#sorry i should never have rewatched this show all i do is have unpopular opinions about it Tbh .

[lesbiten]

as someone who isnt like. huge on d3stiel. i will say it is interesting going through and seeing all the 'big d3stiel' moments in context and some of them are very 'yeah, i get that' and othes are '...you have to purposely take this extremely far out of context and then spin it around in a circle to interpret it the way you did'

[itookyoudown]

For the character ask game will you do the whole Lexington team?

i accept this challenge 😈

let's do this speedrun style.

LEXINGTON LAWMEN LET'S GO

Art

How I feel about this character: he's ... all right! i think he's perfect for his role in the show and he's got some nice little details (the hearing aids, his relationship with leslie & family, etc) and he has some great lines. S2's Blaze of Glory is FASCINATING for him and is my favorite Art episode ... that ending with Frank!! dksjfks both sad and funny and wow what an entirely human true neutral way to approach the outlaw VS lawman cat and mouse dynamic 10/10 no notes. we also get some interesting glimpses at his inner darkness + capacity for violence in him that's ... hm now that's very interesting (that time he smacked Boyd with the bible, the interrogation with the phonebook, him decking Raylan, etc) but i think overall he falls too much in line with the "Police Chief" character archetype. since Justified is a western masquerading as a police show, Art should have felt more like a sheriff but he didn't. Raylan was the sheriff of the show. though as Justified always does with their characters they gave Art a lot more personality and layers than LEO shows usually give their big boss characters. i also LOVE that Art's hope and trust in Raylan is FOREVER dashed and is never repaired during the show, such a great twist on what usually happens with the chief and their cowboy subordinate.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: ...well...i wouldn't call it "romantic" but i think we deserve at least one fucked up gross Art/Tim dead dove daddy issues smut fic, as a treat (for me) 🤡

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Art & Raylan. his odd almost-surrogate father/son dynamic where he literally disowns Raylan during the show is goddamn great and i never tire of it on rewatches of the show. i really wish we'd see it explored more in fic.

My unpopular opinion about this character: i don't think there's enough opinions on Art for anything said about his character to be unpopular, but ... i think Art had one gay experience when he was younger like @praycambrian's Art and stanley tucci fic is just canon to me.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: more Art & Tim interaction!! remember when Tim gets mouthy and bratty and Art verbally lays into him with a DON'T BE A SMART ASS??!! yeah i needed to have more of Tim toe-ing the chain of command and Art putting him back behind the line, please.

Rachel

How I feel about this character: she's cool! i like Rachel, but i don't love Rachel. she's just too prim and professional and filling the role of The Lawful Good Lawman to spark any fandom brainworms in me. she has my respect though. i still adored her place within the show, however. badass lady black marshal that's good at her fucking job and doesn't backdown in the face of assholes!! get it. the ways she was able to clap back on racist bullshit without the writers falling down a preachy rabbit hole for her was also chef's kiss.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Rachel/OMC and Rachel/Raylan as a treat (for her). sorry lesbian or bi Rachel truthers, that's a straight woman. in my head, after Rachel becomes the Seattle marshal she begins seeing a black man who works some sort of legal practice job with a divorce under his belt as well. they eventually married and live as Dog Parents Ever After 😌

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Rachel & Nick. loved her relationship with her nephew, she's done right by him and stepped up for her family i think Nick is going to be okay, i really think he's going to end up happy and Rachel structure & support is a big part of that.

My unpopular opinion about this character: the best Rachel fic(s) in existence is connect the dots by larkingstock. i don't care that it's Rachel/Tim fic btw once upon a time i read all the Tim fics that existed on the internet and that's how i discovered this brilliant Rachel-centric fic. never read a fic that shines such a spotlight on her sexuality, her emotions, and her wishes before while givng her a real narrative voice. also, the writing quality and style is romance novel level. 10/10 no notes.

not a fan of the Rachel & Tim bestie agenda. respectfully, they are work colleagues at best but i prefer Rachel filling a former mentor & then a boss role to Tim. he calls her ma'am with a little too much respect for them to be true pals.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: what the fuck happened with her divorce!! hello?? we only had a QUICK PEEK into Rachel's tragic & chaotic family life (dad dead from cancer, troubled sister dead, co-raising her nephew with her mother??!!) and i desperately wish we'd gotten a follow-up on what was going on there. our gal had hidden depths and i wanted to see more. they dropped the ball with the lawmen side of the plots in season 5/6 so we were also denied a deeper look at Rachel being the acting chief RIP :(

Tim

How I feel about this character: i'm not normal about this dude :) he's my blorbo my fan favorite my ascended supported character my baby boy my lil man timmy guts slutterson my gay ranger sniper deputy marshal lawman heart of my heart apple of my eye!! i just think he's neat. everything we see about him in canon spurs a hundred and zillion headcanons in my head, can never stop thinking about him. he's a character i project hard on and i love working out my various personal issues by tormenting him with them. ty for your service 'lil mister.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: everything he's my little black dress of the fandom. givenson, mostly. but also boyd/raylan/tim, boyd/tim, colt/tim, boyd/colt/tim, quarles/tim. i even ship him in things that has no tag yet. where is the wynn duffy/tim fic?! i need dan/raylan/tim in miami fic!!

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Tim & Mark. i liked the canon portrayal for them and don't find it romantic or sexual at all. i really do think they were just war buddy pals.

My unpopular opinion about this character: he would not have been out as a gay man circa 2010. i sometimes ... feel ... his service history & career as a LEO isn't factored into fic characterizations and how that's gonna fuck up his ability to accept himself as a gay man and how that might even give him a hostile relationship with the LGBT community at large. i will never i cannot personally vibe with smoothing down the sharp points of Tim's characterization and history to make him more palatable to a younger audience. i don't care for queernorm-ing and the soft boy aesthetics.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: that they spent SO MUCH time setting up his powder-keg arc and then did a whole bunch of nothing with it. we should have seen him BLOW sky high (and should have seen him blowing other men who said that).

Raylan

How I feel about this character: i'm normal about him (lying through my teeth). i love raylan, okay?? he makes me bonkers in a variety of different ways. he's my comfort character!! thinking about him comforts me.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: givenson, mainly. i also ship him with boyd in a very very VERY selective way AKA it has to be toxic and weird and dom4dom. also love putting him with both Boyd and Tim at once ala Crowgivenson. i also wrote the only Dan/Raylan fic but also took it down a while back, still ship them hardcore though only way to explain why Dan is so fucking fond of Raylan.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Raylan & Loretta. no she is NOT his daughter and those are not a parent/child dynamic. Raylan sees HIMSELF in Loretta, he is being the protective supportive adult to her that HE needed as a child. helping her heals his inner wounded child. Loretta is a mirror to a younger Raylan with a twist of female trauma. it's a funhouse mirror into his past.

My unpopular opinion about this character: he's a daddy dom sorry to the haters but that's what he is in my heart. me and the other justies into that are gonna keep being happy about it in our corner of the fictional sandbox 🖤

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: don't like the becoming a dad plotline, sorry. his romance with winona was eye-roll more to me and when they had winona get pregnant i put my face in my palms and groaned. wish it hadn't happened and they had given him a juicy career focus instead. the only saving grace to the whole dad thing is how both Justified and JCP stayed true to Raylan's character and portrayed him as being a crappy father.

(give me a character ask meme)

[noneedtoamputate]

Hello! For the BoB ask game! I hope you’re having a wonderful day!

2. Is there a character you liked/disliked at first, but then changed opinion on throughout the show?

3. When did you first watch the show?

4. If you could pick three characters to be on your zombie apocalypse team, who would they be and why?

6. If you had to pick only one episode as your favourite, which one would it be?

7. What’s your favourite quote from the show?

8. How did you find out about the show?

9. Is there a character you think is very underrated or that you think people should show more love to? Who and why?

10. Would you ever do the same thing the boys did if you got the chance? Why/why not?

11. What’s your favourite location from the show?

12. What do you think your army nickname would be if you were in it?

14. How many pairs of socks would you bring to Bastogne? [Because, as they say, socks are important!]

17. Did the 101st Airborne need saving in Bastogne?

18. If you had to be named after one of the boys, who would it be and why?

19. What song [beside the original scores] do you connect the most with the show?

20. If you have a(ny) ship(s) when it comes to the show, which one(s) is your absolute favourite?

Sorry there’s so many lol but like I tell everyone, I’m super curious! Have fun answering these (if you’d like)!

Whew, let me see if I can answer all of these!

Hmm, I think when I first watched the show, I didn't like Speirs. I was 20, and I saw the world in black or white and I didn't fully understand the positions the men were in (and I understand that I still don't, since I have never been in combat.) He's since become one of my favorite characters.

3. I first watched the show when it came out in 2021. My family are huge history buffs (my dad and my brother are social studies teachers, and I ended up majoring in history for my undergraduate degree.) I've seen lots of war movies, been to battle sites, etc., so I was very excited to see the miniseries.

4. This is a tough one. I would pick Shifty because I would need a sniper. I would pick Spiers because I would need someone fearless who accepts he is already dead. Finally, I think I would pick Lip, because he's a great solider, and great leader, and he would also keep my morale and focus up.

5. I would pick Speirs. I wouldn't want to commit any war crimes, but I would love to experience the fearlessness he exudes on screen.

