#so let's see if ep 4 gives their character more depth

[comicxgrl]

I’ve rewatched some episodes of HOTD and I have a theory about the sex scene of Alicent and Viserys, the importance about this scene on the show, on Alicent character and the change in their relationship after the time jump.

The first time I watched this scene I was thinking that the main point about it was to make it clear the difference between having sex for pleasure/sex for duty. and this point it’s still there ofc but I also think that in that scene two big things happened:

1- that’s the moment they conceive Daeron and 2- that’s the last time they had sex.

Explanations:

As you know Alicent and Viserys had 4 children but in the show Daeron doesn’t appear or is mentioned in s1, it was confirmed that he exist and will be in s2 but I was thinking: at what time he was born??? It can’t be after the last big time jump, because Viserys is already too old and is getting sick, I don’t think he would be able to conceive a child in these condition’s. So for me, makes sense that in ep 5 Alicent’s already pregnant.

And about the “last time they had sex” HEAR ME OUT:

When Viserys chooses Alicent to be his wife he does so totally influenced by the time they spend together, he wouldn't look at her if it wasn't for that, I’m not going to analyze what I think Viserys thinks Alicent feels for him, but the important fact here it’s that in the last few minutes of episode 5, when Viserys sends Otto away, he realizes the fact that Otto put his daughter on his radar, it's the first time he realizes Otto's plan and that Alicent was a pawn in that. I know in episode 7 we see that Viserys doesn't really care about her, but I don't think he would continue having sex with her after realizing that one of the reasons he chose to marry her wasn't that genuine. But it’s not just that, for me what most proves that the relationship dynamics between them changed was in episode 6.

(before that really quick)

In episode 5 it’s interesting to note that Viserys doesn’t ask someone to call Alicent, even with people asking where she is, he just looks at the chair she supposedly had to be in and vaguely replies that she’s still dressing. That may be nothing but to me it was like: 👀

And now episode 6…big things happens in this episode, first of all: Alicent seems much more comfortable with Viserys' presence, she complains to him about the treatment of Rhaenyra's children over Aemond, makes it clear that Helaena will not marry Jacaerys and confronts him.

I know you might think “time passed she can just may become more vocal” but we need to remember that in previous time jumps she never looked like that. also let’s remember that sex establishes a power dynamic, for me makes sense that once it has been removed from they wedding, she feels more comfortable about being around him (no longer clumsy, staring into space or hurting her on fingers). I’m not saying she become able to love him, but having this theory really gives her more depth in some ways (and also explains Daeron’s existence).

I also post this theory on twitter: @comicxgrl

#alicent hightower #lady alicent #alicent x viserys #alicent my beloved #queen alicent #team alicent #house of the dragon #hotd #hotd spoilers #rhaenicent #theory #headcanon #greens #team green #olivia cooke #westeros

[glasskey]

Justice THT Style - Part 2 - Nick Blaine

Today we're looking at the enigmatic Nick Blaine and his road to true justice. Let's get started.

For 5 seasons Blaine has been wandering the streets of Gilead as an Eye and now a military Commander, his very job description determines that like it or not, he’s a source of Gilead justice. He might not say a Hell of a lot but if you live in Gilead, its definitely not a promising sign when he turns up at your door if you’ve misbehaved. He’s constantly quoting bible verses that have a very “fuck around and find out” quality to them, in fact dear old Fred got a mouth full of the whole “reap what you sow” business, just prior to his demise. In season 1 Nicks sense of justice seems more procedural rather than retributive but he’s green and yet to see what Gilead will do to the love of his life. “No ones above the law” he says in S1 but this is fanciful idealism, these commanders are rotten to the core and he’ll have to drown himself in blood to get them to behave like virtuous men. He’s a peaceful man, restrained and noticeably stoic, but watching the various ways that the Waterfords and Gilead tortured and crushed June, is more than he can stomach. When Nick joins June in those dark woods handing Fred over for the revenge she so desperately craves, he doesn’t take part in the Salvaging, it’s a ritual only performed by Handmaids and as such he knows it’s not his place. Instead he silently marches Fred through the woods, ignoring his pleas, to deliver him to June and leaves.

Historically when it comes to acts of justice and revenge Blaine acts as more of an intermediary, justice will be served, not directly by his hand, but he does make sure that everyone “gets to the church on time”. But lately we’ve seen the sands shifting, from season 4 we’ve witnessed instances Blaine will directly take a pound of flesh and I personally wish him well. In season 4 ep 10 he back hands a mouthy Fred, a call back to a slap Fred previously delivered to June, as Nick stood there horrified and helpless. With that one gesture he redresses the balance and takes back his power.

In Season 5 he shot Putnam for raping a handmaid, and while under the guise of Gilead justice, Blaine was more than happy to oblige for his own reasons. In Ep 10 he became enraged at an attempt on Junes life, ending with a bit of a throw down with Lawrence in front of the evil Commander McKenzie. This moment crystalized that Nick Blaine was becoming both increasingly dangerous and unpredictable. It also foreshadowed the Battle Royale we can expect between these three in season 6. With Blaine being such a purveyor of New Testament scripture that espouses forgiveness and love, he’s inclined to feel a great deal of guilt over any act of revenge. It suits him, a sense of guilt gives a character an aura of contemplation and depth, something that Blaine seems to swim in. Comparatively, a lack of appropriate guilt makes a character seem sociopathic and superficial. Blaine’s “tried to be nice about it” as they say, but unfortunately he lives in Gilead and well, Gilead’s gonna Gilead, so as Lawrence would say “enough of the carrot, time for the stick”.

It’s been interesting to note that scenes of Blaine at war were cut, participating in a war against a peaceful country sits poorly with a character who has such a balanced sense of justice. There is always a difference between referring to a character at war and actually SHOWING one picking up a gun and shooting it at an innocent. Showing these types of acts makes an effective redemption arc almost impossible to survive and lowers the chances of welcoming that character back into the fold at the end of the day. The fact that these scenes were cut significantly increases Blaine's chances of coming home.

Until season 4 we never saw Blaine engage in any acts of direct violence that weren’t as a result of self defence, when he did commit them, they could be traced back to his feelings of anger at witnessing June’s abuse. In Season 5 he became increasingly dark and lost hope, ala Godfather style, because he’d lost the one glimmer of light in his life: June.

It would have been unusual for writers NOT to show him descending into a place of darkness without her. She’s everything to him and now with Tuello holding out his hand he can just see her again standing on the distant horizon. God help whoever stands in his way.

Next up Serena and the Nick Blaine of Canada: Tuello.

#nick x june #june x nick #nick blaine #june osborne #max minghella #osblaine #hulu #hulu streaming #hulu series #the handmaids tale hulu #nick and june #bruce miller #hulu tv #noir aesthetic #the boss #elisabeth moss #the handmaid's tale #handmaid's tale #handmaid's on hulu

[etherealnoir]

I know the creator is Black and I’m assuming they’re lots of Black women in the writers room so I know the writing for Gabi is intentional but sometimes she comes off very ‘strong black woman’??? Like maybe it’s just me but I hated that from the jump kid!Gabi was shown to have it together even while she was cowering under Sir—her being taken in ep 11 was the first I felt the depth of her betrayal and terror. I know by the time she show starts it’s been a year but she’s still a kid and it’s still a horrific situation. They’re this like idek lax feel about all of it? Like she’s just always ready to fight and it’s a lot. With adult!Gabi I get it because the chains and basement give her an illusion of power but idk I want to see more complexity and I’m not getting that. I think Shanola is acting according to direction but I wish they’d actually let her be a mess and break down (like in episode 4 or 5?) and just not be so stoic all the time. It’s a horrifying situation! I would be fucked up for life. But it’s like Gabi just… goes on. Granted there is a hostage in her basement but still lol. All the recent HTGAWM asks reminded that for the most part Annalise Keating really was it because for all that shows silliness, they didn’t falter on writing her as a complex, multifaceted Black woman.

Apparently the person who created this also created the show All-American. I've never really seen it, but I just remember acknowledging once that all of the female leads were light skinned/mixed, and very easy to confuse with one another. I thought that was weird.

All of that aside, I don't think I can really place the blame on her, because the episodes she wrote were some of the strongest of the series ("Pilot" and "Missing While Sinning" with the missing sex worker).

Maybe the writers room has a very general idea of what Gabi's character is like (headstrong, compassionate, determined, a leader) and basic human qualities get overlooked in an effort to keep her character consistent. Even with Annalise...she was intense, very cold sometimes. But God, even Anna Mae told a joke sometimes. She was sarcastic and funny as hell when she wanted to be. She had time to be intimate with people and have fun.

I know Gabi is very focused on her career. But we don't need another "Strong Black Woman TM" who puts her interpersonal relationships and sense of humor on the backburner. Especially when she's currently going through a crisis. I think the only person we ever really see her slow down and talk to quietly is Margaret.

Side note, the writers really love Margaret. I also really love Margaret. But I kind of wish Gabi got the same level of softness in the narrative.

#found nbc #I feel like I should add that I'm not bashing the show #I just see a lot of weak points that need patching up

[kiasfabexistence]

Kanthony (mostly Anthony) breakdown of Episode 5: Trying to be the Viscount when I just want to be Kanthony (part 2/2)

4: that scene where mama sharma and anthony read the grandparents for filth

This scene is kinda odd in a sense depending on how you’re looking at it. Obviously for the Sharmas it’s utterly miserable and embarrassing. Lady D and Mama B are like wtf and aren’t friends anymore (for about a week) by the end and we find out the Sheffields had another child after Mary and named him Lucifer bc they are in fact, the parents of Satan. However when you look at Anthony and remember the scene he just had with his mom where they are literally talking about a respectful way out of this marriage, he’s having a good time with this information. Of course he’s not gonna let his girl be talked shit about but this just leads us to his next scene where he outright talks about breaking the engagement. 100% Viscount mode here and everyone in the kingdom rejoiced when Satan’s parents got the hell outta town.

5: Viscount-> Gentleman -> Whore

Our blessed Kanthony scene we’ve been patiently waiting for all episode. Anthony is on cloud 9 because he can break off this engagement and simultaneously annoyed and in love with Kate because OF COURSE she’s going to argue him on this. He literally doesn’t give more than 3 seconds talking about the Sheffield/dowry thing because who gives a fuck, he quite seriously only has room in his brain for Kate. Which he tells her finally. Because he’s literally spent the entire day (has this episode really spanned one calendar day??) in torment ping ponging back and forth between different feelings regarding her- desire, nervousness, surprised, enamored, desperate, love, fear, jealousy, contentment, protective, angry on behalf of and frustrated at- and the common thread through all of them was their intensity and all consuming nature. Words were not enough to express the way she turned him inside out, upside down and completely grounded him all in succession. If you look closely in this scene you can literally see the threads of honor billowing off the Viscount’s frame. He speaks the truth folks.

6: for you, anything

I don’t favor this scene at all because it’s so heartbreaking to watch. But like every other Kanthony scene, it holds a lot of weight and has meaning to it. I recently watched Simone Ashley’s breakdown of three scenes and seeing how well thought out and in depth they went with the characters of Kate and Anthony as far as their personalities, their motives, their actions and headspace was really mesmerizing. I think the most important part regarding Anthony in this scene is: that he is unable or unwilling to say no to Kate. We’ve seen hints of if it before like when they were leaving Lady D’s dinner. Edwina tried to talk to him and he cut her off and wasn’t having it basically. Kate came and asked him and at first he resists and then she says “please” and you can see him break. He could never deny her when she sounded so upset, so unlike her usual witty tone of voice.

