scenes of Attack of Clones, he didn't admire her for the power she holds in the political arena, but the power she holds within herself. She was also the only person, except for his mother, to let him show his feelings without shaming him for being someone weak or dangerous because of them. Padme loved Anakin because, yeah he was hot (I mean, come on!) but also because he allowed her to be less serious about herself and laugh more, to be in love and showed her that there was nothing wrong in wanting more than just to live for her career (in some of the delected scenes from Attack of the Clones, we met Padme's family, their relationship with each other and how she wanted to be closer to them. She even expressed to Anakin the wish to have her own family someday). She also loved the way Anakin was super sincere about his feelings, not being afraid to show it and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve.

Another important factor that many people didn't realize or simply chose to ignore is that Anakin, as most inexperienced he was, as most awkward and even unintentionlly "creepy" he acted towards her, he never disrespected her wishes and forced her to do anything (not until he turned into Darth Vader and started to think only about himself and what he wants). When she always made clear her bounderies and asked him to not do something, he would listened to her and back it off (when she interrupts their first kiss saying SHE shouldn't have done that and HE apologizes to her or when he declared his feelings for her and she said they couldn't be together and he accepted her final decision). The whole second half of AOTC is literally about Padme trying to reach out to Anakin, to get closer to him and he never returning to the subject of their relationship until she finally gain courage to confess her love to him and give the initiative.

I think what I love so much about Anidala is that, even their darkest hours, they always chose each other. She always kept the jappor snippet he made for her and, after their marriage, she would always wears it when they were together alone in her apartment. They both decided to break the rules together and risk both their reputations marrying in secret. During the war, Padme would wait patiantly for weeks, even months, fearing for his life and only hoping that wherever he was, he would be alright and would come back to her, safe and alive. And Anakin always would. He would fight and survive everything, only for the chance to see her face again, to be in her arms again. They planned to run away together after the war ends so they could raise their child(ren) and never had to hide their love again (according to the ROTS novelization). They were so afraid of losing each other that, in a desperate moment, both decided to be totally selfish and throw all the work they dedicated their whole lives to build and defend so they could have the chance to still be together and have their family (Anakin literally sold his soul to the Devil for the little possibility of gaining power enough to save Padme and the babies' lives while Padme tried to convince Anakin in Mustafar to come back to her, to run away with her and leave everything behind, already knowing at this point about his role in the attack of the Jedi Temple). Even after being betrayed by the man she loves, Padme still chose to believe that he was not totally gone and that there was still goodness inside him when everyone else had already lost the hope (a point that would be totally proven right by her son Luke). Even after lost his remaining limbs, left to die burnt alive and pass for agonizing and painful hours of surgery with absolutely no anesthesia, Anakin's first thoughts after being put in Vader's suit were about Padme's well being. And when Sidious told him that Anakin himself was responsible for his wife's death, his whole world crashed. And even after becoming a monster to the rest of the galaxy, he never stopped loving her and was that love that kept that little spark of light and humanity alive inside his heart: the same spark that Luke saw and risked his own life to save it. And, in the end, he really did.

So, my point is: if you dislike Anidala, then fine. It's your opinion and you have every right to think whatever you want about anything. I know their romance is far from perfect and I wouldn't classify it as some kind of "relationship goals" for me and other people in real life, but their story moved me since the first time I watched the movie saga and I never accepted well the hateful way this fandom - and fans from Pop Culture in general - treat both characters and their love story. Since I created this page to try to share some of my opinions, I feel that I needed to rant about this (kinda) polemic topic. Many points of view and personal tastes over something are related to our life experiences, so not everyone will see something from the same perspective as mine and I'm okay with it (or, at least, I always try to be). So, if you disagree with anything I said, I want to make clear I never meant to offend anyone. This is just MY OPINION on my favorite fictional ship.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk 👍❤️

[ilargeicontradictmiself]

Random thoughts i had today, not making any short of point or anything just a stream of thought. (About noticing how set pairings and typecasting slightly effecting my viewing experience lately)

I was watching the mentalist today. I mentioned a while back that me and my sister have been noticing so many actors who have played similar or in any way different characters in other shows like criminal minds that we're doing bingo cards.

Well the last episode i watched there's this guy, he played a killer on criminal minds, a small-level villain on another show and I was half sure he was going to be involved with the murder somehow, he got there too late but he was supposed to kill the guy.

And i was just thinking about how i dont how much of that theory was knowing the show's formula, him making sense or simply the fact that he's played similar roles before and it reminded me of an ask that showed up on my dash, dont remember who it was sent to ,about the pairings in only friends and how , we all know about the set pairing but it really becomes short of an interesting point in a show like only friends or even moonlight chicken where the go for pairing them up differently too and there's even the slight possibility that maybe the don't all end up paired up and happy in the usual sense.

And anon was pointing out how they'd be interested to see the audiences expectations and reactions maybe shift if maybe instead of Book playing Mew it was an actor Khun had properly been paired up with before, if maybe there was more press supporting a bit of a set pair shake up.

Another thought was how i wasn't necessarily surprised to see Ray and Mew's dynamic before the last ep, but i was (delightfully ) surprised to see that they'd go for them being a proper item for a while and how much i loved the fact that Boston and Top , even though it wasn't a thing that went anywhere , it was still very much canonically and explicitly a thing, which carried weight for the plot and the show we've seen so far

I enjoy the mentalist connections, they may take away from the surprise a bit but they can feel like inside jokes almost, plus I find it very interesting that for example Cameron, before playing Ian in shameless, not a particularly sinister character, played not one but two murderers , child on child crime,and all this before the age of fifteen. Like that's a fun connection.

I , as many of you , have mixed feelings on the set pairing thing, ofcourse i like seeing actors with good chemistry get the chance to act together again and explore different roles and dynamics, but as ive realizes it does alter my expectations and viewing experience even on a show like only friends.

Though to be fair that's not just the set pairings, it's the formula, if for example , moonlight chicken and only friends are paving a path towards set pairings getting more mixed up and a freedom with exploring different dynamics not just as an one episode drama plot device but as real possibilities of different developments for the story even for a little while, then maybe we can expect set pairings to still be a thing but not a thing that makes one possible way for the story to go unavoidable

[sakura-otome]

Alright, since Utakata no Uchronia is finally being released and I'm gonna be picking up my reservation at Stella Worth tomorrow, let's go through the main and also side characters and talk about which ones I would totally smash

For those of you who don't know Broccoli, the company that produced Jack Jeanne, has come out with a new otome game as of 4/11.

The writing team is basically the exact same team as the one that worked on Piofiore, including the artist RiRi

I'm genuinely so hype for this game. I never ever ever reserve the special edition for a game, but I'm confident this will be a masterpiece like Piofiore. The character designs are all great, the voice actors are top notch A-listers, and they even used live 2D to animate all the sprites! Which has never been done in an otome game before.

This game also has a free trial, which let's you play through the common route, so I definitely encourage anyone who's interested and able to read Japanese to go ahead and play it.

Anyways, let's get to the main cast!

Okay first and foremost, our lovely protagonist ~ ❤️❤️

Her default name is Hinagiku, which is so darn cute!

I don't play games if I don't like the MC's design, but she passes with flying colors. I love white hair, her outfit is fantastic, and I don't find her personality grating. She's actually quite fun!

1000% SMASH

Next is Yashiro

VA: Kobayashi Chiaki

He's clearly the main hero. Putting aside plot stuff and other predictions, his big thing is being quite mysterious. Though he's very friendly, due to his amnesia at the story, we know basically nothing about him. From what I could glean from the info on the site and character PVs, I'm definitely sensing self hatred and angst, and also he's much bolder than I would have expected!

SMASH

Next is Tobari

VA: Okamoto Nobuhiko

So far, he's the one I'm most looking forward to. He's the face of the red light district, and is very dependable despite his age. I really adore the deep kindness that seems to underly his tough exterior, and the voice samples give me the picture of a someone who won't reach out to the MC because of his role, and what it would do to her if he were to take that chance. It doesn't matter if she wants it, it would lead to her unhappiness —

Listen I could go on. But to summarize.

Here's the thing about me. I'm always craving a specific kind of angst. I love when one party rejects the other, not because the feelings aren't mutual, but because they have to choose to live by their principles in some way. And I feel that Tobari is the most likely to scratch this itch.

1 MILLION PERCENT SMASH

Next up is Awayuki

VA: Saito Soma

He is basically the MC's personal butler/guardian. They've been by each other's sides since they were children, and he was one of the few that remained after the fire that destroyed her home and killed her parents when she was 8.

I certainly don't dislike this dynamic, but it's not necessarily my biggest thing. The notes said that the theme for his route was "attachment" or "obsession", from the both if them, which is intriguing to me because MC doesn't seem intense to me in that way, but we'll have to see!

SMASH

Next is Yori

VA: Eguchi Takuya

He's an officer in the militia Kurozuru, and is outright stated in his bio to have quite the nasty personality.

Tbh he pisses me off too much for me to make a fair assessment of him. He's perfectly physically attractive but I cant get past the urge to strangle him Homer Simpson style.

I'm looking forward to his route only insofar as I hope he gets put in his goddamn place.

PASS

Next up, Tsuyukusa

VA: Matsuoka Yoshitsugu

He's a skilled craftsman and a childhood friend to the MC.

He has the biggest, fattest, most obvious crush on the MC right out the gate, and it's honestly the cutest thing ever.