6. The Breaking Point kills me every time I watch it. You get the sense of comradery and loss all in one.

7. "What's a guy gotta do to die around here?" - Joe Toye. But during this recent rewatch, I've really connected with Skip Muck. I love when Don asks him where he's been, and Skip answers, "Well, Don, I was at home in Tonawanda, but then Hitler started this whole thing, so now I'm here." Skip's sarcastic sense of humor is very similar to my own.

8. I think I just heard about it from all the promos at the time of its release.

9. Chuck Grant

10. I would love to go skydiving one day, but I don't have an interest in being in the military or in combat.

11. I love the scenes at Camp Toccoa and The Eagle's Nest.

12. Maybe Jack (part of my previous last name) or Bookie (I would be the one with a book during break time.)

14. ALL THE SOCKS. My feel are always freezing! I would leave the cigarettes and trade for them with all the socks I brought.

15. Okay, so this may be unpopular. They didn't NEED saving, but it sure was nice Patton's boys showed up when they did, right? I don't need my husband to make me coffee in the morning either, but I'm not going to turn that down.

18. I think maybe Johnny Martin, so it be almost impossible to find my on social media sites.

19, My current WIP is called Everything Beautiful Thing, a line from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel. The song has a quality that I am striving for in the story.

20. I am open to all ships, but i think one underrated one is Harry and Kitty, and I would love to see more fiction featuring them. The man carried his spare chute and stole Hitler's silverware for her!

[dreamycloud]

For the ask game pls -

Troy Tempest 🐟🐟

Thanks for the ask, @teapotteringabout!

First Impression:

I liked Troy right away when I first started Stingray. Stingray was actually my first Gerry Anderson show, so I have a lot of love for him. He was just… so charming and gregarious and brave and just threw himself into the action. I also loved that he was this traditional, straight-laced hero character.

Impression Now:

Upon finishing the series and rewatching the episodes multiple times, I’ve come to see Troy’s character flaws and depth and loving him for it all. The more you watch, the easier it is to see his “perfect hero” persona peel back to a very real, nuanced character underneath. He’s got problems, he has weaknesses, and he does the very best he can in every situation. He’s just really neat.

Favorite Moment:

Jealous Troy makes me very happy, so I loved seeing him pick a fight with Captain Jordan in “The Man From the Navy” (seriously, one of my top favorite Stingray episodes). It’s easy to think of Troy as this perfect hero until you see him measured against Captain Jordan. I think that’s where I started realizing that Gerry and Sylvia really poured a lot of love and attention into making him a fleshed-out character. The way Troy defends WASP and bristles at the implication that Atlanta could be charmed by the Navy just gets me every time.

Idea for a Story:

I do have plans to write Stingray fics in the future. I just can’t write out of order or work on multiple stories at the same time. It’s my curse lol. But I defiantly want to write at least one Troy/Atlanta fic. I love them and they deserve more attention.

Unpopular Opinion:

The initial love triangle in Stingray doesn’t bother me. I’m generally not a big fan of love triangles at all, so this should have made me cringe. But upon rewatch, I realized that it’s not the typical formula. Troy is fascinated by Marina, yes, and who wouldn’t be, considering she’s this gorgeous, mysterious mermaid? He’s swept away by the momentum she brings when she joins WASP. But once the dust settles, he falls easily back into his steady relationship with Atlanta. He MAY have needed a push from Phones to do that in “Treasure Down Below,” but it did set him straight and solidified Phones/Marina. But yeah, I don’t blame Troy at all for his initial feelings. I would have fallen for Marina too.

Favorite Relationship:

Troy/Atlanta is my favorite! My gosh, these two are so cute. I admit that upon my first watch of Stingray, I was so focused on Marina that I didn’t pay too close attention to them. I’m sorry! But my gosh there are so many wonderful moments built into the series that show how wonderful Troy and Atlanta are, and how sweet they are to each other. I mean, the way Troy calls Atlanta “honey” in those quiet moments just gets me. And Atlanta is just so smart and savvy and I respect and admire her for holding such an important job at WASP while also taking care of her grouchy father haha. I love seeing close parental relationships like that, and it always feels like a treat when we get glimpses of Atlanta and Shore (I know I’m off topic, so let me also add that it makes me laugh whenever in those scenes I spot a random photograph of Troy in their home—what does Shore feel about that? LOL). Anyway, I love that with Troy/Atlanta, you also get Shore included. They feel like this comfortable cozy unit and it’s so nice to see—not something you see a lot of these days, at any rate.

Favorite Headcanon:

I fully believe that Troy is terrible at learning languages. He never is able to understand Marina beyond the yes or no tapping. And when he and Phones pretend to be Aquaphibians, he’s the one who blows the air bubbles in the glass of water while Phones does the voice and words. SO. Yeah. I really love that little flaw.

[taleofblossoms]

Ok I watched 3 episodes of fate, actually scratch that I watched 2 full episodes and like 10 minutes of the 3rd one....I...I just couldn't anymore. It made me sleepy and bored. No joke my eyes were basically closed. I tried really really hard not to compare it to Winx but it turns out it's just plain boring on it's own. The characters are bland the dialogues so effortless and the plot just straight pointless. I didn't care for one single character. I mean Aisha had potential since she seemed like the only one with braincells but she had literally side character with no depth besides being supportive written on her forehead. Nothing new for a poc/woc portrayal. I just couldn't.

The white Musa literally has no facial expressions. at all. ever. nothing but a dead face. nothing. She smiled once and that was the most forced smile I have ever seen. I think from all the main girls she is the one I cared the least about. I am done mentioning her.

Bloom is so so so annoying. Warning unpopular opinion coming through: More annoying than in the cartoon. (I recently rewatched winx and my love for bloom died on those rewatching days. It will take too long to explain) I can't feel sad for her because her pity party seems so forced. I just can't. I mean I am sorry you have shitty earth parents i guess? Vanessa and Mike would have never treated you like that.

I can't get myself to like Terra. I simply don't care. I just don't. And I say this as a big girl who knows the struggle. The Ups and Downs but I just couldn't bond with Terra.

Watching Stella's new personality was just the saddest little thing. It was so stupid it made me laugh. Stella is a diva we know it and we loved it. But she was never a bitch. She is supposed to be the princess of light and the actual Stella was the definition of a sunshine but this Stella? This had to be a joke. The fucking love triangle is the biggest joke. Her crawling after a man? pahahaha Her crawling after SKY? HAHHAHAHAHHAHA. WHO THE FUCK CAME UP WITH THAT BULLSHIT.

Maybe it's because I can't get over them white-washing two of the main girls, KILLING TECNA, only having TWO. TWO!!!!!!!! people of color as a cast out of 10? 12? And I am not just saying this because of winx but it's weird to only see white people on a show that's apparently set in the 21st. century (they use insta). As a winx adaption fate the winx saga is just disrespectful and rude and should be sued and on it's own it's just boring with not relatable characters, stupid cliches that are outdated and an uninteresting plot. Maybe it gets better after ep 3 (I doubt that) but my disappointment is too big to continue this show. I've read that others quite enjoyed it as it's own so that's good I guess. Sorry for this long rant i had to but tbh I even had more to say but that would have turned into a whole book.

P.S.: Oh before I forget. Dear Netflix, pls do us all a favor and just never ever, and I can not stretch this enough, try a remake or a live action version of an animated show or film ever again. I still haven't forgiving you for what you've done to Death Note. Will you never learn?

Sincerely, a concerned human being who is done with this kind of bullshit.

[gaybarbiegirl]

00s Barbie Rewatch - The Nutcracker (2001)

Starting off with a banger here

The soundtrack of this movie is so pretty

Am I the only one who finds those baby fairies weird? I don't know, they give me unconfortable vibes

I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but I LOVE the storyteller Barbie sequences, and I think it's a shame they didn't keep them up for all of the movies

Seriously, why did they shift to that weird "Barbie is an actress" thing when this felt so much sweeter and more personal, and worked so much better?

Aunt Drosselmeyer's and Clara's relationship >>>>>>

Clara really saw a rat in full body armor sitting on her couch and her reaction was "shoo, shoo"

Oof defeated by a shoe

Ok but what's the story behind that owl? Was she also a human transformed by the Rat King, but instead of trying to turn back she just chills as a clock all day?

HOW does the owl know this much? I need a prequel movie about her, please

The snow fairies' dance sequence looks so gorgeous, just take the baby fairy out of there and it's gonna be perfect

Also, why doesn't the baby fairy have blue skin and hair like the others? And why is she just as tall and twice as wide as the adult fairies?

I'm gonna complain about these baby fairies for the whole movie, I'm sorry

I think flowers should grow out of my footsteps when I walk too. I think I deserve it

Ah yes, the mandatory annoying children arrive

Captain Candy defending Eric and asking about what happened to him 🥺

I love how Clara is smart and realizes the Nutcracker is Eric right away

Also love how the movie realizes that the audience isn't dumb and probably picked this up by now, so instead of making the main twist about Eric they make it about Clara

Mentally I'm here

Oh no, another baby fairy

At least her color scheme sort of matches the adult fairies, but her proportions are even worse than the last one's

THE FLOWER FAIRIES HAVE A CRUSH ON CLARA, I REPEAT, THE FLOWER FAIRIES HAVE A CRUSH ON CLARA

I wanna dance with flower fairies...

This whole movie is just me wishing I was Clara

Clara really gives great pep talks

The Rat king doesn't do much other than mumbling vague threats to himself in his throne room, does he?

Captain Candy defending Eric again without even knowing it 🥺

THAT BABY FAIRY IS GIGANTIC, I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, IT'S MAKING ME SO UNCONFORTABLE

Why did these rat guards trust a random human girl they've never seen before?

