#also why the hell would her being a tomboy be a bad thing re: that one commenter

[darkpoisonouslove]

Riven x Musa

Ok, so I keep seeing posts everywhere that basically badmouth S8 and after seeing ten seconds of the trailer (YIKES to the animation, what’s wrong with the industry that they are making everything anime? Powerpuff Gen Z, I’m looking at you – obs: I didn’t watch it fully yet) I can see where some of the criticism is coming from but anyways…

My favorite Winx!couple EVER has always been Musa x Riven since I was kid and first watched the show (Netflix is not helping ‘cause I ship them even there).

I remember yawning at Bloom/Sky, rolling my eyes at Stella/Brandom and making a completely incredulous expression that I could literally feel forming on my face at Helia/Flora (can anyone say ‘unrealistic’?). Timmy/Tecna are a second favorite.

And why my Winx OTP are Riven x Musa followed after Timmy x Tecna? Because it reflects real life. In real life you’re not gonna stumble into people whose real and deep relationship problems are solved in twenty four minutes (not even that considering that some episodes present the “problem” half-way through said 24 minute-episode).

The breakup between Riven and Musa in S6 (spoilers everywhere after all) was one of the most mature breakups in the history of breakups with the hope for the future (yes, I’m completely ignoring S7, sue me, the whole thing was one huge filler anyways). And, after reading a lot of opinions on both ends (defending Musa/attacking Riven and defending Riven/attacking Musa) and watching the episodes in question (reuniting through reconciling) I think I can give my own analysis.

Since Musa AND Riven (individually and as couple) are my favorite characters in Winx, I think I CAN give a fairly unbiased view (hopefully).

*clears throat*

Ok, keep in mind that I’m defending BOTH of them, because I ship them too hard not to.

Musa Being OC (sometimes being called ‘brat’): C'mon, people! Musa and Tecna are OC since S4 anyways, where are the tomboy and the nerd? With the sneakers, T-shirt and comfortable-looking clothes? Noooo, now they all need neat skirts and hot pink high heels and long, glamorous hair. Do they look good? Of course, but and I would totally be less pissed if there was ANY indication on the reason for the change. Are they just maturing? Expressing themselves differently? Crowd mentality? Tune and Stella finally broke Musa down and Tecna followed soon after? Was it just to please Riven and Timmy? ANYTHING (even the 'pleasing a boy’ would at least be A reason - a ridiculous one that would piss me off, but A reason none the less), was just a sudden impulse that took?

Sure, we can talk about “character growth” until we are blue in the face, but the matter of the fact is that there was none.

The changes we see in Musa and Tecna are basically the creators making them more like the rest of the Winx (I’m including Aisha in this too, where is the sporty girl that matched the boy’s interest in extreme sports? C'mon! Even Bloom and her Girl Next Door looks are replaced with Bratz and Clueless-level of outfits).

Is anyone really going to look me in the eye and say Stella wasn’t a shallow (if friendly and good-natured) Mean Girl? She got better, but as I re-watch the show (currently in S3, meaning almost half-way through the content), Stella still worries more about her hair than anything else even while under literal fire.

More and more, Musa, Tecna and Aisha are losing their identities and what made them, IMO, the more badass Winx.

How did the two on the left went from this…

… to this:

Yeah, yeah, Musa still sings, Tecna still technobabble and Aisha is still a Warrior Princess but Aisha was the first one to go Bloom and Stella on us with Musa and then Tecna following soon after. It’s not just their clothing style, it’s the way they carried themselves too.

Right now? The only thing keeping them apart is their BF blues (different kind of blues) and some personal interests (singing, shopping, tech, the whole drama with Domino/Sparks, etc). But that’s IT, their personalities are going down the drain!

Sorry for the long-winded text, but the reason I’m expressing my disappointment at their change is because Musa’s reaction fits it. S6 we have such an AMAZING breakup (didn’t even think that was possible, WTH, right? Amazing breakup?) only for her to be mad as hell at Riven at S8? Bad writing, that has been dragging her (and the rest of the Winx) down to becoming just one unilateral, shallow character (the Specialists are also falling into that pit, what in the world did they do Helia in S8? He sounds like Thor telling about his “brave exploits” there, yikes). And continuity what? What continuity? Do they even remember how the breakup was written?

But ok, let’s put the Audience View aside for a moment and focus only on the In-Universe terms.

S6: You’ll always be my hero.

S8: What on EARTH are you doing here. 

I laughed a bit, the contrast just got to me but instead of getting mad at one or the other like most of the fandom, I laughed.

Musa followed that by saying that Riven has not maintained contact and just in that I would be beyond pissed as well and giving my support to Musa. WTH, Riven? I think that each season is more less six months to a year? Sort of? Still, zero contact for so long even after ending on amicable terms and wanting to stay friends? And he went off on his own! A text now going, “I’m not dead” would be the bare basics for Musa not to worry herself bald!

BUT then I also read comments about how this was a two-way street, why didn’t Musa call either? That’s unfortunately something that I very much doubt will ever be explained. One of those: did it or didn’t it? Musa could have called and went straight to voicemail with no signs of life from Riven or she might not have called and just expected him to call as if feminism were dead and all initiative must come from the guy (which doesn’t even fit because they parted as friends).

Since we have no info on the above, I put it on both of them. It’s not fair to say, “HE should have called!” or “Why didn’t SHE call?” because we don’t have fricking context. So the only thing we can take is: no contact.

BECAUSE I put the lack of contact on both of them, Musa’s reaction was a little too much, however, Riven shows up all smirks and leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and I would have flashbacks to S1 if it wasn’t for the animation style that made all the guys look like girls. Dude! Not the time for that kind of posture. Not saying that he should be all sheepish and rubbing his arm as if he had done something horrible (again: we don’t have context on the no contact) but a more neutral approach was warranted here. Nobody does themselves any favors with that kind of attitude no matter what how high of a horse they may be (rightly or not) riding on, if anything I would react like Musa solely on that one.

Next episode we have that Riven convinced the guys to follow the girls in some mission and Musa was angry. Again: I would be too. WTH? Yes, yes, they helped and if it wasn’t for them, the Winx would gotten seriously injured but Musa did have a point saying that this demonstrated that they had no trust in them and need their hand held, it was no sanctioned mission like on Earth after all. BUT, Riven does something that I would never expect from in S1-4: he explains, he reasons it, he puts it in all the words that he does trust Musa and co and that he only wanted to show that he’d be there for her (you know? One of the main issues in S6 that made them breakup in the first place? His inability to conciliate Specialist work with supporting his girlfriend and ultimately failing or feeling like failing in both?) and Musa still pouts, crosses her arms, and turns around. Geez. I expected that one from Stella, not Musa. I think the closest Musa has ever come to THIS was back in S2 when Jared explains that Riven was the one to recommend that he interview Musa and yada yada yada and she got mad and stomped off on the poor guy that didn’t even understand what was going on (only to immediately apologize to Jared and recognizing that it wasn’t him that she was mad at… like I said: what character growth?).

Riven then goes to show that he indeed grew when he asked for advice from Sky and Brandon (WTH, right? Can we picture that happening back in S1-3? He very grudgingly would LISTEN to UNSOLICITED advice from Nabu and Helia in S4-6). And does a very, very goofy and embarrassing show of affection. Yeah… again… I can picture Stella loving the light show with her face for IDK how many people to see but not Musa (although can we really blame the guy after the series went out of its way to make Musa all Stella-like? Clothes, attitude, the only thing missing is making Riven carry her shopping bags around and call him “Shnookums” (although the mental image is already enough for me to fall over laughing, just for the face Riven would make). Still, I have to count that one against Riven if only because (as much as the show gives only lip service to it) Musa isn’t Stella.

Riven being mind controlled (again) aside, those two are back together. And on the overall? Riven showed more growth than any other character in the show COMBINED (he is the Zuko of the show), that doesn’t go to say that he didn’t make mistakes since coming back in S8 (but that was more a guy trying to win back a girl than… betraying his friends for a pair of nice legs or… IDEK like in S1 – where, mind control or not the show itself made sure to make it clear that he had free will) or that he is now the one out of Musa’s league. I think that NOW it can actually work… if the show allows him to keep the progress, Musa is the next to see her flaws and work on them (which she showed to be able to do since S2) and put effort in the relationship. The difference between them is that Musa can actually work on herself and the relationship at the same time. That’s not me saying she is better than Riven in any way, everybody has their own pace and their own way to cope, to improve and to self-reflect.

I still root for them.

~*~

PS-IDK why, but I read posts about how Riven changed so much and posts about how all his progress disappeared and he is now back to his S1 attitude and I’m just cofused. Yeah, different of opinions and so on, but such opposite opinions on the subject of a guy whose relationship was focused on three episodes? 

#winx club #winx musa #winx riven #musa x riven #rivusa #anti stella #submission

[prousterinhernest]

Oh god, I need to talk about that Powerpuff Girls script

So, do I ever actually post here? No. Has a part of my childhood been re-opened, stepped on repeatedly and run over with a car? Yep. So to spare my poor mother from the many rants about this script and her repressed memories of a young me just watching the show on repeat, I’m here to talk about it from a script perspective.

I’m so glad this is the main thing I use my degree for. To spare us all, I’m shoving this in parts because I’m so glad they shoved this script into a five act structure to make this easier for me.

So let’s start this off with the ten minute teaser at the beginning. Apparently, this all starts in 2003 with a seven-year-old Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles. They’re flying through the sky, and okay, I’ll give them some nostalgia factor for this. However, I’m saying this now - this reads like an animation script. This is live-action, and instead they’re really using the description of “cotton candy clouds”? Please, stick to whether you want it to be live-action or animation. Please.

