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dukeofonions · 3 years

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Season Two Episode Ranking

Warning: I get very, very, very, critical in this ranking. Like, angry ranting that’s almost laughable. Should I be getting this worked up over an online series? Eh, probably not. But this is my life and I’ll get outrageously angry over whatever media I want.

Seriously though, this is all just my personal opinion. I’m not saying you have to agree with me and if you like the episodes that I don’t then that’s perfectly fine.

I tend to overthink things a lot and I spend most of my time analyzing every little details of this series because what else am I supposed to do at work?

So yeah, this ranking is definitely less positive than the one I did for the first season. But I hope y’all can still have some fun going over it! And if anyone does their own rankings be sure to tag me because I’d love to see them and see how mine compare!

Anyways, enough of me acting like this is more important than it is, on with the ranking!

I can’t believe season two only has 12 episodes. Now I went ahead and counted Moving On as one episode in this ranking since my opinions on both parts are pretty similar, but sweet cheese and fish this season started on September 1st, 2017 with Fitting in and right now is left on Putting Others First which came out on May 1st, 2020. And as of me writing this it is now May 2nd, 2021. It’s been a whole year since the last episode and we still have no idea when the finale is coming.

Like, bruh.

Also remember how the longest episode in season one was only about 15 minutes long and the shortest one was barely four minutes?

Well the shortest episode in season two is Crofters- The Musical which is 8:42 seconds. The longest episode is Putting Others First which is a whopping 51:09.

And I wish I could say that the writing was on the same level it was in the first season, but there’s a reason I put that warning up there.

Well, enough stalling, let’s get this ball rolling.

#11 Embarrassing Phases

There are no words in the English language that can describe the sheer amount of hatred I have for this episode. If I could rank this any lower, I would, which will happen once we finally get the season finale. I don't know how that episode will go but it'll definitely be better than whatever dumpster fire this was.

Like, okay. I have some positives. Roman, Patton, and Virgil's costumes were cool. I won't lie I live for vampire Virgil. And the message about embracing your past "phases" and exploring how they helped made you who you are. That's neat. I like that.

And that's it.

My biggest gripe with this episode is Virgil. He just acts like a complete bitch in this! And I don't mean that in an endearing way he's literally so mean for no reason!

He's all "You guys are trivializing my past!"

In response to them going "Hey Virgil, we're glad you're part of our group now and are proud of how far you've come!"

Like okay, even if it was insensitive to call it a "phase" literally there was no reason for him to get as angry as he did.

Just a simple; "Hey, I don't like it when you refer to what I went through as a phase because it feels like you're not talking it seriously."

Isnt that what this whole show is about? Communication???

It wasn't fun watching him just insulting the others, it was annoying!

Like poor Patton, just trying to help and be encouraging, only for Virgil to keep treating him like dirt.

What did I miss here? Virgil was fine in the last few episodes, so what the heck happened?

Oh and let's not forget the great advice Thomas offers Patton at the end of the episode in regards to handling Virgil: "Don't do anything to get on his bad side or else he'll do bad things to you!"

Okay I'm paraphrasing here but that's basically what he says! And since Virgil is supposed to be a representation of anxiety, this is a horrible message!!!

What happened to finding healthy ways to cope with your anxiety? What happened to keeping it in check so it didn't take over your life?

Yeah I'm definitely gonna make a full post about this one episode later because there's a whole lot more to unpack here. But yeah -10/10

#10 Putting Others First

There is just way too much going on with this episode. They try cramming so much in here that I don't even remember more than half of it.

I remember the opening song, then the Lilypadton fight and everything that happens from there. That's it.

And those are the best parts of this episode, but even that has problems because everything with Janus feels like a completely different episode.

Also the whole way they try to teach about morality is all over the place. How did we go from choosing a wedding over a callback to deciding whether or not you would die for your friends to self care is important?

And while the video game sequences, while utilized well in some places, were way too distracting and it felt like they were just trying to shove as many video game references in as they could.

You could take out just about all of them and the episode wouldn't change. Everything they were used for could have been done just through having the characters talk to each other, and knowing this makes the fact that this video was delayed for so long because of it just makes the whole thing worse.

Like the animations were well done, and I don't want to downplay the hard work the animator did. They were just doing their job after all.

But the trolley scenes (especially the second one) hurt my eyes with all the flashing (would have been nice to have some kind of warning for that) and some of the voice effects (especially on Logan's) were grating and distracting.

I want to rank this episode higher, but it has almost zero rewatch ability and honestly besides the ending, when I first watched this episode I was just kinda let down.

#9 Crofters- The Musical

Okay look, the song is a bop and I adore the fact that Logan and Roman got two episodes in the spotlight, but it's just kinda "meh" to me. Plus I get just a tinge of second hand embarrassment but that's just me.

And I know this is kinda unfair but another reason why this one isn't higher is because of a couple of things. One is that they set up some angst for Roman, he's clearly not doing well and Thomas thinks the best thing to do is tell him that he might get his own jam flavor.

Then he does, and instead of following up on that little plot point from this video, they just rushed out a commercial and completely ignored and potential story telling or character development for Roman.

So yeah "Return of the Jam" is the main reason why I don't like this one as much as I used to. And I actually just got an idea for a new post comparing these two so add that to my to-do list.

#8 Fitting In

I actually skipped this one during my first official watch through for one reason and one reason alone: I wasn't allowed to watch Harry Potter.

But I realized that my parents wouldn't approve of me of watching a gay man's content either so I just said screw it.

And luckily I understood enough Harry Potter references to get what they were talking about and honestly, this episode is a lot of fun.

It's a good follow up to Accepting Anxiety, and a nice way to kick off season two. Virgil is finding his place among the group and everyone is trying their best to make him feel welcome, it's really sweet.

And of course we get the new costumes (which i hadn't even noticed that they were wearing their old costumes at first) and I dunno it just gives off season one vibes and it makes me happy.

#7 Moving On Part One/Moving On Part Two

Yeah honestly my thoughts on both parts of this episode are the same. What can I say? It's really good.

This definitely one of the more emotionally heavy episodes in the series, and we see the characters at their lowest for really, the first time in this series.

I adore Patton's room and how each side gets their own corners. All the little details they add in, including the changing picture in the background, it really gives off that nostalgia feel they were going for.

