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magireco · 3 years

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Would love to hear more thoughts on how these girls have understandable teenage motivations (A+ tag analysis by the way)

1. Thank you!!!!!!

2. ALRIGHT IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS (shuffles my papers). i’ve gone off about homura’s motivations in depth before but i think it was only in dms/groupchats? anyways i’ll go in order with All the girls bc i think about this all the time as a teenager who grew up mentally ill and had their perceptions skewed because of it, and also i don’t think it’s talked about nearly enough for the others, at least on my blog... so, buckle up!!! this is REALLY LONG!!!!

3. i tried writing like, an individual thing for every member of the quintet all together in this one ask, but i ended up talking a little too much about homura and now i’m going to split up all the different analysis stuff for each character into the reblogs and work on it every so often! you’re free to kinda skim of course because i really did write a whole novel but here we go!! read under the cut. :3 this is literally essay length btw. i did NOT expect it to get this long but if you want to read it all i’d recommend it but i don’t expect most people to

First: Homura Akemi

okay so i’m going to kind of summarize everything but from the perspective of empathizing with her so if you don’t want to reread a whole recap you can skip to the ending few paragraphs

Summary

first of all, in episode 10, homura’s past is explained for the viewer. she was a shy, unsure girl who had been bedridden for a long time. she was clearly unsocialized, not to mention she went to a catholic school and those can be brutal, esp in japan... that’s all we know about her in that episode, but it’s revealed in one of the drama cds that she was bullied as a child(& further at mitakihara middle), her parents never were mentioned ever (i assume them to either be dead or neglectful, considering she lives alone and unchecked), and in magia record, homura says to natsuki that she’s never had friends before, she hasn’t been on vacation before until the beachside bonds event, hasn’t ever celebrated valentine’s day, has never celebrated new years, etc...

clearly, she’s missed out on a lot not only because of her sickness and hospitalization, but because of her isolation as a child at school. judging by her demeanor and the way she reacts when madoka comes up to her without being asked to, something like that had never happened to her before. it’s clear to me that madoka was many of homura’s “first’s”, her first friend, the first person who reached out to her, the first person to compliment her name honestly(validating her, disproving her dislike of her name), the first person to regard her so kindly rather than judging her based off of her appearance and demeanor (like other students had apparently done, this is also shown when the other students at mitakihara middle make fun of her for being tired after only being able to run one lap). AND, madoka (and mami, but homura knew madoka better at that time) saved her life, even though homura was so willing to die, just in that moment... i’d assume it made homura feel like someone believed in her even when she was at her worst. it’s really clear by the glimmer in her eyes that these are nice people that made her feel happy and welcome... and then walpurgisnacht came. she didn’t know much about magical girls and just believed in madoka and mami to be able to defeat the witch because she saw them as strong and saw the witch as defeatable, despite its size. and then mami died, right in front of her and madoka...

this kinda seems headcanon-y when i phrase it this way but it’s practically proven in her actions but i really think homura is scared to be abandoned, especially by someone who was as overtly kind and nonjudgemental to her as madoka... it’s in the way she cries her name and says “don’t go” before madoka runs away to fight walpurgisnacht. OH ALSO, i need to address this one thing really quick because people like to assume that homura didn’t care about mami from the beginning and only liked madoka. it’s not that she wasn’t sad when mami died, she was clearly terrified and didn’t want the same to happen to madoka, also mami LITERALLY WASN’T IN HER CLASS OR HER GRADE so i assume she spent most of her time with madoka considering they were in the same grade and class and probably shared most of their periods with each other... but also, once again, mami is older than both of them and homura probably saw her as more of a mentor/teacher that she needed to impress rather than madoka who was more on her level, i guess?

anyways, moving on... homura had to see madoka die (& experience the crushing guilt she felt for “letting madoka go” even though there was nothing she could’ve done) and literally says “i’d rather you had lived than saved someone like me” ... her self worth is below zero. she makes her wish to be strong enough to protect madoka(because she sees madoka, her first friend, who saved her life which she felt had no worth, as so strong and noble) which causes her to go back in time, etc. etc., you know the deal. okay before i move on to talk a little more abt the timelines and the personality change i’m going to address why it’s reasonable that she’d be attached to madoka.

i mentioned before that homura said herself that she had never had a friend before. just like, put yourself into her shoes for a second. this girl has no idea how to make friends; it was never taught to her. it’s literally rational that she’d get attached to her first ever friendship. it’s not “normal” the way she views madoka, but how could it be? this is her first time having a friend, she’s afraid of being abandoned by her, but she’s had to see her die over and over again anyway. she doesn’t want to lose madoka. even if she doesn’t go about it in the right way, there’s no way she would’ve actually known how to Do relationships. no one taught her. i think that needs to be empathized with more...

i kinda feel like i need to summarize all this just bc if i word it right it kinda reminds you & puts into perspective just how terrible and scary all of this was.

anyway Again, i would skip straight to the end of timeline 3 (where a New Flavor of trauma is given to homura) but i need to first address timeline 2 for a second. it was homura’s first time repeating the timeline, she trained with madoka and mami again, she was still hopeful despite what happened, etc. kinda just bonding further with madoka Again... and then it’s at the end of this timeline that she watches madoka turn into a witch, just in front of her very eyes... and realizes the true fate of magical girls. when she resets the timeline again, it’s up to her to start anew and break the truth to the group when she sees them again. when she tries telling the truth, sayaka immediately shoves this aside, claiming homura was just trying to split everyone up. it’s clear that that hurts homura. (also the little shinies in her eyes were wavering which is anime-code for sad) her feelings were immediately disregarded by sayaka and she couldn’t defend herself, but madoka did for her, and mami tried to diffuse the situation.

after they all find out homura was right when sayaka turns into a witch, mami kills kyoko and ties up homura in her ribbons and aims a gun at her, and this, rightfully, ignited a fear within homura... madoka is forced to kill mami in order to save homura, leaving only the two of them to fight together. then, when walpurgisnacht comes that time, The Promise is made... madoka tells homura to go back in time and save her from becoming a witch (because she doesn’t want to curse the world that way, she still sees beauty in it) and homura agrees, saying she’ll never stop until she saves madoka, and then... homura has to mercy kill madoka before she becomes a witch. she cries loudly and shoots madoka’s soul gem... it’s literally so heartwrenching and (usually) brings the viewer to tears, or puts something into perspective for them...

then we assume the personality change happens in the timeline right after. this personality change causes a lot of discourse because sometimes it’s seen as kind of irrational, but personally, i think even moemura had at least SOME resent for the world around her considering what she’d been through. it’s madoka’s repeated deaths that finally push her over that edge. i could get further into the coolmura arc but that’d take a WHILE, so i’ll just kind of explain something briefly though -- why homura ended up becoming even MORE focused on madoka. and i’m also going to debunk the claim that homura doesn’t care about her other friends as fast as i can before moving on.

also, ONE LAST side tangent, for those that think homura really did do a 360 degree personality turn are wrong. it’s shown explicitly in homulilly’s labyrinth that there’s this... “core” homura, a shadowy purple silhouette with braids. every time the series depicts homura’s internal self, it’s always glasses+braids, symbolizing her “child” self, who she truly is. she never stopped being that person. she doesn’t want to kill. ...but i can get into that in a rebellion analysis later! this is also shown in wraith arc bc the person inside her soul gem has glasses+braids. anyway let’s get to the next part i’m going to rant about

Homura’s Love for Madoka, but Otherwise Apathy

homura has seen many different, yet all similar, versions of her friends. the first claim i’m going to talk about which i saw brought up quite a few times before is in regards to homura and mami. first of all, homura absolutely still cares for mami, and not just in the “i only care about your life if it affects madoka’s” way. one part that always gets me is when mami ties her up in the series timeline after homura frantically warns her that this witch isn’t normal, to which mami IMMEDIATELY brushes this off, without even giving homura a chance. then, when mami’s ribbons fade away, homura looks horrified and just goes “oh no...” and it’s kind of obvious to me that it was in response to mami’s death rather than madoka’s reaction. this is arguably up for debate i guess because i’ve seen different takes on that reaction and it’s ambiguous, i guess? but i’m about to get into something extremely similar and that’s the sayaka situation, where madoka throws sayaka’s soul gem onto a moving car. homura gasps and immediately pauses time and disappears, running in literal open traffic and climbing on top of a moving car to retrieve sayaka’s soul gem. one could argue that this is ALSO only just because homura wants to save madoka (and kyoko) the fear, but don’t you think her expression would be different? if homura truly didn’t care for sayaka’s wellbeing, wouldn’t she be making an expression more similar to like, “oh, this shit again...” instead of the frantic one she was making in the scene? this kind of thing Also happens when kyoko asks homura to leave while kyoko’s about to sacrifice herself in oktavia’s labyrinth, and homura looks up sadly at kyoko and then back down at madoka, and once she knew kyoko was dead, she just quietly said “kyoko...” to herself. she usually refers to them as [last name, first name], but she dropped that during that moment... it otherwise sounds like a bare minimum thing to do, but keep in mind the timeline we’re shown in the series is implied to be like, the 110th timeline, i think? like, this is the last timeline, she’s worn down, but she still does have empathy -- or at least sympathy -- for the others. she still loves them.

homura promised to be madoka’s protector, she dedicated her life to her, and also she doesn’t have a choice not to dedicate her life to her anymore, even though that’s not fair to her... homura is in a really hopeless situation and madoka is her hope, and madoka is the one that judges her the least out of the quintet (like saying “i’m sure homura is good” to herself) upon first impression. also okay i mentioned this already in my last post (which you saw) but i’m going to bring it up one more time, homura is not mentally 26!!!!!! she is still 14 mentally!! in order to be 26, you have to have experienced 26 years of new life experience. maybe you acquire that through school, maybe you aquire that through friends, whatever it takes. but homura just repeated the same month over and over, and it’s not like her body (canonically) ages ever. she just kind of gets transported back into her body in the hospital again considering she’s back wearing her braids and pajamas... so, yeah. no mental development there. i also mentioned this here but i’m gonna say it again, that just makes it even harder for her to actually age correctly... it stunts her to 14. imagine being 14 for 10-11 years...

In Defense Of My Own Claims

btw before you think i’m just going full-on radical homura apologist, i’m not explaining all of this to be like “homura made ALL THE RIGHT DECISIONS because her trauma gave her an excuse!!” because like, Obviously, she did a lot of bad things, she killed people, did a lot of callous things, a lot of thoughtless things, a lot of things that make her seem emotionless, etc. but i just have trouble blaming her considering how things ended up, and it’s not like she enjoys killing people. she’s not sadistic... she ends up becoming short with all the others not only because of her (extremely) weakened trust in them, but also because the amount of times she repeated the timeline. i’d imagine it makes her feel like the others can’t truly die because she can just go back and see them again. (this is also why wraith arc/post-tv series must’ve been hard for her because she can no longer turn back time, things are permanent now, deaths are forever) she’s become so worn down that she’ll do anything to escape the loops... also considering she has no choice but to continue? although it shouldn’t be, it’s technically her job as a magical girl to defeat all witches and walpurgisnacht counts. it kills magical girls and tears up the whole city and she’s usually the only magical girl left... her choices, when defeated, are either to give up and die or to go back and try again, and she made a promise to her first ever friend to do just the latter... i just don’t understand how this isn’t easier for people to comprehend, that all of this trauma and stress and responsibility on top of an already traumatized 14 year old does not mix well. ever. she had to figure out all of this by herself.

TL;DR:

homura was a previously traumatized, unsocialized 14 year old with (very)low self esteem & self worth whose first friend (and first love, really, let’s be honest) died in front of her in horrific ways and she watched as she (and the other friends she came to make) drifted slowly apart from her in her endless and futile attempt in saving her from what proved to be an inescapable fate. also she’s 14 and also she’s (canonically) mentally ill and a lesbian. not a monster, not evil, not “psycho”. and that’s that!

#asks #luna-mistrunner #homura akemi #analysis #THIS MAY HABE TAKEN ME LIKE 2 DAYS ON AND OFF

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marmarparadoxa · 3 years

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It's because of recent tweets I saw but I know some are blaming the SC (esp the 104th) for not seeing Eren better during the 3 years they had and also for pushing many responsibilities onto his shoulder. I get why they see this as Eren's friends making a blunder but I can't help but disagree partly. (1)

On one side, their excitement and distraction came in the form of the outside world - something that seemed neigh impossible at the beginning of the series and once had been the 'end goal'. We know that's not it now. It seems logical that people like Armin and Hange will be distracted per say towards the new techs and innovations the outside world is offering. How the fruitful encounters they have w Marleyans making them hopeful (2) I understand where they're coming from, especially considering their disposition that tends to be optimistic and intelligent. Others like Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Mikasa can also be distracted by the new things too. It's something so human and highlights how even the close-knit group can make blunders. (3) I don't agree with people blaming SC for not noticing and their slow decision with Eren and the Yeagerists because that means they still care. They value their friendship with him and want to not mess him up more. Even from my perspective, there's a level of respect SC and military have for Eren for not just being the AT and FT but as a person/personnel. (4) It's so easy to 'coddle' Eren because as a reader, we are relatively relegated to a higher see/position to judge. But take it from the charas' views, it's just like real life to a point. They are faced with this time limit and the world going down on them while at the same time, they try to not cross too many moral lines. Especially for Hange who is responsible for many lives under her and Armin's 'kind' disposition. (5) What miffs me is that the people who side with Eren in this case doesn't tend into account that Eren almost never tries to reach out. While it's justified when we put his 'plan' into account, that just sounds selfish to be frank. Yes, he asks Mikasa about 'what he is to her' and he did try Armin's way once, but those are such minimal effort. Sometimes, they themselves need to reach out first and seek help more (6) That may sound cruel, but that's how it works unfortunately. I would be more lenient to Eren if he did more effort with sharing and trusting his friends but he doesn't - so of course, the SC is surprised and shocked and hurt at his actions. They don't know and it's unfair. Eren does this all because of what he saw and ironically is likely doing a self-fulfilling prophecy. He gives up hope and that's his downfall. (end)

Hi! :) Apologies for this late reply. You’ve already covered a lot, so I’ll try to add my two cents on what you’ve already pointed out.

