#i’m hoping that there powers show the potential for conflict between some of the characters

[strawberryqueen00]

Do you think that Viren is dead?

I hope this meme accuracy describes my words. If not…oh boy

But legit…there’s a chance. So Aaravos very clearly words it “the blood of your child” not the “life of your child” the blood. That is some SUPER specific wording I’ve been thinking of. Because well…Claudia is currently missing a leg and is letting a lot of blood. But Aaravos also uses the words “sacrifice” later. This implies a death(or that there just needs to be ENOUGH blood that the only one to get it is death which Claudia bleed out could provide).

But then there’s the question of

1. Can they find Viren in time. He’s in the woods(i assume this isn’t that big of a deal)

2. Would Claudia even have the strength to do this?(would be interesting if Terry used dark magic here 👀 but also unlikely)

3. How does she figure out how to do the spell. The homunculus saying “Blood of Child” seems like a detail that the writers very likely put in to let Claudia know about the blood but who tells her the symbol in the spell? I guess the homunculus could draw the symbol in the ground?

But we’ve seen this happen before where Claudia has done something the person didn’t want/had accepted reality in Soren. Soren was fine with what happened after the dragon fight. And having the extra drama of Claudia using dark magic to bring him back if he didn’t want to. THE ANGST YOU GUYS!

But I’m not just conflicted from a logistical perspective but from a character perspective.

If the story better if Viren comes back?

Is it more narratively fufilling for Viren to choose to die a meaningless death without dark magic when he was so prideful of positions of power. Of being remembered for something greater than this. To die on his own terms humbly on the ground, forsaking that thing that his pride focused on so much?

To some him dying without seeing the rest of the gang or them knowing he gave up dark magic is a waste. But, I don’t think so. Because it is a legitimately an interesting take to have a villain come to a moral change and become a better person without the heroes ever knowing. That you can grow as a person even in your last moments and that you don’t always have to reconcile with the people you hurt for your growth to be valid.

They can still hate you and you can grow as a better person and that’s okay.

So. Do you understand why I made the meme I did st the top of my post? There are so many unique possibilities for Viren’s development from this point forward if they let him live or not.

I don’t think it’s as obvious in one side of another if his death will be permanent.

Now time for a crack theory if you were there just for that answer you can leave. I don’t fully believe this but as a not normal.tm person. My brain is…interested in this potential connection. Follow my lead for a second.

So. Terry is an Earthblood Elf and we have seen in the show and the spellbook that they can control plants and stone. And the image we’ve seen at the beginning of every episode? Viren turning to stone. What if Terry had a way to seal Viren in stone in a state where he’s on the edge of death until they can help him?

This is also an additional theory that works here.

Just to be clear, I even LESS believe this but the threads are there for it.

We know that humans can have revelations about the Arcanums after their dark magic dream. What if, in this moment of death. Of accepting life and staying true to his beliefs, grounding himself for the first in his life. We know from the Tale of Xadia books(sorry using wiki screenshots my phone is cringe) the associations the show has with Earth. We know we can trust what the book has to say about Arcanums and the show because what they say about the Ocean is what Callum uses to learn it.

A lot of these currently don’t currently fit Viren but they could in a symbolic sense. In the future(harmony to represent the growth he’s made in his relationship with through Terry along with harmony in himself AND harmony between dark magic and Arcanum magic! Patience he showed in how long he waited for the throne and his plan but also a symbolic patience of how it’s taken for him to get here,

Before this he’s also been shown to be stubborn, resilient, he literally is a representation of the deep history humans have with dark magic. HOW MANY HAS HE TRIED TO HEAL PEOPLE WITH DARK MAGIC GUYS COME ON! BALANCE! BALAANCE Light and Dark come on!

This is all just a crack theory but the more I connected then points made and more sense. The narrative potential of the greatest user of Dark Magic in the series. The Magic that hurts creatures to use, becomes a magic user of EARTH AND NATURE. To heal what he has done. To take what he used to use and help it heal and grow. Like talk about a full circle opportunity!

But it’s pretty unlikely with what we know and it anyone wants to write a fanfic or make art off Earth arcanum Viren AU PLZ @ me I love this.

#the dragon prince #season 5 spoilers #tdp s5 #tdp #the dragon prince spoilers #viren redemption #earth viren #i guess thats a tag now

[floral-force]

not really loving this season so far. i’m not as articulate as some people, and i feel like everything i say won’t come out the way i want it to, but i’m just disappointed. i’ll try my best to share my thoughts under the cut:

there are good bits here and there but overall it just doesn’t feel like the show/space western i fell in love with. it feels…sloppy. i feel like the way that everyone is so divided on every single episode is telling as well.

i’m disappointed in favreau for letting this season get botched in the name of stretching the show for as long as he can because i think it’s left a lot to be desired this season. couple that with the fact that we might have to wait another few years for another season…it sucks.

season 2’s side quests had a purpose, it had a flow, there was a goal established, and then a subsequent twist that sets up potential conflict between din and bo. the book of boba fett and trailers for s3 established din’s desire to be redeemed. i just think it’s weird how fast bo (a motivated and determined former TERRORIST that helped overthrow her own sister) switched from being upset about losing the saber to tagging along w din instead of challenging him. the brief exposition on why she was depressed (night owls leaving with the ship and abandoning her quest to retake mandalore) also left me upset. she is a complex character and deserved better than that. I'm hoping that her mentioning how the imperials are after her ties in with that dr. pershing episode and the beskar on the destroyed transport ship.

i can’t articulate exactly how i feel about this--about favreau & co. derailing din's development and sidelining him in almost every single episode in favor of a bo katan redemption arc--but i hope y’all get the idea. i just…i don’t like that they’re framing her as someone who isn’t power hungry. casual fans watching the mandalorian might not have watched the clone wars and/or rebels; there’s no backstory on bo OR any other character cameos (ahsoka too, as much as i love her!).

overall, this season just feels sloppy and lost. they all deserved better than this mess. maybe the last two episodes will be incredible—i’d love for my opinion to be changed. let me know what y’all think—i’m honestly so torn on this season but the disappointment i feel has just been festering since episode 3.

#yeah idk y’all #i spoiled this week’s episode for myself bc idk if can even bring myself to watch it #i hate that i’m actually tired of this season #i was so excited for more of my fave dad/son duo but alas #let me know what y’all think #the mandalorian #the mandalorian s3 #the mandalorian season three spoilers #the mandalorian season 3 #my thoughts

[lpycb42]

Shadow and Bone Season 2 Opinions:

SPOILER DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED

The first thing I’ll mention is that I have not read the books. That being said, I know of the books and what they deal with a bit.

Anyway:

I like that Alina was developed into a take charge badass. I heard that Alina in the books is more of a Mary Sue. I’m glad she’s not that this season. She was far more interesting to me and far more likable this time around. I liked her before but I love her now.

I also love that Mal was given importance. They were obviously hinting to him having special powers and potentially being a Grisha, but I love that they made him a KEY piece in the puzzle. I also appreciate that he gets to live his life away from Alina and not be her lapdog.

The new characters were immediately likable which is so important, especially when you are going to pair them up with characters like The Crows and Alina/Mal. It’s tough to gain the interest and sympathy of the audience when they’re already invested in a specific group of people, so I’m glad they were able to fit right in and have good chemistry with the rest of the cast.

Now for some criticism

This season was fun to watch, but it felt a little bloated to me. I liked the slower pacing of the first season, which took its time building the world and the relationships a bit better.

I also felt the editing was a big messy because of how many stories were being told at the same time.

One thing I disliked was how the Matthias/Nina situation was handled. Again, I haven’t read the book, so idk how accurate it is, but, I was hoping to see more anger on Matthias’s side towards Nina.

I understand that some of the changes have happened because since the book was written, a lot has changed and depicting violence against women on TV is a big no no. You also don’t want to make Matthias irredeemable, but I wish they had shown more of Matthias’s inner conflict regarding his feelings towards Nina. I do wish they would’ve had him both dream of her romantically and also his nightmares in which she’s a monster without showing him actually hurting her. In addition, I wish that he hadn’t already seen her. I would’ve been fine with him seeing her while fighting, but thinking she was just a vision and not the real her. Idk, but I was hoping for more angst there and more of a buildup to their reunion.

I also know that they are supposed to rebuild their relationship and trust in one another. Nina shouting to the whole world that Matthias is the love of her life is kind of counterproductive, because now I’m going to have a hard time believing that they will be at odds. I hope they don’t change that, because that’s one thing I’m most excited about in their story. I do LOVE that they added Pekka to that mix, though. I like him as an antagonist. The actor is amazing.

I was hoping there would be more of a courtship between Jasper and Wylan. That relationship felt rushed, but at the same time, I understand what they’re doing. It’s the Friend’s formula. You already have many angsty couples, so you need one that will be the foil to that. The couple who just wants to be together and happy.

Inej and Kaz were done to perfection, in my opinion. I also liked that little moment between her and Tolya.

I was also hoping that Nikolai and Zoya would have a bit of a moment in the end, but oh well.

I’m honest, I’ll be fine if Shadow Daddy doesn’t return. I don’t see what the purpose would be for him, moving forward. But, if he does, then cool.

All in all, I enjoyed it. I will rewatch to really take everything in.

#shadow and bone s2 #shadow and bone #helnik #wesper #kanej #malina

[janetsnakehole02]

Thoughts about Multiverse of Madness

*MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*

I really liked the overarching theme - everyone has a little bit of darkness in them, everyone is capable of giving into it, and everyone has desires and feelings that they can’t control, but what they can control is what they do with those feelings and how acting on them might affect the people around us. 

Stephen - I was very worried about how they’d handle his arc and that he wouldn’t get the proper development or attention he deserved, but it was his movie from start to finish. I will say they focused more on the exploration of Wanda’s issues over Stephen’s. But I still liked that the story makes it clear he was the protagonist while it simultaneously does a good job of calling out Stephen on his arrogance. That really forces him to look at the mistakes of his alternate selves and make sure he didn’t make those same mistakes. His confrontation with Sinister Strange from What If was really cool to watch, especially his reaction when he realizes he’s capable of that level of darkness. I also really enjoyed the fight between those two - the musical notes was a great touch. I also liked how in the end the Darkhold ended up being his only solution, despite going through all that effort to get the Book of Vishanti. It seemed kind of ironic to me. And it also seems like they were trying to say that every Stephen is destined for a bit of darkness? At least that’s what I got from that ending. While I’m also glad we got to see more of Stephen’s inner conflict, I don’t think we got enough substance in that. We got to get a little insight in his dialogue with Wong and Christine, and we also got to see him react to both memories of his alternate selves and his actual alternate selves. But we never really got to see how he “wasn’t happy?” I don’t know, I felt like some of Stephen’s characterization was missing. That might be why I walked out of the theater feeling a little empty.

Wanda - she is a character whose portrayal I was also really worried about because I thought it would be very black and white, but both she and Stephen felt very humanized to me. Wanda’s arc was well done in my opinion but also felt redundant. It was pretty reminiscent of Wandavision, where what she’s doing is fucked up and it’s made very clear that it’s a fucked up thing to do, but you also know that with the right support and right people she doesn’t have to do that, because inherently she isn’t a bad person. So I’m not sure why I heard some people say this movie would cause more fandom division. It’s very clear cut from the start. The scene where Professor X goes into Wanda’s mind was such an interesting scene to me, just going to show once again that she isn’t a terrible person, and that this is what can happen when we lose sight of what we want and give into the darkness. She was so terrifying but it did make for a very interesting viewing experience. Definitely saw a lot of parallels between how the Darkhold was controlling Wanda and how the scepter was controlling Loki in the first Avengers movie. My only issue with Wanda is that her ending is very up in the air. I don’t believe she’s dead but it was a very abrupt ending tbh and I would’ve liked to see some sort of conversation between her and Stephen towards the end. Also @theycallmeshri and I really liked the Scarlet Witch temple so we were definitely a little disappointed when that got demolished lol

Wong - I wish we got more of him but he still had a bigger role in this movie than any other so far and I hope it keeps going up. He definitely got a chance to show off his skills as Sorcerer Supreme which was great to watch.