What I love most about this episode is how (unlike some other episodes) they actually let the emotional moments sink in and don't throw in a joke immediately after. Like the ending is bittersweet, sad almost, and I love that they stuck with the mood up until the episode ended.

Not to say there weren't some jokes here and there (mostly in the first part) but once the mood shifts and things become more serious they let that mood stay. And when there are jokes they all work really well.

This is one episode I've actually watched the least out of season two, so it'll be interesting when I go watch it again to see if any of this holds up.

#6 Why Do We Get Out of Bed in the Morning?

Honestly I only put this one above Moving On because Logan and Roman are my favorites.

This episode is actually one of the weaker ones, which hurts to say because again, favorite characters, but goodness it's all over the place. It feels like a precursor to POF and not in a good way.

Logan and Roman just basically argue back and forth throughout the whole episode, never seeing eye to eye with each other, to the point where I think think the writers realized they couldn't find a way to get these two to agree so they just had Thomas step in and be like, "You guys make a really good team!"

Dude, were you even paying attention? They never even reached a conclusion on their own. And even though they have their little moment at the end, it's all kinda ruined when nothing in their relationship changes.

Yes, in Learning New Things About Ourselves, they acknowledge that there's more work to be done in regards to them, which makes sense. People aren't going to suddenly change overnight.

Yet despite having come to some kind of understanding with each other twice now (both here and LNTAO) in the following episodes they still act like they hate each other! Heck Roman is downright nasty to him for seemingly no reason and I don't really blame him for it.

More like I think the writers just don't know how to develop their relationship and just aren't as interested in them as the others. Logan's been reduced to being Mr. Exposition and apparently Roman's personal issues aren't enough for him to carry a room episode on his own because they felt the need to introduce two new characters before he finally gets it.

Sorry, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, the episode.

There's some funny bits here and there and the little animations are cute (even if unnecessary) but really it's only saving grace is being Roman and Logan centered.

Even though they felt the need to include a cameo from literally every other character because apparently no one has any faith that Logan and Roman can carry an episode on their own.

#5 The Sanders Sides 12 Days of Christmas

This episode is just pure fun. Look, I'm not a big fan of Christmas, even less of a fan of Christmas songs, but my gosh this episode almost makes me appreciate the season.

The way they're all just bickering the whole time, being very confused, and how there's just so much personality from each character even when they're not talking/singing and just being in the background is *chef's kiss* perfect.

There's so many fun little details to pick out during the song and it's fun to go back and watch how each side reacts to different things.

#4 Selfishness vs Selflessness

Gonna be real, this used to be my favorite episode. Until my overly critical brain started finding all kinds of problems in the writing department but I think I’ve been negative enough on this post so I’ll save it for another time.

Janus steals the show in this one, it’s his first official appearance since his debut and he just soaks up the spotlight. It’s refreshing to have an antagonist in the show again, and he’s the perfect foil for each of the original Sides.

He knows how to play into Roman’s insecurities, know how to feed into his ego and get him on his side. He’s in direct opposition to Patton, who believes that everything Janus represents is wrong. He’s able to silence Logan and take him out of the conversation, speaking over him most of the time.

And I guess he and Virgil have some beef I dunno.

The courtroom scenario is fun, and I love how Janus is the only one who sees how ridiculous it is (even though it was your idea in the first place, Jan) and everyone else seeing it as perfectly normal is hilarious.

I do like some of the more dramatic moments in this episode, especially that final bit with Janus questioning Thomas until he finally gets him to admit the truth. It was intense and reminded me of the scene where Janus confronts Roman in a similar manner.

While far from perfect this is still a good episode and I can find a lot to love about it, like Janus in a suit.

#3 Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts

This episode scared the shit out of me and I loved it.

Okay it didn’t actually scare me. But I stayed up to wait for it to be posted, which wasn’t until 2 or 3 in the morning. So by the time I finally watched it I was half awake and not expecting anything that I witnessed.

The result was me being terrified of Thomas with a mustache and it prevented me from sleeping. I was over it the next day though and had Forbidden Fruit stuck in my head all day. Which isn’t good when you’re running the register at work and you can’t stop singing it.

There’s a lot of reason why I love this episode, Remus being the primary thing. His entrance is iconic, the first few notes from his theme play as he creeps up behind the TV, him smiling at Roman all creepily until he whacks him over the head and knocks him out for most of the episode.

Then we get the song, Forbidden Fruit, which is just great. Slight secondhand embarrassment but seeing the finished product and all they put into it, I can’t help but love it.

Still miffed that Janus hasn’t gotten a song... specifically a villain song... I won’t ever let that go...

Logan is another highlight in this episode (no surprise) and seeing him go head-to-head against his polar opposite without batting an eye was interesting since I was kinda expecting them to show Logan having trouble dealing with Remus but nope. He handled it like a champ and I love them both.

Now I am kinda wary as to how they’re going to handle Remus in the future, especially with the intrusive thoughts aspect. It’s a sensitive topic and they’re already screwing up anxiety. But Remus has only been in one episode so far which means I can’t make any solid judgments until he’s appeared in more episodes, so I’ll have to wait and see.

All in all, great episode! Definitely deserves to be in my top three.

#2 Learning New Things About Ourselves

This episode made me feel so nostalgic. I freaking love puppets and grew up with Sesame Street and the Muppets, so I’m probably biased towards this episode but to me this is really one of the better written episodes.

Perfect? Heck no. But really, really good.

I love that we get to explore a bit more with Logan and Roman’s characters, in a lot of ways this is kind of a Logan episode which has him standing against the other Sides, and it’s really interesting to see just how different he is compared to the three of them and it could just be me but it seemed like he’s becoming more of an outsider and isn’t as close with the original four as he used to be, and this episode is what really kicks that idea off.

I can also relate to the “Well that’s nice but what do you do for a living?” message, except in my case it’s more like I want to quit my “real job” to pursue what I’m passionate about while people tell me it’ll probably never happen or “Yeah that’s a nice hobby!” So this episode really struck close to home and I just have a lot of sentimental feelings towards this one.

I love all of the designs for the puppets, they all just fit perfectly and I wouldn’t mind seeing them make a comeback one day. I know that’d be difficult since they’d need a professional to puppet them but hey, one can dream right?