Anyway back to ep 5. Anthony starts off all soft and “I couldn’t sleep” and then you can just see him reel at her panic and desperation as she begs him and uses his name. He knows this will be an awful idea, he knows it’s not “mere passion” and yet, he can’t deny her.

Kate here is interesting because we see her default to self sacrificing once again. I can’t imagine how hard the night was for her, replaying Anthony and Edwina’s words over and over, tearing her apart. She has it the worst in this entire situation, torn between the loves of her life. But you can tell she regards Anthony highly and trust him above all others. She is able to ask Anthony of this favor for this plea when she’s never asked anyone for anything before. She wouldn’t ask Mary or Edwina for something to this degree, ever. She doesn’t even think Anthony loves her and cares for her past desire and still she trusts him enough to ask to to continue with the marriage. She was desperate to save her sister (which was ridiculous all things considered) and cared about Anthony’s honor as well. This is where we see the triangle in full force. Anthony is saying basically “for you, anything” to Kate. Kate is saying that to Edwina and Edwina is saying that to Anthony, literally! (We may have to look at this a little deeper my friends) Heartbreaking scene for sure. And I think we see Kate asking for the Viscount here when Anthony is being who he always is with her or can’t help trying to be, which is himself. Remember, the Viscount facade is always cracking and breaking around her, this woman who has always seen right into his heart. This scene was all genuine Anthony and you can see him turn back into the Viscount at Kate’s request. And you see the Viscount until the end of episode 6.

#kanthony #anthony bridgerton #kate sheffield #kate sharma #bridgerton #kathony #tvwlm #an unspeakable fate #analysis

[stormyjisung]

OK so i saw a couple of trending dramas, here are my reviews on them hihi :)

Strong girl nam soon = ... wtf was that drama. Dgw, I love love my girl yoomi, but boy did her character make me wanna whack her ass back to Mongolia. Ik the directors tried to make her quote quirky unquote. But they missed the mark by a couple thousand miles, she's more of an airhead than a quirky, bubbly girl. I hate, hate the characters sm in the drama, they're all so.... one dimensional. Probably that's why many are defending shi-o or were rooting for him, cause he's the only one with some depth to his character. Half the scenes with ML and namsoon were so ... weird. It all felt so forced, there was no pining like its super iconic predecessor strong woman do bongsoon, there were no iconic scenes like minhyuk melting into a puddle when bongsoon called him min min or gokdu's tsundere antics, this drama gave nothing. And why bother calling it strong girl nam soon when half the entire drama revolved around her mother's weird ass obsession with being a messiah and the grandmother's cringey love story. It's sad to see such talent get wasted on a script that looked like a newborn had written it. 4/10 would not recommend.

Business proposal = ikik this drama isn't 'trending' perse but it still is quite highly talked about. And I'm glad I checked it out, the chemistry between seol in-ah and minkyu was JS8W8SOQ8SJQKA91828SIW lmao and ahn hyeon seop nailed the role. Such a lighthearted and fun drama, sejeong's quirky-ness was adorable and funny, I still giggle whenever I remember 'Rachel and samantha'. I was a bit worried that they'll go on a an entire tangent on the ceo's back story, but I'm glad they didn't and kept it light and fun but also simultaneously giving the ceo closure and comfort. 7/10 would recommend because I'm scared of the archeopteryx

Twinkling watermelon = wtf was that drama pt 2. But In a good way. It scared me so deeply but also applied ointment and gave me a hug. Such a comforting drama. No drama could ever make me cry on the second episode but guess what, twinkling watermelon did that. I was bawling throughout, but also laughed, and cooed because the chemistry between eomma and appa was adorable! No wonder they love each other sm, they've been thru so much. :(((( as someone who's worried about my youth slipping away, I found immense comfort in that drama. And how eun ho said something along the lines of, "enjoy your youth, it's the only time you'll twinkle. You don't have to be worried about me sk much, I'll find my way, it's my life after all" >>>>> and the ending when the music master said, "to you and to everyone you wish to protect, viva la vida, long live life" I'm never getting over that drama. Although I did find seol's character a bit annoying in the beginning because she wasn't letting eomma and appa meet but then I fell for her too lol. What a cutie. 9/10 would recommend to everyone till the time I'm blocked by them.

My demon = the newly trending song Kang drama was quite fun to see, although only 2 eps are out, I'm invested lol. I've always been a huge fan of Kang since I saw him in sweet home. And yoojung is practically my wife. The chemistry was off the roof, the visuals, the tension, the acting, the humor >>>>>> 8/10 I'm excited to see how this drama will unfold. I've a lot of expectations.

#🌙. nyx ! #d- for drama!!

[sapphicscholar]

Hacks 2.05 and 2.06 Thoughts

Okay I’m just gonna keep doing these posts because it gives me a chance to get my own feelings down for future fic writing and also to have a nice way to process the highs and lows. So, as always, below the cut…

Overall, I was much happier with these two episodes than I was with 4, and they brought back some of the elements I’ve been missing or seeing less of in the show recently. I was really pleasantly surprised and had a blast watching them! Thoughts ordered just by how they showed up in my recollections with two more critical points at the end, and I know I’m skipping stuff, but there was a lot jammed into these episodes!

1. Okay so I’ve been feeling pretty meh on how they’re telling and not showing us about the comedy and Deborah’s bombing (I feel like it undercuts the emotional toll I think we’re supposed to know it’s taking on Deborah), but also, I’ve been really wary of having them give us a bunch of stand up at the expense of the other plots and character development (tbh I often don’t love seeing actors do a weird approximation of what they think stand up looks like, even if I adore Jean and think she’s fabulously talented and may well have pulled it off with aplomb). BUT I really enjoyed watching the evolution of that one specific punchline through these two episodes. It was a good way both to give credence to the fact that Ava and Deborah have begun really working together again on the writing (without filming endless scenes of the workshopping) and to actually show us that the act needs work but that it’s slowly but surely improving. The work is so central to Ava and Deborah’s relationship (and what I love about them) and has long been the key to the intimacy they find with each other, so I’m hopeful at these glimpses of its return!

2. I appreciated the small nod to Ava’s ongoing grief in discussion of the movie about the kid who lives in the mall as a metaphor for losing a parent, and I really love that we see Deborah encouraging Ava to keep up her own writing. I think there’s a reason so many of us writing for the fandom include lines like that in our fics—it feels true to S1 and to a Deborah who recognizes that Ava is good and can’t/won’t be working for her forever (a form of care that’s subtle enough to feel in character while still meaning so much)

3. No thoughts. Head empty. Deborah and Ava in the pool. I’m looking like a respectfully appreciative lesbian because dammit ep. 4 erased queer female desire, so I’m at least gonna give it to them in their viewership. But in all seriousness I really love the way Ava and Deborah are both vulnerable in different ways in this pool scene. It’s them at their best—this moment where they can almost both forget about the email and the lawsuit and just feel the temporary unburdening that comes with seeing and being seen by one another.

4. The game of celebrity in episode 5 was a fun episode opener and a nice way to give us a glimpse of the depth of Deborah and Marcus’s history, showing just how much they’ve been through together. Also, goddam, I’d be hammered if I 1) still drank, and 2) was taking a shot for every time Deborah casually touched Ava

5. Ava and Marcus at the state fair! I love a good state fair (which is perhaps one of the most seemingly OOC things I could say, but state fairs and boardwalks? Yes. Fuck yes.), and I had fun with this arc! The Ava & Marcus content was beyond my hopes – the oh-so common queer experience of being mistaken for a couple being enshrined forever in a caricature? And then having that caricature be the thing to make Deborah smile genuinely after getting upstaged by a birthing cow? So good.

The mommy line? I’m… Well, let’s be honest I’d have preferred a “daddy” a la @fictorium’s fic but ya know, we’ll spell it mommi, and at least Kayla Kumari will love it

6. Deborah and the dude: phew 🔥🔥. Look, I’m whatever on Casper boy, but Deborah deserves good sex, and if she got it from him, good for her! (And, given that I did the same in my own fic in terms of Deborah finding and sleeping with a guy who’s got no idea who she is, I get what could have drawn her to him.) Also, she looks hot as hell tangled in his sheets, and I have the UTMOST faith in our marvelously talented fandom giffers to make excellent Ava/Deborah sets with them (because let’s be honest, she looks a hell of a lot happier there than she did in the season 1 scene with Marty, and they still managed to make magic with them)

7. Idk, Nina was there? Of course she’s in a MLM. I hope Ava got something out of their interactions that she needed. I’m glad Ava was able to talk about her dad with someone. I just can’t bring myself to care about Nina (a personal failing, probably due to my horrible mother-in-law, but ya know, it is what it is)

Okay a few things where I’m hoping for more or better before the season is through: 1. There are a few times where it feels like the show is grabbing low-hanging fruit with the gimmicky laughs, and I miss some of that razor-sharp precision of season 1 (though I prefer them here than in ep 4; at least I was having fun this go around instead of cringing). For instance, stuff with Kiki is starting to feel a little like later-season Kramer arcs in Seinfeld (Kiki’s a fan fave and gets brought in just to say something a little outlandish for laughs like popcorn purse or to do something ~cool~ like showing up on a motorcycle), and it’s fine in moderation (though Poppy Liu is so talented that I wish they were getting something with a little more weight to it), but with only 8 half-hour episodes I’m more apt to be critical of what’s getting cut to fit those scenes in (though again, way more of a critique of 4 than of 5 and 6, since 4 seems poised to be a bottle episode without much weight in the narrative arc vs. 5 and 6)

2. Leading to the big one: I am really disappointed about the lack of in-universe consequences for episode 4’s meltdown (and for Ava’s real lapse in sobriety if that’s something that they want us to take seriously, which I think they do given that she’s not drinking in 6 even with her mother there). I get that we see something kind of like an individual-level reckoning (lite) for Deborah in episode 6, building off the season of bombings and the interactions with Susan in episode 5. Deborah realizes that she isn’t just the person who’s been trampled on, but she’s also been the one trampling on others to get to where she is, and her act can’t only be about what’s been done to her, but also has to be her taking ownership of the harm she’s done. But the thing is…that’s just such a perfect place for there to have been even the briefest moment of realization or acknowledgment (from Deborah OR Ava) that it’s a pattern she’s still stuck in at times. We do see Deborah making clear on stage what her “feminism” looks like, and that does give the slightest nod back to ep 4, but it wasn’t enough for what I personally wanted. I didn’t really expect them to give us large-scale social media or crowd-level ramifications, but given Ava’s ongoing willingness to step in with attempts at “good progressive politics” (e.g., the line here about how Deborah shouldn’t be proud of having descended from colonizers), I don’t buy that she’s unwilling to say anything to Deborah just because of a pending lawsuit (especially not when Deborah just bought her a whole new wardrobe and taught her to float and even talked about the email’s contents without being even a little bitter about it, which, anyway those are other, longer thoughts). Basically, if they want me to buy a totally cowed Ava (which I don’t think they do want me to buy!), they can’t keep giving her the little one-off lines of chastisement and show her rekindling the relationship with Deborah. The brash Ava they built up with such delightfully messy nuance in season 1 is an Ava who talks back even when it’s a bad idea (perhaps especially then), and even an Ava who’s grown into something a little more circumspect still feels like she has a backbone, especially when it comes to Deborah (she’s never treated Deborah like one of the cool kids whose approval she desperately wants, you know?). I’m waiting til we see how this season ends before I talk more about the arc of Ava and Deborah’s relationship, though. I feel like we could be headed somewhere good!

