#s4 my absolute beloved i really love it more and more every time. so much to appreciate even with it the way it is | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

raayllum · 2 years

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if you have time/want to could you go on a righteous tirade about how the cube hostage exchange theory doesn’t reduce Rayla to just a “plot device” in Callum’s story or make her a nothing but a damsel in distress… getting real tired of That One Person saying stuff like that on reddit

Honestly I stay off reddit as much as possible for a lot of reasons but bc I'm literally always down to talk about my beloved theory:

1) In regards to the "damsel in distress" argument... Thus far, Callum has saved Rayla every single time she's been backed into a corner. Who saved her from the smoke wolves, from the giant fish, from the slug, from Soren Claudia and co. in 2x07? Who saved her after she jumped off the Pinnacle and when she went into the Moon Nexus portal? Rayla is still exercising agency in those scenes, trying or successfully saving someone, but from the start, her and Callum's dynamic has very often been "You save everyone and I save you."

This ties into Rayla's bigger character arc about learning how to rely on other people and that she doesn't have to do everything alone. She's gone from relying on the boys because she had to, choosing to rely on Callum, and is now fearful she'll rely on him too much (and get him killed). She left in TTM because she was determined, specifically, to do things 'alone' - she can't succeed without having that belief reaffirmed. Literally, her only two options are either to see shit going down and somehow book it back to safety, or to get captured. It's not crazy to explore the other half of a 50-50 split.

2) So a "plot device" is something that only exists to propel one character's arc. The thing about Rayla is that while a character hasn't used her against Callum before, the narrative absolutely has. The metaphor arc of Callum getting his wings that's set up carefully in S2 is only fulfilled in S3 because of his love for Rayla.

They literally used the Power of Love trope for it, and Callum says as much: how could he do something so miraculous? "Because I love you, Rayla. I really do."

And Callum is only put on the path of accessing the Sky Arcanum because he does dark magic to protect Rayla in the first place. While Rayla's arc development has typically existed a little bit more separately from Callum (aka her mini arc in 3x09 and some of TTM) which again, reflects her character, Callum is far more relational, which also reflects his character. This has been the case since season freaking one, with Rayla choosing the egg and Ezran choosing her, and Callum choosing her because Ezran did so first. None of this should be surprise.

Cube Hostage Exchange Theory, in what it would cause both of them to choose and/or to learn is really no different than 2x07, but the order would change. In 2x07, Rayla decides to take Callum's worldview (concerning the cycle) as her own and puts her life in danger. Callum follows and does something morally and magically dubious, unwilling to lose her. In Cube Hostage Exchange Theory, Callum would do the dubious thing first (risking potentially the world by passing over the cube or something else important) and then Rayla would take his worldview (that she has worth, in this case, that she cannot erase nor deter him from seeing no matter what she does) as her own, thus completing her character arc, setting her up for a new one, and working to evolve his before they likewise resolve it together.

Just like Ezran&Zym's relationship, Callum&Rayla's is one half of the narrative's heart, so to speak. It's clear from a narrative standpoint they were each designed as pairs, and part of the reason why Callum and Rayla foil each other so fiercely, their arcs constantly working in interlocking circles with each other. This is already shown in arc 2, where Rayla existed in a painful emotional limbo concerning her family in TTM, but by leaving, she has now left that space to be occupied by Callum in S4. In some ways, Rayla kinda has to lose her agency a little, in order for (narratively) circle back around to her realizing what she denied Callum by leaving him behind.

At the end of the day, cube hostage exchange theory is just that: a theory. I think it has real merit, and I'll be extremely curious what route they'll take if it's not this one, as it seems the most straight forward with what's been set up, but no less delighted and pleased by whatever S4 deigns to do in its stead.

And on a closing note, because I know The One Person Troll loves to reference Star Wars, and the creators have used Empire Strikes Back as a comparison time and time again... you know, the film where the hero famously dips on training and prioritizes saving his friends above all else, and loses the battle horribly? (Which ATLA also did with a trope so famous it's called Always Save The Girl?) The movie where in the actual romance plot line, one love interest is taken captive and has to be later rescued? That movie?

#rayllum #cube hostage exchange theory #thanks for asking #star wars #loosely #anonymous #requests #i've been nursing this theory for so long it would be a young Toddler by now this isn't my first rodeo

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missyourflight · 10 months

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some stuff i read and watched in june:

taskmaster (s1-5): haven't done an early seasons rewatch in so long, s4 and 5 are basically perfect 2 me. incredible that mark watson manages to be both my favourite type of taskmaster guy (hopelessly despairing) and also nearly won the thing lol. nish forever obviously

silo: got well into this! probably at some point apple will stop throwing millions at sci-fi shows but i'm going to enjoy their folly in the meantime

mission: impossible ii: hadn't seen this one! the weakest of the lot but the john woo of it all is undeniable

mission: impossible iii: PSH outrageously good as the villain, hi keri russell

mission: impossible - ghost protocol: so much fun, especially the sequences where you can see brad bird's animation brain going

mission: impossible - rogue nation: ILSA my beloved, the opera sequence is so gorgeous, no notes!

mission: impossible - fallout: it's good when henry cavill reloads his arms, it's better when tom cruise is sprinting around london rooftops and breaking his ankle etc, my most basic trait is that i Love when they're in london like oooh tate modern. anyway i'm very ready for dead reckoning

asteroid city: the bits about making art really got to me! the vending machines were cool!

joint security area: crash landing on you prepared me for this, blank check weren't lying when they said it was homoerotic, song kang-ho forever etc

dodie smith, the town in bloom: the most delightful narrative voice i've read in Ages and v funny. easy to sell me on 1920s theatrical shenanigans

k patrick, mrs s: So hot and butch, i liked the butch friendship stuff almost more than the sex stuff. more sexy lesbian novels Please

kj charles, the secret lives of country gentlemen: another winner from KJC, my most reliable romantic comfort reads. this time it's smugglers!

alice slater, death of a bookseller: sticky little thriller about being poisoned by true crime, great sense of place, So many pints of dark fruits

laura kay, wild things: bisexual disaster in love with her best friend, tragically very me- and also george russell-coded, god i want to swim in a pond again

SOME STUFF I SAW AT ROCK WERCHTER

the dj on the first nigt who played a mash up of i'm gonna be (500 miles) into temperature and then the 1d cover of one way or another into little lion man (deeply cursed fandom flashbacks etc)

weyes blood with candelabras and glowing hearts and amazing adam curtis projections on the big screen behind her

king princess sending the gay girls of belgium absolutely wild - "you wanna hear a sad lesbian song?"

matty healy is a dickhead but he's very good at being the frontman of the 1975. like if ben whishaw was straight and kind of disgusting

stormzy!!! literally the rain was pouring during blinded by your grace pt 2

mumford and sons - this whole festival was like being borne back ceaseless into the past but the cave still fucks me up, marcus really in his ken marino era, face-wise

PUP - i do believe if this tour doesn't kill you, i will to be a wholly perfect song, they had a trans flag on stage, best vibes of the festival

sigur ros - sometimes you just want to be in a massive barn with thousands of people with your faces turned up in the dark feeling like you're inside the sound somehow

muse - fucking incredible live band still!! every time i'm see them i'm floored by how hot chris the bassist is and then i forget about it and then i see them again and i'm poleaxed etc. they had a tech meltdown during knights of cydonia at the encore so we got showbiz instead!!

christine and the queens - beautiful and terrible as the dawn

jacob collier - asked if we wanted to get funky then put on a special hat, bit george russell-coded in the face

arctic monkeys - sometimes you just want to be in a field with one of your oldest friends singing the songs of your youth!! i love the 70s act actually! there are so many sexy songs on AM!! the skies finally cleared for the beautiful full moon, thank you belgium, good night

#monthly media #sophposting

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lemonlyman-dotcom · 3 months

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Hi Lemon ❤️!! I have a song ask for you for Nice Ask Week!! 🎵 Lone Star, especially in seasons 1-3, gifted us with so many great songs to go along with scenes! What is your favorite song that Lone Star has used and the accompanying scene with it??

Hi Desi!! Thank you so much for sending me a music ask!! An impossible ask! I honestly think that 9-1-1 OG has the better soundtrack, their use of music is so clever and it always makes me laugh or adds to the emotional experience of whatever is happening in the show. But I do think Lone Star does that to an extent!

If I had to choose one favorite it would be Fever by Elvis playing during the sexytimes scene in 2x12 as the condo starts to burn. That was an inspired choice, and I thought they choreographed everything really well with the song and the boys being passionate and the flames sparking!

Since it’s me, I’ll give you my favorites from every season

Okay, one thing I really did love about the soundtrack in Season One is that they tried to use artists from Austin and a lot of alt country songs. That really helped with establishing authenticity.