And oh my gosh the song, it just gives off the same feel from Sesame Street and Muppet songs with it’s jazzy feel. And I won’t lie I flipped my lid when Logan and Thomas were in the same shot together. We hadn’t seen any of the Sides share the screen with Thomas yet and the fact that it was Logan, and he was arguing with Thomas and they were singing over each other? Ah I love it!

Also don’t get me started on how Logan’s bit in the song sounds more villainous than the others. I’m not saying anything just a neat little observation.

I have a lot of happy feelings attached to this episode, so despite the few problems I have with it I could never bring myself to hate it. The only one that tops it is...

#1 Can Lying Be Good?

The episode that started it all. The one that caught my attention and sparked my new fixation on this little series that I had just glossed over before.

I really don’t know what prompted me to watch this episode, other than I wasn’t in the best place and it just happened to pop into my recommendations one day and I figured, “Huh, haven’t watched this guy for awhile. Let’s see what he’s been up to.”

Once the episode was finished my first thought was “Holy shit when did this series start having lore?!”

This episode is probably the closest thing to perfect out of all the season two episodes so far. The writing is clever, pretty much all of the jokes land, and oh my gosh the editing in this one is phenomenal.

The way they show Roman shifting between himself and Joan throughout the episode is what sticks out the most. Having Roman’s voice coming from Joan, or having them briefly change back to Roman, I love it so much.

Not to mention Thomas’s ever changing shirt that reflects what he’s thinking/feeling is a neat little detail.

Did I mention this episode is hilarious? The ridiculousness of each scenario that they act out, with all the little inputs from Logan and Virgil who are both trying their best to do their jobs besides not even wanting to be part of it in the first place is adorable.

And of course, the man of the hour, Deceit. Or Janus as we now know him as.

Is it weird that I like Deceit more as a name? Probably, but that’s just because I don’t like how early his name was revealed.

Okay that was my last negative comment. Promise.

Now since I hadn’t watched Sanders Sides in a while I didn’t notice anything off about “Patton” during my first watch. But going back after seeing the rest of the series helped me catch all the little hints they added to clue in the audience that something wasn’t right.

A lot of it is really subtle, mostly in the acting department, but once you’ve caught on to everything it makes you wonder how you didn’t notice the first time. You can even see Logan and Virgil throughout the episode, knowing that something is off with “Patton” but holding back their concerns until Virgil finally calls Deceit out.

I’ve rewatched Deceit’s reveal so many times. When he finally drops the act after Thomas makes up his mind not to lie, you can just tell he no longer cares whether Thomas knows or not. Then things get even more tense when Logan is silenced, and everyone knows what’s going on except Thomas.

The music starts to build up, Thomas is flipping out, then after Deceit taunts him again he finally demands to know what’s going on and BAM there he is!

I love everything about this.

Like, what else can I say? This episode is brilliant. It really shows exactly what this team is capable of when they’re at their best. The pacing, the build up, the writing, all of it combined together to make the perfect episode.

Season Two has been, interesting. The long waits have caused some problems with the pacing and characters, not to mention the departure of Joan from the writing team with new writers entering the room, not to mention the first welcome now unwelcome arrival of Asides, and with only the season finale left before season three, it makes me wonder just where this series is headed.

I know this series is capable of doing incredible things, season one is still solid and it really holds up even after all this time. But season two just feels like a jumbled mess. Sure, it’s easy to enjoy the episodes individually, but once you try to fit them all together it’s like trying to jam a puzzle piece into a place where it doesn’t fit.

The best way to describe this season is as an experimental season. Each episode has the team trying something new, sometimes it seems these gimmicks take precedence over the story itself. Of course, some of these can work to the episode’s advantage, while others are just distracting and you’d know you wouldn’t miss them if they were gone.

It’s a mixed bag that’s for sure. One that has me watching in morbid curiosity as I wait to see whether it’ll crash in the end or blow my expectations out of the water. It really is fun to analyze these episodes, and yes I know I can be very harsh but believe it or not this is how I engage with media that I love.

My hope is that team will learn from season two and try to take a more simple approach with their production once season three roles around. Because if they continue at the same pace they are now I doubt there will be many people around to see this series through.

And on that note, that was my ranking of season two! I’m actually kinda excited now to go back and rewatch everything, I hope I don’t have to wait much longer to do so but that all depends on when the season two finale comes. Whether it ends up exceeding my expectations or just being “meh” I know it’ll be interesting regardless and I can’t wait to see just how they plan on wrapping this all up before the final season arrives.

#dukeofrankings #dukeofcritical #this one post spawned so many future posts #i'm gonna be a busy onion

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ravenxbones · 2 years

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Your flash sheet is so cool!!!! I love how many details there are in all of the designs; would you be willing to give the scoop on what your favorites are or what the inspiration/designing process was like for you??

hi! i’m so glad you liked them!!

my process was pretty…simple? i went into it with a solid idea for the mama design since that was what originally made me want to draw flash sheets for tbp but i knew i wanted to try and do ideas that were at least fairly original/that i hadn’t really seen before (with the exception of like. house of wolves. i think almost everyone includes a wolf in that one). so i’d kind of conceptualize what i wanted with that in mind, and trying to draw some inspiration from the lyrics if i could (especially if like. nothing was coming to mind). i was also at least a little bit trying to think of things that could translate well into american traditional since that was my biggest influence! i’m not a tattoo artist but i love tattoos (have 2, sort of planning another one atm, hoping to get more) and i really love tattoos that are at least inspired by american traditional (my tastes lean into neo traditional by. quite a bit) so that was what my inspiration was!

my favorite designs are:

cancer — this one was inspired by that one post that was floating around a while back that posited cancer was an aids allegory. now i’m not really. committed to the idea that that’s TRUE, but i really liked the idea…and you have to admit that there’s at least a little merit to it. anyways. there’s a lot of flags in american traditional though they’re usually (obviously) american flags. i don’t think ive ever seen a body wrapped in one before though. that being said scythes and spiderwebs and hands with envelopes are all very traditional imagery! this one might be my favorite out of all of them.

house of wolves — this one is a fairly simple idea (wolf. fire. roses. at least two of those are super common in tattooing) but i think it ended up looking 1. super cool and 2. the most like an actual american traditional style tattoo. the lyrics in it are my favorite part of the song (if you count the background chanting as lyrics ig) and i really like the way the wolf turned out! basically the process for this one was to find a reference pic i liked and bolden up and simplify the shapes a little, then use the colors traditionally used for wolves in american traditional. again it’s pretty simple but i really like it.