Look at Clara being smart again, good for her

I like how Clara is the one who gives the prince the true love's kiss that saves him, not the other way around

That being said, I liked Eric better as a nutcracker. Seeing him as a human now just feels weird

Clara's transformation, on the other hand, is a 10/10

Captain Candy telling the crowd to cheer for Eric 🥺

YESSS THE DANCES

I'M DYING IS THIS OLD GUY OK?

Wait, wait, wait, this movie actually has a kiss!! Like, on screen!!

How did Eric travel across worlds so fast without the scepter?

Ok but how does this story correlate to learning new dance steps? Like, Clara fought against evil rats in a magical world and found out she was a princess, so I should rehearse my coreography more? What?

Final thoughts:

Mattel REALLY came through with this first movie, and showed they weren't gonna be messing around with this whole 'Barbie movie' thing. I think this movie pretty much embodies some of the best qualities of the Barbie movies: we have a beautiful soundtrack, an enchanting magical world that you genuinely want to explore, a whimsical feel to the whole adventure, a brave, clever, and kind protagonist who takes the lead and saves herself, and a really nice message for the kids watching.

There were some things I didn't like about the movie, of course, like the annoying and unnecessary kids, some adventure sequences that felt like filler and didn't really add a lot to the story, and the baby fairies from hell. But overall, I think this movie was a great way to start the Barbie movie franchise, and I really enjoyed rewatching it.

[ijustdontlikepeople]

for the salty asks: based on a quick look at your tags, think i'm also a fan of most things you are, so pls answer these with any fandom in mind 😌

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

11. Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

16. If you could change anything in the show, what would you change? (i'll suggest teen wolf bc there's a lot to choose from lmao but really any show is fine)

23. Unpopular character you love?

+ any other one you wanna answer 💫😚

I just saw this! Sorry if it’s been a few days!

5. I don’t think fandom itself has ever ruined a ship for me. Writers definitely have but I can’t think of a fandom that’s done it on its own.

11. I like Lizzie Saltzman and Caroline Forbes from tvd! They were pretty unpopular at the beginning of their respective shows but I think they’ve gained some traction! People disliked them because they were both kind of bitchy from a place of insecurity. Caroline put on fake niceness, and Lizzie was outwardly hostile. I felt for Caroline from the get go. And watching lizzie struggle with her mental health, i kind of understood her. Her issues didn’t excuse her actions but it explained them. Plus, they were always funny and interesting.

On Teen Wolf, I love Cora. I don’t think people dislike her but I think she’s underrated.

I thought Octavia was always interesting and she had some really spikes and valleys in her popularity in The 100. She did terrible things when leading the bunker, but I read a very interesting opinion piece on the level of accountability placed on her vs Abby and Kane. I don’t think she did the right thing, but I still enjoyed watching her character. I always liked Gabriel in the 100 too. He was so interesting. I think people disliked him bc all of season 6 was so jarringly different from the rest of the 100. And bc he he created the whatever chip things. But he was smart, cute, and deeply sad so you know I’m interested.

16. Things I would change about Teen Wolf? Wow there’s so much to choose from! First, I’d pretty much leave canon up to season 4. Kira never goes to the skinwalkers and remains main cast. Sterek is canon (down the road, like Stiles Junior year of college maybe? Make up for all the queerbaiting) Emotionally, I want Erica and Boyd back, but plot wise their deaths made sense so instead I’ll settle for them actually remembered and Isaac not fucking off to France. Actual Hale Pack! True Alpha Scott is great but my heart lives with Derek Hale and he’s lost so much he should get to have his pack with his found family. Oh! Cora’s here too! Jackson as Peter’s son! Maybe we make a few new additions to the pack Liam still gets bit, dragging Mason in too.

Plot line maybe involving the recognition of Deaton as untrustworthy! Also Spark!Stiles supremacy!!! They dropped in that he had magic and then forgot about it! So let’s say, coming off the nogistune possession Stiles starts getting powers; the possession awakened his dormant magic. Stiles starts learning magic from Deaton but he does research on his own. He figures out Deaton isn’t telling him everything. Something to this tune. Maybe a big evil too. Vampires? Lydia dates vampire?

Let me add in here a few small critiques of 2 other shows too.

The 100: season 6 and 7 do not happen. Bellarke ends up together raising Madi. Earth is hospitable. Memori and Marper have kids. Dealing with harsh climates since the nuclear explosion and internal issues. (Might sound boring but I think I would have liked it better lol)

TVD: Damon doesn’t do anything to Caroline in season 1, because I rewatched season 1 recently and it ruins his entire character for me. Give Bonnie some happiness that lasts. Many other things.

23. So I’ve kind of answered this with 11. But I’ll add, some people really dislike Clarke Griffin and I love her. She has done many terrible things but as a character she is so good to watch. (I’m ignoring season 7 bc it doesn’t exist in my head). I loved Jackson on The Originals too. (I feel like I don’t have a great idea of people the fandom dislikes or are unpopular).

Thank u so much for asking!! I hope these answers are fun! ♥️😄

[chrissyslittleartwork]

Heads up, this is MY personal opinion. I'm sorry if one of your favorite Disney princess is not in the place you feel like they should be. But again, these are my personal ranking of where I feel each Disney Princess lies. Let's go down the list... 1) Belle: Out of all the Disney Princesses and their moves in general, Belle is by far my top favorite. And Beauty and the Beast is my top favorite in the Disney Princess movies. It was my childhood. I loved it so much and I loved how strong Belle was. She is certainly my idol and I will always love her. (Not going to mention that stupid live action one. Ugh...) 2) Tiana: Princess and the Frog comes in second for my favorite movies and Tiana is awesome. I also like how she is focused on trying to achieve her goals but in the end, she learns that it's also good to embrace the little things. Otherwise, you will miss it. This is a really good lesson to learn. 3) Rapunzel: Rapunzel reminds me of myself when I was younger. Creative and also naive. She will always be in the top three for me. I really do love Tangled. It's a fun adventure and the songs are great. 4) Mulan: Rewatching Mulan has made me love her even more. I can understand why people enjoy the movie so much and I do too. Mulan is a great role model. She isn't perfect but that's fine. And it's not also because she's Asian like me. (Again...gonna ignore the horrible live action remake.) 5) Pocahontas: Okay unpopular opinion, but, I really love Pocahontas. Both the first and second. I guess I can see why people didn't like the movies in general, but for me, it's like with the Don Bluth Anastasia. I like historical fiction. And I feel both did great with these two. I love Pocahontas's spirit and how she fights for her people. I do think the one drawback I have is John Smith. It really boggles my mind people prefer him over John Rolfe when Smith is still a freaking racist sexist guy who only liked Pochontas for her pretty face and wanted to change her. Rolfe loved her for her who she is. Yeah, Rolfe all the way for me! 6) Kida: Ah yes, the forgotten queen. Recently I have watched Atlantis the Lost Empire and I really enjoyed it. The characters were great and I also liked the story. Kida is really kickass and able to look it while doing it. So yeah, awesome queen. 7) Moana: I really love Moana. Both her and her movie. Moana is a great character. Love the songs and I love how Disney went all out in doing their research to make such a beautiful movie. And of course, let's not forget The Rock playing Maui. XD 8) Megera: I have always enjoyed the sassy types and Meg is no different. I loved her no nonsense and then turning into a better person in the end. Plus Hercules is one of my favorite movies too. I love the style and I love coming back to rewatch it. The songs are seriously catchy too. 9) Elsa: Elsa is an older sister like me, so I can see where she comes from. I have seen people stating she is a horrible sister in Frozen 2, but honestly, I just don't see that way. Yes she should have told Anna about the voice, but let's be real, she grew up pushing Anna away because she was forced to. She's not used to being so open. And honestly, I know Anna is allowed to worry for her but um...I always felt she was too clingy. Frozen 2 I feel has some major issues, but I will explain that a bit more when I get to Anna. Bottom line, I prefer Elsa and her songs Show Yourself and Let it Go are still my favorites. 10) Esmeralda: In my childhood, I have never seen the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Reason why is that I just never was able to get the movie. But it did look awesome. I remember having a Esmeralda shirt when I was little and it was one of my favorite shirts. She is one of my favorites and I love how she never judged anyone until after she got to know them. 11) Ariel: Okay, we're kinda in the neutral zone right now. While I did enjoy The Little Mermaid for the most part, Ariel wasn't exactly my favorite. But don't get me wrong, I didn't hate her either. I guess I didn't know what to feel for her. Though I do like her singing and her voice actress Jodi Benson. 12) Jasmine: Again, like with The Little Mermaid, while I did enjoy Aladdin, Jasmine is just neutral to me. I do admire her for not wanting to marry just for the sake of it. And having a pet tiger is awesome. But she doesn't really stick out so much for me. So yeah... 13) Aurora: Considering Aurora doesn't have the biggest screen time compared to the other princesses, I seriously can't be too harsh on her. Sleeping Beauty is a nice movie and I love the art in it. But I felt the movie was more about the good fairies than Aurora herself. So it's why she falls in the D category. She didn't have enough screen time to give us a proper characterization. 14) Cinderella: This was kinda tough...Cinderella wasn't exactly my favorite movie. Though the character herself is fine. She doesn't have the most unique personality but I do admire for her staying kind and hopeful despite living with such an abusive family. I also feel bad that most people misinterpret her character who has to be saved all the time. 15) Merida: Ah yes, now to finally tell my real thoughts on Merida. Honest truth, she is really not my favorite. Far from it. If it wasn't for the Big Four fandom, I would have cared less about Merida. Her actions in her movie were...seriously selfish. And I know, she doesn't want to be married, I get that. And I have see her fans act like it's her mother's fault for doing that. But, keep in mind, her mother was doing it because she wanted to keep peace with the clans. Merida's actions almost sent them into an all out war. But I also feel Brave has some major issues. It could have been an awesome movie but it wasn't. It was one of Pixar's weakest and Merida isn't really all that great. 16) Anna: I don't know why, but Anna falls low on this list too. I have never been the biggest fan of her and she did not do herself well in Frozen 2. I know she loves Elsa, but she put herself in danger by running into the fire. Elsa didn't run into it, ANNA DID. And she treated Kristoff not so well either. She was more tolerable in the first because I know she just wanted to reconnect with Elsa. I feel like Disney tried to give Anna way too make quirks that...meh, I don't think I can really put up with her. Again, if it wasn't for me liking the idea of her being the daughter of Jack Frost and Rapunzel, I would care less about Anna. 17) Snow White: I know she's the very first Disney Princess and the fact she is in the first movie ever. But honestly, she's my least favorite due to her being kinda bland and forgettable. Though I did like her interactions with the Dwarfs. All in all, she's meh to me. So there you have it. My real thoughts on the Disney princesses and where they fall under for me. I'm sure people will have different opinions on this and that's fine. For me, this is what I truly think of them.