Gold on the Ceiling by Black Keys at the end of the police station scene in 1x03. Perfection!!! It really lends to the playful manner that we see is being established in their relationship.

If You Need To, Keep Time on Me by Fleet Foxes in 1x04 while Owen showers. Love this band and this song, and it really lent itself to the scene!

Laura Marling covering A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall (Bob Dylan) when TK & Owen discuss his cancer. Inspiiiiiiired.

Westfall by Okkervil River playing during Judd’s chat with Billy about Owen taking the CPAP. I LOVE Okkervil River so much, and they are indeed from ATX!

Someday by Glorietta !!!!! David Ramirez and Noah Gunderson !!!!!! I saw them play this song live in 2018 !!!!! I swear to you I screamed when I heard this song playing in the background of this scene when I was watching live!!!! David Ramirez is also from ATX !!!! And the song is just so perfect for this moment that Owen and TK are having, and kind of this part of their story arch for the season. Where TK is kind of realizing that Owen isn’t perfect, and coming to terms with some of the ways he’s failed him in the past. (@lonestardust made an amazing gif set with this song and this scene and I need to find it so I can rb it!)

How Lucky by Kurt Vile 2x08 after TK finds out Gwyn’s leaving. KURT VILE MY BELOVED!!!!!

Dead Island when TK wakes up & Charlie is born. I had no prior concept of this song but I really really loved the way it built up and really tied the two scenes together.

Naked Kids by Grouplove during the Push In ceremony

THE MAH NA MAH NA SONG DURING THE BASEBALL GAME!!!! Took me ouuuut. THE MUPPETS??? Nothing more perfect has ever happened. 3x07

Homenaje a Lucho Macedo playing during the loft hang at the end of 3x07. I love how happy and upbeat it is while TK’s about to get the worst news of his life. And it feels like something Carlos would totally have on his playlist.

Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie when TK’s a sadboi and Carlos calls Cooper 3x13 Listen, I have seen Death Cab play live about 47 times, and let me tell you, seeing them play that song live will change your life. It will rearrange your brain chemistry. The build up! The emotion!! The absolute devastation!!! Seeing TK listening to that song took me right there and gave me all the goosebumps.

Blue Skies by Ella Fitzgerald while Carlos is being held captive in that creepy house 4x04. Again, such a perfect song (not just because Ella Fitzgerald is the greatest singer of all time) because of the complete dichotomy to the situation. So clever, I really enjoyed that!!

Wipe Out by the Ventures while Asha is interviewing the 126 in 4x05 😂😂😂

#nice ask week

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cyberdragoninfinity · 1 year

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judai for the ask game? (if it isn't too late)

NEVER TOO LATE i love chattering about yugioh guys....judaijaden my friend my beloved pal

favorite thing about them: wwaughhh judai/jaden is such a good character and i adore his character arc..... i love that he effectively has to learn how to have fun with dueling again (and thats its the King of Games himself who helps remind him of that!), and that you don't have to sacrifice your passion for what you love as you grow up. Real shit. Also he's just,, so fuckin funny (especially in the dub.))--both his dub and sub VAs do such a great job with him.

least favorite thing about them: man season 3!jaden is........rrrrrouuughhhh. not my favorite, the things that season does to his character. s3 is just. kind of clumsy in its execution dfsfdgdf it drops a lot of jaden's most endearing traits and struggles to make those personality shifts fully worth it. i do think s4 helps bring it back around though.

favorite line: IT'S SO HARD TO PICK JUST ONE HE HAS SO MANY GOOD LINES ESPECIALLY IN THE DUB. "Um, I read the card?" "Alright, Ap :^)" "This is no time to be speaking Australian!!" "I guess bear hugs and old people just don't go together :^(" DUB COMEDIC TIMING HITS DIFFERENT

brOTP: WAHH I LOVE HIM AND SYRUS'S FRIENDSHIP thats his BESTIE!!!!! His dynamic with Zane is so good too....honorary truesdale brother. I'm also a bit in the minority in that I much more enjoy thinking about and playing in the space of his bond with yubel being a sort of platonic soulmates situation. yuub being jaden's cool metalhead older sibling type beat 4 lyf round these parts

OTP: sorry for being a heroshipper it's not my fault i just LIKE THEM. his dynamic with aster is just so funny and kind of sweet and im enamored with them. what if we both liked superheroes and we were both boys and we kissed. 😳 (i like a lot of jaden ships though. rival, spirit, fiance..... i do think he'd be kind of a bad boyfriend for a number of reasons so his relationships might not. last. but. at least he has plenty of friends!!!!)

nOTP: just dont vibe much with jadenyubel as a romantic ship im afraid u__u like its fine but not really my jam.... i've talked about it before but the "ive loved you since you were a child" thing that yubel has just works so much better as a platonic read to me than a,, romantic one. sits weird with me otherwise.

random headcanon: god. so many. gay fat trans guy who's gonna grow up to look like jack black. can and will see every superhero movie that comes out. absolute s-tier smash bros player. has a fondness for pokemon firered. i could go on.

unpopular opinion: the aforementioned preferring his dynamic with yubel to be platonic, also season 1 jaden (and season 1 of gx in general!!) fucking rules. masterclass of just peak silly yugioh.

song i associate with them: One of my favorites for him is Odds Are by Barenaked Ladies.... something so upbeat and hopeful to it. "Sure things go wrong, but I'll take my chances/Odds are long, so why not play"

favorite picture of them:

i love this tag force 3 sprite of him....so cute

#ygo posting #THANK YOUUUU I LOVE JUDAI/JADEN HES SO FUN TO TALK ABOUT #asks #anonymous

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cookinguptales · 1 year

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Guillermo de la Cruz

favorite thing about them I love everything about Guillermo, lbr, but probably my absolute favorite part of his character is the way that he really, truly believes he's the straight man (so to speak) of the series, but in some ways he's the most unhinged person there. He's so sweet! As he calls in a bomb threat to a church!

least favorite thing about them the iffy writing in s4 regarding the time skip His tendency to make big, dramatic exits and then come back approximately five business days later. I love melodramatic mess as much as anyone, but it kind of loses the punch after the first time. Even though it does seem to be effective on Nandor, at least, every time.

favorite line This is hard for me, because my favorite things about Guillermo are typically what he does more than what he says. That said, I fucking gasped at his little "I didn't have to" when Nandor accused him of cheating during their last fight. Guillermo, my beloved.

brOTP Probably... Laszlo, maybe? Except they're not bros, they're vaguely antagonistic but occasionally supportive coparents of the creature that crawled out of their deceased friend Colin Robinson. I do really like their dynamic in s4, though, where you can tell that Guillermo is 1000% done with Laszlo but Laszlo is slowly coming around to respecting Guillermo's opinion (even if he drives him nuts) and that makes Guillermo come around, too. I think Guillermo growing some claws has grudgingly impressed Laszlo, even as it's confused and thrilled Nandor.

OTP I feel like this one is... obvious... I've written many thousands of words about why I love Nandor/Guillermo, and I'll probably write many thousands more. They're both fucking insane, but in a way that suits each other so well. I love their incredibly complicated power dynamics. I love the way they make each other better, when they let themselves. ;o;

nOTP Honestly, probably every other character with Guillermo. lmao. I'm a terrible monoshipper like that. But I especially hate any female character with Guillermo, Laszlo/Guillermo (just not the vibe I see there), Colin/Guillermo (feels... like incest now...), and... honestly, probably Derek/Guillermo. I feel like Derek can do better, as cruel as I am to the man.

random headcanon Guillermo's love language is providing for people. He's got an almost pathological need to be needed, but I think that especially comes out with food. We know that his family feeds people to welcome/comfort them (see: his mom in 2.10), we know that he used to have a job in food service, we know that he's an excellent baker (and is adorably proud of that fact), and we know that when he wanted to reconnect with his family, he chose to do so through a dinner. I think food really probably is Guillermo's love language, and it drives him crazy that he can't share that with his vampires, especially Nandor. It's assuaged a little bit by procuring victims (especially virgins) for them, but I think he really wants to break bread with them, so to speak. I foresee him going out to feed with Nandor a lot some day. If he ever gets changed.

unpopular opinion Guillermo is my sweet little baby but he's also a gigantic asshole -- to humans and even occasionally to the other vampires. I see a lot of people saying he "deserves" good things, but I don't think he does. I think he deserves exactly what he's gotten. He made the choices that got him here and they've been deeply cruel choices. I love him more than pretty much any other character on tv, but he's incredibly selfish and petty and mean. I love that for him, but I'm not willing to pretend that he's some sweet cinnamon roll, y'know? He'd be so boring if he were.

song i associate with them Quite a bit of the bird and the bee's work, tbh, especially Again & Again, You're A Cad, and Birthday. (And for a bonus, I associate their song Man with Nandor.) And, of course, Danse Macabre. (ETA: A lot of people didn't know that I didn't choose Danse Macabre for Guillermo when I wrote Sway! No, guys, that's Guillermo's BGM in the show! They use it for him a lot!)

favorite picture of them

my sweet, insane darling

but seriously, him smiling after showing off his stakes in his mini fridge was a close second.