I'm honestly shocked this girl hasn't noticed, he barely hides it. Bitch is cute but hella dense.i honestly feel bad for him at this point.

He's really giving me cat energy. Real meow meow catboy energy if you will. Anyway

SMASH

Moving onto side characters! Woo!

Tsuwabuki

VA: Azakami Yōhei

So apparently he's Yori's older brother who also works in Kurozuru. From what I've seen of this guy, he's genuinely one of the nicest people ever, and I cannot believe he is related to Tori in any capacity. A mystery how he turned out so well-adjusted while Yori is an unapologetic dickhead. Would love to see a side story with him.

SMASH

This is Aijiro

VA: Toya Kikunosuke

Works for Yori. Hates his boss but is one of the few actually capable of working with him. Personally, not my type, design or personality wise.

PASS

Next up, Karatachi

VA: Fukuyama Jun

The head of Kurozuro. Is known to be quite eccentric and difficult to work with.

Listen, out of everyone in this game, he's the one I would personally jump in an alley. OBSESSED.

SMASH SMASH SMASH SMA–

Moving on, Shioji

VA: Yoshimura Kazuhiro

He's Tobari's right hand man, and also sort of "older brother". He's friendly and charming but I'm not particularly struck by him or his design.

PASS

[violetsystems]

A lot of things bother me right now but it probably isn't safe to be specific. I'm sure people know more about it than I could explain in a few paragraphs. I'm growing into that over time. Saying less and reading social cues more. I think people subconsciously want you to be upset and unhappy because they're hiding it far more inside. It seems to seep out in the collective subconscious in public. My attention to detail and keen social awareness doesn't exactly help. Everybody is projecting. It's like someone is running a reality show around you that's loosely scripted and observed but you aren't debriefed about it. It's a skill to improvise in that sort of situation when you are isolated ninety percent of the time. I practice speaking out loud a lot like an actor would. It helps my extemporaneous speech which is useful in job interviews when they come. I can't figure much of anything out though. Everybody seems to know more about my life than even I do. And they play games with t-shirts. Must be a forum somewhere. I don't know why you'd want to spend that amount of time hating on someone knowing full well it will come back to you. It's like Phinks karmic loop from hunter x hunter. All it takes is one punch. The windup is the key. And every year that passes in this situation is worth it to know what's real and what's some sort of reality con job. I know there's a lot out there to feel some type of way about. Personally and politically. I read a lot of leftist magazines and esoteric texts because I want to be informed. It's good to have a natural opinion about things. But getting baited into whatever is going on out there is a trap if you don't understand the consequence and risk involved. It's the age old Palpatine dynamic. Let the hate flow through you. So that they can manipulate your passion for something else. I feel nothing most of the time lately aside from the things I won't share. There's a reason people play their cards close to their chest. And I've played loose enough with information to know that it doesn't necessarily make it better anywhere but in your own mind. Being observant about everything is necessary. Reacting to it? I don't know that it will help things much. From my perspective everything I've tried leads me to nowhere. What I do know is that I'd much rather pay forty dollars for ad free than DLC. That much you can rely on me for.

[lmarinar]

Module #7: Looking Forward, Looking Back: The Future of Social Media Response

Module #7 has us consider past and present dynamics to form ideas about the trajectory of social media. The progression of technology, particularly in areas like AI, VR, and Deepfaking, suggests a future where personalized and immersive experiences become the norm of social media and online activities. The integration of these new technologies could transform the way we interact, blurring the lines between digital and physical worlds. In envisioning the future of social media, we must also consider the ethical implications of these advancements. The balance between innovation and privacy, the management of misinformation, and the potential for enhanced global connectivity versus increased digital divide are critical considerations.

The New York Times article "The People Onscreen Are Fake. The Disinformation is Real" stood out to me as it displays unethical usage of deepfake technology in a variety of ways. The article opens with an attention-grabbing report of videos appearing on social media of news anchors criticizing the American government, and that this was concluded to be a Chinese campaign undermining them. The article then goes on to explain that the technology comes from a start-up in London surrounding people converting scripts into real videos of actors reading the scripts. This was developed using AI and deepfake technology, creating digital copies of actors to execute user’s scripts. Though they claim that ultimately the videos were not seen by most people and there wasn’t much of an actual impact, the ethical implication of this even being possible demonstrates how technology is developing faster than we can manage. Deepfaking, as the article explains, is constantly a topic of controversy, as it can blur the lines between digital creation and reality easily if used correctly by making it seem like someone has done something that never happened. It goes against human privacy rights. The technology is commonly used to portray politicians saying things they wouldn’t, as they have power over a large number of people, and fake pornography of celebrities. On the other hand, it is also used in films and music videos for special FX – such as the example of Kendrick Lamar’s music video in the article – and to de-age actors. I believe, even as a filmmaker, that Deepfaking is definitely something that needs to be considered and regulated immediately, as at the moment it does not necessarily serve any benefit that outweighs the detrimentally unethical uses for it.

I also agreed with a lot of statements made in the article "The Future of Social Media Is a Lot Less Social", in which writer Brian Chen talks about the evolution of platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from diverse software with different uses to essentially clones of each other filled with ads and sponsored posts and how this is leading to somewhat of a demand for simpler, oriented sites and apps with specific purposes. I agree that these types of platforms preserve what once made social media interesting and exciting to use, rather than feeling like an obligation or chore. Some examples of platforms like this are Letterboxd, which is a social platform dedicated to sharing films users have watched and their opinions of said films; Nextdoor, which splits users into proximity-based communities in order to communicate with their neighborhood; and BeReal, which originated an app forcing users to post at specific times to avoid “fake” scenarios and promote being true to oneself or “real” online. While the article also claims that newer platforms are being created that aim to serve the same purpose as mainstream software like Twitter and Facebook but with a decentralized and user-controlled approach, I believe it will take a large amount of time and a shift in the digital landscape for a majority of users to move away from the dominant and familiar platforms.

[mgsapphire]

Ethics and morality... and how they're not the same...

Weird title, and I don't even know if I'll properly approach this one with all the topics I wish to this discuss in today's The Devil Judge essay, because a lot of things peaked my interest, I was debating on doing a separate post for each subject, but I'll do them all in here:

Starting simple

I know we're only 4 episodes in, but I want to break down the things that I often look for in a new show:

Cinematography

Soundtrack

Character building

Plot devices

Social commentary (sometimes)

Of course, these are things most people would consider basics, but I find that a lot of TV shows don't have enough balance in them. Also, cinematography and soundtrack are pretty up there for me because when a plot gets slow, or something like that, I stay for those two (biggest example: King Eternal Monarch).

The soundtrack in The Devil Judge is amazing and the cinematography can be a character of its own. They really get me hooked and are used as tools to properly tell a story. And I'll get into that further down this post.

The onlooker will never understand the actor

Experience is your best friend not only applies to job hunting, but it's true in the real world too. You can't truly weigh in on something unless you've experienced it yourself, you can give it your judgment and everything, but when bad things happen to someone, you'll never truly understand their pain. Am I bringing up because of the difference of mind in Judge Kang and Judge Kim's opinions? On how the public treated the minister's son? No. I'm talking about a very specific scene, where the cinematography told me to think that way and not the dialogue (it's that easy for my mind to be swayed). In episode 3, when the rich are about to dine right after the foundation's commercial for a better future, we see this aerial shot:

What's interesting about this? The seclusion and the enclosed feeling it conveys as a counterpart to the poverty shots we were just shown. Yet, these are the people making ads for a better future, what do they know?

They live comfortably behind concrete walls with no windows to see what goes on apart from the bubble they live in. This idea is further enforced at the party in episode 4, where they're not even a part of the donations, and watch and mock from afar as spectators. Yet, these people call the shots. They even call it commenting, as if they were watching the pain of others on TV.

The intriguing personality and the duality it encites

Now, this was a costume and wardrobe decision, but it was also very well thought of:

Judge Kim wears white and Judge Kang wears black. One is morally perceived by viewers of the show as morally good and the other is perceived as morally dubious at best. However, besides the costume and wardrobe thought put into this, we also have to think about the delivery of this scene and how it may further affect my detailing of this section. Judge Kang brings down the coats, and hangs over the coat to Judge Kim, he's the one who is making that annotation: You're pure, I'm tainted. This can have one of two interpretations:

Either Judge Kang believes Judge Kim to be pure and innocent due to his status as a rookie in the field

Or he believes Judge Kim to be morally white and himself morally black as he's looking at his brother's face and not at Judge Kim's heart.

Because most of the back story we're unveiling is through Judge Kim's perception, there's also an inherit bias we're having as well, because in Judge Kim narrative, he believes he's doing what's right and believes Judge Kang to be evil. In being served information about Judge Kang through Judge Kim's eyes, our bias is inherently skewed.

Another thing is that, when they put on the coat, they're standing in front of the other, as if the producers of this series are telling us they're two sides of the same coin.

The duality is made in more deceitful ways, which include:

A difference of classes that implies one has suffered while the other has not.

A difference of experience that implies one is more tainted while the other is pure.

A difference of age that implies one is a sly fox while the other one is is bunny about to be eaten.

A difference of temper that makes one erratic and the other logical.

Power dynamics

This one, in this one I could make a whole thesis based on just a couple of scenes in the drama. And you know I have to mention it: director Jung being the puppeteer.