But anyway, yeah, even with these critiques, I’m still much more pleased with episodes 5 and 6! There’s a lot I genuinely love here – honestly, I only take the time to be disappointed in a show and critique it when it’s good enough to be something I love, ya know? Anyway, til next week! And as always, love hearing everyone’s thoughts in the tag or if anyone wants to chat!

#hacks hbo #hacks spoilers #my meta #apparently these are just gonna keep getting longer sorrrrryyyyy

[rottingsparrow]

Oh boy oh boy here it is my thoughts on Lore Olympus episodes 1-10 I didn't include any pictures because I'm figuring out how I wanna do this also im tired but here it is:

Episode One: Stag, You’re It

Why the title

Minthes hair like connects to her head without a line not bad just a comment

Hades’ sharp ass nose but I enjoy the colors, not super bright yknow

Hera looks so cool but also like snatched almost unnaturally

She is a god tho so

Zeus lets goooo such a solid color imo

Im sorry but artemis’ hair is a lil ugly

Love that all the main characters are snatched /s

Episode Two: Who is She?

And Persophone is now 3 shades lighter ok

Also like i hate the dress Artemis gives persephone it ugly

Persophones hair changed lengths like 2 times but maybe im seeing it wrong

Also artemis if she doesnt wanna be here leave wtf

How is. How is hades holding his drink

Zeus changed colors king

I understand lighting and shading but like. Damn

Ok so if Poseidon hates Odysseus does that mean the events of the Odyssey already happened

Ep 3: Who is She pt 2

LMAO what is hades’ nose

Why did she have random parts w/ no color not a complaint just curious

HER FOREHEAD SO LARGE IN THIS ONE PANEL

“Short sighted” Do we ever see him wear glasses again

Zeus’ lil. Hair thingies keep disappearing

“Honestly i think she puts Aphrodite to shame” wow comparing women/hj

Seriously tho like. why

Ep 4: Who is she pt 3

Idk why she does random scenes where the characters are all like just one color. Not bad per say but weird

Gives artemis huge boobs and in one panel they are either smaller or gone

Artemis bestie if that one thing distracts you from your friend you gotta get ur priorities straight

“Hey kiddo wanna have some real fun” ew

Omg purple eros

So much hair

Did she just give her hair powers so she could draw diff styles lets be honest

Ep 5:

Aphrodites hip angle is so sharp it could kill me

“Friggin” makes my mind go to supernatural and i dont appreciate it

Omg shes a cinnamon roll shes so adorable and gorgeous and yet sexy and *i get shot*

Mother emotionally guilting her son omg its my life

The listen panel. Haunts my dreams

Why does she have so many different painting/coloring styles

LMAO LOOK AT HADES ON THE BALCONY its. Its bad

Ep 6

W hy do they stand like that persephone pls

Love demeters colors tho

This is. This is the metaphor for the maidenhood thing right

Thats how i always saw it

Wow persephone you just woke up and you look so pretty wowww woww

Rachel rachel please does her hair have bangs or not just choose

I do actually like the panel with cerberus, persephone, and hades its nice

Ep 7

Cerberus is so cute

Hades shut the fuck up

The coat is cute

Persephone get off the counter this isnt ur house

Whos minthe? Stop being nosy damn

Didnt really have much to say bout this one

Ep 8

Why are both their eyes open i know they arent in love but that so weird right

Is his dick out or is she just naked on him

“Salutiations” old man

Every second i read persephones eyes get bigger

“I would pay you a salary to barge in on every single aspect of my life” is actually cute however. You literally just met her she hasnt even introduced herself

I dont understand why he thought she meant sex idk

I like that his business card has diff names for him

SHE WAS HOLDING HERS IN HER TITTY WHY

Ep 9

Persephone giggling over that is kinda weird imo but whatever

Persephone please pic a face shape

“Come here puppy” look. Look at her face. Wtf

Train ur dogs hades smh

We never see like any of these dogs fuck you rachel i want dogs

“Let the unionize see if i care” haha so funny haha wow so. So funny. Hades ur such a character

Why is her mouth so high up in this one panel

Hehe puppy

Man in bushes

Ep 10

Why does he have so many cars he doesnt need em

The little :p panel is cute

NOT HER FACE AGAIN RACHEL PLEASE JUST LOOK ONCE MORE

Stop yelling hades

Persephones hair is looking bad rn ngl

I love the colors of the underworld tbh

Rachel please go in depth on how you travel there between realms i am so curious

Artemis randomly gains bangs

I know her hair was flowing but her bangs are too short to completely disappear

Why do his eyes randomly turn red honestly

Goodbye thank god

#lore olympus #anti lore olympus #my opinion #spewingthoughts #how do i do the read more option #i am bad at posting on tumblr

[seokjinnieb]

i think my main problem with ipytm till now is that we get so little insights from the characters and what they are actually feeling. there's so much context missing for everything. especially in ep 3. there's just so much missing, its like they give us a vague ass timeline of events happening without showing us anything about the actual characters. i wonder if they expect me to fill in the blanks and just understand where and how teh and oh changed?

itsay was a character-driven show and people (or me I guess) did get attached to teh and oh. there was no huge, dramatic plot thing happening. but ipytm just really disconnected me from the characters. they feel like vague shadows (?) and just so out of touch. and yeah the whole don't compare thing is totally valid but ipytm is still a continuation of itsay and i was watching it for the characters and their relationship. and if you make us feel distant from them then what exactly is the point of it being a part 2? just make another series (although...lol)

and this is not just because i think the things in ep 3 are ooc for teh (which i guess i still believe in). but if they did the whole cheating (?) or method acting while making it a little more believable i would be perfectly fine with it. and by believable, i mean actually showing how teh reached that point (especially after ep 2). his actions make so little sense to me right now, i could make 15 theories about how we reached ep 3 teh and they could all be canon. his actions are so confusing and so contrasting all the time and i have no idea how or why tf is he doing anything. they really gave an anxious af teh in one ep and gave a fucking detached teh in another with no context. ok, maybe i'll just go write some fics about what happened in the middle since they don't want to give me any context.

i'm not even going to ques their direction of the script because you do you (i guess?) and it is their story (although if they are making something commercial the audience is like, you know, some way involved too but whatever). but if you don't even make it convincing enough for me, then how am i supposed to just. should i just take your word, that oh changed, teh changed so they do this shit? of course, they changed i expected that much. this story is over three years, of course, they changed! but how, and most importantly why?

#ipytm #i promised you the moon #i have so many thoughts (no feelings bc im very emotionally detached from the show now) #i've had this issue since ep 2 so it's not even about the cheating plot #i dont even have a prob w cheating plot bc all those messy emotions ah #literally sat thru friend zone every week and enjoyed it so #i waited to see if it would get better in ep 3 but it regressed #so let's see if ep 4 gives their character more depth #its def the time skip's fault but that was also their decision and idk they fucked it up for me #ngl the method acting plot is very interesting and it could be explored if they had more time #like that korean movie explored it so so well legit gave me creeps but it was amazing #but this topic is so deep idk how they will pull if off #still gonna watch ep 4 sometime tho bc i've invested so much time in this show #it would be a waste to not watch it #plus messy emotions are my style so

[terresdebrume]

Where the heck do I start watching Critical Role ?

(Because if you're going to watch 400+ hours of something you might as well start with the one that suits you best)

This is an extended version of a response I wrote for @grilledkatniss .This post is meant to help you decide what actual play show to watch, and is focused on campaigns and related one-shots. Other CritRole shows such as Narrative Telephone and Talks Machina are not covered in this guide.

(Though if someone writes something for those shows, please let me know and I'll link them in this post).

Obligatory readmore to save your dashes.

Campaign 1 (LINK)

The first campaign of the game, features the group Vox Machina, whom you may know of through the upcoming animated show on amazon.

In my opinion, campaign one is the hardest one to get into for two reasons :

The show started by taking a pre-existing campaign to stream, which means no matter where you start you're picking up mid-story.

One player of the OG cast became more and more obnoxious on-stream until he left. He's one of the main reason many people recommend starting with episode 24. (The second being that ep 24 starts a new arc which makes it a little easier to catch up.)

It's the group's first campaign so the characters are a little more true-to-tropes than in the following ones, though they already have depth and really touching arcs so it's really a matter or what kind of story you want to watch.

Also, it being early show means you will see a lot of changes in the setup, including technical difficulties before they got big budgets, lots of semi-unrelated material in the videos (DDR parties, to name one) and overall it's very obvious the show and the cast were figuring things out.

As the OG campaign, C1 also comes with a number of related 3-4 hours one-shots, which means the runtime of the story is longer than the runtime of the campaign. All related one shots take place after the end of Vox Machina's main story though, so you can skip them and still know the essentials of what happened to them.

Canon VM one shots :

The Search for Grog (LINK) Starts a couple of days after the last episode of the campaign.

The Search for Bob (LINK) Starts about five minutes after the end of the Search for Grog.

Dalen's Closet (LINK) In which two PCs finally deal with a villain that's bugged them for a long time and get married. In that order.

The Adventures of the Darrington Brigade (LINK) In which a former/temporary member of Vox Machina recruits people to go adventuring for charity.

Note: There are also a bunch of not canon/only semi-canon one-shots set in the periphery of Vox Machina such as Marisha Ray's games of Honey Heist and a few Battle Royale one-shots. For the sake of brevity and simplicity, I'm leaving them out of this list.

Campaign 2 (LINK)

Campaign two starts about 20-25 years after the story of Vox Machina, and follows a group of adventurers called The Mighty Nein.

The first ten or so episodes contain no reference whatsoever to Campaign 1, which makes C2 the easiest one to get into so far, in my opinion. Story-wise, the plot is somewhat less structured than in C1, which gives the campaign a bit of a different feeling (both are really good, it's just a bit of a different vibe).

Also, by the time C2 starts, most of the technical issues are sorted out and they've figured out how to make their show work, so you'll definitely get a much slicker experience from the get go. There's still a bit of footing-finding in some areas (who describes actions, how and how much, for example) but overall by that point it's a well-working machine.

Campaign 2 comes with a related, non-canon one-shot in the form of a Vox Machina vs. Mighty Nein battle royale.

Exandria Unlimited (LINK)

A shorter (8 Episodes) campaign featuring part of the regular cast (Including Matt Mercer as a player) as well as three additional players and a new DM, Aabria Lyengar.

The story starts about six years after the end of Campaign 2 and takes the viewer back to Tal'Dorei, the continent where Vox Machina evolved. I haven't personally watched it yet, but from what I know I would say it's right behind C2 in terms of ease of getting into in that the characters come with few connections to campaign 1 or 2 and therefore few references to either of these things (I assume having three players plus a DM who were uninvolved with C1/C2 helped).