the sharpest lives — fun fact. i was originally thinking of doing a chaise with romeo and juliet (callback to the first couple lines of the song & also to my favorite part of the song which is that it mentions my favorite shakespeare play/ballet) a la the death scene in the play. then i figured that was overly complicated and i would have to draw two small figures in a traditional style and bailed on that idea. so a dagger (i love them) it was and i wanted to include the vampire fangs because that’s the other best part of that song. things i like: romeo and juliet, vampires, blood, fangs, knives. so it worked out. and it was feeling a little empty so a rose found its way in as well. i like the colors in this one a lot (blue isn’t something i’d usually consider my favorite color but. it’s real pretty).

famous last words — i’ve seen a lot of designs with a split design but they’re usually black and white/feature pinup-y women with dark hair (both common in american traditional & a nod to fear and regret i believe) & i. well i really like sun and moon imagery and i kind of couldn’t believe no one had done something with that before because sun = day = awake + moon = night = asleep. that’s dumbing it down a little but yeah! that was basically the entire idea. it just came down to finding a composition i liked and what do you know, i found one. this one’s also pretty simple but i think the simplest ones turned out the best.

after i came up with the ideas i basically just looked for a lot of reference images of those specific things in american traditional to see if anyone had done it before and then tried to combine the different parts i liked best into something unique and cohesive. sometimes i couldn’t find reference (wttbp, blood, sleep) and i had to kind of cobble together something together. again, i’m not an expert in tattoo design or in classic american tattooing so i did my best.

thank you so much for the interest/kind words/letting me ramble! i really appreciate it!!

#query on top #this was very sweet ty #it gave me a chance to like. chat about the ideas i had which was really nice it was definitely a passion project

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astro-break · 4 years

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Thoughts on the third ep of Hypmic Rhythm Anima (as always, spoilers beware but not only for the anime itself but for future things covered in the Drama CD and the Manga. If you’re an anime only, those are marked with a *)

Right off the bat. Super disappointed that it isn’t a MTC episode. I wanted an MTC episode. :((((

Still got my MTC crumbs this week tho and I think I can hold out until next week which hopefully will give me the MTC episode I so desperately want (Yes, i have a division bias and i’m not afraid to show it)

Jakurai entertaining kids are just so cute. I think its very very precious.

* Also. What kind of doctor is Jakurai anyways? So far we know that he’s a councilor/therapist (helps Doppo w/ his anxiety), a pediatrician (he helped a kid), a family doctor (I think i might be wrong on this one), a surgeon (In the FP vs MTC manga he’s shown preforming surgery), a hitman/assassin (:/ yeah evil line records seems intent on retconning this one), a battle field medic (he’s state to be one during WWIII) and now he’s getting called into the orthopedic (things concerning the musculoskeletal system) and gastroenterology (working w. the digestive system) department, two things that have nothing in common with each other. And I’m sure I’m missing some. There is no way in hell this man can do all that he’s 35 for fucks sake. You’d be old and grey before you could learn and complete the credentials needed to work half of these jobs

Nice to now that theres some hints of jakurai’s past. I have a feeling that we’ll be seeing more of the detective later in the story, esp for Matenrou

Doppo being overworked as usual *sigh*. When will the man ever rest? Never... Though im a bit skeptical as to why one of his co-workers calls him doppo. this is a work environment, usually he’d be called “Kanonzaka” for the least amount of informality. seems sus to me. Though his depiction of his insecurities is nice

I love how his first reaction is to call Hifumi and as him if he’s killed anyone. Peak bromance guys.

Honestly Doppo’s method of trying to calm down is nice but not at all effective. He has the right mindset of calming down and letting his body breath, but the way he goes about it is... eh.

Tom and Iris’ argument is hilarious and I really want to see more of them and Rex! Can’t wait to see what happens with these three new characters

Iasdgfjsd;flkasjdflkasdjfkasdlvn ajsdk, MTCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

MY BPOYS OH MY GOD RIOU NEVER CHANGE

fsajghasdf i love them asdhfoiksldjfasdfj riou’s food looks so so so so so good omgggggg

Samatoki respecting the fuck outta Jakurai is amazing and I never get tired of their father-child kind of relationship (yes jakurai is a dad to TDD fight me.)

The Riou and Samatoki interactionnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ah my heart!! they know each other so well and play off each others strengths. its so cute and I love how Samatoki knows his teammates well enough to know when to play each of his pieces. He isn’t just some brute who speaks through his fists, but he does use his head too. I think this is one of the reasons why he’s also high up on the Yakuza ladder since he’s not only brawny but also brainy

EAT RIOUS FOOD SAMATOKI

ah yes, Jyuto kneeing a bitch. just what I needed to see on a stressful friday thank you for feeding me

I love MTC, im very happy with the MTC crumbs. Since MTR showed up in BB’s ep last week, i really really hope that next week’s ep will be MTC

There it is. Jakurai’s “Jitsuni Kyoumibukai” line

lolololololol the sound effects for MTR is hilarious. Though please give Doppo a break, man deserves it

Jaku’s hair man. its beautiful

Again, please give Doppo a break, he deserves with the 4 joints that they attacked

They say 3 times, but they attacked 4 places?? Did they not report one of them?

Ahhhhh the DoHifu interaction on the temple grounds is both hilarious and cute. Though I can’t help but feel bad for Doppo

* Huh, Jaku did you get that from your hitman days loll

Oh man host mode. Though I like how Doppo recognizes when Host Mode is a legitimate shield that Hifumi needs and is willing to give him that shield when he needs it. God I love their dynamic]

wow... yet another female stalker for Hifumi... very original. This is pretty similar to the stalker girl from the manga and CD

Lol callback to when Doppo was in the toilet and trying to calm down.

pffft the girl is so weird. I can’t stand her or Uwabami.

The plot is so convoluted holy shit. Is this a drama now? (I’ve never watched any c-dramas or k-dramas so I’m the furthest thing from a voice of authority but this seems like a drama show plot lmao.)