It may not be as unexpected at first, nevertheless it brings forward a lot of things I've wished to touch upon for quite some time now. A woman being a puppeteer of an old man in the portrayed dystopia that The Devil Judge is painting makes much more sense than more common demonstrations of these dynamics where it's either a:

A man of power being controlled by a bigger man of power.

A man of power being controlled by a seemingly man of a lower status.

A woman being controlled by a man of power.

Although, there's nothing wrong with those power dynamics, and if they were to be used, a message could also be conveyed, this one in particular works as a megaphone.

A subversion of power in such a way can be interpreted as a true indication of the weak overcoming the powerful. Why? It is not that woman are naturally weaker than men, but that in society, patriarchy has been a big factor in taking voice away from women in order to give it to men.

In order for Director Jung to achieve her purposes, it's smarter for her to do it under the pretense that an old rich man in power is the one calling the shots.

This is better exemplified by her stance when the old man tries to excuse his behavior, and what her moral compass is. I'm not saying I agree with her unethical conduct, but that her morality is directly impacted by the perception of the public of her as a weak woman:

Just because a dog bites a human does the person get dirty?

This is telling on how she perceives the actions of the old man in gropping the waitress. She didn't do anything wrong, even if you touched her, you are the dirty one.

While she's evil, it's a refreshing and deep evil.

The public's opinion and how there's actually logic in the show's portrayal

The public opinion can make or break a person, even if it's not on a public trial like this. While "cancel culture" barely works in today's society, a person's reputation is forever tainted. The show does tell that, but it also exhibits the scary downside of it, by showing how easily it was to make people accept flaggelation as a fitting punishment.

There are many experiments that have tried to test the effect of societal pressure on an individual's decision and the effect of the authority's enforcement of power in the outcome of these decisions. Furthermore, theories based on analysis of human behavior not necessarily relying on experiments can also help break this down. What do I mean? Here's a small attempt at explaining:

Milgram Experiment on Authority: which measured the individual willingness to carry out actions that go against their conscience due to an authority's approval.

Argument from Authority; The idea that people are more likely to use an authority's opinion on something as an argument for their reason. This is often seen in science, where trusted authorities have done the research and offer it to the public. In here, authority bias also plays a role, as we often believe, at first, that an authority must be right.

Moral disengagement: basically speaking, because this is evil or bad, I'm not part of it and I most probably am not actively participating in it. One may disengage by moral justification, which means that before engaging in something that has been previously perceived as immoral, I'm changing my stance on it based on what I tell myself to be logical arguments. This particular form of moral disengagement is very effective in changing the public opinion. I'll be touching on another form further down this post.

Other factors played a part, but these ones in particular came to mind when public flagelation as a form of corporeal punishment was wildly accepted. First, an authority is the one telling them it's correct, to go ahead. Secondly, another authority (the minister) had previously shown approval to such unusual punishment. Thirdly, they are not the ones to be engaging directly in the act, and even if they were, it would be acceptable because an authority has told them so. They may even believe the punishment to be a necessary evil for the greater good.

In fact, the minister's son was actually correct when pleading his case, they were accepting it because it wouldn't affect them directly.

Regarding the cinematographic descent of the public opinion regarding the situation can better be exemplified by the old man we've seen through the episodes.

Does suffering justify misdeeds?

Today I came along the difference between excuse and reason. You may give a reason for your behavior, but it doesn't excuse it.

Not because I've suffered through shit, means I have to make you suffer too.

I may explain myself, but it's on the other side to excuse me.

Why I hate the unreliable narrator and why I love it so much

This story has been told mostly through the eyes of Judge Kim and what he hears and sees regarding Judge Kang, if anything, the narrative is very close to that of the narrative we've seen in The Great Gatsby. An enigmatic man is being narrated to us from the eye of a man who hasn't known him for a long time.

How is that an unreliable narrator? The narrator has their own set of bias and moral standards which function as lenses through which they see the world.

Another way of putting it would be the way teenage romances are often written in a first person narrative where either of the two teenagers is the narrator, so the author can sell to us something as simple as offering a pack of gum as the most romantic act on earth. We're perceiving interactions through rose tainted glasses.

In this case, we're seeing the interactions through Judge Kim's eyes who doesn't trust Judge Kang from the get go due to his own preset bias.

The narrative becomes even more unreliable as we're not exactly sure if what Judge Kang disclosed himself is a fact.

The reason why I love this narrative is because it leaves a lot of space to make simple plot twists to a narrative and make them seem grand, and can elongate a story without making it obvious.

The reason why I hate it is because sometimes, in tv shows mostly, we as viewers can see the other side of the story and grow increasingly frustrated with the main character's prejudice and misunderstandings (I'm looking at you my beloved Beyond Evil).

Also, because I have to wait for a long time before I actually have a clear picture of it.

[lizacstuff]

Your thoughts on the epi? And the trailers? I'm loving the in love Edser! We've waited so long for this!!!

This episode was so fun and fluffy! I don't know about you, but I am enjoying the tone during this second season. A lot. I don't care how stupid the audition process was for the spot in the school, it gave us some very good comedy and a lot of USTy, sexy, flirty goodness.

And like you, I also love in love Edser!

Thankfully this episode was dominated by Edser, and with Kiraz at Granny's house we even got some alone time. The supporting characters were used to good effect this episode, Engin and Piril were the funniest they've ever been, Kerem and Pina served to poke Serkan about his mentoring style, and it was actually nice to have an excuse for Ayfer and Aydan to share a storyline again.

(more under the cut)

However, we'll start with Burak and Melo. UGH. I mean I love Melo and Elcin has done a really good job of showing Melo's heartbreak and trying to hide her melancholy behind her usual bubbly personality, but I really can't stand that it's over such a dud of a character. I know I'm a broken record here but Melo deserves better than this fool. Honestly, he's such a bland sad sack I don't really get why Melo loves him, Eda wants to be friends with him and Ayfer thinks he's so great she wants him for a nephew-in-law. Well, for Ayfer the only qualification is that he's not Serkan, so never mind that question.

However, maybe there's some hope? Before this episode it seemed certain they were heading in a romance direction, but the way he told her she was like a sister to him? Is there really any coming back from him saying that after he remembered kissing her? On the other hand we're barreling towards the end here and there's not really enough time to introduce anyone new for Melo (and no indication from spoilers that they have) and I'm pretty sure Ayse and the writers want to give her a romantic happy ending (although I'd be fine if they didn't and instead had her go off and do something entirely for herself like go back to school or travel or open a shop). So we'll see, because even with the sister line they left some room open because Kerem was the one who suggested he say that (it wasn't necessarily his own idea) and with Melo he seemed to be coming from a place where he assumed he had forced himself on her and she was angry because she didn't want it. Which we know is not true, so might be a misunderstanding that leads to something more. Anyway, I guess we'll just have to endure whichever way they go.

Personally, I like the Serkan-Kemal father storyline. I think it's a good way to add a bit of drama in the waning episodes, gives Serkan a bit of an identity crisis, interestingly mirrors his own situation with Kiraz, and it just makes sense with everything we know of the characters. Because were we seriously supposed to believe that someone as sniveling as Alptelkin sired Serkan? I mean Serkan is the epitome of BDE, he has an inherent charismatic and commanding presence. Sorry to the actor who played Alptekin, but he didn't really have any kind of presence, however Sinan who plays Kemal, does. They've done a great job of casting, because it just feels true. I believe Kemal and Serkan share genetics.

However, even before that storyline starts in earnest, it's interesting that Serkan was being a big baby, not wanting his mom with a man she clearly loves. I wish Eda would have pushed back at him a little more when he was going off that Aydan shouldn't pursue love at her age! Does he think he'll be out of love with Eda by the time he's in his 50s and 60s? Of course not! I'm guessing Eda, though, is just letting him blow off some steam and come to accept the relationship on his own terms. Don't get me wrong, though, after all the meddling Aydan's done with Edser, she more than deserves to have Serkan's opinion of Kemal negatively impact her!

Loved that Kiraz and Can found out first that Kemal is Serkan's father! Cat is out of the bag, Aydan, you can't make a deal with a 5 year old, lmao. It put a nice ticking clock on the whole thing and gave us some good comedic moments where Kiraz is speaking the truth and everyone thinks she's just really fond of the dude. Hee.

Also I enjoyed the Aydan and Ayfer moments. To be honest, I also used to enjoy their true friendship moments when we got them, like when Kemal first appeared and Aydan was freaking out and needed Ayfer and Seyfi around her, and when they were trying to hunt down Deniz after the fake wedding turned real. After so much animosity, it was nice that Ayfer recognized that Aydan was truly in distress and needed a friend and they were able to actually talk. Also we got some (mildly) funny comedy with the two of them and the school lady. Speaking of Ayfer, thankfully she finally realized some consequences to her actions in pushing Burak at Eda. She hurt Melo! Glad she finally opened her eyes to see what should have been obvious to her (Eda never saw him that way, and Melo obviously did) and apologized to Melo. I'd like it if she would apologize to Eda as well, (and Burak deserves an apology as well because she most definitely gave him false hope) but since Eda wasn't influenced by her we probably won't see that.