Bonus : it's only 8 episode so it's easier to see if following an actual play show is something you enjoy, although since the DM is different, there's a possibility you enjoy Aabria's DMing more than Matt's and miss her after, idk x)

Campaign 3 (LINK)

Campaign 3 started in November of 2021 and as such is still pretty short. The story starts about 30 years after C1 and so far has my favorite characters (totally personal tho, obviously).

Three of the characters in this campaign are from Exandria Unlimited, one is from The Search for Grog & The Search for Bob One Shots, and another one has a strong connection to a place that played an important role in C1. What that means is that while you'll get the information you need to understand what's going on, having watched C1 will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the show.

I didn't get the feeling that there were as many references to EXU so far, most likely because only three players out of eight participated in EXU--that being said, from what I've seen the plot is going to get into things that are more strongly connected to EXU soon, so there's also that to consider, I guess.

Tech wise, the show has Invested and is now in possession of possibly the raddest gaming setup ever x)

Also, later campaigns have a lot more Ashley Johnson, in case that plays a role for you xD

#Critical Role #Vox Machina #Mighty Nein #CR1 #CR2 #CR3 #20n #30n #80n #90n #100n #150n

[actualbird]

Oh god!

I really love the poly headcanons they are so sweet.... (or don't but that's part of it and i think the tot boys+MC deserve all the love the world has to give).

But, liking it or not, our 4 beloved boys are kinda complicated (that's what makes them perfect). Plus I never thought about how people get in poly relationships. So i was thinking, how do you think they all get into a polyrelationship together?

(I really have no idea of how that would happen)

hi, two anons!! im glad you guys liked my nxx team polycule stuff!! i'll answer these in one go, my "headcanon" (in quotes because i think this kinda turned into a character analysis/minific of sorts HAHA) being what first anon asked, How They Get Together.

heads up, wc of this is 1.9k words long so buckle up for a bit of a read jfsjdfkjbf

because first anon, youre right!!! the boys are stupendously complicated which i love so so much but canon has also shown us clearly that each of the boys' quirks and habits and tendencies causes a lot of (mostly played for laughs) friction. the bickering, the backhanded insults, the "im the best one here" preening contests. theyre all SOOOO RIDICULOUS and it is hilarious but yep! the boys r complex!! and that means this beautiful ship, imo, has a lot of phases to get to the actual romantic relationship bit.

how they get together, in my opinion, starts because of mc.

not in the sense that she matchmakes them all, but like.

phase 1 of the nxx team polycule is this:

through being in love with her (which we all know the boys 100% are), each of the boys come to terms with their own flaws and weaknesses. it's very apparent to me in all the story thus far that these boys are flawed as hell, it's very compelling but even more compelling to me is how all of them also do intense mental gymnastics to Not Confront Those Flaws. like, marius is a dickbag always teasing and toeing the line of insincerity, vyn is a controlling mf who always tries to sway situations to his benefit, artem is so repressed to the point that he has genuine trouble with emotions, luke is a self sacrificial bastard and also a huge hypocrite about how no, actually, hes the only one that should be hiding his pain and being dishonest, no dishonesty from other people!! in the beginning of the story, all the boys have their flaws and seem to have just kinda...not addressed how those flaws are harming them and the people around them.

and then mc rolls around and they all fall in love with her. and she sees those flaws and she doesnt let them slide. she challenges the boys in her own ways to see another side of the situation, to acknowledge what theyre doing. she doesnt want to get rid of flaws, thats impossible and also not cool. she just has this beautiful hope for like, all of humanity, that goodness can prevail with the right work. so when she sees her beloved nxx boys, she believes that for them as well.

which leads to phase 2 of the nxx team polycule:

the boys, more aware of themselves, become more aware of each other.

they werent Unaware of the others of course. it's just that they didnt like...truly connect on a personal level just yet. they saw the other teammembers with their emotional armor and flaws and saw a wall that wasnt worth looking past.

but after mc makes them realize that hey, flaws arent the end of the world actually, it's alright and the person behind them may just be worth it, the boys like. end up understanding the others. A LOT OF THIS BIT IS UNINTENTIONAL, ON THEIR PARTS KJDSBFS. like they stumble into understanding each other by accident, they didnt plan it, but over the course of nxx investigations, it's inevitable that they end up seeing the depths of the others. i delve into this a little bit in my fanfic "filler eps of the lost gold" where the boys are just going thru their actions and then trip over another boy's fears or desires and through that, gain a deeper understanding mutually.

and with understanding, sometimes, comes trust.

phase 3 of the nxx team polycule goes like this:

everybody in this team, whether they like it or not, whether they know it or not, has a heart that wants to give love so desperately.

marius lives in a world full of snakes so he cant have his heart on his sleeve for his own protection. vyn wants to be seen as perfect and the heart is inherently messy so he holds it back. artem for a very very long time was focused on work and success and achievement that he neglected his heart. and luke has been giving love all his life in a sense but in a way thats hidden.

all these tendencies that are brought upon their life circumstances results in this: they want to love honestly but they havent been able to do this

until mc. and all of them want to push back whatever fears or patterns their life has instilled in them because they see her and see somebody so unwaveringly good that all their hearts begin giving love to her to make her happy and to make themselves happy as well.

but heres the thing. the boys dont just see mc. by this point, they have connected and understood and come to trust each other as well, and the consequence of that is that They Can See Each Other Now Too, Truly.

and heres the thing. all of the boys are unwaveringly good as well.

one by one, each of the boys realize that what they feel for the other boys in the team starts to...change. yeah theyre all friends, they pick on each other a lot of the time, but the bedrock of the relationship is solid and strong now. but when marius is with luke, marius sees a light inside of luke so bright that he seems unaware that he gives off. when artem is with vyn, artem sees a goodness inside of vyn that hesitates to make itself obvious and known because vyn is scared of getting hurt thanks to it. all of them see the other and their goodness and, unbidden, their hearts want to give love to each other as well.

and because theyre all a bit stupid in their own way theyre like, huh, weird! wonder why this feeling is so familiar! and yet i cant seem to name it...and then they all independently compare these feeling with the feelings they have for mc, a feeling they do know the name of, and theyre like.

WAIT.

THESE FEELINGS ARE...VERY BASICALLY EXACTLY WHAT I FEEL FOR MC.

which only means one thing: theyve fallen in love with everybody else

marius: //goes to his studio to Think and sees that a bunch of his recent art actually had little crumbs of these feelings already, etched into the brushstrokes and scenes. has an emotional crisis about it

vyn: //records a 1 hour long entry in his audio diary to examine and gain control of his feelings but by the end of the hour all he knows is that he wants to hold these people and be held by them

artem: //quite literally just bluescreens, artem.exe has stopped working, sits at his study and slowly, slowly, thunks his head down onto his desk, valiantly trying to ignore the fast pulse of his heart

luke: //manically vents about it to peanut who, by virtue of being a bird, doesnt get it. just keeps talking at peanut to get a grasp of it all and then lies down on the floor, overwhelmed

mc, sitting in her apartment watching some netflix: ...why do i inexplicably feel as if something very, very important has just happened?

phase 4 of the nxx team polycule is basically:

pining: extreme difficulty level

because pining is already hard when ur pining for one person. what more for an additional 3 more people. and those additional 3 more people are pining back.

and all these boys are SOOOO OBVIOUS with their romantic feelings, in their own special way. the way they show their affection to mc starts to bleed into their interactions with the others and everybody can CLEARLY SEE WHAT IS GOING ON, LOL, but also all the boys are too chickenshit to confront it, because if they confront it, what will even happen??? being in love with each other, all of them, thats going to be such a complicated fucking relationship, holy shit. it's 2030, yeah, being a polyamorous group relationship isnt completely unheard of, but sue them, theyre scared.

but mc (who i forgot to mention already knows of the boys' romantic feelings for her, shes just hasnt made a move yet on any of them because SHES IN LOVE WITH ALL OF THEM AS WELL and shes been trying to figure out how the hell to make that work, she cant bear to choose just one of them, she'd be heartbroken over leaving the rest of them behind) sees that the nxx investigation team is now all pining for each other FULLY and she kinda wants to laugh when she realizes whats going on because like, what are the chances? that this would happen? that they all found each other and their feelings fell into just the right place for nobody to be left behind?

theyre all scared, she can tell. and she is as well, she wont lie.

but shes always had a belief that goodness can prevail with the right work.

and love is one of the greatest goods out there.

phase 5 of the nxx team polycule:

It's Time For Communication, Baby!!!!!

the exact scenes of how this happens is a bit vague to me. it could go two ways: mc going to each of the boys independently to talk about feelings, hers about everybodys and his about everybodys as well. OR they have a fucking meeting about it all together and artem literally schedules it in his google calendar, or something.

either way, they like, actually talk about this. starts casual, maybe over a chill date, maybe over dinner at a nice restaurant, maybe over a walk in the park as the sun is starting to set. but where ever it happens, the end result is the same: a heart is laid out bare and it is taken in gentle, grateful hands.

marius: OKAY, NOW THAT THE FEELINGS ARE OUT OF THE WAY, CAN I PLEASE KISS ONE OR ALL OF YOU, PLEASE, IVE BEEN WANTING TO KISS U GUYS FOR FOREVER

vyn, laughing fondly: has anybody ever told you patience is a virtue? we quite literally just talked it all out.

marius: //needy whining noises

artem, embarrassed: ive...never kissed anybody before

luke, embarrassed but trying to play it Cool: ....same here

mc: kissing is great, you two will love it!

marius: awesome, awesome, so is ANYBODY going to give me a go ahead or WHAT????

phase 6 of the nxx team polycule:

i dont want to say it's happily ever after, once they all get together. thats not really realistic.

they all have their quirks and tendencies and habits. and those will inevitable clash against each other. theyll have their arguments, theyll get upset, theyll sulk and be angry, sometimes. but also...

theyll see each other smile and feel like their love shining so brightly. theyll reach out for another's hand and be held in such a way that makes them think that their heart is in a safe place. theyll love each other and theyll put in the work to continue loving each other. because goodness will prevail.

and they all see each other as the most good people in the world.

so whatever happens, theyll get through it together.

#tears of themis #vyn richter #marius von hagen #tears of themis rosa #artem wing

[where-theres-smoak-2]

Why The Darkling Might Get Redeemed.

So I know there are varying opinions amongst fans on whether or not Aleksander will be redeemed in the show or not and also whether or not its possible for a darklina endgame. Personally I would love to see both a redemption and an endgame. I know there's alot of talk about what how it doesn’t end like that in the books, but well tv adaptions don’t follow the books often anyway so I’m not going to let that deter me. So in that spirit, here are a few things that the show changed from the books that I think might indicate a possible darkling redemption/ darklina endgame. Obviously this is all just my own speculation and obviously there are both show and book spoilers.  

You Looked Like You Needed Saving

Ok to me this is the most obvious one, but remember that scene when Alina enters the room at the winter fete and after Aleksander approaches her she says this line about how he looked like he needed saving? Well right after that the inferni begin their demonstration and the flames cause light to surround Aleks.

In this moment Alina is talking about saving him from his conversation with the tsar and tsaritsa but I do think the scene is largely symbolic. I do think this is suppose to symbolise how he has kind of lost himself in the darkness a bit and how Alina’s light is the thing that can save him. I mean I really don’t think its just a coincidence that at the moment alina talks about Aleks needing saving he is suddenly bathed in light, to me this is very obviously planned by the showrunners to symbolise something.  