Also, their dresses are described as impractical and it’s like... Guys. You’re already starting to describe the dresses as impractical for seven-year-olds. You know what else is impractical? Seven-year-olds destined to fight crime. 

Blossom is described as the leader, go-getter and goody-goody. Now, from what I remember - yeah that does describe Blossom. I’m really coming from a place of a person who’s memories of the show are only kinda coming back after 20 years so, if I get anything wrong then someone - please tell me.

Buttercup’s the scrappy, scowling tomboy - not even described by the narrator with that one. Instead, the narrator is just like she’s the tough one and a “hard-ass” and I wouldn’t describe a seven-year-old as a hard-ass. 

Then Bubbles. Poor, sweet innocent Bubbles, who always was my favourite as a child and what have they done to you. She was the sweet and cheerful one, most of the time - according to the narrator. And you know, I’ll accept the dialogue for the seven-year-old Bubbles saying woot. It was 2003, but you know, woot is not a word I’ve heard in ages. I know I’m fixating, but then she immediately after this mentions how the Professor mentions efficacy and you know what, I don’t think a seven-year-old would say the word efficacy and I just have a lot of issues with Bubbles dialogue in this script and this is just the start.

So they’re flying, they’re fighting a giant three-headed-pegasus monster but in my head, I’m just seeing that weird giant three-headed-dragon thing from My Little Pony and I don’t know why but we don’t see it much because you just know the writers were only thinking about how the producers will react to this, I see that “(don’t worry)” in the script and I know they’re just worrying the producers about the budget. 

Which is why we get a short-ass fight and then immediately after we get a flashback to 1996. To when they were created. Note: They weren’t born, they were created to be the age of 7 in 1996 and yet they’re still that age in 2003. Am I being pedantic? Yes. Is that bothering me a lot? Oh god yes.

Also Mojo Jojo is two people and just make him a monkey you cowards. I know you managed to get Gorilla Grodd in The Flash, so just do it. Instead, we’ve got Dr Joseph Mondel, who’s Utonium’s science partner. He’s there when they’re born and supposedly he and... Drake, are close. 

“Couldn’t have done this without you Mojo,” you are a liar Professor. You are not the man I remember you to be good sir. 

Then Professor Utonium gets his happy life, also with a hot girlfriend - why did you date Sara Bellum? I recall her being married to her work? Heaven forbid we have a single father being a good figure for his children. Right, CW? I’m so glad that we got Sara Bellum being reduced to becoming just Drake Utonium’s girlfriend (for now).

Next we’ve got them saving a bank from Fuzzy Lumpkins, and you know what? We don’t need this scene. I only hear the narrator and you should not be relying so much on the narrator because has no one told you show don’t tell? Because I’m pretty sure if I relied on a narrator for a show like this, my lecturers would have gutted me like a fish.

Mojo, who is still tragically not a monkey, is apparently sick with envy. He wanted to be like Elon Musk, and I say this again, he wanted to be like Elon Musk and how dare you insult Mojo Jojo in this way. But yeah, he was forgotten by Utonium once Utonium went famous and his son is now an obsessive Blossom fanboy. I wish I was joking. But this is no Jojo-joke. (I’ll show myself out, don’t worry).

Mojo has enough power to hold a rally, and say that Utonium stole his work and that the girls are dangerous and you know, as a concept? I’d be okay with that. I too would be worried about children with superpowers. Hell, I was a dick as a child. If I had powers? Damn son, I’d be the worst. 

But you know, he wasn’t their only enemy. They also had... puberty. God, I wish this was a joke. I really wish it was. 

Blossom, at age 17, despite how she should probably be 24 if she and her sisters were born at the age of 7 in 1996 - Yes, that’s my issue - is studying for SATs and they made it so Buttercup is cheating on her girlfriend. Thanks guys. Way to ruin Buttercup. Then we have Bubbles. Bubbles who is hungover, and forced flamingos in the zoo to drink Hypnotiq. 

I stand by my previous statement: Bubbles what have they done to you?

Also, despite Blossom being the leader and the apparent moral high-ground for the kids she doesn’t seem to be as goody-goody as she was described earlier on. I’d have thought she’d be against her siblings who are both forcing flamingos to drink and cheating on girlfriends - but no, she’s super chill with them. 

Added bonus: Buttercup doesn’t want to wear a dress because it’s compulsive heterosexuality. So, bad news everyone - dresses are completely heterosexual now. 

They go to fight Swampy, and Bubbles is literally treating everything like a TV-show and Drake has clearly been a horrible influence and Sara Bellum calls him out for it. She’s then classed as not being a member of the family, and dick move Drake. You had a good stepmother figure character but of course, she breaks up with him. (After nine years and being exclusive for seven. I... I can’t with Drake).

Next up giant squid robot appears while they fight Swampy. You know, despite there being lots of protestors, surely someone would have noticed by now that there’s only Mojo piloting that giant squid that will reek more damage than these teenagers? Right...? 

Nope, not so. Instead, there’s Blossom picking a fight with Anti-Powerpuff Protestors and Bubbles fighting Swampy, while Blossom is dealing with the giant squid robot being controlled by Mojo. Jojo’s co-piloting it and all I can think is, this guy literally has a Blossom action figure in his hand. This isn’t a crush, he’s literally obsessed. Giant squid robot destroys a building, Blossom tries to save people, ends up accidentally killing Mojo in front of his son.

On the plus side, Mojo had a monkey lab-rat partner but having a talking monkey was too real? God, I hate this.

But yeah, the Powerpuff Girls are now controversial despite the fact they didn’t kill Mojo. I mean, Blossom did accidentally, but she then got PTSD and ran away. Bubbles and Buttercup call out the protestors and the press outside their house and I just want to end this with: Just let Buttercup say Fuck.

...

That’s just the teaser. I’m really sorry everyone that is just the teaser and for the sake of it I’m only focusing on the script. I don’t wanna focus on the casting yet because you know? Imagining Turk as Professor Utonium is just pain.

I’m just gonna leave this one here and I’ll talk about the trainwreck that is Act I in a little while because really. Really. 

#ppg cw #powerpuff girls cw #leaked script #this is purely just me getting through this #I just really need to talk about this #I don't even remember the show that well and I'm just so offended on Bubbles behalf

[wonkyreads]

The Grace Year

Kim Liggett

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

All told, this book is dark at times and as rough around the edges as you’d expect, but there’s a bravery to it and to Tierney that speaks of a future where women aren’t things or pitted against each other, though in the narrative it still seems a long time coming.

There’s a brutally heavy handed quality to the first parts of this book. Imagine The Handmaid’s Tale mixed up with The Lord of the Flies and then take away a generous portion of subtlety. It made it so easy to know exactly where the book was headed and while the ending isn’t exactly what I’d expected (or honestly even something I’m sure I understand), a lot of the expected puzzle pieces showed up right when I knew to look for them. A lot of writing is formulaic, so it’s not like I’m totally upset about it. More than anything the lack of subtlety made me want to set the book down very early on for fear of the rest of the book being TOO easy to read. It got better, though, and by the end I’d almost forgotten.

The writing was clearly very well done technically, the characters were varied enough to make reading them worthwhile (Personality-wise, I mean. It could have done with some actual diversity! I can’t remember anyone being described as something other than “pale” or “ivory” which got on the nerves a bit.), and I thoroughly enjoyed the last quarter of the book.

There were a lot of little things I found annoying that cleared themselves up by the time I reached the end and there was also a ton of pacing issues. Somehow a book that is primarily action managed to slog at times; it felt like everything was moving at a snail’s pace for most of the book. I ended up skipping and having to go back to re-read huge chunks of exposition and thought, not because it was bad but because it felt like an interruption or lasted far too long to continue holding my attention. Other than that, there were a few trope-y things that weren’t great like Tierney was the only tomboy out of 33 girls, the only girl to suggest working together, and just sometimes felt a little too close to Mary Sue perfect. The mid-book romance/love thing bothered me. Sometimes things just felt too easy because they had to happen narrative-wise. Small things that add up to a larger annoyance.

Now, just a thought:

The book might have been more efficient had the beginning been a little more subtle. As it is, seeing where the plot was going was not hard, it was just a matter of what specifics would happen along the way. I think it would have been terrifying if Tierney hadn’t been convinced that the county’s ways were wrong and she hadn’t been against them from the beginning. That slow decent, that journey through madness to truth would have been utterly horrifying if she hadn’t started off already condemning the county’s ways. Letting the reader go on that journey with her would have made this book phenomenal. It wouldn’t necessarily have fixed the pacing, but it also wouldn’t have left me feeling like I should DNF the book within the first 50-100 pages.

Lastly, that ending? What?

Time for some spoilers!

First of all, the ending. I know it’s up in the air whether Tierney lives or dies but that bothers me. It changes the message one way or the other. If she lives she raises her daughter to truly be the one to take down the grace year and coaches Michael in their direction (not that he needs the help, but the man has nothing specific to go on). If she dies, it’s the end of a cycle that is symbolic in a way that is so very depressing but continues to drive home the message. If she dies, Grace grows up hearing of her wild soul and rebels for her or however Grace’s story then goes because in Tierney’s death, Grace’s future feels much less steadfast. As beautiful as Tierney’s dying at the end might be, I wanted so, so fucking badly to see her sneak into the outskirts to find Ryker’s mother (like, please, girl, my soul is begging).