Switching to Eda and Serkan this episode gave us lots of good stuff. This was a great episode for showing us where each of them stood. Eda is terrified of getting hurt and trying to hold him at arm's length even while he clearly is inching back into her heart, and Serkan is dreaming of their future together, and taking every opportunity to tie them together. How much did I love Serkan admitting he was poking at Eda, and doig things to make her angry, just so she would talk to him? Interesting that he's doing it and love that he's being honest and admitting it to her. One of my favorite relationship dynamics between them is around "talking." In the very beginning Serkan did a lot of complaining about how much Eda talked and how she never shut up, but starting around episode 18 all he wanted was for Eda to talk to him. And this is just more of that. The thing he wants most is to talk to her.

Plus watching domestic Edser is just so much fun, I could watch their full grocery shopping trip in real time and be perfectly happy, lol. At the age of 35 it's time that Serkan learn how to do a few things for himself, I don't care how rich he is, so it's nice that we see him evolving a bit as he embraces the dad role.

The jealousy gambits, even as mild as they are, are getting pretty eye roll worthy since Eda and Serkan are living together, care so much, and obviously are still so hot for one another. It's a bit more understandable from Serkan since Eda is the one creating the barrier between them, but are we really supposed to believe that Eda is jealous of Deniz when Serkan is so obviously in love with Eda and planning their future together? Especially when he clearly can't stand Deniz and tries so hard to avoid her? I suppose it's to show us that Eda is in a jumbled state, her head is trying to keep space with Serkan, while her heart wants him badly and is scared he's going to take her rejections seriously. Even so it was quite irrational for her to get angry at Serkan for having lunch with Deniz when she ordered him to leave with her. Poor Eda is in emotional turmoil.

It was hard to tell with shaky translations, but I guess Serkan claimed to have been injured while rescuing Eda and that's how he talked his way into her bed? Impressively done, Serkan. Love it because it meant we all got to wake up to snuggly family, snuggling together. This gave us another glimpse into Eda's psyche, she wakes up first, and is clearly enjoying it and feeling at home in his arms, until the sleep clears enough and her head realizes she's not supposed to be enjoying it. But once again Kiraz knows how to handle her parents and their complicated relationship beautifully and fixes everything with a pillow fight. That is one smart cookie.

One of my favorite moments of the episode is when Eda is trying to convince Serkan to go to Aydan about the school. Eda knows that her big eyes still work on him, and they did. He still can't say no to her, another one of my favorite relationship dynamics of theirs. I'm super glad some things never change. Speaking of their visit to Aydan's, how great that they went to meet the horse without a name as a family, and then Serkan finally came up with the perfect name. Definitely a star.

Love, love, love that Serkan and Eda beat Engin and Piril when it came to the 'how well do you know your spouse' game. They may have been separated for 5 years, but they both have a genuine interest in the other, so they remember things, and they always made a much more compatible couple than Engin/Piril who have absolutely nothing in common. Of course I adored all the fake married hijinx this gave us, not to mention all the opportunities for Serkan to touch, kiss, and hold her. SO MUCH UST!

The heart-to-heart on the bench was well done and it finally gave us Eda opening up and telling him what's been holding her back. She's scared. Of course she is, the poor thing. Serkan might have thought he was doing it for her own good both times, but he ripped her heart out twice (not even counting all the heart ripping he did during amnesia) how could she not have fears? Of course she's afraid! Whenever she lets herself love him and be loved by him, it's ripped away horribly, and often in ways that feels like it's him doing the ripping. She can take into consideration the circumstances, which she has or else he wouldn't be anywhere near her, and still need time to be sure she's not just setting herself up to get emotionally demolished again.

For Serkan's part all he can do is keep being there, being honest with her, and showing he's in it for the long haul, which I think he's doing and which is why they are where they are at the end of this episode.

Engin and Piril's dance practice is probably the first Engin/Piril alone scene that I thought was genuinely funny and fully enjoyable. I can't think of another... message me if you think there is one, lol. Elsewhere, I saw some folks saying that Engin and Piril should have won the dance competition, because they actually danced, and Eda and Serkan didn't. LOL, you think? I'm pretty sure that was the point. That Eda and Serkan didn't really dance, all they did was get up there and turn their sexual tension and intense smoldering towards one another up to eleventy and won because it's that powerful.

It's sort of a metaphor for this whole series. Sen Cal Kapimi is 100% powered by their chemistry. Of course they can win any competition by just pressing their bodies against one another! They can turn a ditzy Turkish summer romcom that probably should have gone 13 eps into an international hit that's going on 50 episodes, just by looking at one another.

I'm glad that the school officials overheard their conversations and dismissed them, any organization that requires this of the parents, is going to be a lifelong pain-in-the ass, lmao. Also it was good to see Edser and EnPir make up by the end.

Now, on to that ending. I'm glad the subject of the tatoos was brought up, interesting that Eda kept hers until a few months ago. Also interesting that she moved it... can't blame Serkan for wanting to see it. Was that one great seduction line, or what?

I join with everyone who thinks it was a slightly awkward place to leave the episode. We only have 13 (probably) episodes this season, and we've only had one kiss so far. That was definitely a moment for a kiss. Part of me thinks they were going for the cliffhanger, what will Eda do? Will she kiss him or slam the door in his face? Tune in next week to find out! Except that audiences have to wait no time at all for the fragman and that makes any such cliffhanger moot. So what's the point? Have her pull him in, kiss him, and the show can end with them passionately making out and the door slamming with the camera outside the house.

Oh well, it is what it is, and we can only hope they pick up next week right where they left off. As for the fragman, obviously they are fully back together for this episode which means she lets him in to hunt for her tattoo. (please oh please give us that internet ozel because I don't think I can stand being online in this fandom if they don't. Thankfully I'm traveling next week and will be too busy to spend much time on twitter.)

As I said in another ask, I'm not surprised Serkan is barreling them straight towards marriage. When you know, you know, so why wait? Once they emotionally commit to one another, they need to just get married. No waiting for psychos to interfere, family to meddle, or tragedy to strike!

Seriously can't wait for a full episode of them together and Serkan figuring out how to propose. I'm also looking forward to the Kemal/Serkan stuff, it will be interesting to see how he reacts once the news sets in... should be a great episode!

[gra-sonas]

Chris Hollier serves as showrunner for The CW’s hit series Roswell, New Mexico. The show first premiered back in 2019 and is now heading into its third season. Season 3 premieres on July 26 and new episodes will continue to air Mondays at 8:00 – 9:00 PM. Roswell, New Mexico was already renewed for a fourth season as well!

I spoke with Hollier about all things season 3, the one year time jump, getting renewed for another season, which episode he’s most excited for fans to see, the show’s relationships, which new duos we’ll see on screen, and so much more! Keep reading to find out everything he told me.

First off, we ended season two with a big cliffhanger. So how can you tease and set up how the premiere is going to kick off and and resume from that? Chris Hollier: Well, I think much like you said, we have to at least answer that question, we left him on; “howdy, partner” is quite a way to go out. So, we got to get our partners involved there. Then I think by the end, I want to tease out that much like in life, you don’t always know the best response right then and sometimes it takes a little time, and we gave our character some time to really evaluate all of their decisions with the jump, but also romantically.

The show will be doing a one year time jump; what made you decide to go this route, and is there a character that you were most excited to apply this to and see where they would be a year later? Chris Hollier: I think that what we try to do is honor the decisions of people that age, which what I mean is sometimes you don’t know, you need distance and perspective for things, even if they’re good. You need to knock that against something, you need to go after the dream that you said that you want and stand in it for 10 minutes to realize, is this really where I want to be or should I jump ship before it gets to be too late? And time just does that to you.

Which of the characters’ storylines do you think after the time jump is going to shock fans the most? Chris Hollier: Is going to shock fans the most? Interesting. I think ultimately throughout the season, what Liz realizes about herself is going to be a journey that they don’t quite expect; that as it gets up and running, it’s going to feel as the episodes roll on, and she is growing and running through a gauntlet to push her to places that I bet she never would have said, “this is what I want to do, say, and be,” in seasons one and two.

What can you tell us about the relationships? Chris Hollier: What I would say is they’re on the poster; what I would say is also what we want to do is when we look at Max and Liz, we always look at them as two sides of the same coin. How are they the same? How are they different? But like two sides of the same coin, they are linked together in ways that you cannot pull them apart. So, we put that up on its feet to explore really what does that mean? It doesn’t mean that you end up loving that person or sometimes it means like this is the only person for me, and we put that larger question to them to really decide like, “Are we gonna make a go at this or are we better apart?”

Congratulations are in order as well because the show has already been renewed for a season four and season three hasn’t even premiere yet. So what was your reaction when you heard the news? Chris Hollier: I found out on set– quick funny story, I called the two people that like, make the show with me there on the ground, my line producer and my producer/director, and I said, “I’ve got a problem that only the three of us can fix.” They said, “Oh no, what is it?” I said, “They’ve given us 13 more.” So, the greatest thing that I got to do though was go down when they announced it to tell the crew that all of their hard work meant something and that we can continue to employ all these families that I love, during a pandemic, which meant a lot to our entire Roswell group. We make the show together. I truly believe that and so that was the best moment for me is to say, “They’re responding to what we’re doing, they want more of it, and we all get to find a way to be together, even though times are crazy.”