This is just a drama at this point lol. Misunderstandings, plot twists and cheesy shit all over the place. Its a badly written and hilarious drama thats for sure

Someone please write a fic where instead of the hypmic universe, the boys are all in a tv drama show plot and their hijinks bc it would fit perfectly. please

Ah, Doppochin snapped~ He’s very interesting once he gets fired up and thats when I really really like MTR. Don’t get me wrong, I love them normally but its when they get down to it that really makes me squeal in delight

Oh! So i think each character gets their own personalized intro w/ their speakers, not just the leaders. Thats honestly so so so cool. The 3D didn’t get in the way of the sequence and was really flashy and smooth. I love how they show the transformation and reveal of the mic and speaker. Honestly the Anime has so many good takes on thigs that aren’t touched on often in the franchise.

The rap was honestly fire this time around. I love it and have replayed it almost 20 times. According to the ending credits its called Welcome U which is so cute for such a funny and badass song. The strong base beat and imagery were so strong and included a lot of homages to things that really matches both Shinjuku, Matenrou and the lyric’s themes and they’re really small but important details! The humor was on point without sacrificing any of the amazingly cool elements and the three distinct styles of rap were integrated in such a catchy melody!

EG) the verse All Year Round features a quick shot of the four seasons and the things most prominently associated with each season. Spring has cherry blossoms and flower viewing, Summer has festivals, Fall and Winter have food that corresponds to events that happen in those seasons.

Doppo’s line of “The flea counters w/ a bite” is so so so cute bc he’s got a little w at the end and thats jp chatspeak for a laugh and skjdfhsdjfkslad adorable

Hifumi picking up right after and asking if Doppo is okay is just. Goals. And his gratutious english works really well and is super smooth! Very very good

Also the small homage to The Champions with Hifumi’s “Jump around” line and the format where Hifumi takes separate lines than Jaku and Doppo. Its a brilliant way to sneak these references in and they’ve kept that theme going from last episode

Foreshadowing with “We’re the true leader, Matenro!” Nice touch there lol.

Lol of course its attempted murder. Still gotta keep this PG 13 even though theres swearing abound

The ending w/ mimimi..... leaves me kind of torn since i don’t like how it ended but they did provide some nice advice. i guess

lsdf;jsalkdfjsldf Hifumi please you’ve known Doppo for over 25 years, you should know better than anyone what his charm points are. and shouldn’t you be the one who understands Doppo’s appeal? smh

SCREEEEEEE THAT TITLE OF THE NEXT EP. if its an MTC ep i will scream even more bc asudhfsdkjflasd A friend in need is a friend indeed this is just pushing my Poly!MTC agenda isn’t it

Final thoughts:

Please please please let next week be MTC please please please

DoHifu are goals, both romantically and platonically

The rap was fire and I’m going to keep listening to it on repeat. First ep was a bit of a disappointment in terms of CGI and raps but these latest two eps are really picking up the slack! I really hope they continue this for the next two!

JAKURAI WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR ARE YOU PLEASE TELL ME

#hypmic #hypnosis mic #hypnosis mic rhyme anima #hypnosis mic rythme anima spoilers #hypmic spoilers

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a-mellowtea · 3 years

Text

Sarah’s Soundtrack Corner | RWBY Volume 8

Today: Episode 2 // Refuge 29/11/2020: Episode 3 // Strings

Hello again, folks!

To very quickly answer the question I’ve gotten a couple times over my post about being done with the fandom until hiatus: yes, I’m alright. It’s not one singular thing that’s made me decide to keep my distance from discussion and larger contribution - more an accumulation of behaviors and loudly-echoed opinions that have tired me out. Get told you’re a bad person for sympathizing with a character long enough, and it starts to wear on you.

I deeply appreciate the concern and continued support from all you lovely people. I may not agree with every path RWBY takes with its story, but I still enjoy the show and I love talking about it, and the way I want to focus on doing that this Volume is through these weekly (although occasionally late whoops) posts.

And on that note, let’s get going!

The first scene of the Chapter is silent as far as music goes, which is honestly an interesting choice. Not a good or bad one, mind you: simply curious. The lack of it does keep attention on what’s being said by the characters which I’d wager a guess to be the point.

A piece eases a transition about three minutes in, under the Atlas Eye news broadcast, and I have to say: this reference is super fun. It was pointed out to me that it bore a striking similarity to the electric guitar melody scoring the first fight scene of Volume 7 - RRAYNBBOW vs. the Sabyrs. Sure enough, another listen, and that’s exactly what it is!

You can find that particular bit in “Protector of Mantle”.

This smooths out into a section of the Mantle “theme” on strings, ending at around the 4:33 mark.

There’s a cool, fun piece of techno-ish music that plays when Yang’s group take to the streets on their hoverbikes. I honestly love the little guitar sting as Yang does her flip; it’s a solid bit of levity, especially in contrast to the solemnness of Chapter 1.

Speaking of Chapter 1, we get a reprise of the melody from the airship scene - perhaps a new sort of theming for Mantle’s current situation - under Oscar, Jaune, Ren and Yang gathering civilians. I do find myself liking it - this instance is kept on a high bit of flute which, despite the general safe air of what it plays under, adds a bit of tension to the scene.

It’s interrupted by an action stint on brass, strings and percussion which, other than what I believe to be a couple notes of the Mantle/Solitas melody, didn’t ring any bells as being familiar. Not everything has to be, of course; it’d get pretty boring if it was, haha!

When Jaune tries to reassure everyone at 6:08, there’s a lovely little bit of his leitmotif on brass; warm and bright. As another personal aside, the more I hear Jaune’s melody, the more it steadily becomes one of my favorites.

Once Racist Grandma begins speaking about Atlas, there’s actually a bit of a comparatively more obscure reference to some of Volume 7′s material; again from Chapter 1, from when the protagonists first arrive and get onto the streets. One of the previously established “tension” melodies for Atlas is also present, from about 6:25 - 6:31.

From there, we transition into my favorite part of the episode’s music, which I’ve no qualms for being biased on this time.

From 7:04 - 8:09, we get a gorgeous piano and strings melody comprised of Ozpin’s “theme”, Oscar’s “theme”, and “Fear” - the song from Volume 7′s finale credits. It’s gentle and poignant, and oh so heartbreaking in how easily the themes blend into one another. There’s nothing really to say about this section in terms of it’s purpose; that much is clear.

I cannot emphasis enough my adoration for these melodies. Ozpin’s “theme” has always been a favorite of mine, and Oscar’s got a solid spot up there as well the first I heard it. They’re both gorgeous, and Alex always uses them so beautifully.