America - she’s great but she wasn’t fully developed and she has a lot of potential. The flashback scene with her moms was a good start though. I also loved the parts where she was speaking in Spanish with Wong and I really really enjoyed her relationships with both him and Stephen. My favorite moment of hers is when she finally feels in control of her powers and instead of totally giving up her life to Wanda, she uses her powers to help Wanda see the full impact of what she’s doing. I think it’s a great indicator of the kind of superhero she’ll be and I’m really excited to see more of her.

Christine - she had a much bigger role and I liked her dialogue with Stephen about love and happiness, that was great to watch. Also love that she was such a high profile researcher in Earth-838. But I still felt like she was somehow underutilized, idk maybe it’s just me.

Mordo - that man always keeps me on my toes lol I love watching Chiwetel Ejiofor on screen so I was disappointed that he didn’t have enough time, but he killed whatever time he had. You could still see the similarities between 838 Mordo and 616 Mordo, what with believing that rules exist for a reason.

The plot overall - honestly the movie wasn’t very plot heavy. Definitely less complicated than I was initially expecting. Sometimes I felt like the movie was going a bit too fast but it was still fun. The horror elements and the camera movements/angles were fucking fantastic. I’m usually not big on horror but the things Raimi chose to do were pretty jaw dropping, especially with Wanda. I was genuinely scared whenever she was on screen but in a good way, it’s weird to explain.

Overall I think the only reason I really liked this movie is because of Sam Raimi, period. I hated Michael Waldron’s writing in Loki and it was meh in this movie as well but Raimi’s direction saved it. I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Wanda. Benedict Cumberbatch was great too but I feel like he wasn’t given as much to work with. Something still makes me feel like Wanda got more attention than Stephen despite the fact that Stephen had more screen time, a little reminiscent of Loki and Sylvie in the Loki series. So all in all - 3.5/5.

(other random thoughts - let out a massive scream at John Krasinski as Reed Richards + Lashana Lynch as Captain Marvel, I was accidentally spoiled about Hayley Atwell + Stephen’s “I love you in every universe,” I wanted to cheer when Wanda killed Captain Carter, and I still don’t know why Charlize Theron showed up in a purple suit)

#dsmom #mom spoilers #multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange spoilers #doctor strange multiverse of madness spoilers #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness spoilers #multiverse of madness #doctor strange multiverse of madness #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #doctor strange 2 #sam raimi #doctor strange #stephen strange #benedict cumberbatch #mcu wanda maximoff #mcu scarlet witch #elizabeth olsen #america chavez #xochitl gomez #mcu wong #benedict wong #sorcerer supreme #christine palmer #rachel mcadams #karl mordo #chiwetel ejiofor #professor x #sir patrick stewart #marvel #mcu phase 4

[nomdebloomart]

Seeking friends/partners for forum plots!

Hi there! My name is Bliss - I’m a 31F and a seasoned narrative roleplayer of nearly two decades, and I am seeking a partner and friend for a somewhat specific plot or two.

Full disclosure - this ad is intended to fill roles on a modern/supernatural jcink roleplay forum, but I will do my best to give as much detail as possible so that you can decide if this is something that might interest you!

Shall we begin?

A bit more about me:

My mode is third-person/past-tense, and my average reply length is four chonky paragraphs, though I will happily write more or less as the scene calls for it (the site I’m on rewards members for posting a minimum of 250 words per reply, fyi).

I’m fairly active! Generally speaking, I can provide 1-3 posts per day if a plot is particularly engaging, or even do “rapidfire” sessions. And of course, I will always give my friends/partners notice if something comes up IRL to prevent me from posting on a given day or week.

I write Male and Female characters, and prefer MxF ships.

I’m an aspiring digital artist and enjoy making fanart of my friend’s characters (I will happily show examples if you are curious c: ).

One of my favorite aspects of this hobby is the plotting portion - if my partner seems amicable to it, I will gleefully bombard them with headcanons and scene concepts and playlists and pinterest boards pertaining to our characters and their plot. I thoroughly enjoy “riffing” as well, and specifically for testing chemistry or potential scene outcomes.

I mentioned it before, but it’s important so I’ll say it again - I hope that you and I may become friends as much as writing partners in this and may go on to have many more plots and ships between us!

Ideally the person responding to this ad is:

25+ years old.

Has some experience with forum roleplay, or is at least open to the idea. The community in question is friendly and engaging, and I’d love to see you branch out a bit with your characters beyond our ships/plots.

Creative. I love tossing ideas back and forth and building off of them, and don’t want to be the only one between us offering ideas or otherwise driving our plots.

Flexible. Scenes don’t always go the way we expect! If something isn’t going the way you want, let’s discuss it!

Engaging. I want to nerd out with you about our characters and our plans for them!

Open to playing Female AND Male characters and willing to put equal effort into both.

Open to mature themes, but willing to respect my limits (this probably goes without saying).

Willing to provide a writing sample.

Now! What *specifically* am I seeking?

I won’t be linking the site in question until we’ve had a chance to discuss things, but, as stated previously, it fits into the Modern-Supernatural genre (demons, werewolves, vampires, witches, etc). I have two characters in need of long-term romantic plots:

Duke:

Male Wrath Demon

Face Claim: Jon Bernthal

In need of a Witch to summon him for (potentially nefarious) reasons, ensnare him, and otherwise set off a gratuitous enemies-to-lovers plot. This will be a SLOW-BURN, people. I cannot stress that enough. Duke is equal parts charming/suave and unpredictable/dangerous, so there are a number of ways in which things might pan out.

Juliet:

Female Alpha Werewolf

Face Claim: Lily James

In need of a romantic interest who is ideally also a Wolf, though I’m open to giving Vampires a try despite the overwhelming ANGST this would cause due to the ongoing conflict between Vamps and Werewolves. Her backstory is effectively that she was once a Witch who lost her powers when she agreed to allow her boyfriend to turn her into a Werewolf (without knowing or understanding the full implications of her choice). The boyfriend is no longer in the picture (died in the conflict with the Vampires), and she has since joined the Pack and is trying to find a place for herself. Honestly, some kind of rivals-to-lovers plot might be fun for her, but I’m open to discussing our ideas!

…I can give more information for both characters upon request, as well as more detailed info regarding the site and its lore depending on how well you and I end up getting along.

#rp advert #rp ad #rp ads #modern supernatural #jcink roleplay #descriptive roleplay

[duawheat]

hey yall! thinkin about my mutants au again!! here’s all their powers!!

tubbo- no powers, but he has guns! and is the smartest one there no matter what

tommy- big jump! speedy boy! and falls slowly and he has tiny little wings(small enough to hide under a thick sweater or jacket)

ranboo- teleportation except the boy can not control it! he teleports at random times usually when he’s scared or angry it’s becoming an issue

jack- semi-immune to fire! also can summon a small amount of fire like the amount of a rly big and powerful lighter(he doesn’t use his summoning ability tho)

philza- wings! big wings! he can fly! also minor reality manipulation(which he uses to hide his wings from humans)

wilbur- invisibility! he can go invisible as will, also he can occasionally phase through things but it eats up and insane amount of his energy and he passes out after doing it like twice

techno- basically just enhanced everything but specifically strength and healing

niki- she can breath underwater! also can control water!

dream- man-made powers, but he has enhanced everything but specifically speed and aim

sapnap- man-made powers, he can control already existing fire so he always carry’s a lighter or matches or something. he can make the pre-existing grow or shrink at will but he just can’t summon it

george-idk hes kinda just there i haven’t thought of anything for him maybe he just sits there and looks pretty idk

#george has no plot importance sry #everyone else has their shit going on #i’m hoping that there powers show the potential for conflict between some of the characters #specifically the sapnap jack conflict i have thoughts about that one #belive it or not tubbo is the main character in this au

[ghostlyheart]

I cannot stop thinking about @kityana's very insightful post about a potential subplot that involves conflict between Laszlo and Nadja. I'm really curious to see if it will actually happen or not and I wanted to add one more piece of evidence that might point towards it.

(Edit: everything is under the cut for scrolling ease and also because I was. Clearly very wrong about this so it's not even relevant anymore aksjsk)

I'm absolutely obsessed with the costumes in this show (in a very amateur way, not as someone who has experience studying fashion or costume design) and how they can be such a great way to tell us about the characters.

Laszlo and Nadja's costumes always always Always complement each other. They use similar silhouettes, patterns, etc. A lot of the time, the fabric of Nadja's skirt is the same exact fabric used for Laszlo's waistcoat. There are tons of little details that pull their outfits together (see below: matching neckwear, the gold lace on Nadja's cuffs matching the same lace on Laszlo's capes in their "going out" outfits, etc.) I imagine that their clothing was intentionally made in sets, literally cut from the same cloth.

Even when their outfits don't match exactly in terms of materials or accessories, they're still drawing from the same color palette that creates the general impression that their looks were purposefully coordinated.

This design choice is very intentional. Here's a quote from an interview with costume designer Amanda Neale:

"Laszlo always had to match Nadja in appearance. Nadja dictates their style and Laszlo follows. Their combined style is not a copycat situation but a nod to the fact they have been together for hundreds of years and that their style has fused together over time."

Neale makes it clear that Laszlo's looks are a reflection of Nadja. Their coordination is a symbol of their compatibility. Its a visual language unique to them refined over centuries of experience together. It's a clear indication that they're on the same page. Except...

I don’t think they’re matching at all in season 3 episode 2. This might be a bit of a stretch but bear with me. Nadja has this super structured, frilly, dramatic look going on. There’s tons of layers and textures. The shoulder pads specifically (plus her "working woman" comment from s3e1) remind me a lot of 80s power suits. I think this makes a lot of sense. All these layers and the wide shoulders of the dress means she takes up more space and is more imposing. This is her “I mean business” outfit. It’s her first day of official council duty and she’s out for blood.

Laszlo, on the other hand... structure is the exact opposite of what he’s going for. Disheveled is literally the only way I can think of to describe it. His silhouette scruffier and more relaxed than usual. I honestly think the jacket might be a bit oversized (but I’m not sure about that). He usually wears his neckwear pulled tighter, sometimes right below his chin, but this necktie-thingy is hanging really loosely.

Seeing them next to each other emphasizes the difference (I hope). Their silhouettes are completely different, I don't see any matching fabrics. It's hard to tell because of the lighting but I think his vest is embroidered and the white ornamental design she has is printed directly onto the fabric. Nadja might be rewearing the beaded skirt we can see in "The Trial" (though I'm not sure, again this show is really dark skjssh) which doesn't match the pattern on Laszlo's waistcoat either. Besides the obvious black in both their outfits, I don't see any color coordination. That burnt orange necktie actually really stands out in contrast to her all black and white ensemble and only serves and emphasize the difference between them (although it could be meant to correspond with the bronze-ish buttons her dress has).

Even if this isn't indicative of some larger conflict between them, I think it works really well as an extra layer of communication for what's going on with these characters. We know Nadja is super thrilled at the idea of holding power, while Laszlo actively dislikes it and goes out of his way to avoid having any responsibility. Nadja's outfit represents her passion and how seriously (well, as serious as she can be) she's taking on her new role, while Laszlo's perfectly reflects his "idgaf" attitude. Their outfits are clashing because for the first time in a while, they're out of sync.

Writing this also made me go back and look at episode 1. Lo and behold, they change outfits for the scene where they decide Guillermo's fate, AKA Right After the talking head segment where we see how differently they feel about joining the Council. That vest Laszlo is wearing has a specific matching dress for Nadja (we see them worn together in Brain Scramblies) and she's not wearing it!!

So yeah, I think this is on purpose (although I could be horribly wrong bc I'm the furthest thing from an expert) and I'm going to be keeping on eye out for it as the season progresses!!

