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justkeepwalkingnothinghere · 1 year

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The Owl House: A show that has changed my life in a way nothing else has.

It’s been over a week since the finale aired. Over a week since we’ve had to say goodbye to a show that has more than likely changed animation. Saying goodbye and coming to terms with it has been painful, but I’ve been doing fairly well since the 8th, since the most emotional night of my life in recent memory. The finale has really made me reflect on these last 6 months. The last 6 months since I had watched the first episode, and changed the course of not just my life, but my brain chemistry as well. I have at last found a way to put my thoughts and love for this show into words, and have realized just what this incredible series means to me and what it has done for so, so many people. It makes me feel a certain happiness nothing has ever managed to give me, or at least nothing in a very long time, and I can’t wait to tell you all.

This is the story of my discovery and journey through a series like no other, and just how my life has changed because of it.

The Owl House. I still remember that rainy afternoon in mid-September when I watched my first video about it. I had heard about it before, but hadn’t really been too interested in it. Hard to believe, looking back. But on this fateful afternoon, my YouTube recommended would show me an out of context video, introduce me to a magical adventure, and be my first step on a path that would alter the next 6 months of my life and counting. Not the first time this has happened, and certainly not the last. First one video, then two, then a few animatics and Lumity compilations, and maybe one or two videos of Luz being the biggest bi disaster ever. All of them being from season 1, of course. No spoilers for me, thank you, YT. The seeds of my obsession and hyperfixation were planted that day and already began to grow.

A few days go by, I watch the first episode and start dying from laughter from the first 30 seconds, and when I went in only for Lumity, I quickly knew I was going to experience so much more than that. A week later, I finally put my foot down and made my mom and I watch the first 6 episodes one day after school, and we never watched a single new episode without each other. We spend time with season 1, already on our way through a magical realm full of possibilities, we blow through season 2 with unbridled amazement, we cautiously watch Thanks to Them, the newest episode at the time, knowing it was the beginning of the end. We had already been through so much, and we were about to see much more.

I hop onto the fandom, excited to interact with fellow fans who are just as dedicated to this show than I am, excite to see all the fanart and the fics, the theories and the memes, the comedic mayhem that is fueled by a burning passion and love for a series, for a wide cast of characters, for a world so so special to most. I spend time on the subreddit, I join Tumblr and make some pals, and my love for The Owl House grows and grows and grows, bigger and bigger and bigger without restraint. I find my favorite characters, my favorite ships, my favorite episodes. Raine rises through my list of characters and lands their spot as favorite and the one I go to for comfort, right alongside Luz. Raeda and Lumity tie for the spot of my OTP, I slowly start shipping Gustholomule, I start writing my first TOH fic about Raeda, I found my people. People who are just as crazy for this fictional world and its cast of goofballs and weirdoes.

People that I can relate to, in a fandom that, for me, is unbelievably warm and welcoming, a million times better than nearly every other fandom I’m in. My love keeps burning brighter and brighter, I manage to connect with a few folks irl and find a Discord server full of wonderful people, all through this series. Never have I been this attached to anything before, never have I experienced something incredible like this. Usually, the shows I watch either ended years ago, still have years left in their lifespan, or I’m never that emotionally attached to hold onto it for long, or have any sort of reaction to it ending outside of “Oh well. Guess that’s it. Sad to see it go”, only to be fully recovered a couple of days later.

But not with Owl House. With TOH, it’s so, so much different, almost as if it’s a whole different species. I’ve latched onto it for months, not intending to let go for a long, long time, I spend hours and hours on Tumblr, the subreddit, and Discord every day talking about this show and info dumping to friends. The Owl House captures a happiness that not even Friends or SpongeBob can achieve, both being shows that have been special to me and always will be. Friends for just being a great show and playing a special part in my relationship with my mom, and SpongeBob for being such a major part of my childhood, a part that holds a large amount of nostalgia. That’s not to say that Friends and SpongeBob don’t make me happy, they really do, without a doubt, but don’t stand a chance against Owl House.

I was never able to pinpoint why Owl House is as special and important to me as it is, until after the finale. After Watching and Dreaming, I realized, it’s because it makes me feel seen. I relate to Luz more than any other fictional character in existence. I’m weird and nerdy on a daily basis, bisexual, neurodivergent, and have never felt like I fit in. I’ve always felt out of place in this world, even in places that are basically made for you to be like this, even in spots where my friends and I can hang out and be weird together. I’ve always seen her as a cartoon version of me, I see myself in her most of the time, and it’s why I cling to her a lot. Same thing goes for Raine, though it’s not as much, but still important, as a person with a crapton of social anxiety and a passion for music and the arts.

I feel seen through all of these characters, whether I see myself in them, or the situations they face and the emotions they feel. It’s incredible, really. And it’s not just me, I’ve seen this in practically the entire fandom. This world, the Demon Realm, makes all of us feel seen, and it’s amazing that a show is able to do that. That a show is able to make us feel in such a way that makes us come together to find and bond with each other. And then I realized something else. Everything about this series makes me unbelievably happy for one reason. It makes me happy and warm inside, like a place I know. Like a place that lets me be who I am around my family, no questions asked. This fandom and everyone in it makes me feel comfort.

It feels like home. Like I belong. It feels like a warm hug, like a kiss to the forehead, like a hot meal on a rainy day, like a nice bath or shower, or the smell of freshly washed bed sheets, like the warmth of clothes fresh out of the dryer, like cuddles after long day, like a nice piece of chocolate, like warm cookies from the oven, like a cup of coffee in the morning, like every single comfort you can think of. The music embodies this perfectly, the end credits more specifically. While the opening more or less feels like “Let the adventures begin!”, the end credits feels like coming home to family and friends, like a hug from the entire cast, like 2 simple words that, although simple, mean a lot to not just me, but many others: “Welcome home”.

In short, The Owl House is a legendary show that has changed history in many aspects, a show that has made millions of people feel seen and find who they are, made many feel like they belong, and has filled millions with a feeling of comfort. A feeling of comfort so strong, it’s the first thing plenty of us reach for when we need something to lean on, or a shoulder to cry on. When we just need a pick me up after a hard day, or when we just need a smile on our faces. It’s a series, a cast of wonderful characters, a magical, fictional world, and a massive fandom that welcomes us with open arms, and makes us happy like not much else can.

And if that isn’t an achievement to be proud of, then I don’t know what is.

#toh #the owl house #this show is so special to me that there are still a couple reasons for it that I have yet to find #I wrote this in an hour in GD while listening to LOTR my body is shaking from the emotions and I don’t regret a thing

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mindmeltonabunaosblog · 2 years

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Alchemy of Souls Part 2: Theories & Analysis (Ep 27-28)

Hello Readers,

Quite frankly I'm beyond thrilled this show is finally coming to a close. Part 2 was an utter mess and the script was horrendous. I felt like I was watching a hormonal teenage drama or something. The Hong Sisters had 30 episodes to tell the story of the three main characters (Seo Yul, Jin Bu Yeon, and Jang Uk), but they ended up mainly focusing on just one character (Jang Uk). They could've easily given the three mains 10 episodes each, but chose not to.

The Hong Sisters tried to connect the stories of what happen 203 yrs ago to 23 years ago to the present, but ended up failing miserably. When it came to Jang Uk, his clan didn't become important until his dad decided to swap with the King 23 years ago. Otherwise his story wasn't as interesting in comparison to the Jin's or Seo's. The only link Jang Uk has to what happened 203 years ago is that he's a King Star. And that's about it! I can totally see the Hong Sisters trying to make Jang Uk's connection to the past stronger by having him be the reincarnation of Seo Gyeong. However, if they choose to do this I'll know the Hong Sisters were scrambling to find a quick fix. Bear in mind, the notion of reincarnation has never been introduced within this show.

In this week's episodes, the past came back to haunt us. The problem with all of this is that the Hong Sisters didn't give us enough of a backstory as to what happened 203 years ago. In particular, the stories of the Choi's, Jin's, and Seo's....you know the three families involved in the first Great Chaos. It's like the Hong Sisters saw a wild fire was happening and they tried to cover it up with romance. No matter how many smut scenes they threw at me, I just wasn't having it. Romance in this show was secondary to the plot, not the other way around.

I'll be making my T&A posts (Eps 21-28) available to the general pubic after the last episodes of Part 2 ends. For Eps 29-30, I'll probably not make a T&A post available to the pubic. Why? Because AOS fandom is toxic af. Never in my life have I ever seen so many people plagiarize my work up until now. It has truly disgusted me. I know they'll be here lurking around hoping that I'll release my T&A post for Ep 29-30, but sorry I won't be!

Thinking caps on! Time to analyze and theorize.

Disclaimer: There’s probably many grammatical mistakes in this post! Also, I won’t be answering questions regarding Eps 29-30 just because I know there will be people who will use my answers and portray it as their own wherever.

Phoenix Shenanigans

This is one of the most annoying things about the Hong Sisters especially in Part 2, they keep introducing new things without really expanding upon them. How the hell are we suppose to figure out anything if they don't give us more information????! While I love the whole firebird concept, I don't think we'll have time to see it all play out. Meaning, I don't think we'll get to see the phoenix hatch. If by some miracle we do, I think it'll probably take 10 minutes at best. However, I'll still discuss about the firebird just in case! Below are just some things we know about the firebird:

1) Born from a volcano 2) Carries spirit of the dead 3) Able to be healed with a flower 4) When hatched it causes a severe drought 5) Causes Ice Stones to fall from the sky 6) Jin Seol Ran and Seo Gyeong built Jinyowon to contain the bird egg 7) Barrier that surrounds the egg is made with energy weighing 30,000 nyangs 8) Conflict causes the egg to hatch or "awaken"

Some interesting things about the firebird is the energy needed to keep it contained. Hong Sisters really love the number three lol. Cumulatively, Jang Uk has killed a 30 soul shifters. For each kill, he receives 1000 nyangs. Therefore, he has conveniently earned 30,000 nyangs, the same amount needed for the bird egg barrier. Another way to look at it is that the firebird barrier is equivalent to 30 souls! I smell Master Lee's hand in all of this haha. I bet you Master Lee had planted all these soul shifters for Jang Uk to kill so he would have enough to save Seo Yul's life.

Now Mama Jin said something interesting about the firebird, arguing or conflict will cause the firebird to wake up. I do wonder if the firebird will wake up if there's a large war or clash in Daeho. In the preview, it looks like Songrim will fight Cheonbugwan...could this be the event that inadvertently wakes up big bird? I'd also theorized that maybe Jin Seol Ran had developed some sort of psychic connection to the bird and her descendant (Jin Bu Yeon) is connected to it too. We know an internal conflict is about to arise in Jin Bu Yeon and this could also cause the bird to wake up if it is indeed linked to Jin Bu Yeon.

The Seo Family

This storyline had so much potential, but it was squandered away in favor of romance in Part 2. Back in Part 1, I'd wanted to know more about the Seo clan just because they were one of the original mage families involved in the Great Chaos. Other than the room where the Seo Lanterns were kept, we barely saw any of Seoho Fortress. I was also very curious to know if Seo Gyeong's lantern had been as kept there or somewhere else in an undisclosed location in Seoho Fortress. Such a piece of information would've been helpful to solve the mystery of what happened to Seo Gyeong following the events 203 years ago.

Members of this family seem to hold great power even if they don't have the King Star. For example, General Seo Il. Everyone in Daeho seems to fear this man yet we didn't even get to see him. Do people in Daeho fear General Seo Il because he has a large army or is it because he is a powerful mage like his ancestor, Seo Gyeong? I don't know. I'd thought with the appearances of Uncle Seo Yoon Oh and Queen Seo Ha Sun in Part 2, we would've at least gotten a chance to know more about this powerful yet mysterious family.

Seo Gyeong

In this week's episodes, we learned something new about Seo Gyeong. According to Jin Mu, Seo Gyeong chose to move his clan far west to Seoho Fortress for the sake of unity. To the Royals, Seo Gyeong appeared threatening because he had the god like power of Hwansu which could be used to usurp them. Maybe Seo Gyeong actively chose to move his family to Seoho Fortress so they could thrive and grow. If Seo Gyeong hadn't moved his family to Seoho Fortress, the Royals probably at some point would've found some sort of justification to kill them all. And then there would be no more Seo clan. Additionally, maybe Seo Gyeong decided to move far away to Seoho Fortress because he was planning on eventually bringing Jin Seol Ran there to protect her by hiding her (maybe everyone was hunting her).

What I don't get though is why the creation of Songrim didn't appear threatening to the Royals? After all, Seo Gyeong was leader of Songrim and therefore would've been in close proximity to the Royals. In addition, I didn't get why the Seo clan weren't allowed back into the capital following the death of Seo Gyeong. From my understanding at least, the Royals only feared Seo Gyeong and not so much his family. Therefore, the only reason I could think of is that the Royals know Seo Gyeong is still alive. Overall, there are still so many unanswered questions when it comes to this man and his family.