In short, blaming the SC, especially the 104th, or Hange, for not seeing through Eren and not understanding what was going on with him doesn’t make sense to me. Because Eren didn’t allow them to do so, he didn’t allow them to see. During those three years between the battle of Shiganshina and their leaving for their trip to Marley, he kept on working with them, he never disrespected Hange, and almost always he acted and talked in accordance with what were their shared plans for the future. When Kiyomi proposed Zeke’s plan, of course they were all horrified, none of them wanted to proceed with it, and didn’t know what to do, but then, it was Eren who standed up and spoke against it. In front of everyone, Mikasa, Hange, Historia, and the rest of the assembly, he said he would never agree with Zeke’s plan and sacrifice Historia, that relying on the Rumbling would be too risky, and it was he who proposed to use the time they were left with to think about other options, that they should seek other ways. Not long after, he would say to the same persons which would end up risking their life in order to stop him, that they were more important to him than anyone else, and that he wanted them to live long lives. I brought up all this, so to clarify how Eren could be perceived by his friends, what was the picture that they could make out of his words and actions. On the other hand though, there were also some signs that something was off with him. When Armin and Mikasa were talking about the building of the port and them getting along with the captured Marleyans, Eren couldn't be as hopeful as them, and his attitude was sharp and emotionally detached. Then, unlike all others, he wasn’t there to taste Niccolo’s cooking, and we didn’t see him interact with any Marleyans - he was the only one that was missing when they were talking with Onyankopon, and in all those little, shared moments of peace and hope. So I think Eren, at that point, was already starting to isolate himself from the rest of them, shutting himself up, and maybe, as you also said, with all those new things to understand, with all the work and the building and the planning Hange, Armin, and the others too had to do, they weren’t able to notice this change, they didn’t pay much attention to it. But again, what could they infer from that? With respect to his words, to his resolute opposition to the use of the Rumbling and Zeke’s plan and Historia’s sacrifice, to his outward determination to find another way, those were subtle cues, that could reasonably pass unnoticed, and blaming the 104th for not acting upon them is rather pointless.

So this is where his friends’ remarks in the last episode come from: Jean: “Eren suddenly started getting along with Zeke’s plan”, Connie: “Did he look like Eren to you? I don’t think so.” and Armin and Mikasa’s disbelief and painful confusion. Eren methodically killing children and civilians, Eren getting along with Zeke’s plan was nothing like the Eren they used to know, even in those last years.

And Eren never shared with his friends, or with Hange, and not even with Armin or Mikasa, what he saw in those future memories. He kept everything inside, he trusted no one with that knowledge, ruling out the possibility that anyone could help him understand what was the nature of those memories (was it all bound to happen? Could it be avoided?), and try to figure out a solution, so as to prevent that catastrophe. Maybe, initially, he still believed that they could have avoided that, but more and more, he felt like they were running out of time, and that future he saw increasingly assumed a character of concreteness and unavoidability. I was also talking with @oldsummerdream the other day about Eren, and Sushi reminded me of this Isayama’s interview, where it says that, as his prior beliefs were gradually getting destroyed, Eren more and more would act upon a principle of self-preservation (”How about just conserving myself?”). So perhaps, also indulging in those seething feelings of disappointment, anger, and the imperative to preserve himself , that future became a necessity in Eren’s mind, something that Eren eventually stopped fighting against, and adopted as his own will.

And it was him who eventually decided to act alone, not consulting anybody else. The SC, his friends, never put that responsibility on him, they never required from him to save Paradis alone. Eren could have been the wielder of that power of the Founding Titan, a power which could decide the fate of them all, but, under their commander’s guidance, they were all working together in order to find a solution, a way to peace. As Hange said, they were ready to think stuff through and feel frustrated along with him, so Eren wouldn’t have been left alone. He just decided to do so, building an impenetrable wall around him, and once he settled himself on that irreversible path, he then proceeded to push away the people which cared about him more than anyone else - Armin and Mikasa.

Maybe, when that night in Marley he asked Mikasa what he was to her, he was still wavering, maybe, there was still the tiniest possibility left inside him to not succumb to that darkness; maybe, if Mikasa would have chosen another answer, things would have been different. The other possibility though, is that Eren, at that point, already knew what he was going to do, and that’s why he was already apologizing to Ramzi, and crying - because he had already given up all hope. So perhaps, he just wanted to know, before leaving them, before entering that road, he wanted to ask that question to Mikasa, because he knew that it would have been his last time with her, his last chance to know (and months later, he’d be still wondering about that, and asking for his brother’s opinion). But I’m not sure about it, and at this point, we’ll never know.

#eren yeager #mikasa ackerman #armin arlert #hange zoe #jean kirschtien #connie springer #sasha blouse #eremika #historia reiss #snk meta

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nuoc7mia · 3 years

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hi so I actually made this post months ago when I was fist reading Tokyo revengers (thank you Mandy), but I just finished this post today :3 most of this post isn’t rlly insightful--I'm either just screaming or rehashing takes that most people here have already made

warnings ofc for major manga spoilers although I also haven’t caught up on the last five-ten chapters:

look ik current!mikey could easily kill me, but he’s so cute:

rlly makes you wonder what happened when you look back after reading more recent chapters ahaha :’D but anyways, give him his flag!!!

(again I wrote this in June--I contradict myself later in this word dump LOL)

this moment was just so funny to me I'm sorry LMAO (’love & peace’)

hngjksnfgs I love this panel so much :((( sometimes with all of the action going on and how they act or are drawn, I forget that they’re just middle schoolers trying to navigate through life. and here’s mikey who has the weight of the entire gang--literal lives--on his shoulders, and is constantly depended on by the members as this ray of shining light. people literally are filled with relief when they see him during fights bc THE mikey is here to take over and he HAS to win the match, right? which is kind of interesting now that I think about it, because there’s also takemichi, who’s mentally 27 and still struggling to carry the weight of his loved ones’ lives on his shoulders. if a 27-year-old can’t be responsible for the lives of others--if I, a 19-year-old, can’t cope with the weight of my own--then how could we expect mikey to be strong with everything that happened around him added onto the weight of the gang? looking back now, I think what happened to mikey in the future makes sense, as odd/cheesy/out-of-the-blue as it originally seemed in my head.

nothing new but I fucking hate kisaki overall and I'm so glad he never got a redemption arc because there was nothing about him that could be saved

(this was an extremely harsh take but again I'm never forgetting what he did to everyone just bc he was pining over a girl from elementary school)

this panel ALSO messed me up, esp after reading some more recent chapters :( I think takemichi said once that he liked talking to mikey the most because he always feels at peace with him and described his eyes to be this calm sea (which almost reminds me of giyuu and his 11th form: dead calm) (I also might be remembering wrong bc I can’t find the chapter I saw it on). but it feels so double-sided if that makes sense? like with that peace comes a never-ending emptiness because he’s constantly consumed by whatever darkness he has in him (sorry for another kny comparison but it feels similar to muichirou before his whole arc), and so he looks so detached and empty. it’s actually kind of jarring at times when the panel zooms into his eyes because you really feel like you’re going to drown in them, but the way it’s cross-hatched is unsettling--like it’s more chaotic and fuzzy inside his mind. + if you compare the dullness in his eyes with the clarity of the other characters, especially takemichi, it’s as if he knows that there’s no future for him, or at least no future with the others. I ended up crying when he was grabbing onto takemichi and asking to be saved, because that’s the first time that we see any sort of light/reflection in his eyes (of hope, honestly), as well as the first time that he reaches out to have someone shoulder his own burdens + truly be vulnerable + depend on someone else rather than letting others depend on him.

(this rant is the result of me hate-reading the comments after every chapter on *******):

sometimes idk what some ppl want from takemichi LOL. actually, no, I do know exactly what they want: a strong mc who they can experience the story through and who solves the problem with the physical manifestation of their strength (the typical shounen protag). but that’s not the point of tokyo revengers imo, and if you’re expecting that, I think you’re missing the whole story ????? like the power comes from the fact that he’s an average person who continues to fight despite the knowledge that he has, the weaknesses that he’s constantly forced to reckon with, and the general helplessness + hopelessness that he feels. he just wants to protect the ppl who he cares for, and that desire trumps physical power or charisma. THAT’S what makes him strong and that’s ultimately what changes the course of things in the story (because we already have powers like mikey who still fall into darkness despite his physical strength). obviously it wouldn’t hurt to make takemichi more assertive in different ways and not see him get absolutely pummeled LOL, but that’s also how wakui chose to enforce his themes

also I'd like to make some more literal points:

1. the manga itself is really long, but when you think about the time frame, there’s not actually much time for takemichi to achieve everything he wants and grow stronger, esp with all of the plot twists that are thrown at him.

2. his main goal was never to physically grow stronger, but just to prevent hina’s death (and later Mikey’s). it was always to talk someone out of doing something or preventing a major event from occurring, which doesn’t ACTUALLY need power to be achieved

(ofc he rarely, if ever, achieves to make it happen, but the effort counts n is there)

3. the dude is constantly carrying the weight of his friends’ deaths on his shoulders SDHFSLD LEAVE HIM ALONE ;; i’d just shut down if I were in his shoes and try to forget that toman was ever a thing

4. mentally speaking, the guy’s 27 LMAO the last time he really fought was back in middle school, which means he has absolutely little to none of those skills left

once again, I have nothing insightful to offer; I simply like the way this panel was drawn

spouting nonsense out of my butt with this one: ngl it took me a while to get used to this art style? like I thought it was UGLY LMAOOO. but when I did, I really came to appreciate how the mangaka colors things in and uses lines to create movement on each page. for instance, here, you can FEEL the energy of toman not just from the speech and the action, but with the lines that wakui chooses to leave uncolored on the members’ uniforms and hair + how the trees are shaded (which is vertical and for me personally it adds a lot more pressure/force, like they’re bursting with energy). everyone and everything feels so alive !!! but at the same time, their art is so clean... SO FREAKING CLEAN. I just love it o<--<

stop it....... STOP IT......... if I don’t get my 100% happy ending I will bawl. (yes I'm aware that this will probably/definitely not happy and yes I have tissues ready for the final arc)

also timeskip!kazutora, inupi, and chifuyu all in one place........ goodbye!

on a side note: I think I'm just gonna be a manga only at this rate bc I tried watching the first episode and got impatient waiting for all of the big action skjdfskjdh but maybe it was bc I wasn’t in the best mood / head-space at the time LOL

(I've let this sit in my head a bit longer and yeah, manga only <3)

I needed to end this photo dump with this exact panel because I had to put my phone down and mentally take a walk after seeing inupi in heels.

honorable mention goes to ponytail!baji and toman founder!baji bc they’re both engrained in my mind forever. likewise with high school!chifuyu ;; he looks like he jumped out of a shoujo manga or some kind of slice-of-life

#moon babbles #moon reads tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers spoilers #if you actually managed to read that all then I'll love you till the end of time (to kingdom come as red velvet beautifully sings)#I swear I'll catch up soon ;; I'm just burnt out after cramming ti all in and distracted with the other series that I wanna start/catch up o #rlly freaking pysched tho esp after seeing the reactions in the Tokyo rev discord LOL #I probably should let this sit for a bit longer before posting #but I don't want this sitting in my drafts for any longer and my head is swimming from this messy format

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kaypeace21 · 5 years

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Do you think the duffer's will ever stop being cowards and give Will powers? they've hinted at it enough and really missed some good reveal opportunities in s3. if they do do you think they'll be like El's powers or something unique to him.

It might actually be a bit of both- I talked a while back about this. But my subscribers have literally doubled in like the past week . So I might as well talk about it again. XD

El’s (unique) powers

Telekenisis- The power to move or manipulate objects with the mind. It can evolve to the point that a Telekinetic can control anything at a subatomic, particle and universal level (like when she tore apart the demorgon cell by cell in s1).

Levitation- To use the mind, and cause a person to rise into the air and float in apparent defiance of gravity. El’s does this at the end of s2 when closing the gate.

Remote viewing - is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target, purportedly using extrasensory perception (ESP). She does this when Kali asked her if the man (she was planning on killing was alone). It’s not foolproof, since she can only focus on one person at at time. Which is why she assumed he was alone, when his 2 daughters were simply in the other room. She seems to rely on psychometry to do this with people she doesn’t know well.

Psychometry- ability to discover facts about an event or person by touching inanimate objects associated with them. She does this in s1 when she takes Will’s d&d wizard piece and tells the boys he’s in the upside down and his exact location. And she does this with newspaper clippings of Terri- and uses this power to track her down and find where she lives. And she also uses a photo of Heather to find her/sense something bad happened to her.

The void- The prequel novel, “suspicious Minds” explains this ability.Terry after getting pregnant (temporarily) gains her baby Jane’s/El’s power to tap into the ‘void’. In relation to seeing normal people in the void, Terry learned they will not notice you observing and eavesdropping on them, and they generally cannot hear or see you (according to the book) … so we can probably assume they also cannot touch others without them fading away, as well (like in the show). El uses this ability to observe Hopper, Mike, and a Russian spy (in s1/2).