[dramaticviolincrescendo]

I‘m so glad that you actually enjoyed hos as well. I watched the lifestream and loved it and then i go to twitter and tumblr and everyone is shitting on it? Complaining that we only got so few new scenes? What did they expect? This was just to tide over the pause between 11x04 and 05 snd they do have to film the actual show?! Yeah showing all of 3x06 sucked but i really loved some of the compilations and the new scenes were ao cute and not ooc at all?? People say shit they don’t mean when they’re mad (re Mickey about bipolar). Ian realizing Ned and Kash were garbage would be nice but he hasn’t in 11 seasons so why now? People just got too used to fanon.. we got mutual ily, two kisses and bloopers! I‘m soo happy with it :)

I’m very much in agreement! I specifically did not allow myself to theorize about what would happen because I didn’t want to inadvertently give myself expectations that would set me up for disappointment—and I wasn’t! I’m so with you on this being a sweet little filler story. We got so much!! It was never going to be a heartfelt commentary on Ian’s past sexual abuse because...Ian has never seen it that way. Mickey hasn’t either. It’s so far in their rear-view mirror now, so that may have felt out of place to go that route. And they DID address their coping mechanisms of leaving and committing crimes in a way that was very consistent with them—by not having to talk it out. The flashbacks were what they both thought, and that said more than words with these two.

As for the OOC idea... I mean, I am already of the unpopular opinion that what gets approved by the person who owns the characters can’t be OOC (please don’t come for me, guys), but it felt very much on par with how they responded to being stuck together in prison after a while? Squabbling and picking until they go a bit too far and have to dial it back. I felt they were very clear from the start that the pandemic has been rough on couples and it would color their interactions from the get-go. These are unprecedented times in recent history, and they’re newly married for it. This seemed very in-character for who they’d be under those conditions, perhaps especially with the insensitive remarks. People can be nasty during difficult times no matter how much we love them or they love us.

(And Ian saying that a piece of his heart will always be with the people he’s been with? That’s so Ian. We always say he’s a chameleon who changes, so it makes total sense that the bits of him that he adopts for those relationships will always connect him to them. Heck, as @gallagher-and-milkovich reminded me, emotions are real even if the relationships go, and like it or not, Ian saw those as relationships. Except the random hook-ups, but I got the sense that he was trying to be contrary by that point just to tick Mickey off.)

But sorry to ramble—I just loved the HoS. That scene with them in The Alibi and the gym? Thinking about each other when they could have fallen into old habits? UGH I cannot sing its praises enough.

(Disclaimer: I completely understand why people wouldn’t like it and am not trying to say they should. This is just why I absolutely adored it and may go ahead and rewatch despite the very late hour, so please don’t take offense to my humble opinion!)

[lordbelacqua]

Okay I don’t actually know if this is an unpopular opinion or not but although I love the show overall as an adaptation, I think a lot of opportunities were missed with Serafina Pekkala and the rest of the witches. I just don’t think they’re anywhere near as fully-formed in the show as in the books. I also really don’t understand their costume design? They’re described as incredibly in-tune with nature so I would expect that to be reflected in what they wear but instead, particularly in s2, they’re wearing clothing made of unnatural fibers and patterns that don’t make any sense at all in terms of storytelling or revealing character. And while I get that even a miniseries doesn’t have enough time to cover everything in a series of novels, I feel like they really stripped Serafina down to almost nothing; I don’t like that it takes until season 2 for her to officially meet Lyra, and while I get that they were trying to give Ruta Skadi more of an arc, it seems weird that they’ve completely erased Serafina from the whole “Marisa tortures a witch” plot. It’ll be interesting to see if they include Amber Spyglass Serafina’s hatred of Mrs Coulter in season 3; I think it’ll be harder to justify if they do because of how they moved things around. Anyway sorry for rambling lol love your blog, hope you’re staying healthy and safe

Send me your (unpopular) HDM opinions or anything else you’d like.

Well first of all, thank you for this amazing response, I love it so much. And thank you for the kind words, I hope you are staying healthy and safe, as well!

My answer will be under the cut because I talk too much. I’m going to try and number your points so that this doesn’t turn into a mess.

(1) I think a lot of opportunities were missed with Serafina Pekkala and the rest of the witches. I just don’t think they’re anywhere near as fully-formed in the show as in the books. — Even though I never really had a larger issue with this because it’s a book to show adaptation, I kind of agree. I don’t think we saw the witches as much as we should have, especially Serafina and her contribution to the entire story, since my overall impression was that I missed her in both seasons (more s1 than s2). I haven’t rewatched S1 in a long time but aside from her very emotional scene with Farder Coram, I think all her scenes strip down to that one line “She is a special child with the prophecy”. I might need to rewatch S1 to refresh my memory, though. As for other witches, I felt like they were just put in for Marisa and the Magisterium to bully them, to be honest. In their defense, I’m glad they didn’t copy+paste the book!witches to show because in my opinion, Mr Pullman has given them some very unsettling characteristics. A lot of their personality revolves around the “If you don’t love, honor and worship me, you’ll pay (die)”. That’s why it’s mentioned that Ruta Skadi killed the tigers of a Tartar tribe that “failed to do her honor” and wears their fangs in her hair, that’s why Juta Kamainen kills John Parry (something they changed, too) whom she “used to love” but had so much resentment for after she found out he was dedicated to another woman in another world. I believe the writers didn’t want them to ultimately seem like villains to the audience even though it meant taking a lot of what’s to them out.

(2) I feel like they really stripped Serafina down to almost nothing; I don’t like that it takes until season 2 for her to officially meet Lyra, and while I get that they were trying to give Ruta Skadi more of an arc, it seems weird that they’ve completely erased Serafina from the whole “Marisa tortures a witch” plot. — As for your Ruta Skadi point, I don’t really have a problem with her having an arc. Ruta Skadi still plays an important(-ish) role in TSK - she finds out about the Æsahættr and its importance to Lord Asriel in the war, she is the first one (?) to go to Lord Asriel and learn about his plans in the war and eventually, she decides about her own and her clan’s involvement in the war. I felt like, and now you point out, because it took so long (until she meets Lyra, I think) for Serafina’s arc to become more than just one line about the prophecy and stalking Lee Scoresby all the time except when he needed her, Ruta’s arc was only more prominent there. Them erasing Serafina from the tortured witch plot is something that out of everything, truly bothers me (the other things don’t really bother me, they are more of an observation). I think her erasure from that storyline is a crime!!! sad because it would give a lot more context to the “broken arrow” scene from TAS, which I love so much and would be sad to see it cut. So if I had a chance to change something about Serafina’s storyline, it would have been this.

(3) I also really don’t understand their costume design? (...) they’re wearing clothing made of unnatural fibers and patterns that don’t make any sense at all in terms of storytelling or revealing character. — I watched the Behind The Scenes of Season One a while ago where Caroline McCall (the costume designer) addressed the change in the witches’ wardrobe. She said the reason they aren’t wearing black silk like they are supposed to is because it would have been a mess to work with on the set and I understand. I also always imagined the witches in the books to be scantily clad so I think their aim was to appropriate them for younger audiences, too, and not have witch titties popping out on the screen. Even though S2 costumes don’t really fit that aesthetic, they still look so sexy grr.

In (my) conclusion, yes, opportunities were missed but I think in a book to show adaptation it’s not overall a huge issue. At least not to me, maybe I’m biased because show!witches are so sexy and bad and smart, but considering everything I said above, it can all be a result of their effort to adapt it for younger people or non-book readers without having to give too much backstory or explanation.

Thank you, again, for this amazing review!! I would like to hear more opinions on this, so don’t hesitate to share.

[jonathanrook]

legally i have to give you intern 2

em you have awoken an ungodly beast inside me so i need to warn everyone that this post is. incomprehensible. but so is mymusic so i guess we're all used to it.