You brought us to our next question because you all filmed this season during the pandemic, and that is such a huge accomplishment. What was it like filming with these insane circumstances and then finally wrapping? Chris Hollier: The biggest thing I think it did for sure is that I think when you watch it for the most part, you’re not gonna feel that. We made that decision again to like– we didn’t even know where the world was gonna be by the time we got to a premiere date; we didn’t know who was going to be president, you know? We had to look at all of that. What I would say the biggest thing that it changed were some of our protocols of the closeness that people could be and I mean that like when it comes to kissing and fighting. I feel it really made us look at telling a story, leaning into telling a story more like a romantic comedy where it’s about longing, rather than necessarily like being together. So we leaned into romance as a way to bolster some of the things that our hands were tied with a little bit.

If you could do a crossover between Roswell, New Mexico and any other CW or Warner Bros. show, which would you pick? Chris Hollier: Oh, that’s funny. I think I have to go back into the Plec universe, where I came from. We gotta mix them with the vampires. Aliens and vampires, I’m ready.

Well, going off of that question, which characters would you be most excited to see interact from those universes? Chris Hollier: I would love to see Hope Mikaelson meet Liz Ortecho. Or Hope Mikaelson and Rosa might be a good pairing; I bet those two could get into some trouble. A little science, a little magic, what could go wrong?

If you could create a tagline or phrase to get fans hyped for season three, what would you pick? Chris Hollier: I would say that this season is a crossroads moment for all of our characters. They’re going to have to make the next huge decisions of their life, and the villain that shows up is forcing all of them to redefine who they are as people and their relationships with one another.

Are there any themes that you’re excited for fans to see in this upcoming season or is there any sort of message that you hope to give them with the season? Chris Hollier: I would say almost as a reaction to everything going on the world last year, while we made this, that we saw a lot of stories of people trying to divide people. We were drawn to ideas about how you’re tested to do that and how you still come together. So, these are stories about how there are always people and always ideas that will try to divide us, but a real hero, really good people stand up and find a way to still bond with others in that time.

Are there any memorable moments that when you look back on filming the season now that you’re preparing for the premiere, that really stick out to you as a nice memory from the experience? Chris Hollier: There’s a nice memory where there was a moment in the middle of the season, around episode seven, where a lot of our characters on the show were all in one space together and that’s something that doesn’t happen. That’s also something because of COVID, we started off this season like we can’t really even do that. So, there was a moment where we’re all standing outside and we were gonna blow something up, everyone was there and there was a great energy that we were doing it safely, together.

Is there a favorite dynamic that you enjoy creating and seeing come to life on screen? Chris Hollier: Let me answer it this way, for this season, we looked at characters on our show that never had scenes together and we found ways to put people together in ways that we never have. We looked around like Max and Alex have never had scenes together. So, we found ways to put them together. Rosa and Michael have never had scenes together, so we found ways to put them together. That was most fun and it added a level of joy to all these actors who started to realize like, “Oh my god, I love this person off screen. I get to act with them now!” So, it gets everyone invested.

Lastly, is there an episode that you are most excited for fans to see? Chris Hollier: I think that episode eight is a highlight for me, it’s a Maria heavy episode. It’s an episode that a third of it takes place in people’s minds. I think that’ll be fun. I’m excited for where we’re going near the end with some of the crazy places that the show ended up in that I promise fans won’t see come episode one. We really just pushed what we could possibly do and how to get there; we continually, especially, I’d say the last half, wrote ourselves into corners that we couldn’t see the way out of, when we did that episode. So, I think that’ll be challenging for the audience to have to come back like, “How do they get out of this?”

[ordinaryschmuck]

Top 10 Favorite Fictional Couples

Happy Valentines Day, people on the internet who probably won't read this! I'm an Ordinary Schmuck. I write stories and reviews and draw comics and cartoons. And even though I'm a lonely bastard who will absolutely die alone one day, I am also a sucker for romance. If a story decides to include a cute couple in it, then you better believe I'm going to gush over them for an unhealthy amount of time for a man my age. Even more so if they answer the three most essential questions that I think applies to every romantic couple in fiction:

Why do they like each other? (Looks don't count. It can be an option, but it shouldn't be the only option.)

Would it make sense for them to be together? (Like, if this couple would exist in real life, would you expect them to last.)

Do they have chemistry? (This is the most important one as a couple can dominate just by the chemistry alone.)

So today, I am going to rank my top ten favorite couples in fiction, who just so happen to answer most, if not all, of these questions. Now, I could be cute and make a top fourteen list...but not too long ago, I just listed off the twenty best-animated series of the 2010s, so I think it's best if I stick to the basics. Also, I should make a few things clear:

A. These are couples, not ships. The pairing has to have a canon kiss, or at the very least, a canon confession to be on the list. This means sorry, Lumity fans, but Luz and Amity are not going to be on this list...even though they would absolutely be #1 if they could be!

B. The couple has to at least spend an entire episode being together, which means no last-minute hookups because the writers wanted to drag out the romantic tension. (Sorry, Catradora fans)

With that out of the way, let's get started with--

10. Laura Hollis and Carmilla Kernstien from Carmilla (Web Series)

The chemistry between these two is on point. Laura’s and Carmilla's actors Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis are so convincing when acting like a couple that I am honestly shocked to find out they never actually dated. This is good because everything else about Laura and Carmilla's relationship is...kind of the worst. Don't get me wrong, as a couple, these two are fantastic, adorable, well-written, and well-performed. But the writers seem very fond of keeping them bickering and broken up rather than actually having them together. And that is where the issue lies. If the writers committed to Laura and Carmilla being together instead of doing this whole "will they or won't they" crap, on top of them being selfish idiots in season two, then you better believe they would be in the top three, at least. As they are, they at least act adorable enough to make the top ten.

9. Gregg and Angus from Night in the Woods

Ok, I'm gonna level with you: I just wanted to put an mlm relationship on this list, and this was the best I can come up with (I haven't seen Good Omens, nor have I finished Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts yet to see Benson's relationship with Troy. Leave me alone). As a male bisexual, I'm kind of disappointed. I know that male pairings exist in media, but for the life of me, I don't think they are as celebrated as much, or as frequent, as female pairings have been. This is sad because I would honestly love to see how more couples like Gregg and Angus.

These two act so much like a real couple. Gregg and Angus care and support each other so much, yet they still have big arguments as any couple would. They clearly love each other but still have issues they both need to deal with if they want to grow. Plus, I'm just a sucker for opposites attract. And you can't get more opposite than the loud and bombastic Gregg and his quiet and serious boyfriend Angus. There are probably better mlm pairings than these two (And if there are, then let me know. I'd love to check them out), but Gregg and Angus prove that any relationship, no matter the gender, can be the same as any other. Both the wholesomeness and the faults.

8. Peter Parker and Michelle Jones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

I put these two a little low because we barely see them spend time as a couple. Peter and Michelle got together at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, and we only get a glimpse of how their relationship works in the last few minutes. However, I'm willing to argue that they count because they are guaranteed to be a couple in the sequels, and we'll be allowed to see them grow. How often do you get to say that for other fictional couples who get together at the end of a long story? Plus, Peter and Michelle earn extra bonus points for being the best couple in a Spider-Man movie. Michelle is a league's better character than the MJ in the Sam Rami trilogy, and the chemistry is still adorable but not overtly cutesy like it was in The Amazing Spider-Man movies. So even though Peter and Michelle just got together, they show a lot of promise, if you ask me. Their interactions are adorable, you can tell that Michelle likes Peter for Peter, and they are the most accurate depictions of young love you’ll ever see. Just look at that first kiss. It was one filled with inexperience and awkwardness and I just love it! I’m already interested in what these two have to offer and I can’t wait to see what happens next with them.

7. Andy Dwyer and April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation

The best description you'll ever hear about this couple is that they are what happens when a dog and a cat fall in love. Andy is dopey, happy, and loyal to no end. April is intimidating, cynical, and is already plotting your murder as we speak. What I'm saying is that these two shouldn't work...but they do. Somehow, by every leap of logic, Andy and April complete each other. They are both so far gone from reality, yet at the same time, both keep each other grounded in more ways than one. It's a weird paradox that never ceases to amaze, nor does it cease to be adorable. They do go through bullcrap love triangles and a "will they or won't they scenario" in seasons two and three, but once that crap is over, the writers lean into the potential these two have as a great couple. And trust me when I say that it is all lovely to watch.

6. Rapunzel and Eugene from Tangled: The Series

Huh. I guess romance really does exist after Happily Ever After.

Joking aside, I was surprised by how well these two work as a pairing. Usually, when the Disney Prince and Princess get together in the end, there is nothing more to the relationship. And even if their movie gets a spin-off series, the dynamic is as generic and forgettable as it can be. For Rapunzel and Eugene, it is different. Their chemistry is top-notch, their constant love and support for each other are admirable/adorable, and the complete trust they have for one another is absolute perfection. I was already surprised by how good Tangled: The Series was, but the fact that the main couple is somehow better here than they were in their own movie is something I would have never expected.

5. Rigby and Eileen from Regular Show

And seeing how we're talking about surprises, who saw these two being the best couple in the series? With the number of times that the writers focussed on Mordecai's romantic hang-ups and how often Muscle Man and Starla were considered the only canon couple, I was shocked when it turned out Rigby and Eileen have the best loving relationship in Regular Show. Even crazier, their relationship is built entirely in the background of the first six seasons. Since her introduction, Eileen has been head over heels for Rigby since the beginning (for reasons I'll never understand), and Rigby slowly reciprocated. Until the big reveal in the season six finale, there was nothing but implications as they were trying to hide their relationship and not rub how perfect it is in Mordecai's face (no matter how much Rigby wants to). But once we get to see them as an official couple, it all becomes clear why they work so well. Eileen loves Rigby for Rigby, and will always support him, faults and all. Rigby pays it all back in spades, wanting to be a better person, as well as a better boyfriend, for the one person who always believes there was something good inside. Not even his own best friend had that much faith in him. And on top of all of that, they're just cute. They may not have been the central hook in the series, but they are definitely much appreciated.