#this is really long even with the small text im so sorry akshsj #ive been working on this post for a few days and im rushing to put it out there before tonights episode #so its probably full or errors aksjjs #wwdits #what we do in the shadows

[somelittlewhitebird]

okay so i really hate the once upon a time interpretation of peter pan now that i look back on it and i must rant about it

okay, so, for context, i was a huge fan of the ouat pan back when i was about 12-15 years old. looking back, i probably was fascinated by him because he was the fictional crush of my two crushes at the time (i was a mess at that age and i don’t think i should elaborate on it), so i can’t remember exactly how sincere my liking for him was. however, i wrote many unpublished fanfiction of him and attempted to roleplay him often in roleplay groups, anyway i was really fixated but looking back i realize how stupid it is if it’s to be counted as a genuine adaptation (i know it isn’t because it’s once upon a time, but, that’s irrelevant because i’m counting it as one anyway)

okay, so, (spoilers), peter pan in ouat is a villain. (great! i like people who agree with me on peter’s evilness!!) however, he is very... collected? strategic? neutral evil? he behaves much like an adult - which is later explained because apparently he actually is an adult who just pretends to be a teenager.

tinkerbell barely knows him, hook and peter view each other mostly neutral for enemies and hold no deep seated hatred for one another, oh and peter’s shadow is actually the evil one except that it isn’t really because pan is rumplestiltskin’s father and he abandoned him and since he is kind of the worst parent ever you can’t really pretend he’s not evil.

there’s a lot i have to say on this, but firstly: making peter “actually an adult” just does not work in my opinion and feels like an extremely lazy way to try and make pan more evil to me.

the whole conflict/plot in the book stems from childhood vs. adulthood, and how both have good and bad parts regarding it, and how it are two completely different states of mind that have difficulty understanding one another. peter is scary because he is as whimsical and full of potential as children; he's essentially nothing yet and thus he is everything, making him hard to understand or predict. hook is scary because he is cruel in a different way - he is more predictable, but also much colder and cynical. by removing this duality and changing it into "well actually they're just exactly the same thing except that one of them pretends not to be", you don't add another layer, you remove one of the layers and make it less interesting. peter was always scary and unpredictable, because children aren’t inherently good and nice. kids can be mean and sadistic and unpredictable - not quite realizing what consequences your actions have brings a certain impulsivity. children have intense emotions that may seem erratic and are just as quickly forgotten after. young children may be greedy and not feel that attached to other people yet, they can suddenly turn mean and taunting just to see what happens because of the never ending curiosity that plagues a child’s mind. of course, not all children are like this, but peter was described as such. now, give someone like that an immense amount of power, such as, say, controlling everything in the dimension they live in, with no consequences of their actions that negatively affect them at all - and you have a chaotic force possibly hindering your every move.

ouat didn’t use that concept, though? instead, pan poses as a smug teenager, who despite some catch phrases that sound vaguely childish doesn’t behave like a child at all. he never runs after his introduction, he rarely actually laughs instead of chuckling, he doesn’t do impulsive and erratic things at any point, and he’s not actually that scary to make up for it, either? it all feels like lazy twists to me wherein the authors tried to do what was least expected, but they made no use of the already existing factors that could’ve made pan and neverland scarier.

also, all the children cry on neverland because they’re home sick?? but there’s also this vague implication that i hope i didn’t imagine that all the lost boys came from extremely shitty homes? and even if they didn’t, really? that’s how you tried to make neverland scary?

neverland in the book had many implications that made it horrifying!! it was described as if the entire island was actually alive, as if it was one creature that could seek out people to let on there. the longer the main characters stay there, the more they forget about their lives before neverland. it cannot be found and instead finds you. you need to scare it away with night lights because otherwise the wall between neverland and this world may crack at night and drag you in. the island appears to be constantly changing and time works extremely weirdly on there - people grow much slower, yet plants grow much quicker, the island comes alive only when peter is there, and just... it comes off as some sort of fae trap and although i don’t expect much from ouat, even less so for them to use my extremely specific headcanons for this story, i feel like there is so much unused potential in both peter and neverland. (and tink and hook for that matter - as well as wendy to some degree, though i actually think she’s done quite nicely in the show so i’ll give them credit for that)

#peter pan #peter pan book #once upon a time #neverland #pan ouat #ouat #ouat peter pan

[thewillowbends]

So I'm rewatching the first season and reading the book, and I've got Thoughts (TM)

And I've got a LOT of thoughts about what exactly Leigh Bardugo was doing here in terms of the moral and ethical statements of the narrative, so I'm putting it under the cut.

Something that's really glaring on the rewatch is just...the complete lack of compassion every character outside Aleksander has for the plight of the Grisha. The army treats treats them with reciprocal dislike, despite the fact that they couldn't even cross the Fold with the Inferni or Squallers. The tsar and tsarita treat them with condescension and disdain, clearly valuing them mainly as a utility that, historically, they've happily turned on when they felt they were growing too powerful. Baghra has just given up on trying to protect other Grisha who aren't immortal like her or Aleksander. Even Alina is guilty of othering them and has to be told off by multiple characters (Ivan, Aleksander, Baghra) to stop treating her power like a yoke instead of a responsibility and opportunity to help others.

We get this big, bad, armor-piercing line from her to Aleksander about how he doesn't care who suffers as long as he wins. Which is true to some extent, but...where is her compassion? Didn't we just spend a hefty portion of the narrative wanting to give her power away to somebody else so she can, what, be with her bestie? Meanwhile, there's, you know, an actual war going on. This isn't small stakes shit she sees going on around her. People are dying. We literally have an entire plot where we see a Grisha kidnapped, enslaved, and then sent to be put to death...who was given to the enemy by her own people!

And then we get that line from her in 1x07, only to have it followed up by her running away at the end of 1x08 for....why? Most people on the ship are dead or those that survived weren't his supporters. The people on the docks were killed, and most of them actually were traitors trying to kill Alina. Aleksander didn't lie about that. So she's running away to take the blame for some nebulous reason that's not really well explained, which is...well, what the fuck happens to the rest of the Grisha? Do we not care about how Aleksander's actions are going to reflect back on them and cause a potential backlash or something? Not to mention, nobody is on the other side to warn them that Aleksander is a threat to begin with. Even if you assumed he was dead, you'd definitely want to assume he likely had supporters back at the palace, too!

From a character writing perspective, I find it stupid that Aleksander doesn't tell her certain things because if he's such a big, bad, clever manipulator, he would absolutely be weaponizing his own pain and experiences to make her stumble in empathy. That's bad character writing to me when you're telling me somebody's an abusive villain but actually isn't using very real and effective abuser tactics. But then you also have Alina who refuses to even point out...Aleksander, I get it! I've talked to other Grisha! I see what you're going through! But this can't be the answer. You have to see this won't end well for you! Like, her own arguments make no sense to me. They're so myopic and self-involved.

One of the big things that bothers me that gets folded into Aleksander's other manipulations is this idea that he primarily associates and values her for her power, in contrast to Mal who primarily sees her for being herself. While I get the intent of that on a narrative level, in the scope of the wider story...it just literally makes no sense for Aleksander to parse those two as separate. Not when the whole reason Grisha are hunted down and killed is because they don't get the privilege of being people outside of their power. Aleksander doesn't get to be General Kirigan without also being the Darkling. Therefore, Alina doesn't get to be Sankta Alina without also being the Sun Summoner. Not a single other character gets to be relevant without being powerful.

Even on a narrative level, it makes no sense. One, it's frankly kind of sexist (when are male protagonists ever expected to be segregated from their power) and two...that's the whole reason we're telling her story! That's why she's the protagonist! She is special. She can't be separated from this unique power destiny has handed her. We don't tell stories about common, boring people; we tell stories about people who incite conflict or change. So even the mere concept to me of basing a character's identity or value around not wanting value is frankly kind of ridiculous.

There's just this strangely insidious underpinning to the story that power is inherently dangerous, even as it acknowledges that people who are NOT in power can very much suffer at the hands of those who do. So where's the moral and ethical reflection about what this means for the rest of us? What does that mean for minorities?

Think of the scene on the boat where Aleksander has Ivan kill off the nobility. The narrative wants you to see this moment as blackly humorous and awful, but stop for a moment and think about what happened there from his perspective. This is a man who spent centuries watching his people get killed and enslaved, and that isn't a false representation or manipulation from him, either. His statement is backed up both by what we see in the flashbacks and by other Grisha. Nobody created a safe haven for him and his people - he did that! He had to claw his way to the top, flatter, kill, and fuck his way through god knows how many noble houses, just to get to this moment where he could build a Little Palace. And it took him four hundred years just to get that! All while Grisha are dying!

And nobody did anything about it. Not the king, not the landholders, not even the peasantry. They were happy taking advantage of the Grisha's powers, of course, when Aleksander helped raise them up into a position of prominence, making them soldiers and enchanters. And even then, they're mocked! The army can't wait to get rid of them!

And then some noblewoman, who has enjoyed the benefits of her wealth and power, some of which were built on the backs of your people, sits there and tells you, the moment you take hold of the power everybody else has been grabbing for centuries, has the audacity to sit there and tell you that the world will hate Grisha and view him as a heretic?? When less than twenty years ago, your people were being killed right and left? When the enemy is still kidnapping and enslaving your people? When your own countrymen view you with fear and intrigue already? The audacity to sit there and frame it as a hypothetical when it's very much an actual reality still going on. Just look at the barely hidden seething rage and contempt on Barnes face when he delivers that quip about "needing to do that speech again." Motherfucker has been waiting YEARS for this moment, this revenge. And really, who can blame him...if you aren't wrapped up in the narrative wanting you to focus on just what he's doing to poor Alina.

The way the Grisha's situation is framed along with how the Darkling's descent into villainy is handled is so just incongruent to me. The pieces don't fit. You're asking me to see this man as completely irredeemable after you just showed me six episodes of Grisha being killed both for being what they are in the hopes of protecting Alina, after you showed me that Aleksander had already TRIED appealing to the protection of the crown by lending it his power, after making us see that lies and manipulation are the only way he and his mother have been able to survive as long as they have in a world that eradicated them. Where is the compassion in the narrative for that?

And okay, fine, you can do an irredeemable villain. You can do a Kilmonger-esque story with the Darkling, but that requires forcing your protagonists to empathize with the villain and change from it. But then I read ahead and...that doesn't happen?? She winds up walking away from it all at the end?? In fact, she even loses her power. And that's supposed to be a HAPPY ending? After we just saw how badly this minority was treated for how many centuries??

You know what it feels like? It feels like Leigh Bardugo read The Hunger Games, tried to replicate a Katniss, and then completely failed to understand the profound situational differences between her protagonist and that one. Katniss is a girl made extraordinary by her circumstances. She's not special herself other than the fact that she did the right thing at the right place at the right time and helped create the tipping point for a revolution that was already in the works before her. Katniss walking away from the world after makes sense because she's burned out after the war, but it also got its use from her. She helped make the revolution work; she showed up for the event while it was happening and did what she could. The situation was out of her control and power for the most part, and she still managed to rise the occasion.

Alina is NOT Katniss. She is inherently special. She is inherently powerful. She has the ability to create change and bring a new perspective that Aleksander has long given up on and which her country desperately needs. We know the world of the Hunger Games will be better because the creators of real change were always working behind the scenes behind Katniss. She was just their propaganda, their symbol. Alina is a symbol, but she is also a very real power. It's not an act of moral celebration for her to walk away from power at the end, namely because there's a whole minority class of people we still have to worry about. Putting a Grisha on the throne is no promise the country won't turn against them eventually, nor does that protect the hundreds of Grisha at the mercy of a superstitious peasantry and countries that will likely continue to invade them.