#wwdits tag #memes #replies #I do REALLY love him tho god I love Guillermo

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sherifftillman · 1 year

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rj's big sappy 2022 recap

when i started this dumb little blog, on july 9th, i was midway through writing an unambiguous love and rife with other ideas for more fics that i finally decided to bite the bullet and start writing. i'd been out of the fanfic writing game for a long time, and as a day 1 stranger things fan i knew how big the fandom already was, even before s4 came out in its entirety. but i was inspired to Just Start Writing Anyway. not to worry about notes, because yeah, it's oversaturated as all hell, but that means if numbers don't do well, there's an excuse, right? and i can just enjoy writing and posting and seeing what sticks.

but now here we are, nearly half a year later, with over 1.5k of you (!!!!!!!) and i am rejuvenated, i am inspired and i have never felt more love. so i'm gonna get real sappy and share that love with you all.

first and foremost, to the og's, @denim-mixtapes + @fanatictypist, i can't say anything more to you that i haven't already in the last nine years, other than thank you for reigniting the flame under my ass to get me here again. i love you both eternally.

to the other half of my brain, my platonic soulmate, @keerysquinn, i still cannot believe we had matching urls saved. i love us so much. thank you for being my muse, constantly inspiring and encouraging me, and making me feel less alone in this insane expanse of a fandom. thank you for always being my number 1 hype person, and being the best sister wife (gn) to our beloved scrunkly.

and on that note, to @bowerquinn and @hellfirehoe; the immediate friendship, guidance and support you both showed me from the moment i first started talking to you both is something truly special. i have never felt more welcome in a community than the way you made me feel from the moment we "met", and never more loved than through the absolute ferocity with which you guys have my back. i love the three of you immensely. slut squad 4 lyf <3

after having been in the [redacted] fandom for so long, i'd really lost touch in what i used to love the most about fandom, and on the surface there's so much flack that gets thrown around for what is and isn't "canon", what's "true" and what isn't, and so i had given up on my old love of crackshipping until anna and @heroeddiemunson once again reinvigorated new ways to interpret my favourite media since, i wanna say my old glee days?? i forgot how fun it is to just take two characters and explore their dynamics with little to no canon context. and that's had my creative juices flowing consistently for months now. i just have so much fun thinking about these things, and sharing them with people who get it, it truly never gets old.

speaking of bouncing ideas back and forth, i can't talk about the shit that's changed my life this year and not talk about busy streets and busy lives. while i've had stranger things-related fics that have reached insane numbers, and i am so very grateful for that, the small and mighty community that bsbl has formed is something i hold very close to my heart. i never thought i had it in me to write a longform story. to write believable angst, or slow burn, or even original characters that people would care about. that's why i've always only ever written fanfic. but the comments i get from bsbl chapters truly make me believe that i'm capable of far more than i'd thought before i started it. thank you for loving it as much as i do. <3

(also, while i do sincerely love and appreciate every sort of commentary on it, i do have to give an extra special dose of love to @reysorigins because their reviews on @reysorigins-library are, honest to whatever's out there, some of the most genuinely sincere ones to receive. seeing your own words recited back to you, singled out to praise them, is validating and inspiring in ways i can't put into words. thank you for what you do, rey <3)

it was never even meant to be the insanity that it now is. it started off as a dumb oneshot idea that i had no idea what direction it was headed in. then an inside joke in the jq server inspired me, and many others, to start bouncing more and more ideas about what ralph would be like in the modern world, and so a fic was born. a fic that's only 6 chapters deep so far and already 52k+ words. that's a whole novel!!! i daren't tag everyone who's contributed to bsbl bc a) it'd take so much searching back through multiple channels to make sure i included absolutely everyone, and i'd feel terrible if i missed anyone out; and b) if you're there for that, you're here anyway lol. so to everyone in the jq server, thank you for giving me the gift of the story that never stops giving back.

there are so many other friends i've made through the camaraderie of the writing community. again, at first it seemed oversaturated, like i was going to be just a drop in the ocean. but actually, that's not the case. it just means there's always going to be people who are willing to listen to your headcanons and hype them up with you. it's given me the confidence to - and i can't word this in any other way but i promise it isn't self-deprecating - just be really fucking annoying about the things that i enjoy. i've managed to find a corner of the internet that loves the things that i love as much as i do and in as big a way as i do.

and the inspiration i get from new friends goes even beyond writing! i've even been inspired to start learning how to make gifs now?? and not just compiling frames and putting them together, i'm learning all about colouring and rendering and blending scenes together. i've never been very visually creative, but i have so much to learn and i'm so excited to.

it's my 2023 goal to try and be more of an active friend to my mutuals. but i'm bad at reaching out lol. i would tag all of the mutuals i want to get to know better for accountability's sake but a) again i may forget people and feel real bad about it, and b) i don't want to annoy anyone with unwanted pings. but if we're moots, i am always down to talk more!!

2022 was always going to be a big year for me anyway. a couple of weeks ago, i celebrated a decade of my "second" life. but i've done other big things this year, too. i've been learning welsh and getting in touch with my own heritage. i've started to get over my fear of learning to drive. i applied for a promotion at work, didn't get it, but most importantly, i didn't let it get me down. it's just motivated me to get to somewhere better, where the talents i KNOW i have can actually be appreciated. if you'd have told me from ten years ago that, i'd have decked you lmao.

i couldn't have imagined at the start of the year that i'd pick up the one creative hobby i thought i was fully burned out from. but here we are. thank you for the last half-year-ish. whether you've been here for five months or five minutes, i appreciate your presence regardless. <3

#ridgespeak #for a rainy day #rj has friends!

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treecakes · 2 years

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okay! natsume dub thoughts now that s1 has finished airing:

this is a mess and i love it.

i have no clue what the dub director was doing. this is a shitshow.

i cannot hate it because it is natsume and it is still entertaining but. *gestures at it*

i will never take this dub seriously and it will be the subject of my mocking for years to come probably

ALSO can they PLEASE release a full cast list i want to know who is voicing who. we only know the vas that appear in episode one 😭

okay individual va thoughts:

natsume: i didn’t like this va for him at first but he’s come a long way over the course of s1 and i’m looking forward to seeing his performance over the next five seasons and hopefully the movies too. overall i think he did a good job!! but this will always be yuki from tsuritama’s voice. i literally cannot stop thinking abt yuki from tsuritama when he speaks.

baby natsume: i think this va did a good job but there’s not many baby natsume scenes in s1… s4 is the real test with the childhood home arc.

nyanko-sensei: my absolute favourite casting choice. that is nyanko-sensei/master kitty cat. i also loved his progression over the course of this season there is a clear difference in performance between episode 1 and episode 13

cat girl nyanko-sensei: she barely appeared but i like her voice

reiko: same as above. i think her va fit her well.

nishimura: barely appeared but i think he did a good job

kitamoto: same as above.

sasada: i love her va it is perfect for her.

touko: i’m sorry i really wanted to like this casting choice 😭 i know her va was excited for this role but it’s so. i have no clue what directions she was given she started out okay then progressed to the fakest old lady voice i’ve ever heard and then in episode 13 it was a more believable old lady voice but i hated it more. but i’m trying to be nice. 😭

shigeru: he barely appeared 😭 but i like his va more than touko’s

tanuma: LEAST FAVOURITE i literally hate it so much that is not my friend tanuma kaname. that is a completely different person and i’m so mad. it is so entertaining though. but i’m so mad. i laugh every time he speaks. it is so bad.

natori: i Love this voice it sounds like an off-brand j michael tatum and it’s so funny. it’s exactly what i have been joking about for years when talking abt a hypothetical english dub. i am so happy with this. it’s so entertaining. his deliveries are really off but again. it is so entertaining to me.

hiiragi: hiiragi my BELOVED i love her voice. i can’t wait for her to appear in later episodes the moon-splitting festival arc will be so fun.

urihime: had like. two lines. she was fine 😭

sasago: same as above. i probably won’t be able to judge either of their performances until s6 takuma arc gets dubbed.

fox child: technically a recurring character and i love his voice. it’s so cute. excited to see him again in s3 :)

hinoe: yes!!!! she sounds so obnoxious and i love it

misuzu: his voice fits but i have no other opinions

the midrank youkai: they’re fine but they will never be the japanese vas.