4. Chris and Elise from Dan Vs./Millie and Moxxie from Helluva Boss

These four are tied because they pretty much have the same dynamic. Chris and Moxxie are these pathetic losers who somehow managed to marry Elise and Millie: Badass assassins who could effortlessly marry any man they want. And what they want are their pathetic losers. It's extra wholesome for Chris and Elise, as Chris really can't do that much right, especially in comparison to the ever-perfect Elise. Yet, she still cares deeply for Chris and will promptly destroy anyone or anything that causes him harm. That being said, while Millie and Moxxie are both equally deadly, there is an odd hilarity to the fact that these literal demons from hell are so gosh darn wholesome. Seriously, their literal job is to kill people who screw over those who went to hell, and I'm always going "D'aww" when M and M always do something cute. Explain that logic to me!

There's nothing more I can say about these four, as they're adorable couples that prove love comes in the most impossible circumstances and the unlikeliest places.

3. Ruby and Sapphire from Steven Universe

I'll always remember that Ruby and Sapphire are the first couple that proved to me that there is nothing wrong with a same-sex pairing, especially in children's media. Before Steven Universe, I wasn't necessarily told that same-sex couples are wrong, but they're not meant for kids. Then I found out that these two girls, on a kids show of all places, we're madly in love and my first response was: "...Huh." And this was before I knew I was bisexual, so I wasn't even that obsessed about it at the time. But the more I saw Ruby and Sapphire, and the more I learned about how starved the LGBTQ+ was for representation, the more I really appreciated them. Ruby and Sapphire never fail to be precious, and the fact that they barely spend any longer than a few minutes apart is downright heartwarming (and incredibly literal if you've seen the show). They also broke a ton of barriers to proper representation. Not only were Ruby and Sapphire one of the first explicit lesbian couples in children's animation, but they're also the first ones to actually get married. Because of such a power move, many networks and shows make it less of a challenge for writers to include more gay characters in their stories. There is still a lot of hard work that those writers face, but it certainly seems it's less of a challenge than it would be before Steven Universe came out (Ha!). Ruby and Saphire are the first fictional gay couple I have been introduced to and have made an incredible impression ever since.

2. Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum and Marcelene Abadeer from Adventure Time

But while it's Ruby and Sapphire that introduced me to the concept of a same-sex couple, it's Princess Bubblegum and Marceline that made me root for one. In (I want to say) 2017, I started rewatching Adventure Time, knowing that queer relationships were indeed a thing. This means that not only did I finally caught the INCREDIBLY noticeable subtext in "What Was Missing," but I was legitimately chanting, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" when I got to the episode "Varmints." And when they finally did kiss in the series finale, I full-on jumped out of my chair and screamed, "YES!" That never happens. Not even for the straight couples that I've obsessed over before this. Either I coo at how adorable they are, or just smile a warm and gentle smile. But letting out a very audible cheer that my college roommates definitely heard? That shows how deeply I cared for these two. And can you really blame me?

Not only is the chemistry on point with Bubblegum and Marceline, but it's interesting getting to see their relationship evolve through the course of the series. They have a dynamic of a couple who broke up on bad terms (long before "Obsidian" confirmed this), and you slowly get to see them reconnect to that spark they lost long ago. Plus, the more you see them interact, the more of their history is revealed, and thus it becomes clear why they fell for each other in the first place. Bubblegum keeps Marceline responsible, while Marceline helps Bubblegum learn how to loosen up. They balance each other nicely, and after some much needed growing up from the both of them, that spark returns. And they're much more of a loving unit than they were years ago. It's incredible to watch, and I would honestly see an entire spin-off series about them. But, as great as Bubblegum and Marceline are, there is a reason they are not my number one.

(There’s no art for this one because they’re characters from a book and I don’t want to steal someone else’s fanart for the sake of my crappy Tumblr post)

1. Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus

And that reason is that I can't resist the first-ever pairing that I obsessed over. Percy and Annabeth might just be the example I live by for how couples should be written in media. Dynamic wise, of course. In terms of telling a story, their relationship was handled poorly in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. It was filled with agonizing love-triangles, a very long wait, and they were one of those couples who didn't get together until the end of the series. Which is a major no-no, in my opinion. But, when they finally get to be a couple in Heroes of Olympus, it is downright perfection. Percy and Annabeth are what happens if these two badass warrior heroes fell in love. They worry about each other and are willing to die for each other (if need be) but still have an intense amount of faith and trust for one another. The number of times Percy or Annabeth knew they would be alright because they have each other is incredibly high, no matter what series of books they appear in. They work well together, as well as off each other. Percy is this bumbling idiot who wins his battles through a mix of luck and skill, where Annabeth is this intelligent warrior who has trained since the age of seven. They compliment each other perfectly, and their constant playful bickering is always fun. I love these two, I love their love, and they will always be one of my favorite fictional couples in media.

(That is until Luz and Amity from The Owl House become cannon. In which case, you better believe they'll be number one.)

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And those are my favorite couples. Out of curiosity, what are yours? Or, at least, what are your top five? Don't feel afraid to let me know or even make a list of your own.

Have a happy Valentine's Day, with whoever you want to celebrate it with and however you want to do it.

Now, if you don't excuse me, I have an entire to-do list of s**t I have to do, and I gotta figure out which to work on first.

(Should I review Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles next, or do that scene breakdown for Amphibia? Oh, the possibilities are killing me...)

[somestansomewhere]

Debbie Gallagher: ALL Love Interests RANKED

Okay! I tried to rank all of Debs’ love interests and it was hard to do because I am not set on that ONE PERSON that I ship her with above all else, but these are my thoughts! Keep in mind that these are all MY OPINIONS and you are entitled to yours as well! Let’s talk about it! If you read all this ILY.

Here we go:

...................................

23. The Guy At The Pool (Season 5)

He thought Debs was special needs and she tried to flirt with him...

22. Kelly (Season 9-10)

I LOVE Kelly so much but she was not into Debbie! I really love her with Carl and Debbie should not have tried to interfere! I will however say that I really really REALLY enjoy their friendship and I wish that that would have continued on. They had some really good moments together.

20/21. Eugene (Season 6) & Board Game Guy (Season 7)

Alright so these two don’t technically count because Frank tried to set Debbie up with Eugene so that she’d be written into his will. And the Board Game Guy was from a deleted scene as one of Debbie’s “life partners” from that flyer she made. So enough said.

18/19. Tyler (Season 6) & Erika (Season 6)

Again, Frank attempted to set Debbie up with Tyler and while that “potential relationship” wasn’t as bad as what happened between her and Erika, I am grouping them together because Debbie wasn’t technically into either of them and it was set up to fail right from the start.

17. Larry (Season 6)

The pregnancy fetish guy! I’m not quite sure what the intentions were for this character in the long run but it was a funny joke in the episode he was in. Even in the beginning Larry gave off red flags, but Debbie was happy... until the truth was revealed. Weird.

16. Jared (Season 11)

Another irrelevant love interest: the gay guy that cheated on his husband with Debbie after giving her cocaine. Obvious issues with this encounter/plot line aside, I did feel that their interactions at the bar were flirtatious and I didn’t hate him.

15. Calista (Season 11)

ANOTHER irrelevant character that was used and never brought back!!! I didn’t totally hate her either, she was upfront about her ex-girlfriend and that whole situation. She helped Debbie and didn’t take advantage of her but the second she came on screen; I’m sorry but I did not give a fuck. Her last episode built up a potential friend/relationship opportunity for Debbie and they just did nothing with it. Idfk what else to say, not a fan but I did appreciate Calista trying to take care of Debbie when she clearly was drinking too much.

14. Sandy (Season 10-11)

Oh boy, everyone’s favorite partner of Debbie’s... Yeah, Sandy is so low on this list not necessarily because I didn’t like her for Debbie, or that I have beef with Elise (b/c I love her as an actor sm). I personally just hate the sheer fact that this character EXISTS in the first place. I never understood the hype, but I know that people only like her because she’s a Milkovich ie. related to Mickey. That’s the hard truth this fandom isn’t willing to admit. My disliking Sandy should be a post of its own but lemme get into her relationship with Debbie.

You could tell that Emma and Elise liked working together so the chemistry was sorta there (definitely not soulmate shit tho). Each time that they interacted in s10 I was over it. S11 was better in the sense that whether I would like to admit it or not, they did have some “cute moments” (mainly just Sandy calling Debbie babe/babes). The second shit hit the fan in regards to Sandy’s history, I immediately understood Debbie’s issue with her and why her character would not want to be with Sandy. But, with that being said, Debbie was also in the wrong because she made everything about herself throughout the entire course of this relationship! Sandy did call her out, ex: “who was supposed to take Franny to school?”, and things like that were nice. HOWEVER I am sorry to say, this relationship felt like a massive waste of time and it felt like they were trying to force something that shouldn’t have existed to begin with. I don’t have the patience to even analyze this anymore, but maybe down the line because clearly there is SO MUCH to delve into!