It's just...I dunno guys. It's frustrating because all the compelling elements are there in the characters and storyline, but it's like the author had a set of characters telling one story and then she had an entirely different plot in mind, and they just clash all over the place for me and become thematically inconsistent. But what really gets me is that she had seven years to think this shit over...and we're looking to get the same story all over again. Usually, it's a great thing to have an author involved in the show. This is a rare situation where I wonder if it hurts the chances of it improving.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers #meta #long post #spoilers for the grisha trilogy too #critical analysis

[thewheelweevils]

And now S1E6 thoughts

Show spoilers through ep6. No book spoilers without plenty o’ warning.

Moraine: “Ahh, good. All my stupid children are with me again.”

Logain … How broken he is, feigning his old kingly, unyielding pride, trying to provoke the Aes Sedai into killing him. In the books, we don’t see a man (consciously) channel till … not this point, and the first time we do, it’s … it’s kind of terrifying and unsettling. But I like this at least as much: highlighting the stakes again for if it should happen that one of our male characters can channel.

Ahhhh, White Tower politics. I love me some White Tower politics. Even with the limitations of the show, they make the White Tower feel huge, with awe inspiring open spaces, cathedral-like but feminine, with wideness and roundness offsetting what might have been more phallic architecture in, you know, a massive tower, keeping the focus horizontal as well as vertical.

Siuane. Everything I could have hoped. That IS Siuane. The regality, exuding power and authority, but underlying it all is a woman who grew up outside power, outside wealth, who knows what it’s like working with her hands to eke out an honest living. It highlights how the White Tower takes peasants, merchants, queens, and princesses alike and they all become one thing, equal Aes Sedai. Except of course the hierarchy—Accepted above Novices, full Aes Sedai above Accepted, and the Amyrlin Seat above them all.

Also FISH REFERENCES. Siuane cannot be Siuane without fish references. And we got them. Oh, did we get them.

They Went There. Yes, Moiraine and Siuane canonically had a romantic/sexual relationship once upon a time in the books, but like the Dune saga, it’s treated in an old-world mindset where it’s just this situational thing that “they grow out of.” I don’t remember that there was any stigma or anything attached to it in the books—other characters openly talk about making use of those past relationships in their political scheming—but this was a great change, and very true to the spirit of both characters. It’s presented powerfully and beautifully. So glad to see it hitting such a chord and making such an impact. Possible book spoilers so I won’t go into specifics about that exile scene, other than to say—Wow. Now THAT is a scene. Even Liandrin didn’t look like she wanted to gloat. Dare I say she even looked a little … reverent?

A lot happened and yet the pacing took its time to digest everything. Moiraine drawing the darkness from Mat could have easily felt like, “ope, that conflict’s gone. Next plot point.” But they took the time to show Moiraine’s reaction after, her eyes wide with horror as she processed what she had to do, showing it really took a toll on her in addition to everything else she’s going through. And then hinting that it may not be over, that if he gets that dagger back …

THE WAYS! They look exactly as I always imagined them. A surreal, dark labyrinth, not a place you would go unless you had to, unless you were desperate, a haunted world between worlds … j’adore. Chef’s kiss. Pufferfish. Other fish references.

And of course … Mat being left behind. This doesn’t happen in the books, but I thiiink I have an idea about what they’ll do with this. Without spoiling anything, I think they’ll use him to kick off an altered event of Book 2, so as soon as Season 1 ends and wraps up the adaptation of Book 1 (which is called The Eye of the World for the non-book folks), they’ll have an easier and quicker segue right into the main plot threads of Book 2. However, I legit have no idea. The Fade and the Trollocs are still on his trail, and unless he goes back to Tar Valon, he won’t have protection against them—does he go back for the dagger? Is he afraid of his potential destiny? Does he just want to get back to his sisters? I’m honestly not sure how they’re doing it. It’s been suggested that this is how they’re writing out his actor and we may not see the character again till next season, recast. The way it was shot, I could see it—where the shot of him looking at them through the waygate is b-roll because they couldn’t get him to shoot the scene with them all inside the waygate. If so … you … Barney … were the best Mat we could’ve hoped for. Go do great things. Maybe you’ll come back for a later season … though I don’t want to fire the new actor or anything. Hm. I’m sad now …

My wife and I kind of felt let down when Moraine left off after her penultimate line, each saying, “You know, this would have been a prime moment for ‘The Wheel Weaves as the Wheel Wills’” and at that exact moment she said that exact thing and we flipped our lids and fired many high caliber bullets into the sky in celebration.

Okay, now I must ask: non-book readers, what are your thoughts and predictions wrt the DR identity, how this plays out, what’s up with Mat being left behind (story wise, anyway), etc.?? I feed on your thoughts. They sustain me and bring me sustenance.

#the wheel of time #wot #wot on prime #unreasonably attractive fandom #wheel of time prime #wheel of time show

[ilikekidsshows]

I Was wondering if you could talk more about the conflict in Syren please?

The most important thing about the conflict in 'Syren' is this: it's not actually about the relationship between Ladybug and Cat Noir, it's about the relationship (or lack thereof) between Master Fu and Cat Noir. But, because Master Fu was still using Marinette as the go-between between himself and Adrien, Marinette ended up being the target of Adrien's ire towards Fu. The divide between Cat Noir and Ladybug in 'Syren' isn't caused by either of their character flaws or a misunderstanding: it's caused by Fu.

A very easy to miss detail in 'Syren' is that Adrien didn't know that all their rules weren't coming from the Kwamis or Ladybug. When Ladybug tells him that she'll "talk to him about it", the existence of a "him" comes as a surprise to Adrien. At the start of the episode, Adrien being upset at his partner keeping things from him of seemingly her own accord was 100% justified. Even if he's more annoyed at her than he should be considering someone else is literally telling her not to tell him anything, Fu was creating a link between himself and Ladybug in Adrien's eyes. It's like when your region manager comes up with a new crappy policy but your local manager is the one who delivers the news so you end up upset with them instead. Fu was the one who demanded secrecy, but made Ladybug tell Cat Noir about it. Fu even further put Marinette in the role of a bearer of bad news by not really addressing her concerns over Cat Noir's growin frustration, only giving her some vague metaphor that meant she had to come up with some way to soothe her partner herself. He didn't give her a reason.

Adrien was being asked to put to up with a lot. He has to put his life on the line to protect Paris, he has to keep all these secrets and he has to make himself available whenever there's an Akuma. But nowhere is there a written rulebook that says he has to be happy about it. Ladybug calls them partners because, to her, they are. They carry the same burdens and responsibilities. However, they are not equal. Only Ladybug gets to know who the part-time heroes are, only Ladybug gets to know how the part-time heroes get their powers. Whenever they need a part-time hero, Ladybug abandons him in the middle of the fight to go get backup, a process which's details are unknown to Adrien. If Ladybug can just go and fish up a partner whenever, why does she need Adrien? If Cat Noir isn't treated any different from a part-time hero, who never get to know any of the details of anything, what's the point of him being one of the only two full-time heroes? If only Ladybug is necessary in the process of saving the day, what is Cat Noir even for?

A very important aspect of the scene where Adrien almost gives up his powers is this: Adrien has no idea what kind of help Ladybug will bring. All he knows that his powers are useless against Syren. All he knows is that, once again, his help, which used to be all Ladybug needed, wasn't enough so Ladybug had to go get someone else. And he wasn't being told why he wasn't being told anything. Maybe it was because Ladybug needed someone better to help her and they were just screening potential candidates. Maybe Adrien was making things easy by removing an unnecessary piece from the proceedings. Because, if he was being treated as equally expendable as a part-time hero, that meant he would be easy to replace, right?

When Adrien gets the powerup and helps Ladybug defeat Syren, he tells her "Thank you for keeping your promise, My Lady." This is an interesting line because it tells us that, after meeting Fu for mere moments, he already had him figured out from context clues. He knows Fu approaching him was thanks to Ladybug and that taught him that, even if Master Fu doesn't consider him as important as Ladybug, Ladybug does. And that's enough for him.

I'm fully convinced that Fu telling Marinette: "there's a right time for everything," was nothing but a dodge. I have a feeling he's been warding her off with that for a while, considering she says something similar to Cat Noir in the scene before Fu says it. We learned from Fu's relationship with Marianne that, for Fu, waiting for the right time can literally mean decades. This is why this episode, in the grand scheme of things, isn't about the Ladynoir relationship even if it does give some nice fodder for it; it's about Fu.

The thing about the way Fu's character is presented in the show is that something about him gets introduced in a throwaway or innocuous manner, only for it to end up being really important later. Fu mentioning his past mistakes came back to literally haunt the main characters in 'Feast' and even Fu's reaction to the monster was foreshadowed by 'Sandboy', where the seemingly silly bedsheet ghosts cried out his guilt in the demise of the Order of the Guardians, and Fu responds by fleeing.

Fu has been running his whole life. He was taken away from his family by this mysterious order who never taught him anything properly, and who then all died in a cataclysmic event caused by Fu's mistake. Fu lost the book with the Guardians' secrets almost immediately after. With the huge responsibility of the Miraculous on his shoulders and no knowledge to go on if anything went wrong, Fu had little choice but to hide the best he could and hope for the best.

We see in the opening scene in 'Backwarder' that Fu being willing to let anyone use a Miraculous is a new attitude, one most likely fostered by his closer association with Wayzz. Wayzz generally seems to be the one between them with the better head on his shoulders, which is the opposite of the Marinette+Tikki and Adrien+Plagg partnerships, where Tikki can often cause Marinette's catastrophizing to spiral while Plagg's advice to pretty much anything is "be happy, do crimes". However, Wayzz is very put together and wise, which is most likely why Fu chose him as his companion.

Still, considering how Fu was perfectly content with playing his role as an anonymous benefactor to our heroes, he still wasn't ready to be a mentor. He only started telling Marinette things because circustances brought Marinette to hunt him down and the Lucky Charm literally started telling her to seek out Fu every once in a while. But, considering how Fu's go-to response to a problem is still "run away" by the time 'Feast' rolls around, he didn't do Cat Noir the same courtesy. Ladybug he had to stay connected to because she'd need to come pick up a Miraculous from him every once in a while, but Fu preferred to live in a way where he was ready to pack up and disappear in a moment's notice and that would be easier if he had fewer personal connections to miss.

The thing about Fu is that he's low-key going through a character arc behind the scenes of the narrative. 'Syren' is the first time Fu gets character development in the show's current timeline. And the lesson for Fu in 'Syren' was: sometimes change happens, and you'll need to make the best of it. Fu only gained the solution to the recipe because Marinette helped him, because someone else was in on the secrets. So Fu revealed himself to Adrien. We still don't know how much Fu told Adrien but, considering how little Adrien was ready to listen to him in 'Party Crasher' and how he looked like a sympathetic outsider in the scene where he and Marinette were saying goodbye in 'Miracle Queen', they definitely didn't meet up as often as Marinette and Fu did.

Still, 'Feast' is when Fu basically completes his character arc, deciding to trust Marinette with his life's work by naming her his successor once it's time for him to retire. I'll note that he never properly discussed this matter with Marinette, because of course Fu's not gonna learn anything from his own experience as being given a huge responsibility as a child just like he didn't learn anything from being left alone and without answers as a child since he didn't approach Adrien because he recongized his own situation, he did it because the situation forced him to do so. Fu has a character arc in the show, but I'm not sure it went into a good direction considering the other characters.

One final thing about Fu's character arc is that he never truly overcame the urge to run that had been his creed for almost his entire life so far. We see in 'Miracle Queen' that he'd prepped a full "in case of my demise/disappearance" package for Marinette. Fu had probably been counting the days he'd vanish since 'Feast', when he left his massage shop behind.

#miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #ml meta #syren #long post #it's dunking on fu hours #popular

[chicoriii]

Season 4, Episode 17 - Larme Ultime (Rocketear)

So this is a DjiWifi episode from which comes a screenshot I've seen over a month ago (I think). It's good they got it, before season 4 started I really wanted it to happen and to see a kiss between Nino and Alya in it (but that didn't happen and I don't get why, only the main pairing is allowed to kiss in this show or what?), but now I could not be excited about it anymore, because I'm sick of Alya and I'm not able to hide it. Yes, I'm biased, but I'm just a normal viewer and I have right to dislike her favouritism.