But the void is different if you try this on another psychic, Terry accidentally summons a young Kali- and finds out it’s a way for other psychics and only other psychics to have a private place to talk to one another- without anyone realizing. So yep, Will is psychic- the fact Will could touch, see, hear, and talk to El in the void wasn’t a coincidence! Debate over! Also Joyce is def. clairvoyant like one of the other characters in the book (especially since she spoke to El in the void in s1, and the book confirmed having powers was hereditary.)

Powers they share (this is based on the show/Will comic/ d&d powers)

Technopathy (ability to manipulate electronic devices) also able to use this ability to communicate through other dimensions. (El also has this power, but she used it to communicate from our world to the upside down- with the walkie talkie, and the school radio that she causes to catch fire). When Will first calls Joyce through the phone, he actually used a walkie talkie (which is not how electronics work- it was simply his psychic abilities), also Joyce’s phone exploded because of this. After she buys a new phone, and Will tries again using their actual phone this time, it once again explodes on her end. And then Will uses the radio and the lights in the house to communicate.

And to make even more clear this is entirely because of Will, and not simply how electronics work in the upside down – When Joyce gets the Christmas lights out, she says “blink once for yes, twice for no.” And that’s literally what he does. He blinks (AND USES HIS MIND) to get lights to flicker from another dimension!

Portal manipulation/dimension travel / teleportation -. They both opened portals from the upside down to the real world. And although most of the evidence for dimension travel/teleportation is more evident in Will. Technically El did teleport/dimension travel at the end of s1 to the upside-down.

In the show, 2 scientists, Barb , a deer, and 2 hunters were violently dragged to the upside down, and simply died due to blood-loss. The comic showed this to be the case, showing one of the hunters bleed to death. He explained the demorgan dragged him there before he died. In both the comic and show , Will wasn’t dragged like the others. He sent himself accidentally to the upside down (the lightbulb , in both the show/comic glowed just like all the lights in Hawkins did when El closed the gate to the upside down in s2).

This is made even more clear in the fact that the demogorgan is far away from him at this moment (in the comic).

Biokinesis? -This is a very broad ability. It’s the ability to psychically manipulate anatomy, physiology, internal body processes, and DNA. She caused Troy to pee himself - which is a bodily process.

However most people associate this power with the ability to alter traits of ones own physical appearance. I don’t think they’ll be a mystique or anything. But I did point out a while ago that when El and Will use their powers to their absolute limits- their eye color changes. El’s when using her powers to their limits, has her eyes turn red in both s1 and 2. And in s2 Will’s eyes slowly change from green, to brown, to black (maybe they changed color since he was fighting his possession with his powers?).

Imagination Manifestation- The ability to bring anything from one’s imagination into existence. I explained in a crazy amount of detail, here, why I believe El made the upside down/demorgorgans and how Will created the mindflayer and demodogs… and how it’s not only an allegory for Will and El’s (cannon) ptsd, trauma, and darker intrusive thoughts (but because of their powers), became a physical manifestation (with a life of it’s own).

Will’s ( possible unique) powers

Shadow Walking- They said in s1, Will ‘shadow walked’ . In D&D shadow walking is – “ largely illusory, but ‘quasi-real’. characters can use this spell to travel rapidly by stepping onto the Plane of Shadow (the upside down), moving the desired distance, and then stepping back onto the Material Plane.” This quote perfectly summarizes Will’s power - which he was shown to be using in s1 & s2 (before his possession)- he can be partially-present and can physically interact with both dimensions at the same time. Although he has little control of this power- constantly flicking between both dimensions. This explains how he was standing in the real world next to Mike and later Joyce in the field, while at the same time, the mind flayer took possession of him in the upside down version of that same field. And how on Halloween he was in the upside down calling for Mike, but was seen on camera in the real world calling for Mike ‘having an episode’.

Electro-kinesis – He has lightning come out of his hand, and this is also a power that Will drew of his wizard character (in the show) before he was sent to the upside down.

Pyro-kinesis- He drew his wizard character shooting green fireballs in s1 and in the first ep he rolled the dice and yelled fireball, he had the ‘shadow monster ‘ excorcised out of him with fire, and in the comic he shoots a demogorgan and yells “fireball”. Will in the comic easily kills 2 demogorgans using pyrokinesis (fire) eviscerating 2 of them to dust – it’s a bit ambiguous, but he shoots fire out of the gun, and it appears the bullet wasn’t properly placed in the gun.

And in d&d lore the only previous human apprentice of the mindflayer, also had fire powers.

Scrying/clairvoyance- “ An ability the MF has, the ability to see and hear a creature at any distance…, the sensor has your full visual acuity, including sensing any magical effects-detect chaos, detect evil, detect good, detect law, detect magic, and message.” (all of which Will could do in s2-detecting the feelings/intentions of the mindflayer, seeing all those people die while in his hospital bed, knowing that the demodogs were approaching, giving the message to close the gate, and finding Hopper (a cop/’the law’) and knowing that he would die without their help). So it’s like a mix of clairvoyance/being able to see at great distances.

-“The target (of the scrying) must make a Wisdom ( cough …’Will the Wise’) saving throw, which is modified by how well one knows the target and the sort of physical connection you have to it. If a target knows you’re casting this spell, it can fail.” (It failed in the shed, how the Mf found him)

“On a failed save, the spell creates an invisible sensor within 10 feet of the target. You can see and hear through the sensor as if you were there” (How the mindflayer found him so quickly).

Also, when Will uses scrying for tracking he always closed his eyes. So it’s interesting that in s2, before the mindflayer possessed him, he draws himself with closed eyes (in wizard garb) with a crystal ball (which according to wikipedia , “is generally associated with the performance of clairvoyance and scrying”.And Will in s3 did say he sees the future.

True sight- In the show Mike says he thinks Will has “true sight” (which Mike may be mixing up with scrying as it is similar). In the show it is said to be the “power to look into the ethereal plane”. However, in D&D it’s slightly different because they can see through the eternal plane, and are immune to illusions (so theoretically Kali’s powers wouldn’t work on him), and they have the ability to see the true form of any creature that has been mutated.

Temporary super strength- Maybe it’s comic-book logic. But a small 4’11 , 12 year old (let alone most adults) would not be able to bang a chair with such force that it would smash into pieces like this. Not to mention the way they frame it- seems to hint that it’s important and that we should notice how much he smashed the chair. And in D&D some Wizards do have spells that give them temporary super-strength? Also while possessed by the Mf (using 1 hand) he was stronger than both Joyce and Jonathan using all 4 of their hands, at full strength.

Astral projection? -Later (in the comic) he hears a television report saying they found his dead body, he freaks out and tries to prove to his mom he’s alive- and in the show (after his body was found) he does this to prove he’s alive…

They never explain how he did this in the comic but it appears that he used astral projection ( El might have this power?).

Invisibility?- In regards to invisibility, in the show multiple characters mention Will’s ability to hide. When Hopper is looking for Will in s1, Jonathan warns Hopper that when Will is scared, he hides, so he should go to Lonnie’s instead of Hopper. “If he sees the cops, he’ll think he’s in trouble. He’ll hide! Y’know, he’s good at hiding!” The fact that Jonathan thinks Will (a literal child) has hiding abilities so great that he could stump a sheriff from finding him in Lonnie’s small house is extremely suspicious, to me. The comic double downs on this seemingly irrelevant line, saying “Will Byers has always been very good at hiding. For games, from bullies, when he just doesn’t feel like being seen.And he’s hidden himself way in darkness so deep that he’s not sure anyone will ever find him.” Plus, teleportation and invisibility seem like something a kid who hid from his abusive father might of accidentally used A LOT- unbeknownst to Jonathan!

(super crazy/prob not true) but there was a weird thing in s2 , that may have been time travel? link here

#will byers #el hopper #stranger things #stranger things theory

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ichika27 · 4 years

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Winter 2020: Episode 3

I said before on my first Winter 2020 post that I’d give the anime I chose to watch 3 episodes to see whether or not I’d continue watching.

Here are my thoughts on them.

First off, Magia Record.

It’s not like the main Madoka series but I can’t exactly put my finger on why. It just feels different but not in a bad way of course. It’s still interesting due to the mystery but I’ve not connected with any characters yet. By that I mean, other than Iroha, I don’t feel like caring much about the other girls yet. That’d probably change in later episodes the more I know about them but I don’t know how well they can showcase everyone when, according to the OP, there are gonna be a lot of characters for this show unlike the main one with 5 important characters (plus Kyubey).

Still, it’s good although I wish Iroha gets stronger cause right now she hasn’t really done much in terms of fighting. All the better character development in the future though so I’d look forward to it.

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen (2020)

Different from it’s previous adaptation not only in art style but also in how they handled the first few episodes. The art style still kinda uh, confuses me on how to feel? Some characters look good in this (Childman looks way younger here than he did in the first anime. It was the reason I didn’t recognize him at first.) while some looked better in the first series (Orphen looks like a pretty boy in this style but I think he looks more handsome in the old style).

Since the way they handled the story is different, for someone like me who watched this like, more than 10 years ago and remembers little of it except some parts in the beginning and end, this made me feel excited and interested. For one, back in the first anime, the thing about Azalie being the dragon was a spoiler but here it’s showed in the beginning. Her dragon form is called ‘Bloody August’ in the first anime but here, I don’t think I remember her being referred to as that. Anyways, start of adventure soon, I hope? There’s a lot of magic school flashbacks here and while interesting, I’d like to see the main characters get more screentime (Orphen, Claiohm, and Majic).

Bofuri continues to be a fun and exciting series about cute girls playing a VRMMO! Despite being an OP character, watching Maple and Sally fight is still fun and also, the mods are starting to nerf her lol.

Still no overall plot at the moment and I dunno what that would be later on but for now, I’m just enjoying the ride. I’m curious about the blond guy though - the knight who got 1st in the event whose face isn’t shown. What will be his significance, I wonder?

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard is an okay show, I guess? Not the ‘case files’ I was hoping for. They have little detective work done and the show is more like ‘Character of the day needs a jewelry-related thing and has some personal problems and is helped by the 2 main guys whose shop becomes some kind of counseling room’. It’s not bad as I said but its kinda boring at times. While Richard and Seigi are the MCs, the ones with the spotlight is whoever the character of the day is. It’s episodic right now and there maybe a bigger plot later but I’m not sure if I’d still continue following this series. It’s nice if you like jewelry though as they do give info on that so kudos to them as the ‘jeweler’ part is not just something they threw in - the characters actually know stuff about it.

So verdict is: semi-dropped for now. Might come back later if I felt like it but it’s not a priority anymore. I wanted a detective series, dude. Oh and Seigi might be straight and has a thing for that girl he met before but if you guys wanna ship the two MCs, there are some shippy stuff here for you as well :)

Hatena Illusion explains to us why Kana’s family steals: her mom’s family makes magic items and they decided to sell them even thought they’re dangerous. Her mom, Maeve, thinks this is bad and runs off with the guy she likes and also goes everywhere to steal the ‘artifacts’ (magic items) so they would pose no danger. She does replace it with a non-powered replica so the people she steals from won’t miss them. Reminds me somewhat of DNAngel.

That said, Kana is annoying as heck. Typical tsundere who is violent and keeps hurting Makoto even when something is her fault. Makoto is some kind of dormat as well which is annoying. Ema, the maid makes things worse with her stupid comments which doesn’t help and Kokomi, while annoying in the first episodes seems like the only one with common sense and I ended up liking her in episode 3.

I want to drop this show cause Kana pisses me off but hey, Makoto just became a magical (thief) boy and now I need to give it 2 more episodes! It’s rare for there to be a protag magical boy. Most of the time, they’re either supporting or background character but Makoto is a co-protagonist (I know Binan Koukou exist but that’s more of a parody anime).

I’ll be back on whether or not I’ll drop this completely after seeing episode 5.

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun is one of the few shows here which has a different ‘style’ in presentation which isn’t bad and actually makes it stand out. The story is also fun with the seven mysteries (and if you watch the OP, everytime a mystery is revealed, they stop being shown as silhouettes in the next episode’s opening) with their respective rumors and backstories. We also have some new characters and some clues about Hanako’s past.

I like this show. It’s cute and has some adventures and a tiny bit of romance (I already ship Hanako with Yashiro) and comedy. The current story with the stairs seem like it’d be fun as a video game haha. I’d definitely be watching this one til the end.

Side note: this and MagiReco feels similar due to the ‘rumors’ and such. I mean, they started dealing with some rumored ‘stairs’ this time. It’s like MagiReco’s seven mysteries is spread in towns instead of just in one school. Just saying the coincidence is interesting.

A Destructive God Sits Next to Me is probably the biggest disappointment to me for this list as I looked forward to this since last year. I needed a replacement for Chuubyou Gekihatsu Boy and this seems perfect but character-wise, it is not.

While it is funny (the first episode had me laughing so hard), there are a lot of scenes that just annoys or frustrates me. The 2nd episode in particular was unbearable and the only thing that kept me going is the thought that I promised to watch 3 episodes. By the end of the episode, all of the frustration I felt just broke when Koyuki had the misunderstanding with the girl and I ended up crying. Yeah, I cried. It sounds stupid and it is which makes it worse. I only ever cry in comedy anime when there’s either a heartwarming or dramatic scene. Here it’s frustration.

I can tolerate Hanadori since Koyuki can and does punch him when he goes too far. It’s Tsukimiya I can’t take. His actions and personality gives me nothing but pure annoyance and hate (except the notebook scene in episode 1 which is really funny). He’s a mean-spirited character and he just makes me uncomfortable. Their homeroom teacher too, is annoying, by the way.