Water Wick

Does anyone else think the Seo Water Wick looks like a soul ejector? Or maybe it's just me. In terms of functionality, the Water Wick is the opposite of the soul ejector. Instead of ejecting souls, the Water Wick is able to house the energy of souls. I know many will say, the Water Wick does not contain souls. Yes it does! Recall from one of my previous posts, the word "ki" means soul/energy. On Netflix, they translated "ki" to "torrent of energy" which was funny. They could've simply translated it to Seo Yul's soul or Seo Yul's energy...oh well. In regards to the appearance of these Water Wicks, maybe Seo Gyeong decided to copy Choi Cheol's soul ejector design. I also find it interesting that these Water Wicks connected to lanterns…weren’t lanterns a Jin thing? Hmmm Seo x Jin connection?

Seo Gyeong may have created these Water Wicks as a preventative measure to safeguard future generations of his family from becoming soul shifters. For example, Queen Seo Ha Sun. Her ass got caught for being a soul shifter because of these Water Wicks which were connected to her Seo Lantern of Life. Guess Seo Gyeong did not want his family to dabble in "sorcery".

Other things I wonder is if you were to place placed someone's soul/energy inside these water wicks and then placed them into a dead body, what would happen? Would the dead body be revived? If so then these Water Wicks are like alternatives for soul ejectors. Maybe one wouldn't experience the nasty side effects of soul shifting if one were to use one of this water wicks in a dead body. Had the Hong Sisters done a better job at pacing, we could've known more about these interesting marbles!

Turtle

Turtles...what more do I need to say about these creatures? Well, in asian culture, turtles are symbolistic of longevity and power. They're considered one of the four celestial animals (phoenix, white tiger, and azure dragon) in Chinese mythology. Additionally, shamans back in the day used to use their shells for divinations.

In the context of AOS, turtles can also refer to people who are at risk of dying (i.e. Seo Yul and Jin Bu Yeon). FYI, when the Crown Prince said, "we saved a turtle together", he meant Seo Yul.

Going back to turtles in Chinese mythology, they're associated with the winter season, north cardinal direction, and water element. Jang Uk is basically the black tortoise. Just Google "Black Tortoise" if you're curious to know more. You know what star typically guides people when they're lost? The "North" Star otherwise known as "Polaris". This star is actually part of the "Little Dipper" constellation. What I think will end up happening is that Jang Uk will eventually sacrifice himself to save Jin Bu Yeon and everyone else. In return for his sacrifice/life, the skies will make him into an actual star in the night sky to forever guide people.

In the wrap up cake, there are two turtles seen on the ground while 1 turtle is in the sky which indicates 1 turtle is no longer on physically living on earth. If you look at the placement of the turtles, you can see they're in the direction of south, west, and north. The south turtle is Jin Bu Yeon (south/phoenix/summer season) while the west turtle is Seo Yul (west/white tiger/autumn season).

The Truth Hurts

I've seen so many people hating either Seo Yul or Heo Yun Ok and I'm like y'all they're doing or saying the crap that no one else wants to. When it comes to Jin Bu Yeon, she wants to live in ignorant bliss. One really shouldn't live this way. Fact of the matter is that Jin Bu Yeon has many responsibilities and she can't keep ignoring them forever. For example, she will eventually have to take Mama Jin's place as leader of Jinyowon and protect the world from the relics. She will also have to deal with the firebird situation and ongoing drought among other things. And all these things require her to have full usage of her divine powers. Jin Bu Yeon can't come into her divine powers if she remains an ignorant pathetic love struck puppy who stays by Jang Uk's side all the damn time.

I seriously don't know why so many viewers are hating on Heo Yun Ok. Maybe she shouldn't have splash that stuff in Jin Bu Yeon's face, but at the same time I'm glad she did. Why? Because otherwise Jin Bu Yeon would've kept ignoring the truth and continue to live in a bubble of ignorant bliss, never striving to become something more of herself. Heo Yun Ok and Seo Yul have different approaches when it comes to telling someone the truth. Heo Yun Ok is more brutally honest while Seo Yul sugarcoats things. For me personally, I would be more like Heo Yun Ok. I prefer to give it straight to people instead of beating around the brush. No one have got time for that! Overall, I think Heo Yun Ok genuinely cares for Jang Uk and truly doesn't want to see him get hurt again. As mean as Heo Yun Ok was to Jin Bu Yeon in this scene, it ultimately forced Jin Bu Yeon to face reality and go to Danhyanggot by herself to find out the truth.

Jin Bu Yeon and Naksu Crap 2.0

I'm pretty much done with this whole mystery. Naksu is Jin Bu Yeon and vice versa. They're the same soul. Essentially, the scene below is just Jin Bu Yeon talking to herself. At the end of the day, "Naksu" is just a period that Jin Bu Yeon had gone through. Up until Jin Bu Yeon was 10 years old, she was herself then she got amnesia as a child and swapped bodies and became "Naksu" as an adult. Following this, she went back to OG body, but she didn't recognize it as being her own because she had been away from it for so long, making it seem foreign to her. Imagine if you lived in AOS and experienced what Jin Bu Yeon had and then went back to your OG body 10 years later. How would you even know this body was yours to begin with? You wouldn't. Bodies change especially from childhood to adulthood. Adding to this, Jin Bu Yeon was blind so how could she even know what she looked like as a child let alone an adult?

I still can't believe the Hong Sisters had stretched out this crap until the last two episodes of this entire series. If there's one question I want to ask the Hong Sisters it's this: "What was your reasoning for why you couldn't have Naksu remember her real childhood memories (Jin Bu Yeon childhood memories) back in Part 1?".

Gwido

Before I start this section, I just want to say I seriously hate how the Hong Sisters are introducing new things and/or new pieces of information at the very last minute. What it feels like to me is the Hong Sisters completely forgot about things they introduced either in Part 1 or in the beginning of Part 2 and are now trying to hurriedly wrap them up by introducing new stuff. How does that make any sense? If you already know you are pressed for time to wrap things up, do not introduce new concepts. It's that easy! If you decide to do so, you're going to run into some problems such as making simple mistakes. For example, the whole 200 years comment made by the Crown Prince. Specifically, the Crown Prince said, "A Choi mage also died 200 years ago in there". Anyone see the error? I also made this same mistake in an earlier post, but recognized the mistake and fixed it when I tweeted on my Twitter account. Anyways, I'm allowed to make these mistakes just because I'm only a viewer and not the writers themselves. The Hong Sisters seemed to have completely forgotten 3 years had passed. Therefore, it should've been 203 years ago not 200 years ago. Little mistakes like this makes me believe the whole Gwido stuff was something made up at the very last minute. As you read further down, you'll begin to see how the introduction of the Gwido door/prison ultimately leads to more questions than answers. How can we solve current mysteries if we were not fully given information about the past?

I'm just going to briefly summarize what was said about Gwido. Within Cheonbugwan, there is a prison called Gwido. Jin Seol Ran was the one who created the door that led to the prison. The prison held those who performed sorcery. A Choi mage died in this prison 203 years ago. Once you enter this prison, you can never escape even as a ghost. What this means is that even if you die in this prison, your soul cannot travel to the sky or afterlife, you're trapped there and become a "wraith". In the context of AOS, wraiths are souls of those who performed sorcery and are trapped/unable to move on.

Though they’ll probably not mention it, I do wonder who created the prison itself. We only know Jin Seol Ran created the door, but we don’t know who created the actual prison. Other questions I have is why build this prison in Cheonbugwan of all places? Why didn’t they choose to build this prison in Jinyowon or Songrim? I understand they probably didn't want to build this inside of Seoho Fortress for logistic reasons, but with Jinyowon and Songrim, they seemed closer to everything.

Other things to point out is there were three magical schools, Jinyowon, Songrim, and Cheonbugwan and three great mages/priestesses (Seo Gyeong, Choi Cheol, and Jin Seol Ran). If we know Jin Seol Ran was leader of Jinyowon and Seo Gyeong was leader of Songrim then it must mean Choi Cheol was the leader of Cheonbugwan right? Therefore, maybe it was Choi Cheol who built the prison. Putting everything together, maybe at one point Choi Cheol and Jin Seol Ran were friends given how she did build the door of the prison. So many questions remain though. Were these three people all friends and one of them (Choi Cheol) turned evil?

I also do wonder what the order of when all three schools were built. I am guessing Cheonbugwan was built first. Why? Because there had to be a place to read the stars to know a King Star would be born to end the chaos. After this, Songrim was built followed by Jinyowon. Below is just a brief summary of the purposes of the four places:

Cheonbugwan: Protect Daeho from chaos/destruction by seeing the future and preparing ahead of time Songrim: Place where people could gather together to learn regardless of their background Jinyowon: Protect the world from dangerous relics Seoho Fortress: Protect Daeho from enemies to the west and to provide unity by not being threatening to the royals

Ultimately, all these places were suppose to protect Daeho from any possible treats (both current and future) and maintain peace. What ended up happening though is one of these people decided to turn against the others for power.

Ice Stone, Seo Water Wick, Tracker, or Something Else?

When I'd initially saw the orb thing in the skeleton, I thought it was an Ice Stone. However, when comparing the orb to the Ice Stone, you'll realize they're not the same thing. The Ice Stone has uneven edges giving it a stone like appearance while the orb has completely smooth edges. The Ice Stone also has a white tint to it while the orb has almost a blue/turquoise tint. Now, the only spheres we have seen in AOS are soul ejectors, Seo water wicks, and stone in the Jinyowon bracelet.

What we haven't seen is what an Ice Stone looks like once it's in someone's chest for a long duration of time. Could it be that once an Ice Stone stays in someone for a long time, it changes colors and becomes smoother? It could also be that if you have an Ice Stone within you and swap bodies, the Ice Stone will follow you to your next body and this is what causes Ice Stone to physically change its appearance. I feel like the color associated with the Seo family is blue and the color associated with the Choi family is green. When you combine those colors you get a turquoise color like the Ice Stone we see in the skeleton. In all honesty, the Ice Stone looks like one big uncut diamond which hasn't been processed while the blue orb seen below looks like a processed diamond. The blue orb may just be a variation of an Ice Stone.

Another idea I have is that this is a water wick containing Seo Gyeong's soul/energy. Maybe when Jin Bu Yeon touches it, she'll be able to see what happened 203 years ago. Anyways, who knows what this orb really this! For all we know, this orb could be a completely new concept the Hong Sisters decided to introduce at the very last minute to plug up some plot holes. For the remainder of this post, I am just going to assume this is an Ice Stone!

Identity of Skeleton

This section will be messy y'all just because the Hong Sisters didn't really provide us any background story of what happened 203 years ago. Anyways, let's get some things straight first. Up until this point of the series, the only person we knew who died is Jin Seol Ran. We didn't know what happened to Seo Gyeong or Choi Cheol. In Ep 28, we were told a Choi mage had died in Gwido. Since we live in the world of AOS where soul switching is possible, we should always ask ourselves whose soul is in any particular body.

Some say the skeleton is probably Choi Cheol, while others say it is Seo Gyeong, Jang Uk, Cho Yeong, or Jin Bu Yeon's skeleton. In regards to the last 3 possibilities, how would any of these bodies get transported inside Gwido in the first place? For this reason, I don't think this is Jang Uk, Cho Yeong, or Jin Bu Yeon's body. This leaves us with two body identities left....Choi Cheol or Seo Gyeong. Going back to what the Crown Prince said about how a Choi mage died in there, I think it's safe to assume the body at least is that of Choi Cheol. So whose soul was in this body? Choi Cheol or Seo Gyeong? I really don't know just because the Hong Sisters didn't give us the full backstory. Also the Hong Sisters didn't really elaborate whether the whole Ice Stone being inside someone is something exclusive to King Stars or can anyone have the Ice Stone within themselves as long as they're willing to sacrifice everything. In addition, they never told us what would happen if you decided to switch bodies while you initially had the Ice Stone within you. I'm just going to assume that because the Ice Stone is a soul stone and not body stone, once you switch bodies, the Ice Stone will follow you to your next body of choice.

In order to connect what characters said to what we saw, we have to consider the possibility there was some soul switching between Seo Gyeong (SG) and Choi Cheol (CC). Below are the two possibilities which could fit the two statements (Choi body died and Ice Stone inside of body).

A) SG Soul + CC Body and CC Soul + SG Body Escaped B) CC Soul + CC Body

Let's talk about choice "A". If this is true then the skeleton we are seeing here is Seo Gyeong's soul in Choi Cheol's body. Some might ask why would Seo Gyeong choose to do such a thing? Because he wanted to die. His lover was dead and the Ice Stone within himself became too much to bear. When Jin Seol Ran died, Seo Gyeong's option to die also went down with her. Meaning Seo Gyeong could not die because Jin Seol Ran was the only person who could remove the Ice Stone from him. However, maybe Seo Gyeong did figure out a way to die without Jin Seol Ran and this is where Choi Cheol comes into play.