My the biggest thought after watching this is that it looks like since Optigami, Alya is not only a deuteragonist, like I said in my post about Sentibubbler, she's actually more like a co-protagonist now. That was an extremely Alya-centric episode (even more than Lie was was about Adrien, as it was mostly Ladybug who saved the world like almost always, also because Chat sacrificed himself again), while in Optigami and this one she has screentime comparable to Marinette. I'm still trying to avoid spoilers (so please, don't tell what's going to happen in the next episodes, I don't want to know), but I'm sure that either 15 or 16 is also highly about her, because we've seen the new Rena's suit in this episode and it looked like it wasn't the first episode with it. But really, I won't be surprised if Alya has lots of screentime in both episodes and all others to the end of the show as well. I don't think Adrien is ever going to get as much special treatment like Alya. :/ The creators have never been as nice to him.

Didn't the writes have enough ideas for another story arcs? And thanks to it they were able to save money, because then creators could just reuse old models of villains more than before. Have anyone noticed that S4 has even fewer number of completely new characters than previous seasons? The scientist seen at the start of the episode has detailed model, so she had to be akumatised in any of the previous unreleased episodes (or one of the next ones). And why she looks a lot like Alya, is she her relative? If yes, you know what that means? Another excuse to make an episode full of the fox wielder, because, you know, it’s not like she already got enough occasions to shine in S4. 

Speaking of Rena Rouge's new suit. What a waste, it would be great for a potential chameleon Miraculous, so it seems it won't be ever created for canon. So bad, I think it's one of the coolest animal, so a Miraculous based on it would be awesome. It could one from an African Miracle Box which should appear, since they are planning making an African special. The suit is good and all, but I still feel disappointed that it's not the superpower of a chameleon Miraculous. :(

Why is Nino acting over the top out of nowhere? I like film noir atmosphere, fedoras and especially jazz music full of saxophones (my favourite music genre and instrument), but it looks totally ridiculous when he's like that. I thought it's Marinette's speciality, and he beat her in that category. I'm not trying to say it's a a bad thing, it just feels weird seeing Nino like that. And since I love jazz, I would like to listen to that film noir-esque music more once I got 5.1 audio, since it was hardly heard in the episode. It didn't sound much interesting, but it's too early to judge it seriously.

Too bad they had written the main conflict in the episode using one of the biggest romantic cliche - misunderstanding in which one character see and\or hear something, but not the whole thing, so said character interprets it wrong. Motifs like that are rather annoying, so it's good something similar haven't happened in the Love Square's arc (yet at least). Though I have a big issue with how they write it this season and I'm going to make a post about it (is anyone interested?).

The akuma is one the ugliest and has one of the most laziest power ever. Really? He shoots using tear bullets and does nothing more? I know many people hate Bubbler's design, but no matter how silly it looks, it was much more creative than this.

And of course the whole thing with Alya remembering the whole conversation with Chat Noir was extremely far-fetched. The could think about something more believable, but I'm not surprised it happened, since I think this season is generally more lazy written than previous ones.

On the other hand, I'm surprised that Marinette is actually aware that Shadow Moth should not know that Alya is still Rena Rouge. It seems that the whole episode 15 (or 16) is about they trying to figure out what to do with that problem.  I won't be surprised if Alya would do it all by herself like it happened with protecting charms in Mr Pigeon 72, because it's completely normal that a random person who has never met Fu is better at decrypting the grimoire than someone who has been trained to be a guardian to some extend :/ Still I think they should not be sure that camouflage mode would solve the problem completely. From what I understand the new suit doesn’t make her completely invisible to others. Rena could be seen by anyone who takes a photo of her and then post in on the internet (it won't be believable that she's the only one crazy about superheroes in Paris). But at least they tried to do something and Marinette sees the danger to some extend. It’s something new.

It's not like Alya is careful, she's completely reckless (and they think she's a good reporter material? Don't make me laugh) and she still thinks more about her own fun in being the superheroine than safety of herself or the world. But of course, it's not gonna happen, because plot armor is very strong in this show. I really had a feeling that she acted like a little child in the first minutes of the episode. She's unable to see that her situation is not a joke. She should be all happy that Marinette still lets her to keep the fox Miraculous. She really lacks humility and I see it clearly since Optigami at least. Besides, Marinette ignores another red flags, that Alya is taking pictures of herself in the new suit no one is supposed to see and thinking about posting them on Ladyblog (was Bunnix right that Alya is able to reveal Miraculous secrets on her blog because of her overenthusiasm and lack of ability of seeing consequences of her actions?).

By the way, now I think, if Alya can't keep in secret that she's still Rena Rouge from Nino (which happens because it's needed for the plot), so how could she be all fine with keeping in secret other facts like that Ladybug gave her the fox permanently and she knows her identity (which isn't happening because the plot doesn't require it)? She still has to lie on Nino because of these secrets.

They are making Marinette a big hypocrite this season. Since she revealed herself to Alya, it's been shown that secret identities rule was bullshit from the start, but Marinette is still saying that heroes can't reveal their identities to anyone. What? What has she done before like not revealing herself to someone, so how she dares keep saying about how crucial is keeping secrets from everyone? Sorry writers, I can't take that rule seriously anymore since Alya knows and no one should. Because Marinette told Alya, she could tell it to other persons she trust as well. What's the difference between her best friend and the rest of the people in the world? Is Alya the only person she trusts? In fact, revealing herself to Sabine, for example, would be much better choice. She's actually wise and mature unlike Alya and her secrets would be much more safe with her mother.

I've seen Chat Blanc again on TV recently and I remembered one thing Ladybug told to Bunnix there: "The best-kept secrets are the ones you never share." (Google Translate says that the line is exactly the same in the French original). Some episodes later, she isn't thinking twice if she should tell all the guardian secrets to Alya. Okay, she revealed her identity because of being too emotional in that exact moment, but then when she calmed down, she should be able to think if telling all the Miraculous secrets is a good idea. The other hypocritical thing is telling Chloé "you can't be Queen Bee anymore, because Hawk Moth knows your identity" but still calling the other heroes whose identities have been exposed.

So I can't even blame Alya for telling Nino the truth if the guardian herself is not following her own rules. Not to mention, Marinette doesn't address wrong things Alya is doing at all, so no wonder she feels she could do anything, she won't get punished, no matter what. After all, it's not the first moment in which she does something her best friend forbid her.

And we can say the show has been confirmed that Nino is even worse at keeping secrets, especially in crisis situations, so why people wanted to see Adrien revealing himself to Nino? It's obvious that he would tell Adrien's secret to Alya and maybe some other people as well.

I thought that since S3 finale Adrien is supposed to know identities of every backup hero from seasons 2 and 3 and I was ready to be salty about that as well. But yes, actually after purification of Miracle Queen's akuma, brainwashed heroes didn't detransform. They were forgotten completely and we don't even know what happened with them exactly. I suppose Ladybug took their Miraculous when Chat Noir wasn't there anymore.

Adrien has every right to be angry at Ladybug, she treats him so badly, since Alya knows her own secrets and she doesn't even have the guts to admit that. But I'm going to say about my the biggest issue in the Chat Noir and Ladybug's situation in another post, I hope I would write before the next episode airs.

#miraculous ladybug #ml rocketear #ml season 4 #ml spoilers #ml spoiler #ml season 4 spoilers #chicoriii about S4 episodes #chicoriii #original post

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

Master Fu: Master of Failure (200 Follower Special)

Mentors are some of the most important characters in all of pop culture, as they help the protagonist advance in his journey while helping them improve in skill and personal growth. Because of their vital role, mentors tend to be among some of the most memorable characters in their respective franchises.

Mentors can be a variety of people, from wise sages, to former soldiers, to just regular people with a strong moral compass. What matters is the impact they have on the hero, and the role they play in the story.

Master Fu does a poor job at accomplishing both of those qualifications.

Like, well, basically every bad thing in Miraculous Ladybug, the ideas behind Master Fu were interesting in concept. The problem was the execution, or rather, what little we got with Master Fu. Yet he still manages to be memorable (no pun intended) for all the wrong ways. But before we get into Master Fu, let's get into a problem with Miraculous Ladybug in general that plagues several characters and plotlines.

Order of the... What Exactly?

Despite being “the last known member of the Order of the Guardians”, Master Fu hasn't really explained much about the Order he's from. All we really know is that he was trained to guard the Miraculous and distribute them to worthy people. And the Order does this... why exactly?

This is a huge problem with Miraculous Ladybug, the underdeveloped lore behind a major part of the story. Despite being connected to the Miraculous, you know, the magical artifacts the show is named after, we still don't really know much about why they were formed in the first place, and what their connection to the Miraculous is.

Oh wait, the origin of the Miraculous actually is explained... in an issue of the tie-in comic.

Someone seriously thought it was a good idea to explain that Kwamis are connected to abstract concepts like creation and destruction, and how the Miraculous were created, both very important things to learn, AND THEY DID IT IN A GODDAMN TIE-IN COMIC THAT ONLY LASTED THREE ISSUES! 

I shouldn't be expected to read supplementary material to understand the backstory of a show. You don't need to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars to understand the tragedy of Order 66, so why would you expect your audience to read a comic book to understand the origin of the magical objects that give your main characters superpowers?

Even the explanation we got isn't that detailed. Okay, fine some guy created the Miraculous to give the Kwamis tangibility (which actually explains how they can phase through solid objects), but... how and why? How was this sage able to see Tikki, how was he able to create the Miraculous, and why did he do it?

This extends to the Order of the Guardians as well. How and why were they formed? What exactly do they even do besides guard Miraculous? Why do they even guard the Miraculous in the first place? We even learn more about their methods, and trust me, I'll get to that later.

In Xiaolin Showdown, the pilot episode of all things explains why Shen Gong Wu are so important, and why the Xiaolin Dragons dedicate their lives to protecting them, because they maintain the balance between good and evil, and if they fall into the hands of evil, the world could fall into 10,000 years of darkness. Yeah, the first episode actually does a good job at explaining the backstory of the show, who would have thought? And it's from a show that has a better representation of Chinese culture when this is what the main character looks like.

Overall, the Order of the Guardians is an underdeveloped concept that does very little to help out Master Fu as a character. If the backstory of a character is so vague, how can we even understand the character's motivations in the first place? And by God, are Master Fu's motivations confusing.

Master of Not Doing Anything

Before I started working on this, I saw a video review of Miraculous Ladybug by someone who had never seen the show before, and only did so because one of his friends said they would start watching One Punch Man if he did. Even though he only mentioned Master Fu a few times, he described him as “a dude with a jewelry box full of superhero bling”, and felt like that was all those unfamiliar with the show needed to know. As someone who is familiar with the show? Yeah, that's basically all Master Fu is.

Despite being classified as a mentor, Master Fu doesn't really do a lot of mentoring. Sure, he occasionally talks to Marinette, but whenever things get rough, all he really does is hand out a Miraculous for Marinette to give to someone else temporarily.

And I've said it multiple times, but the Rent-A-Miraculous system is a horrible idea. Not only does it require Ladybug to basically leave Cat Noir to fend for himself while she rushes over to Master Fu, she has to think of an ideal candidate for the Miraculous she takes, find said candidate, rush back to where the Akuma is, hope Cat Noir wasn't incapacitated by the Akuma, and then haul ass to Master Fu's place to return the Miraculous as soon as the fight's over.

The idea of introducing new heroes is interesting, but because we see them so rarely, they don't really feel that important. I get that the title is “Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir”, but I just wish the show would do more with the temporary heroes, like see how it affects their lives. Unfortunately, I can't, thanks to “Miracle Queen”, as usual. I'll get to that episode again later on.