How I feel about this character:

i watched mymusic as it was airing/running/coming out specifically bc i'm a jack stannie, and as a kid melvin was my second favorite character (w scene being in first, obvs) for mostly that reason. he basically hovered around this ranking until my most recent rewatch in the summer of 2020, which was actually spurred by some events in my personal life that vaguely reminded me of scene's season two arc w jeff, and i thought it'd been a funny/nostalgic way to get my mind off things.

(i want to side note here that -- i know you didn't ask, but -- i love jeff. i have since i was a kid. like, obviously not as a person but i think he's honestly the best written character in the series, w indie close in second. idk what it says about the f*nes that their most interesting and well rounded characters are the villains, but i digress. to this day i'm salty that jeff never got added to the theme song and wasn't really included in promotional merch.)

however, in said rewatch, certain things about how he was written started to really get under my skin, and certain moments in particular have really stuck out to me in a negative way. like, for the entirety of season one and a good chunk of season two he's one person, and then he leaves mymusic and we have an entirely different person, but not in a nuanced character building sort of way.

i've said a few of these points before but i'll repeat them here regardless. at the risk of sounding like i've put on a tin-foil hat, it's my sneaking suspicion that scindie was supposed to be endgame, but since fan reception to it was pretty neutral, and scenechart stans were, at the very least, more vocal, changes were made to the intended finale, which is why in the last scene he's basically just. indie. like, if everything about the show was exactly the same but indie was the one who had ended up w scene in the end that would have made so much more sense since a) scene had a crush on indie that he/everyone knew about and b) indie was kind of a dick despite the half-assed attempts at redemption, so both combined make it slightly less weird/out-of-nowhere that he kisses her w/o her consent (since, even though like. implied consent is not real at worst and a fuzzy subject at best but you could argue that scene would want indie to kiss her); and this isn't even taking into consideration that c) melvin is heavily queer-coded in both seasons, with his friendship with nerdcore being, dare i say, homoerotic at times, and his arc about leaving the company and changing his name mirroring nerdcore's almost perfectly (with nerdcore being a character who b*nny [at least] has all but confirmed is actually gay).

i've also been on the fence about melvin's behavior in that final scene making more sense for indie's character being an intentional decision as a way of shoe-horning in a theme about the lasting effects of abuse/cycles of abuse/the corruption of power but i also don't think the f*nes are smart enough for that. however, for the sake of defending my straw theory, i also point to the scene where indie comes to visit the acid factory after melvin told him to shut up, and we see melvin use reggie as a foot-stool, going as far as to say that it feels good to do so (which, in all honesty, i think is a bit that was entirely improvised, since the f*nes were "notorious for never saying cut" [paraphrased from a bts video], but work w me here). he's also given a seltzer mug that perfectly resembles indie's kombucha mug. in these moment melvin is directly emulating the behavior of his previous abuser, purposefully or not, literal moments after being promoted to an equal position of authority, which was totally just included as a joke, but could also be argued is meant to show that he's becoming indie; or, if we acknowledge that the f*nes have no fucking clue what they're doing and were just directing like chickens with their heads cut off, it at least shows that melvin's new position of power is leading him to understand where indie was coming from, which is supported by their conversation in the finale.

the following contains a couple brief mentions of irl sexual assault so if that's something you'd like to avoid skip to the next section!

HOWEVER, that alone isn't what i have a problem with, since i think melvin is completely justified in being a dick to indie (and also reggie enthusiastically consents to being used as an ottoman so good for him i guess). the issue comes completely in how he treats scene in the scenes where the f*nes clearly thought what they were writing was super romantic. like, the fact that the only thing he's got hung on his cubicle wall is a single picture of scene taken from the fucking opening credits (like. how hard would it have been to have. literally any other photo[s] esp since there's an abundance of cute bts pics of the cast in costume that could have been put there) and him scrolling through her twitter at work really creep me out (and at the risk of oversharing the weird, like, social media stalking angle really fucks w me bc that may or may not have been the exact fucking thing i was trying to escape in rewatching mymusic in the first place). also, having him sexually assault scene as a means of comforting her after she had just been sexually assaulted in the same way by someone else was... a choice (which is also, uh, personally familiar).

again, i recognize that demonizing melvin wasn't what the f*nes were trying to do here, and i perhaps seem hypocritical for opening liking jeff, but what makes jeff work is he's intentionally "the bad guy." having melvin do the same things as indie and jeff uncritically only proves further that the f*nes can't write for shit, and ruins his character which had, up until he quit mymusic, been unironically good. like, it's obviously not beneficial that the exact asshole things he does are personally triggering, but the character would still be a mess and i would still dislike him regardless.

i want to say though that jack delivers a surprisingly great performance despite how shoddily his character is constructed and how little experience he has as an actor. like, it's clear he was having a lot of fun on set and i would love to see him in something, like, good; i think he could pull off even like, guest television roles, which is a lot more than can be said for other youtubers.

-----

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

nerdchart should have been canon i'm sorry. i know that close, nonromantic male friendships are valuable, esp between queer men, but also gd wouldn't it have been baller to have a canon interracial mlm ship. like. c'mon. and they could have been such a good friends to lovers story! we already got to see how melvin was the only person nerdcore could really be himself around so it would have been so cool if melvin's self-advocacy arc/flowchart arc had revolved more around nerdcore with a little role-reversal! and then they kiss! like god intended!

also i ship him and indie bc i'm a grubby little gremlin man ohoho. enemies w weird sexual tension? sign me up. not even enemies to lovers i'm not saying this one should have been canon i just love the vibes. do you think melvin and indie ever explored each other's bod-- *gunshot*

-----

My non-romantic OTP for this character:

i wish him and scene had just been bros. god remember in season one when they were just bros that was the life.

alternatively, i wish we'd seen more bonding w him and metal, as a means of reconciling that. uh. moment from season one. along similar lines i would have loved to see him get closer w rayna in a similar way to how she bonded w nerdcore in season two. i think that could have also worked to show how she'd grown between the two seasons.

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My unpopular opinion about this character:

HIM. AND. SCENE. SHOULD. HAVE. JUST. BEEN. BROS. (though i think my general dislike of him is pretty unpopular, lmao).

when the show was coming out i don't think it's unfair to say that scenechart/scenetern 2 was the most popular ship (aside from potentially techstep whatever) but luckily we're all gay and have better taste now. unfortunately i totally fell into this camp and scenechart was even my otp for years (until it was arguably more unfortunately usurped by reddie in 2019) and i didn't even realise that it's a hot mess until, again, the summer of 2020.

when actually watching the show the choices the f*nes made in regards to how the ship actually became canon are so odd and out of place, too? okay, so, on one hand everyone just shipped scenechart bc it was the whitest hettiest ship in the show (esp in season two when idol left) aside from scindie (and we already discussed what's wrong w that). but, on the other hand, lainey and jack clearly also just got along? and i suspect that lainey probably also admired jack's work and was happy to be working with him bc we have so many shots throughout even the first season when the ship wasn't the intended endgame of lainey scene looking really fondly at jack melvin at times when it doesn't make much sense at all, esp since she's smitten w indie? this trend continues into the second season which arguably works but it still seems really out of place for him to be the one to ultimately make the first move on her since it's clear she was the one crushing this whole time and also he's gay! this bitch is gay what the fuck!!

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One thing I wish had happened with this character in canon:

at this point i'm struggling to think of anything i haven't covered yet. oops.

i've talked at length before about how he should have been a woman/lesbian, but the tl;dr is that it would have solved a lot of the queer-coding "problems" that just didn't get resolved in the show. if he'd been a lesbian then not only would the friendship w nerdcore still made sense, but scenechart would have as well (not even mentioning that both of scene's other relationships w men make a lot of sense as comphet anyway).

[magicofthepen]

For the character thingy, romana and leela?? ❤

ROMANA - I’m going to answer for Romana I, since I already did Romana II!

favorite thing about them: so I fell in love with Romana I instantly when I watched The Ribos Operation. I was like “wait no one told me that Romana’s basically a recent graduate who always thrived in school but has now suddenly been thrust into the Real World and is a bit of a mess” and oh my god why is she so relatable, also I love that about her. I love that she doesn’t quite know what she’s doing, and her academic brilliance doesn’t necessarily help in the situations she’s finding herself in, but she keeps trying and learning, so by the end of season 16 she’s much more confident and capable on her own than she was when she started. I just absolutely adore the premise of her character and how she develops during the key to time quest. also her banter skills are so excellent. (….this wasn’t one thing whoops. 😄)

least favorite thing about them: I feel like it’s something about how she’s portrayed in the Gallifrey audios, but I can’t quite articulate what? but I feel like somehow, some of the things I really liked about her on TV (her witty fun banter, her determination even when she’s out of her depth) aren’t represented as much when we get glimpses of Actual Romana I (not Pandora or an alternate universe version). idk if this is even fully true, it’s just….she doesn’t quite have the same vibe as the character I remember from the TV show (but this is also tricky because the Lies scene, the Matrix projection in Lies (which *isn’t* really her technically) and the remains of her consciousness in the body that Pandora’s using are the only times we get Actual Romana I - which isn’t that much time to express all the nuances of her character.)