We have a new character this time, though who looks up to Hanado-- er, I mean ‘Miguel’-senpai. He’s annoying but only a little as its his first appearance. I’d give this 1 or 2 more episodes as I want to see who and what kind of person the long-haired guy in the OP is but I don’t think I can take this entire series.

Too bad as the art style is super cute and part of me low-key ships Koyuki with Hanadori (their interactions are cute sometimes esp. when Hanadori drags Koyuki in his fantasy). It also got a banger OP I can’t stop listening to. If I’m able to ignore or at least get used to Tsukimiya, I might watch more. Might. I’m not positive I can take it.

These are all my personal thoughts and opinions of these shows. They’re not an indication of whether or not you, the reader of this post, will enjoy it. Give them all a shot and maybe you’d end up liking them more or less than I do as we all have different taste and sense of humor. Hope you guys are enjoying this season’s anime offers. I’d write more about these later on probably when they end or when I decide to completely drop them.

#anime #winter 2020 #magia record #bofuri #the case files of jeweler richard #hatena illusion #Sorcerous Stabber Orphen #jibaku shounen hanako kun #a destructive god sits next to me #sana_post

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fialleril · 5 years

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that post about the jlu sequels had me giggling with excitement, esp that episode idea with wally inviting shayera to central city!!

okay i sent the previous ask about halfway though the post and let me tell you that i would give my left kidney to see said post realized

Same, anon. Same.

We never actually got a full Wally and Shayera buddy episode in the show. They had all sorts of great moments, and even referred to each other as siblings, which is so great, but I still kinda wish they’d had a whole episode.

Also, even though the JL/JLU fandom pretty much universally agrees that John, Shayera, and Wally are the “little trinity,” there’s never actually an episode that focuses on the three of them as a team and their relationships with one another as a trio. We got John and Wally episodes (but only in Justice League, and I always miss their team dynamic when I get to Unlimited in my rewatch), and of course we got John and Shayera episodes. But I want a trio episode, dang it.

It’s really unfortunate that Michael Rosenbaum was unavailable for the first season of JLU, because probably the best opportunity for a Shayera and Wally buddy episode would have been when she first returns to the League, and she’s feeling awkward and self-conscious and honestly pretty lonely because she doesn’t really have relationships with any of the founders anymore and she doesn’t know any of the newbies and everybody distrusts her and she doesn’t blame them. And then Wally comes dashing up and just welcomes her back with a hug, without a hint of hesitation, just genuinely thrilled to have her back, and Shayera’s just so relieved to have this one person who actually wants to be around her and who treats her completely normally.

Like it should be really awkward because the last time she saw him he was giving her a hug then, too, but it was because she was leaving the League. And before that he was pinned to the ground by a gravity beam in a Thanagarian prison because she told them how to exploit his weaknesses. And sure, she already knows his secret identity, but she knows it because she was a spy and she knows what his face looks like because he, Bruce, and Clark were forced to go undercover as their civilian identities because of what she did. (Later, Wally will always tell her it wasn’t her fault, that she was caught in the ultimate no win situation and that she always did what she believed was right on the basis of the information she had at the time, but Shayera’s not inclined to agree with that herself and sometimes she could almost hate him because she knows that he does believe it, sincerely and wholeheartedly.)

I imagine it went something like this: on Shayera’s first night back on the Watchtower, as she's settling into her bland, hotel-like new room, and debating whether to brave the mess hall for dinner or just go hungry, Wally suddenly shows up at her door with a stack of movies and like ten boxes of pizza. (Nine for him, one for her, or so he claims, but he ends up eating half of hers too.) And she lets him in because really what else can you possibly do when faced with a grinning Flash who looks a fraction of a second away from dropping pizza all over the hallway. Then he zips in, sets the pizza and movies down, whips off his mask and says, “Hi, Wally West, Central City police lab, nice to meet you.” (She’s so surprised by the show of trust that it takes her a while to realize it was an even bigger show than she first thought. Sure, the other founders all know his name and therefore could probably find out all about his civilian life, and she’s sure Batman knows more about Wally than Wally knows himself, but the fact remains that...well. He never voluntarily chose to share his name or his face with her, not before, but there was nothing forcing him to tell her what he does for a day job, especially because just knowing what his day job is kind of pokes a hole in his Obfuscating Stupidity act, and he’s got to realize that and he’s got to realize that she’ll realize that, and the more she thinks about that the more she thinks that, actually, this is kind of a big deal.)

Of course we didn’t get to see any of that in the show. But I do think it’s at least partly implied, because Shayera and Wally are a lot closer in seasons 2 and 3 of JLU than they were in JL. Their banter has become a lot more explicitly sibling-like, and they hang out casually on the Watchtower in a way that Shayera, at least, really doesn’t do with anyone else. She tries to help him get a date, and she knows he needs help getting a date because he turns into a giant helpless dweeb when he’s actually interested in someone, and both of those things are a big change from JL. Hawkgirl teased Flash about his inability to get a date and it was fun and playful teasing but she did actually think he was a wannabe playboy and he did actually want her to think that. That’s changed in JLU. Shayera seems to know that it’s basically all an act, and Wally is perfectly comfortable with her knowing that.

And, of course, she’s the one who pulls him out of the Speed Force. Which I think is not something you’d actually expect, if you only knew the characters from Justice League and hadn’t seen any of their interactions in Unlimited. On the basis of JL alone, I think you’d expect it to be John or J’onn who drags Wally back from the Speed Force. And J’onn is the one to sense that he’s still alive, and John is the first person to grab Shayera’s arm and try to call Wally back*, but it’s still Shayera who plunges her hand into a dangerous vortex of unknown power without a second’s hesitation because that’s her bro.

( *I also think it’s a nice subtle touch that Shayera and John are the two who make a point of calling out to Wally individually: Shayera reaches in and grabs him and calls him by name, and then John chimes in with “I’m here too,” and again calls him by his name. And then Supes adds, “We’re all here.” And, idk, it’s just kind of a great way of indicating, at one and the same time, that they all love him and are doing everything they can to save him, but also that the close relationship Wally has with Shayera and John is of a different kind than his friendship with the others.)

tl;dr: I have a lot of feelings about Shayera & Wally and about Shayera & Wally & John.

#replies #anon #justice league animated #(also ftr i use that tag because just 'justice league' could mean...an awful lot of different fandoms)#(and jlu has never felt accurate to me when i'm talking about both shows)#(i love jl and jlu but they do feel like separate if related shows to me)#anyway i'm sorry for all the jl/jlu feelings dumping lately #i have apparently been holding onto all these feelings in silence for almost 15 years lol #possibly i should actually attempt to write some jlu fic one of these days #my meta #shayera hol #wally west #john stewart #the dream team that never quite gets to be a team on screen

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phoenix43song · 4 years

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My Reviews and Thoughts on Little Women and the Many Adaptations

To start off I have been reading the Little Women series since I was 8 I think, and I’ve been watching the 1994 version since I was 6. It wasn’t until recently that I finally watched the 1949 and the modern 2018 adaptations ( I watched the BBC/PBS mini series last year, and I do re-watch it every now and then). I still have to watch the 1933 version, which I plan to do when I find the time. I have also been re-reading the books because I am excited for Greta Gerwig’s adaptation even though I am not a fan of some of the stuff she’s been saying about a couple of the characters (but some of my fears have been relieved! Yeah!). In this long post I will post my thoughts on the novel(s) themselves, Louisa, and the adaptations that I have seen.

I will start with the one I am very familiar with: the 1994 version! I have loved this movie since the first time I watched it. It’s a tradition to watch it multiple of times around the Christmas season with my mom, and every now and then I will watch it whenever I feel like it. Since I graduated as a theatre and film student watching films and analyzing characters, their world, decisions, the themes and motifs have been really eye opening. I’ve been devouring books since I was a kid, trying to write my own novels, and I’ve made a couple of short films. When it comes to adapting a screenplay from a book there are a lot of decisions to be made: what to keep, what to cut, what to condense, does the order of things need to be changed, and what original creative content can we put in? 1994 is a really, really good adaptation of the novel, with some minor flaws, a questionable original content decision, and how the screenwriter and director put Louisa into Jo. The cinematography and music is gorgeous, the house looks lived in, and the whole atmosphere screams late American 19h century.

The acting, for the most part, is right on character and Winona did such a great job as Jo! Trini did wonderful a Meg and I liked how we got more of Meg because she’s important too. Claire Danes was a fabulous Beth (though she looks older than 14; I always thought she was 16 or 17...), while Kirsten did a fun, spoiled Amy...but she did ham it up a bit too much at times. Samantha...I did not like one bit as older Amy. Laurie was great in the first 2/3 of the movie but once he hit Europe I didn’t like how they [tried] to develop his character. His romance with Amy fell flat, which I was sad to see. Gabriel was a really good Fritz...I just didn’t like how they made them date while Jo was in New York. I understand it because the proposal at the end of the movie makes it really romantic, but the whole purpose of Jo/Fritz and Jo falling in love was that she was blind to it: she falling in love with a man. They start off as boarding house neighbors, then student/teacher, which quickly turns into friendship of equals, and it’s not until Jo is at home missing Fritz that she begins to realize her feelings. And when Fritz comes to court Jo she blushes! Despite this I’m a sucker for romance and still love Jo/Fritz despite my feelings on the adaptation choices. Marmee and Aunt March were on point and I loved how the actresses were their characters.

Now moving onto the 2017 mini series. I like this adaptation, and have watched it a few times, but there are things that just bug me and drive me crazy, and moments that I love. This is the only adaptation that does not have have Jo’s plays or the Pickwick society. I hate this and it was a poor adaptation choice in my opinion. This series really should have been at least 6 episodes and not the measly 3 that it was. Despite this the series did include moments from the book that either haven’t been adapted before, or it was just mentioned. I love how we see Beth get the courage to go to Mr. Lawerence to play the piano and their relationship. They really should have gotten a young Amy and an older looking Beth: the girls look the same age from episode 1 to 3, which especially doesn’t work for Amy. Maya did a good Jo and it’s actually impressive for her first screen role, but she did lack some of Jo’s qualities (she is way better as Robin in Stranger Things). Emily did a good job as Marmee. Anne was another really great Beth, and I have to say her freckles seem to give the character substance. Kate’s Amy was good but like Elizabeth Taylor in the 1949 version, she was not believable as young Amy. (I’ve heard Florence Pugh is amazing and a scene stealer but even if she can act like young Amy (and based on the clips she can), her womanly body will not let her be believable).

I like how Beth’s kittens made a lot of screen time (I love kittens!) and how they did the Hummel’s house: it was just like how the book described it. All of those little children did a great job at looking hungry, cold, and scared. Makes me wonder about Mrs. Hummel’s husband (I need to find that part and re-read it). I loved how the included Camp Laurie, Cousin Flo, and Laurie trying to kiss Jo. The wedding between Meg and John Brooke was sweet, esp Aunt March giving her the pearls. I crack each time I see Aunt March’s parrot (was that in the book? Man I haven’t gotten far into my re-reading of the whole book; it’s been awhile), and how we got to see how close Jo and Beth are. They tried their best in portraying Amy/Laurie, and Mark Stanley as Fritz: he was Fritz from the book! (He looks a lot younger without that bushy beard though; that’s the one thing about Fritz I can’t stand haha). It’s too bad that Jo/Fritz was so rushed in episode 3: their relationship and Fritz was barely developed. (Though they did include a lot from the book like the Weekly Volcano and Jo’s poem that brought Fritz to her). Laurie in general was not Laurie; maybe in the Laurie who wants to play all the time but that’s it. Not Laurie.

Now onto the 1949 version. I fell in love with this adaptation, flaws and all. It was very charming, had some great acting, however a lot happened off screen, some characters/moments were rushed, and I can’t believe June was 31 years old! And that Elizabeth Taylor was pregnant. It doesn’t bother me that they made Beth the youngest because Margaret did such a fabulous job as Beth. I loved all other scenes, her relationship with Jo and Mr. Lawerence in particular. This is the only version I’ve seen where the sisters buy Marmee gifts with their 1 dollar bill, and I liked how it was a surprise and quite moment. The actress who played Marmee was amazing and Aunt March cracked me up. I didn’t care for Laurie in this version either. And like I said with the 2017 mini series: they really needed to have an actress play young Amy. Elizabeth did a really good job, don’t get me wrong, but she definitely seemed way older. The hot Italian actor as Fritz was sure an interesting choice. I wish they would’ve just made Fritz Italian and just changed his name slightly (I believe Greta made Fritz French in her version since Louis Garrel is French), and I also wish he could’ve been in the movie more! Since he was close in age to June I just wanted to see them on screen more. Yes he doesn’t look one bit like Fritz in the book, and call me shallow, but I honestly don’t care in this version. Back then - and sadly to this day - Hollywood cares about looks. That’s why I love Mark Stanly as Fritz in the 2017 because he physically is Fritz. But still...anyways I am going slightly off topic.