13. Alex (Season 9)

Omg I did not like this relationship/plotline at all. Alex had issues but Debbie was so inconsiderate! I never saw the appeal here! It was nice that Alex had the decency to go and help Debs with Ford after the fact. I just feel “meh” about this tho. They had moments but ultimately I personally wasn’t into it and Debbie’s random newfound self discovery of “lesbianism”.

12. Kyle (Season 3)

Emma Kenney’s first kiss! Kyle was a one episode character that did have the potential to be more than that. I didn’t hate the kid as Debbie’s love interest, but there also wasn’t anything special about him. He was just kinda there and then he left. Debbie really seemed to like him though, spelling his name in her peas, etc.. I do like that one line about cigarettes that Kyle had but again he was such a short lived character and when he turned out not to be related to Kevin it became unnecessary to keep him around... even if the episode alluded to him returning. They were sorta cute!

11. Claudia (Season 10)

So I didn’t like this relationship much either but there was a certain kind of stability in the relationship that felt organic and nice. Partly because I enjoyed watching Constance Zimmer and she made Claudia likeable. Do I ship it? No. Was it a problematic dynamic? Yes. Was it a tolerable relationship? Eh. I didn’t hate it entirely though. Debbie, being a Gallagher, eventually fucked it up. And while I did like the drama, Debbie wasn’t REALLY into Claudia as much as she may have believed she was. So, it totally felt like a one off that would end with Claudia not returning... and it was. So there was no time for an investment of any kind.

10. Hedi (Season 11)

Gosh... Debbie’s endgame(?). Hedi was introduced too late for me to care enough about her (At this point it would have made sense for Debbie to wind up with Calista because at least she was already introduced!). I don’t necessarily like Hedi as a character and quite frankly it was a “who tf does SHE think she is” kinda deal for me. At first I was interested and didn’t hate her (and I don’t), but then she “thought she was Jimmy” and I instantly got annoyed (LOL I GUESS it was a nice nod to him tho... I guess).

My (several) problems with Hedi as a character aside, there IS something about Hedi being presented as this “dangerous badass” who is (somehow) WORSE than Debbie, that worked well. I’m not a fan of the ship, but it is an interesting dynamic in the sense that Debbie could potentially be “living on the edge”. I fear for what trouble this could cause Debbie BUT it’s like Frank referenced: Monica vibes. I don’t think it’s “true love” like Debbie said to Franny. A constant storyline for Debbie has been “why can’t anyone ever love me” and so she falls in quickly. Maybe Hedi will leave her but that’s the thing, “she’s done worse” so idk, either way I don’t think it’s meant to last! But I guess I don’t mind them being together! Karma’s a bitch! Will Carl tell her what Arthur found? Would it even make a difference?

9. Julia (Season 10)

I would have actually rather preferred her with Carl too! It was never love between Debbie and Julia, but the relationship did create good conflict for my viewing pleasure. UNPOPULAR OPINION, I didn’t mind Julia as a character at all. She was fine for me. I also enjoyed how ultimately SHE was only using Debbie in the end. Julia does admit later on that she was experiencing with her sexuality so maybe she did have feelings for Debbie at one point, which I thought was interesting. Debbie got herself into this one. At least Julia was more age appropriate than Claudia... (which is ironic since Debbie got in trouble for being with Julia when the age gap is MUCH bigger between Claudia and Debbie LOL I love it)! I also found Julia annoying Debbie to be amusing, that’s not to say that I liked her a lot either cuz I don’t!

8. Matty (Season 4-5)

Man do I feel bad for Matty! Debbie raped him and it was horrible. From the get-go when Matty was introduced the relationship was hella awkward!! And not only that but Debbie was a MINOR! Matty did do the right thing and said they couldn’t be together but a part of me will always feel strange that he WAS INITIALLY attracted to Debbie before learning her age. That to me is still wildly inappropriate. He shoulda cut it off. He did try to be her friend and took her to that dance which was cute but ahhh this was just a MESS all around. Cringe. At least he didn’t take advantage.

7. Henry (Season 4)

Speaking of Matty and that dance, Henry was supposed to take her. He asked her as a joke in order for Seama to inflict revenge on Debbie. If that weren’t the case however... DAMN THEY WERE CUTE! The potential that this relationship could have had! If only it wasn’t all an act! It was a “day worth of love” and sure that’s not enough for two people to REALLY be IT, yet there was something charming about their connection that I wish was real. Or idk maybe Henry could have reconnected with her later and apologized and it could have been revealed that he did actually like her... but that wasn’t the case. Fuck him!

6. Simon (Season 1-2)

Debbie was NOT interested in Simon at all but at the time he was almost like the male version of her. Their banter back and forth was fun to watch and he probably would have treated her well. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to even see their friendship progress. Their interactions were funny and he was a good guy!

5. Batiste (Season 10)

Y’all may not understand why this guy is so high on the list but a part of me wishes this character wasn’t a one off. Batiste is the dude Debbie tried to return her “unused” shoes to. If you can recall, he wanted a blowjob to take advantage of her. While this was a dick move (and the plot went nowhere) a part of me would have liked to see more! He did have an arc where he acted like an ass and realized that it is wrong to degrade women. I just think it could have been built upon and Emma may have had chemistry with this actor. There was something here that I didn’t hate and I felt it could have been expanded upon.

4. Little Hank (Season 2-3)

Debbie’s first real crush! It was interesting to see how he didn’t like her at first and then a “friendship/relationship” slowly started to develop after he gave her flowers. IT JUST NEVER CONTINUED! Little Hank was in no way the most upstanding, but it was cool to see Carl have a friend that Debbie crushed on (when she was little she wasn’t intentionally taking something away from Carl ie. Kelly, so I support it). Their interactions were fun to watch too! The fandom definitely has a soft spot for Little Hank! And at one point everyone was rooting for them to be together. Too bad we never discovered what ended up happening to this character!

3. Neil (Season 7-8)

The bathtub scene tho! Adorable! There was a short moment within this relationship that was super cute where the two of them really did seem to care about each other and may have both been in love. It goes without saying that Debbie was only using him, but they did have SOME potential and they found a common ground where they each benefited each other’s needs. Debbie once again was TOO controlling and self absorbed to make it work, but I don’t think she was entirely happy in a relationship with him. He deserved more respect!

2. Derek (Season 5-8)

Baby Daddy! I really did enjoy them together until Debbie took advance of him and Franny came into the picture, but at the same time that’s one of the reasons that Derek, as a character, has a deeper connection to Debbie and the audience. I always enjoyed their flirting back and forth and the relationship they had (the deleted scene with the card/push up game ahh my heart)! Debbie really did mess up due to her desperation to “belong to a family”, which is another one of her consistent character traits. She just went too far and tried to trap him. Then shit got messed up between their families. Derek did eventually ask for parcial custody and did have a desire to be a part of Franny’s life. Debbie said no and that plot line died until s10. Pepa!! Ahh! RIP to Derek, it was sad to me that he died. Definitely a character and relationship that I wish was incorporated more because I truly enjoyed them together.

1. Duran (Season 8)

Besties with benefits! Stop! Nobody talks about my guy Duran! Sure they both said that this relationship was of a sexual nature and that they were just a couple of friends but damn! The chemistry and dynamic was palpable! It is truly a shame that we didn’t get to see more of this friendship! They were on common ground and really did care about each other! I don’t know why but I really just LOVED them together! Duran was also in her friend group with Farhad and that was a group that seemed to have a positive impact on Debbie as a person. S8 Debbie was cool! These two complemented each other so nicely! Duran wasn’t by any means the best influence on her because he almost lead Debbie down a “Monica path” but come on, Hedi is worse in that department. He was getting his life together like Debbie was with her profession. Just think of the hair convos Duran and Tami could have had Lol. Idk, I just like Debbie with him a lot! It was healthy to an extent and he was supportive of Debs with Franny.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

1/2 Okay, Will is queer-coded or queer period. We know that he will have a huge role in season 4. He will probably discover himself in this season. I know you ship byler, they got a healthy relationship, they have (height differences) but... since I very much love Will and is probably one of my favorite characters. And since is probably gay. I would not really like him being with Mike. I would prefer that he finds someone new. I don't really like the idea of him ending up with Mike.

2/2 It's not that I hate or dislike Mike and I've noticed the differences between Mileven : Season 1&2: Genuine and true love Season 3: Awkward and...( very cringe ) But I don't really like the dynamic of Byler. Even if they have nothing wrong AT ALL. They could acknowledge their feelings for each other. But I just prefer the friendship they have. And I agree El needs fresh air but I also believe Will needs someone else, something new, something different than Mike.

First off, height difference really means nothing to me. I never quite understood why the fandom fawned over that. It sounds like an attempt to make gay relationships analogous to straight relationships through physical characteristics usually attributed to gender. The height difference was probably due to the age difference between the actors, for the most part, but now they’ll both be more or less finished growing. 

To get to the meat and potatoes of your post, there wouldn’t be much of a reason to put Will with anyone else. It would waste a lot of buildup. Now, I wouldn’t be totally shocked to have them tease a love interest for Will. TV writers just love to do stuff like that. Ultimately, they’ve built up Mike and Will’s relationship as being the deepest, most sincere on the show. If that were to go nowhere, then I would wonder what it was all for. I’m personally curious as to why you are so opposed to their relationship developing further considering how natural it could be.