Maybe these men were able to come together to save their future descendants. Given the Choi's were associated with divination, Choi Cheol could've be able to see the distant future and informed Seo Gyeong of this. These men then devised a plan to swap bodies with Seo Gyeong making the ultimate sacrifice by staying in Choi Cheol's body and dying inside of Gwido. Some will ask well if Seo Gyeong's Ice Stone followed him to Choi Cheol's body, why did Seo Gyeong still die? It could be because the Ice Stone needed to become activated (you can read further down to see how Ice Stones can become activated once in someone's body). The swap probably reset the Ice Stone that was attached to Seo Gyeong's soul so it became dormant. What was the whole point to all of this? To leave an extra Ice Stone for Jin Bu Yeon to find. Following this, Choi Cheol in Seo Gyeong's body could've escaped through some sort of backdoor only Seo Gyeong knew about. Maybe Jin Seol Ran had told Seo Gyeong about an escape route and then Seo Gyeong told Choi Cheol. Therefore, this would mean Choi Cheol is Master Lee Cheol and Seo Gyeong died a long time ago.

Moving onto option "B". If this is Choi Cheol's soul in his own body, how did he ended up with the Ice Stone within him? Again, I am not sure if the whole Ice Stone in your body is something that is exclusive to King Stars or anyone can have the Ice Stone within them as long as they're willing to give up everything. Remember that Jang Uk only had the Ice Stone within him because he had been willing to sacrifice all of his energy to break the Ice Stone barrier to save everyone. Subsequently, the skies rewarded him for his bravery by placing the Ice Stone within him. If we are going with this is Choi Cheol's soul in his own body then maybe the story was that in the end Choi Cheol saw the errors of his way and tried to destroy the Ice Stone and for this honorable act, the skies placed an Ice Stone within him. Recall how in Ep 7, it did look like Choi Cheol was trying to destroy the Ice Stone since it was becoming vapor.

So if Choi Cheol had the Ice Stone within him, why did he still end up in the prison and dead? Probably because he still had to be punished for performing sorcery in the first place. As for the second part of the question, maybe Choi Cheol died because his Ice Stone did not become activated. Recall there are two ways to use the Ice Stone's powers once it's inside of you. The first being that you can train again to be able to use the Ice Stone's power. The second is to be killed and then burned. In this case, fire was the catalyst that activated the Ice Stone within Jang Uk. Going back to Choi Cheol, he may have been killed by the wraiths inside Gwido and without anyone to burn his body, the Ice Stone never became activated. With this option, there was no soul switching and Master Lee Cheol is Seo Gyeong.

Do y'all see how complicated it is to try and figure this crap out with the limited amount of information we are given?! Even after analyzing everything, I'm still not completely 100% confident the identity of the skeleton or who Master Lee Cheol really is (Seo Gyeong or Choi Cheol). The only thing I'm certain about is that between these two men, only one lived.

I also think it was Master Lee who told Jang Uk and the Crown Prince about the secret back door of Gwido which allowed them to enter to rescue Jin Bu Yeon. Another thing that's throwing me off about Master Lee is his clairvoyant ability. He obviously can see the future which is why he's always 30 steps ahead of everyone else. Just from this trait alone, I would say Master Lee is Cheol Choi. However, this doesn't really explain why Seo Yul also has this ability. Either Seo Yul has this ability because his ancestor Seo Gyeong did too or Seo Yul has this ability because he is also a Choi. By this I mean after Choi Cheol swapped into Seo Gyeong's body, the descendants of "Seo Gyeong" inherited abilities of both Seo Gyeong and Choi Cheol.

Master Lee

Here's some other random things I want to talk about when it comes to Master Lee. When he told Seo Yul to "feign ignorance", I found it absolutely hilarious just because this is what Master Lee has been doing this entire time. This man has been parading around pretending he doesn't know anything when he literally KNOWS EVERYTHING. Also in this scene, Master Lee uses more reverse psychology on people. He told Seo Yul not to tell, but Seo Yul ended up blabbing anyways. Master Lee wanted Seo Yul to do this haha. Everything is going accordingly to Master Lee's plan. As I said previously, Master Lee wanted his two chess pieces to realize their destines and he can't accomplish his goal if people are constantly trying to kill them. Therefore, this is why Master Lee has been telling certain people different stories (i.e Mama Jin, Park Jin, Seo Yul, and Jin Bu Yeon).

At the beginning of Part 2, I thought it was Jin Mu who had made the soul shifter run towards Jinyowon so Jang Uk could find Jin Bu Yeon, but now I'm pretty sure it was Master Lee all along. Master Lee was pushing these two together not for romantic purposes, but more for work related purposes. Jang Uk was instrumental to Jin Bu Yeon realizing her destiny. And before y'all say Master Lee is a Jang Uk/Jin Bu Yeon shipper, I don't really think he is. I think he's molding these two to separately become protectors of peace in Daeho. Keyword...separately. He wants these two to be at the top of their game and sure, they can help each other to grow as work partners, but not as romantic partners. These two have already proven to Master Lee they cannot balance love with work if they're romantically together. To help them both realize this, Master Lee chose to not intervene and allowed Jin Bu Yeon to stab Jang Uk in Part 1. Haha...."it is better to die than do nothing".....they did nothing so they died. Harsh Master Lee...so freaking harsh. These two are imbued with great powers to help save the world, not to sit around lazily doing nothing.

Summary of Final Predictions/Thoughts/Other Random Things

War will break out between Songrim and Cheonbugwan. General Seo Il will finally show up to help with the war.

Bird egg will start to crack because of the chaos

Jin Bu Yeon will need the Ice Stone from Jang Uk's chest to bring back the rain or prevent the bird egg from hatching

Naksu=Jin Bu Yeon and Jin Bu Yeon= Naksu; Istg the Hong Sisters better not have Jin Bu Yeon become a weak human being that never does anything with her life. I'll be so disappointed if the Hong Sisters does this to her character. Anyways I’ve already explained it so many times now why Naksu and Jin Bu Yeon are the same soul. There was no two souls in one body. It was just one very confused soul in that body. You can refer to my previous posts where I’d explained how Jin Bu Yeon and Cho Yeong had swapped as kids and then swapped back as adults.

The Naksu/GYJ face disappears and the JBY/JSM face appears. Once JBY fully returns, she will have mastered Hwansu (the method of returning). JBY will testify against Jin Mu and he will be put into Gwido.

Jang Uk will die and become the North Star in the sky that guides people forever. Another theory is that Jang Uk and Seo Yul will swap. Meaning Seo Yul would die while Jang Uk's soul resides in Seo Yul's body. ISTG HONG SISTERS YOU BETTER NOT DO THIS!!!! Or they could make things even crazier and say Seo Gyeong's soul had split into two souls (Jang Uk and Seo Yul) and are brought together in Seo Yul's body.....um no...HONG SISTERS DO NOT GO DOWN THIS ROUTE EITHER!!!

Master Lee Cheol is Choi Cheol (Tbh I'm still on the fence about this..Master Lee Cheol could also be Seo Gyeong); I’m like 65% confident Master Lee Cheol is Choi Cheol. It’ll also be crazy if Seo Gyeong wasn’t the real King Star, but Choi Cheol was (parallels to how CP isn’t the real King Star and JU was).

Seo Yul x JBY endgame (YuBu couple); They’ll have twins and name the boy, Seo Uk and the girl, Jin Sol (My Korean friend came up with this! It goes with Seol and Seoyul pattern and “soul” sound). Maybe JBY will finally teach Seo Yul how to make pine pollen tea cakes (ref to Ep 18).

Other endgames: CP x Heo Yun Ok, Jin Cho Yeon x Park Danggu, and Kim Yeon x Park Jin

Houses and leaders: Jinyowon/Jin Bu Yeon, Songrim/Park Danggu, Seoho/Another Seo and Cheonbugwan/Seo Yul; If by some off chance Jinyowon gets destroyed (I really hope it doesn’t) then Jin Bu Yeon should be leader of Cheonbugwan.

One last super crazy and absolutely far fetch theory I have is this: Master Cheol Choi has been trying to resurrect SG and JSR. SG’s soul split into two (JU and Seo Yul) and JSR’s soul did the same (CY and JBY). Ultimately JU’s and Seo Yul’s souls merge and become “SG” and CY and JBY’s soul merge to become “JSR”. Then we get SG soul in Seo Yul body (MH body) and JSR soul in JBY body (JSM body). Everything would then come full circle…connecting events from 203 yrs ago, 23 yrs ago, and present time. This would be freaking crazy bc the Hong Sisters had never introduced the notion of reincarnation nor soul splitting in AOS. However, this theory would fit in line with the unity and unpredictable theme present in Part 2 while wrapping up all the loose ends. Probably won’t happen, but it would be a cool idea for someone to use to write a fan fiction haha. I’ll seriously laugh if the Hong Sisters decide to take this route.

The water wick kiss scene between Seo Yul and Jin Bu Yeon is probably a reference to gumiho’s fox kiss. Hong Sisters’ first big hit was “My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho”. In MGIAG, the FL gives her fox bead to the ML to save his life which is similar to what JBY did. Jin Bu Yeon’s character is almost like a mix between Phoenix and Gumiho. Also in MGIAG, the FL has blue eyes similar to JBY. Hong Sisters also borrowed some things from TOTNT.

Ok I'm pretty much done and dead haha! There are probably things I forgot to discuss....oh well!

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mandajiu · 2 years

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New Life Begins 卿卿日常* like most Chinese dramas is known by a whole bunch of other names (see below).

I think it is very cute. I am relatively new to period dramas. I have been a fan of modern Asian dramas for well over 15 years now. My first drama was the Taiwanese ISWAK. However, even with the little experience I have with historical pieces this feels very high on tropes and oddly reminiscent of the Xing Fei's Lost Track of Time if the setup were an about face in terms of happiness with an up-tick of female camaraderie between the woman of the palace.

I am 6 episodes in and I might just stay for the whole thing, but I'm not getting any feeling of watching something that is extraordinarily different or groundbreaking to warrant all the hype about this drama. I am happy that it is receiving praise because with the recent revelation of BJT/SY dating somewhat seriously, people seem happy for them and are (gasp)not letting it stop them from enjoying New Life Begins. I gotta say this is a positive sign of the times changing for real couples in Chinese dramaland. Kudos for being rational netizens - keep it up!

Bai Jing Ting is quite handsome and Tian Xiwei is extremely adorable in this drama, almost to the point of trying too hard but cute enough I forgive her. The have a cute little puppy Baifu and a myriad of other sidekicks to help aid their love story along in this so far very frothy fare. I am really loving Chen Xiao Yun in this drama who plays the FL's childhood friend. She is always so arresting-looking. I have been ga-ga for her look since I tried really hard to watch Novoland: Pearl Eclipse. Their relationship was soooo problematic. (See Quippe Quest for more on that) My favorite character is similar to LLtG's Qiqi, Shangguan, who is a badass overall with a soft inner core.

It is not exactly the most body positive show. So far we have seen anachronisms such as the waist to paper measurement of an ideal body from modern times that just needs to go away. The drama is set in a fictional place divided into 9 regions which they introduce in the beginning - best to take notes if you are a stickler about these things -, so they can take many liberties with the plot and history. On the plus side, the women are being very gentle with each other overall except for the one wife who is not really happy with a new concubine.

What do you think? This is a drama I'm watching until my favorite C-entertainers 30 and 88's dramas come out: Nothing But You, Legend of Anle, and Prosecution Elite.

Dramas on Hold: Falling into You - Am I the only one who cannot handle how young the ML is playing his character? It's not his age or even his acting prowess; it's just that Wang Anyu is a very sober young man and playing this character that was so different he decided to go way too naive. Also, the chemistry between the second male lead and FL was really good. I'm having second lead syndrome. Someone convince me to continue because I've been in it for a while. The last episode I watched SPOILER

You have been warned! Spoilers ahead

the two had gone to ML's home and both parents are wise to the whole 'ship. Don't get me started on the "purity" thing with the FL - it was bad enough in Meng Hua Lu, but in a modern drama with the elder woman over 30??!? Come on people!

*AKA Qing Chuan Daily Life , Qing Chuan Ri Chang , Xin Chuan Ri Chang , 青川日常 , 清穿日常 , 新川日常

#NewLifeBegins #卿卿日常 #ChineseDrama #FirstImpression

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otakween · 2 months

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Head Start at Birth - Chapters 1-10

This one popped up on MAL suddenly because the JP title begins with a "0." Always excited to read/watch something new for a change, but this looks kinda bottom tier. Not only is it an incredibly generic plot, but its adaptation is a short episodes anime 😬

ALSO, this manga is being sold in the west as chapters and in the Webtoon style? I'm old school and kinda hate this. Why can't I just buy volumes?