Which brings me to Ryker. Boy howdy, did I have some feelings on that whole plot point. First of all, the second he spared her the first time I said to myself, “If he becomes a love interest here, I’m done.” The second time he saves her I thought, “This is just too unfulfilling.” The third time, when he pulls her from the ice and, understandably annoyed, heals her with the patience of a goddamn saint I knew that I loved him so freaking much as a character even if I still hated him as a love interest. Admittedly, as fast and insincere as their romance felt, they truly spent months cooped up together talking it out and it was easy to understand how they’d come by their emotions. The reader just wasn’t given that time (which is good because the pacing was already wrecked). By the end, I understood why he was made a love interest and I didn’t resent it. I didn’t resent him having to die. I just resent that it felt so hollow the whole time.

I think this is the last thing bugging me, though a week from now I might snap my fingers and remember something else: why the hell wouldn’t Tierney tell Michael about the grace year? Why make that the unbreakable vow out of so many? He’s kept ALL of her secrets up to that point, put himself on the line, proved over and over again to be a good man worth trusting who wants the same things Tierney does... he’s going out of his way to make a different basically blind. If she’d just tell him about the grace year truly and what it all meant, then maybe they wouldn’t have to wait for Grace the baby to grow up and do it all herself. If not he Tierney and Michael were on the same page, I can’t even imagine how much smoother life would have been.

I think what I’m truly mourning here is that while so many plot threads got their neat little bows (despite such an ambiguous end) Tierney and Michael truly don’t get theirs. It ends with “maybe they could be great” and “maybe they fall in love” and with Michael panicking out in the hall not knowing a damn thing. He was misguided in the beginning, giving Tierney her veil and not being forthright with his feelings (though he was right in the end for it, how lucky), but he truly cared for her and for change and all the girls and women being held hostage by the county. I want to see that change in him, not be told in a passing paragraph. I know this book is feminist to the core and it’s not about the men here, but more than anything I want to see that small change ripple out. I want to see Michael in charge making subtle differences with Tierney at his side, dammit!

Oof, I think I’m all ranted out now, so I’ll leave you with the part that nearly made me cry:

All of the pent up emotions caused by Tierney’s journey came to a head, for me at least, when she disrobed in the square and they revolted against her. It wasn’t when Michael stood up for her. It was when Gertrude did. And then Kiersten did. And then all of these women in the square who she’d been looking at all her life, but never truly seeing, revealed that small flower - a bloom of hope. The solidarity and meaning in that moment after so much had happened nearly broke me. It was such a beautifully orchestrated moment that it almost makes up for all of the small annoyances that built up over the pages.

“Your eyes are wide open, but you see nothing.”

Here’s to finally seeing when it matters most.

[turtle-paced]

GoT Re-Watch: Fine-Toothed Comb Edition

Ah, the end. I’m free until 2019.

Yeah, no, tune in Sunday for the most recent numbers and my proposal for what I do next.

7.07 - The Dragon and the Wolf

(2:02) The Unsullied have reappeared in the plot.

(2:24) And with a shot of Jaime looking out over their ranks, we establish that the Unsullied are now at King’s Landing. What Riverlands? What Reach? Who’s running them now? And did anyone notice hostile forces marching through?

(3:21) This is, I think, one of the worst conversations in the entire series, due to its combination of indulging a favoured actor and trying way too hard to be cynical, irreverent and witty (but overshooting two of those marks and undershooting the third, landing firmly in “juvenile” territory). “Maybe it really is all cocks in the end,” says more about the show than it does about the characters.

(4:45) Here we have a long establishing shot showing us some real nice work modelling the Red Keep, plus Euron’s navy, and the few ships Dany sent. Perfectly legitimate use of establishing shots - especially given the political situation these characters are heading into, and the purposes for which they’ve each assembled these forces. This time, the length of the shots is well justified, and we’re looking at something more attractive and interesting than a damned stone corridor.

(5:15) Yeah…the book!North has more than a million people living in it.

(6:24) Woman called bitch: 1. Note Jaime’s shocked expression as Cersei says “if something goes wrong, kill [everyone in a certain order].” I do not know why this is supposed to be surprising to him - the only thing that leaps to mind is that he’s horrified she’d order such a thing under a flag of truce with so little specification as to what “if something goes wrong” means.

(6:42) People start walking to the Dragonpit here.

(8:05) We start in earnest with the reunions here. Tyrion and Pod, this time. It’s nice that they get to see each other again and catch up.

(8:18) Look, writers. Bronn saying the word “cock” is not inherently funny. Please stop.

(8:29) Similarly, Sandor doesn’t have to swear at everyone for no reason at all to maintain his hard man cred.

(8:37) Now Sandor and Brienne get to see each other again and catch up. That’s also nice.

It’s well worth mentioning, from an adaptational perspective, how telling it is that Brienne and Sandor speak fondly and admiringly of Arya, without mentioning Sansa. This is pretty much a product of the show’s lack of interest in and understanding of Sansa’s book material - her refusal to become jaded and cynical affects Sandor deeply, but was barely adapted in the show. It did, however, preserve Sandor’s repeated speeches to Sansa in praise of cynicism. As far as the adaptation can tell, there’s no reason for someone as “badass” as show!Sandor to care about Sansa. As opposed to Arya, of course he’d like Arya, she’s a scrappy tomboy. What’s not to like?

The knock-on effect is that it was that much harder to show Sandor’s own character development. The scene where Sandor buries the farmer and his daughter did a bit of that catching-up, but not much, and it doesn’t erase the fundamental problem of Sandor returning to violence - and hence the story - after the massacre of the peaceful farming community he was living in.

(9:46) Varys chimes into Tyrion’s reunion with Bronn (another nice thing!) to remind us that Bronn works for people when he gets paid. And he hasn’t been paid.

(10:54) And they finally arrive at the Dragonpit. Weren’t those reunions nice? Wasn’t it fun? Couldn’t we have used those four minutes of screentime telling the story instead?

The plot going on here is the peace talks. If there’s tension here, it needs to be directed towards “will these talks be successful?” and “will Cersei believe us?” If we have to see four minutes of characters walking to these peace talks, the conversation on the way needs to be Tyrion sounding Bronn out over Cersei and Jaime’s current attitudes, or Jon going over what he has to say and how. Also acceptable is Jon asking Brienne how Sansa was doing (to give him a chance to react to the news Bran and Arya are at Winterfell; this is new information pertaining to several major characters), or the minor named characters talking about the wight-in-a-box. Even then, we don’t have to have conversations about conversations we’re going to have.

Tyrion, Bronn and Pod reuniting? Fanservice. Cut it. Brienne and Sandor encountering each other again? Fanservice. Cut it. You’ve got a story to tell, gentlemen, move it along.

(11:42) Especially cut it, because we’ve now spent a minute watching the first set of arrivals at the Dragonpit file into place. On top of the four minutes of useless walking to places, this kills the pace of the episode. It’s supposed to be tense waiting; by now it’s more like “get back to me when the plot starts up, ‘kay?”

(12:30) Man called cunt: 1. Sandor’s swearing again. He’s maybe a little Flanderized.

(12:34) Man called cunt: 2.

(12:37) Ahahahaha, wow. We get a good look at Cersei’s outfit here and I get to return to laughing at how terrible her costuming’s been this season. In a better show an outfit this bad would be a tip-off that Cersei’s not taking this at all seriously. In this show, well. The outfit’s too plain to make a point of Cersei’s wealth and power, and too fancy to make a point of its plainness. I’ll get back to costuming again once Dany shows up.

In the meantime, say hi to Euron! He’s back!

(13:23) After another minute and a half, we’ve got the second party to arrive seated. Chop chop. We don’t have all day if we’re going to get through some plot here.

(13:32) Sandor’s really being highlighted here. We have several characters with established tension, and it’s Sandor who marches across the stage to confront Gregor. I worry that we’re going to get Cleganebowl, I really do.

(14:48) Dany loses political competence here to enable future plot point, coming with two of her dragons.

(16:06) And our third and final party finally seats herself. It’s been almost ten minutes since these characters set out on the path to the Dragonpit. Nothing of interest has been said. Nothing has been done. There’s building tension, and then there’s pacing the episode badly.

Now that Dany’s here, I’m also going to point out the costuming thing that’s now super obvious. Every named character here, with the exceptions of Jaime and Varys, is wearing black. (Jaime and Varys are both wearing very dark, dull colours.) This lack of range in colour actually subtracts from the worldbuilding. Why are Tyrion and Cersei dressed as Tywin-clones? They’re just about the only people there who’ve so much as seen Tywin; there’s no point in dressing to copy him (except to make a point to the audience, what’s a fourth wall?), and these black costumes are still too blinged out to effectively do the job anyway. Why is Jon not in grey and white (not that we’ve ever seen Starks in grey and white)? Why hasn’t anyone got Davos something a bit less shabby to wear? Did all of these people join the Night’s Watch when I wasn’t looking?

Little things - bits of jewellery, chasing on armour, and so forth - have all the house symbols that should be loud and proud on clothing and conveyed through colour. Jaime’s is possibly the best costume here. Check the details on it. They’re nice ones.

(16:29) As if to spite us, when Tyrion starts talking, Euron interrupts. Dammit. We were so close to getting the episode started.

(17:10) Thank you, Jaime! Forty seconds of bad joke and explaining why the bad joke is bad. Aaaaaaargh. We know. Get a move on.

(18:26) At least this time Jon seems to have practiced his “the zombies are coming” speech.

(18:50) Dany’s first line since she apologised for rocking up late. She’s barely had a reaction shot. It’s pretty much what happened in her meeting with Theon and Yara at the end of s6; Dany’s been shoved into the background so that Tyrion can take centre stage (because his own plot vanished into the ether and all he’s got to do is speak for Dany in political situations). Seriously, she doesn’t have to speak all the time - you just have to keep checking in with her visually so we know she’s got opinions and those opinions are important!