As we cut to Ruby’s group, the piece transitions into a small quote of Penny’s “theme” when she looks out over the gathering refugees. A little bit of a tonal shift then happens under Weiss’ explanation of the Snowshoe Shipping center; it’s brighter and a bit more playful.

It eases back into seriousness once Ruby reassures Penny; first with a brief quote of “Red Like Roses”, and then another bit of Penny’s melody against a frankly unsettling underlay of strings. Excuse me a moment while I shoot a side-eye at Chapter 3.

Back with the Mantle Team, Banjo Man’s off playing the Mantle “theme”. Diagetic music (ie, music existing in-universe) is always the best. Once Fiona begins talking about how they’re handling so many people in the slums, it plays again on what sounds like... harmonica? I can dig it.

The Grimm “theme” makes an appearance on strings when Joanna wonders what they’re waiting for, then again when Crimson calls in to tell Fiona about the Grimm in the east. In between is another instance of the Mantle “theme”, when Fiona’s Uncle comes to tell them about a fight that’s broken out.

Once the kids head back out into the city, another fun bit of action music kicks in until they defeat the Teryx. There’s a brief lull afterward, up until the Sabyrs show up, at which point some tense strings kick in, leading into the Hound making its move and utterly crushing my son Oscar.

This section is a variant on the “theme” for the Hound we got at the end of Chapter 1, and it is fantastic; all appropriately creepy/horror-esque strings and brass. It reminds me quite a bit of “Lusus Naturae” - the song from the RWBY: Grimm Eclipse video game.

Now there’s a “the Hound is ‘x character’” theory I haven’t heard yet! 😄

The staccato string melody from the trailer begins once Yang hits the wall and continues until 15:27. There’s another statement of the Hound’s “theme” when its wings are revealed and it carries Oscar off, leaving the rest of the team shell-shocked in its wake. The staccato melody comes back on slightly lower and quieter strings, leading into the end of the episode.

As another brief aside - can I mention how much I love it when the music cuts and the sound team leads to black on a rhythmic or ambient noise? ‘cause it’s always amazing.

So, that’s Chapter 2! There was a surprising amount of material in this episode, and some great callbacks to Volume 7 to boot, as well as that new “theme” for the Hound.

Someone over on Discord asked me if I would comment on things I’d’ve “changed” or “done differently” for the music, and I might. I think it’s a lot easier to make those sorts of comments with the benefit of seeing everything in finished form, not to mention not having the specific input of the directors and writers. The inclusion or exclusion of music is also seldom a bad thing on its own; often it’s to do with the rest of the scene, be it from a narrative or technical standpoint. That being said, it’s always kinda fun to consider how one might’ve gone about it differently.

For this episode, though? I’d have to say no. This one struck a very good balance in its moments of silence and where the music was placed; that opening scene especially, I’d say, needed to stand on its own.

That’s it for this week. Hope you’re as excited as I am to comb through Chapter 3!

#rwby #rwby volume 8 #rwby music

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only-by-the-stars · 3 years

Text

the annotated Tome of the Wild

I don’t know how many people are interested in this sort of thing, but let’s go for it anyway! There are a lot, and I mean a LOT, of series references and cameos in this story, as well as tons of foreshadowing of various plot points, that may or not have gotten noticed, so I’ve been thinking about making a series of posts talking about it all for anyone curious. So here is part one, covering Chapter One: The Old Grist Mill.

(spoilers for the whole thing, obviously!)

- First up is the attire Link and Aryll are wearing. In the show, the protagonist, Wirt, is wearing a Halloween costume, though this isn’t immediately apparent that that’s the case. For Link’s costume, the choice was obvious: his Wind Waker clothing that you can get via amiibo in Breath of the Wild. Aryll, of course, is wearing the alternate pirate dress that you see her in when doing a second playthrough of WW.

- Then there’s the lengthy list of possible names Aryll tosses out for her frog. This is something that Greg, Wirt’s little brother, does at the beginning of the show, so I thought it’d be a fun way to sneak in a bunch of names that I wasn’t going to use otherwise.

Rauru: The Sage of Light in Ocarina of Time

Zauz: The blacksmith who forges the Phantom Sword in Phantom Hourglass

Snowpeak: For the Snowpeak Ruins, one of the best dungeons in Twilight Princess (and the series IMO)

Lorule: The “Dark World” of A Link Between Worlds

Vaati: The villain of Minish Cap (UNDERRATED GEM)

Swamp: Self-explanatory, there are multiple swamps in the series, like Misery Mire in Link to the Past and Goponga Swamp in Link’s Awakening

Lynel: The infamous, terrifying enemies we all know so well I hunt them for fun sometimes

Poe: Ghostly enemies that recur through the series (perhaps most memorably in TP)

Zonai: The mysterious long-lost race that built some very cool structures in BOTW

Ancient Columns: An area in BOTW where you find a memory and the Tena Ko’Sah shrine

Stealthfin: For the Stealthfin Trout in BOTW

Orca: The old swordsman on Outset Island

Ankle, Knuckle, David Jr.: Tingle’s brothers from WW

Guru-Guru: The Terminan version of the guy in the Windmill who teaches you the Song of Storms

Astor: The villain of Age of Calamity

Molduga: The sand-dwelling bosses in BOTW

Ook: A very hilarious and memorable mini-boss from TP

Tingle: The infamous Tingle, who of course Aryll thinks would be the worst name for her frog. Greg is cut off from saying what he thinks is the worst name, but I had to let Aryll speak for this little gag.

Phew, that was long. Moving on!

- “Rule one of the researcher's code is to never give up! That's what my teacher says, anyway.” Yes. Robbie is Aryll’s teacher, that is a line he says during the cutscene just before the “Relentless as a Waterfall” battle in Age of Calamity. As you might expect, Aryll finds him very amusing.

- Aryll stuck a piece of candy on a tiny black turtle that dripped an oily substance onto the forest floor as it crawled along. Dekuwood oil sighting! This is the very same turtle that gets swallowed by the dog that accosts them later, and the oil is what caused its transformation, just as it did in the show.

- “Why are we in the woods? How did we even get here? I don't... the last thing I remember is...” He screwed up his face in concentration. “Gah, why can't I remember? We were—” So Link goes into water and wakes up in a place he doesn’t know, with no memory of how he got there? Sound familiar?