Ch. 1

Oof this is so generic. I'm trying to give it a chance but the cliches are too much. The art is...fine but not very memorable. At least it's in color.

The mom got over her 3 year old making land management recommendations waaaay too quickly.

>_> Is that much older looking dude the love interest? I'm gonna throw up.

Lilia was 30 when she got isekai'd so I guess I'm supposed to be the target audience here? I feel like if I was in her position I wouldn't be like "YEAH, LET'S LEVEL UP!" I'd be like "YEAH! A CHANCE TO BE A KID AGAIN AND GOOF OFF!"

I feel like they vaguely implied that the mom is an evil capitalist (monarchist?) since she won't give people tax relief. That could be something interesting to explore...

Ch. 2

Reslar (the dragon) sounds suspiciously close to Rizzler lol

They introduce 3 age appropriate boys and then she immediately falls for the older guy. I get that she has the mind of a 30 year old but it's still weird. They'll probably go the "he waits until she's older" route. Whatever -_-

I was pleased that Lilia's parents stayed on her side as she was slightly rude to the royals. Their loyalties are in the right place at least.

Why does every shoujo isekai gotta be fixated on otome games and villainesses? It's honestly so bizarre how keyword obsessed media is these days...

Ch. 3

Yeah so, this is a romance isekai where the MC is 5 and the love interest is 15 🙄 I get that it's kinda based on the olden days when engagements like that were normal due to political marriages, but still. We don't really need to be romanticizing this stuff nowadays, right? Especially when it's a fantasy world where everything's made up and the points don't matter. Oh well.

This situation reminds me of The Familiar of Zero when Louise had a much older fiancé. Although in that series I think it was kind of portrayed as a little creepy/unsettling. Wow never thought I'd be praising The Familiar of Zero as a more progressive option 😅

I do appreciate that the dad (Guy) is ride or die for his daughter, but the joke about him thinking she'd been raped was a little tasteless.

We have yet to see what the plot of this series is going to be. Is it going to follow the romance angle mainly or is it going to be more about Lilia's personal development?

Ch. 4

Lilia's mom looks a lot like she stepped out of Umineko no Naku Koro ni. It's probably just the cravat lol.

We learn about Elrich's tragic backstory (his parents were executed for treason). Unfortunately, it didn't really make him a more interesting character. I had hoped he'd have at least some sort of reaction to the engagement but he's pretty much just "bland perfect husbando" so far.

The sex fantasy was something I could have lived without. Straight to jail.

Hopefully we can get an Elrich chapter here and there to flesh him out. I don't care how much he looks like Lilia's fave otome game character.

Ch. 5

I was wary of the parents at first, but they seem to actually be really good parents? Also, Lilia's mom is super politically smart too (girl boss lol). I guess the doting dad thing is basically just a stock character, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Glad the spirits get to show some actually emotion for once (well, Reslar does anyways).

I do like that Lilia is more focused on her ambitions than Elrich. She just happens to also be really horny for Elrich lol (I'm sorry...that's how it's portrayed).

Ch. 6

Okay, I'm kinda getting into this >_> it's just shoujo isekai brain rot basically but the art is so cute and it's been a long time since I've read a manga in full color

Dressing in your fiancé's color is so romantic ;w; (although I guess people don't always have signature colors irl lol).

The dynamic between mom and Lilia both being badass boss babes gives me Yor/Anya vibes because of the ages haha.

That gothic look with the princess curls was serving (werk)

Ch. 7

Urgh my anime arch nemesis appears...head pats. I don't think they're cute at all, I think they're weird and demeaning. (Even if I was 5 years old I think I'd be like "get your hand off my head" lol). I still don't know if this is a thing Japanese people do IRL or not.

Lillia being instantly OP at everything she tries is pretty boring, this manga could use more conflict right about now.

Ch. 8

I like the princes' names (Isaac, Leonard, and Ferdinand). IDK if it would be better or worse if Lilia went for one of them instead. You can't win with rebirth scenarios lol

Ch. 9

Wtf, the spirits get ikemen versions? I can get on board with that actually. Some of my OCs are fantasy creatures with human versions actually...

"This is like having a sister" (file under: objectively weird things to say about your fiancé)

I can relate to Lilia's inability to relax. Productivity is fun to me 😅

Ch. 10

Still no ikemen Reslar, I'm surprised by the mangaka's restraint lol.

Wait how did people even learn about Lilia's dissertation? I thought they were keeping it on the down low.

The hedgehog spirit was cute. I'm glad they spared it lol

Lilia's spirits are just as OP as her of course -_- -yawn-

Well this was pretty forgettable, but it's a fluffy popcorn kinda read, so I'm not complaining. It's a bit unnerving having no idea how long a series will stretch to in these early stages. Hopefully this isn't a 100+ chapters one...

#head start from birth #manga #I'm pretty sure no one cares about this series but oh well #0-saiji start dash monogatari

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thatsparrow · 11 months

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thoughts on a single episode of the golden bachelor

last night, I watched the latest episode of the golden bachelor with a friend of mine (it was the hometowns episode, for reference). it’s the only episode I’ve seen of the golden bachelor, and one of very few episodes I’ve seen of any bachelor property. my main takeaway based on this very limited experience is that the show shouldn’t really be about him.

by virtue of all the contestants being in their late-60s, early-70s (at least for the episode I was watching, I think my friend was saying there were some women in their 50s when the show started), and because the golden bachelor (gerry) is in his early 70s, everyone participating in this experience (again, that I saw, which at the start of the episode is 6 women) is bringing a genuine level of weight and seriousness to the process. these are women with children and grandchildren, with decades of complex romantic experiences under their belts. they’ve been through a lot. they know what they want. these aren’t a bunch of 20-somethings who might be there looking for love, or might just be looking to become semi-famous (not to say that’s true of all the contestants in other seasons, presumably when you get to hometowns everyone is equally invested in the possibility of this working out, but a late-20, early-30-year-old is going to be thinking about marriage and their future in a way that is fundamentally different from someone in their late-60s, early-70s.)

so, we get to hometowns, and we see our three finalists introduce gerry to their families—not a child introducing a possible spouse to their parents and siblings and friends, but instead women who are effectively the matriarchs of their families bringing home somebody who would potentially be impacting the lives of their children and grandchildren. they share some incredibly personal stories. it is evident that all of these women have been through a tremendous amount—both romantically and personally—and the fact that they are opening themselves up to gerry in this way, really allowing themselves to believe in the possibility of a future with him, is remarkable and very brave!

and then there’s gerry—now, I missed gerry’s introduction, because I have only watched this one episode, and so don’t know a tremendous amount about him. I know he’s a widower and he married his childhood sweetheart. he seems like he's nice, a good listener, and genuinely interested in getting to know and engaging with the women on the show. he does seem to respect the gravity of the position that he’s in, in terms of knowing that, ultimately, he will be disappointing—and, in the cases of the final contestants, breaking the hearts of—all but one of the women on the show. he seems like an excellent choice for season 1 of the golden bachelor.

but here’s why I don’t think the show should really be about him: yes, he is ostensibly our main character, and the narrative is his narrative and is ultimately decided by him, but I think it is very clear that gerry has the least to lose in this situation. I don’t want to gloss over the fact that he is opening himself to a new relationship after the loss of someone he was in love with and married to for so long, and truly I can’t imagine what that process must be like, but in this current situation, for gerry, he opens his heart, and is in a situation in which there are multiple women ready and waiting to return that love. the odds of him getting his heart broken are considerably lower than for any of these final three women.

so let’s return to hometowns—gerry meets each of these three families, and genuinely seems to bond and fit in with all of them. each of the three women tell gerry that they love him—a significant and weighty step, because these women have enough experience to know what love means to them, and what it means to allow themselves to feel so strongly for somebody else—and gerry, gerry my man, returns each of their sentiments, including telling their family members that he is in love or falling in love with each of them.

now, I do believe (and maybe this is just me buying into the magic of TV) that gerry is taking the responsibility of being the golden bachelor seriously. I do believe that gerry, had he met any of these three women in some other circumstance, could have developed a serious and lasting relationship with them. I do believe that gerry could see himself ending up with and leading a happy life with any of these women. but this is a TV show with pretty clear rules, and gerry knows that. gerry knows that, even if he feels a level of love for each of these women, even if under other circumstances he could have built a happy life with any of them, he is ultimately only going to end up with one of them. and in that regard, it does seem a little careless—potentially even a little cruel—to extend that promise of love to all of these women and their families, knowing that for one of them, it will be the least strong, the least sure love, and their chance at a future with him won’t go any further.

at the end of the episode, we get to the rose ceremony, and gerry gives out one of his two roses, and then clearly agonizes over the decision to make. he leaves the room, he gets comforted by the host, he mentions feeling sick to his stomach. he says something to the effect of knowing what he needs to do, and feels awful about doing it.

and to me, that sort of encapsulates why the show shouldn’t really be about him. for gerry, this moment of extreme emotional turmoil isn’t about the possibility of him getting hurt, but about the certainty of hurting somebody else. and that does sound like a miserable situation to be in, but obviously it is also much more miserable for the woman he’s going to be sending home. I can’t speak to what has happened since the show ended, if gerry is still with whatever woman he ends up choosing, but it seems very likely that, at this point, he is at the least risk for heartbreak of anybody on the show. the crux of the drama surrounding gerry is, who do I love the most, not, will he love me back, and I think that second question is the much scarier, much more noteworthy one!

the way this show is set up, the only way any of these women have a chance of making it to the end—and by extension, ending up in a serious and committed relationship—is to be vulnerable and open, to risk being deeply honest and emotional in the hopes that those feelings are returned, and aren’t surpassed by some other equally intimate moment that gerry has had with somebody else. they are voluntarily putting themselves in a position to get hurt—a situation in which it is almost certain they will be ultimately disappointed—and I think that is very brave and also very sad and mostly sucks all around. I also think that means these women are going on much more significant journeys of personal growth, with far higher stakes involved, and as such, how can you not empathize with them the most?

#also they all brought up but then never actually addressed the question of logistics #(who would move? where would they end up living? etc.) which drove me up the wall #the golden bachelor #kayla talks media

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redgillan · 2 years

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the beginning of this episode was so cute but everything else felt so rushed, especially the veil scene. just… add more episodes so we can have a proper flashback and then go back and deal with magic veil stuff

#the pacing bothers me #and we haven’t seen nakia in 2 episodes #and we only have one left #and suddenly that guy has powers? how? why? and no credit scene?#they introduced 30 new characters in this show and we only have 6 episodes and the episodes are shorter and shorter #najma decided to sacrifice herself to save them after decades of trying to go back to her realm #she killed and abandoned her kid but now she has a change of heart in 2 mins bc she realised shes not a great mom? nah pls #they literally proved the grandfather paradox bc if kamala saved her grandmother in the 40s how can she have been born if the grandmother #hadn’t been saved?#none of this makes sense #it could have if they had taken the time to build a better plot with less characters and more episodes #ms marvel spoilers #ms marvel #maisie rants

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drifting-pieces-blog-blog · 2 years

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INTRODUCTION!

Hello!

Welcome to staying awake.

Obsessed with Moon Knight since 2008 and only getting worse.

Talk to me about Moon Knight! The comics, the show, meta, give it all to me! Let's go! Send me questions, theories, ideas and let’s dive in!

I also write fic and will post things here as I get the impulse.

Don't want to chat about Moon Knight but still want to chat? I'm open! What’d you have for dinner? Having a break down and want someone to cry at? I’m here! Let’s stay awake together!

Please, this is an 18+ blog. This is also a safe zone for all. If you have hate for any group of people at all, don’t be bringing that in here.

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MCU Meta master list:

There are more, but these are the big ones. You’ll have to just explore to find all the others.

Steven

Marc

Jake

Khonshu

Layla

Taweret

The suite

The Mustache

GOAT

The Sarcophagus

Jake the Gate Keeper (Sarcophagus part 2?)

Thoughts on abuse depicted in the show

Thoughts on the show’s depiction of mental illness/Ableism

Marc’s Masking in the Duat

THE MUSIC: Episode 1 // Episode 2 // Episode 3 // Episode 4 // Episode 5 // Episode 6

It’s not Jake

Marc hesitates

The Genius of how they introduced the characters

THE COMICS: A meta guide

Moon Knight Original Run: Volumes 1-2, 1972-1987)

How to read Moon Knight Comics! Long rambling take on getting into the comics.

Behind the Comics: Building Character.