(continuing to skip the favorite line question because it’s too hard)

brOTP: her and the Doctor!! (like I said in the Romana II ask, I used to ship them more, but lately I’ve been more into a platonic interpretation.) I just as instantly fell for their dynamic in the Ribos Operation - two people with very different personalities who don’t get along but are forced to work together and gradually become friends?? this is exactly the kind of relationship arc that I adore. Their banter and snark is So Good (I was so entertained by their interactions in Ribos Operation that my brain refused to pay attention to anything but their scenes, and I ended up having issues following the plot later oops). And I love their growing respect and care for each other - how they go from being mutually dismissive of each other to valuing each other and being a solid Team and just really genuinely liking each other! their friendship is just Very Good (…..and now I really want to rewatch season 16….I’ve only seen it like one and a half times but I loved it very much….)

OTP: I don’t think I have any ships with Romana I that I would consider an ‘otp’? (the closest would be her and the Doctor since I have sometimes shipped them and I adore their relationship in general)

nOTP: Brax/Romana again….and tbh with Romana I it’s more of an actual nOTP (rather than ‘kinda nOTP, kinda ‘it’s complicated’’) because this is the time frame when she’s actually his student and so my discomfort with student/teacher relationships really rears its head (although there’s still one fic out there that I just think is so well-written.....but it does show the relationship as very unhealthy). 

random headcanon: .....so sorry to continue Sartia posting, but oops the first thing that popped into my head is my new maybe-unrealistic headcanon that Sartia was Romana’s first kiss. in a teenage “I’m curious and want to try this thing and you’re the only person I hang out with, but it doesn’t mean anything....or does it??” way. (.....this is so self-indulgent in such a terrible way rip.)

unpopular opinion: Armageddon Factor is my favorite Key to Time story! (I gather this is an unpopular opinion in Doctor Who Fandom At Large, it doesn’t seem to be liked as much as some of the earlier stories in the season.) technically I’ve only seen it once and it was a couple years ago, but I remember loving it as a Romana story, there were a lot of really interesting character bits for her!

song i associate with them: hmm I don’t really have one? my Romana playlist is specifically for Romana II in Big Finish so....yeah.

favorite picture of them: anything with her Ribos Operation outfit (with the full cloak), it’s iconic and beautiful! on a similar note, I love this Romana I art by @volucris-liga, it’s the first Romana fanart I ever reblogged and it’s so pretty!

more under the cut!

LEELA

favorite thing about them: her resilience and her kindness. Leela goes through so much grief and pain, she has her world upended again and again, she never really finds a place where she belongs. and yet she still keeps choosing to love, choosing to keep fighting for what she believes in, choosing to rebuild again and again. and sometimes it’s really hard and she doesn’t want to go on….but she does, and she finds moments of happiness again. and that strength is really powerful. and no matter how cruel the universe (and other people) are to her, she is still relentlessly kind - she listens, she protects, she wants to help, she cares. 

least favorite thing about them: I mean, the “savage” stereotype that her character references is a racist/anti-indigenous trope (especially the whole dynamic of the Doctor trying to “civilize” her ugh). and I hate that characters keep calling her “savage” (even when they’re the Bad Guys, it’s still bringing up this trope again and again, and it’s even worse when it’s the Good Guys). why are they still doing this.

brOTP: see all characters listed under otp, every relationship that I ship is also an incredibly important friendship in Leela’s life and I love all of them <33 as far as relationships that I see as entirely non-romantic….I really love the version of Leela and Ace’s relationship that exists in my head (and in fandom) - they didn’t get to interact enough in the audios, but I absolutely think they were really close, because of their shared experiences and the ways their personalities mesh. (I feel like I should also say the Doctor here, but tbh I don’t remember her TV stories that well, so I don’t really have a solid memory of what their relationship was like.) and of course, Leela’s parental relationship with Rayo is very important to me!

OTP: once again, ot3 my beloved <33 and Leela/Romana first and foremost (I already rambled about them here, so I’m just going to second everything I said earlier). 

and I also ship Leela/Narvin, although I’m not quite as invested in that pairing? (due to a combination of ‘Romana is my favorite character and so I’m just more interested in her relationships with other characters,’ ‘I joined the fandom when things were pretty much all Leela/Narvin all the time (I say with great respect and affection for the artists and writers putting out amazing content for that ship) so I was motivated to write fic primarily for R/L and N/R to balance out the ot3 content,’ ‘apparently I have a contrary streak with Gallifrey and the more the writers push a romantic interpretation of a relationship, the less interested I am in actually shipping it,’ and ‘I’m not really into Leela/Narvin as a pairing on its own - although I do love a lot of fic that portrays them that way bc it’s just very well-written.’) But just. how they form a grudging alliance for Romana’s sake and then develop genuine respect for each other and then build this really solid foundation of teamwork and fondness and care and really relax and feel comfortable around each other….the way they become ride-or-die for each other and just trust and love each other so much….it’s Very Good!! (And I did love writing scenes with the two of them in Call It Home - I might not focus on them, but I do genuinely love their relationship.) 

And of course Leela/Veega <33….I debated if they even interacted enough in the actual audios for me to consider it an otp, but I love the idea of their relationship and the story of them in my head so much?? going to link to this post because it really captures my feelings about them - they’ve both been through so much grief and pain by the time they meet, they’ve both lost people they love before, so the idea of them choosing to love each other and build something together against the odds is just. very powerful. plus I have a whole playlist for the family they’ve built together, which is a strong indication that I really love this ship. 😊

nOTP: Leela/Andred. last time I answered an ask meme about Leela, I had this complicated response about how I hated Leela/Andred when I watched Invasion of Time (bc it’s so abrupt and arbitrary), and then Louise Jameson’s voice acting Convinced Me To Care because oh she really did love him....alas i am a Leela/Andred detractor at heart, and I have been nudged back to my default state by re-listening….I simply hate how he treats Leela in Gallifrey.

random headcanon: I really like the idea of Leela being more politically involved in her own right after they all return from the Axis. She’s just spent a lot of time leading a group of people who don’t have a voice in the government, fighting for their rights against the established injustices of Gallifreyan society. I don’t think she’d easily slip back into only being Romana’s bodyguard after experiencing more political autonomy on the other Gallifrey. What exactly this looks like in practice I’m not sure about - in my one fic ‘verse, I wrote about her being more directly involved with the Academy as a political liaison and guest tutor, and also advocating to Romana for policies that would benefit those who live outside the city on their home Gallifrey. but there’s probably a lot of options to explore here!

unpopular opinion: hmm I don’t think this is necessarily unpopular but idk and I want to talk about it: even though Leela identifies so strongly as a warrior, a “happy ending” for her would, I think, need to involve getting away from fighting. too often she throws herself into a fight to try to avoid thinking about how much she’s hurting, and it doesn’t work, it doesn’t stop the pain. and in the Time War, she’s tied her identity so strongly to war (it’s inevitable, inescapable, and she will Fight and Defend because that’s all she has left). there’s a difference between “I am a warrior” and “all I am is a warrior,” and Leela’s slid too far into the second one, and she needs to untangle her own identity from war to heal. 

song i associate with them: Freedom by Karmina (it’s a song about going on defiantly in the face of heartbreak -  “Tearing my room apart, I’m starting over” / “Take my pride I can still survive I’ve got my freedom” / “Hunt me down you’ll never find me now that I’ve got my freedom”)

favorite picture of them: the first one that came to mind is this gorgeous art by @laurelhach (which I didn’t realize was based on a picture until I stumbled across the original picture and was like oh my god!! it looks exactly like the art!!)

[obsessedwithfandoms]

Unpopular opinion: I really don’t want Jo Jo to pick Sun Oh over Hye Yeong.

The first time I watched Love Alarm, I was on the fence about the pairing I wanted in the end. Jo Jo and Sun Oh had an instant love connection. Hye Yeong was too shy to even approach Jo Jo until years later and then it was really cute to see him try.

My main issue though that I’ve rediscovered on my rewatch is Hwang Sun Oh. He’s an unhappy handsome rich boy. A dime a dozen in drama land.

The only person Sun Oh has is Hye Yeong. He’s selfish when it comes to him - he wants him to be available whenever he wants him, he wants him to be with him whenever he wants him.

The only reason Sun Oh noticed Jo Jo is because he wanted to know more about the girl Hye Yeong was interested in. And that’s one of the things that bugs me most about their relationship - it started because Hye Yeong liked Jo Jo.

Hye Yeong is Sun Oh’s best friend and yet Sun Oh instantly became interested in the girl his friend liked without a second thought toward his friend. Sun Oh never considered his friend’s feelings before kissing Jo Jo. Sun Oh actively pursued Jo Jo knowing that Hye Yeong liked her.

At first, I thought it was to goad Hye Yeong into admitting it. And I don’t blame Hye Yeong one bit for not doing so - no one should ever have their feelings forced out of them when they’re not ready to share them i.e. what the Love Alarm app does (though technically when you download it, you are giving permission).

But no, Sun Oh is always thinking of himself first. When it was clear that Jo Jo reciprocated his feelings, even without the Love Alarm telling him so, Sun Oh made a concession with Hye Yeong - Jo Jo will pick one of them. But clearly, Sun Oh knew that Hye Yeong didn’t stand a chance. How could he? He had never even spoken to Jo Jo for all the years he went to school with her and even worked in the same restaurant as her. And like everything else between the two of them, Hye Yeong was clearly the underdog. Sun Oh has it all on the surface - wealth, good looks, popularity. Hye Yeong is the son of the maid in Sun Oh’s house for crying out loud. How was that ever meant to be a fair fight?

And the sad part is Hye Yeong actively recognized that and that was one of the two reasons he gave up on Jo Jo initially. The other was because he genuinely wanted Sun Oh and Jo Jo to both be happy. He’s such an innately good character, it hurts to see him pushed aside like this just because he’s not as selfish as Sun Oh.