- A shudder went through him and he resolved to ignore it, even as the sounds of ghostly laughter seemed to reach his ears from far off. And did the mists seem to be growing thicker? A reference to the Lost Woods from BOTW. Quite appropriate, given they’re lost in the forest.

- The mysterious woodsman is, of course, Rhoam. Who was also the first person that Link met in BOTW on the Great Plateau. He has a lantern there too, and carries around an ax, and is separated from his daughter. Just. Too easy.

- I’ll talk about this more in later posts, but, Midna in Beatrice’s role was one of the first and easiest choices I made when casting this thing. Also, notice how she takes off as soon as Rhoam shows up? This is a thing that happens in the series with the Woodsman and Beatrice, who have no prior connection, but Midna definitely knows this guy, and that reveal was held back for later via keeping that bit from the show.

- Also, in the show, the wood is called edelwood; here I chose dekuwood not just because of deku trees and whatnot in the series, but. well. Also to invoke the memory of the Deku Butler’s son in Majora’s Mask who became a victim of the Skull Kid and thus Link’s first mask.

- Link saying “Hey, listen” to Aryll is a callback to Navi’s infamous phrase from OOT.

- “Not in any way that would be beneficial to you.” Link will remember this later when the Beast is trying to get him and Midna to choose whose soul will be in the lantern.

- She leaned up on her toes and retrieved what looked like a compass. Compasses are, of course, a dungeon item in most of the games.

- The owl statue Aryll plays with, and subsequently breaks the beak of, is a reference to the owl statues in Link’s Awakening. Their eyes do indeed glow when you talk to them in the Switch remake, and in the dungeons you have to retrieve their broken-off beaks to converse with them.

- In the show, you don’t find about Wirt’s crush until much later, but I wanted to establish the plotline of Link’s love for Mipha and what he’s been doing about it right here at the beginning. His avoidance of her and what Aryll tells him about how its caused her so much pain is the beginning of his descent into despair near the end of the story. Not to mention that I hinted at the tape’s existence with Aryll’s reference to him making “that thing” for her.

- Aryll decides to call her frog “Blupee” after the glowing, rabbit-like spirit creatures in BOTW.

- “Sheikah smoke! Poof!” A reference, of course, to how the Sheikah can appear or disappear in a puff of smoke.

- “He is the death of hope, a cunning calamity... he steals life, steals children... he, he...” A calamity, eh? Now where have we heard that phrase before? And Rhoam is, of course, alluding to his belief that the Beast is responsible for the disappearance of his daughter, Zelda.

- “Leave me now, young man... take your sister and go east.” In the show, the Woodsman tells Wirt to go north. But here, it’s east, because their next destination is Ikana, which is located in the eastern portion of Termina in MM.

- A half-moon the color of yellowed pages had risen in the sky by now, and by its light Link guided Aryll onto a path that he was reasonably sure led east. This bit of description is not just there to be pretty. I established a specific phase of the moon here so that I could go back and use the exact same description in later chapters, when more time had passed and it wouldn’t make any sense for there to actually be the same moon phase going on. This is a hint to the fact that everything in the Wild, takes place during the same night in Link’s world. This is something that you see visually in the show, but must be described in a fic.

and that’s it for chapter one! stay tuned for chapter two!

#annotations

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nikibogwater · 3 years

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A Shot in the Dark: Chapter One (Author’s Commentary)

(read the fic here)

General Notes:

(So I kind of stole this idea from my friend @unexpected-possibilities after she made an author’s commentary post on one of her fics, and I was like “Oh. Wait, I actually find this kind of stuff SUPER interesting to read." So...yeah, here’s mine for anybody who feels similarly lol)

I have been dying to write this kind of story pretty much since the completion of my second Wizards/ToA fic back in August, but it took me a while to suss out the plot. I generally try to keep my fics as canon-friendly as possible (not that I have anything against AUs, that’s just not a direction that I usually go in) so it was tricky to create a high-stakes adventure story that didn’t mess with canon too much.

That being said, Chapter 1 is pretty chill, apart from the scene at the end. But it is incredibly important to the plot, because it sets up elements that will be very relevant later in the story. It also serves to re-establish the three-way relationship between Douxie, Archie, and Nari, which will give their interactions in the future chapters more weight.

One last general note before we get to the passage-specific stuff: The song “Protector” by City Wolf has always been my go-to theme for the Douxie-Archie-Nari relationship, but I think it really captures the feel of this story in particular (or at least, it will once the whole thing is posted lol). I’ve never associated a particular song with any of my other fics before, but this one really was a huge part of what inspired this story, so I highly recommend that you give it a listen, if you are so inclined.

Passage-Specific Notes:

Two pairs of luminous golden eyes were hovering uncomfortably close to his head and staring at him fixedly. Douxie yelped and threw off his covers, scrambling upright and fumbling for his magic vambrace nearby. A small green hand held it out to him politely, and after a bit of confused blinking, Douxie finally registered the faces of his companions. Nari and Archie were sitting on the floor next to his mattress, looking at him eagerly.

Two short things: One: I had no idea how I was going to start this scene, and then I remembered that one Calvin and Hobbes strip where Calvin wakes up to find Hobbes hovering over him menacingly, and I was like “Yes, that will do nicely.” Two: I still have no idea what Douxie’s magic bracelet-thingy should technically be called, so I settled on vambrace. I know Merlin refers to it as a bracelet in the show, but Merl, I’m sorry, but you clearly know nothing about jewelry. That thing is NOT a simple bracelet. (Also I had to research the difference between bracers and vambraces in order to determine which word to use. Bracers are apparently protective gear that is exclusive to archery, while vambrace is a more general word for any kind of armor worn on the forearm).

“It’s also the day you promised to bring Nari to Central Park,” Archie informed him.

This is a callback to a previous entry in the series, Home Away From Home. Although each entry in the Immortal Bonds series is written in such a way that it can be enjoyed as a standalone, I do weave tiny threads of continuity throughout all of them.

Mornings for Nari looked very different than they used to, she realized as she set the kettle on the stove, stepping back so Archie could light it (due to her somewhat complicated relationship with Bellroc, she was still wary about anything that involved fire). As a demigoddess who had existed for hundreds of millenia, she had never had much experience with something as human as family domesticity.