Even when Master Fu takes out the Miraculous, he doesn't really help Marinette think of which one to choose. He just says something like “Take a Miraculous, but be sure to return it to me when you're done.” It doesn't matter, because Marinette apparently knows how all fifteen Miraculous in the box work. Hey, wouldn't it have been nice to see Master Fu actually teach Marinette how every Miraculous works? Maybe have him suggest which Miraculous to take based on the Akuma's powers? I'm just saying, maybe you can take time away from Ladybug and Cat Noir fighting a giant baby to actually give more focus on other characters.

Before that, he was just planning to do nothing and hope Ladybug and Cat Noir could reclaim Hawkmoth's Miraculous for him. According to Tikki in “The Collector”, Marinette isn't even supposed to see the Guardian, and only met Master Fu because she found the Grimoire. So despite being “Guardians of the Miraculous”, he doesn't even help out the random people he decided to give Miraculous to? It's a miracle Ladybug and Cat Noir survived an entire season without any real guidance from Master Fu.

The third season tries to do something by having Master Fu train Marinette to become a guardian, but all of the training is entirely offscreen, and by “Feast”, he just says that her training is complete, and then makes her a guardian against her will in “Miracle Queen”.

Then there are moments unrelated to the Miraculous where he fails to actually be a mentor. Everyone knows about how stupid it was that the writers wanted the audience to sympathize with Adrien for threatening to quit being Cat Noir while Paris is flooded, but this also could have been a moment where Master Fu helped him talk about his feelings, or maybe dispense some wisdom about how hard it is to understand if someone actually trusts him or not. You know, act as a mentor to Adrien?

But instead, they brush over this potentially interesting character moment, because that would actually imply that Adrien has flaws. Because we all know Astruc loves to show the audience that Adrien Agreste is basically the second coming of Jesus Christ, right? And even though the episode making a big deal about Adrien not knowing Master Fu, they really don't have any meaningful conversations outside of that episode, except maybe “Party Crasher”. Though the episode does have Master Fu taking action when Ladybug is incapacitated by the Akuma by giving a Miraculous... to someone he barely knows swimming in Adrien's bathtub. Even he regrets his choice a few minutes later.

And then there's the fact that despite it being his job to guard the Miraculous, he does literally nothing to figure out where the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous are. Sure, he briefly talked with Marinette about Gabriel possibly being Hawkmoth in “The Collector”, but she did most of the investigating in that episode.

Hell, “Sandboy” establishes there's a way to contact Nooroo, the Kwami of the Butterfly Miraculous, on his birthday, but Master Fu turned it down, so they did it behind his back! For the love of God, this is a chance to figure out who Hawkmoth is and bring the conflict with him to an end, and you're passing it up?! In “Heart Hunter”, Master Fu says that Hawkmoth “talks a lot, but hasn't achieved much so far”, but you could easily apply that to Master Fu himself.

Outside of giving Miraculous to Marinette to borrow, what has Master Fu actually accomplished in the story? Maybe his backstory will shed more light on him as a character, and won't just make him look even worse.

The Bungled Backstory

One of the most frustrating things about Master Fu's backstory is that it actually has some pretty good buildup.

In “The Collector” we learn that Master Fu made a mistake that led to the destruction of the temple the Guardians operated out of, and the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous were lost in the process. This does a good job at setting up the mystery of what Master Fu did to destroy the temple in the first place. It continues in “Sandboy”, where Master Fu's worst nightmare is him heing haunted by the ghosts of the guardians he accidentally killed, and then we see in “Backwarder” that Master Fu had confidants to help him keep the Miraculous safe from what are assumed to be the Nazis. Because I guess guardians get to share their secrets, but not Ladybug and Cat Noir?

And then we learned the full backstory in “Feast”. Much like how “Oblivio” and “Cat Blanc” killed any chances of me ever showing any sympathy to Alya and Gabriel respectively, I lost all respect for Master Fu after watching this episode.

We learn that Fu was chosen to be a guardian at a very young age, and had no other choice but to start his training. One day, he was assigned to watch over A Miracle Box as a test for twenty-four hours without any food, water, or sleep. He decided to use the Peacock Miraculous to create a Sentimonster to get him some food, but his anger corrupted the Sentimonster that made it go on a rampage to eat the Miraculous in the temple... and somehow set the temple on fire judging from this shot.

In my main blog, I had originally made a post calling out Master Fu for what he did, but since then, I've mostly softened up. This is just a fan theory you are free do disagree with, but I like to think that Fu was supposed to use a Miraculous during the test. Maybe he was supposed to use the Mouse Miraculous to get some food while one of the clones sat and watched the box, or use the Horse Miraculous to sneak to the kitchen.

My problem comes from how his backstory affects his actions, and makes him look like a complete hypocrite.

Even though he hated the fact that he was basically drafted to become a guardian when he was only a child, he saw no problem handing out Miraculous to children who weren't that much older than he was when he burned down the temple. I don't even think he should even qualify as a master. His title shouldn't be “Master Fu”, but something more along the lines of “Acting Master Fu” on account of the other guardians burning to death.

Say what you will about Zordon for recruiting teenagers with attitude to become the Power Rangers, but what makes him more likable than Master Fu was that he actually cared about them. He routinely gave them advice, never really lost his patience with them, and understood they had lives outside of their jobs as Rangers. Hell, he was even willing to let them retire to peruse major opportunities in their lives, like Jason, Zack, Trini, and Kimberly, because he knows what it's like to be trapped in a situation that prevents him from living a normal life.

In fact, if Fu really hated being forced to become a guardian, why did he have no problem doing the same thing to Marinette? If anything, Fu should hate the Order of the Guardians, but it's never really explained what really motivated him to continue their practices.

Usually, a backstory related to a supporting character is meant to be followed up by the main characters doing something so history doesn't repeat itself. Anakin Skywalker was driven to the Dark Side because he was afraid of losing someone close to him, with the Jedi Order giving him no support due to their rules against personal attachments. This ideology is subverted in the original trilogy when it's Luke Skywalker's compassion for his father that motivated Anakin to rebel against the Emperor and fulfill his destiny as the chosen one.

But instead of learning from past events, or maybe realizing the Order of the Guardians was never as noble as we were led to assume it was, Master Fu just upholds their tradition of enlisting child soldiers to protect these world-ending artifacts while barely doing anything to help them out. And nobody ever acknowledges there might be anything wrong with the Order.

The Cowardly (and Hypocritical) Turtle

Despite being established to be 186 years old (which still hasn't been explained), and the destruction of the temple happening when he was a child, Master Fu hasn't really done anything with his position.

Despite having all the time in the world, as well as a Miraculous that lets him teleport anywhere, he still hasn't found the missing two Miraculous that Gabriel managed to find at least 129 years after he lost them, give or take.

There's also the fact that, at least, according to the flashback in “Backwarder”, Master Fu may or may not have chosen to sit down and let several historical atrocities and conflicts happen because he didn't want to risk losing the Miraculous. You know, minor things like the Taiping Rebellion, the Crimean War, World War I and II, the Rape of Nanking, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Tienanmen Square Massacre and God knows what else. What did Master Fu even do while he ran around the world to keep the Miraculous safe anyway?

These both factor into the biggest problem with Master Fu as a character: He's a coward.

Whenever he's confronted with a tough situation, Master Fu's first instinct is to run away and hide. As soon as the Sentimonster that destroyed the temple returns, he takes back Marinette and Adrien's Miraculous and runs away. As soon as Hawkmoth finds out about his existence, he packs up his stuff and runs away. When he's captured by Hawkmoth and Mayura, he gives up his position as Guardian and forces Marinette to take on the role, so he can run away safely.

And once again, despite hating the Order for forcing him to train to become a Guardian, Master Fu has no problem with forcing Marinette, someone who was only a few years older than he was when he was drafted, to become the next Guardian of the Miraculous, all while conveniently losing his memory in the process, which implies that Marinette will lose her memory when she retires as Guardian. I once made a submission to Terrible Miraculous Ladybug AU's joking that he only made up the whole amnesia thing just to dump the responsibility of being Guardian on Marinette, but with his appearance in the Season 4 teaser, I'm genuinely worried that may be true.

And yet, despite every incompetent thing he's done, the show keeps trying to portray Master Fu as this wise old soul, because like with so many characters, the writers think if they keep saying things that aren't true, the audience will just give up and accept these ideas as fact. “Master Fu is a wise mentor”. “Alya is a good journalist”. “Ladybug and Cat Noir are equal”. “Chloe is irredeemable”. “Gabriel is a sympathetic villain”. “Lila is a good liar”. “Thomas Astruc responds to criticism like an adult”.

And I'm not against the idea of a flawed mentor either. I already talked about how complex Dr. K is as a character, and how her connection to Venjix makes her an interesting mentor. What I want is for the narrative to acknowledge that Master Fu is way out of his league. I want someone, anyone, to actually call him out for how poorly he's handled things. I don't want to be told he's a great mentor when the evidence clearly shows otherwise.

But it seems like we may never get that in the show, even though it looks like he's going to return in Season 4.

Let's just hope Master Su-Han is a better mentor, and actually appears in more than a single episode before being escorted off so Marinette can't have any confidants as Guardian. Who am I kidding? That's basically what's going to happen.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #master fu #wang fu #jade turtle #fu salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #chat noir #cat noir #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #hawk moth #how do you think i did? #did i forget to mention anything? #i'm actually surprised people voted for this #i honestly thought gabriel would get picked #if i end up being proven wrong in that last statement #someone tell me how wrong i was when season 4 starts #thank you again for 200 followers!

[leamy-world]

Reaction to The Devil Judge (spoilers for ep. 9 & 10)

It’s been a while since i’ve last been on tumblr, but i got invested in this drama every week & the fandom’s analyses to not talk about it sometime! (Last time i was hooked, it was with Beyond Evil and i watched it by the time the finale already aired so i didn’t suffer from the weekly wait!)

So here i am, this is mainly self-indulgent with essay-long interpretations of some scenes in a totally random order, but i’d love to interact with whoever reads this if they want to react!

I’m sorry for the potential awkward phrasings, english is not my first language!

- The recap was nicely done and tied everything together, it made me realize so many things happened since the beginning! The repetition didn’t make me skip it, the narration was dynamic & fun.

- The ‘power display’ & threat Yohan showed to Soohyun (by lashing out at Juk Chang and strangling him, as proxy for Soohyun, in front of her while staring at her) were something …! She answered in the same fashion, passing by him saying she will ‘arrest Juk Chang’. I wonder how their next encounters will unfold.

- Many people already pointed this out, but Soohyun’s decision to leave Elijah, a minor, alone in her car (with its doors open, daring to tell her to stay there when she has no other choice anyway) + stop the gang alone and unannounced off duty was irresponsible. Anyways, i wonder if she will interact again with Elijah because they were adorable, i would miss it!

- The conversation between Soohyun & Gaon at his apartment (ep. 10) was interesting on both parts: 

It sounded casual, but Soohyun wanted to see where he stood in the Kang family and make sure he wasn’t in Yohan’s plans (i hope she didn’t seriously mean the ‘weird’ comment about Elijah, it’d be sad since Elijah enjoyed her company!).

Gaon was anxious professor Min told her about their last conversation (i think she’ll talk to him in the next eps). He also indirectly defended the Kangs by associating himself with them (« I’m pretty sure i’m just as weird ») and voiced his concern about Yohan, speaking more to himself than following the conversation at hand. 

When Soohyun changed the subject with the ‘i’m jealous’ bit, maybe it was to brighten the mood with a light-hearted comment, hoping Gaon would follow. And by the look of her pause right after, it seemed she was also expecting GO’s ‘positive’ reaction to her jealousy, giving in to the kind of teasing/flirt they have in their friendship. But deep down, it was also to voice her true unease about Gaon’s involvement with Yohan she had since the beginning and ep. 8. 

It’s obvious to us she meant she was jealous of Yohan. And GO could’ve understood it this way too, since she confessed to him multiple times and her feelings must be known to him (i think he takes it as a ‘joke’ given how many times she confessed and each time when he was crying, so maybe he thought, very reasonably, it was to cheer him up? I also guess he’s too absorbed by his current worries about the Kangs and her potential suspicion, to notice her attempts). 