(19:18) Cersei calls someone else a usurper. Um.

Note again that Dany hasn’t made an argument. She’s confirming things and restating them. The work of the appeal, for her faction, is left to Tyrion. Jon Snow gets to speak for himself.

(19:28) On perfect dramatic cue, Sandor emerges from the basement here with the wight-in-a-box.

(19:50) We watch Sandor carry it to centre stage and start unboxing it. It’s a slow roll within a slow roll. It’s a slow roulade. A turducken of unnecessarily dragged out dramatic moments. I have died, and I am in pacing hell.

(20:33) Oh it’s a wight in the box! Wow, that only took a FULL MINUTE.

(20:43) Great reaction times here. That wight covered some distance.

(21:21) Qyburn’s reactions here are excellent. This is well done.

(21:39) Davos Seaworth, brought along to light a torch for Jon. Jon, meanwhile, handles this like an airline safety demonstration. While I love ADWD-timeframe Jon’s boring-but-practical attitude, this is pretty comical.

(22:12) Deaths: 1. Jon kills a wight. Still trying to catch up to Dany.

(22:38) At last! Dany contributes! Took her long enough!

(22:44) Again, something genuinely good - we can tell that Jaime is convinced, no tricks. He’s had the reaction shots to show this, and he’s asking follow-up questions. (Dany being able to estimate numbers is a good way of showing her competence and interest in the matter.)

(23:03) “Can they swim?” Interesting question there, Euron…

(23:24) “This is the only thing I’ve ever seen that terrifies me.” At first I thought this was both bad acting and bad writing (show, don’t tell!). Now we know that Cersei had plans within plans going and this is aaaaaaallll just a ruse to get Euron clear to ferry the Golden Company across the Narrow Sea.

(23:49) And that was Euron, everyone! He sure did add a lot to the season. Most of it comedic. Unintentionally comedic.

(24:04) Here’s something that again, in a better show, I would like a lot - Cersei starts monologuing in pretty much the same words as Jon and Tyrion. In a better show, I’d have the trust that this was Cersei deliberately reflecting back what she knows the others want to hear, deliberately mimicking their rhetorical devices. In this one, I’ve got nothing more than that the general intention of the scene was “Cersei convinces the others she believes the threat is real.” There have been too many clunky speeches for what looks like it could have been an effective idea to work.

(24:51) “I ask it only of Ned Stark’s son.” This is closer to the sort of irony that the books give us with Jon and Ned. The emphasis is on Ned, and what Jon is not.

(25:22) I have the strong suspicion that Jon swearing allegiance to Dany last episode was done first and foremost to break negotiations down right now. I’ll be interested to see how it plays out next season, combined with the inevitable internal R+L=J reveal.

(26:16) Wait what? Brienne said what? Brienne of Tarth? “Fuck loyalty”? Are we looking at the same character here? Full line’s worth examining, too. “This goes beyond houses and honour and oaths.” Only realpolitik can confront the army of the dead, in Game of Thrones, and honour is an obstacle.

(27:28) Surprisingly, Jon Snow actually advances a good argument for honesty! Which, much like his position on amnesty back in 7.01, is rather undercut by the action this argument was paired with. Not much good having these arguments if everyone around him is going “yes, Jon, but that was daft.”

(27:49) Here’s one of the best examples of what I’ve been talking about. We’ve only got one chance, Tyrion says. He goes to talk to Cersei alone. And yet, in order to maintain the plot the showrunners want to write, Tyrion can’t succeed. Just like with the Masters in Meereen, just like with Jaime ditching Casterly Rock earlier, Tyrion’s plan fails. I’ve got no faith that the showrunners are going to start pointing this out and have people’s opinions of Tyrion change for the worse because of this track record of failure. Yet if Tyrion doesn’t do this, he doesn’t have anything to do.

(28:11) “Or we all go home and we’re right back where we started.” Which is a huge failing of this plot. After six and a half episodes of war, very little has been accomplished vis-a-vis Dany and Cersei.

(28:22) Tyrion starts walking here.

(28:40) Cut to Tyrion in the Red Keep here. But it wasn’t just Tyrion walking. We had reaction shots to Tyrion walking. Totally worth eighteen seconds.

(28:48) And eight seconds of just Tyrion’s face before we see that he’s walking next to Gregor Clegane. I could just cry. Please, please, get to the story.

(28:59) Cut to Tyrion turning the corner of this corridor. Thrilling action! Stunning development!

(29:52) After a brief stop for Tyrion to do some nonsense like ‘converse with his brother, whom he loves yet knows he must oppose,’ we get yet more shots of Tyrion walking!

(30:16) Tyrion finally makes it into the same room as Cersei here. In terms of scene-setting, we saw that Tyrion was nervous because Gregor Clegane escorted him part of the way. In terms of new information, we learned that Cersei and Jaime argued until she kicked him out of the office.

Here’s a thought. Maybe we could have had about eight seconds of Tyrion being escorted by Gregor Clegane and nervous on account of this and its implications, and actually see Jaime get kicked out of the office by a furious Cersei? Rather than burn almost two minutes watching Tyrion walk a hundred metres?

(30:43) Woman called whore: 1.

(30:48) Woman called whore: 2.

(31:42) Again we see that it’s the loss of Tywin that caused the fall of the Lannisters in show-verse, as opposed to Lannister actions creating their own enemies and removing all incentive to make peace. True, this is out of Cersei’s mouth, and Cersei’s not reliable, but we have corroboration in the structure of the story elsewhere. To me it looks like this is supposed to be a moment where the stopped clock is right.

(33:04) Tyrion drinks: 1.

(34:02) Tyrion drinks: 2.

(34:38) We’ve changed topics a bit here, into “why is Tyrion working for Dany.” He believes she’s going to make the world a better place.

(34:47) And the example of Dany’s good governance he gives Cersei is that Dany chose him as an advisor. That’s…that’s some ego. Worse, the dynamic Tyrion asserts the existence of, that he checks her worst impulses, has not been in shown. We have instead seen Dany acting against Tyrion’s advice (at least once because she quite reasonably believed that he advised her badly), but often in a way that makes him very concerned that she’ll turn out to be a tyrant after all.

(34:56) Cersei subtly puts her hand on her stomach there. Plans within plans.

(35:38) End scene! So. What did that scene actually accomplish? Tyrion was sent there to convince Cersei to give them the truce. We did not see these characters discuss the truce. They barely discussed the meeting. Instead, they hashed out events of past seasons. They talked about events the audience was there for and emotions the audience knows haven’t changed. At most, the scene got Tyrion and Cersei to a place where they could talk about the truce. But what we did not see was any talking about the truce.

More in just a second. Or a few minutes. That will no doubt feel like hours.

(37:22) After a bit more stuff about the Dragonpit, Dany tells Jon that she can’t have children, and he questions it. Again I get this weird foreshadowing feeling, knowing that later this episode this character will be having consensual PiV sex. Though at least this information flowed from the conversation preceding it; it wasn’t quite “by the way, have I mentioned I’m infertile?” “Have you thought that maybe you might not be infertile?” It seems more like the conversation as a whole was engineered to get to a point where Dany could mention this fact a bit more naturally.

We’ll see.

(37:59) “I can’t forget what I saw north of the Wall, and I can’t pretend that Cersei won’t take back half the country the moment I march north.” Yes, that is the basic dilemma we knew existed right from the start of the episode, isn’t it? Stop repeating yourselves and move on to new plans!

(39:12) Cersei declares that she will march north with the others and fight the White Walkers. This after an offscreen discussion with Tyrion. If this solved their problems, it was a bad idea to have their problems solved offscreen. If this is a trick, it was a bad idea to put this offscreen, because it involves a character we’re supposed to believe is intelligent and perceptive being totally fooled by someone he knows very well, yet doesn’t trust. This plot point determines whether there’s a united front or whether the good guys are set up for a nice backstab - you have to show us things this important.

(40:08) “He never asked for my opinion, why would he start now?” We meant to do it! We definitely didn’t screw up the latter half of season six with characters artificially not telling each other important things! That aside, a lot of those communication difficulties were on Sansa. She failed to share important information that people in her situation would be expected to share, and when Jon did ask for her advice and assistance, she lied to him. Not for good or well-written reasons mind you, but she did. Repeatedly stating that s6 communications problems were Jon’s fault does not actually make them Jon’s fault.

(40:33) Finally, someone mentions that a political marriage between Jon and Dany might not be a bad idea.

(41:30) Relax, Sansa! We never saw Arya on an assassination mission she didn’t screw up big time.

The scripting for Littlefinger has been adequate, so far this scene, which cannot be said for earlier conversations between the two. It’s possible to tell where he’s going for manipulation in order to promote Sansa at Jon’s expense, but he hasn’t overplayed his hand much in this particular conversation. Sansa doesn’t look like a total fool for not picking up on this. Right up until…

(41:46) …this moment. “Sometimes, when I try to understand a person’s motives, I play a little game.” This, this is past obvious and past on-the-nose. The only way Littlefinger could get more blatant is if he said, “you should really consider killing your sister and claiming the Northern throne, Sansa.” This is not a situation like in ACoK where Tyrion knew Littlefinger was bad news, and just thought he was slightly less bad news than everything else he had to deal with. This is a situation where Sansa has free rein to do what she likes to Littlefinger, as we’ll see.