#i think. that is everyone. i’m only judging recurring characters #i liked pretty much all of the singe episode youkai characters they all did well :)

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elainevc · 3 years

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what you do after pt.2:

WARNING: s4 spoilers

gn!reader (also reader x levi will be older than the 104th, i imagined a 25+ year old)

cw: ptsd, nightmares, angst, fluff

eren:

After the rumbling and Eren using the founding titan's powers, the rest of the eldian population was rightfully suspicious. Armin tried his best to ease the tension between the relationship, but they weren't convinced that Eren was dead.

And of course, he wasn't.

The two of you resided on Paradis, like Jean, outside the walls in a village next to a forest. The town was small and still beginning, but the two of you were just grateful to know you weren't caged like animals.

He worked training the young kids self-defense, and you worked as a blacksmith (or whatever job you'd like better; baker, weaver, farmer, etc.) and the two of you lived quietly.

You both were still young and still learning how to funtion as an adult, so it was normal for the two of you to return home and simply lay down and rest together.

It was also normal to wake up in a cold sweat. Most of the time you struggled to remember what the nightmare was about, but you could feel the dread prickling up your body until you couldn't stomach it and got out of bed.

You would begin to associate bed with nightmares, so you would alternate between the living room chair and your bed.

Eren had his own issues that he fought nightly.

He would often speak while he slept and wake up curled away from you without the blankets. Most of the time you would wake up too and pull him into a hug, but on the rare occasions that you didn't, he leave to go get a drink of water and sit on the porch.

The night sky reminded him of the Paths realm and it was oddly comforting.

You both had your triggers, some worse than others. He especially hated when the 'flying boats' would be overhead and remind him of Marley.

Neither of you fought, but things could get tense when you both were having an episode. It was best to take some time to yourselves and sort through your emotions. Other times you would sit down and talk to each other about it, effectively ending the disagreement with a hug or kiss.

Life with Eren is peaceful, but not always perfect and you're content with that.

reiner (my beloved ♥):

The two of you travel with Armin and the others to establish peace with the remaining eldians.

Most of your time is spent on a boat or a 'flying boat' and even though it's not the perfect happy ending, you two are happy wherever the other is.

You both take it slow and agree that you're still quite young to get married. You don't want to make any lasting decisions but you know that you enjoy being with him no matter what.

And neither of you are free from your past. Reiner still switches between his two distinctive personalities. It's not as intense now that the majority of the 'life or death' fighting is over, but that doesn't mean everything is okay now.

There are moments where you'll be sitting next to him and he gets this far-away stare. His eyes glaze over and his body stills.

You always grab his hand to pull him back to reality. It's not hard or firm. It's comforting to him as a constant reminder that you're together.

You have dinners and nice evenings with your friends. You all share some amount of trauma, but when you take a minute to relax and recharge your brains, it's not uncommon for your night to end a little tipsy giggling at everything Reiner says.

He loves making you laugh, and you love seeing him smile. Sometimes it feels like the two of you don't do it enough, but those around you can see just how loved up you guys are.

You're favorite thing is waking up wrapped in his warm arms. He's not overly sweaty but you're not freezing cold; he's the perfect medium and you can't get enough.

You make him food when he's down and just hold each other.

One night you found that reading to him helped him relax. He was able to eacape the world and just listen to your gentle tone lull him to sleep. If you're at home you'll get the fireplace going and just curl up in each others grasp.

Pieck adores you and absolutely supports your relationship.

levi:

When Levi lost his fingers, and his eye and knee was injured, he was absolutely terrified that you would leave him.

He already had some serious insecurity issues about his appreance, but now it's at an all time high.

Of course you stayed with him because the man could go bald, get a foot shorter, lose all of his toes and you would still love him.

You reassured him a million times but once you started tracing the scars on his face and knee he knew you were telling the truth. Something in your eyes just held so much adoration for the man that he couldn't possibly not believe you.

Seriously, how could you not love him? You'd spent years as his comrade and even more years as his significant other. You wouldn't have thrown all of that away because of a couple scars.

Anyway, you encouraged Levi to open his tea shop and you had always wanted a bookstore, so you combined the two.

You worked hard to make the café book shop a success. At one point you wanted to call it 'Ackerman's Tea & Reads' but Levi immediately shut that down despite yours and Gabi's pleads.

The two of you agreed on 'Café au Paradis', mostly because Falco read about the language and thought it was fun.

Your home is directly above the tea shop with a small kitchen and two bedrooms. The other room is often used by Gabi or Falco while they spend the night.

The idea of children had crossed your mind a few times and Levi said he would consider it, but the two of you realized that you enjoyed helping the two idiots and the remaining orphans that needed people to care for them.

You make sure to listen to everything Levi has to say, especially about his past trauma and mental health. The two of you have a healthy system of sitting down and talking every night about your progress.

When he gets particularly stubborn and refuses to talk, you wake up early the next morning to make him breakfast and show him that you'll always be there for him.

Just seeing you working at the tea shop, or hearing you hum as you push him in his wheelchair makes his heart thump in his chest. He loves your comforting nature and that you prioritize his needs.

Sometimes it bothers him that you put him first all the time, but for the smaller things, it really makes him feel loved.

Show him you love him and he'll be all yours.

#aot #attack on titan #snk #eren jaeger #reiner braun x reader #aot reiner #aot eren #aot levi #snk levi #levi ackerman #levi x reader #eren yaeger x reader #reiner braun #reiner x reader

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autisticandroids · 3 years

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yknow those episodes where a character's whole personality gets split into 3-5 different distinct separate bodies? what bodies would cas have? I feel like it'd just be a mess tbh, imagine 5 different castiels all of them loving dean to a certain extent but showing it VASTLY differently. one cas would literally want to murder the others lmao

okay so i don’t actually think this trope would be an effective tool for analyzing cas? he’s not conflicted enough in himself. he’s too impulsive, too singleminded, too uninhibited. like, in the end, cas always ends up doing whatever he wants. there aren’t multiple discrete voices vying for control, really, or rather, if there are, one is always significantly stronger than the others. like in the end cas will always end up eating raw meat off the floor, you know? he’ll do what he wants. if i was going to do personality splitting i’d do it to someone intensely internally conflicted, like dean.

however, because i’m in an essay writing mood today, i’ll answer a question slightly to the left of the one you asked. cas may not be internally conflicted, but he is intensely changeable. these two things are related, actually; the same impulsivity and singlemindedness that mean he doesn’t have a ton of internal conflict at any given time mean that different ideas sound good to him at different times, because he isn’t really thinking about, say, what future-him will think of them. and he’s not really trying to maintain an image or identity. he’s just doing what feels right at the time, which is very different at different times and in different situations.

anyway, that in mind, i think a lot about ways to bring together many alternate versions of cas which sort of correspond to different times in the show.

i have a fic in my head about a bunch of cas-es pulled from alternate timelines by some kind of spell. so this would be set during the widower arc because the basic impulse here is to show dean a very bad time. just absolutely put him through hell. also, all the alternate timelines are different because different stuff happened, not because cas made different choices, because if we’re torturing dean it has to be like 5x04, the changes in cas can’t be cas’ fault. they have to be dean’s or just like, the universe’s (which makes them dean’s).

so dean is trying to bring cas back, and he finds some kind of spell that can bring someone “from another world.” and he tries it because hey. can’t hurt to try. anyway i’ve thought a long time about different versions of cas i would put in this and here is what i have. in order of when the timeline split off.

- a cas who never raised dean from hell. think 14x13 “lebanon.” this one i’m not too sure about, like, this could be fun, but i don’t know if it’s different enough from the next one. like this castiel would have lived through the averted apocalypse and subsequent general fuckery that happened as an angelic footsoldier, which would actually be pretty interesting now that i think about it, especially since all that stuff would have gone down soooooooo differently without cas specifically for your average angel footsoldier. like cas has PERSONALLY caused more upheaval in heaven in twelve years of spn than there seems to have been in millennia. so he would be the point of view of a normal footsoldier from a totally other world.

- a cas who died mid season four, and is pulled out of the empty in 2017 by this spell. i’m not sure when this cas died. my thoughts are (1) killed in on the head of a pin by alistair, (2) killed during his torture in the rapture, or (3) simply never resurrected after lucifer rising. (3) makes the most sense, but that cas has already thrown away everything for dean. i prefer the idea of a cas who loves dean, is already on the brink of disobedience for him, but has not yet taken the plunge. both on the head of a pin and the rapture are great places for this, and they both have strengths and weaknesses. if he died in the rapture, he was killed by heaven, which is fundamentally more fun, but he was also really very much over the edge already. if he died in on the head of a pin, he wasn’t killed by heaven, but he is perfectly teetering on the brink of falling for dean. regardless of when he died, the purpose of this cas is to be horrified at all the various and myriad ways he has destroyed and corrupted himself for dean in the other timelines.