But instead of that, he’s not in the same line of thoughts at all and picks up on the « rich », musing on what makes one’s existence rich, thinking Soohyun was envying Yohan’s position and life and proving her he’s indeed in a whole different world, empathizing with Yohan. 

She then looked like her face fell, until her eyes lit up again when he was about to admit she was precious to him along with his family.

By the way, this scene picks up right where we were left off in ep. 8, when Gaon tends to his plants:

« - Are you back for good? - Not really. They need some looking after. - You should come back, not drop by. This is where you live. - Someone there needs some taking care of too. - Take care of your own self, please. - What about me? I’m living a shamelessly comfortable life. Soohyun. - Yes? - What are you thinking about? - Nothing. By the way, Gaon … » (i wonder what she was going to say!)

Lost in thoughts, Gaon’s mixed emotions when he said Yohan was not rich (« he’s not rich. If you get to know him, Kang Yohan is really poor. ») were very well depicted by Jinyoung’s acting: the soft voice and the ghost of a smile that convey understanding and endearment, leaning on his counter in a relaxed stance, but also at the same time the stare lost in the space, maybe to all the memories tied to the Kangs and Yohan, and the tension in his left lip corner by the end of his sentence which betray his sadness and empathy with Yohan’s life. After this, when he became aware of Soohyun’s gaze, it’s like his bubble popped. He looked surprised with his eyes widening, and was fidgeting a little, then changed the subject to himself.

And « I have you, Soohyun » sounded truly grateful but also sad and conflicted, GO lets his worries show when she’s gone, maybe wondering if they would be bound to be against each other one day as he continues to side with Yohan, menacing to jeopardize their friendship to the point of no return. In these kinds of stories you expect these kinds of twists, but i grew fond of the cast send help

- I loved how Yohan’s confession to GO about his brother was filmed: the camera faced head-on his pain, slipping unbeknownst to him through the façade he always showed to protect himself. But this time, despite his (late) attempts to dismiss these feelings both for him and Gaon to regain composure (the hand gestures to hide his tears, pretending to be tough with the  « there’s no such things as innocent people », drinking away his sorrow with a bitter laugh that rings hollow), all this façade fades out in front of Gaon literally by being blurred out in the shot, as if he clearly sees his pain through (his silhouette appearing clear-cut between Yohan’s gestures). I know it’s a pretty classic shot but it fit well with this scene. He clenches his jaw in the next shot, moved by Yohan opening up. 

- The dinner scene was really moving …! Especially when you put the colder tones the kitchen had when we first saw Yohan have dinner by himself next to this scene, full of light in contrast! I wonder when the OST playing will be released, it was so beautiful and reminded me of My Mister’s OST (especially Rainbow!). I look forward to the lyrics, because most of the time the OST gives more layers & depth to the story and the characters! (please don’t let it be about Yohan’s budding feeling of a true ‘home’ ;;) I didn’t realize it upon my first watch, but Gaon really took the cutlery hostage, it cracked me up!

- The parallels in this show will be the end of me: Yohan went from the « i’m so sick of this place » (ep. 5) to asking K to drive him « home » with a delighted smile. 

- I liked the parallel of Yohan’s reaction to GO/Sun-Ah sitting in his office chair, impeding on his space (he reminds SA to stay out of it, the first time politely, the second time almost grimacing, his jaw clenched: « Just because you’re the head of the OSC doesn’t mean you can barge in like this (…) So please stop barging in like this. », while he says nothing to GO)

- At the beginning of ep. 10, we have Yohan saying he doesn’t like «  hanging out with people » & by the end of it, Soohyun saying « My childhood’s best friend is hanging out with a rich guy ».

- These two episodes gave more insight and nuance into Sun-Ah’s character, which was very nice ; and also Cha Kyung-Hee’s comeback (and her last confrontation with Sun-Ah!!!!)

- The people following Juk Chang also targeted sexual minorities according to the subs i had, i wonder if it will be addressed again sometime in the drama. 

- I loved Elijah’s « hacking » technique scene, i felt proud too! I always look forward to her scenes (and Kkomi’s too haha)! And her reaching out Gaon’s shoulder for the first time ;;

- The ‘humans lose their minds when they think they’ve lost what they have’ ……… repeated twice by YH ………… It will hit hard and all those lines will come right back at us viewers, but i’m not prepared haha! And also for the ‘if you want revenge, don’t hesitate’, i hope it doesn’t foreshadow a future revenge Gaon will execute without hesitation aaaaaa

Also, what lawyer Ko said about himself in ep. 8 may apply to Yohan’s case by the end, will he atone for what he did someday? (« I’m no longer a lawyer. I’m just a criminal. When all this comes to an end, I’ll pay for what i did. »)

- I really loved Yohan’s efforts to take into consideration both Elijah’s (he refrained himself from acting rashly like the last time she went out and listened to her) and Gaon’s feelings (stopping him from endangering himself recklessly, not forcing him onto the revenge path lest he’d regret it afterwards, and helping him to face the truth rationally). 

- « She’s hungry for affection. No matter how much you hate the world and the people in it, you can never live alone. You always need someone to rely on. As long as you’re a human being. » Many people commented on it, Gaon must speak from his own experience and empathizes with both Elijah and Yohan’s situation. These two episodes showed how Gaon cares for the Kangs more openly, and i live for it! 

- Give me that domestic scene where Gaon plays cards with YH, the nanny and Elijah! And also more K and lawyer Ko scenes!

- Jinjoo’s and Gaon’s intervention in the trial were gold! And Satie’s Gnossiennes rearrangement playing in the background during Juk Chang’s speech, it’s the cherry on the cake haha

- By the way, there was also an arrangement of Rachmaninoff’s piano concerto no. 2 during the first charity event Yohan went with Jinjoo in the earlier episodes, it was also beautiful!

- GO’s Awkward Smile. I have no words, it is now forever imprinted on my mind.

Have a nice week and take care!

#the devil judge #tvn drama #my ramblings

[newdougsblog]

The Tragic Hero Full of Fear

Hello everyone! Before I get into this, I’d like to thank @jasontoddiefor​ for both the name and being the main enabler of this fun piece of writing. I also want to thank all my wonderful friends over on Discord for letting me bounce ideas off of them and helping me. You are all amazing!!

Ok, so let’s get into it!

The first six Star Wars movies (the Original and Prequel trilogies) are commonly referred to as “the Tragedy of Darth Vader.”  But what makes these movies a tragedy? How is Anakin Skywalker himself, the main character of said tragedy, a tragic hero? In this meta/essay, I will discuss how Anakin himself is definitionally a tragic hero and outline his story as it relates to the structure of a classic Greek tragedy.  

This essay will focus solely on Anakin’s character as he is canonically portrayed.

The Hero

Let’s go through the main traits of a tragic hero (as per early literature) and discuss them in the context of Anakin Skywalker.

Possesses immense courage and strength and is usually favored by the gods

Anakin’s courage is evident throughout his entire life, such as when he participates in the pod race in TPM or on the front lines during the Clone Wars. 

While we cannot definitively ascribe Anakin’s abilities to any deity, we can associate them with the Force. The Force is able to somewhat influence the happenings of the universe in certain ways and takes the place of any sort of deity.

Whether Anakin is the “Chosen One” or not, his connection to the Force is stronger than that of any other Force-sensitive being, so he is consequently closer to it than most, if not all, other Force-sensitive beings. 

Extreme loyalty to family and country 

Anakin is consistent in his demonstrations of loyalty to those he has strong feelings for (whether those feelings be romantic or platonic).

His devotion to Padmé surpasses his loyalty to the Jedi, and he is always willing to go to great lengths to ensure their safety and well-being.

Anakin also exhibits a strong sense of devotion to his mother, Shmi. His devotion to her, and by extension her wellbeing, surpasses his duties as Jedi. 

In ROTS, Anakin says, “I will not betray the Republic… my loyalties lie with the Chancellor and with the Senate… and with you” (you, in this case, referring to Padmé). In this quotation, Anakin’s loyalties are made quite clear. At this point, he is not faithful to the Jedi, but to his government, its leaders, and, of course, his wife.

Representative of society’s current values

During the Clone Wars, Anakin is known by the moniker, “the Hero with No Fear,” and is one of the Republic’s “poster boys.” He is charismatic, kind, seemingly fearless (obviously) and a strong fighter, thus representing the values that were important to the Republic at the time. The last characteristic is especially important because of the assurance it instills in times of war. As a representation of the Republic, Anakin’s prowess on the battlefield creates hope for its citizens that victory is possible. 

Anakin also empathizes with the opinion that the seemingly outdated Jedi Code holds them back. In the Citadel Arc, Tarkin remarks that “the Jedi Code prevents [the Jedi] from going far enough to achieve victory.” Anakin actually agrees with this statement, replying that “[he’s] also found that [the Jedi] sometimes fall short of victory because of [their] methods” (Season 3, Episode 19). He shows a sense of allegiance not to the ancient ways of the Jedi, but to the newer, more modern ideals regarding military action. 

Anakin claims to have brought “peace, justice, freedom, and security” to his “new Empire.” While the Empire's interpretations of the aforementioned values are skewed, Anakin continues to represent them as Darth Vader. 

Anakin’s statement to Obi-Wan also mirrors Palpatine’s declaration to the Senate: “In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years.” The people applaud this statement, demonstrating a general sense of exhaustion in regards to the war and a yearning for what this new Empire is promising them.

Lead astray/challenged by strong feelings

Though there are many, many examples of Anakin’s emotions getting the better of him, we’re simply going to list two:

Anakin’s fury and anguish after the death of his mom leads to his slaughter of the Tuskens

Anakin’s overwhelming fear of losing Padmé is ultimately what leads to his Fall.

Every tragic hero possesses what is called a hamartia, or a fatal flaw. This trait largely contributes to the hero’s catastrophic downfall. Anakin’s hamartia is his need for control, which partially manifests through his fear of loss. 

Let’s explore this idea in more detail. 

Though Anakin grows up as a slave, the movies neglect to explicitly cover the trauma left from his time in slavery. However, it is worth noting that slaves did not have the ability to make many choices for themselves; they didn’t even own their bodies. After being freed, Anakin is whisked away to become a Jedi. He does not possess much control over his life as Jedi, for he is simply told what path he is going to take. While Anakin does make this decision on his own, becoming a Jedi is a disciplined and somewhat-strict way of life and not one that allows for an abundance of reckless autonomy as he is wont to engage in. 

(Side note: I’m not here to argue about Qui-Gon’s decision-making abilities, nor do I wish to engage in discourse regarding the Jedi’s way of life. I am simply presenting and objectively stating these facts in relation to Anakin because they are pertinent to my point.) 

During AOTC, Anakin is unable to save his mother from death. As Shmi dies in his arms, Anakin is absolutely helpless. The situation is completely out of his control, and he is forced to contend with the reality that despite all of his power, he cannot control everything that happens. 

He also feels that he has a larger potential for power and is being held back by Obi-Wan: “although I'm a Padawan learner, in some ways... a lot of ways... I'm ahead of him. I'm ready for the trials. I know I am! He knows it too. He believes I'm too unpredictable… I know I started my training late... but he won't let me move on.” Anakin believes Obi-Wan, his teacher and mentor, is holding him back. He expresses a self-held conviction of his status and skills and does not trust the word of his superior. 

In ROTS, Anakin starts dreaming of Padmé’s death. Considering what occurred the last time he dreamt of a loved one’s demise, Anakin is justifiably (or at least justifiably from his point of view) worried. He consequently wants to stop these dreams from coming true in any way possible. His fear of death, especially that of his loved ones, represents his need for control over everything, even things that are uncontrollable. This overwhelming desire leads to Anakin’s drastic actions.

As Darth Vader, he no longer possesses such fears, for everyone that he loved is either dead or has betrayed him. He is the epitome of order and control, eliminating any who disturb this perceived equilibrium. 