The fact that she does not immediately pick up on something so obvious, after several seasons of dealing with more subtle people and armed with the knowledge Littlefinger is untrustworthy, is one of those things that makes it hard to believe this character is supposed to be intelligent, in spite of what other characters say elsewhere. We’re told she’s smart and frequently shown she’s not. We see stand-alone scenes depicting her intelligence, but otherwise her smarts aren’t worked into the plot. This is because the showrunners don’t seem to believe she’s smart in the first place. They’re trying to write against their beliefs and the cracks show.

(42:51) Goddammit! That letter Sansa wrote was proof of life. It’s not proof of anything else. Definitely not of her treachery. Which doesn’t exist.

(43:33) The writers spit in our collective faces by writing a logistics scene.

(44:15) And spit again by having Jon actually consider the political messages he’s sending.

(45:03) Huh, my bad. Davos was wearing dark green. Over black, of course, so he’s not totally off the hook for the mass Night’s Watch-joining.

(45:18) Yes. We know Jon could have lied to Cersei. It wasn’t that long ago. We saw it. We don’t need Theon to tell anyone, much less Jon himself.

(45:29) And we know why Jon didn’t lie. You’re not even paraphrasing previous episodes now, you’re repeating conversations from earlier this episode!

(46:05) Congratulations you have character arcs please continue the actual story

(46:41) “It always seemed like there was this impossible choice I had to make. Stark or Greyjoy.” Like an author was scripting events out to examine the meaning of family and displacement through my experiences. Like I was a character in a popular TV adaptation of a novel series, and then the writers got lazy and decided to make me recite my central dramatic tension for the class, just in case someone hadn’t understood the point of most of the scenes I was in.

Even Alfie Allen can’t save this.

(47:00) Recapping season two is not progress!

(47:15) Then Jon tells Theon that Ned’s a part of them both, because we hadn’t had enough obvious rammed down our throats.

(47:52) Now that the closest thing Westeros has to Jesus has forgiven Theon of what sins he can and told him the endpoint of his character development, can we please get back to the story?

(48:05) “When I was Ramsay’s prisoner, Yara tried to save me.” Now we’re going over season three. We are all in pacing hell.

(49:26) “She’s your sister, and you left her to die.” This fundamental position is one the narrative never challenges - the equation of a PTSD episode in the middle of a fight with a conscious, deliberate choice to abandon Yara out of cowardice. If it was the latter instead of the former, the shot selection and acting at the time did not convey this. It’s a profound difference. “Would have tried to help Yara but couldn’t,” versus “could have tried to help Yara but wouldn’t.” And yes, this is the narrative speaking, not the Ironborn who can’t be expected to know about PTSD. Theon’s “abandonment” of Yara is the event he has to overcome in this season. If it was the characters speaking, the narrative would be Theon grappling with the fact that despite what his society tells him, there was nothing he could have done.

That’s setting aside the fact that really, what was Theon supposed to do there? Euron already had a knife right at Yara’s throat. If Theon had moved towards them, Euron would have killed her. Even if Theon had been thinking clearly, jumping over the side may well have been the best call.

I’m also quite uneasy with the fact that Yara’s been captured to give Theon something to do going forwards. I’m hoping Yara’s more than a MacGuffin in this storyline.

(51:31) Theon is kneed in the crotch. Surprise! It doesn’t work. Just like Jaime stopped a sword with his golden hand back in season five. I’m not sure I can unpack everything going on here - but let’s just say that a knee to the crotch hurts no matter what you’ve got down there (and we saw that in the Brienne vs Sandor fight, where Brienne realistically screamed in pain when Sandor kicked her between the legs). In Theon’s case, scar tissue can be very sensitive. The writers still aren’t actually thinking about what Theon’s mutilation means beyond “hur hur, no penis.”

(51:48) It’s also quite upsetting that the narrative says that Theon proves his courage through physical violence. Another part of a greater pattern - this season alone has already told us that Sansa was a coward for being held hostage. We can see this through the fact that Theon getting up after being told to stay down doesn’t get the lingering shots - it’s Theon withstanding a knee to the crotch and then beating the guy up that’s the climax of the scene. In other words, the scene conveys that Theon hasn’t done anything worthwhile until he’s actually won the fight.

(52:00) I’m not sure if this guy is dead. I don’t think so.

(54:03) Urrrgh, I can’t mention enough that I hate Maisie Williams’ direction this season. It’s just so goddamned smug. She’s capable of more and better, and we get this instead, because she’s “badass” now.

(54:19) It’s clever because every line here applies to Littlefinger better than Arya. Bait aaaaand…

(54:46) …switch.

(55:00) Littlefinger every bit as confused as the audience, I see. I wouldn’t have thought the writers wanted the audience asking the same questions as Littlefinger in relation to what’s going on. Maybe they should have considered writing a scene or two where the Starks worked out what was going on, and made the focus of the storyline managing to corner Littlefinger into a confession?

(55:25) Ah, the murder of Lysa Arryn. The first time that Littlefinger was arbitrarily gagged and rendered neither able to plan for contingencies nor improvise despite demonstrated skill in both areas. Also should be raising questions amongst the Valemen why Sansa testified so emotionally to the contrary back in season four.

It’s worse than Littlefinger just being gagged - he outright confesses to this one. Further note that Sansa provides no evidence, not even mentioning that she saw him do it, nor giving him the opportunity to respond to her assertion that he murdered Lysa to gain power in the Vale. I know showing a real trial wouldn’t be much fun here, but we’re already skimping on basic fairness.

(55:34) Sansa pulls out the fact that Littlefinger conspired with Lysa to murder Jon Arryn.

(55:58) Then Sansa elaborates on the consequences. This is bad, bad storytelling. Jon Arryn’s murder kicked off the political plot. Sansa (and Arya, and Bran) lost their parents and two brothers as a result of the war this started. We didn’t see them learn this. We didn’t see them react to this. The Starks are the heart of this story, and we didn’t see the survivors learn who bears so much responsibility for their misfortunes. We didn’t see how they learned it. We just see that they did.

The priority in this scene is not the long game - the fall and rise of House Stark. That can only be done through developing Sansa, Arya, and Bran, showing their individual journeys before bringing them back together, each contributing their talents to rebuild their home and family. This is very nearly a seven-season internal mystery, touching most of the main characters! It deserved reactions! Especially when the people affected discovered what happened! Instead it’s just brought out to get rid of Littlefinger, with no foreshadowing or development so it remains “shocking.”

Continue to note that Littlefinger denies things and Sansa just rolls on.

(56:04) The lack of reaction-to-information becomes worse as Sansa reveals that they know Littlefinger conspired to betray Ned. They found out who’s responsible for their dad’s death and didn’t get a reaction shot. Didn’t get a scene.

(56:23) When Littlefinger brings up this whole lack of evidence thing, Bran brings up his visions. The audience knows they’re credible, certain people believe them to be credible (including Sansa), but why should anyone else put any stock in them?

It’s fine if the pressure of the situation makes Littlefinger crack and betray himself even in the absence of hard evidence, that could be a tense and exciting scene. But one of the things that makes him such a dangerous opponent, a worthy endgame villain, is that this is a damned hard thing to do. In ACoK, Tyrion told him he was looking into Jon Arryn’s true murderer - and all Littlefinger said was “Jon Arryn’s true killer? I confess, you make me curious.” Show!Littlefinger’s crumpling like soggy newspaper. There’s got to be some fight to this.

(56:42) So…if that really is Littlefinger’s knife, does that mean Littlefinger tried to kill Bran? That makes no sense whatsoever (as he would have had to have learned not just that Bran fell, but also the circumstances in which he did), and is pretty hard on logistics besides.

(56:59) This scene does give Aiden Gillen the chance to prove that yes, he can act. Another person whose direction has been pretty atrocious really.

(57:19) Littlefinger’s master plan revealed! He was trying to sow strife in the Stark family. Man, did his plans ever get smaller scale throughout the series.

(57:32) “I’m a slow learner, it’s true.” Oh, fuck off. Not content with just plain old character bashing, they now have a character bash herself. This is what I mean by the writers truly believing that Sansa isn’t clever. Incidentally, you know what was cut from this storyline? Scenes where Sansa actually worked things out.

(57:38) Littlefinger asks for a chance to defend himself. He outright points out that this is a kangaroo court. Held by the nominal heroes. If the heroes don’t have enough evidence to get him nor the wits to trick him into providing that evidence himself and instead have to rely on corruption to do away with an enemy...I don’t end up thinking highly of the story.

(57:51) I do like Royce refusing Littlefinger’s authority as Lord Protector of the Vale.

(58:28) Also that Sansa’s crying.

(58:30) So now that we’re done reading out the charges and detailing the allegations against Littlefinger, when’s the trial going to be? There are clearly some questions of fact in dispute here -

(58:35) Or not.

This setting is not big on justice. Bullshit trials have featured throughout the series. I would not be complaining about this one being bullshit were it not for three things. First, the people we’ve seen running bullshit trials thus far are the bad guys. That’s literally one of the things that makes the bad guys bad guys, they run unfair trials, and people can’t get fair hearings in them! It is on our heroes to be better than Lysa Arryn and Tywin Lannister even when dealing with the guilty. Second, Sansa literally just tried to pass this off as justice - after denying Littlefinger all rights to defend himself. No evidence, no right of reply, no opportunity to ask for trial by combat. Nothing. Some justice that was. Finally, the series proper opens with an execution and a goddamned discussion on how they should be fair and contain a semblance of due process, even when the facts are as manifestly apparent as the case of a Night’s Watch deserter! This is not a good fantasy series to be fucking up your discussions of justice in!

That said, I do still think it’s clear that Sansa did the bit where she looked into Littlefinger’s eyes, heard his final words, and still knew that he deserved to die. She was not hiding from her responsibility in sentencing Littlefinger.