Dome of Light 

So on the same vein as that, another scene which I think has similar symbolism is the scene where Alina creates the dome of light around Aleks in the war room in ep 4. 

In this scene the shadows/darkness is creeping closer as Aleks becomes more and more lost in his dark thoughts, his pain and his anger. These are the things and the thoughts that drive him to his darker actions, which is why it is interesting to me that in this moment Alina reaches out to him and a dome of light pushes the darkness back. I mean maybe its just me but what I take from this is that Alina is the one that can pull Aleks back from those dark thoughts and maybe show him another way. Its almost like she puts up this protective bubble around him. But what it also interesting (and yes I am aware that I am most likely reading way too much into this) but once Alina lets go at first they are both plunged into darkness before the room lightens again. This could maybe be symbolic of Aleks potentially causing Alina to lose her way and go a bit dark before they both find a medium a balance between her light and his dark, if that makes sense. Or it could be symbolic of the state of their relationship that they are now going through darker times before they reconcile.

Another scene that I think might be relevant here is the one where Aleks confronts Kaz and learns that Alina ran on her own. It was at this moment for Aleks that he lost Alina and it is at this moment that we see that encroaching darkness again, only this time Alina isn’t there to balance it with her light.  

 I really do think that this shows how without Alina, Aleks will once again lose himself to his own darkness.   

Aleks’ Humanity

So there’s no denying that in the show Aleksander is alot more human than in the books. Even down to the fact that they decided to give him a name, General Kirigan. They also revealed his first name alot sooner too (sorry book darklinas I know that ones a sore subject) and I think they did this to help the audience connect with him more. Not only did they add scenes that weren’t in the books at all but some of the scenes that were in the books have been changed to highlight Aleks’ humanity. For example the war room talk I mentioned above where we see how much the wars of his long life have had a toll on him, the scene at the fountain and the flashback have all been added to give the character more depth. Then you have the ones they changed, their first kiss is changed so not only is it Alina who makes the first move but in that scene we see Aleks as being quite vulnerable and maybe even nervous. Then obviously their second kiss where Aleks stops to ask if she is sure. The make me your villain scene where he literally has tears in his eyes. Even the scene where he finds m*lina and the stag, yes it was sort of  dark for him to ask her to choose between the stag and mal but this was still different from the books where he just taunts both m*l and alina about their kiss at the fete and doesn’t show any care at all towards alina. Whilst like I said it was morally grey of him to make her choose between them I don’t think it is something that book darkling would have done he’d have just let m*l die. There’s also that line of m*l just protecting miss starkov which I think shows that even though he is angry with her he still cares for her. Also in the books he threatens m*l with death in this scene, in the show he is offering to heal m*l. Even the scene where the collar is put on her, whilst still awful, when Alina struggles he stops and takes the time to talk to her and he can’t look at her but in the books he just puts it on her and when she tries to resist he hurts m*l.

To me I feel like they’ve spent alot of time bringing that humanity to the audiences attention for a character that is supposedly irredeemable. I know alot of it was ben barnes but some of those scenes that show his humanity are scripted scenes, so someone behind the scenes must have also had some care about making sure this character was still a human character.

When Is A Monster Not A Monster? 

We all know that quote right, ‘when is a monster not a monster, oh when you love it’. Its that idea that a monster can’t love and can’t be loved. Its like what I was talking about above how in the books the darkling is very cold and doesn’t really show much love towards anyone (though there are some glimpses). Villains are often depicted as being these unloving creatures who only care about themselves. But this is not how Aleks is depicted at all, we know that he can love and be loved and the writers added a whole backstory to the character to show this. We know from the flashback in ep 7 that Aleks loves Luda and that she loved him back. This makes the character again not only more human but more sympathetic. Losing someone we love, the fear of losing someone we love is something we can all relate to and so in that moment you can understand Alek’s pain at losing his love. On top of that this flashback shows us that it is Alek’s grief and pain that leads to the creation of the fold, that the fold was an accident not an intent. In the books we are never really told the story of how the fold was created but it is often suggested that Aleks made it out of greed and thirst for power. So they have changed this to kind of make it not really Alek’s fault. I mean its his fault in the sense of he did use merzost when he probably shouldn’t have but his reasons for doing so were honourable and something we can sympathise with. 

They also show us that Aleks has strong and deep feelings for Alina, unlike in the books where post reveal the darkling seems mostly uncaring and even nonchalant towards Alina, even when show Aleksander is at his angriest with her we are still shown that he also still cares about her. We are also shown signs that she still cares for him. It again is going back to this idea of love being something that is inherently human and not something villains are typically associated with. Again I have to ask the question of why make this change for a character that is irredeemable? 

I Never Really Liked Farms. 

Ok so this one is more to do whether there could be a darklina endgame. During a scene with Genya in ep 5, Alina talks about how she’s always wanted to travel the world, she also mentions how M*l always talked about retiring to a farm but that she never liked farms. This isn’t a conversation that ever happens in the books, that I am aware of. To me it is kind of weird that they would add the line about her not liking farms considering that is basically what her fate is in the books, I mean she is basically saying hey you not the ending I got in the books yeah don’t like that. But hey maybe I’m just interpreting that wrong but it was an interesting choice to have her explicitly say that it wasn’t something she wanted. That is M*l’s dream not hers. Also I briefly touched on this in an answer to an ask I got but its interesting that Alina has a love for travelling and Aleks is also a traveller. So her dream is better suited to Aleks than it is to M*l. But what else is interesting is that this conversation happens in the same episode that Alina decides to take her relationship with Aleksander to the next level and kisses him. So first they tell us that m*l and alina have different dreams about what they want to do with the rest of their lives, Alina’s dreams match alot better with Aleks and then we have all those adorable and steamy scenes between darklina throughout the rest of the episode, and they expect me not to ship darklina.

Make Love not War

So this is another thing that I talked a little about in another post but at the end of ep 8 when you have the big finale in the fold for some reason instead of having an epic battle between the two grisha who wield light and shadow powers they instead have a fight between M*l and Aleksander. This to me is a really interesting choice they even go so far as to bench Alina by having her lose consciousness so those final moments of the fight she isn’t involved in at all. This is completely different from the books where she is the one that stands against the darkling and even leaves him to die in the fold along with 30-40 others. She also uses the cut for the first time. So its a bit odd that they chose to not have a fight between darklina and they only reason I can think of for them not doing this is because they didn’t want to show darklina using their powers against each other or trying to kill each other. I know ben said in an interview that Alina tried to kill Aleks but correct me if I am wrong but I don’t remember any instance where Alina actually tried to kill him, I know that she cut the piece of antler from his hand but she never went so far as to trying to take him life and to me she looked concerned for him when Inej threw her knife at him. It is possible that going into season 2 Aleks will feel like Alina had been apart of trying to kill him because I don’t think he knew that Ivan had attacked her. So he might assume that Alina was ok with M*l leaving him to die to the Volcra.

 But anyway like I said in that previous post I feel like they don’t want to cross too far over a line and start having them try to kill each other or have Aleksander try to use the cut against her or something like that because they are keeping the door open for a potential redemption for Aleksander. If they cross over into the territory of them actually trying to kill each other then its going to be a lot harder to do a redemption later if that is something they decide to do. I’m not saying they knew for sure that they are going to do a redemption arc and so avoided it but I am saying its possible they are considering it and so want to make sure he is a character that can still be redeemed. 

Darklina Promotion

I am aware with this one that alot of it has to do with media and attention and making sure the show is being talked about but they seem to promote darklina an awful lot for a dead ship. I mean those BTS images of jessie and ben they keep releasing are so incredible, but some of them also to me look a little staged almost like a photoshoot and its not really something I see with the other bts which seem more candid. Obviously these bts and well any promotion to do with darklina get the most attention even out doing the season 2 announcement so obviously they are going to keep promoting them. But the fact that they do keep promoting them at least tells us that they are aware of how popular the pairing is and from the comments on those posts they know that many fans want a different ending so maybe there is the slimmest chance they might go for it. I mean they also must have seen the fallout from GOT and The 100 as to what happens when fans don’t like the ending of a show so they might want to avoid that who knows though like I said this is all speculation. Me personally I think its a case of we aren’t going to know until the final credits of the last episode roll, until that moment anything is possible.   

#darklina

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Reboot: Analytical  Overview of the Anime

Fruits Basket’s reboot is one of most successful anime reboots since it has:

Amazing story that celebrates human weakness, digs into the depths of human identity & doesn’t shy away from depicting child trauma & abuse. Teaches the values of letting go & walking forward.

The author’s blessing, nostalgia factor from loyal fanbase.

Fixed scheduled 3 season comeback with 63 eps in total planned from the very beginning.

Finished source material with its ending approved by manga fans.

Anime follows the official manga ending.

The “slice of life/shojo” genre doesn’t need budget for fight scenes or big scale realistic animation for its lore.

All these factors contributed to its success, however, this doesn't mean the anime was a masterpiece. It is very good but had issues aren’t in the writing, but rather in the format, overall vision & its effect on characters’ depths.

1. Format:

a. ( Is Fruits Basket an episodic anime or a plot-driving story?) 

-The anime couldn’t decide how to adapt the manga content, should it follow it literally & combine two chapters together each time, or take the core plot & drive it by character, or focus on its vision or what? they KNOW that can’t adapt everything. They have 63 eps in total so they have good number of eps to do any choice. However, since the anime is advertised as “ a faithful adaptation” they wanted to cement this announcement in se01 & chose “character of the day” format. Once, the manga fans are assured & hooked, they can drive the rest wherever.

-Se02 was slightly less episodic (minus the beach arc which had perfect pacing). Afterwards, the yuki content was approached similarly to se1 but centered around “ episodic themes”.  Lots of characters arcs are pushed to se3 to keep the “mother” theme of se2. that’s why all eps ended happily minus few eps such as tohru’s nightmare ending in isuzu’s ep.

-Se03 is where the anime really had the biggest issues & couldn’t decided between keeping themes or rolling like a true well-written drama-infused story. Thus we see them trying to keep the episodic themes as long as possible in 5 eps & once ep 6 starts & they can no longer label a flowing plot into themes, they rolled into the climax. The entirety of tohru’s neglected issues outside of her role as a mother was condensed in one ep via audio narration, since ep 7 should drive akito into the climax spot, ep 8 is kyo’s & ep 9 is female antagonist vs female protagonist clash. The rest of the eps focus around wrapping the growth arcs of kyo, akito, yuki & tohru.

I wish they kept the episodic forma for se01 only. Se01 is episodic by design since you can’t maneuver around character introduction, but they should’ve let season 2 & 3 flow smoothly without imposing episodic themes that a junior high schooler could detect, simply because the theme will choose which character fits this ep & which must be cut. Hardly a smart decision for a drama-focused story. Example: Se02 post-beach arc, being “mother tohru” themed meant the cut content of any “teenage girl tohru content”, focusing only on her role as a mother & shoving the rest of “tohru” into the unbelievably packed se03.

b. ( How the seasons are divided & which one is best?)