So. The 2018 modern adaptation. This should have either been a Hallmark movie or a Netflix movie. This movie should have never been released theatrically and that’s why it bombed horrible. I mean it bombed horribly in a lot of aspects and areas, but it does have some great scenes! It’s all in the detail. They have their castle’s in the sky for one. All of Jo’s plays and the Pickwick society and how it changed to be of a platoon. I just love the attic scenes in this movie. I also love how Jo is writing fantasy stories and a fantasy novel and it’s sad that she can’t be taken seriously because there are great fantasy novelists! Tolkien, JK Rowling, G RR Martin for example. That really bothered me. I do like how Fritz is an actual professor at a university and becomes Jo’s editor and mentor, how that develops into friendship, but to me the romance aspect of their relationship falls flat somewhat. I like how they had a younger Amy and an older Amy, but I honestly got confused at first because there were younger versions of all the sisters (and it’s unbelievable that three of them would look the same with the 13 year gap). This version did a flashback style so it will be interesting to see how Greta did hers. The editing for this movie was all over the place and chaotic. I didn’t like Lucas as Laurie one bit, I get how they would go to parties but I hated those scenes (it was a good wake up call for Meg though). Beth fell short in this movie and so did Amy to an extent. You don’t really get to know John Brooke, or even their Marmee all that much. And really, Marmee? In a modern adaptation they should’ve just stuck with Mom. I did like how Jo buzzed her hair off in support of Beth (there is a good graphic novel that came out recently that’s set in the modern world and there are few similar choices. There’s also a book called Meg and Jo - Amy and Beth will come out later next year - that makes some interesting choices to say the least when adapting the novel into modern times. Anyways...), and how they had their father over seas in the army. I honestly need to watch this movie again to really critique it, but I honestly think it could’ve been a great movie...the script needed more rewrites, it needed a director who knew what they were doing, a better editor, and honestly some better actors. The potential was there, it has it moments, but it fell.

To conclude this rather blog like post (and kudos to all who have read the whole thing) I will take just a little bit on my views on Louisa herself and Greta’s version. Louisa didn’t want to write a book for children, and when she did she wrote a semi-autobiographical novel that she leaves on a cliff hanger. In my mind she meant to continue the story, but she wanted to see what the reader’s thought. She did put the story out of her mind for awhile, until the book had to go into reprints and she got hounded with fan mail and fans in general. Yes she didn’t want Jo to marry because she herself never did (from what I’ve read she did have one sided crushes and probably a few second romances that didn’t last long, but she also never saw herself as desirable; she comes across to be as maybe being aromatic asexual, demisexual, or bi). She was a bit of Germanophile, along with Europe in general, and that’s why from the first few pages of LW there’s German everywhere. Which this means that Friedrich Bhaer was probably planned in one way or another. Louisa never wanted Jo to be with Laurie because they were close like siblings and loved each other that way. Laurie thought himself in love with Jo, but Jo does bring up good points: they would quarrel and end up being unhappy because he honestly didn’t like her scribbling. Amy makes Laurie grow up and those two match each other perfectly. Fritz is a perfect match for Jo because he treats her like an equal, he helps with her writing, and she gets to be apart of a society she loves.

I have been relieved from my fears (for the most part) about how Fritz will be portrayed and the Jo/Fritz romance. We do meet him right away since we start in the present before going back and forth between past and present until the timelines match up. Greta is the only person to adapt the New Year’s Dance, which I am really excited to see. I haven’t been told if Fritz’s nephews are mentioned or seen. I know he gives her advice, but not if he teaches her his language (which I assume to be French in this version), that they do get into a fight, and that he comes to court her at her house. I was worried the umbrella proposal scene was going to be changed, but I’ve been told it’s in and it’s romantic. And then there’s Amy/Laurie! I am so glad that this relationship seems to be fully developed. I can’t wait to see everyone as their character and how Greta did the back and forth.

I am worried though about a few things: how if one isn’t familiar with the story they get confused at first with the back and forth, some of the costume choices, the acting in certain scenes, some scenes or moment being cut or condensed for time because this is a movie not a mini series, and I just wish that Fritz - Louis - could’ve been in the trailers more with more promotion. I understand why...at least Louis understands his character. Greta mentioned something that Fritz basically had to be a prize to be won and oh boy: no one is a prize to be won. And putting a lot of Louisa into Jo...I’m worried about that. Sure the 1994 version had a Louisa quote that Jo’s says about voting, but this seems like it might be too hammered in. I guess once I see the film I will finally know (and write my review and thoughts), because I can read all the critic reviews, interviews, Q and A’s I want but it’s up to me on whether or not I’ll like it or love, and I sure hope I’ll love it.

The is the end. Thanks for reading. Let me know your thoughts.

#little women

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sdhanagare · 5 years

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Happy Birthday Amitji

Amitabh Bachchan completes 77 years and 50 years of entertaining us.

It was 1969 he made his debut. I was just 5 years old.

In 1970 we left for Brighton England for my Fathers doctorate, ( before which in 1969 a superstar came on the horizon in form of Rajesh Khanna

I remember the last movie we saw before leaving India was Aradhana).

We were in England for almost 4 years. So I missed the phenomena of Rajesh Khanna and the blooming of Amitabh Bachchan.

I remember the first movie I saw was Roti Kapada aur Makaan it was 1974 at Heer Palace Kanpur. I fell in love with the charismatic character of Vijay .

His journey from a unruly youth to the army where he looses his arm( my father used to tease me for many days as Dunda Haath Chalaaye Bandook ) was very well depicted by him under the direction of Manoj Kumar. The way he drives the motorcycle with the accelerator between his teeth. I was overwhelmed , His anger was so genuine.

The second movie I remember was Benaam. A suspense thriller and my admiration for him increased.

This was followed by reruns of Anand Namak Haraam and Abhimaan at our L7 auditorium at IIT Kanpur ( as they had been released when we were abroad )

I used to ask my parents to take me to see his releases.

Those were the days of advance booking and being away from the main city many times we could not get tickets to his movies..

We had to try thrice before we could see Deewar and Sholay both released in the year of emergency 1975.

Faraar, Chupke Chupke and Mili were the first movies I saw more than once in those days as a 11 year old. Thankfully for me my parents also were movie buffs. ( Obviously I could not go alone then but started doing so 4 years later )

Something which came to me genetically as my grandmother also was a movie fan. We used to see movies over the fortnight.

After almost 2and half months during my Diwali Vacation of 1975, we finally got tickets to Sholay at Sundar theatre. The movie then was ruthlessly edited with Asranis scenes as also Jayas Holi Scenes being cut . But that movie had a great impact on me, esp the character of Jai.

It was later in 1976 in its Golden Jubilee week I we saw Deewaar.

After Deewar I was totally smitten with Amitji, I used to tie a knot on my shirt like he did. Since then somehow or the other I saw every movie released.

In 1978 we shifted to Pune.

In Pune I realised that theatres were not so far as in Kanpur and I had a cycle.

In 1979 in 9th Standard I bunked school and went to see The Great Gambler ( which my parents would not allow as it was for Adults ). In Pune I understood the concept of Advance Booking, where bookings for a movie used to open on Monday and if one wished to see a film First day then that booking needed to be done.

In vacations we used to go my Dads Hometown of Washim ( then in Akola, now a district ) , there we had a theatre owned by a trust of which my grandfather was a trustee. Movies were free for us and seats were reserved for trustees.

Used to love going to the movies there but my memory brightens up when I remember that I saw Muqaddar Ka Sikander 4 times on the trot in 4 days, including once ( Interval to Interval ). Sholay I saw there 5 times in a week, this was thankfully the uncut version .

It is a well-known chapter of Indian film history beginning with the release of Prakash Mehras Zanjeer in 1973 which turned Amitabh into a goldmine.

This movie I finally got to see first on DD and in the theatre as late as 1980 during a re-run. Smouldering in the Salim-Javed dialogues and refracted through the Amitabh flamboyance fired the imagination of a whole nation as nothing had ever done before a trend which was carried ahead in Deewar, Sholay,Trishul, Don, Kaala Pathhar, Shaan, Shakti.

Movies then used to release phase wise first in Metros and a week or even later in other cities . Pune normally movies released a week later than Mumbai

And Lonawala used to come in the Mumbai circuit. I used to take a local to Lonawala to see Amitabhs movies. Once for Yaarana the tickets were not available in Black also , I took a ride at the back of a truck and went till Khopoli and saw the movie. Similarly Kaalia also I saw at Lonawala.

From Pune used to go for Summer Vacations to Mumbai and saw many movies there. Namak Halaal, Dostana, Desh Premee, Mahaan were all seen there.

Once I decided to go and visit his house, then Prateeksha. I had gone alone and after I reached just looked at the house in awe.

I always used to think if I could ever meet him, see him.

Thats a long story and long time ahead.

One incident I remember that in 1991, my father was travelling from Delhi to Mumbai,( and from Mumbai to Pune by road, as Pune airport was not functional then). On reaching home he asked me during dinner , guess who was next to me on the flight ( He was eligible for Business Class then ). I couldnt guess and he told me, your favourite Amitabh Bachchan. I was zapped, I said Dad did you get his autograph ? Dad replied, why should I , Iam not his fan, when you meet him, take it .

Cut to 1994 , I had won the All India award for Best Sales performance and the award was to be given at Mumbai. We were invited to Mumbai and put up at Ajantha Ambassador hotel. We were to join the team from Pune as they started from Sangli by Mahalaxmi express which reached Pune at 6am, we found that very early and decided to come by Deccan Queen which reached Mumbai by 10.30 am. As I reached the Hotel, I saw a Mercedes Van coming out of the gate, I wowed it and came to the reception where my colleague Pravin Rayate greeted me with.. You should have come a bit earlier, Amitabh Bachchan was in the lobby to pick up Jaya Ji {who had her office on the second floor ( Saraswati Audiovisuals, the makers of the TV hit seriel Dekh Bhai Dekh )}. So I Mercedes I saw was his and if I had taken Mahalaxmi express and come, I would have met him. It was not to be. It dampened the spirits of my award ( which I received two days later at Taj from the hands of Adi.B and Nadir.B Godrej .

The Journey moved on..

Insipte of the ups and downs, odds and evens Amitabhs box-office records can be described only in superlatives. Producers and distributors seemed to believe still that even a flop with Amitabhs name on the marquee is a good enough grosser, which was proved by the trade.

His image of the angry young man had viewers reeling under the magic of neorealism, where dream and daydream coalesced in a brave new world. The myriad manifestations of Amitabhs no-holds-barred rebellion offered a blissful release to the repressions of a whole generation. The star became a cult figure of radical dynamism, of iconoclastic change. He was no stranger to the seaminess of street life. His idealism rose not from birth or class, but from action. His avatars recurred in shanties and ghettos, in the underworld dens and among the dregs of humanity. There he battled with the predators of the concrete jungle for survivalhis belligerence hiding a tender heart, family virtues, human kindliness. He was the ultimate good man, often turned bad by circumstances, whose atonement came through self-sacrificeoften unto gory, long-drawn death.

So from Zanjeer through Deewar, Sholay, Mukaddar ka Sikandar, Shahenshah, Inderjeet, Agneepath and Akayla, to Khuda Gawah, the Amitabh archetype continues to reflect variations on a simplistic mould, magnified to a brilliant potency; it has now become part of the collective psyche of a nation of filmgoers. It was the perfect antidote to the dystopian nightmare of modern mechanistic existence, especially in the less cynical times of the recent past. Amitabh individuates his roles with the utmost confidence and conviction. He makes the unsubtle seem subtle, touches the crass with class, makes melodrama credible. Certainly, no other Indian actor had the speaking eyes and spellbinding voice to infuse nuanced suggestivity into stereotypical situations. His finesse did not alienate his characters from the masses.

In the mid 90s he moved towards central Character roles the catalyst being Mohobattein.

Then came the super hit T.V. show Kaun Banega Carorepati anchored by Amitabh. It gave an entire new life to his career which was under the dark shadow.

Finally out of the blue came the date, 12th November 2018.

The prelude to this date was the fact that I had connected to Amitji on all his social media accounts , also my senior colleague Dr Manoj Mehta who was an active participant of ABEF ( Amitabh Bachchan extended Family ), offered us a chance to be a spectator at the KBC show , we ( My friend / ex senior from Godrej Sanjay Pandey, and current colleague Kapil Sharma ) . The date was 12th November. It was the last week of shooting of that season. We reached the sets at Film City at 2 pm sharp but had a long wait till 8pm till we were finally seated, alas in the third row. It was another wait for an hour before the shoot began. Finally at @ 9.00pm he came in a Maroon Suit, seeing him I froze.. There he was some 25 feet away from me. Very interactive with the crowd, very sportive, responding to our comments and jokes. How almost 4 hours past, and it was well after 12am that the photos he has with the audience started and well after 1 am that he left. Look at his dedication reached the sets at 9 am completed 2 episode shoots and left at 1 am. He had just turned 76 then. I had finally seen with my eyes, my hero , my idol, or even if I may say My god.

But better things were ahead, The 2019 edition of KBC started in August 2019.

We had epressed our wish to be a participant again. It was 18th July, at 7.12 pm got a message from Dr Manoj that we could attend the shoot on 6th August as the show restarted on 5th August. This time the procedure was different. There was an online procedure which need to be followed up with the invite.

We did that. But July end, rains started in Mumbai and Pune, everywhere there were spells of flooding, roads closed. Sanjay and Myself were the only two left from Pune and a friend of Sanjay, Kailash Agarwal was to jpin us at Mumbai.

The forecast was rains, we debated till late evening weather to go or quit, but the urge of seeing him was so much that we decided to take the risk.

We reached at 3 pm sharp , but this time there wasnt a long wait. We enrolled ourselves and it was an hour and half later that we were inside. This time being enrolled from the ABEF , we got privileged entry, and were in the first row.

Oh what a feeling it was !! Another hour Later Big B made his majestic entry. Again he was interactive with the crowd, and the shooting ended at 8.30 pm.

Then the photographs moments came. Finally he was in front of me, I had taken a token gift for him, which he accepted. Took his Biography along which he autographed. I was trembling in joy as I shook hands with him, talked to him, it lasted a minute but the emotions were beyond eternity.