When Jo Jo breaks up with Sun Oh, his reaction has me in two minds. On one hand, I feel sorry for him that he seemingly lost someone who genuinely cared for him. On the other hand, he behaves like a child who had a toy taken away from him and continues to do so. I can’t help but think - if the pairing was gender reversed, the girl would come off as desperate and annoying. He tries so desperately with the Love Alarm app, shoving it in Jo Jo’s face at every given opportunity, expecting the result to change and throws a tantrum every time it does not. I know he’s more frustrated with himself that he continues to have feelings for someone who seemingly doesn’t care but even years later, Sun Oh is still just as selfish. He knows Hye Yeong still feels the same toward Jo Jo. He has his current girlfriend tied to his little finger even though they both know he doesn’t love her (I will admit she’s technically using him too but I digress). As far as he knows, Jo Jo doesn’t love him. And yet he continues to show up at every opportunity to throw a tantrum about it. Why can’t he just accept it, respect both Jo Jo’s and Hye Young’s feelings and move on?!

Oh, I know. Because he’s a handsome, popular, rich male lead who always gets what he wants.

And I’m so fed up of these characters getting the happy ending instead of the second male lead who respects the female lead and actually wants her happiness whether that is with or without him.

I feel like the second season intends Jo Jo and Sun Oh to be together (although I’ve heard the source material says differently) but I’m hoping it will be better than that.

So please, Love Alarm Season 2, be better.

[dumbdancemomssideblog]

S1E1: The Competition Begins

okie dokie first ever episode of dance moms rewatch starts now :0 i actually remember watching this the very first time it aired on lifetime because i was channel surfing and saw a commercial for it earlier that day. that was the summer between 8th and 9th grade. ah memories... i didnt know what to expect because i did dance when i was a kid but not on a competition team and it was mostly ballet so i was pretty unfamiliar with this whole world. 

anyway lets begin. this is probably gonna be a longer post than what i’ll end up writing for the other episodes in season 1 bc the first episode introduces so much info, just a heads up

Act 1: (aside: yes its insufferable to divide this into “acts” when its really just like “segments separated by commercial breaks” but thats how they’re called in actual tv scripts so im just going with that cuz i cant think of a better/easier way uwu)

god this is so fucking early 2010s lmao

i miss these days where they were just talented nobodies from pittsburgh on a low budget reality tv show that nobody even knew would be successful. and the bad hair and makeup but idk if that was also just a 2011 thing lol

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES GREEN SCREEN INTROS IM DYING

the chalkboard !!!! they werent doing the pyramid on the mirror yet 

(apparently abby never did anything similar to the pyramid thing but the producers made her and it became a whole Thing on the show and thats why the moms were like wtf is this bullshit the first week)

mackenzie looks like a toddler. chloe is so tiny. theyre the 2 who changed the most physically over the course of the show

i remember watching this for the first time being used to ballet lyrical and jazz but never having done or really seen acro/gymnastics in dance choreo and being SO flabbergasted. i was thinking “a chin stand is not dancing what the actual hell” and yknow what? i was right

melissa: “my boyfriend knows how much i spend on dance because he signs the checks...............hermehhemrherrmehermh” (the most awkward laugh omg)

maddie is wearing a fucking bumpit in her hair i cannot

melissa deadass just said out loud “im here for my daughter im not here to make friends” ok everybody mark that one off on your catty women’s reality tv show bingo card!

camera man accidentally getting in the shot filming right in front of the huge wall-mirror.... what is this, amateur hour? i’ll let it slide since its the first day of filming rehearsal but step it up, boys

aw i forgot about maddie getting sick and crying :/ poor kid

melissa saying “i cant stand a chid that’s sick” sounds so edited like the intonation made it seem to me like they just cut her off mid-sentence i love lifetime

oh this was still when they were wearing normal stuff to class/rehearsal like black leotards bc they werent getting sent a trillion crazy 2-piece dancewear outfits for free yet bc they werent famous, man those were the days

Act 2:

[obligatory b-roll footage of downtown pittsburgh] 

the maddie chloe paige trio !!!! this is making me feel so nostalgic

“knees together, paige. you’re bow-legged, you need to fix that”

“you’re tall, you’re skinny, you’re a beautiful girl, you can do better than this. FOCUS” shes like 10 abby what the hell

“people think im tough and i guess i am but i would rather be the one to make your kid cry in the privacy of my studio than at an open-call audition in front of hundreds of people”

okay unpopular opinion alert: i agree with a lot of what abby says about stuff like this but her delivery is flawed, to but it euphemistically, that being said i think the production team of the show and the fame inflating her ego changed all of this somewhere over the course of the second season and its really sad to see :/ i can expand on that thought later tho

aw paige crying bc abby correcting her (but not saying anything personal or out of line, just technique corrections (at based on what we were shown, we dont know everything she said oop)) shes a sensitive kid she never should have been put on this show :( 

paige looks exactly like her mom i didnt realize that before

nia and holly were done so dirty throughout the whole series in terms of the narrative the producers set up about nia being the weakest link :/ 

Act 3:

cathy’s entire involvement in the show from the very beginning was so painfully obviously scripted (or at least heavily staged) 

vivi was also done dirty by the show’s narrative and she was only 6 and they presented her as like the butt of the joke bc her mom’s “character” was crazy and also she wasnt good at dance. i wonder how she feels about the show now that shes a teenager hmm. she really seemed not to give a fuck about dance for better or for worse when she was a kid tho so maybe she doesnt care ?

in what universe would an owner of another competitive dance studio bring her own kid to another studio more than an hour’s drive away, AND be under the impression that she could compete with them in a week, especially when they showed the kids’ and moms’ shocked reaction at the start of the episode to having to learn a dance in a week and compete it? like really what is the point of cathy and vivi being a part of this show im so ????

Act 4: 

THE MINISTER DAWN OUTBURST HOW DID I FORGET ABOUT THIS

this fight is about 50% of what got them a full season 1 and then things took off from there tbh. the other 50% was the electricity dance but thats a point for next episode..... :)

“you’re a minister act like one” “YOU’RE RIGHT I AM A MINISTER! LET’S PLAY THE BIBLE GAME ABBY, WHEN JESUS SAW THINGS THAT WERE WRONG HE WENT AFTER THEM, AND YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO THIS TO MY KID” ma’am i think the wrongs jesus addressed were of slightly more importance than a preteen being told she cant take a dance class if shes violating the studio’s dress code

this is so good bc it wasnt staged afaik and there are regular students all throughout the building just STARING at them like lmao what even is going on, so im pretty sure this is real???

regardless, yeah dont wear socks and a tshirt to an acrobatics class, thats common fucking sense

another cameraman-in-mirror sighting, but its hard to think about angles when filming spontaneous drama like this, so i wont count it against them

“you called me fat” (i remember that being in the episode but thats not on the episode available through lifetime on demand that im watching from my moms tv hmmmmmm) “i told you to close and tuck in your two-piece costume, theres a big difference. HOW CAN YOU REMEMBER THAT BUT YOU CAN’T REMEMBER TO TURN YOUR FEET OUT” uh scream

she really called the police on this woman i cannot handle this. can you imagine being a police officer responding to this call? 

“we have a parent thats out of control. pardon? no shes doesnt have weapons, just her mouth” iconic

im sorry im still not over the hair and makeup. the flat hair with the side bangs. the black pencil eyeliner applied all the way around the eye. why did any of us think this was a look :( why did we do this :(

Act 5:

they went all the way to phoenix to compete 3 numbers, only 2 of which are shown in the episode.

i think this is the only time they ever went to west coast dance explosion because its an actual competition and they wouldnt allow filming after this lol i think they did go to wcde one weekend in addition to a competition where they were filming but it wasnt shown or mentioned at all

abby not wanting brooke and paige to have a french manicure on stage if theyre the only ones in the group with the french tips is perfectly valid idk why it was framed as some crazy micromanaging shit

i also am really not a fan of the whole “high functioning alcoholic wine mom/crazy stage mom” schtick they were pushing for the first few episodes of this show

in retrospect i feel like so many of the quips in this episode were intentionally fucking crazy just to get the audience engaged enough to want to watch more episodes...

“see those girls down there, those girls with the legs? thats who you’re up against, so step it up”

abby warning them that its dangerous for their little party hats to slip when they’re doing aerials and pirouettes and stuff: “what if you were at radio city music hall and they had the ice rink out and you were doing a side aerial and fell 13 stories down and died, huh?” fantastic point abby thank you for saying that to 5 girls ages 8-12 less than 5 minutes before they went on stage. perfect time for a teaching moment like that :)

i forgot how bad the camera work was in the first few episodes for footage of their performances. like they really didnt think the show’s audience would actually want to watch the kids dance, the producers and editors thought we just wanted to see stage mothers yelling at each other lol

also the mic feed over the music of abby talking to herself giving them corrections while watching them dance on stage.... im so glad they quit doing that. i dont remember them doing it like that for any other episode, i hope im right

this choreo is very basic and its a cute dance i guess but its very cringe in some places and for the first episode this is such a forgettable group routine

their scandalized reaction to placing third and the sad piano music is so funny honestly

and maddies reaction in the interview which was almost definitely fed to her by the producers where shes like “i win all the time i dont really know what its like to LOSE i always win or get runner up” so many of maddies lines from season 1 interviews sound so fake and she was probably too naive to know they were getting her to say that stuff so they could paint her as a conceited brat (she was EIGHT)

the trio costume was so ugly im sorry (is it supposed to be like a 50s pinup bathing suit?) (and the headband thing looks so bad) and also the music is bad but they had no real authority over that bc of copyright stuff

chloe’s headpiece coming forward and the ensuing drama was another moment in the episode that really solidified public interest in the show imho.... 