Lots of fans believed that: se1 (kyo focus), se2 (yuki focus), se3 (tohru focus), I don’t think this is the correct official anime format at all, but rather the fans wishful thinking, here’s why:

se01 isn’t kyo’s focus at all.  Kyo has ONE focused ep each season: se01:ep24, se3: ep9, & se03: ep8. He gets more screen time in se03 to deal with the aftermath of ep8 & to mark his growth & close his arc. But, yuki had more focused eps in se01 than kyo. Example, se01, ep 12, yuki tells the audience abt his dream of new friends, home & new self, sth he achieved gradually ever since that ep ended, thus, Kisa’s ep is a yuki centered ep as well as it marked the beginning of (a) “mother tohru” issues, (b) him deciding to join student council & get out of his comfort zone which is the beginning of “ new yuki”.

se2 is indeed a yuki centered season.

se03 is not a tohru’s focus at all, we still had (akito, shigure, kyo, kureno, momiji, isuzi, haru, machi, motoko, & more yuki) to start or finish their arcs & it is 13 eps only. tho, Tohru had a self-focused role at last which is good.

-I believe the following format better describes the anime’s seasons’ division since it is driven by themes:

se01: Life teachings for the youngsters, due to the direct format of advise given by mother kyoko thro her daughter to the characters/ audience.

se02: Life teachings thro a coming of age story. The trio are struggling to choose a future, afraid & burdened by their trauma’s. Yuki with the help of “mother tohru” , leaves the nest “youngster stage” & sets his foot into the future & struggles to: have fiends, express himself, face his parents, be honest with himself, form an identity & understand himself.

se03: Life teachings of mature issues to those who have already chosen wrong once or twice. bigger issues are presented such as: guilt, death, trauma, extreme self-loath, self-destructive tendencies (kyo), grief, lack of self-esteem, refusing to let go of the past, abandonment issues, constructed polite girl identity with false happy mask (tohru), superiority complex, false forced identity, sins & misdeeds (akito), other themes such as adultery, manipulation, passiveness & enabling can fit the other characters.

So, naturally, season 3 is the richest in content, extremely entertaining story-focused, plot-driven, multi characters depth, plethora of themes, issues & variety of fascinating character writing to distinguish between various arcs & wrap ups. Honestly, se03 carries the whole success since it IS the story of Fruits Basket ( a basket of different fruits & we get to hear/see them all, including the rice-cake!). Still, se03 suffered from the issues of pacing & format I mentioned above, plus condensed content due to short number of eps dedicated to 12 characters.

2. Overall Vision:

Tohru being the main protagonist carries the story’s vision, however, I think Taklaya-san wanted the vision to expand to all her characters. I duno abt the author’s true vision since I haven’t read the manga, but if I were to guess based on the overall story: it is “the acceptance of human weakness”. Yuki isn't the perfect prince, tohru isn't the angelic mom, kyo isn't the horrible monster. These assumptions are the OTHER characters’ perspective of them. Not their true identity or reality. We later even learn that the abusive akito herself, chose a healthier identity, the atoned family head. However, in the anime, characters’ weakness isn’t the center of the anime’s vision, rather its vision is abt the “nurturing effects of the mother figure”, which is supported by the writing as well, but shouldn't be the core driving plot. The anime is more centered around mothers & more narrowly guided. The characters’ weaknesses takes a second seat until the focus on the mother role is over. This does not affect tohru only, but all characters including yuki himself.

-Tohru being the female protagonist shouldn’t be angelic as this contradicts the core theme, thus tohru is given her own set of (human aspects):  trauma, frustrating character traits, faulty coping mechanism: the fake happy mask. Her role as yuki’s mother is only ONE part of her, as big as it is his life & as huge as it is from his perspective. It should NOT be what the audience can only see & feel from tohru. If it is, then Tohru is forever the 16 year-old mother of her peers, sth a normal teenager shouldn't, contradicting the basic existence of the human aspects mentioned above.

a. How does the overall vision being focused on “tohru’s motherly role” affect characters’ depths?

-For Tohru: In the anime, tohru being yuki’s mother lasted for 2 seasons, during that time, we are ONLY allowed to see HER from HIS perspective. Everything abt her human weakness is either vaguely hinted “ few scenes here & there” or pushed to se03. In se01 & 2, tohru is only allowed to act as a “teenage girl” in front of two male characters: (kyo & momiji):

How is tohru depicted in front of kyo & momiji? If you re-watch the anime, once tohru is around these two, her character is very different & she stops giving advice & instead “listen” to them. She is shown more lively & drawn younger & girly, asking more than talking, receiving advice, they both look at her as a normal girl with burdens on her shoulder rather than “savior/care taker”. Kyo complains to her few times abt that & calls her out on her self-denying antics, momoji takes a different approach & subtly provides chances for her to be a “teenage girl”: going to a hot spring & vacation. She opens up to kyo slowly in all her scenes with him, but while she doesn't open up to momiji, she allows herself to show vulnerability & throw her mask a bit in front of him (se01, ep12: she listened to his talk abt his mom, related to him, cried & hugged him with NO advice even tho she didnt tell him abt her mom), se02, she listened to his talk abt his sister, related to him, cried & gave NO advice even tho she didnt tell him she thought abt her mom).

The anime’s heavy focus on her “motherly”side, contradicts showing her as vulnerable & traumatized, hence her backstory lasted for 4 minutes in her own ep, se03, ep6. Later when she faces akito, tohru’s growth kicks in & she starts relating to her issues of abandonment but all this growth came from those 4 minutes of backstory in ep6. In ep9, in front of akito, tohru was depicted just like how she is depicted in all yuki centered eps, ( giving an advice, smiling, a hallow of light around her, the sun rises, the rain stops & she shines her kindness to heal the wounds). 

-For Yuki: In the anime, Yuki is shown seeking a mother & all the right monologues & issues are perfectly presented. However, his weakness isn’t only wanting a mother!! yuki is depicted as a prince by others, so a huge part of his growth is to leave the princely persona behind, which is sth that was not focused on in the anime. Outside of his issues on viewing tohru as a mother & wanting friends, yuki continued to be depicted as prince & wasn't much allowed the freedom of being “a normal teenage boy”. Machi narrated that part of his growth, motoko too, but it wasnt depicted much on screen & yuki continued to have dashing bubbles, sparkles, hair flowing on wind & extreme focus on beautiful face. Him becoming a dynamic character outside of his “finishing my tohru-mother confession to my friend” is very short lived. This would’ve easily been fixed if less attention was given to his “mom tohru” phase. He is more than “I used to look at tohru as my mom”.

-For kyo: In the anime, kyo never looked at tohru as a mom, hence from the beginning kyo didn’t fit the overall vision. Hence, all his issues are pushed into se03 when tohru’s “mom role” is finished. There is a reason we have ONE kyo centered ep in se1 & 2. it IS contradicting the current tohru-image of being a mom. Also, kyo’s thoughts are blocked completely for dramatic purposes but he didnt need to be absent from tons of eps which he was, even his growth ever since se01 finale is very subtle in order to not derive from tohru’s image as a mom. We have some scenes of kyo & tohru interacting, but they should be sparse se01, ep 23 (soup ep) or se02, ep2, or short scenes such kyoto scene or tohru’s worried abt her grandpa scene in se2, ep14. Most of kyo’s & tohru’s scenes aren’t solely romantic in their nature but they provide in depth peek into their true personality & identity as humans. With her kyo isn’t angry or annoyed & with him tohru isn’t bubbly with the “I’m okay” mask.

Side Notes:

There is no doubt that the anime was made with respect & love to the source material & the author. I can see this clearly & I don’t deny it at all. This isn’t meant to ridicule them at all. I respect them all plenty.

There is no doubt that the anime team were trying their best & if you like everything, then good for you, if you like some parts & don’t agree with others, then that’s fine. Criticizing is a form of loving, too. Just be respectful.

Preferences, tastes, visions, & outlooks, all differ from one human to another. This is normal & healthy.

The director or decision maker in the anime having different vision from the author is fine, too. After all, he’s a different person. His perspective & understanding of her characters is different. Disagreeing with him is fine. All medium of art are exposed to the audience perspective. I disagree with him on lots of creative decisions such as reliance on monologues, wide shots on intense moments, lack of zoom on facial expressions, most parallel scenes are very in the nose, need for exaggerated drama & over dramatic drawing of tohru & akito at times.

You can even differ with the writer herself on some parts of her writing, that’s fine, too.

I enjoyed this anime lots, it helped me make new friends, discuss lots of fascinating content, & practiced writing short critical reviews, which is sth I’ve missed from my college days!

I love the writing for the main male characters: Yuki & Kyo. I love their arcs so much! Yuki got the best focus on his core issues. Kyo, in particular surprised me as I used to think, due to the minimum content on him, that he’s only the secondary rival of the main male protagonist. But kyo’s story turned out fascinating & very psychological informed. 

Still, the anime is lacking to me for its depiction & presentation of women. The main female characters (Tohru & akito) are lacking realistic depiction of their core issues & time dedicated to that.  The focus on tohru’s mom role steals from realistic existence as a character on her own right. Akito is a villain for so long & her atonement is quick & her love story is quicker. Both females didn’t get to tell us their traumatic backstory in detail like the boys & they didn’t have enough focus on their human side.

Altho kyo had (1) way less screen time than yuki or even tohru, (2) his true backstory was only revealed in the climax, (3) his inner thoughts were blocked for suspense, he was written wearing his emotions on his sleeve from ep1, so, we grew to feel for him & dreaded what could’ve broken such endearing boy, hence, once it was shown we understood the psychological trauma that destroyed him. One third of the puzzle of his story was revealed each season gradually. (1) se01 (true form), (2) se02 (his bet with akito, knowing kyoko & loving tohru), (3) se03 (His whole backstory including the abusive father).

I wouldn’t say, I wish tohru was given the (yuki treatment) cuz then we’ll need more than 13 eps for se03, I just wished her story & emotions to at least be given the (kyo treatment): Divided into clear thirds (parts).

The anime is a lovely treat that I can recommend to lots of ppl with ease. You dont have to be into shojo to get into it, but it’ll undoubtedly trick you into its subtle main love story that subvert most shojo tropes. The other love stories are good as well, there’s a type of love for every fan!

There’s a number of platonic friendships which is very refreshing! 

My Final Verdict of the anime: Very Endearing as it tugs at my heart!

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #overall impression #analytical overview #tried paper #Recommended anime for sure! #Will read the manga! #se03 sells the manga good!

[life-rewritten]

Color Rush ; Power Plays and Forced Mindsets (Ep 1-4)

You all know when a show takes you by surprise, you're expecting the same repetition of storylines, the same tropes, the same settings over and over again and then one show stands out; it isn't what you expected. How on earth did you find such a gem. When Korea focused on bringing out new BLs, I was astounded, because that's what we've been secretly hoping for with the talent for production, directing and storytelling even if in a low budget, Korea is the one to beat. And if they start to take BLs stories more seriously, then we were in for a treat. There were phenomenal beginnings and exciting plots, and it felt right except there was also the little minutes and the need for the ambitious plotlines chosen to be concluded correctly, but because of short screen time, the stories ended unsatisfactorily at times. But it didn't matter because as long as we keep getting new Bls from Korea, everything will be fine, one day we'll get to a show that is above all the rest. Is it too early for me to then say that Color Rush is that show we've been waiting for?