One more thing I do honestly like: even with his throat cut, Littlefinger keeps trying to talk. Deaths: 2. At Sansa’s behest, Arya kills Littlefinger.

What an anti-climax.

(59:39) “What are you doing?” “Preparing the expedition north.” And for that, Cersei calls him stupid. What a fool, thinking that because Cersei pledged in public to march north and never informed the commander of her armies otherwise, that she was planning to march north!

(1:01:17) This is a novel variation on the “you do know we’re in a dire situation, right, Cersei?” “yes, but we have the writers on our side, Jaime” conversation these two have been having over the course of the season.

(1:01:41) Just pointing out again that Dany made a rookie mistake in bringing two of her dragons and succeeded only in tipping Cersei off that one got killed.

(1:02:06) These armies just keep coming out of nowhere for Cersei, purely to keep her as a conventional threat. This plot has not progressed. We started this season with Cersei under threat from all sides, but with an army at her disposal; we end this season with Cersei under threat from all sides, and an army at her disposal. All the battles have been wasting time until Jaime breaks up with her. The development here has been in Jaime and Cersei’s relationship alone.

(1:03:03) I think the idea here is that Jaime breaks up with Cersei for two reasons - one, she doesn’t trust him as he trusts her, and two, she’s telling him to break an oath. The former’s fine, but seriously, most of Jaime’s relationship with Cersei was breaking oaths. The writers passed up the logical reasons for Jaime and Cersei to break up and stuck themselves with less logical ones.

 (1:04:07) Favourite scene of the episode by a mile. Jaime in plain clothes, riding away from King’s Landing as it starts to snow.

(1:05:41) Sam and Gilly make it to Winterfell. Seems the Kingsroad is fine to travel. Never mind the armies.

(1:06:14) Huh, that’s funny, robo-Bran doesn’t seem to have trouble saying nice things to Sam like he had trouble being kind to Sansa and Meera.

(1:07:02) Sam came to Winterfell to help Jon fight against the dead. So, does that mean he’s deserting the Night’s Watch? Or have the writers just forgotten that the Night’s Watch is a thing?

Actually, considering all the black people are wearing, maybe everyone really did join the Night’s Watch, and when everyone is in the Night’s Watch, nobody is.

(1:07:20) Apropos of nothing, Bran says “Jon needs to know the truth” and gives us all the exposition. It’s…a bit graceless. Pretty much what the word “infodump” describes actually. Combined with the fact that Bran isn’t emoting over the fact that his dad lied to everyone for years, it makes it hard to see why this is an emotional bombshell as well as a plot one.

(1:07:44) Bran asserts that since Jon was born in Dorne, his surname is Sand.

(1:07:58) Sam hits us with the other part of the exposition! Jon is (*gasp*) actually legitimate!

(1:08:34) “Robert’s Rebellion was built on a lie.” No it wasn’t. Rhaegar’s apparent abduction of Lyanna was only one cause.

(1:08:53) “He loved her. And she loved him.” First, Lyanna going with Rhaegar willingly doesn’t mean she stayed willingly once Aerys murdered her father and eldest brother, and Rhaegar left to fight against her family. (Also, I sincerely hope that show!Lyanna is a bit older than fifteen. That is an improvement the show could easily make.) Second, ohhhhhh boy does this ever erase Elia from the narrative. Rhaegar was married. He had kids. Even if he didn’t love them, he had responsibilities to them. In his situation, abandoning those responsibilities was damaging and dangerous to those human beings. How romantic is this, when an innocent woman and two innocent children suffered for Rhaegar’s decisions? Just because they’re in love doesn’t mean everyone else in the world ceases to exist -

- Oh, wait. Sam and Gilly. I forgot. Don’t mind me then.

Third, I know the show’s done plenty of incest normalisation with “you can’t choose who you love,” but seriously why cut to Jon Snow going to Dany’s bedroom just as it’s exposited that they’re aunt and nephew? Is that really what you want the audience to have on their minds?

(1:09:16) Epic love story you two, but perhaps consider smiling at each other? So we can see you make each other happy?

(1:09:24) Cut to Tyrion lurking around outside, very creepy, no possible way to tell what he’s thinking from what’s shown here.

(1:09:35) Bran asserts that Jon’s real name is Aegon Targaryen.

This is ridiculous. If Rhaegar wanted to name Jon “Aegon,” he made this plan when his first son Aegon was still alive (on account of the fact he predeceased his children). If Lyanna wanted to name Jon “Aegon,” that means she was still on board with her relationship with Rhaegar, not giving a fuck about her father and brothers.

The other reason it’s ridiculous is because Jon Snow’s real name is Jon Snow. Jon is the name Ned, Jon’s father, gave to him. Ned picked it to honour someone he loved very much, which in turn shows his love for Jon. The “Snow” part Ned didn’t pick so directly, but he went with that rather than Sand because Jon is Northern. Like his family. Jon grew up with that name. He answers to it. Everyone knows him by that name. It’s his real name.

Also, there’s nothing inherently special about being named Aegon Targaryen. Jon Snow can save the day just as well with a bastard surname.

(1:09:50) Consensual sex: 1.

(1:09:59) Male butts: 1. Most definitely for the fanservice. This season has been a real refreshing change as far as the sex and nudity numbers go.

(1:10:12) “He’s never been a bastard.” Yes he has. That’s the point. Whether or not his parents were married (book or show), he’s never lived as anything but the bastard of Winterfell. (This is in pretty direct contrast to Aegon so-called Targaryen in the books, who might have been raised on a poleboat but always knew he was a prince.) He’s been a bastard the whole time, and no discovery of legitimacy can change how Jon was raised.

(1:10:18) “He’s the heir to the Iron Throne.” That’s as may be. This looks to me like it might be a point of conflict with Dany later. However! The qualities that will help Jon assist in saving the world rest first and foremost with his upbringing as Ned Stark’s (bastard) son. Which, again, is rather the point.

(1:10:28) If Tyrion hanging round Dany’s door earlier wasn’t creepy enough, what’s even creepier is that he’s still there now. Still watching. Please leave…

(1:11:11) Sansa and Arya up on the battlement having a supportive chat about what happened in the last Winterfell scene. Ah, good times, good times. Remember that time Arya threatened to murder Sansa and take her face? It was last episode! When did they make up?

The action in the last scene hinged on Sansa and Arya working together. We did not at any point see them working together. We did see death threats. Yet another important bit of character work that took place offscreen.

(1:11:31) “I never would have survived what you survived.” “You would have.” Uh. No. Again, the point. No surviving Stark would make it through what any other surviving Stark did, and it’s most apparent in the case of the sisters. Moreover, it’s not a freaking competition! You do not get points for surviving worse things!

We also see here that Sansa compliments Arya, but no compliment is given to Sansa in return. In isolation? Innocuous. In an episode where two people who know both sisters praised Arya without mentioning Sansa once? Less innocuous. Combined with off-air statements about Arya always being tough and shrewd while Sansa had to work for it? Downright suspicious.

(1:12:21) Quoting Ned about the need to work together would be so much more heartwarming if these two hadn’t only been working together offscreen, and the writers hadn’t well and truly established a pattern of all these siblings being utter dicks to one another for no good reason! I think Arya and Bran are the only two who’ve spent any time together recently who haven’t had dire communication issues.

(1:13:19) Good use of Bran’s crows to go to some nice establishing shots at Eastwatch. I wonder what’s going to happen here.

(1:14:21) And some nice shots of the army of the dead at last starting their advance on the Wall. Longer shots definitely justified here, since we’ve been working up to this from episode one.

(1:15:04) Three horn blasts is for wights - nice job with the homework, writers!

(1:15:42) The other half of why we just had to go North of the Wall. Needed to kill a dragon…and raise it as a wight. Well, if you edit out the horn that will bring down the Wall…

(1:16:35-37) Deaths: 3, 4, 5, 6. A few people fall from the Wall.

(1:16:41) Deaths: 7, 8, 9. A few more.

(1:16:57) Deaths: 10, 11. Two more.

(1:17:08) Nice shots of the Wall coming down thanks to wight-Viserion’s fire.

(1:17:42) And likewise, nice shots of the army of the dead moving through the breach. Not a bad way to end the season - competent visual storytelling.

Game of Numbers S07E07

Deaths: 11. Mostly people falling from the Wall, but Jon kills a wight, and Sansa and Arya team up to kill Littlefinger.

Male butts: 1. Meant to be sexy.

Female butts: 0.

Consensual sex: 1.

Rape: 0.

Woman called ‘bitch’: 1.

Man called ‘bitch’: 0.

Woman called ‘whore’: 2.

Man called ‘whore’: 0.

Woman called ‘cunt’: 0.

Man called ‘cunt’: 2.

Tyrion drinks: 2.

Cersei drinks: 0.

#anti got #fine toothed comb edition #cw: violence #in pacing hell you never get past the third circle

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

“Telling” Asks

Because I’m relaxing today and I’ve never answered some of these before.

From: https://beyondthetemples-ooc.tumblr.com/post/185158056997/weird-asks-that-say-a-lot

--

1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans? Teacups would be ideal, but the reality is more water bottles.

2. chocolate bars or lollipops? Honestly? Neither. (Unless it's a really good chocolate bar, like 85% dark, or Cadbury's~)

3. bubblegum or cotton candy? Both are too sweet for me. (Though, maybe once a year, I'll indulge in one of each.)

5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups? Bottles, if it's not soda! (Good for multi-tasking and not spilling!) But otherwise, glass cups. Unless the plastic ones are really pretty or have a very nice grippy shape to them.