- possibly endverse cas, who would have died in 2014, but like s4 cas, would have been pulled from the afterlife by the spell. i’m not so sure on this one. we as a society love endverse cas but i dunno what purpose he would serve. maybe endverse cas didn’t die in 2014, and instead was imprisoned by lucifer, because, you know. he’s the only brother lucifer has left. so he is very excited to see dean alive and well, since his dean is dead, and, not being an angel, cas can’t bring him back. the purpose of this cas would be to horrify dean that cas loves him and needs him so much, and to disgust the other cas-es with his neediness.

- a cas who was in some way on better terms with dean during s6. maybe dean and cas ride off into the sunset together after swan song instead of dean going to live with lisa, maybe dean prayed to cas while he was with lisa because he missed him, who knows. either way, cas has dean’s help with the angel revolution in season six from the start, and never goes to crowley. the plan cas and dean come up with to beat raphael includes breaking into the cage and stealing the grace of michael and lucifer, freeing sam and adam in the process. incidentally, it also involves cas possessing dean, because if cas is gonna eat archangel grace to become more powerful, he’s going to need a stronger vessel. so cas and dean have a whole like. midam situation happening. they’re a double archangel together, and godstiel never happened so none of the other terrible apocalypses that stemmed from that happened, and everything is pretty cool where they’re from, and also they’re obviously uhhhhhh SOME kind of together. the purpose of this cas is to upset dean because this cas shows how much better everything could have been and how much better his and cas’ relationship could have been if dean had simply been more considerate of cas in s6, and also freak dean out with how uh. close. this dean and cas are.

- a godstiel who managed to swallow purgatory without swallowing the leviathans and remained god. he’s probably soooomewhat less scary and murdery than canonverse godstiel because no leviathans, so you know, not as many angel purges or massacres on earth. and he probably went and fixed sam’s wall within about three days because cas is prideful but he does NOT like it when dean is mad at him. so they did kiss and make up, and so this cas would have had dean to act as his morality chain. but he’s still very scary and godstiel. and also he refers to dean as “The Beloved” you know. his purpose is to freak everyone out, because he’s scary, but also, for the past cas-es, because he is a terrifying abomination that they could never imagine becoming, for the future cas-es, because he is a reminder of their worst selves, and for dean, because he is a reminder of how dangerous cas is, but also because he uh. obviously has some feelings about his dean. unclear if they are consummated or not.

- a cas who naomi never rescued from purgatory, and who stayed there. hasn't spoken to another being in half a decade, has not recovered from his emotionally destroyed state in purgatory in s8. believes at first that the spell is his dean rescuing him, and is crushed when he realizes he was wrong. like endverse cas, his purpose is to show dean how much cas needs him and depends on him emotionally, and how he (dean) is capable of destroying cas, as well as his guilt for leaving him in purgatory and how lucky he is that his cas got out. this is especially noteworthy since the guilt for leaving cas in purgatory is part of the reason dean is trying to get cas back.

- a cas who stayed human after season nine, and has built himself a small human life over the next four years. he has a job and an apartment and friends outside the winchesters and yes, he still goes hunting after work sometimes, and he's still in contact with dean, but he is also independent in a way no other version of cas has ever been. he exists to freak out dean because dean has never seen cas independent of him. he is also fairly bitter at dean since dean did kind of stop spending time with him when he was no longer useful, and our dean feels guilty for that.

- a cas who showed up twenty minutes later in 10x03, finding sam dead and dean gone, and had to chase down demon dean, and has now spent three years following demon dean around as his tragically adoring stalker, because he hasn't found a way to resurrect sam yet and he doesn't want to put dean through the demon cure until he can save sam because he doesn't want dean to experience that guilt, but he also adores dean and wants to keep an eye on him and keep him safe and also keep him from doing anything too heinous, so he just covertly follows him around the country and watches from a distance as he commits various murders and fucks his way through every local bar scene. and occasionally cas finds dean something to kill, when the mark gets hungry, and drops it in his path. his purpose is to freak dean out with the lengths cas would go for him, and the depths cas would sink to.

anyway. lebanon cas and season four cas are horrified and perhaps disgusted (lebanon cas more than s4 cas) by ALL of the later cas-es, and how far they’re fallen, all of it for dean. godstiel and archangel cas being abominations, endverse cas and s9 cas being fallen, even purgatory cas and demon dean’s cas for their total dependence on dean.

purgatory cas and endverse cas are just happy to see a dean, even if it’s not their dean. demon dean’s cas, too, in a way. he’s happy to see a dean who is still human, who he can still have as a friend.

human cas is pissed to see that he was right, that dean would have stuck by him if he’d still had his powers, that this version of dean is doing spells to try and bring his cas, who is still an angel, back, whereas he and his dean only see each other once every couple months.

everyone is terrified and disgusted by godstiel, as i said before.

they’re mostly kind of thrown by archangel cas. a lot of them are jealous. godstiel is furious because how dare anyone, even an alternate version of himself, take dean as a vessel (even if dean likes it). godstiel isn’t really there, though, he resisted the summoning and just sort of popped his head through to see what was going on, and he goes back to his own reality pretty fast without murdering anyone.

also to be clear dean has not at this point examined or acknowledged any feelings he may have about his cas besides “friendship,” nor has he wondered what feelings his cas may have for him. given how many of the cas-es were clearly in some kind of relationship with their dean (endverse cas, archangel cas) or just openly in love with their dean (godstiel, purgatory cas, demon dean’s cas), dean is forced to reevaluate the nature of his and cas’ relationship.

#spn #asks #anonymous

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raayllum · 1 year

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which season of tdp is your favourite?

Ooh that's hard because every season is so distinct and fun for its own reasons, but

Season Three: 11/10

Probably my fave season just because I always tend to love conclusions the most and given that this is the conclusion of the first arc, that completely tracks. Has my favourite Ezran arc (specifically 3x02), Soren arc, and arc for Rayla, as well as my fave flashback episode (3x06) that I also think is included a very natural place in the story. I love the Final Battle and big epic fantasy battles in general. The boys reuniting an episode before Claudia and Soren are split apart is a perfect display of beautiful symmetry. I love my trash son Prince Kasef. Lux Aurea is probs my fave location in the series, going back and finally seeing more of Rayla's village / of her family. 3x08 is also the first time her self sacrificial tendencies are portrayed as remotely negative which I'd been waiting for since S2, as well as the "Callum chasing after Rayla" pattern from S1, so it was extremely satisfying watching both of those come to fruition. Rayllum is a big highlight of the season ofc in all their dorky sweet awkwardness and emotional support.

Season Two: 10/10

I love the precarious uncertainty of everyone trying to figure out what side they're on, the secrets coming to light, who to trust, the sheer gut-punch the last three episodes are in particular. Has my fave Soren&Claudia dynamic, I adore the Rayllum, and I have a special spot in my heart for 2x02-2x03. A little lower than S3 for reasons stated above / the Viren&Aaravos plot line isn't as interesting to me on rewatches and although the flashback episodes make me cry, they do kinda slow down the pace of the season right in the middle. 2x01 was for a time my least fave (but still good of course) ep of the show (it still might be or swapped in for another S1 ep) but I've grown to really love it too, even if it's much slower. The scenery in it is just so beautiful. Also more Corvus my beloved

Season Four: 8.75/10

Strongest season thematically, I will die on that hill. Also my favourite arcs for Viren, favourite season for Ezran, and Ezran's bond with Zym. I also think next to season three this might have the best blend of (if not the most) hardcore worldbuilding amid plot. Might also have my favourite Callum arc in a way, although that's probably a close tie to S2; I do love how much this one is oriented around emotions and isolation though, as opposed to the slightly more straight forward grief - magic duality in S2. Season four also probably has the best intentional comedy for me since S1 which is very nice. Janai's best season and she's always been my fave side character next to Ellis. Also the angst and how lowkey emotionally exhausting this season is, love Rayllum with my whole heart, Claudia and Soren's whole conversation? Slaps. Also Terry my beloved, I adore him as an addition to the cast and I cannot wait to see even more of him going forward.

Season One: 8/10

Funniest season imo (Claudia and Soren's 'walnut' joke notwithstanding) and the season I 100% have the most nostalgia over for both story and in real life reasons, which is why it's truly impressive that S4 is over it because I adore S1 like an unreasonable amount. Has my favourite premiere episode so far (with 4x01 as my second) and early trio / Rayllum interactions (1x02-1x06) are absolutely peak and I always love discussing and thinking about them. Also my second fave season for Rayla and possibly first for Ezran&Callum's brother dynamic as well although I'd have to think about it more. I miss King Harrow every damn day. The scene where Zym takes Rayla's binding off makes me cry every time

#tdp #the dragon prince #dragons rambles #forbidden op lore #i'm fully expecting my top three seasons in the end to be #1) ocean 2) s7 and 3) sun tbh #thanks for asking #anonymous

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leavemeuntold · 2 years

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best druck actors in your opinion? like idk top 5 please

oh i’ve been dying to talk about this, here we go:

1. Michelangelo (Matteo) — he was brilliant every single moment of his time on screen. so much control over his body, facial expressions and tone. he handled that script beautifully and i’m so glad he got to shine in s3, he made me go from not caring about matteo one bit to his season being one of my number ones in all of skamverse; same goes for matteo as a character and as an isak remake. michi is truly one of a kind.