Breaking down the comics: Death of Elias Spector (issue 37-38)

Breaking down the comics: The Worth of a person (issue 2)

Breaking down the comics: Power Imbalance. (Issue 6)

Breaking down the comics: The Insanity Plea. (Issue 7-8)

Breaking down the comics: The Break down. (Issue 9-10)

Breaking down the comics: Teaming up with the Devil.(Issue 13)

Breaking down the comics: Going Home (Issue 14)

Breaking down the comics: The Stranger.(Issue 15)

Breaking down the comics: A little Brutal. (Issue 16)

Breaking down the comics: Not your fault (Issue 17)

Breaking down the comics: Sun in eyes (Bonus comic Issue 17)

Breaking down the comics: City of Peace (Issue 18)

Breaking down the comics: Disguises (Issue 19)

Breaking down the comics: Under the mask (Issue 20)

Breaking down the comics: Fighting the dead (Issue 21)

Breaking down the comics: Dreams and knowing oneself (Issue 22)

Breaking down the comics: Another Loss (Issue 23)

Breaking down the comics: The Desert has Memory (Issue 22 short)

Breaking down the comics: Shattered like Stained Glass (Issue 24)

Breaking down the comics: Ignore that problem till it goes away (Issue 25)

Breaking down the comics: An evening with Bill. (Issue 25 afterward)

Breaking down the comics: Taking the hit (Issue 26)

Breaking down the comics: Who tells the story (Issue 27)

Breaking down the comics: Where we come from (Issue 28)

Breaking down the comics: What big Teeth (Issue 29)

Breaking down the comics: Finding Peace (short issue 29)

Breaking down the comics: A good boy (Issue 30)

Breaking down the comics: Familiar Ghosts (Issue 31)

Breaking down the comics: Visions of the past (Issue 32)

Breaking down the comics: Death of Legends (Issue 33)

Breaking down the comics: Writing a legend, Building a history. (The end of the 1980s run analysis and farewell to Moench)

Breaking down the comics: Doing good (Issue 34)

Breaking down the comics: Learning to Crawl (Issue 35)

Breaking down the comics: Denial is Strange (Issue 36)

Breaking down the comics: End of Dreams (Issue 12)

Breaking down the comics: Making the Break (Issue 11)

Breaking down the comics: Just a Spector (Issue 5)

Breaking down the comics: Committee of three (Issue 4)

Breaking down the comics: Starting the Collection (Issue 3)

Breaking down the comics: Let’s get that BREAD (WBN #32-33)

Breaking down the comics: A Good Man (Issue 1)

Marc Spector: Moon Knight (1989-1994)

Breaking down the comics: A New Past (Issue 1-3)

Breaking down the comics: Soldiers (Punisher Annual #2)

Breaking down the Comics: Like a Drugged Up Business Man (Issues 4-7)

I READ IT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO: A summary and break down on the worst Moon Knight runs. This was painful you guys.

Age of Khonshu by Jason Aaron.

Marvel Legacy: Crazy runs in the family by Max Bemis

PART ONE // PART TWO

Phases by Max Bemis

PART THREE // PART FOUR

Moon Knight by Brian Michael Bendis

PART ONE // PART TWO // PART THREE

Master fic list:

I HAVE AN AO3! You can find All my moon knight series and more there if you prefer. LINK.

The “What we are” series. I wanted to explore more of the boys getting to know one another. How they learned to get along and truly function.

What we see: Steven can’t forget the events of Cairo. More importantly he can’t forget the blackouts. Marc and Steven look for the mysterious third who wants nothing more than to keep working from the shadows. Also contains Layla helping her trash boys out.

Part one here. // Part two here. // Part three here. // Part four here. // Part five here. // Part six here.

What we do: Marc, Steven, and Jake are learning to live together. Old habits are hard to break and old lies are even harder to remove. Jake struggles to find his place.

Part one Here. // Part Two Here. // Part Three Here. // Part Four Here. // Part Five Here. // Part Six Here.

What we Believe: The discovery that Khonshu is back hits hard for a system that is still trying to learn to trust one another, let alone live with one another. Some old wounds get ripped open and Trust is a word filled with pain.

Part one Here. // Part two Here. // Part three Here. // Part four Here. // Part five Here. // Part six Here.

“Moon Phase” Series! A series of small fic-lets in which I explore simple moments of the Moon Knight System.

Each chapter is not really connected so if you pick one up randomly you should be fine. Mostly feel good, maybe a little sad, maybe a little comfort. I wanted to explore little moments of them just being.

New Moon Here. // Waxing Crescent Here. // First Quarter Here. // Waxing Gibbous Here. // Full Moon Here. // Waning Gibbous Here. // Third Quarter Here. // Waning Crescent Here // Blue Moon Here. //

“Can’t fight a fever like that“ A one shot. The system has a fever and struggles to deal with it in their own ways. Sick comfort/care fic. HERE.

Moon Knight October Challenge! A series of one shots with prompts. Please read these, I’m really proud of them. They’re short.

Goldfish // Gators // Cupcake // Scarab // Museum // Steak // Mirror // Layla // Knight // Scales // Professor // Moon // Suit // Night // Avatar and Taweret // Tomb // Reeds //

Complications and Solutions: Layla had been giving the boys some personal space after Jake was discovered. She had hoped that they would have time to sort out some of the more complicated aspects of learning to share head-space with someone. Now that they have had a little time to sort out some of the more urgently complicated details, Layla decides it is her turn to meet Jake. Things don't go as well as she hoped. Who knew that relationships could get so complicated? Taking place a few months after Cairo and about a month after Jake has made himself known.

Chapter One // Chapter Two // Chapter Three // Chapter Four // Chapter Five // Chapter 6 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 8 // Chapter 9

What It Feels Like: No one said it would be easy to be in a relationship with Marc/Jake/Steven. Does Layla have regrets? How does she cope when her relationships struggle with their mental health? Heavily introspective moments from Layla's POV. Discussions on D.I.D, brief discussion on Autistic issues, and mentions of PTSD.

Front Stuck: Steven plans for a check up. Jake and Marc have issues with these plans. Sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do and then have to deal with it later. Sometimes you feel like all you do is fuck up and you just need a reminder of how useful you are.

Making Space: What was it like when the system was new and young? Three souls circling one another and trying to make sense of the world around them.

Nothing and Everything: Certain times of the year are harder than others. This is the first year where they have all been present to face the memories of all the trauma. How can they come together when they each have their own traumas to face?

Chapter One // Chapter Two // Chapter Three // Chapter Four // Chapter Five // Chapter Six // Chapter Seven // Chapter Eight // Chapter Nine

Moon’s Light: The first night of Hanukkah. After everything they've been through, the hardest war has always been of the past. Lighting a candle shouldn’t be this hard. A very short gen fic for Comics Moon Knight universe.

Introspection: Moon Knight Comic universe. A study of the Interpersonal relationships between Marc, Jake, Steven, Mr. Knight, and Moon Knight. They don't always get along. Sometimes they have no choice but to hold things together while one of them seems determined to take them apart.

A Safe Place: Jake has one happy place. His pride and joy and comfort. When things go south, this is what he turns to.Marc has started to rely on Jake to be his solid force. The unshakable rock that keeps them all stable.Steven knows better. They are all delicately balanced on a thin wire.What happens when one of them takes a spill?

Chapter One // Chapter Two // Chapter Three // Chapter Four // Chapter Five // Chapter Six

#Moon Knight #Talk to me about Moon Knight #Intro

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tenchiforum · 3 years

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Top 10 Best Tenchi Muyo! Episodes in 2022 #30YearsofTenchi

Original post and results

It's finally here! The top 10 episodes of Tenchi Muyo! as voted on by YOU, the fans. Here's what you chose!

10. Tenchi Universe EP12 - "Time and Space Adventures Part II"

The things that will never get old to fans of any franchise are what-if scenarios featuring their favorite characters, whether that's Marvel's own 2021 series or the Time and Space Adventures arc in Tenchi Universe. Starting its life as a radio drama of the same name a few years prior, the Time and Space Adventures start because Washu has built a device that can give the end user their perfect fantasy world based on their own input. Naturally, this goes awry when every Tenchi girl tries to input into it at the same time. Episode 12 starts us off in Kiyone's world, a world where she's given up her life as a detective and is trying to find a new life in a small little town. However, the part of this episode that most will remember is the next world, Sasami's. Not only was this part of the episode featured in Toonami's iconic two minute promo of the series, but it also introduces Sasami's alter, Pretty Sammy, into Universe and ends on one heck of a shipping tease.

9. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki: OVA1 EP6 - "We Need Tenchi"

The follow-up to "Kagato Attacks" and finale to the first OVA, "We Need Tenchi" features the climactic battle against Kagato, a sneak peak into some more hidden elements we would later see in the Ryo-Ohki OVA, as well as the introduction of franchise regular, Washu. This episode would be the last contribution to the Ryo-Ohki OVA by original co-creator and director Hiroki Hayashi before he went off to more magnificent worlds. Before he did though, he gave us one heck of a send-off, and an episode that pulls at the heart strings and ends with a bang.

8. Tenchi Universe EP25 - "No Need for a Showdown"

Following in the footsteps of its OVA counterpart episode but pushing the stakes to 11 for the whole galaxy, "No Need for a Showdown" sees Tenchi, Azaka, and Kamidake storm the Jurai royal palace to confront Kagato. As Nagi and the others are dealing with Jurai's fleet in space, Azaka and Kamidake deal with Kagato's dark knights, Tetta and Tessei, leaving Tenchi to the final showdown in the throne room. While each Tenchi series has some degree of action in it, "No Need for a Showdown" is easily the high-water mark for the franchise.

7. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki: OVA1 EP5 - "Kagato Attacks"

In the 30 years that Tenchi Muyo! has existed, every single one of its villains have fallen short of its first, Kagato, and Episode 5 of OVA1 shows us why. Calm, collected, but infinitely intimidating, Kagato's entrance shows just how far ahead he was of everyone, both in power and authority. Quickly taking control of Ryoko and besting Tenchi like the novice he was, his appearance would end up causing another revelation in the series that same episode, as well as initiating arguably Katsuhito's most iconic quote.

6. Tenchi Universe EP1 - "No Need for Discussions"

One of the many things Tenchi Muyo! is good at is its opening episodes, and episode 1 "No Need for Discussions" from Tenchi Universe can be considered among the best. Starting with Tenchi reminiscing about events we the viewer don't know about, it sets the tone for the series in such a way that you can't help but be enthralled by it from start to finish. Because it was Tenchi's first time on the airwaves, it had to make a splash, and right from the get-go, Tenchi sees a falling star that ends up being Ryoko. Instead of being trapped in a cave, she's being pursued by none other than Mihoshi. "No Need for Discussion" ends with Ryoko repeating the name of the episode, perfectly encapsulating what Tenchi Muyo! is and what Tenchi Muyo! is about.

5. Tenchi in Tokyo EP10 - "Ryoko's Big Date"

Back in 1997, Tenchi in Tokyo was largely misunderstood. It featured a new girl in one, Sakuya Kumashiro, who would somehow strike the fancy of Tenchi despite him being surrounded by so many fan favorites. Yet, despite its differences to the tried and true methods Tenchi Muyo! had used as a franchise up to that point, some of the things it did were instantly loved by those who watched, enter episode 10 "Ryoko's Big Date." It goes without saying that Ryoko is the fan favorite of Tenchi Muyo! fans by a large margin. To quantify that for those looking to push their glasses back and "well ackchyually", in its August 2005 issue, Anime Insider showed the results of a poll that had asked readers "Which girl should Tenchi end up with in Tenchi Muyo?" Ryoko not only handily won, but she beat every other girl on the list combined. So it's no wonder that an episode dedicated to our favorite couple having a good time would be beloved.

4. Tenchi Universe EP13 - "Time and Space Adventures Part III"

The last two fantasy worlds in the Time and Space Adventures belong to Mihoshi and Ryoko, and as one might imagine the latter has become a fan favorite for a myriad of reasons. In Ryoko's perfect world, she and Tenchi are bank robbers (though Tenchi might argue that label) similar to the infamous and highly romanticized American bandit couple, Bonnie and Clyde. For American fans in particular, this episode and its homage playing during prime time on TV made Tenchi right at home with its western-produced contemporaries. No fantasy lasts forever though, and the moments that Tenchi and Ryoko share as Ryoko comes to terms with the fact she has to let this fantasy go solidified it forever as one to remember.

3. Tenchi Universe EP24 - "No Need for Ryoko"

If it wasn't obvious to you before reading this, Tenchi Muyo! fans love Ryoko, so any episode that features Ryoko is always going to score highly, even more so if her name is in the title. It just so happens that this episode also is one of the most heartfelt and heart-wrenching in the entirety of Tenchi. Ryoko has agreed to take Tenchi to Kagato, but she's keeping a secret from all those around her, a secret that Nagi very easily points out. Considering that it's two episodes from the finale, by the end of the episode you can't help but ask yourself, "Wait, two more episodes!? Surely they wouldn't!?" Making the upcoming favorite on this list "No Need for a Conclusion" just that much better of a conclusion in the process.

2. Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki: OVA1 EP1 - "Ryoko Resurrected"

The episode that started it all. An episode that features mainly Tenchi and Ryoko and yet it is Tenchi near its zenith. A teenage boy from Okayama prefecture with a seemingly uninteresting life unleashes an extraordinary demonic character who follows him to school, a character who would capture our hearts, change our lives and the course of anime forever. Many have cited Urusei Yatsura or even Ranma 1/2 as being the true "pioneers" of the hybrid love-comedy genre, but like Neon Genesis Evangelion would later do in the mecha genre, which spawned its own clones therein, Tenchi Muyo! became the bar by which so many series in its orbit of genres would follow. Perfect pacing and casting in both English and Japanese, it's hardly a wonder that the majority of fans would rate this among the best even 30 years later.

1. Tenchi Universe EP26 - "No Need for a Conclusion"

Tenchi Universe's last episode is arguably the ending Tenchi Muyo! as a whole should end on, period. No other ending episode ends, well, as perfectly as this one. That's really it, it's the perfect ending. For the uninitiated who haven't watched Tenchi Universe in the 27 years it's been in existence, it's the culmination of all the drama and all of the emotion of the series, and pulls you back around to the first episode in such a way that's so feel good that quite frankly anyone who argues against it is wrong. The music, the pacing, the voice acting, the directing, if there's a better send-off in Tenchi Muyo! it hasn't been made yet, and according to the fans who participated in our poll, there's no episode that can top it either.

#tenchi muyo!#tenchi in tokyo #tenchi universe #tenchiforum #tenchi masaki #90's anime #ryoko #tenchi muyo #top 10 anime #top 10 tenchi episodes #30YearsofTenchi #Tenchi 30th anniversary #ryoko hakubi #time and space adventures #no need for ryoko #toonami

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animecreator3000 · 3 years

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About the Boueibu iceberg

@delphoxqueen asked me to explain about my list for the iceberg so here it is. I might update this from time to time with links and stuff if I stumble across the original posts. This is all from what I know so feel free to add new info. Also, spoiler warning for RobiHachi and the Boueibu manga and novels. (This is like a masterpost it’s very long)

1. There’s a theory in tumblr about which decade the series is set in, using data like the friday the 13th calendar in s2 ep11. In HK we got a second number for when the next monthly Pretty Boy Contest was happening and using the one from Love it was theorized that around a decade had passed since then, which ended up being true.

2. The stage play had a few original songs and characters exclusive to it so unless you watched the full performance, you probably weren’t able to witness all of them. One of the characters is called “Robato Deniro”, as romanized in the stage play booklet I own.

3. The nurse and the cafeteria staff from the s1 mobile game appear in the background in around the first half of s2 ep3.

4. S2 had an unfinished manga that was only available online and was never released on physical format; it was centered around the defense club and sometimes the conquest club and Beppu brothers. All that’s left from what I know are the scans linked on magicalgirlsandcerulean’s blog.

5. This isn’t that obscure because it’s talked about in the anime, but I’m mentioning it because I think many people dropped it before the ova, where right at the beginning it is revealed that the alien that resucitated Mr. Tawarayama twice was, as described by Io, a “mulberry-colored naked mole rat-looking thing”, and was nicknamed “Moley-san” by Yumoto. At least in the anime, we had never heard before of who this was and it never appeared on screen nor was mentioned again.

6. In HK ep8, Karurusu promises the knights to grant a wish if they show him how earthlings spend summer. Kyoutarou reveals at the end of the episode that he wished that summer lasted one more day so he could spend it doing nothing, which prompts Ichiro to theorize that it’s the 32nd of august, and the next day is the second 1st of september.

7. The stage play was was held from march 10th to 13rd, of which the latter is Ryuu’s birthday. There’s an additional recording of a small celebration with cake focused on Ryuu and Io.

8. Atsushi mentions his older sister in the flashback at the beginning of s1 ep4, but she never appears or is mentioned again.

9. There’s a few posts on tumblr theorizing about what happened to the Hakone parents since Yumoto only says in s2 ep3 that according to Gora, “they are busy with their hot springs tour”. En mentions that it’s a bit suspicious, but it’s all the information we have from the anime. Posts talk about the parents perhaps passing away from an accident or an illness, thus the reason why Gora was so worried about Yumoto’s cold in s1 ep10, but from another post I think it’s implied in the second novel that they actually left their home when Yumoto was still a toddler.

10. It’s no secret that the surnames of the characters are all real onsens in Japan that even the seiyuus have visited, but apparently the Arima onsen has two different kinds of water, “kinsen (gold hot spring)” and “ginsen (silver hot spring)”, with different properties each, and the Kusatsu onsen water also has certain properties, both that were used to build the characters. Additionally, Ryuu’s favorite food are Sato Nishiki cherries, which are grown in the same prefecture, Yamagata, as his onsen, Zaou.

11. The press club lose relevance after s1, with only Kinosaki and Tazawa reappearing briefly in s2 ep2 to interview the Beppu twins after they arrive at the school. Tazawa doesn’t even have lines. Hireashi is mentioned by Zundar in ep11.

12. What the heck

13. Exclusively in the manga we see that Arima met Kinshiro and Atsushi when they were little and they were good friends, but when they met again as adults, Kinshiro seemingly didn’t remember Arima. Atsushi, however, stated that Kinshiro’s talent is remembering people’s faces and names, so Arima wonders if he’s just trying to distance himself from him. He also explains to Akoya that he follows Kinshiro and obeys him because as a child, he was fascinated by his radiant smile. This is never talked about in the anime.

14. Like the previous point, the anime never shows Akoya being bullied, at most just a slight dislike of his full name, but the manga shows that he was made fun of for it and how he actually hates his surname, to the point of introducing himself formally to the president and vicepresident of the student council as “Holy Angel Akoya”.

15, 16, 17, 19. Batonama lives were the livestreams done through the franchise by the defense club seiyuus on youtube and niconico. They’re all on youtube, without any kind of translation.

Love-ko is a girl with a shell bikini drawn on a piece of cardboard that was used as a girlfriend in the Batonama Love! lives, acted by the seiyuus themselves.

RobiHachi has one episode full of official Boueibu artwork and a parody of the series too, a Love-ko doll appears, and Wombat appears as well, named “The Don”. It received an english dub, so for a bit, people were excited that Wombat was going to speak in english too. Also, various mechas appear in both Boueibu and RobiHachi.

18. The director of Fairy Ranmaru (Masakazu Hishida if I’m not wrong) revealed in an interview that he was inspired by Boueibu and aimed to make a show like that.

20, 21. The website super-groupies.com has results for defense and conquest club lingerie sets, dc and VEPPer tote bags, the Beppus’ scarf rings, dc bath sets and the pumps magicalgirlsandcerulean mentioned. I’ve found the s1 Loveracelets and Caerula Adamas’ ring on different sites, the True Loveracelets on TheChara’s twitter and the Happybraces (apparently called “Hapibure”) on broccoli.co.jp but I’m not sure where exactly they were all announced and sold, so I’ll just drop that.

22, 33. Boueibu was originally pretty much a copy of Sailor Moon, I think they were all going to be called “Lackluster Moon” and that stuff and be literally Sailor Moon genderbent. They were all different from color palettes to physical features (except Yumoto’s), and Ryuu was a shota, even smaller than Yumoto. Their names were also very reminiscent of the five Sailor Senshis’. Even if they made it more original, the show is still clearly inspired by Sailor Moon (just look at Caerula Adamas lol) and Pretty Cure. It has also referenced, very blatantly, animes like Doraemon, Detective Conan, Aikatsu and even Vocaloid, when Kyoutarou tries to guess what Karurusu is saying with ““Just Google It, Asshole”?” in ep1.

23. Wombat’s real name and the name of his planet sound like gibberish to the earthlings and ends up being named after the Earth animal, but Zundar, Dadacha, Karurusu and Furanui all have original names. And I think Hireashi means “goldfish”?

24. If you google “zundar technology”, it’s actually a company in Shanghai, China. Aren’t Wombat and Zundar always talking about “advanced alien technology”?

25. Zundar and Dadacha are siblings, so are Karurusu and Furanui, and so are their father King Kamopapa and their uncle minister Wao, but neither are the same species and, except the first two, not even the same color. But they are supposedly related because they share birthmarks or something like that...

26. Everyone who’s in this fandom knows about the pixel blur and voice pitch censor from s1, but I’ve added it anyway because it’s so rare for mahou shoujo and shounen animes to explain why the heroes aren’t recognized when transformed.

27. A good while of s2 ep11 is spent discussing Zundar’s ex-wife and his problems to give child support. Naturally, he gets mad at this.

28. “Money doesn’t betray” (s1 ep6) and “The despair hidden behind your smile that comes from not being understood” (s3 ep11) are sentences that came out of nowhere and implied that the people they were said by (Io) or about (Taiju) respectively had some kind of angst going on but were never explained at all. They’re famous for just that.

29. The Beppu twins’ house in Andromeda shown in flashbacks had strange green circles that apparently are from another anime I don’t know but honestly I didn’t get it very well... It was revealed on a tweet from Takamatsu.

30. Alien language mostly appeared in s2 due to the many flashbacks of Aki and Haru in Andromeda, but in Boueibu s1, it appears on the Zundar Needle before it is shot on the human. It appears a lot through RobiHachi as well, due to being a story about travelling through space. There might be an alphabetical chart somewhere, but I can’t assure it exists, I might even have dreamed it.

31. Hikaru Midorikawa as the melon monster, Kousuke Toriumi as the bishounen monster, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as the kotatsu and panda monsters and Takuya Eguchi as the remote controller monster in s1 and 2, before going on to voice the main cast in HK. Keisuke Koumoto voiced Hatchi Kita in RobiHachi as well as Akihiko in Boueibu, and the characters look similar.

A new addition is that so far Boueibu is the only anime I’ve seen where children weren’t voiced by female seiyuus, but by actual children. Personally, it’s charming and makes it so much more realistic, specifically since no women appear in the franchise at all either (not counting Protag-chan in the game).

32. Speaking of seiyuus, Can I Destroy The Earth? had a dub shown in ep11/12 (?) that made Gora the villain that wanted Earth to stay the same and not progress, against the monsters that supposedly wanted to bring good things to earthlings. Aki and Haru quickly dismissed this dub as fake. (I made a mistake in the title in the previous post btw)

34. As seen in the glossary in the Boueibu Mook (I think, but might not be the mook), Caerula Adamas’ speeches are based on an old japanese detergent commercial that went “Gold, silver, pearl, gift”.

35. In the manga there’s a short parody of the first chapter of Sailor Moon with “Pretty Boy Guardian Gakuran Akoya”. The conquest club manga was released before the anime, so I remember reading somewhere that a fake website appeared for the Gakuran Akoya manga, before turning into the conquest club manga website in the day of its release.

36. Cgi was used a few times in the anime: s2 ep10 for a short sequence of the defense club on a rollercoaster and the carousel monster, ep11 for a cenital shot of the Battle Lovers singing, and HK ep12 for the Honyalaland soldiers and the Wao mecha.

37. The toothbrush incident in s1 ep7. (It’s definitely well-known but it’s so weird lol)

38. “We hope we can see each other again someday!” Something along those lines was the last text to appear in the last episode of HK, implying a s2. We all know how that went.