6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear? Oh always goth, all the way. Technically a more "formal" goth (romantigoth is the label i'd choose if i HAD to pick one),

7. earbuds or headphones? That depends. When I'm active, or when it's hot outside? Earbuds. But when travelling, trying to work in a loud environment, or generally needing sound cancellation: definitely headphones.

8. movies or tv shows? Oh, that REALLY depends on the content. Movies are easier on the ADD, and most TV shows are paced TERRIBLY in the long-running format, but then there's, like... cartoons, basically, that have satisfying stories in each episode AND a great overarching plot.

9. favorite smell in the summer? Pre-Thunderstorm Static.

10. game you were best at in p.e.? I wasn't the best at ANY game in PE... ;P Honestly, my best "game" was probably....... tag, but the kind where they're running away from you as a form of bullying, so you just embrace it and "touch" them just to mess with them.

11. what you have for breakfast on an average day? I don't. (I don't feel hungry most mornings.) "First lunch" is usually a piece of fruit and maybe a granola bar.

12. name of your favorite playlist? I don't do "playlists", I do "play every album by this artist in chronological order"! But I guess my Epica and Evanescence stations on Pandora come pretty close, huh?

13. lanyard or key ring? Neither actually; I use those bungee-like things you can stretch to hold my things. I literally attach my wallet to my bag's handle with those so I don't lose it.

14. favorite non-chocolate candy? Peppermint? Candied ginger? Do s'mores count?~

15. favorite book you read as a school assignment? Oh DAMN that's hard... Let's see. If AR Summer Reading projects count: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? The Invisible Thread (by Yoshiko Uchida)? Fahrenheit 451? And if those don't count, maybe The Scarlet Letter (by Hawthorne, of course).

16. most comfortable position to sit in? Your classic lotus position. I'm essentially in it right now.

17. most frequently worn pair of shoes? Work shoes, but outside of work? Black flip flops.

18. ideal weather? Realistically: 65, light breeze, and lots of clouds with a little rain. But my absolute FAVORITE weather was something I've only ever seen ONCE, and that was a thunderstorm in the middle of a snowstorm. It was incredible and the image of lightning against the snowfall is forever seared into the core of my soul as one of the most gorgeous things I've ever experienced.

19. sleeping position? Varies night by night. Safe to call it a general Flop.

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)? It depends on the draft! First drafts are best done for me in notebooks (usually, unless it's a scene with No Chronology Yet, it's in the notebook meant for the story)! But also, anything that's on hand whenever a new scene strikes me works too. I've written on napkins, calendar pages, doctor notes, and Greyhound bus tickets.

21. obsession from childhood? Ooh, Teen Titans, still to this day!

22. role model? ...Rrrraven? (And/or, my Actual Mentors. But it's very much a "don't be me, just let us try to teach you some things so you can be the Best You".)

23. strange habits? ...oh gods, where do I even begin. I meditate and practice energy work on the daily. I touch things almost any time I'm walking anywhere, like just reach my hands out a little and touch whatever's closest. I tend to ask a lot of questions when I'm talking to someone, lots of "why is that". I compulsively read Every Single Ingredient on every box I buy and research anything I'm not familiar with. Does taking like 15 pills and vitamins every day count? And also my "nesting" behavior, any time I'm somewhere I feel it's not rude to re-arrange, I grab pillows and blankets for support.

24. favorite crystal? Damnit, all my favorite stones are actually not "crystals"?! But crystalline azurite is close enough. (It kind of depends on the day and what energy I'm looking for. Stone/crystal work is another one of those weird habits. ;P )

25. first song you remember hearing? The "Arthur" themsong. I remember going to my mother and being like, "They said A! A is a letter!" And it wasn't for another, like, 3-5 years that I'd realize, they're saying "hey", not "A".

26. favorite activity to do in warm weather? Stay inside. (Anything that counts as "warm" rather than "cool" is too warm for me....) But if I had to pick ONE thing, definitely swimming, in a lake (because I have a mild chlorine allergy).

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather? ALL of them! Just being outside as long as it's not too sunny! Hiking, meditating, I used to do all my spiritual rituals outside, reading, walking, hell even at work when we have dogs to take on walks, I love walking in the park with them. Being outside when it's snowing. And then curling up in my room, on my soft bed, with a cup of tea and a book (or a great fanfic) after...

28. five songs to describe you? Teen Titans themesong, Bakura's Theme, What's the Use of Feeling (Blue) 1. End of the Dream, by Evanescence [ x ] 2. My Demons, by Starset [ x ] 3. Underneath, by Tarja [ x ] 4. Paradise (What About Us), Within Temptation ft. Tarja [ x ] 5. Reality Fringe, by Alex Dalliance

29. best way to bond with you? Talking, communicating, while respecting boundaries, with patience and sincerity.

30. places that you find sacred? Honestly, the biggest answers are a part of the Nexus and I don't think I'm ready to talk about that here;; Let's just say, astral adventures have gotten wild enough that my spirit guide and I have meeting places that are sacred, my leader-goddess has shown me a few places, and there are some "places" within my own mindscape that are sacred enough.

31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names? Oh honey, that depends entirely on my mood. And the situation. I have multiple cloaks, some closet cosplays, I wear skirts every day, business jackets, and I can mix and match them however I please. It REALLY depends on whose ass I'm kicking.

32. top five favorite vines? I know I really like Thomas Sanders? But specifics-- Oh. Oh crap, wait I have to visit my vines tag to remember my favorites. DEFINITELY "This bitch empty. YEET" because I didn't know the vine OR exclamation before I saw a fanart that had me DYING OF LAUGHTER, thinking someone just made Blue Diamond yell the word "YEET" for no reason. "FREE-shuh-VAH-cuhdu" makes me die every time. "There's only one thing worse... A CHILD" is TOP QUALITY, genuinely hits at least 3 critical notes of my sense of humor. I love the one with the guys playing the piano (I don't know what genre but it's old-school and chill) and the guy comes in and starts club dancing to it. And the umbrella one with, "Run".

33. most used phrase in your phone? ...probably "if you want"?

34. advertisements you have stuck in your head? I haven't seen an ad in literally years. (get uBlock Origin, it works way better than adblock! also, i don't Internet on my phone.)

35. average time you fall asleep? 11pm? (Work nights: 9-10:30, depending on my exhaustion levels. Not work nights? 1-3am.)

36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing? The actual LOLcats website!

37. suitcase or duffel bag? Neither; I actually use a mid-sized messenger bag and only use Personal Item Sized Bags for airplane trips. Free baggage, y'all. ;P

38. lemonade or tea? Oh tea, definitely tea. (Unless it's too-sweet iced black tea; then that watermelon mint lemonade wins.)

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie? Iiii actually can hardly eat either one, but Starbucks' lemon loafs were addictive (but really bad for my system) and I do love lemon meringue flavored things~

40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school? M e . (I did weird shit like practice reading auras, accidentally warp the moodscape of everyone around me, and get an A on a pop quiz the teacher didn't lecture about for more than five minutes.)

41. last person you texted? An old high school friend I recently reconnected with.

42. jacket pockets or pants pockets? Jacket, since I don't wear pants (unless work forces me to, ew).

43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket? I have no idea what differentiates them. =w=;; Cardigan probably, because I know they have really long flowy elegant ones I like to wear sometimes.

44. favorite scent for soap? ...ooh, that's tough... Lavender's always a good bet, rosemary-mint was a delight, I cucumber-eucalyptus was nice, and I have no idea what scent it was, but a local soap-maker at the farmer's market in the city I lived in for a couple years had this one that was made with, like, honey and red clay, and it felt AMAZING.

45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero? Damnit, don't make me CHOOSE like this! I mean, for writing obviously Superhero because I write fanfics like hell for that genre, but I guess my Pokemon fanfics count as fantasy? And, come to think of it, most of my stories center around metaphysical weirdness is some way or other, so... straddling the line between fantasy and superhero.

46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in? Nudity.

47. favorite type of cheese? ...provolone maybe? ??

48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be? Pomegranate, probably. Gotta do some work to get to the good stuff, strangely unavailable most of the time, and once you get past all the drawbacks, it's just absolutely loaded with compartmentalized goodness.

49. what saying or quote do you live by? Bold of you to assume I only have one quote! Here's just a small sampling. ~ "Don't you want to feel? Don't you want to live your life? How much longer are you gonna give into the fear?" -Disappear, by Evanescence. ~ "Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." -Edgar Allen Poe ~ "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken." -Oscar Wilde ~ "Guilt is a powerful motivator. Redemption, even greater." -The Unforgiving, by Within Temptation et al. "When you know in your soul who you are, you can never be corrupted again." -Raven, from the Games graphic novel. + Various quotes from my organization, along the lines of things like "Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can do your job, but only you can be there for your friends, family, and accomplish your dreams", and "When you understand WHY we do what we do, WHAT we do makes more sense".

50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have? My girlfriend? Most of those vines I mentioned? "OH TITS IT CAN FLY"?

51. current stresses? j o b

52. favorite font? Arial, simple yet elegant. Easy to read. I write all my stories in Arial, so I'm biased. l3

53. what is the current state of your hands? They're in Ohio with the rest of me? 8F No, but seriously, lowkey aching a bit around the finger joints from constantly dragging dogs around for a whopping 60 hours this week, but they're not burned and there's only one Tiny cut I got at work, and I still don't know why, but that's almost gone already. I like my fingernails too, they've been breaking at the corners lately but they're still Decently Long.

54. what did you learn from your first job? "Turn tables" are not, in fact, the name of a band, but an item of musical arrangement. (I worked at the Exchange and someone asked if we had anything like the turn tables. I thought they meant musically similar to a band named Turn Tables.)