An Introduction to Color Rush

Even though it's 15 minutes air time each episode, Color Rush manages to astound and confound us each episode. It's like being on a roller coaster, the thrill, the excitement, the euphoria and the joy that such a plotline was introduced. Color Rush sounds so weird at first; it's soulmate au trope, in a world where some people can't see color and end up finding someone who makes them do so with severe side effects. Like what? Who knew we were also falling into a story with psychological implications mirroring the issues with addiction and obsession, societal issues with prejudice reflecting LGBTQ struggles and minorities, and a terrifying, thrilling and yet sweet romance that seems never to know which spectrum it's on; if it's just a cute fluffy soulmate, au or a more psychological scarier look into obsession and power plays. It's phenomenal, and it takes me on a ride every single episode when it's over, I wonder what on earth did I just watch and why do I want more.

Why do I want these two to get together despite being frightened because of what their relationship entails, why do I feel emotionally torn about the positive and benefits these two have on each other vs the adverse outcomes that could happen the more they stay together. It's a trip. And it's become my own obsession and love too. I think like Yeon Woo I'm also experiencing some kind of color rush with this show because the way I don't want it to end, and the way I'm falling for it more is just something I never thought would happen to a 15-minute episode show. Anyways we're going to be analysing the mindsets and power plays of our soulmates and the negative and positive impact their relationship brings. Could we be falling for a psychotic twisted person (Yoo Han) or could we be being lied to by the media and society on how dangerous monos are? Let's find out.

So what do we know so far in Color Rush? We have Yeon Woo a monochromatic who is neurologically color blind, because of this condition he's been forced to think he's always going to be stuck in a grey, bleak, colourless world alone. He also doesn't want to meet the person destined for him to get out of that prison in his mind, because that person will end up being in danger as monos tend to have aggressive, violent personalities when they get addicted to the color rush they feel with their probes. That person is Yeon Woo, on the other hand, he's also forced to think life is boring because he can't recognise faces, he doesn't have a long-lasting impression with people, he is looking for something to latch onto and when he notices his monos eyes change color or receive color; he gets also excited and determined to keep Yeon Woo by his side despite the pain and suffering it could bring with them being together. Yikes right? There is a weird line between these two that shouldn't be crossed, a line of addiction and passion, the more they are exposed to each other, the possession and obsession grow, and the dependency becomes like a drug killing them on the inside but providing them pleasure because of the feelings they have for each other. Let's analyse the two mindsets of these two characters first, so we get a more in-depth look into what's going on in this world of monos and probes.

Yeon Woo: Alienation and Dependence

So we have Yeon Woo, he has a mindset of a mono. He's been forced by the world to think that he's a monster because of who he is naturally. With the role of the media and society telling him monos are destined to be alone if not they will be dangerous and hurt people. He's cursed essentially and feels that he must stay alienated and alone for the sake of people's safety. He's heard and seen rumours on how dangerous monos can get when they meet their soulmate, they can kill, they can maim, they break the law irrationally, and they even become cannibals if they are forced to a mindset of obsession and addiction to the colors they need to so desperately see. Yeon Woo's world is dark; it's quite synonymous with the feelings of depression, it's heavy, it's grey, it's stagnant. The mindsets of monos are to feel this longing despair and darkness within them because they cannot see anything else, and they are being told they are meant to stay this way forever.

It's incredible how much Yeon Woo has been forced to hate himself. We find out that he's been bullied repeatedly because he's a mono, people don't like what's different, and the prejudice is against monos because the media makes everyone see them as a monster, constantly fear-mongering everyone with rumours of one incident that happened with someone who couldn't hark the addiction to color rush. The thing is monos meeting their probes is even rare, so not all monos are ever going to be stuck in a crazy obsession to see color, they just are told to prevent it as much as possible. With Bullying making Yeon Woo move schools frequently because he reacts violently to defend himself, Yeon Woo doesn't trust or have any friends that he can rely on. This must be such a lonely, depressing, heavy toll on him. But what else can he do? The one person who can help him feel some kind of happiness or difference is his probe, but he can't be with him because he'll hurt him. It's regrettable and depressing when you think about the pain he carries. Not to mention the one person who could make him feel normal, his mother, a mono has gone missing and can't be found, and he probably thinks that again it's because Monos are cursed to be forgotten and in danger. It's awful.

Yoo Han: Obsession and Possession

On the other hand, we have Yoo Han. He's the probe, so he sees color, but he actually is also very similar to Yeon Woo's plight. He has prosopagnosia, face blindness; he can't recognise people or faces. He also has to be walking through a sea of nothing and feel like he can't make connections properly with people because of it. A person with prosopagnosia may avoid social interaction by choice, so he avoids the feeling of social anxiety and just has no interest in making connections with people. He already acts like Yeon Woo, Yeon Woo also chooses to avoid people because of his condition.

This is why it's fascinating because as Yeon Woo is terrified of becoming the mono obsessed with his probe, he doesn't realise that Han is probably more obsessed with him because he can see something different on him. He repeatedly mentions that he likes seeing the different colours enter Yeon Woo's eyes, and I think that he's latched on to that. He also receives a different type of colour rush; being able to have Yeon Woo depend on him and also being able to recognise a feature on someone's face because of colour that is distinctly different each time Yeon Woo goes through a color rush. This is why I find his power-play interesting because he wants to control when Yeon Woo sees colour probably because of trying to prevent him from being addicted and obsessed, but I don't think he takes it seriously how dangerous it is to keep exposing Yeon Woo to colour so easily especially when we can all see that Yeon Woo is experiencing signs of dependency on the color rush; something he's been trying to avoid. As Yeon Woo worries about becoming this monster, he probably should keep an eye on Yoo Han who is more determined to keep him by his side and is also forming some kind of obsession and dependency on his presence.

It's meant to be the mono who's in control, who's the one that receives the most from the probe and is the one with the most power in this relationship but Yoo Han is different. He is the one who's running to his mono endlessly, ignoring the risks and choosing to make his mono get used to color rush. I don't think he's trying to make Yeon Woo go crazy on purpose, or even he knows if he's being too obsessive, but I do believe he's not fully aware of all the information or have the ability to stop the time when they cross that line, and Yeon Woo does become the thing he's afraid of becoming. Han acts like he owns Yeon Woo and wants to control his addiction and outbursts; hence he pulls away and doesn't give into Yeon Woo's demands when he gets scared of losing the color. The basis of the addiction with these two is the fear of losing what they have. This is why in episode 4 although it's romantic Yeon Woo tells Han that he wants to be with him forever, it's also frightening cause that's a sign of addiction and dependency that we know he's trying to avoid.

Being a Mono: Prejudice and Self Hate

Looking into more of the prejudice Monos receive, we can see Yeon Woo's aunt call him and try and prevent him from listening to the media, so he doesn't see himself as a monster. She knows he's always heard and believed in how the media portrayed monos. And this is why it's fascinating to me, are monos really the way people think they are or has it been imbedded into their minds to believe that what they are is wrong. See why this is a metaphor for LGBTQ and minority struggles. Whenever something is different or against societal norms, the group suffers because of growing up with the mindset that something is wrong with who they are naturally instead of actually feeling safe to be who they are and free. Monos are treated this way; they've been told that the love they have for their probes is toxic and dangerous; when really it's probably an exaggeration or can be prevented. But society has made them stop wanting to view themselves and love themselves for who they are, but instead cages them with fear every day on the news about people who aren't them. They even write lazy news reports because they just assume that all monos kill their probes and go crazy from being together. It's really an interesting question to ask. We're feeling the tension and fear Yeon Woo has, but his heart has chosen Yoo Han from the start, he knows it, but he can't help question if it's because of the color rush or because of Yoo Han. And that's where the problem lies, can love ever be good and safe with obsession and codependency?

Macbeth: Madness and Greed

Speaking of Yoo Han's mindset and tendencies. I couldn't help but notice the book that is being mentioned repeatedly in this show, Macbeth could be shadowing him as well. He wears the orange hoody the first time when the book is shown, and this is very similar to the color of the book shown in the show. Macbeth; I've mentioned before is a story about someone who is so obsessed with power that the obsessiveness leads to craziness, violence and madness. Which is similar to symptoms that monos get when they're with their probes. But I can't also help but remember episode 4 when Min Jae says a funny quote about doughnuts in relation to Macbeth. It stuck with me because it may seem like a joke about food but actually think about it. He says the twisted doughnuts become round and the round doughnuts become twisted. And I think that's something to keep in mind we've been told the monos are the issue, the monos are the ones that are twisted and dangerous, but perhaps the probes are also just as dangerous and mad. Or perhaps it's again foreshadowing that Yoo Han is the one with the obsessive dynamics in this couple.

We may be worried that Yeon Woo is the one getting obsessed and addicted to the color rush but as I've said if Yoo Han is also somehow experiencing some kind of color rush when he sees the color in Woo's eyes if he is so desperate to latch onto the idea of someone needing him he may also go into a power trip as he's already showing he is with Yeon Woo. He might want to stay in that state of control and lose his mind. And that's scary and entertaining. I think these two will end up together. They're meant to be together despite the probe mono business. They show other affections and feelings of care, love (non-obsessive), and they both find solace in each other's presence because they both are different and get each other. I'm not saying Yoo Han is going to be a dangerous criminal but we should keep an eye on him to see if there are more signs of increasing dependency and reactions to Yeon Woo not playing by his rules.

Yeon Woo and Yoo Han: Power and Control

We have a theme of control and power with these two. Yeon Woo is trying to control his situation by avoiding ever meeting his probe; he continually tries to avoid the uncontrollable longing and feelings he's starting to have for Yoo Han. Still, no matter how much logically he thinks he can, he's already wearing a jacket and moving to the door towards Yoo Han. He's uncontrollably saying what comes to his head despite trying hard to prevent them from interacting more. People mentioned that he wasn't making sense when he says he wants to avoid people, but he's eating snacks from Yoo Han and Min Jae, and he's going into the lab with Yoo Han. But what he says is just because it's automatic to him to want to say that, he's been forced in a mindset that he shouldn't be with people, so even though deep down he wants the friends, and Yoo Han, he struggles with it yet automatically gives in and does the opposite. For me, that signifies how much control he's losing of himself when it comes to Yoo Han, again the problem is the lack of control monos have when they get addicted to the color rush. Usually with love having lack of control and your walls being broken down, and you are automatically saying how you feel is meant to be a strength to the romance, for color rush, however,  signs of that just mean more worries for Yeon Woo, how long and how much more exposure can he take before he entirely crosses that line and becomes uncontrollable.

We're starting to see even more worrying effects, loss of memory. Maybe Mono's truly lose the control of themselves, their minds and more without meaning to go into a state of mania which by the end they don't recall what happened. Maybe it's in this state that they become the most dangerous. We see Yeon Woo lose his memories of how he cried and screamed to hold onto the colors of his mum in his mind, and that's again a hint that he's entering that cycle that he's trying to avoid. So we also have to keep an eye on that. If Monos are losing consciousness and having no control over their actions when they go too far, then it means it's starting to become even more dangerous for our couple as they interact.