Finally at the age of 55 and 45 years later I got to meet him.

Nobody else ever had this deadly combination of unmatched talent and charisma and nobody else will ever have it in future. Then there was style, polish and a great deal of seclusion encouraging rumours and augmenting the aura. Anyway one looked at it, the man radiates power. To recapitulate there has only been one super star in India, and that is Amitabh Bachchan.

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softshouyous-archive · 5 years

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wait, maybe mp100 if u dont watch/read jojo

!!! hello kc!!! i’ll do mp100 bc i don’t watch jojo 0:

don’t watch period | drop if not interested within 2-3 episodes | give it a go, could be your thing | 5 star recommendation

fav characters: mob, reigen, teru, shou, seri, and ritsu!!!! least fav characters: i don’t think any come to mind??? OH WAIT FUCK SHOU’S DAD . I LOVE SHOU’S MOM okay i’ll talk more about her later actually jgkfhgffav relationship: (platonic) -ritsu and shou: i don’t know much about their friendship (i’m assuming there’s a lot more in the manga, which i haven’t read) but from what i’ve seen on here and twt, they look really fun!!!

-mob and reigen: i really . love that reigen didn’t dismiss mob when he first went to him for help. like others have mentioned, i feel like it’s typical for adults to be dismissive of kids when they say anything that sounds ridiculous or impossible. and even if reigen thought mob wasn’t serious, he still gave mob his time and listened to him! i think that’s so so important and can really help in shaping a person?? (lack of better phrasing??) like had reigen turned mob away, it’s possible that it would have been less likely for him to reach out to someone for help, and maybe he wouldn’t have learned all those helpful things, you know?? i’m just really glad reigen has helped in mob in such important moments (((’‘‘:

-omg also teru and mob ))): i love love LOVE them !!!!!!!!!!!1 i really love how teru changed after meeting mob!!! he went from incredibly . being super focused on his powers and i think he was a perfect example of what could have happened to mob if he didn’t remind himself that powers weren’t everything and that your personality and chara are vvv important. but yeah i just love that teru recognized what was wrong and was even shown telling an enemy that being too absorbed in your powers is not everything. i feel like that was a display of growth in how he views himself now and what he values. i also ))): really love how fond he gets when it comes to mob..... like when you see his face soften and just how he talks about mob . wuv fav moment:oh my god i think unless i watch something 8857 times i totally forget everything ;___; i know that there were a number of moments that i liked but i currently cannot remember anything,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Sad . OH jk two moments i can think of are

-god okay thinking about this one makes me zo upset,,,, i watched this part TWICE with two different friends and it was so heartbreaking i (((’’’: i think it was the 3rd??? episode of season 2 after reigen had made his website LOL when those Teens wanted to go to that House and take pics and stuff and they encountered the spirit family ))): that shit was so sad,,,, the father spirit was literally like ‘if you’re going to exorcise us please take all of us so we can be together as a family’ like stop i’m going to cry . that wasn’t my favorite part at all though GDFJGLK it was when reigen was like ok fuck and just threw salt around gkjdfhghgf and was like ok exorcism over and i really liked that part because i think he noticed how uncomfortable it was making mob, and that mob did not want to harm the spirit family. it made me really glad to see that he didn’t pressure mob into doing anything he didn’t want to just for the sake of making customers happy. and i think ??? that was a subversion?? of the typical trope where charas would usually, in that situation, have to Tough It Up and suppress their feelings and go through with it. i feel like that’s a common thing and it ignores the chara’s feelings completely but in this case it was totally diff. reigen acknowledged mob’s feelings of discomfort and ended the situation once he realized it. i’m like . really glad he did that

-sort of similar, the last ? episode of season 1 where mob thought he was going to have to fight that person in claw (forgot their name zorry gjdfghf) but reigen told him that it’s okay to run when things get tough. i’m getting EMOTIONAL thinking about it right now hgkdjflghf like. once again i feel like it subverts the common trope of charas, esp young ones, ‘having’ to place themselves in danger and overexert themselves for the sake of Defeating Evil. but instead of having mob do that, reigen steps in and tells mob that it’s definitely totally okay to recognize his own feelings (of things being scari or too much) and run away if he feels safer doing so. people have pointed it out and i agree in that reigen is great in the sense that he’s the person who doesn’t enable or encourage dangerous behavior, but instead he’s kinda like hey wtf why are Kids being put in dangerous situations and being expected to fight??? love him

headcanons/theories: i don’t remember if it was mentioned anywhere about what happened to teru’s wig (which i miss) but i imagine that ritsu thought it was terrible and cut it up or something ljkgfgfunpopular opinion: none ? 0: oh no what just kidding i remember something i don’t know if it’s unpopular but here it is oki so i remember after the episode where shou set mob’s house on fire (like before we got an explanation), people apparently (i didn’t see any of this firsthand, i just heard that a number of people were saying this apparently) were PISSED at shou, saying rude things about him and about how he deserves to d*e etc and part of me was just like,,,,,,,, zude,,,,, like i was a bit upset that happened of course but i don’t think it’s ??? gr8 to jump to conclusions and immediately assume that shou’s a terrible chara just from that. i feel like it’s reasonable to expect an explanation in the following episode so like,,, why not wait for that first before jumping to conclusions about shou’s chara??? i don’t know, i personally feel like when something Big or Surprising like that happens, there’s usually a reason behind it or an explanation that goes against an initial thought (in this case, the thought being that shou’s bad). it was upsetting to learn that people really thought those things about him instead of waiting to see what the next episode would entail about that,,,,,,, how’d you find it: i remember seeing a lottttt of people talking about it on here and twt when season 2 was approaching so i think i mentioned it to miss high (or the opposite) and when i said i hadn’t watched it she was like YOU GOTTA!!!! so i was like okay why not and i’m SO GLAD I DID random thoughts: okay okay i know we only saw her for like two minutes but i LOVE shou’s mom and what she did!!! i feel really bad that she experienced what she did, but i’m so happy that she made the decision for herself to leave shou’s dad after realizing that it wasn’t working for her. she left like That without hearing any of his excuses or anything like that and i think that was v neat of her, love that

send me an anime??

#thank you for sending this in kc!!! hope you're doing well!! <33 #aaa i wish i had more Solid thoughts but i'm not v good at analyzing things rip but i hope this made sense!!#these are vv fun thank you #long post #sestet #lovemail

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brokebandwagon · 5 years

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Hi Ladies! Thanks for making the pod, I always enjoy it :) I do actually have a question - is Ryan O'Reilly cursed? Whenever I look up the Blues to see how he's doing, it turns out they've given up five goals to Laine or fired their coach or some other traumatic storyline. Is it normal for a player to switch teams three times and never experience joy?

Thanks for the support and sorry we missed answering your question on the pod! (Ironically, he did come up in our convo before recording). Since we’re taking a break from recording until after the hecticness of finals and the first half of December, we’ll answer this one digitally. Under the cut because we’re wordy bitches here.

Maia (I got here first and got all the low-hanging fruit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯):

Ryan O’Reilly, to say the least, is a very interesting man.

Both of his trades have been seen as foolhardy to the team trading him. It wasn’t so long ago that Sabres fans (us included) were laughing at the Avs for trading such a good player… only to stand in their place not a mere three seasons later coming to full realization (with St. Louis fans laughing at us).

When a player is traded twice in the span of 3 years despite putting up good points and being a solid 1-2 center, a faceoff machine, and quite defensively sound, that’s never a good sign. The question at that point falls not on a player’s production, but their character.

Now ROR is hardly a horrible person – not by a longshot. He’s actually a really nice guy, but perhaps not the best team player or moral builder. We talk about this in one of our earliest episodes from the summer (1.03, judging from our old outlines), but ROR is almost always going to fill the score sheet, get the assists, get the goals. The trade of ROR to St. Louis was never about the points or goals, and no matter what the Sabres were going to be losing the best player in the trade. But there’s a lot more things that make a team tick then just putting up the points; there’s also camaraderie and truly being not just a team, but a family.

That’s not to say that ROR was the sole reason for the Sabres locker room issues –that falls on a lot of players, some of whom were shipped out or left to free agency (Evander Kane, Lehner, Johnson…)– nor is it to say that shipping ROR solved all the problems (that would unfairly erase all the work the remaining players did over the summer and in pre-season with communication, opening up to each other, working to hold each other accountable). But there’s no denying that the ROR trade was first and foremost, a character move.

It’s hard to gauge how much of the whole ROR vs Eichel thing was true –Jack certainly denies it (as heard on Spittin Chiclets)– but there had to have been a grain of truth in there somewhere. Think of it this way, ROR was brought into the organization only slightly before Jack, he was hailed as a leader. He was expected to be. Jack was too, perhaps, in his own way, but he had quite a bit of growing up to do first. Fast forward to the point where Jack truly starts to mature, he has an A, Brian Gionta is gone and so is the C…

That creates a vacuum, and while it’s always good to have players step up… there’s a difference between stepping up and stepping on toes, and maybe there was a bit of stepping on toes there. Trading ROR eliminates that issue, the locker room and the team is Jack’s to have. So many things changed in the off-season that it’s difficult to pin down exactly what the biggest game changer was (it’s all of them, honestly), but there’s no denying the importance of handing the reins over fully to a young, eager core just bursting at the seams to finally prove itself.

ROR was hard on himself and the team — both good traits to have, but in moderation; he’d still have the downtrodden attitude after good games and wins (despite their rarity). And again, there’s a difference between realism, humbleness, and being a constant downer. As much as GMBOT and co claim that ROR’s locker cleanout comments of “losing the love of the game” and etc didn’t affect their choice to trade him, they certainly did make it a lot easier to do so. The Sabres core needed to be desperately shaken up, and ROR was a very ready choice, esp after saying that. There is that argument that ROR at 27 fell just outside the “young core” Botts is building between 18-23, but then again, Jeff Skinner is 26. (But look at Skinner: what does he bring along with his production? Positivity, hard work, good locker room presence).

We haven’t really been following ROR’s track all that closely on the Blues. He’s putting up the points, for sure, but the Blues? Not so hot. The Sabres surely thought that the 1st rounder they received for him would be a late first rounder, but it’s looking more and more to be a high pick. So who knows, maybe ROR is cursed, but it’s interesting how the Blues have fallen since their acquirement of him.

To answer your question though: Is it normal for a player to switch teams three times and never experience joy?

Maybe, it just depends on the player. Don’t think Matt Duchene is exactly having a blast either

Meghan here;

Going off of what Maia said earlier, I think it was pretty obvious that there was tension in the locker room. If you ask me, I think it was in regards to leadership. Jack was being primed to be The Leader™ in the locker room; he was the youngest player who had the A, guys often commented on how they needed him (especially when he was out for those 4 weeks with an ankle injury), etc. It’s also rumored (and I don’t know how credible this is, so take it with a grain of salt) that he was traded from Colorado in the first place because he and Duchene were feuding for leadership in the locker room as well.

Now, I do want to stress that wanting to be a leader in the locker room isn’t a fundamentally bad trait. We all know this, but I want to put it on the record. However, it is a bad trait when you aren’t able to lead with another person/people. If that’s the case with ROR, then…that’s toxic. Is ROR a toxic person? I doubt it. I’m sure that, had he not had his struggles with leadership, he would have been a great resource both in and out of the locker room. But, as we can clearly see, he did have those problems.

So, to restate what Maia said, I also believe that this was a character move. Something I think a lot of people tend to ignore is that you can have all the talent in the world, but if your locker room is toxic? If your players are warring behind the scenes, if your players can’t get along? That talent doesn’t matter. Ultimately, I believe there were a lot of different reasons why the Sabres were garbage last year, and toxicity in the locker room was, in my opinion, one of the biggest.

To actually answer your question: no, I don’t think ROR is “cursed”. However, I think he just has a mixture of extremely bad luck to get traded to teams headed towards the bottom, and his attitude probably doesn’t help.

Cassie:

I don’t think ROR is cursed, but I don’t think he’s great for a locker room. Moving him was not a product of his production but more of a need for a culture change. If all you’re exposed to is someone that is down and depressed, eventually that rubs off. Unless ROR has changed his stripes, it’s unlikely that his aura has changed. It’s possible that the negative aura is tainting the Blues, but it’s also possible that the Blues are just bad. They were trending downward last season and it’s possible that it has continued. The Blues have a CF%/60 of 50.56 and a CA%/60 of 45.46. I’d believe that these are impacted and look better than they actually are because of ROR’s production. Overall, it’s just a bad team getting even worse goaltending. Oddly, they’re missing Hutton more so than benefiting from ROR. I think with ROR it’s a situation where he’s gone from team to team to team and have caught all three teams in a downslide. Combine that with him taking things too hard on himself it’s a toxic situation. I really hope he seeks out a sports psychologist because it would do wonders on his outlook.