“YOU’RE IN THE BAR HAVING A DRINK AND YOUR KID’S HEADPIECE IS FALLING OFF” “it did not FALL OFF it CAME FORWARD it was FINE!!!”

“mistakes happen, we’re human.” “YOU are. mistakes like that dont happen to me”

and then the “next time on dance moms” with the WILDLY INAPPROPRIATE electricity dance, of course. genuinely that was really smart of the producers in terms of structuring things to generate intrigue lol. and obviously it ended up working....

[whitters23]

I didn't send that ask as a request for an explanation, to me the affair made it clear that even in their 30s, Rory and Logan are unable to properly communicate even when it's absolutely necessary for them to. And I'm sorry, but a guy in his 30s like Logan gets no excuse for 'heartbreak' when he had no trouble breaking Rory's heart in her graduation. Like I said, you can be biased without making up excuses.

Hmmm… well if you are not looking for an explanation of my feelings on the matter, I’m not sure why you’re in my inbox to begin with. I assumed you were wanting to have a discussion. If someone sends me a message and I feel like I have something to add to the conversation, that’s what I’m going to do. If I feel like answering with a knock-knock joke, that’s what I’ll do, whether you requested it or not. I wrote a post on the fact that Logan did not cheat on Rory. You messaged me with the counter argument that even if he didn’t cheat on Rory, he is still a cheater… which I agreed with. He was a cheater in AYITL, nobody can deny that. You also said he had the capability of breaking it off with his fiancé and that he should have stopped treating Rory like a mistress. I agree that he could have but gave you my opinion and reasoning behind why I think it is more complicated than that. I wasn’t trying to excuse their cheating. 

Now to clear some things up, since you went there….

First of all, I’m not biased towards Logan. I am perfectly able to see his many flaws that go along with his attributes. I like to keep an open mind to all characters and view them as real people. Real people are not so cut and dry. There are good and bad parts to them. And I think that’s why Gilmore Girls is so popular even 20 years later. The characters are complicated. For that reason, I dislike very few people on the show… like 3, tops (and they are minor characters). Also, as an empathetic person by nature, I tend to imagine myself in the characters shoes, and therefore even if I don’t agree with their actions I can understand why they might have made certain choices.

Just throwing a shot in the dark, but I’m assuming that you are someone who prefers Jess with Rory. That might not be the case, but often the people that are so vehemently against Logan are the ones that are big Jess fans. You might be surprised to discover that I also love Jess. I think he’s a complex character and I especially love how he bonds with Luke and how that relationship helps form him into a better man. I used to be exclusively a Jess/Rory shipper when I was in high school. It was only once I watched the show all the way through as an adult that my views on their relationship changed, but he will always be a special part of GG for me. My ability to have compassion and empathy for Jess is the same ability that helps me have compassion and empathy for Logan. It’s not being biased. It’s just being open minded.

Whether or not they have good communication skills seems irrelevant to my original post or to my response to your message, but since you brought up... I just want to touch on that for a moment. I agree that in AYITL they were poor. I already discussed my views about fear possibly being the main reason behind this in my response to your last message. However, you said “even in their 30s they are unable to properly communicate”, implying that they have never been able to properly communicate. Here I have to disagree. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I believe in the original show, Logan and Rory actually display strong communication skills. Stronger than we see with most of the other couples in the show, especially all of Lorelai’s relationships. It’s really interesting that you brought this up because it’s something that has been on my mind for a few weeks as I make my way through my most recent rewatch. I think I am going to tackle it as its own post in the future. Honestly, as someone in their 30s, that is now one of the things I appreciate the most about Logan and Rory’s relationship. They certainly aren’t always great at communicating. There are several times I can think of off the top of my head where they could have done better. Often during their biggest communication breakdowns it’s Rory just flat out refusing to address the situation (something she does with Lorelai too), but sometimes it’s Logan, like when he took off to Vegas after his financial blunder. But I appreciate that they try, even when it’s a tough conversation to have.

Heartbreak is not exclusive to young people. People in their 30s are just as capable of experiencing heartbreak as people in their teens, or 50s or 80s. Just because you are 10 years older doesn’t mean you have life figured out either. I think that’s pretty clear with Rory’s story line in AYITL. And ‘he broke her heart at her graduation therefore he has no excuse for his own heart break’ is an odd thought process. I’m not even sure what to say about that. I will say that I don’t think it’s fair to say “he had no problem breaking her heart”. I think it pained him very much to walk away but it was what he felt was the right move at the time. His pride and heart were hurt and I think he took her refusal to mean she didn’t love him as much as he loved her. Same goes for Rory. It pained her to break his heart too, but she did what she felt was right at the time. It breaks my heart too but I can’t fault either of them for the way things ended.

Finally, I find it strange that you keep talking about everything like they are things Logan is doing to Rory, like she is just someone who has things happen to her and is not responsible for making her own choices. They are equal partners in this affair. She made herself a mistress (for a second time) by having a relationship with a soon-to-be married man. She knew what she was doing. She could have ended it at any time by either pulling the plug or telling him she wanted more.  And they were equal partners in doling out the heartbreak at her graduation too. She said no to marrying him. She broke his heart too. He was just as hurt as she was.

[talesfromthenorsesmouth]

@loathsome-aesthete- who requested Cally and Servalan for the character breakdown!

Cally:

How I feel about this character: Deeply positive, and a definite feeling that my love of her has grown with every rewatch: she’s the moral core (of steel) for the crew and I don’t think I appreciated that as much when I first watched B7. When I finally did watch S4, I really missed her, and she was a big part of why that series is my least favourite (along with ALL THE OTHER THINGS)

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Avon, and also Jenna, with Jenna/Cally winning out- I can see the pair of them setting up on their own as smuggler/bodyguard set for the rebels and sneaking important people past the Federation in a neat little spaceship, always winning the day and then kissing

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Vila- there’s not so much of it in the main series, but the Big Finish radio series has quite a few of them on missions together, including one undercover as Fake Married, and I enjoy that a lot, although I don’t see them working romantically at all. The dynamic is similar to Blake and Vila working together, only with, I think, more respect for Vila’s skills than Blake would normally show- Cally can be similarly exasperated by the, well, the very Vila-ness of Vila, (see Shadow, for example), but I think she’s quicker to show she appreciates him too (unclear if this makes sense, sorry)

My unpopular opinion about this character: I never know the popularity of my opinions, so this is more Stuff I Don’t Like, and overlaps with the next point, but:

I wish she’d been more alien- budget/costuming issues meant she couldn’t be, but it’s there to some extent- I think she’s much weirder in Time Squad than in later episodes even in S1- which, yes, could be explained by the fact that she’s acclimitising to the Liberator and the crew, but I wish they’d kept up the weirdness

I wish they’d made more of the death-seeker aspect of her personality, mainly showing her getting over it (to whatever extent that might be possible), but that it will always still be there

I Do Not Like Auron- this is only tangentially related to Cally, but from what we see of it in Children of Auron, it is not what I expected from everything else Cally says- again, it should be more alien, and it was just Boring

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: More telepathy fun and games. The fact that she can transmit thoughts, but can’t receive from other crew members is a useful skill, with clear limitations! They really only use it once, between her and Blake (and I forget the episode, sorry), but that could have been played with a lot more. 

Less possession- oh my God if we could meet a weird space creature that Doesn’t immediately glom on to Cally’s mind that would be neat. Which isn’t to say some of those episodes aren’t great, Sarcophagus is glorious in all it’s bat-shittery, but I could do with Less of those overall

Servalan:

How I feel about this character: I am terrified to even contemplate her perfect countenance. The development of Servalan from an amoral schemer to unholy terror is wonderful (although you could argue it’s not really a development, it’s simply who she’s always been, without the need to disguise it anymore). Look at her makeup in Seek-Locate-Destroy- it’s soft and delicate, her hair is short, but it’s kind of fluffy, she’s a dewy-eyed ingenue, and it’s easy to see how the whole Federation power structure is putty in her delicate hands. Compare to S3- hair is shorter still and it makes her harder, and the makeup is a full frontal attack. She has zero redeeming features and I love it

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Nope. Nada. No one. I don’t trust a word she says about anyone she might have loved, and I won’t believe it. The song ‘She Chameleon’ by Marillion springs to mind. (I maintain Harvest of Kairos has some interesting points, as an episode, but it’s difficult to concentrate on any of that because of Fucking Jervik. NO. BAD WRITER. STOP IT)

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Oh Lord, I really don’t think I have one of these either. Much like the Cheese, she stands alone, and I don’t think she’d have it any other way. 

My unpopular opinion about this character: Again, may or may not be unpopular, but I don’t like any attempts to soften her, such as in Sand. The only one I think fits is Children of Auron, where yes, she would mourn the loss of her potential children- because they are Hers. (arguably, this isn’t an attempt to soften her at all on the writer’s part, but a point of no return for the character to ever be softened. It’s certainly the point where she switches to all black clothing)

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish we’d seen more of her political scheming, not just as it relates to Blake and the rest of them (well yes, and then it wouldn’t be Blake’s 7, I know, but still, I do wish there’d been more of that).