2. Casper (Constantin) — this man. i’ve been openly praising him for months now and i’m so glad the viewers have noticed how truly talented he is. no one likes constantin, but everyone loves casper and that’s how it should be!! everything i said about michi applies to him as well; he demolishes every scene he’s in, always gives and never takes. what he does with the script is pure art and i truly believe he was born for this.

3. Mina-Giselle (Nora) — so young and so much talent! in my opinion her season is the best one in all of skamverse and it is in great part thanks to how well she carried that script. despite the topic of s5 being extremely heavy, it was a joy to watch her every single second and hers will forever be one of my favourite performances of all time.

4. Eren (Ismail) — always so convincing and natural; they keep me engaged and constantly wanting more. somehow they have chemistry with every single one of their co-actors and i feel like they could tackle any type of script without a problem. they deserved so much more from this show, but they’ve done brilliantly with what they’ve been given.

5. Milena (Mia) — i have to admit i never cared about mia too much, but milena’s talent is undeniable. the break up scene with alex in s4 still haunts me. and that’s just one of her highlights.

Honorable mentions:

Sira (Fatou) — there’s a reason why fatou is one of, if not the most beloved characters of new gen. sira helped make her so relatable and so real. she’s so engaging and expressive, amazing to watch.

Anselm (Jonas) — with being a prominent character in two seasons without ever being the main, he always managed to steal the show in his own way for me. one of the most loveable jonases. and really funny!

Paul (Sascha) — he simply has my heart. i truly wish sascha had gotten all that screentime instead of lou. some actors are given loveable characters to play but don’t exactly do it right and end up coming off as either boring or annoying, but in my opinion he does it perfectly. sascha is absolutely at the very top of my favourite skam characters list. i’m not sure how many viewers share my opinion, but no matter what i’m so happy to have sascha and paul; they’ve just brought me so much joy.

thank you so much for the question anon! <3 sorry that this ended up being such a long answer 😅

#druck

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mrs-nate-humphrey · 3 years

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I am curious: what are your favorite scenes from your main ships (date, dair, derena...)?

scenes involving milo don't count, sorry!

for me, it's really not just scenes, but body language & just in general, how they are with each other, you know? dan and serena grin at each other and hug SO much, you can tell that being around each other in s1 made them both so happy, and even after that glow fades the way they look for comfort in each other... top level stuff. the way blair looks at dan... we never see her as radiant at any other point. she was not looking at anyone else like this. and gosh, dan and nate. they're both so comfortable around each other that there's absolutely nothing weird about like. discussing that one ex girlfriend whom they both share AND both were in love with. there is literally no other duo who trusts/enjoys each other's company so much that they're comfortable in a love triangle. (probably because they're more in love with each other than with the girl, but that is not the point. or is it?)

anyway, more specific answers. under the cut. this is one of the longest answers i've ever written on this blog possibly but you KNEW that would happen when you sent this ask, didn't you? (affectionate)

derena: i tagged one of my ds reblogs as 'the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one' and like. look at them! this hug from 1x10 kills me in the best way. they are both the literal embodiment of :D when they see each other! i love 1x10 as a whole moment, their entire thing at cotillion is so sweet and they're both so happy. the fact that he is talking about his chemistry teacher during this kiss in 1x07. that bit at the end of 1x05 when they talk about their siblings (being there for their sibling because of fallible parents being a derena parallel makes me simultaneously really sad and really soft, tbh). 1x05 gives me SO MUCH SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT but the way they walk off together arms around each other does something to me - these are two people who are still getting to know each other but who really like what they see, and who trust each other and. are just having a good time together! back when derena was my OTP, the 1x11 "your story's about me?" was absolutely a fave, too, and i still adore it, albeit in a different, more nostalgic way. i like a dan who writes cute stories about serena. no empty shell sabrina van skoneker bullshit. she is so much like you, daniel! you'd be shattered if she did this to you. don't do this to her. tbh, most derena moments from s1 are just A+ romance. the bit in 2x02 in the jitney is so funny, they're SO bad at being exes. the bit in... 3x03 i think?? i don't remember... on the contrary. when they're talking about dan's fling w/ georgina and serena's relationship with carter, the ease with which they talk and how happy/supportive they are of each other's new relationships... yeah. love to see it.

i also really like any instance of them having honest/open conversations. 1x13, talking about how serena is concerned about blair. 1x08, serena talking to dan about feeling jealous of vanessa. this bit from the touch of eva or whatever that episode is. 4x04 i think. this is the conversation everyone is trying to get dan to have and he's avoiding EVERYONE else. derena interactions in 3x21 (can't find a gif right now) - the fact that dan is with serena when her dad abandons them, the fact that he goes all the way there with her. 2x07, "i'm really glad you're nate's friend. he really needs someone like you right now" (though i'm cheating, that's technically a d/n moment too klhdflkgf). there's a bit in s4 where he's advising her against having an affair w/ colin, i don't remember the ep number, but the way he takes her side so easily and naturally and puts due blame/responsibility solely on her professor... yeah. 4x10 i think this ep is?? idk. but like my tags say, im sentimental about this moment because while what dan was doing was irresponsible, sneaking her out of the ostroff, he was the only person in this episode who was actually talking to her and listening to her and taking her seriously. nobody else was doing that!!

i probably have more moments i'm not remembering, but we're only 1/3 into this answer and LOOK AT THE WORDS, good lord, i'm sorry.

dair: my favourite dair episode is hands down despicable b (5x21) which i have heard is an uncommon answer. i just love the conflict resolution of it all, okay!!! 1x04 & 2x08 are like. standard answers any dair shipper will give, and i'm no different. i love dan being able to give blair advice and blair actually taking his advice even though they're not friends yet!!! be right back, yelling at the intimacy of it all!! 5x16, with their getting together (this little kiss and dan being so startled by it), blair admitting a flaw she genuinely does have and dan saying it's not awful because it's her, which is just. romance at its finest. those vows, good lord. 5x18.... they're having fun! blair showing up at the loft in lingerie for dan... the delight on her face.... (i know this moment blows up in their face but when she's there she looks so happy and proud of herself and this was like THE moment when i was like. oh. dair is really the heart of this garbage show huh).

i think for me, the thing that really sells dan & blair together is the serena of it all. both of them love serena more fiercely than anyone else, and that is what brings them together. (fwiw i definitely think nate loved serena this much and this deeply, too; the writers just wanted to pop the serenate balloon, which even i think was extremely unnecessary and ooc.) but (& i have so much meta about this) their relationship grows beyond serena. their entire s4 arc is SO good. i love how comfortable around each other they are, in such an adult way, in the sense of like. they both bring so much stability to each other? morgan tagged this edit "the marrieds" and like. yeah. b offers to help him shave. they're having breakfast & reading the paper together.

all the love declarations we got that weren't a simple 'i love you.' be your charming wonderful self (how could she not love you/ tell me what would make you happy, dan) i told chuck he doesn't have my heart anymore (you spent your life earning the keys to set you free when you were free all along!!!!) dan's pep talk to blair in 5x21 (already linked a gifset earlier, here's another one if you want i guess). there's definitely more... but honestly, the way the dair arc was executed was so good - while i do have my complaints, i also think keeping those aside, it was SO close to perfect. i love dan & blair's banter and gradually becoming closer and closer and closer. it felt very organic and real and GOSH. the way penn & leighton looked at each other while playing dan and blair...... it's just SO MUCH.

date: this is the hardest, because it's. *screams*. maybe you saw me losing my mind over those 2 seconds of nate handing dan a waffle? i love almost every scene with these two, even the hellish s6 breakup scene. my favourite episode for d/n (& also favourite gg episode in general) is 2x06 - i love the homoerotic subtext of it all. nate pretending to be dan because dan's name is the first name that came to his head. dan flirting w/ nate while tied to that thing, in his underwear. them becoming friends. and 2x07 as a follow-up to that! dan getting nate to live in the loft with the humphreys for a while. i am so soft.