#tbbanswers #buffalo sabres #ryan o'rielly #st louis blues #Anonymous #long post

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beenote-blog1 · 6 years

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about cas turning out to be not-cas... same... after last week's ep i was mostly convinced it's the real cas but deep down i still get that weird unsettling feeling that it's not?? i really wonder what's setting off our alarm bells >_

I think it might be a number of things at play:

1) It’s Cas. He drives a lot of the story, but I think the writers also don’t always know what to do with him? Or, the formula of using him for unexpected, emotional story-twists is tried and true and keeps fans (esp. Cas fans) tuned in? The brothers can keep hunting, but Cas (and most likely Jack as well, now), are going to give us our real big GASP moments. Either way, Cas is often our roller-coaster character and because of how stories are done, especially Supernatural, it’s difficult to settle him where most people want him to be - safe, himself, with/or without the Winchesters (with for most, I think). [ I mean, I personally think that would be super interesting, but, they’ve got a formula so who am I]. Something unexpected will take place, because it /must/ take place and it leaves us anxious, because we’ve been through seasons of the inevitable ‘what’s next?’ with Cas. What’s next to separate him from the Winchesters, what’s next that will inevitably leave fans worrying, what’s next that will inevitably hurt him ect. This sounds really negative and part of it is, because it’s exhausting and predictable. Part of it is also just the nature of stories/Supernatural itself. They need Things To Happen and Problems To Solve and Cas is central to much of it, so something interesting/painful/unexpected must happen to him. Then again, I have the sense that the current writer team might be trying to flip things upside down, maybe? So things might not follow that pattern? Either way, I’m prepared for The Thing because of the # of episodes for Misha issue/Cas’ role in the story. I don’t think it’s ever unusual to feel a little uneasy about what’s next with Cas. They’ve been very quiet about where his story is going, so I’m in the space of waiting to see what it is, as usual.

2) The theme of absence this season is definitely in play. Other people in fandom have already written plenty about it, much better than I ever could, but I think it justifiably ties into those feelings of unease. It’s important and weighty that we didn’t get a “hello, dean.” For better or for worse, we didn’t see how Cas got out of The Empty and Cas hasn’t spoken one word on screen since he’s returned to Earth (!! this is so important to me! this is such a big deal!). These unanswered questions, “how did /exactly/ did Cas get out of The Empty?” “What did Cas say to Dean on the phone?” “Why haven’t we heard him speak?” “What state is he in mentally/physically/ect?” These have all clearly and purposely been laid into the narrative for this season. It makes me uneasy because we then have to ask ourselves why? Is this a case of we’re-just-trusting-you-to-fill-in-those-gaps because The Power of Subtext and see, you could read it all along, Dumbo? Is this a case of these-gaps-are-here-because-we-haven’t-told-you-the-whole-story or there’s-still-so-much-more-to-unfold-and-these-characters-aren’t-there-yet? Or is it both and we’re about to get shocked with it being Empty Cas or some other unexpected revelation? I’m genuinely not sure, because..

3) It’s Supernatural. I mean, something obviously has to happen to keep the story going, but I think the argument’s I’ve seen for this being Our Cas objectively make a lot of sense. Cas under the sun, the subtextual little things (blackberries and blue lights and telephone booths ect ect ect.), that look from Cas at the end of 13x05. These make sense as Cas Things. But we’re clearly missing things here. (and I’m also, always, asking myself how much is purposeful and how much isn’t?) It could end up being nothing. This could be our Cas, he’ll have a nice time with the Winchester’s next episode, we’ll get some more fun subtext (almost text) Destiel stuff next episode, Jack will take off and Cas will go after him - somehow - or do something - who knows what - without the Winchesters. Maybe this time with more honesty and up-front talking, but you know, still sending him off somehow. Or we could get some shocking revelation, or both. I will happily admit I’m terrible at reading anything going on in Supernatural. I shudder should any meta writer read this because it’s.. uh.. clear I’m terrible at this. This is why I try to follow a pretty broad set of people who write about what’s going on in SPN-verse, so that I can get as many perspectives and outlooks as possible - because I’m usually too tired/lazy/exhausted/busy/untalented to really pick apart at what’s going on myself. My INFJ-intuition-ie senses will tell me “there’s something happening here that fits into x, y, z issue/theme/structure,” but I can rarely getting to specifics on my own - it’s just crowley_feelings.gif. Also, like a lot of other people, I can subconsciously and (sometimes, a little bit, consciously) pick up on things the story is telling me/subtext/ect., but I’m awful at predicting and reading the story. The last thing I got right was knowing Cas would die from pretty much the beginning of s12, but it was again, just feeling it. It wasn’t until I went back and watched s12 again after it ended that I was able to go, “aha, of course, now I can clearly see all of the little hints and details and thematic structures that were telling us this all along” and heck, a bunch of meta writers called it (though some didn’t). I’m still on the fence about my reading of Dean being absolutely right about Cas not being himself. Like, objectively he was correct - Jack stole Cas’ agency to some extent and Cas was deeply depressed, but to what extent he was right beyond those things? I don’t know. My feelings tell me he’s right in some deeper way, but like a lot of people, I emotionally relate with Dean - so sometimes those feelings are just me going “I know, Dean! I know!!” He could be wrong in that this all ends up being very good for everyone, especially Cas. Everything that took place with Jack may somehow aid Cas in a positive way. And that leads me back to ‘it’s Supernatural,’ whether they fully deal with the implications of what Dean said and the vision of ‘paradise’ and Cas ‘already being saved’ and issues of agency is… to be determined. They very well could just let it fall to the wayside and give us an appeasing, but simple, answer to all of it (if one at all), or it could end up driving a big chunk of Cas’ storyline. I feel like it’s the same with the ‘is this our Cas’ issue? It could not be, it could be, or The Empty may tie back into the story in an unexpected/or unexpected way later on. Either way, this was a tl;dr way of saying I agree with you and I don’t think we’re strange for feeling uneasy, whether this is our Cas or not. So much of how Supernatural is telling its story leads to these sorts of readings, which is why I don’t discount myself entirely when I have A Feeling. Someone could sweep in with a much better reading that gives me a proper ‘aha, yes, that’s it’ moment, but right now we still really have no idea where Cas’ story is going and so much is missing. I just don’t know to what level the ‘absences’ are meant to play out. I’m holding on to my unsettled feeling. It could be for good, sometimes these absences in a story are a really helpful way at getting at a major problem and bringing it into text. But, I’m also still waiting for that Big Dramatic Thing. The Oh God, GASP, moment - because we’re Cas fans and I think it would be naive not to. :

I hope all of this rambling made sense. ‘A’ Again, short version: I am feeling it as well and I don’t think the alarm bells are entirely unjustified!

(Also feel free to DM me anytime, if you like! I’m really open to different perspectives. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in A Feeling that I can’t see really obvious stuff taking place in the story, so it’s good to hear how others are perceiving things.)

#castiel #13x05 #s13 #season 13 spoilers #ish #rambling #don't listen to me i know nothing #haha #but i'm not alone in my weird feelings!!#yay

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coolmiddlename · 7 years

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adventure time season 7 part 1 review

aaaaaaaaaa

we finished the king of ooo arc!!!!!! all the way to the end of stakes!!!

anyway as u can tell from my excitement we had a blast. i think this is one of the most emotionally sincere parts of adventure time, and many of the episodes made me laugh far more than i ever did during season 6, so theyve very welcome. yeah, some eps at the start of season 7 are lacking laughs or visual cues due to lazy storyboarding, but there are plenty of excellent parts to make good for it... and the finale totally gripped me.

lets go through the episodes and try to describe what i found exciting:

Bonnie and Neddy - theres just something really touching about this episode. seeing finn and jake in those armored suits is a little silly but good setbuilding for the king of monarchy the king of ooo is trying to run, and transitioning from finns description about the brilliance of the water to the king of ooo making a scam of it, pretty damn funny. but what was better was the backstory presented in this episode... bonnie descends from the mother gum into a new world full of promise and life, destiny child that she is, whereas neddy experiences terror and overstimulation. and seeing her just... worry about him, get sad when he didnt recognise her but protect him w the song and bring him home, man i loved it

Varmints - i dont think we ever got a bubbline episode THIS expressive before or since, not even in stakes. the humor was SO ON POINT that i was rolling on the ground while the emotional trains of thought the chars were going through was presented so well, there was no ambiguity that wasnt deliberately placed. king of ooo in the costumes was a nice chuckle and also set in place that peebles as a princess had waaaay more power than whatever the “king of ooo” was before to the extent he sees her clothes as symbols of that strength. i swear hes literally named that by his parents. anyway shes in the denial/bargaining stage of grief and falls into the depression stage after her hat is stolen and she remembers everything she lost, also i love this ep cos they were so EXPRESSIVE. probably the best pb ep...ever? at least until season 8′s jelly beans have power. emotion is something deeply missing from stakes, which ill get into in a moment.

the other three eps - i wanted 2 make a paragraph for each of the other three eps but they didnt stand out enough... HOWEVER, over time ive come to enjoy the strangely domestic nature of Dirt Beer Guy a lot more, also i like Mama Said for being a sweet lil Canyon ep that goes into what finn and jake think of their new job... Football was the most standout of all, just something unsettling about seeing bmo argue with its own inner psyche i mean football. enjoyable, uncomfortable, cute.

Stakes - what a heartfelt insight into the past of marceline, her history as a vampire and perspective on the present... lets talk a bit about the strengths and weaknesses of stakes.

I felt that the miniseries handled Marceline’s past as a vampire hunter, as a young girl who had just been abandoned, and as a toddler with her mother.... it pulled at the heartstrings in a way AT rarely does. my favourite part of this backstory was marceline’s relationship with the bunny girl, who weve come to believe is finn’s ancestor.

i also felt it was glorious folowup to the season 6 ending and a pretty good use of having all the characters without any responsibilities to the candy kingdom. they went on a vampire hunting adventure together which was sweet.

my favourite scenes of the actual miniseries were the ones that involved the vampires... ice king not being brainwashed was a funny twist that i saw coming immediately, and marceline’s vengeance on her felt real, as did her struggle the moon was intimidating as heck and finn and jake were so bad at taking her out. the heirophant’s transformations were really cool, thanks emily partridge for that, and the VAMPIRE KING? hooo boy. star of the show. everything he did was just so wackyzany and unpredictable, and yet so meditated that it feels like he may be the greatest thinker in the show. he reminds me of zaheer, talking to a frustrated korra. since marceline looks and acts like korra throughout this miniseries the comparison is strong.

as for other elements, my favourite parts were the ones where pb either did something goofy or morbid or fucked up the king of ooo. if looks could kill... “A MONARCHY IS NOT A DEMOCRACY!!!” BAM. so satisfying. and all the candy people hugging her, and her lil breakdown over marcy while pepbut prepares the magic. PEPPERMINT BUTLER, this miniseries sealed my love for him which only grew after Jelly Beans Have Power in season 8.

the funiest part of this miniseries were finn and jake, and the best episode was Checkmate. the fart speech scene got so many laughs out of me and then peeblles joined in and said it waS EMERGENCY TALK ONLY AND THEN THE VAMPIRE KING HOLDS HIS NOSE OUT OF STENCH and yeah for all the above reasons, the vampire king, the humor, Checkmate is the best episode. All of Finn and Jake’s other scenes were also amazing. they were fucking useless in this miniseries which, apparently, is where their humor shines most.

...which leads to my CRITICISM: a lack of expression and humor during key scenes. this is mostly related to marceline, but also to bubblegum esp at the start. there were many scenes that held the same angle for to long where they were talking about their feelings, but their faces werent changing, and it was just... visually uninteresting, didnt feel as expressive as it could have been, especially after the brilliant faces in Varmints. marceline is usually such an expressive character, seeing her standing still and rambling was so meh. which is why her flashback scenes - so full of character - are superior to any scene shes in within the present day. i mean, jesus, she literally says she feels love for pb in the most deadpan and blande way. peebles can get away with it, cos she has some KILLER faces later (that one at the king of ooo) and has always been relatively expressionless, also her actions speak volumes. marceline’s strongest expressions (in the present) were when she desperately tried to kill the Empress and the Vampire King, which makes them my favourite scenes for her.

i think Everything Stays is the defining song of adventure time. It encapsulates our experience with the whole show; AT usually builds up dramatic plots, only to anticlimactically return to the “status quo”, but what we realise later is that everyone is still affected, everyone is still changing. the princess has her kingdom back, but she’s not going to take her position for granted anymore, and has averted from her dark path for now. ice king is still the ice king, but he’s now building up some friends and finding genuine happiness in the land of ooo. finn lost his father again and got his arm back (for the time being), but he feels way less burdened by his emotions that he used to, far more grown. and the same goes for marceline... even though shes a vampire again, shes no longer as burdened by her past. she’s come to terms with it.

even though the characters return back to normal at the end of stakes, islands, elements, the things they have gone through will remain with them and shape who they become. in recent times? we have been seeing the effects of Elements on the characters of Ooo. how far they’ve been affected we are yet to see, and im excited to find out.

#adventure time #atimers #stakes #everything stays

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thewalkingdead-obsessed · 7 years

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Season 2 Rewatch

This is pretty hefty so if you actually read it... bless you!! Lots of spoilers and thoughts ahead!!

2x1 What Lies Ahead

-We see the kids really being kids in this episode. Between Carl and Sophia asking to go to the Grand Canyon, Sophia being scared and going with her gut to run (twice) even when it wasn’t the best thing to do, Carl thinking he’s old enough for responsibilities, and what have you. Even though this world doesn’t seem to be “meant” for kids, I love seeing their youth coming forward regardless.

-Speaking of Sophia, her going missing was one of the saddest parts of the season, maybe even the entire show. Her going missing and everyone putting all their energy toward looking for her develops so many different plots and characters arcs, as well at shoved the show in an entirely different direction. First off, there is Carol, who would not be the Carol we know today without this unfortunate event. We see a change in Daryl as well, who begins to show more emotions, and start working with Rick and the others as a team. This also brings up some moral issues, between Dale not wanting anyone to argue over anyone giving up on Sophia (via convo with T-Dog), and Shane wondering those exact same things but on the opposite side. Sophia going missing also brings us to Otis, who then brings us to the farm.