Honestly, in my experience, fans who oppose Mike and Will getting together are either 1) Mileven fans or 2) people who just hate Mike. You seem to have anticipated this, and you’ve claimed that neither is the case. You posted this Ask without any apparent malice, so I’ll take you at your word and simply ask what you have against Mike and Will being romantically linked. You’re entitled to your opinion, of course, and you’re welcome to interpret the information given by the show in the way that makes the most sense to you. I’m afraid I simply disagree. I support Byler because I see evidence of it, not the other way around.

I do want to address your characterization of Mike and El’s relationship in Seasons 1 & 2. Now, I’m not going to say that 12-13 year olds can’t meet and, over time, fall in love, but this didn’t happen with Mike and El. He knew her for a few days in 1983, she disappeared for a year with Mike assuming she was dead, then she came back in 1984. There’s no chance for love there. A crush or puppy love, sure, and they care for each other, yes, but it’s not “true love. ”The awkwardness and “cringe” (as you put it) of Season 3 comes 7-8 months after they get together (if we assume they were together during Mike’s school year). It’s what their relationship grew into while they weren’t worrying about monsters or bad men.

In contrast, everything we still between Mike and Will is built on 8-9 years of friendship. Yes, their dynamic gets impacted by trauma, but, unlike every other romantic or would-be romantic relationship on the show, it’s not formed around the trauma. Yes, Will could stand to expand his horizons since moving away in the 80s made keeping relationships extremely difficult, but he didn’t have the same dependent and possessive attitude toward Mike that El did. 

I admit, I’m a real sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope. To me, there’s nothing more beautiful than a relationship built on an emotional closeness growing into something more. Still, I need it to make sense. I don’t support relationships, especially to the extent of writing long blog posts, just because they “look cute.” Mike and Will really just seem like they’re holding back and hiding feelings whenever they have scenes together. We’ll ultimately see what happens. Just because it all makes sense to me, it doesn’t necessarily mean the Duffers intended it. It’s going to be quite a wait, so I thank you for keeping me busy.

[favoriteliar-archive]

ur such a hypocrite lol

if this is referring to me liking the idea of julie/reggie idk why that makes me a hypocrite. because i also like the idea of juke in the same way???

my problem with romantic juke is in the physical show. i literally feel sick seeing charlie and madi having to be romantic with each other because of their obvious age gap. all i see is an adult making eyes at a child

thats why i want juke to be platonic. and thats why i want rulie to be platonic. i dont want to see madi have to have romantic chemistry with an adult. it makes me uncomfortable. id rather have julie/nick or julie/flynn be explored because it makes me feel more comfortable since theyre all around the same age

but heres the thing. i absolutely LOVE julie/luke/reggie and julie/luke/reggie/alex (alex and julie being queer platonic ofc). but thats because i can explore it in fic dynamic because lets be real, theres no way any polyam relationship would happen in the show. it makes me feel more comfortable to consume the ships in fics/art because they arent necessarily the actors in that way. with the show, all i see are the actors

to me, madi and charlie's real life relationship carries over into the way they act. and since they have both said that theyre like brother and sister, thats they way their on screen chemistry reads to me. same with jer and madi. juke and rulie in the show have such amazing chemistry, but it reads like a sibling dynamic to me

charlie and madi's strongest scenes together are the ones where they arent necessarily romantic (i say necessarily because people make them romantic anyway lmao). their scene together in the kitchen in ep 2? thats so amazing!! or when they perform in bright or the whole ep of 3?? i live for it! the way she teases him in the hallway is hilarious too. or after the orpheum! their hug makes me so happy!!

the thing is, if the show suddenly for some reason switched to romantic rulie, id have the exact same problem that i do with physical romantic juke. my problem isnt with the dynamic, its the fact that madison is a minor and the boys are not. they are adults. and its extremely uncomfortable for me to have to see a minor and adult be in a romantic relationship, even if in the show, the boys are technically only a year or two older than julie

also guess what? people are allowed to like/dislike ships for any reason. literally no one owes you an explanation for why they might not like a ship. i could dislike juke just because i dont vibe with them. some people dont like peterpatter because they dont see chemistry, and thats valid. im not going to yell at them just because they dont like the same ship i like. its so easy to just avoid people who dont share the same opinion as you if you care that much. block people, blacklist content/tags, exclude things from your searches. so block me if you think im a hypocrite

[spockandawe]

I just found out about Word of Honor, and I enjoy watching it. Glad found your blog...I see that you already finished the novel, can I ask about the characterization of wen kexing, zhou zishu and scorpion king (my 3 fav characters) between the novel and drama? I know there must be a bit of change (for adaptaions), but is it the change really big between book and drama? Which one that you prefer?

So! This is a really interesting question. I just finished gluing together a bunch of books, so forgive me if I’m really loopy, but this whole thing fascinates me right now and I was thinking about it all while I was playing with glue, so let me answer it and queue it up for a reasonable hour.

The easy one is the scorpion king. He is completely different between novel and show, as in that he’s a whole nother character. In the book, there’s no xie’er, just some mercenary dude. I do definitely favor the show here, because I’m a sucker for a beautiful alarmingly murder-happy boy who is being exploited via his emotional needs, and like, that boy is gorgeous. In the book, that character does not exist. What we have as the scorpion king is some dude with a hell of a voyeurism kink and a gambling addiction. He leads a group of mercenaries and gets involved in similar aspects of the plot, but there’s no emotional entanglement between him and the rest of the story. 

Now, I don’t dislike him, Zhou Zishu (and Wen Kexing) show up to crash his place, looking for information, and he’s like cool cool cool, so, let’s make this interesting, why don’t we gamble on it? If you win, you get info, and if I win, you two put on a sexy show for me (wen kexing is like oh no we could never but i mean if you INSIST--), and then the contest is to see who can... eat more needles. But he’s ultimately a much flatter character than Xie’er is, and he doesn’t come packaged with piles of daddy issues, so I’m way more into the show version.

Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing... I want to say that characterization is very consistent between the show and the book, and the main differences stem from the different constraints of the two mediums. Like, the easy one is that in the show, they have to hold back on the gay romance. In the book, Wen Kexing is very up front about his sexual/romantic interest from the start, and Zhou Zishu knows it. There’s also no shixiong/shidi dynamic. In both stories, Zhou Zishu is used to keeping people at arm’s length and has a thin face, and gradually softens up with Wen Kexing as the story progresses. In the show, you get a sharp boost to intimacy when the shixiong/shidi reveal happens, but in the book, he unfurls more slowly over time. 

There’s a while where he basically allows Wen Kexing to take liberties, without either pushing him away or reciprocating, and I’m not all the way through the show yet, but I don’t think there’s a stiff, awkward, uncertain period like that in there (and it’s resolved when he asks Wen Kexing how sincere he is about Wanting him, and they almost have sex before weird scorpion man interrupts them, so I have no idea if the show will even try to adapt that scene)

And like happened when I first watched The Untamed, I’m frequently awed by how much a good actor can add to a story through body language and microexpressions that a book just can’t capture, and it’s an especially lovely story element for a plot where so much revolves around that central relationship. I can’t necessarily differentiate between book characterization and show characterization when it comes to this, because they’ve just fused into a seamless whole in my head, but I really am a huge proponent of consuming both forms of media for this exact reason. They don’t clash, and each enhances the other.

OH, the other thing I made note of while I was working. I can’t confirm, because i’m still mid-show, but I’m almost positive that the nature of Wen Kexing’s damage is a notable point of difference (to me, at least?) between the two plots. In both, he had parents, who (I assume) died horribly, with him finding their bodies very directly, leaving him traumatized and alone at a young age. In the book, he was just alone until he took in Gu Xiang (when they were both terribly young)

“I was a child too, and stumbled many times over the course of raising her. I burnt her mouth the first time I fed her congee— For Ah-Xiang to survive until now, it wasn’t easy on me, but in truth... it wasn’t easy on her too.”

Now, I’m not super sure how the show will do this exactly, but no matter how his parents die, even if he finds them like he did in the book (very gruesome, so i kinda doubt the show will go there too explicitly), he still had a shifu and a shixiong somewhere out there, and the gifsets I’ve seen tell me that he cherishes that memory, even if he thinks that he’s stained/corrupted/etc and would only be a disappointment to them. I’m pretty positive I’m in fanon territory here, unless the show gives me some conversations I’m not really expecting, but I think it is a notable change to go from ‘everyone in the world who ever loved me is dead’ to ‘my parents are dead, and even if my shifu and shixiong would hate me now, they loved me once.’ It informs... the nature of how he becomes emotionally dependent on Zhou Zishu and vice versa. Adding that relationship changes a lot of subtle things about how they relate to the world and each other, and I’m not mad about it, it’s just Different (and i narrowly prefer the book).

So! For the scorpion king, the character has been remade entirely, and the novel one is fun enough, but the show version is an incomparable DELIGHT. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing have pretty consistent characterization, I think, but the different plots mean that slightly different parts of their personalities are revealed. I think both the actors put a ton of work into trying to be faithful to the original characters while they were acting, and it shows. I narrowly prefer the book, but that’s more about plot than the characters themselves. My recommended way to read the book is with at least some clips/gifs of the major characters in action, which is what I did for both mdzs and tyk, and it’s working out for me REAL well so far. So I definitely recommend it! It was a book I enjoyed a whole lot.