4x09 is a terrible episode in general, especially for serena my beloved, but the d/n moments in that one? off the CHARTS. this weird overly macho flirting, in some ways THE most iconic d/n line. this entire finish each other's sentences nonsense. someone (i think it was ana but im not sure?) compared the energy of those scenes i just linked to the book blairenate love triangle resolution, blairena choosing each other over nate in the books, date choosing each other over serena in the show (if only! RIP.) after the saints & sinners ball, this cute little moment of 'youre the only one who understands me. please tell me they went home together. i mean. how could they not have.

3x07, them watching vampire porn together. a tag i used on ao3 (& also on here, once) is 'nate brings out the himbo in dan'. here is a prime example. 'is she levitating?' i don't fucking know, dan, what do you think?? (i was telling my partner that that's what i love abt dair vs date. around blair dan is an intellectual, a librarian, an art historian, a museum curator. around nate it's like dan is competing to be #1 himbo on the show. can my girlfriend actually fly? i don't know, dan. i can't believe you're seriously asking such a question.)

3x12 pep talk. (sorry about the shitty quality!) essentially nate telling dan that he (dan) is hot and that he shouldn't talk himself down so much.

dan making nate gay in his book. you know. his book from which blair found out he was in love with her. nads (who i will not tag in this billion word long gushy meta, because i value her sanity) once called inside "wish fulfilment' and. i mean. yeah

nate checking dan out at the derena wedding continues to be hilarious. hilarious in the same way as dan sexually fantasising about nate. canon really went 'let's give ivy some special easter eggs' and i appreciate them a lot!

i love the way they are around each other - so quietly attuned to each other. i showed my sister my date!husbands gifset, and she was like. yeah they're so married. and it's just stuff like how dan looks for nate over his shoulder, it's not even an active action, it's as easy and natural and intuitive as breathing, checking to see if nate is still there.

oh, that wasn't as hard as it could've been! okay. cool. im SURE there's more things i could scream about, because it's DN, the fact that they're non-canon makes me THAT much fiercer about them than dair/derena, to be honest. so many dots to connect!! anyway.

#meta #derena #dair #date #anon #this is SUCH a gushy essay but like. what did you expect #how else could i have answered this #this took. an embarrassingly long amount of time #but i had SO much fun so #citations for my ships #don't mind me *whistles under my breath*

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moonlightserenadeeznutz · 3 years

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(New) Doctor Who hasn’t been good since S4.

(Please note: This post is really only for people who already agree with me, rather than people who disagree with me, because I don’t want to change anyone’s opinions, nor do I want to ruin DW for anyone. So if you disagree with me, you have no obligation to read any further, and I hope you have a nice day). ~ Okay, look...

First of all: I love Matt Smith. I think he was a fantastic Doctor. He was an absolute sweetheart, and a wonderful actor.

I also loved Clara Oswald as a companion. And all in all, I enjoyed post-s4 of NewWho, with a number of episodes that stood out to me (mainly written by Neil Gaiman... please can we make him a permanent author) and genuinely didn’t dislike it.

However, I really believe that the Steven Moffat era (s5 and onwards) and especially the Chris Chibnall era (s11 and onwards), couldn’t live up to the Russel T Davis era (s1-4).

For starters, I found the episodes post s4 really difficult to get invested into. I feel like the writers tried too hard to make it dramatic, and in turn simply made it complicated to follow along and frankly, a little boring. Too many characters had an unnecessary amount of importance placed on them, and too many episodes contained more than one plot point (again, as an attempt to make it dramatic, and therefore making it too complicated).

I also disliked the complete disregard for anything that happened pre-s5. I understand the timeline to an extent, for example, by the time the Doctor met Amy it had technically been about a hundred years since he’d last seen Rose give or take (though it had literally only been a few days since he’d last seen Donna and she wasn’t mentioned at all). This may just be my inability to really cope with major change, but then, a lot of people are like me, so disregarding everything just makes the show inaccessible to a number of people. I was screaming at the TV screen half the time wanting the Doctor to mention Rose, or Martha, or Donna, or Jack, but they hardly got a look in. Even in The Day of the Doctor, the appearance of “Rose” was frankly disappointing.

And this is just talking about s5 and onwards. I haven’t yet mentioned how good pre-s4 was. I’m not saying every episode was a masterpiece, but there were an incredible amount of well-thought out and interesting storylines. The entire Bad Wolf storyline and how it threaded through all four seasons even after Rose had gone was, and still is, my favourite thing ever. The Daleks and the Cybemen were actually threatening (as opposed to just nuisances like they were post-s5, which I suppose by that time they were, but it’s funny how some characters were described as the most dangerous and evil characters when tbh they really weren’t, but the Daleks and the Cybermen hardly ever were. I’d also like to point out that the Cybermen hadn’t actually been seen again by the Doctor since the battle at Canary Wharf (although I may be wrong on this, someone please correct me), and when Eleven did see them again, he acted more as if they were just an inconvenience, rather than the reason he lost one of his companions).

And don’t even get me started on the companions of pre-s5. Yes I love Clara, but that’s really about it. I never got invested in Amy, despite the show making her out to be god incarnated and the most important person in the Doctor’s life. I actually got more invested in Rory tbh. I’m not saying I didn’t like Amy, I just didn’t really see the big deal. Adding this to the fact that my favourite companions (all of which are in pre-s5) were never mentioned made me genuinely angry at Amy. It wasn’t her fault, but she had an air of smugness around her, as if she knew everything there is to know about the Doctor, but out of all of the companions she actually doesn’t know that much at all. She barely even knows that the Doctor can regenerate.

The companions in s1-4 were on a different level. Rose Tyler is my beloved, who absorbed the time vortex and became Bad Wolf. Martha Jones was the most badass motherf*cker who literally became a walking legend throughout the entire world as she travelled for a year on her own to defeat the Master- which she did, single f*cking handedly. Donna Noble was Catherine Tate. (And also she was the most hilarious, wonderful won’t-take-shit-from-a-spaceman icon who literally became a Time Lord. AND JACK MOTHERFUCKING HARKNESS THE GUY I LITERALLY NAMED MYSELF AFTER THE IMMORTAL OMNISEXUAL ALIEN JOHN FUCKING BARROWMAN LGBTQ+ ICON ALL THE WAY FROM 2005 CANNOT BE COMPARED IN LOVE WITH THE DOCTOR FLIRTS WITH EVERYONE SMOOTH SON OF A BITCH WITH A SMILE THAT CAN KILL EVEN MY LESBIAN ARSE.

Amy was just... sort of nothing? I don’t want to criticise too much because I know she’s the favourite companion of a lot of people, and I don’t want to ruin her for them. I don’t think she’s a bad companion. A lot of my anger towards her is more to do with me rather than to do with her. I just feel that she was placed on a pedestal and treated way more than her predecessors for no real reason.

She was “The girl who waited”. She was an eight year old who sat outiside for a night waiting for the Doctor. It’s sweet and all, but why is that literally her only personality trait?

There’s probably more I can add, but I’ve gone on long enough. And I must reiterate this is only personal opinion. I understand the title is a bit too blunt, one of those “if you don’t agree with me you’re an idiot” sort of posts, but it isn’t. This is just how I feel, and I encourage you to disagree with me, because I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone. Believe me, lots of things have been ruined for me by someone giving a negative opinion about it (though I’m not calling those people out or anything) because I’ve felt obliged to agree, or I’ve felt that my opinion is wrong. So I’m not trying to do that, I’m really just writing this for the people who already agree, rather than the people who disagree, because I’m not here to change anyone’s opinion.

Amy’s great. Matt Smith is fantastic. S5 and onwards has some enjoyable storylines. Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer, so is Russel T Davis. Chris Chibnall isn’t but I think we can all agree with that. Martha is underrated as shit. Catherine Tate is queen of my life (I met her once, she gave up her seat for me on the Tube when I was a kid. Didn’t know who she was back then but my mother was very excited). Rose Tyler can marry me. Jack Harkness is the only reason I’m happy. And Clara is a sweetheart who needs constant protection.

Thank you for coming to be TEDTalk.

#long post #doctor who #not hp #newwho #david tennant #russel t davis #rose tyler #rant #doctor who rant #neil gaiman

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mischas · 3 years

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You know, it’s funny (not really) how reading the asks people send you and your answers too make me think how we’re all here sort of trying to make sense of stupid mistakes a male writer made, and in this very weird way ended up affecting us too.

This is comforting because it’s almost like a group therapy for people that can’t get over how their favorite characters got screwed, but also I feel deeply sad about it sometimes.

That we can’t actually change stuff or at least make people realize how toxic it is to have Joshes writing most tv shows for an entire generation.

I know there have been better shows, and I know things are changing more and more with time but I still feel like it’s still not enough. Even nowadays there are shows that mistreat female characters I adore and it leaves me devastated. The fact that they need to ruin characters thinking the audience will only keep watching if there’s drama happening. We want wholesome stories, we want to watch the characters we love evolve.