However, this changes because of one person: Luke Skywalker. 

Luke reintroduces something that was (arguably) long-absent in Vader’s life, which is interpersonal attachment. Vader yearns for his son to join him by his side. When Luke refuses, Vader continues to attempt to seek him out. In ROTJ, Vader is forced to choose between the Emperor, a man he has long trusted and followed, and Luke, the son he never knew he had. Out of a desire to protect and keep what little family he has left (and likely a sense of “I couldn’t save Padmé but at least I can save her legacy by keeping her child(ren) alive and safe”), Vader defeats the Emperor and saves his son. Though his actions are definitionally heroic, Anakin never truly overcomes his hamartia. 

The Structure of a Tragedy

Classic Greek tragedies follow a specific story structure, which, according to the German playwright Gustav Freytag, is as follows:

We’re going to focus on the three aspects that best represent Anakin’s story as a tragedy: The peripeteia, the anagnorisis, and the catastrophe/denouement. These occur during and/or after the climax. 

The peripeteia is the climax/the turning point in the plot. Said change usually involves the protagonist's good luck and prosperity taking a turn for the worse. 

Within the tragedy we are discussing, the peripeteia occurs when Anakin chooses Sidious over Mace Windu and solidifies his allegiance to the Dark side, becoming the very thing he swore to destroy. It is at this point that things really start to go downhill. He kills children, chokes his wife, fights his best friend, gets his remaining limbs cut off, etc. 

The anagnorisis is the point in the tragedy when the protagonist recognizes their error, seeing the true nature of that which they were previously ignorant of, usually regarding their circumstances or a specific relationship (such as Oedipus’ realization that his wife was actually his mother). In most tragedies, the anagnorisis is in close proximity to the peripeteia. In Anakin’s story, the anagnorisis occurs during ROTJ. After being wounded in his fight against Luke, Vader watches as his son is brutally electrocuted by Sidious. It is at this moment that Darth Vader realizes that Luke was right—there is good in him, and he still has the chance to redeem himself. 

The catastrophe/denouement (since this is a tragedy, we’re going to go with “catastrophe”) is the end of the tragedy. Events and conflicts are resolved and brought to a close, and a new sort of “normality” is established. The catastrophe often provides a sense of catharsis (release of tension) for the viewer. The protagonist is worse off than they were at the beginning of the tragedy. 

The catastrophe within “The Tragedy of Darth Vader” transpires soon after the anagnorisis at the end of ROTJ. Though the realization of his capacity for good is the anagnorisis, the follow-through (via his actions), as well as what consequently occurs, is the catastrophe. As previously discussed, Vader saves Luke by killing the Emperor but does so at the cost of his own life. This serves as the resolution of the tragedy, for the hero’s fate has been confirmed—Darth Vader fulfills his destined role as the Chosen One and, in doing so, brings about his own redemption and dies as Anakin Skywalker.

In conclusion, the categorization of Star Wars as a tragedy is a choice that heavily influences Anakin, the protagonist and hero, of the story. He is without a doubt a tragic hero whose fatal flaw leads to his downfall. In accordance with Aristotle’s theory of tragedy, Anakin’s tragedy is constructed not by personal agency, but by the narrative itself.

Works Cited

“Darth Vader.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 15 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Vader.

“Dramatic Structure.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dramatic_structure.

“Hero.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 19 Oct. 2016, www.britannica.com/art/hero-literary-and-cultural-figure.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode III— Revenge of the Sith. Lucasfilm Ltd., 2005.

Lucas, George, director. Star Wars: Episode II— Attack of the Clones. Lucasfilm Ltd. , 2002.

Michnovetz, Matt. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars, ‘Counterattack.’” Season 3, episode 19, 4 Mar. 2011.

“Sophocles: the Purest Artist.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/tragedy-literature/Sophocles-the-purest-artist.

“Theory of Tragedy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/art/tragedy-literature/Theory-of-tragedy.

“Tragic Hero.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/tragic-hero. 

#star wars #Anakin Skywalker #greek tragedy #anakin the tragic hero #meta #so many meta ideas not enough time #wow thanks tumblr formatting for being terrible

[accio-victuuri]

Hi can you provide the link to read manhuas you prefer?

Hello Anon! OMG Manhua/Manhwa Rec! Here we go! I’ve only been reading for 2-3 months (consistently), so this will be pretty limited. I will link to the legit sites. A google search will direct you to others.

Most of these are WIPs and some, sadly, are discontinued. I won’t add TGCF or MDZS here cause those are already a given. 👇🏼

• Body Electric by Dong Ye ( completed, supernatural, lots of trigger warnings and plotty )

Ba Song is the hotshot cop who’s been handed an open-and-shut case: the suicide of a young woman. Except… who commits suicide by stabbing their own body and strangling themself? There's only one man who can help him with this mystery — Bo Shan, the renowned forensic pathologist with a severe and cold personality. What's more, his body produces bioelectricity, allowing him to acutely sense bodily injury with his touch. There's an electric current between them, and each touch sizzles with energy

If you like crime dramas and stories where they solve mysterious cases then this is for you. The romance is subtle, and their relationship is not insta-love. strangers to colleagues to friends to lovers trope. This also discusses alot of issues the society has that will make you stop and think. Ba Song is really the honorable MC in here who always wants to help people and do good. While Bo Shan is the reluctant one but deep inside, he wants to make a difference too. I wish they would make a donghua or live action out of this.

• 30 year old by S-Monkey - ( ongoing, age difference, blind dates, slice of life)

Charlie Wei is a single and handsome executive. He’s also a closeted gay guy who’s been on way too many bad blind dates with women. Charlie’s still hung up on his ex-boyfriend James and is… gasp, 30! Charlie’s family thinks he’s straight and too old to be without a wife! During another bad blind date, Charlie meets the flirty Ethan, who both annoys and intrigues him. Can Charlie finally come out and find true love with Ethan or will he continue on his streak of bad blind dates?

The cover looks melodramatic but it’s really not. This is so funny! I read this because people were saying it reminded them of BoXiao. And yes, there are moments here that remind me of them, but it’s more like an AU of BoXiao. I stayed up late trying to get caught up in the chapters and you won’t realize it cause it’s just that good. I love seeing the older MC loosening up and being more of himself. and the younger one being more responsible in his career. They just become better versions of themselves because of each other. It’s so sweet!

• I ship me and my Rival - by Pepa ( ongoing, comedy, reads like a meta )

This follows the adventures of Wei Yanzi, a third-rate actor in the Chinese entertainment industry, stumbles onto a shipping fandom for himself and another actor (Gu Yiliang) while trying to escape from the flame wars and negativity. He's so taken with this group of fans who actually see him as a good guy instead of an enemy/rival of Gu Yiliang that he falls head-first into fandom and becomes actively involved in trying to provide shipping fuel and the fans' daily dose of fluff.

IF THERE IS ONE thing you will read here, let it be this. It is hilarious. If you are a CP fan you will relate so much and it’s a good time. It just shows how people who think are rivals can actually be really good friends in real life. What we see is not always what it seems. and people will interpret things based on their bias. The MC here is so dramatic! how his inner feelings/reactions were drawn will make you laugh.

• Path to You - by Sinran (completed, slice of life, age gap fluff and comedy )

When almost college dropout Jensen attempts to drink away his problems, unemployed Nathaniel suddenly pukes on him and ruins his night. As an apology, Nathaniel offers to help Jensen with his studies. Despite Jensen's difficulties in getting along with people, the two become friends and something deeper begins to grow between them

The story is so soft. If you want something with mild angst/misunderstandings— then pick this. I love the progression of their relationship and how they take care of each other. There are other themes showed here other than the romance.

• Red Candy - by Hanse (completed season one with a cliffhanger, explicit scenes, assassins )

Shihyeon, aka “Red Candy,” is a secret agent whose code name comes from bathing in the blood of his marks on dangerous missions. Shihyeon’s tasked with seducing and obtaining intel from Hajun, a hot college professor. Shihyeon can disarm enemies, but didn’t expect to be disarmed himself by Hajun’s own tight body. Now Shihyeon’s caught between loyalty to his spy agency and Hajun. Can Red Candy survive the incoming wave of enemies and still indulge in the sweet ecstasy of Hajun’s embrace?

THIS STRESSED ME OUT MAAAN. Wow. I loved this. That season one cliffhanger. It’s definitely up there as my favorite. If you think about it, the tropes are really not original. An assassin is sent to shadow a person and they develop a relationship. That simple. But NOOOOO! There are so many things going on. The Main mystery plot, Their relationship, their shared past plus you have other sketchy secondary characters. And did i mention explicit scenes? Lots of them. I want this two to have a happy ending!!!

• Lone Swan - by Chu Man (discontinued, cultivation, star crossed lovers)

After losing his memory, Yiqiu Shen, a disciple from the decent sect meets a very special man named Luofeng Yan, who is the leader of the evil Divine Wind Cult. When escaping and conflicting with Yan, Shen gradually finds his original self as well as his previous love back. Together they rip off the facade of the martial world and reveal the hidden true

I didn’t want to add a discontinued story here, with no novel as a source material but this one made an impact on me. so. yeah. THE ART. breathtaking. The plot = layered. There are times I don’t even know who is telling the truth. It had so much potential and i hope it will get picked up again at some point. People rec this to those who enjoyed TGCF and MDZS, and they are right. 👍🏼

• Dragon in Distress by Si Wang Wen Hua - ( ongoing, dragons, past life, lost power, fantasy )

This is a story about a little Eastern green dragon and a little Western black dragon playing together.

The synopsis is pretty simple if you look at it but this one is pretty interesting. and surprisingly funny. tinie AoAo is so cute! 🤍 the other MC has tsundere tendencies tho. Lots of lore and more truths to uncover as the story progresses. I’m not giving it enough justice with how i’m reccing it, but if you like dragons and fantasy — give this a go.

• Breaking through the clouds 2: Swallow the Sea - Huaishang (ongoing, based on a novel, crime, drama, cases)

Wu Yu, a newcomer of the Public Security Bureau, is gentle and frail. He doesn’t care about the difficulties posed by Bu ZhongHua, his strict boss, and only wants to stay in the background to be paid on time with enough for food. However, no one knows that this young man’s head is targeted by top drug traffickers for a large bounty or that this courageous young man has once slaughtered the dragon of the abyss. With a chain of interlocking cases, a series of troubles come one after another. Can the two people work together to survive through the difficulties?

Do you see a pattern with me? lol. I like crime themes. This one is the same and by the looks of it, the cases they solve will take longer to unravel. I haven’t read the novel it’s based on yet so i’m just going with how the manhua is progressing. I like it when Wu Yu turns full on action-mode and when ZH takes care of him. Plus it helps that they are both gorgeous. I’ll get back this with a proper link.

• Where the Wind Stays - by Yusa (completed season one, curses, demons, possession, timeskip, explicit scenes)

To break an ancient curse that plagues the royal bloodline, young Prince Tasara is destined to be sacrificed in death. Nara is enlisted as a palace servant to carry out the prince’s execution when the time comes. But he develops a soft spot for the cursed prince, and after committing an atrocious and unforgivable act against Tasara, Nara is desperate to right his wrongs. Soon, their lascivious relationship that had been kept under wraps tests his resolve. Will Nara be tempted away from his original mission? There’s no telling how far he would go to earn Tasara’s forgiveness.

This story broke my brain, in a good way. I don’t wanna say much cause it will spoil the story. It’s the type that you gave to see and suffer through yourself. I am excited for what happens in season II!!!

Honorable Mentions:

I’m placing these here cause I have only read a few chapters and tho I liked them, I wanna read more before reccing it in full. 👍🏼

• I accidentally saved the Jinghu’s enemy

• Global Examination

• Monster entertainment

• Demon Apartment

And that’s it! Hope enjoy Anon! 😊

#ask response #rec #manhua rec #manhwa rec