The lack of control and power over themselves, the world and their love lives is heartbreaking and painful when you look at it. Monos have been stuck in this cycle for so long but then why are some monos able to avoid that. I'm certain Yeon Woo's mum and dad did not go through that issue, yes his dad died, but we don't really yet know the basis of his death, and I think if his mum had been involved then, Yeon Woo wouldn't think of her that fondly, so again it brings me to ask if we are all just agreeing with societal opinions on what monos are and if there is a way for them to get out of this powerless and uncontrollable situation. Can Yoo Han and Yeon Woo find a way before the dependency and blackouts increase and cause more suffering? Maybe, Yeon Woo is getting accustomed slowly to Yoo Han's color rush and they know how to reduce the fainting symptoms from too much exposure. Yoo Han may be able to do what he wants to do which is to help Yeon Woo find the control he's so desperately searching for over this condition.

We have two people who felt forced to be seen as abnormal and lonely in the world. Now they've found each other, they could be each other's companion and saving grace, who gives them more meaning to this bleak life they think they have, this happiness they feel, and yet we are also torn because they could also be each other's downfall and lead each other to a spiral of madness and guilt. It's so exciting to see where this story unfolds and what it would bring. There's still so much to analyse and look into, there's the kidnapping mystery of the mother, and with that Macbeth doughnut quote, I'm forced to believe that it might be a probe which is the actual culprit that has taken these six monos, especially for revenge or also an obsession of their relationship with their mono. The aunt is also foreshadowed to get soon hurt, and I wonder how Yeon Woo will deal with that, someone is threatening her to stop looking to the case, and she probably will find the answer before she is sadly eliminated. And we need to know more about Yoo Han, his family, background and how he knows so much about color rush and more. Is there more to his actions than just the desperate need to find someone to be by his side that he recognises or is he on his own journey to lack of control and power and madness because of his need to be with Yeon Woo. Let's find out together.

#color rush #colour rush #korean bl #kdrama #bl series #bl drama #cwg #fvete #january #not thai bl

[callstolike]

The show might have its flaws(namely adapting shitty material)but I'll say the best thing that happened to it was casting Ben as the Darkling.Unlike the books especially the first one where he appears themost LB never really humanises him to the extent that we see on the show,we can even pinpoint the exact moment he starts to fell connection to/ fall in love with Alina(ep.2 and 4)and you can see it's genuone and that he feels for her and can understand her and what she's going through.

i think ben barnes does an amazing job of balancing warmth and depth with aleksander’s dedication to holding up this cold and controlled exterior so that we get to see both sides of him as a character in a really believable way. he’s a different person with alina than with anyone else; she unlocks something inside him that no one else does. and he’s such an adorable little golden retreiver of a man, following her around with big puppy dog eyes and worshipping the ground she walks on. he’s thrilled to be surprised by alina, to be loved by her. it’s lovely to watch and acts as a really striking counterpoint to what happens later, making it a lot more tragic in some ways.

but at the same time, i think book!darkling is no less human, if by human you mean complex and emotionally affecting to witness. he’s a very different person in the way he expresses a lot of his emotions, putting a lot of work into pretending he isn’t feeling what he’s feeling or that he feels anything at all, but for me at least that only adds to the depth of him as a character. he’s certainly less human in the sense of being less likeable or easy to empathise with. he’s prickly and reserved to such an extent that most of what you really see with him emotionally is unintentional. when he accidentally kisses alina and confesses that he does care what she thinks about him, not understanding why he does, or when he turns to heavy drinking and threatens to kill mal to get alina to talk to him he’s showing his own emotional vulnerability and volatility despite the fact that in the latter case he’s trying extremely (like, embarrassingly) hard to appear in control of the situation and of himself. then in sas when he all but begs alina to let him have his way with her, and when she pulls back from him you can practically see the walls go up as he puts his shirt back on and tells her he’ll hunt her like an animal and give her no peace.

the more he tries to force the idea of himself as strong and in-control, the more it becomes obvious he’s completely unravelling because of alina and simply doesn’t know how to cope, and for me personally that’s just as human and heartbreaking as watching show!darkling coming undone in his own way. i’m really curious to see where the show takes its version of him though, and how that might affect my interpretation of show!darkling as a character.

#m #asks #kindhearted-ocean #sab #sab meta #shadow and bone #grisha meta #grishaverse #grisha trilogy #ben barnes #aleksander morozova #the darkling #darklina #alarkling #otp: like calls to like #alcohol / #my meta

[multimetaverse]

HSMTMTS 2x01 Review

New Year’s Eve was a great way to return to HSMTMTS especially after such a long gap. Let’s dig in!

Vladimir Lenin once said that, ‘’ there are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen". It’s been almost a year and half since S1 ended but this past week has seen revelation after revelation as the fandom has resurrected itself and promotion for S2 kicked into high gear: Joshua Bassett came out, Frankie and Joe confirmed that they are a real life couple, Larry seemingly confirmed that S2 will only have 11 eps rather than the 12 initially ordered, and perhaps most importantly Olivia revealed that she and the main cast are under contract for 4 seasons and made clear that she’s leaving the show as soon as her contract is up.

I really enjoyed this premiere, it felt like picking up right back where we left off. I’m guessing that S2 was originally supposed to premiere around Christmas or New Year’s but the holiday decorations and real Utah snow add a charming aesthetic to the ep. Tim Federle deserves credit for giving HSMTMTS more of an ensemble feel which is no easy feat with a cast as large as this show has. It likely won’t last due to covid restrictions  but at least for tonight we got to see all the characters hanging out together acting like a real group of friends.

The dialogue tonight really reminded me of Glee and I think I mean that as a compliment. Miss Jenn in particular seems to be doing her best April Rhodes impression minus the alcoholism. 

The rini scenes tonight were lovely. Perfect gift was a great song and I loved the rini duet during the music in me as the world faded around them leaving just the two of them. The Harry Styles reference is funny in light of Josh’s coming out interview. Of course, it’s hard now to separate Nini and Ricky and Olivia and Josh. Their chemistry shines through as 2x01, 2x02, and possibly parts of 2x03 were filmed pre Jolivia breakup which seems to have happened around summer 2020. Whether they can keep that same chemistry later on in S2, not to mention future seasons, remains to be seen.

A major theme tonight was communication and clearly Rini need to work on theirs. Poor Ricky had to learn that Nini’s moving to Denver the night before she leaves town which has to remind of him of his mom effectively abandoning him. Ricky saying that he’s never gonna breakup with Nini ever again sure sounds like foreshadowing for a disaster though the odds that this time Nini initiates the breakup are pretty good. 

I’m glad that the show is continuing to delve in the Bowen’s divorce story with their house being sold and Ricky and his dad having to move into an apartment. Divorce is expensive and the division of assets typically leave people less well off. Mike Bowen needs to work on his communication skills but he’s rocking that beard; it takes him from depressed divorced dad to depressed divorced daddy.

Seblos was cute and in a nice change of pace Disney doesn’t seem to be cynically teasing them then cutting their scenes. It was refreshing to see them just being a couple and to hear Carlos casually refer to himself as gay. In that regard tonight’s ep didn’t seem like it was a Disney show at all and it’s major progress that there are now two main gay characters on HSMTMTS. We learn that Carlos is rich which seems likely to be a source of conflict with Seb who comes from a large farming family.

Bet on It was really fun and I liked that Ricky apparently couldn’t stop singing it. The medley of HSM 2 songs was fun but I’ll be real with you wildcats, I never thought HSM 2 or 3 were nearly as good as the first movie so I’m not sad that they’re doing something else this year.

Wild that Big Red’s mom also calls him Big Red. Salt Lake Slices seems poised to be a big part of S2 both as hangout spot and work location for some of the characters. Redlyn are sweet together but sometimes Big Red comes off as a closeted gay guy which isn’t ideal for a het pairing that is supposedly a big part of S2.

Nice to see Gina so excited to have sleepovers with Ashlyn. We know from 2x03 that Gina contends with being single on Valentine’s day and from her glances at Ricky tonight she’s clearly not over him. Tim’s playing with fire and I can only hope he knows what he’s doing. I liked the little detail of Kourtney having AOC on her vision board, it feels true to the character (hopefully AOC gets elected president one day if the USA doesn’t collapse into a fascist dictatorship or civil war before then). EJ’s beard has got to go but I like that he seems committed to being a better version of himself; very doubtful his plan to go straight to Duke like his forefathers doesn’t change by the end of the season. 

Derek Hough did a good job of playing Zach as a subtly condescending man who managed to swiftly undermine Miss Jenn’s confidence, we’ll see what he and North High bring to the table.

Looking Ahead:

Next week are auditions for Beauty and the Beast, we know Ashlyn gets the role of Belle and EJ has conveniently removed himself from the running for Beast which presumably clears the path for Ricky to take the lead. There’s been some controversy over the casting choices and I’ll save my comments about it for the 2x02 review.

We get to see Lily who looks like a meaner version of season 1 Gina, we’ll see how much depth she actually ends up getting. Howie is introduced in 2x03 and Antoine likely shows up later on. Jack likely shows up towards the end of the season.

Howie seems to have a connection with Kourtney though the character synopsis does say he gets close to a wildcat or two which certainly leaves room to slide him into Gina’s plot. We know Antoine is into Ashlyn so that’s another love triangle to look forward to. Jack was described as having wanderlust and most of the cast seems not to have filmed with him so I think it’s likely that he plays a role in convincing EJ to take a gap year rather than head straight to Duke. 

A translation leak on TikTok reveals that in 2x03 Gina is sad that she’s only gotten a Valentine’s Day gift from her mom. A brief clip from the promo shows up her on her porch at night holding a heart shaped box of chocolates. If that’s supposed to be from a secret or semi-secret admirer than it has to be from either EJ, Ricky, or Howie. If it’s a platonic gift then it could be from anyone, we’ll see what Tim has up his sleeves.

Nini moving back to SLC is a question of when not if. It’s going to be very difficult to bring her back in a way that’s justified and also doesn’t leave the time she spends in Denver looking like a total waste. Frankly, I’d rather the show just bite the bullet and bring her back with as little fuss as possible.

We’re possibly around a quarter way through HSMTMTS given that the mains have 4 season contracts and presuming that the show is not cancelled earlier. At the very least the show will be radically different after S4 if they try to continue it as Olivia has made very clear that she’s going to leave asap to pursue her burgeoning music career full time (notably she’s only done the bare minimum of promo for S2). 

Looming over the remaining seasons of HSMTMTS is what the professional relationship between Olivia and Josh looks like especially since in many ways the show is built around Ricky and Nini. Off screen relationships have often caused on screen problems and dating a co-worker is rarely a good idea since even clean breakups leave lingering resentments. Obviously the Jolivia breakup was not clean, Driver’s License, Deja Vu, and Good 4 U (which is a certified bop) were clearly written from a place of hurt and in some ways were written to hurt. It’s no surprise that Joshua has dropped his duet with Sabrina Carpenter from his EP; someone on his team at least is trying to stop the damage to his reputation. There’s a decent chance that Olivia’s songs becoming such hits has irreparably damaged Joshua Bassett’s reputation among the same pool of largely young women that he’s targeting his music towards thereby cutting off his music career at the knees. If nothing else this behind the scenes drama should keep things entertaining for a while.

Until next week Wildcats 

#HSMTMTS #Rini #Seblos #Ricky Bowen #Nini Salazar-Roberts #Carlos Rodriguez #Seb Matthew-Smith #Gina Porter #ej caswell #HSMTMTS Reviews