-I really hate the dynamics between Andrea and Dale. I think this is where they really screwed up her character. They turned her into a black sheep, relating more to Shane, when deep down I feel like her character would have been better less angsty and more powerful from the get go. She wants to leave with Shane, after he has a conversation with Lori that she overheard, and I think they should have either made them both leave and we catch up with the later, or never have that happen/have them connect.

-The scene where Rick begs for a sign, and then gets it in the form of a deer with his son, is so beautifully done. Carl was just being a child, appreciating nature, and then getting shot, is so heart wrenching. But it brings is back to the beginning of the episode. It started by examining youth, and ends with the two kids on the show getting hurt/going missing.

2x2 Bloodletting

-The flashback to Lori talking to her friend right before Shane told her about Rick getting shot really solidifies, to me at least, that Rick and Lori’s marriage was over before any of this began. Shane and her seem to have an immediate connection after he tells her, and she seems emotionless when she tells Carl.

-When Rick gets Carl to the Greene farm, we see this expression from Rick that we don’t get often in the show. Only when it comes to the lives of his family, does Rick break down and practically beg people to help him.

-I love the introduction to the Greene family, everyone is moving so fast and incredibly willing to help.

-Seeing Shane really stabilize Rick in this situation is something that is confusing, in a good way to the audience. It’s hard to tell whether Shane is a good or a bad guy because his actions are so back and forth. Sometime the antagonist isn’t always a horrible person.

-The parallels between Rick and Carl getting shot is really interesting. I think the main difference is the reaction from Lori.

-I have such a hard time watching any of the Shane and Otis high school scenes, they’re so hectic and leave you on the edge of your seat (esp if you’re already expecting what is happening).

-One thing that confuses me in this episode is the conversation between T-Dog and Dale, where T-Dog is suffering from an infection and is out of his. He refers to the both as weak, and live bait. They touch on it again a few episodes later, but even then it still leaves me confused. I don’t really understand the point of the conversation I guess.

-I’m glad Carol stood her ground and decided not to leave the highway, and I’m especially glad other people backed her up.

-We see our first glimpse of what Hershel thinks of the walkers and the “disease” they have is.

2x3 Save the Last One

-I get so mad everytime I watch the scene with Otis and Shane, but honestly… could you blame him? We’re so quick to judge, but if it was Rick in that situation, I’m not sure what would have happened. I’m not sure that Rick would have done the same thing, BUT I think Carl may not have lived if that was the case.

-While everyone seems to be losing hope that Sophia is alive, oddly enough Daryl is the only one who’s really holding out for her and Carol. I think Carol realizes he’s the only one who still really believes. The foreshadowing of him saying something like for all we know she could be held up in a farmhouse somewhere is wild.

-Carl waking up and talking about the deer was so sweet. I think that was everything that Rick needed to keep going, even when Lori was wondering if she wanted to Carl to make it and live in a world like this.

-When Shane comes back right in time, you can tell he’s messed up from what happened between him and Otis. I believe this was the final point where there was no going back for Shane.

2x4 Cherokee Rose

-I think it’s important to note that we still saw a funeral for Otis, even without his body. Burials/funerals are a key part of the show. I think they represent the difference between life and death. Even in death they choose to give life to these characters. Burials are important because in a show that is surrounded by death, there is a distinct different made when someone is of important to the group when they die.

-The scene where Hershel and Rick talk with a beautiful view on screen reminds me a lot of the Maggie and Sasha conversations later on.

-Seeing Maggie’s reaction to the well walker’s death was something that was interesting because it shows that there are some people who are numb to gore and death at this point, and some that aren’t.

-Shout out to Maggie for initiating doing it with Glenn ;) Love me a strong woman.

-I like when Rick gives Carl his hat and says it’s like a club for those who got shot and survived. It was about time Rick put his uniform away, but the hat is a nice reminder of his roots.

2x5 Chupacabra

-I love the use of flashbacks, and the one in the beginning of this episode is especially one of my favorites. Seeing Carol, Carol, and Sophia together, the bombing of the city, and how close Shane and Lori were puts a lot of thing into perspective.

-Shane wanted to call of the search for Sophia, and thought Rick was being too nice by still looking, but Rick still has his humanity left. Shane is only worried about survival, Carl, and Lori at this point.

-Daryl’s scenes alone in the woods are of the most confusing to me. I really like his hallucinations of Merle because we really get to see Daryl’s strength, and insecurities, but I wonder the use of this. Was it to get Daryl to really assimilate with the group, to tell us more about him and his relationship with his brother, all of the above, or more? I feel like the dialogue between him and Merle is super specific (especially homophobic) and I think it’s something worth analyzing deeper.

-I LOVE the scene where Carol brings Daryl food. Daryl is still very much an outsider, but I know that Carol wants to validate him and let him know he’s just as worthy as anyone else. Daryl want’s to think he can do it all on his own, but this is the beginning of him warming up to having a family for the first time in his life.

2x6 Secrets

-The relationship between Dale and Glenn warms my heart, and it’s way better than Andrea and Dale’s. I understand why they didn’t make them an item (like the comics), but a nice wholesome relationship would have been good, rather than turning Andrea into one of the most annoying characters (when she could have been the most badass).

-The two main secrets: Lori’s pregnant and there are walkers in the barn, really set up much of the rest of the season. With the walkers, it gives us a chance to realize the people are the priority, not the dead. It’s about getting the Greene family and the Atlanta group on the same page, even if it doesn’t happen in the most civil way. With Lori being pregnant and coming clean about Shane to Rick, it brings a huge separation between Lori and Rick, as well as Shane and Rick. I don’t think Rick is the same after this.

2x7 Pretty Much Dead Already

-When Glenn tells the group about the walkers in the barn, it reminds us that Glenn will always choose family over anything else (Maggie not quite being family yet).

-I found it really interesting that Carl said he’s not going to leave until they find Sophia, which I think sways Rick (and Carl’s opinion is always swaying Rick, think season three when Carl says Michonne is one of them).

-Once Shane figures out Lori is pregnant, I think he becomes more determined than ever to win her over again.

-The barn and walker scene is definitely one of the saddest in the entire show. When Sophia comes out and Rich has to kill her, you can tell no one is the same after this. Up until this point, everyone’s main focus (besides Shane) was to find Sophia. I don’t think anyone dealt with the reality of how they might find her. Especially after an incredibly brutal and emotional experience for the Greene family, who saw the walkers as human, seeing Sophia walk out slowly was a horrific moment. Daryl holding back Carol is something that gives me goosebumps, because he was still holding out hope, maybe even more than her. This wasn’t easy for anyone, and I think it shook the entire group.

2x8 Nebraska

-When Shane calls Rick out for being delusional, I think it hits him hard. He realizes that he did put everyone in danger, as a leader, making them look for a child that was most likely dead. All of Rick’s guilt comes out, I think even from when he was in a coma and couldn’t save his family. He is happy Shane did, but I also believe he carries a lot of pain for not being there for his family when they needed him. I’m sure he felt replaced, even though they all thought he was dead. Rick has taken the role of the leader and that’s a huge burden that we’re finally seeing him struggle with. He’s a good person with morals, and I think that’s what makes things so hard for him, since many people are beginning to let go of the rules and moral codes they had before the apocalypse.

-What happens in the bar is really telling of these emotions because Rick kills the living for the first time, perhaps and overcompensation for not being as “tough” as he thought he should have been this whole time.

-Everything revolving around Daryl in the episode is very sad because he’s starting to retreat a little and close off after opening up. He’s taking this hard. All the talk of Sophia is depressing because a lot of people think it has no meaning (but it does in character development!!).

2x9 Triggerfinger

-Glenn’s struggle with being in love is something I find so interesting because him and Maggie are the first “new” relationship introduced in the show (all the other one’s are pre-existing). He’s never been in love before this which adds on to the emotions because of the nature of the world they’re in. He wants to live for her, which he thinks is bad at this point.

-The confrontation between Daryl and Carol is so strange. Their whole relationship is. I think because they both dealt with a similar kind of loss (losing someone and not knowing if they’re alive) and then both being abused (carol by Ed and Daryl by Merle and his father), they are working things out emotionally, through each other.

-Beth being in shock and suicidal is the first real development of her character, and I like that they take the time to focus on people being so incredibly upset about death. It’s so normalized, but the fact that she focuses on it is important.

-Rick proved again that he is a good guy, by saving Randall (this isn’t my favorite plot in the show, but the focus on human life is interesting and reminds me a lot of the future Morgan story).

-The conversation between Rick and Lori bugs me a lot because he basically tell Rick he’s going to need to kill Shane, because Shane is dangerous and wants the baby, Carl, and her to himself (BUT THEN SHE GOES AND PULLS SOME BULLSHIT LATER ON).

2x10 18 Miles Out

-Something interesting to note about where Rick and Shane bring Randall is the vehicles in the lot. There is a fire truck and school bus. These same kinds of vehicles become important in the story later. In seasons 3 and 4, school buses can be seen multiple times. Michonne uses one as cover, TF brings the Woodbury people back in a school bus, and I believe they’re used again to attempt to escape the Governor’s second attack. In season 5, Abraham’s group has a fire truck that is highlighted (and then lost, but not without hints to it in other spots in the show).

-The two dead cops in the area they were going to leave Randall reminded me a lot of pre-apocalypse Rick and Shane.

-The Rick and Shane fight is some nice action after a slow-ish season action wise.

-Beth wanting to die is very sad, but I think Andrea was sort of right when she said that Beth made her choice after she attempted, she didn’t want to die when it came down to it. This changed Beth, for the better.

-The field walker is one of my favorite scenes in the entire show. It’s just walking, through a field. But it’s so beautiful and well done.

2x11 Judge, Jury, Executioner

-Daryl beating Randall seems more so a release of aggression over anything. And after Randall tells what his group did to those girls, I think it just motivated Daryl’s anger more. We’re finally hearing about groups that aren’t a tight knit family, sometimes awful people band together.

-This episode also made me think “where the hell is T-Dog?”. He’s such an underutilized character and should be more than just a pawn to help and save people.

-I don’t think it’s any coincidence that the same episode that Hershel gives Glenn his watch, is the same episode that Dale dies (thinking back to Dale’s time speech in season 1).

-When the whole group gets together to talk about what they’re going to do about Randall, you really see the weight the world has put on these people. In season 1, many of them probably wouldn’t even have thought about killing someone living. A season later, everyone is torn and broken. The rules are starting to change, but Dale is still fighting for them. I, personally, don’t think either side is wrong in this situation. I see the case for people wanting him dead, and I see the case for people wanting him to live. Dale has always been a metaphor for morality, and even today I think he lives on in the group.

-You can see Carl changing as a young boy, growing up in a world like his is now. He thinks Randall should die, and that terrifies Rick.

-Dale’s death is so sad. Rick wants to put him out of his suffering, but it’s so hard for him especially after the confrontation earlier. He feels guilty. He feels guilty if he’s bad, but he also feels guilty if he’s good. There is not easy choice. Daryl ends up having to put Dale down, which is definitely the first step in Rick and Daryl’s brother-like relationship.

2x12 Better Angels

-During Dale’s funeral, Rick’s speech is huge in his growth. He wants to do things the best he can, and he realizes the important Dale had on the group. He doesn’t want to be “broken” so he wants to prove him wrong, and lead better.

-Poor Carl, he’s learning (much different than he would have in a weird without walkers) that every action has a consequence.

-Love the budding friendship between Daryl and Rick, I feel like this episode really starts it.

-Here Lori goes, all conflicted fucking things up again. When she talks to Shane in this episode, I think this pushes him over the edge. She looks at him lovingly, and thanks him for all he did. She says it must be hard for him not knowing who’s baby it is. This gives Shane the last bit of hope he needs to take over. I truly believe Lori was in love with Shane, more than she ever wanted to admit.

-Shane’s elaborate plan was sort of brilliant, but Rick knows him well, and knew pretty quickly what was happening. At any point he could have killed Shane, but he pushed it off as long as possible because he did love his friend. When he killed Shane, it also solidified what Jenner had told him about everyone being infected.

2x13 Beside the Dying Fire

-It was so cool to see how a herd is formed. The herd travelled far together, and as we see later in the show, herds really control where people can go.

-I’m glad we got to see the RV save Rick and Carl, it went out in glory.

-The farm/herd scene is so badass, I love seeing everyone fighting. We can see improvements in characters taking on walkers, very dramatically, in this episode, which is nice because this season wasn’t incredibly walker heavy.

-Everyone getting separated, but getting back together where they lost Sophia was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. The highway was what brought them to the farm in the first place, and now they’re back.

-Poor Andrea. Although she was left behind, we really got to see how badass her character could be on her own. And then she meets Michonne (a twist I looooooooooved).

-I feel so bad for Rick as he talks to the group after everything happened. Not only does he have to admit he killed his best friend, he has to take charge in a way he never thought he would have to. He also tells them about what Jenner told him, he had to bear that incredibly grim news to his family after keeping it on for so long. I don’t blame him for becoming cold in season 3.

-I hate how Lori reacted to Rick telling her he killed Shane. Days before, she was the one who told him Shane was a threat and needed to go. Now that she realized she was really in love with him, she resented Rick for it. I believe that Rick and Lori loved each other, but by default at that point. After Lori’s reaction, you could tell Rick was done with her.

Overall, season 2 was filled with massive amounts of character development and taught us a lot about morality and the characters views on the world. They were left at an incredibly vulnerable state, realizing that nowhere is really safe. On to season 3!!

#twd #the walking dead #the walking dead spoilers #twd spoilers #spoilers #season 2 #rewatch #twd rewatch #mine

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