#boueibu #new post bc i didn't put a readmore in the other one and it was getting too long #msorry #long post #speaking of the robihachi eng dub... sarazanmai has one too...#so many animes like those get dubs but not boueibu?! HOW UNFAIR #at least we got the funimation subs #is the game even canon??#i mean with stuff like how everyone is apparently straight in there #even yumoto who pretty much came out as gay in the anime #that's very inconsistent #i mean. it is canon but maybe it's like an au? idk #also we need gakuran akoya to be real lmao #also no prequel with gora or hk s2. WHYYYY #i think this took me four hours

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lucecus · 4 years

Text

you want to watch amphibia before season 2b releases but there’s only one week left?? don’t worry i gotcha! i have decided to write an episode guide for those who want to watch the show fast and in time for march 6. i put a symbol regarding the importance of that episode in the main plot (without giving it away):

!! - you can’t miss it

? - you’ll still understand the story if you don’t watch it but it probably has some sort of detail that is worthy it

0 - you won’t miss anything (that doesn’t mean the episode is bad, just not relevant)

here we go!:

[Season 1]

Anne or Beast? - !!

main characters introduced

plot relevant

Best Fronds - !!

important character introduced

minor reference to this episode later

Cane Crazy - 0

minor reference to this episode later

background character introduced

Flood, Sweat and Tears - ?

characters’ relationship development

minor reference to this episode later

Hop Luck - ?

recurring character introduced

characters’ relationship development

Stakeout - 0

characters’ relationship development

The Domino Effect - ?

minor references to this episode later

more about main character’s background

Taking Charge - ?

recurring element introduced

Anne Theft Auto - ?

recurring character development

characters’ relationship development

Breakout Star - 0

recurring characters development

characters’ relationship relevant

Sprig Vs. Hop Pop - 0

characters’ relationship development

Girl Time - 0

characters’ relationship development

Dating Season - !!

recurring character introduced

Anne Vs. Wild - !!

recurring character introduced

plot relevant

Contagi-Anne - 0

nothing important happens

Family Shrub - ?

characters background explored (not sure if this will be more relevant in future seasons, probably not)

Lily Pad Thai - ?

main character background explored

Plantar’s Last Stand - !!

plot relevant

Toad Tax - !!

nothing important happens (?, technically you can skip it without missing a thing but in my opinion it is good to watch for better understanding of world building

edit:

introduction of secondary characters

mentioned in future episodes

Prison Break - !!

plot relevant

Grubhog Day - 0

nothing important happens

Hop Pop and Lock - !!

recurring character introduced

Civil Wart - 0

nothing important happens

Hop-Popular - !!

plot relevant

Croak and Punishment - !!

introduces a recurring element (?, what i mean is that element will be relevant later

characters’ relationship development

Trip to the Archives - !!

plot relevant

character development

Snow Day - 0

nothing important happens

Cracking Mrs. Croaker - 0

recurring characters’ background explored

A Night at The Inn - !!

plot relevant

minor reference to this episode later

character development

Wally and Anne - 0

character development

Family Fishing Trip - ?

characters’ relationships development

Bizarre Bazaar - !!

plot relevant

Cursed! - !!

character development

Fiddle Me This - 0

nothing important happens

The Big Bugball game - ?

character development

recurring character introduced

the mandatory sports episode

Combat Camp - !!

character development

new element introduced

Children of the Spore - ?

i’m not sure till which point the events on this episode are important or not because the end is ambiguous. it’s probably not relevant but you can watch it if you want

Anne of the Year - !!

plot relevant

character development

Reunion - !!

plot relevant

[Season 2]

Handy Anne - !!

plot relevant

character development

Fort in the Road - !!

plot relevant

characters’ relationship development

The Ballad of Hopediah Plantar - 0

character development

includes small plot details

Anne Hunter - ?

character development

includes small plot details

Truck Stop Polly - 0

character development

characters’ relationships development

A Caravan Named Desire - 0

character development

Quarreler’s Pass - ?

characters’ relationship development

minor reference to this episode later

Toadcatcher - !!

plot relevant

new character introduced

character development

Swamp and Sensibility - !!

character development

Wax Museum - ?

plot relevant

funny crossover

Marcy at the Gates - !!

plot relevant

important character introduced

Scavenger Hunt - !!

plot relevant

character development

The Plantars Check In - !!

plot relevant

Lost in Newtopia - ?

it’s not really important but matt thinks it’s the funniest episode

includes small plot details

Sprig Gets Schooled - 0

character development

Little Frogtown - 0

worldbuilding (?, what i mean is you understand better how amphibia evolved through the time

Hopping Mall - !!

character development

The Sleepover to End All Sleepovers - ?

character development

A Day at the Aquarium - !!

plot relevant

The Shut-In! - 0

nothing happens this is not even canon lmao

[Season 2B]

Night Drivers - ?

small plot detail

Return to Wartwood - !!

plot relevant

character development

if you choose:

only the episodes marked with !! >> you will watch 27 episodes; they last 5 hours

the episodes marked with !! and the ones with ? >> you will watch 43 episodes; they last 7 hours and 30 minutes

enjoy the show and be ready for march 6!!

#amphibia #cartoons #disney #shows #frogs #cmon guys just watch the damn show it deserves so much love #its not that hard #anfibilandia #ce.txt

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rkrispyt · 2 years

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I swear on my life every American show I get invested in does this with their ships they just break them up get them with other people break the new couple up and then just do the process over and over again until the entire ensemble of characters have dated each other it’s so unsatisfying

I wish I could say I disagree but I feel like I've watched American television change drastically throughout the years, mostly for the worst.

We went from 22 to sometimes 30+ episodes in a season, having long story arcs that played out over multiple episodes or an entire season, clear journeys for characters, writers who knew their characters and were authentic in their storytelling, to now 8 episode seasons being standard for streaming networks' series where it seems characters are a different person from one episode to the next directly contradicting a former storyline of theirs, and 'arcs' that get introduced and wrapped up in one episode never to be mentioned again.

Original Recipe 90210 had 10 seasons and they looked like this: Season 1 - 22 episodes Season 2 - 28 episodes Season 3 - 30 episodes Season 4 - 32 episodes Season 5 - 32 episodes Season 6 - 32 episodes Season 7 - 32 episodes Season 8 - 32 episodes Season 9 - 26 episodes Season 10 - 27 episodes

Can you even imagine this nowadays?

It's funny though because I've come to really admire how British television seems to work. From what I've seen they're also shorter seasons and only a a few (it seemed for a long time 3 seasons was common), but they come in with a very clear idea of what story they want to tell, and a plan to tell that story well and then get out and move on to the next project.

I WISH American shows would adopt that same mindset now that things are trending towards shorter seasons.

More than anything I watch so many shows nowadays and get the feeling that the writers come in only knowing the story they're telling for a season or two, and after that they end up grasping for a story to keep telling and end up ruining the show.

I wish as Americans we could understand that it's ok to end something when the story is done rather than keep on hanging on for dear life and staying too long at the party.

The good news is that it makes the exceptions to this even more wonderful and easier to spot. Lots of great television happening, just unfortunately seems to very much be the exception rather than the norm.

I also feel like part of that is the kind of writing and show-running quality we give opportunity to and accept rather than striving for something better. But that's a whole other conversation.

All that being said, I kinda see htmtms falling into this trap of perhaps not knowing where it's going in the long run and now starting to fall apart as a result. It could truly be because of losing Olivia and having to regroup. But I'm not a big fan of this season or the new feel of the show. I've come to accept that the show I loved and found such comfort and joy in is simply gone and won't be the same, and have come really far in letting it go. It's unfortunate but it's not the first time outside circumstances have effected a show or ship or characters I love. I do hope it's the last though.

#hsmtmts rant #ask #anon

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pair-annoyed · 4 years

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Anime I Watched This Fall

My first semester of college is officially over and the December holidays are upon us! I hoped to make one of these posts sooner, but I have been incredibly busy with schoolwork. Now that things have slowed down, let’s take sometime to reflect on things I’ve watched.

These anime are listed in chronological order and encompass everything I’ve watched from 9/1/2020 - 12/15/2020

Like always, they will be rated on a 1-10 scale; 1 meaning complete garbage, 10 meaning masterpiece. I will offer my thoughts on what I did/didn’t like about each show!

1. The God of High School - 6/10

Despite the stellar animation from MAPPA and my high expectations, I was really disappointed by how this series was treated. Most of the story’s crucial elements were handled poorly. I finished this series feeling more confused about the plot than when I first began. The power system is really cool, but poorly explained. More time should have been spent on exposition and world building for this series, instead the fights were given the most screen time.

2. Doukyuusei - 7/10

I really liked the style of Doukyuusei. Granted, this was another movie I chose to watch primarily because of the hype surrounding it. The dynamic between Kusakabe and Sajou is an interesting one, and I also enjoy how the movies different acts were separated by the seasons. However, there's nothing that really sets Doukyuusei apart from other romance movies, its a little generic. Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

3. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season - 8/10

My opinions on Re:Zero’s second season are biased. This was, by far, the sequel I was most hyped for during the summer/fall anime season. I was so happy to see the story’s continuation and I’m looking forward to the season’s second part coming sometime in January. Re:Zero is one of my all time favorite series because of the way it handles it characters and power dynamics. I also really enjoy the show’s psychological aspects. If you haven’t already, give Re:Zero a try!

4. Saint☆Oniisan (Movie + OVA) - 8/10

This was a wonderful comedy. I wasn’t sure how the subject of Jesus and Buddha living together would be tackled, but it was handled wonderfully. I was laughing for pretty much the entire movie. I love the art style and little references to both Buddhism and Christianity, plus the incorporation of Japanese culture. Saint Oniisan is a bright comedy, with two eccentric main characters. If you like a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and need a good laugh, I can’t recommend this more.

5. Clannad: After Story - 10/10

Never, while watching anime, did I cry as much as I did while watching Clannad: After Story. I didn’t realize how much I related to Okazaki until I saw him grow up in After Story. I was left sobbing, especially after episode 18. I still, to this day, cannot listen to the Dango song without tearing up. The original Clannad is nothing special, but the continuation of its story its something heartfelt, emotional, and down-to-earth. I love Kyoto Animation with all my heart, and Clannad made me appreciate everything the studio has done just a little bit more. Thank you Clannad, for reminding me about the kind of person I strive to be.

6. Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu - 5.5/10

The art in A Whisker Away was beautiful. The story itself, however, is nothing too enjoyable. I found it difficult to like our protagonist or her love interest. Nothing about this movie is inherently memorable. The emotional climax came far too early which made the second half of the film seem long and drawn out. All in all, the movie has a wonderful concept, I just believe it could have been so much more emotional than it was. When I watch a move, I like to empathize with the characters. It’s difficult to do when the characters aren’t given the proper exposition to be empathized with.

7. Shikioriori - 6/10

This is less of a movie and more of a collection of short stories. Flavors of Youth is something you shouldn’t watch on an empty stomach, all of the food looks incredible. The same cannot beside for the rest of this feature. The stories themselves seems heavily clichéd. Much like A Whisker Away, the initial premise is intriguing, but the execution results in something that comes across as trying too hard and carries no emotional weight with the viewer. If you plan on watching, pay more attention to the artwork and animation than the actual plot. You won’t be missing anything.

8. Vinland Saga - 7/10

Vinland Saga helped me get out of the rut that Clannad: After Story. Not only does this show have a great story, its action packed with lots of interesting fights. I especially enjoyed all the Nordic history embedded within the show. Its really unlike any of the other historical anime I’ve watched. I will say, it’s gory. But, compared to all the other things I watched this time around, I finished this series the quickest. Its good, its graphic, its fast paced!

9. Mononoke Hime - 7/10

It’s ironic considering how much anime I’ve watched that I have yet to watch all of the most classic Studio Ghibli films. Princess Mononoke is grittier than most other Ghibli films I’ve seen, but it’s message is positive and its characters are wonderful. I can’t really speak ill towards classics like these. I guess maybe my one complaint is that this movie could’ve been a faster pace. Other than that... I really enjoyed everything Princess Mononoke offered! I understand why it’s so popular.

10. Howl no Ugoku Shiro - 8.5/10

Can you believe it took me this long to finally watch Howl’s Moving Castle? Me neither!! This movie is so endearingly beautiful. I loved every second of it, from the characters to the soundtrack. So many iconic things come from just this one movie. I would like to take this time to thank my best friend for reminding me that Studio Ghibli films are wonderful! Thank you for watching this with me, I loved it! All in all, I regret not watching this sooner!

11. Toradora! - 6.5/10

Toradora took me a while to finish, just because I lost interest about halfway through. But, I powered through it, and ended up really enjoying the show! I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, but that’s just a personal preference. Somehow, this show also made me cry? I’m not entirely sure why because Toradora! is probably the thing farthest from sad. Apart from the show’s dull slice of life moments, it was super cute! A much needed light-hearted romance.

12. New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - 5/10

Full disclosure, this is the only thing related to Initial D that I’ve ever watched. My band and I watched this expecting to hear some of that iconic Initial D music, itself all we got was a mildly confusing story about different types of cars. It was cliché and frankly a little boring. Although, I am still considering watching the original Initial D just so I can hear the music in the way it was original intended. I’ve got no other opinions on this movie. It’s best not to watch these movies without the context from the rest of the franchise.

13. Uchuu Patrol Luluco - 7.5/10

I didn’t really understand why people enjoy studio Trigger so much until I watched Space Patrol Luluco. I loved all the fun references to other studio Trigger works. I loved the humor, and I loved all the bright colors. The animation was extremely high energy, and the art style fits the show’s premise. Each episode was only 12 minutes long so it was a super quick binge. If you’re looking for something quick, light-hearted and comical, this is the perfect show to watch.

14. Orange - 7/10

I owe a big thanks to a tumblr mutual for recommending this show to me! This holds the honor of making me cry by episode 3! I honestly did not expect the subject matter of this show to be as dark as it was. Usually when I see the genre ‘shoujo’ I do not associate it with a love story like that of Orange. The heavy subject matter made it a little too close to home for me, but I still really enjoyed this series. It reminds me off all the good times I had with my friends in high school, and of all the regrets I carry with myself to this day.

15. 3-gatsu no Lion - 7.5/10

March Comes in Like a Lion is another show that was a bit of a slow burn for me. Each episode left me feeling emotionally drained, so I had to take a lot of breaks while I was working on watching this series. Shaft, the studio behind this anime, holds a special place in my heart because I loved their work on the Monogatari Series. March Comes in Like a Lion is a little different. It’s driving force it is characters, and it was cathartic to watch our main character transform through the entire duration of the first season. I know the show’s second season is much better, so I’ll be starting that soon!

16. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei - 8/10

I loved how artsy and smart The Tatami Galaxy is, but honestly I couldn’t watch too much at once cause it would hurt my head. I also couldn’t watch this show while I was tired because the speaking rate is much faster than typical anime. The Tatami Galaxy is so unique for its medium. I loved the different time loops and the crazy animation. The characters were fascinating. The dialogue, although very fast, it also fantastic. There’s an element of humor to this unique story telling, and I enjoyed ever minute of it!

Currently Watching:

Hunter x Hunter - 6.5/10 (As of Episode 30)

I pride myself in having watched a lot of shounen anime, but I was reluctant to start Hunter x Hunter for years because I thought I would find it boring. I was oh so very wrong. Considering great shows like Naruto and Fairy Tail that fall under the same category, I expected Hunter x Hunter to be subpar in comparison. It gets a low score for two reasons. One, the power system was introduced a little too late and now I’m wondering if all the fights post episode 30 will involved nen in some way, shape, or form. Two, its still on hiatus.

Two Cursed Additions For This List

Please to do not let these be representative of my anime taste.

1. Yarichin☆B*tch-bu - 4/10

I am a CLOWN for not knowing this was 18+. The only reason I watched this was to see why everyone was talking about the pink-haired boy with the glasses and tongue piecing. I know why now, and I regret it. This was a massive mistake on my part. But hey, at the least the art and ending song kinda slap?

2. Euphoria (Dropped After 1 Episode) - 2/10

If you know what I’m talking about when I say Euphoria, I am so sorry. And no, I am not talking about the HBO series. Seriously, don’t google this. Don’t watch this. Don’t interact with anything related to this. You’re probably wondering, “Then why did you watch it?” I did not watch this willingly. You see, I have a very bad habit of starting anime and then taking months to finish them. I made an ultimatum with a friend, lost, and then was forced to watch this a punishment. Not a fun experience. I’m very glad there are no GIFs of this on tumblr...

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twh-news · 3 years

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'Loki' Star Sophia Di Martino on the Season 1 Finale, Working With Jonathan Majors and What She Knows About Season 2

[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers through the Season 1 finale of Loki, "For All Time. Always."]

Since her introduction at the end of Episode 2, Sophia Di Martino's depiction of Sylvie, the female variant of Loki introduced midway through her campaign of vengeance against the TVA, has been a defining aspect of Disney+'s Loki. And, as we learned in the season finale, the story of Loki isn't over yet — though what's in store is pretty nebulous, following Sylvie's betrayal of Loki (Tom Hiddleston) after what was their first and what might be their last kiss.

In a one-on-one conversation with Di Martino via Zoom, Collider asked about working with Jonathan Majors in his MCU debut, what it was like having both fight scenes and more romantic scenes with Hiddleston, and of course what the conversations around Season 2 have been like.

Collider: To start off, when did you have a sense that there would be a second season of Loki?

DI MARTINO: I mean, there'd been rumors for a while, but I still haven't heard officially if it's happening, like officially, officially. I only know what I know through reading the news. And I know, because you guys know, because of the tag at the end of Episode 6.

I was going to say, that feels like a pretty official thing, but it doesn't sound like anyone has shown up at your doorstep with paperwork.

DI MARTINO: No, nothing. Nothing like that.

Now, does that mean that when you watched it, were you given a full script of the sixth episode?

DI MARTINO: Yes. We got one episode at a time. So I wasn't given Episode 6 until like midway through shooting Episode 5.

So in that situation, what was your initial reaction to reading, especially like the last, say, 10 pages or so.

DI MARTINO: Just like, holy crap. This is massive. How exciting. Woof. And then also, "who's going to play He Who Remains, I need to know because it's such an amazing part and such incredible speeches he has. I wanted to imagine who would play him, but I couldn't have ever imagined the way Jonathan would have done it. So brilliant.

In terms of working with Jonathon Majors, what was that experience like? Just because I feel like he brought such a different energy to the role than I think anyone would have ever expected.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. He just exploded onto that set with so much energy and nothing like we could ever have imagined. It was a lot of fun and he was brilliant. You know, people were saying this is going to be something really special, whispering behind the camera. He was so eccentric and fun and kind of terrifying. Very easy for Tom and I to just sit and listen to him for a few days. Very entertaining.

Yeah. In rewatching the episode, it's still so striking to me the way that, after Sylvie stabs him, he makes barely any noise.

DI MARTINO: Because he knows that it's a possibility, I think. So maybe he's had a long time to sort of imagine every scenario. Yeah. It's kind of creepy, isn't it? The way he does that.

When you were breaking down the script for Episode 6, were you talking about Kang the Conqueror? Were you talking about the comic book backstory there?

DI MARTINO: I don't remember talking about the comic book backstory of Episode 6. But you know, to be honest, it was all very quick. Especially with Episode 6, we got the script pretty late in the day. So there wasn't that much mining to be done, to be honest. I'm not sure about Jonathan's experience, but for me, it was sort of pretty late in the day, just in the case of learning my lines and trying to make sure I didn't mess that up.

Of course — and it makes sense in terms of where your character is coming from.

DI MARTINO: Exactly. So I just need to know at that point, I just need to know what's going on for Sylvie.

In that case, in your head, what was going on for Sylvie in those scenes?

DI MARTINO: Oh my goodness. So much. I mean, so much happens in like 30 seconds. Doesn't it?

Definitely. But even before the final sequences, it's very dialogue-heavy and there's a lot of listening. In playing that, what was important for you?

DI MARTINO: To really listen and to really take on board what he was saying to us at that point, and then to choose not to believe him. For Sylvie, she's just on a revenge mission from the minute she walks into that building, she knows that she wants to kill someone. When they're in the elevator with him, she's already taking swipes at him. She just wants to get him with her machete. And I think she's just so laser-focused on that goal, that he could have said anything to her and her priority wouldn't have changed.

So you don't think there was ever a moment in that whole sequence where Sylvie was tempted, not tempted by the possibilities presented, but tempted to believe him?

DI MARTINO: I think there's a moment that he really pushes Sylvie's buttons when he's talking about you have been on a long journey and it's been really tough for you, hasn't it? And you can't trust anyone. You think you can trust him. And he starts playing mind games with them, playing them off against each other. And I think at that point, he plants a seed of doubt in her mind about Loki, but I think her mission to want to kill him doesn't change. She's absolutely married to that idea. And that feeling is so strong that she chooses it over Loki in the end.

From your perspective, where does that come from?

DI MARTINO: Just revenge. Like having her life taken away from her, her life ruined, spending her whole life on the run, this sort of anger. And if you want to think of it in these terms, her "glorious purpose." I went there.

I don't think you got to say those words during the show, so I'm glad you got this moment now.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. I'm saying it as much as I can now.

Later in the episode, this wasn't the first time you had a fight sequence with Tom Hiddleston, but did it feel different from the episodes you shot earlier?

DI MARTINO: Yeah, it did. This scene was far more emotive. There was a lot more going on for both of them. It was the breakup scene. It was the fight that you have when you are leaving someone. And it's so painful because you care about this person, but you just can't be with them for whatever reason. And that's how that felt.

Which is so interesting because of course what happens at the end of it is that there's a kiss and it's given the whole big Hollywood romantic music treatment.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. I mean, but that often happens when you're splitting up with someone, doesn't it? Just one last time, a sweet goodbye. It's kind of like a goodbye kiss in a way.

Of course. But it was also, unless I'm missing something, the first kiss.

DI MARTINO: Yeah. It was. And it had been building up for a long, long time. I think it was ultimately a goodbye kiss and a clap away for Sylvie to physically turn him around so she could get hold of that TemPad and zap him back to the TVA.

Yeah, of course. In terms of that, in general, I feel like there's a temptation to just kind of look at the Loki and Sylvie relationship as a straightforward romance, which of course it is very much not. From your perspective, what was it about that you worked hard to lean into.

DI MARTINO: I think it's about sort of self-love and acceptance as well as being a romance story. And for Sylvie, she's sort of shedding everything she doesn't need before she gets to He Who Remains so she can kill him. She gets rid of her cape, she gets rid of her horns. She ultimately gets rid of Loki. It's just not serving her in that moment. And it's so cold to think of it that way. But I think that's what was happening. That and the fact that she wanted him to be safe. So, she's kind of saving him by pushing him through that time door as well.

And if you're going to think of it as like an exploration of self-acceptance and self-love, that's also interesting because she showed sort-of, I don't know, getting rid of a part of herself that isn't serving her anymore at the same time as keeping it safe.

It's really interesting to hear you talk about it that way, because it makes me think about how the one thing that came out, especially I think in Episode 5, is the idea that knowing Sylvie made Loki a better person in some fundamental ways. And I'm wondering about the opposite of that. What did knowing Loki mean for Sylvie?

DI MARTINO: I think it's slightly different for Sylvie. I don't know if he's made her a better person. I don't know if she's allowed herself to change yet. Loki's been quite brave and he's changed. He's a changed person by the end of that series. Sylvie is still hell-bent on her mission and she still chooses it over caring about someone else. So maybe she's yet to make that change.

So in talking about the scene like it's a breakup... Season 1 ends with the characters being very separated and of course, Season 2 is very much a nebulous thing at the moment, but people break up all the time and get back together. In your head, do you see there being still some sort of future for the characters as a couple?

DI MARTINO: It would definitely be fun to see them in the same room together again, wouldn't it? I'm fascinated. Yeah. After that, I'm fascinated to see what Loki has to say to Sylvie after doing that to him. Who knows? Never say never. I'm really excited to see what they come up with because it could go in so many different directions, but surely they have to come face to face again at some point.

It's like that awkward party after you've broken up with someone and you see them again. And that first conversation, whether it's in public or not, it's sorts of awful, but such a relief once it's been done.

Something that's been kind of a topic of discussion when it comes to talking about romance on screen is a quality that a lot of leading men have — for lack of a better term, the ability to give their love interest a Look. I've consulted with others and we feel like Tom Hiddleston has the look or has the ability to deliver the look. And I'm curious what it's like to be on the other side of it.

DI MARTINO: Tom's a very charming man and he could definitely make people go weak at the knees by just giving them a look. My reaction to that is always to sort of make a joke and run away. So there was probably a lot of that on set, breaking the tension by being a goofball.

I just had to react as Sylvie. And Sylvie's got these walls up. She doesn't let anyone in and that includes Loki. So sure there's a sort of, oh, this person is not as I thought they were. I'm warming to them. But Sylvie's not an easy nut to crack.

Is it fun getting to play that kind of strength?

DI MARTINO: Yeah. It's awesome because when her defenses do come down and she's vulnerable, it's really interesting. And you start to see all of the stuff that's buried underneath and that's what makes her a great character to play.

So, how do you feel about there being a second season? Do you feel like if there hadn't been a second season, you would have gotten the closure you wanted to from the story?

DI MARTINO: Probably not. I want to know what happens just like everyone else. I'm super excited and I just can't wait to see which direction they're going because it could be infinite directions.

Do you have a sense that there might've been different aspects to it, had COVID not been an issue?

DI MARTINO: I think COVID actually probably made it a lot better. We had a five months hiatus and Kate and the producers and writers worked a lot on episodes five and six during that time. And as far as I've heard, a lot changed for the better. They could rewatch what we'd already shot and just carry on working on the scripts and developing them. So I think it was great to have that time actually, as awful in most ways it was, that was the silver lining of it.

Very. Yeah. So looking forward, I imagine if there's a second season, you're on board if you get asked.

DI MARTINO: Hopefully. Hope so.

By the way, I was really excited to see the story about how your costume was designed to allow you to breastfeed during shooting. That seems like it was a really special detail.

DI MARTINO: Yeah, really, really. I'm just so grateful that that happened. It made my life so much easier and it was important to me that I carried on doing that. So it was just the little things and it's just saved a lot of time. Practically, it was a godsend.

Of course. So looking forward, what's next for you?

DI MARTINO: Lots of interviews. Lots of being able to talk about episode six finally, and then, who knows? An infinite possibility. So yeah, I'm excited to see what happens and to see people's reactions to the series because people are still catching up. People are still watching and rewatching it and probably go on.

Yeah. I mean, I imagine that you're going to be cosplayed at various conventions over the next several decades probably.

DI MARTINO: Do you think? That blows my mind.

I mean, cosplaying has a long legacy to it.

DI MARTINO: It's so cool. The way that people are already making Sylvie horns and crafting them from scratch and spraying them. And there's one woman that's just sewn a whole suit together and it looks exactly like my costume. It's so impressive, the love and attention people put into it.

Are you getting an action figure?

DI MARTINO: I don't know. Hopefully. What would I do with it? Maybe I could use it as a cake topper. Who knows? But that would be a very cool thing to have, wouldn't it?

#loki #loki series #sophia di martino #sylvie #interview #article #collider #spoilers #loki series spoilers #loki spoilers

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