55. favorite fairy tale? Does the epic poetry of the Kalevala story count? (Finland's national epic!) But I'm not a big fan of the Grimm style fairy tales.

56. favorite tradition? Going to Evanescence concerts at every single available opportunity? Wearing a bracelet my gf gave me and a ring my mother gave me any time I travel? I'm not one much for Generational Tradition at all, I do kinda like forming my own though~

57. the three biggest struggles you’ve overcome? Literally just, myself. 1. Overcoming my doubt in myself. 2. Overcoming my social anxiety re: Starting Conversations. 3. Overcoming my phobia so I could, you know. Eat food.

58. four talents you’re proud of having? ?! How do you even define what constitutes a "talent"? 1. WRITING! (Creativity re: characters and the plots they're in. Descriptive writing. My mother always acts blown away whenever she reads my writing re: "how you get into the character's head".) 2. I can speak very eloquently and articulately, most of the time. And not just via verbiage; I know how to say things that Matter. 3. I can cook a fantastic stir-fry! And, apparently, really good soup. 4. I'm proud of my (non-numerical) eidetic memory, sometimes. It's kinda just There, and I'm not, like, ACTIVELY proud of it, but it sure makes things easier re: remembering friends' triggers, fandom trivia, etc.

59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be? What makes you think I don't create each response on demand? (There's... really not something I think I say often enough to count as a catch phrase. So I legitimately have no idea.)

60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be? Is "dark magical girl anime" a thing? Because that'd be MY thing.

61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.? See above quotes.

62. seven characters you relate to? 1. R A VE N that's it that's the list Theeee only other ones I relate to are kinda awkward answers to give for this (re Synpathy and such related topics), but then again there's hella sympathy for Raven too, so.... 2. Ryou Bakura 3. Blue Diamond 4. Lapis Lazuli 5. Malachite (it's Complicated) 6. Sucy 7. Crona

63. five songs that would play in your club? Just insert any five Alex Dalliance songs here, I don't listen to a whole lot of Club Style Music. (Unless.... does, like, Cascada and Caramel count? Because I still kinda like their styles.) My "club" would be more like orchestrals by Danny Elfman and Evanescence instrumentals and/or live music from local rock bands.

64. favorite website from your childhood? TitansGo.Net! Screenshots, transcripts, even the forums... I browsed that site on the daily.

65. any permanent scars? Oh boy, are you sure you're ready for this? My scars fade quickly, but you'll see them if you know what to look for. One on my forearm from when I fell off a bed onto a broken fan grate at age 5 (it's a 3-inch long gash), on my left pointer finger from being bitten by an angry rabbit, scars on my heels from my comic!Raven cosplay shoes, scar on my right hip from using rubber cement to attach a scar prosthetic for a Kary cosplay (at my supposedly practical-effects-knowledgeable father's advice-- not good advice at all, for the record, don't put that shit anywhere NEAR your skin), tiny spot on my right hand from the time I became too emotional at my girlfriend's house and scraped it on her carpet, tiny dot on my left shoulder from a protruding nail in an old (pavillon without a roof thing?) we once had in the backyard, tiny line on my right ring finger from the time Belle nearly fell from right next to me and I caught her (she tried to grab something and wound up scratching me), and a scar on my right elbow from cleaning the tortilla press at Chipotle. (They didn't tell me there were protective gloves to use. They really should've told me that.)

66. favorite flower(s)? Oh gosh, I don't know. I like almost all flowers, really. I love the scent of lilac and magnolia in the air. Rose and hibiscus make lovely teas. Seeing mint and lemon balm in bloom always makes me feel contented. Willow and basswood flowers remind me of happy childhood memories at the nature reserve. Pink hibiscus flowers have Very Special Meaning to me (for the other blog, really). And of course, flowers with energy or aromatherapeutic effects like lavender are favorites, too.

67. good luck charms? Look, I don't NEED good luck.~ Confidence, strategy, and being alright with whatever happens are my "good luck charms". (And throwing a little magic at it never hurts when I REALLY want something...)

68. worst flavor of any food or drink you’ve ever tried? ....I'm not comfortable answering that (phobia memories, just not gonna think about that okay.)

69. a fun fact that you don’t know how you learned? ...Remember that eidetic memory I was talking about? Every single little tiny fact I'm thinking about, I can remember how I learned about it.

70. left or right handed? Ambi, actually! 55% right. 45% left.

71. least favorite pattern? That depends on what it's for. Wallpapers? Floral (it kills my ADD, but floral patterns can make some very pretty dresses and blankets). Furniture? Paisley (but some people rock it in clothes). Furniture? any kind of fur trim (but again, it looks good on clothes). Clothing on me? Leopard and zebra (but I like it on lots of other things). My room? Checkered and tartan (but again, good patterns for other things, esp. clothing and interior styles that AREN'T associated with my room in particular, my room's just so noncomforming and cluttered that Busy Patterns like that aren't). I guess overall I'm just not a fan of highly stripey or square-y patterns?

72. worst subject? Math. Always has been. Probably always will be.

73. favorite weird flavor combo? The weirdest and actually not the grossest I tried was, out of curiosity to see what Tamaranian food might ACTUALLY taste like, I mixed sushi with ice cream. It really wasn't that bad! That one's my favorite for fandom reasons. 8P I don't do a whole lot of "weird" flavor combos otherwise.

74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen? (Those... those are the same thing, buddy.) 8 or 9. NSAIDs, especially naproxen and ibuprofen, really irritate my stomach, so it has to be worth a week or two of Lowkey Constant Nausea to take it. For example, the last time I was waking it, I had dry socket. You know, that thing that happens when you get a tooth extracted and the blood clot doesn't form, so YOUR ACTUAL BONE IS EXPOSED for two FUCKING weeks..... and before the dental stuff, I would only take it when Monthly Stuff would get so bad, it could leave my crippled and crying on the bathroom floor for an hour. (Might've been longer if stepmom hadn't gotten me n0aproxen.....)

75. when did you lose your first tooth? Hell if I know what age that was, I think I swallowed it.

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)? Potato soup, especially my mother's! But I also like BAKED fries (actually fried fries tend to be... Really Badly Received by my system;;), kettle chips are pretty good in small amounts, and I love those criss-cross cut fries at Mr. Hero (I just can't eat more than, like, five at a time, guh).

77. best plant to grow on a windowsill? I absolutely LOVED having my lemon balm. But it got the aerial blight from my peace lily, and it died with all the rest of my houseplants. :c

78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store? Sushi from a grocery store, just because this place called Giant Eagle makes some fairly good sushi for like $5 on certain days of the week, and I think they make it every 3-4 days. Fresh, like you can see them making it right in front of you.

79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driver’s license photo? My passport is actually my best, I think~ Though my college ID didn't look bad, either.

80. earth tones or jewel tones? Depends on what they're for. Clothes, I guess jewel tones because I like blue and purple. But for interior decorations, earth tones like deep rich browns and black are my go-to.

81. fireflies or lightning bugs? They're.. the same thing? ??? I've used both interchangeably.

82. pc or console? PC, mostly because that's all I've had most of my life, and of course DC Universe Online was on my PC so maybe I'm biased. 8F

83. writing or drawing? Oooh, writing for me, all the way~ (Though I gotta do SOME drawing now and again!)

84. podcasts or talk radio? Neither, they're both too long for my ADD. And I don't... really care about most people on them? The only one I've ever seen was Amy Lee on short talk show interviews and the Steven Universe podcast with MKAtwood of course.

84. barbie or polly pocket? Neither. (I had both. Played with Polly Pocket because it came with a lot more animals, but those got lost way too easily, and I never got into the Barbie.)

85. fairy tales or mythology? They're both equally important and equally fascinating! Mythology has more Spiritual Resonance, and fairy tales have more Societal Resonance.

86. cookies or cupcakes? Depends on what kind! Oatmeal raisin cookies beat chocolate cupcakes, but red velvet cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting beat chocolate chip cookies.

87. your greatest fear? I have emet*phobia. You can look up what that means yourself because I don't even want to type the word, thanks.

88. your greatest wish? Just, freedom.

89. who would you put before everyone else? Damn it, I'm too compassionate for that answer. Whoever needs it more at that very moment.

90. luckiest mistake? Being so antisocial that the people running the ALP program made me sit with my girlfriend. I asked "Do you like Teen Titans?", and the rest is history.

91. boxes or bags? Boxes for long-term storage, bags for the daily.

92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights? Lamps, generally. Candles trump them all, but LED lamps are a lot less fire-hazard-y when you might fall asleep. lD;;

93. nicknames? RHS, RWT, Shadow, Zira (means "Shadow"), closest friends call me Rae.

94. favorite season? Winter~ It's the kindest to my easily-overheated sensibilities.

95. favorite app on your phone? Prooobably the voicemail app my or/ganization uses? I don't do much else on my phone besides, you know. Phone stuff (talk/text).

96. desktop background? PC: A shot of Raven meditating in the forest from Justice League vs. Teen Titans, with the incense and glow and her head bowed and focused and everything. Laptop: The sky as Lapis looked up at it, the gorgeous Homeworld constellation from "Ocean Gem".

97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized? Three. Mine, my girlfriend's, and only because she had the same phone number since I was like 8 years old, my stepmother's. Everyone else's keeps changing.

98. favorite historical era? The answer I want to give is Nexus-related, but I don’t think I have a real favorite era. I know too much about the history of misogyny, racism, colonialism, variation between eras around the world, and generally fucked-up shit in every era I've ever learned about.

#IRL canon #meme #filled meme