I wish I could see all the Marissas that grew up and overcame their problems writing and directing shows, I wish that they were written by people like us that know how much a fictional character can matter to others, how they can literally change lives at times, how they keep company to people that are depressed or sick... I wish they knew how crafting a story should be something done with responsibility and not only thinking of numbers and $$$. I know this is me romanticizing an industry but I wish it was possible.

This message made me tear up a little, not gonna lie. I very much agree with everything you said. To have writers and show runners shit on characters we've come to be so intimate with is so cruel. I know the rebuttal is easy: "it's just a tv show, move on". But these people in the entertainment industry market their products to us because of the personal attachment we'll make. Our involvement, watching on tv/streaming/whatever, is literally vital to their success. It's gross to me that people involved always react to deeply felt criticism so harshly. It's like, YOU'RE the one who enabled us to get so deep.

Making ~edgy~ decisions for beloved characters is not it. Every show wants to be Breaking Bad, keep fans on their toes, but guess what... it fucking takes work. It takes meticulous planning. (I'm rewatching BrBa right now so excuse this tangent but it's the greatest show of all time for a fucking reason.) Vince Gilligan couldn't just go about willy nilly with storylines and 'see where it goes' !

I don't watch a ton of current tv, but I'm sorry that it's still happening. I won't get into this because it truly makes my blood boil but the way my favorite character on GoT was shafted is unforgivable. Female characters are always the first to be turned upside down, whether for manpain, to drive the plot forward no matter what, or for manic pixie dream girl content.

My relationship to The OC is very complicated. That's partly why listening to the podcast is difficult for me, especially if they start talking about s4 which readers of this blog should know I try to avoid as much as possible. Something you get so emotionally invested in can absolutely break your heart, and I wish more people were sensitive about that.

One last thing, the choices that writers make are so often not just about narrative decision. There's appeasing networks, studio heads, what demographic is tracking, etc. In Josh's choice, he was catering to trolls on TWoP who hated Marissa. What a cowardly reason. *to Josh* How about you do the work to make Marissa's life easier so she's not the drama magnet you always had wet dreams about. And it's not always the women treated terribly. Look at Veronica Mars. They killed a character so they could have a noir procedural that'll likely never happen. So fucking dumb.

#ask #anonymous #i'm tired

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theyruinedeuron · 4 years

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So I’m rewatching GoT for the first time, with my girlfriend, because she hasn’t watched it before.

When I first watched all of these episodes, I did so without a critical eye. I used to think, “Hey, they’re just trying to finish a story and George didn’t help them out. I’ll live with these decisions.” Then s7 and s8 happened and I couldn’t excuse it anymore. So now that I’m watching more critically, here’s a little thing I typed up. It deals mostly with s5, which fucking sucks. It does, people. Don’t let That One Good ACtion Sequence fool you. Because that’s what the show became, slowly starting in s4, expanding in 5, and taking full hold in 6. It was writing to get from one Big Event to the next. The stuff in between was just filler.

The show really takes a downturn when they started writing their own original story lines. They're fairly bad writers. They don't care about logical consistency at all. For instance, multiple times in season 5, once by Littlefinger, and once by Benioff himself, Stannis is referred to as having one of the finest military minds in Westeros. And yet he does nothing to show that at all, and in fact, by letting RAmsay Bolton destroy all of his shit with 20 men and then letting Ramsay just surround him on the field of battle, looks like one of the dumbest military minds in Westeros. When they chose to only do 7 1/2 seasons it obviously meant story lines had to be cut and various side character plots had to be given to main characters. But the problem is, they SUCKED at doing it in a logical manner. Here are all of the absolutely dumb fucking story lines in 5: 1. Sansa being sold to the Boltons. Now, perhaps it makes some logical sense for Littlefinger to make his move on the Throne, what with Twyin dead, Tommen being a weak ruler, Cersei doing everything she possibly can to fuck over the Tyrells, and the Freys essentially taking command of the Riverlands. Ally the Vale with the Boltons and Freys, and you might be able to march South. But Littlefinger specifically says to Sansa that he would put his money on..STANNIS WINNING. Let me say that again, Littlefinger tells Sansa that he thinks STANNIS WILL BEAT THE BOLTONS. So then, why would you ally with the Boltons if you think they're about to lose the fucking war? Now, I get it that Littlefinger probably figures he has no shot at allying himself with Stannis, what with what happened at the Blackwater. But there are other options out there...like, ya know, the Tyrells, whom Littlefinger already has a relationship with. Or the Martells, who despise the Lannisters entirely. 2. Dorne is just a total mess. I wasn't a huge fan of Dorne in the books, and I understand not wanting to introduce 8 Sand Sankes, Arianne, Quentyn, and a Prince Doran who is a much larger player in the books. That's a lot of new characters for a TV show 5 seasons in. Ok. So we have to condense the story and they chose to use the woman who we've already met in season 4. Fine. But, holy fuck is it stupid. First of all, every scene that involves the Sand Snakes is just cringe. But the real issue, and its the issue that plagues the entire season, and eventually the rest of the series going forward, is the total lack of political consequences in any meaningful way. George doesn't let that happen, and when they're following George, you got to see that. JOffrey sucks as a ruler and is believed to be the child of incest? Alright, well here comes a crowd riot wherein Sansa almost gets raped. Ned telling Cersei he knows she fucks Jaime, ordering Twyin to the Capital and the arrest of the Mountain, and then not seizing the Throne to prevent Cersei and Joffrey from taking him out? Ok, there goes his head. Same with Robb. But here, Elia and the Sand Snakes kill the Prince of Dorne and his son and...nothing. THey just...take over. With four people. The entire Dornish army just follows them w/o question. No political consequences at all in Dorne. We're just supposed to assume that assassinations and coups are just easy peasy, over and done. Which flies totally in the face of what we know about assassinating beloved leaders. Littlefinger killed Lysa because she couldn't keep her mouth shut about John ARryn. Had people found out, they'd have executed Littlefinger in the Vale. But Elia? Nah, who cares bro... Then, when they try to still have some semblance of a political drama as opposed to a series based around 3-4 Major Action Sequences a season with various annoying plot points in between, you get the stupidity of Jon being killed. So, they kill him for allowing Wildlings in...after letting the Wildlings in??????? Like....they're already in. Thorne LET THEM IN. In the books, they kill him because he's about to take a Wildling Army South and fight for Winterfell, clearly violating his oaths. By killing him, they actually stop that action. Here..they stop nothing. They do nothing. All of the Wildlings are already fucking south of the wall. Too late. This continues into the later seasons. Cersei, after being found out as a incestuous, not only resumes her role as Queen w/o so much as a peep from the commoners or Lords, but she then kills off 1) Mace, Margaery and Loras Tyrell. One is the head of a beloved House who feeds the capital. His daughter is a beloved Queen who goes out of her way to help the poor and the other is a popular swordsmen who was won multiple tourneys. 2) The High Sparrow, a religious revolutionary who has captured the hearts of the city and the faith 3) Kevan Lannister, the eldest stateman of House Lannister and countless others. And what happens to her? Well, Varys talks a little about how she's hated by the common folk but...that's it. I mean sure, Dorne and Highgarden join her enemy, but they die in the span of two episodes. Totally and completely. And when Cersei loses, it has zip to do with her poor ass decision making. Randomly killing off your allies, your very rich allies (when you're House is actually now broke), is a terrible idea. But she pays no price. She lost for the same reason whoever loses to Daenerys in the books will lose. Whether that's Cersei or fAegon or even Stannis on the Throne when she gets to Westeros. George has beaten us over the head time and time and time again: they'll lose because Daenerys has dragons and they don't. Cersei never paid once for her shitty decisions. Which makes their decision to focus the end of the series on the political element truly disastrous. They stopped giving a fuck about showing any real political ramifications in season 5. Also, I used to be a fan of keeping Beric and not bringing in Lady Stoneheart. I didn't like the character. But, seeing how they had no idea whatsoever how to use Jaime if he wasn't tied to Cersei (and probably just making the decision to keep Jaime with Cersei because they liked Lena too much), I'd have rather had Lady Stoneheart and the plot from the books. Because when they have to get Jaime out of KL for Cersei to 1) Beclown herself and get arrested by the Faith and 2) Blow up the Sept, causing the death of their son, they do so in the clumsiest, most boring ways possible. First, was this Dornish mission, that sucks ass. Later, it's the pointless Siege of RIverrun. Then you've got the really idiotic shit Jaime puts up with. Like, ok dude, you love her even though she cheated on you with Lancel. But, um, she just caused YOUR SON to jump out of the window......and you're still fucking her? What a waste of a character arc.

#gotspoilers #game of the year #ASOIAF #season 5 #Stannis #Jon Snow #dorne #cersei #Daenerys #Anti-D&D

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