The scene where Nari and Archie make Douxie’s tea was originally going to be much longer and feature a lot more introspection on Nari’s part (I even researched the British tea-making process for it, since I’m fairly certain Douxie is the one who taught her how to make tea). I was going to start exploring the idea that Nari is still insecure about her place in this little found family, but I realized after about three paragraphs that there’s no way Nari doesn’t know how much Douxie genuinely loves her--she is already proficient in reading his emotions at this point. So that’s an internal conflict for another day.

“Keep very still for me, Nari.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his aura flowing out and wrapping around her like a warm, familiar cloak. “Celare,” he murmured, and Nari felt a sharp tug on her spirit as the spell washed over it, cool and comforting like the shade of an old tree.

If you’ve read previous entries in this series, you know that I can wax poetic about the physical sensations of magic for DAYS. It is one of my favorite aspects of writing Tales of Arcadia fanfiction. Also Celare (kel-ahr-ay) is Latin for “Hide” or “Conceal.” I had to get outside help for this because I don’t speak Latin, and Google Translate is (as I found out) completely unreliable for even the simplest, single-word translations (it gave me the word for “clothe” when I used it 😑)

The first time she had walked the streets of New York City, Nari had been on the verge of tears. There were so many sensations assaulting her mind at once, the feeling of countless souls buzzing around, a crowd of spirits so thick that sometimes it felt like a wall. Even without tapping into her roots, she was drowning in a sea of tangling energies, as hundreds, even thousands of voices echoed in her soul all at once.

Oooooops, is that a parallel for Sensory Processing Disorder? Well, how did that get in there??? *shoves my own mental health issues under a rug with my foot* I have no clue.

This is probably as good a time as any to discuss auras vs. life energy. Basically, aura is the energy radiated by the presence of magic. Magical creatures who share close bonds can become very sensitive to one another’s aura, and because magic is so inextricably linked to emotion, Nari is able to read Douxie’s aura to pick up on whatever he’s feeling (though this is because she is extra sensitive to magical presence--Douxie is attuned to her aura, but he can’t read hers the way she can his). Life energy, meanwhile, is the energy given off by every living soul, magic or otherwise, and that’s what Nari is able to sense via her powers as a demigoddess. I sometimes interchange the word aura with spirit or soul or something similar, but if Douxie or Nari are sensing one another in any capacity apart from their actual physical senses, it’s their auras. Archie also has an aura, but it’s not as intense as that of a true magic-wielder.

He was fashionably dressed, (“business casual,” the humans called it), with an elegant black trench coat hanging nonchalantly off of his arm. He had dark brown hair, handsomely trimmed and styled, just a bit shorter than Douxie’s, and was wearing a large pair of expensive-looking sunglasses. He looked thoroughly uninterested in the world around him, and had the appearance of someone who was waiting to meet up with a particularly tardy acquaintance. But Nari couldn’t sense that he was waiting. She couldn’t sense anything from this man. He emitted no life force, no aura or energy of any kind. He was like a standing, breathing corpse.

I have had this character floating around in the back of my mind since August, and I was just waiting for the opportunity to use him. Also fun fact, he was originally conceived as a sort of prototype for who I thought Mordred Le Fey would be in the ToA universe. But since canon is technically still ongoing and the ToA writers could still bring Mordred into the picture, I decided to adapt him into the original character Rivan (whose name will be properly revealed in the next chapter).

Beside her, Douxie’s aura was rippling with unease. But a moment later, his spirit stilled, and he put an arm around her to turn her away from the alley...

...A minute later, the crosswalk signal changed once more, and they continued on their way. Though Douxie’s spirit was radiating a placid energy, Nari couldn’t help noticing that he kept his arm around her for the rest of the journey.

It was important to me that Douxie not look like a complete idiot in this scene, which was a little difficult since this part isn’t told from his perspective. Homeboy absolutely knows better than to ignore something suspicious like this. But he is also acting as Nari’s brother/guardian in this scene, so he tries to play it off to keep her from worrying too much. He promised her a fun day in Central Park, and he’s not willing to bail on that just yet. But I’m hoping that the fact that he has to force his aura into a state of calm and physically holds Nari close to him as they walk are good indicators that he has gone on high alert.

And that’s a wrap for this week! Next Friday, all hell is gonna break loose, so definitely come back for that. If you have any questions/comments, definitely hit me up either in my Ask Box or over on Ao3. As always, thanks for reading! ✨💕

#fanfiction #writing #author's commentary #tales of arcadia #douxie #nari #a shot in the dark #the magical siblings #and their therapy cat

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yououghtaknow · 3 years

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18 and 20 for the meta asks? also I already commented on clip 3 but fr this clip was so good that was such a good execution of that scene and s5 has been so good and literally brightens my day thank u 💛 i hope you’re doing well

hi, thank you so much!!!!!!!! i hope you’re doing well too <3 <3

i am putting a read more because i am a rambley person, but underneath you will find talks of unused plot points, the parallels between the girl squad and the lad squad, and what taylor swift album(s) i believe each season has the vibe of.

tw for discussion of abuse, mental health problems, addiction and eating disorders

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them.

skam brighton has. so many aus. because it itself is an au of an original work. me and two of my great writing friends have written a great numbers of aus including but not limited to riordian-verse, glee, doctor who, rwrb, trc, a murder mystery au, and many aus based on comfort media of mine that i started on never finished (house of anubis, barbie movies, etc.). and many of them are unironically so good???? @fingersmithbysarahwaters and @nightwing642 are incredibly talented screenwriters. but also i did write a screenplay adaptations of the first two books in the raven cycle series and 2/3s of rwrb for no reason other than fun and autism.

as for skam brighton. oh boy. not many plot points have been changed, but some certain scenes/character moments were changed. for example, the scene in season 2 episode 8 where liz has a meltdown at the shopping centre and she has a heart to heart with mary was originally liz having a meltdown and running into al in the sensory room. but i wanted to hold back on revealing al as a main character until season 3.

also in the og season 3, jake and al didn’t break up. as i was finishing the season, i was getting ideas for how i wanted the series to develop (james’s crush on al namely) so i thought it would be good for both of their developments for them not to end up together. also in season 3 i hadn’t planned for jake to move house originally, so there was a scene in the finale episode of the lad squad hanging out, but it got cut because it just didn’t make sense.

in season 4, al and bree were a lot meaner to each other originally, because i love it when it gets busy at the brighton and the gay people get mean, but then i thought about it and decided it was out of character for both of them to be downright cruel. al and bree also had a scene in season 4 that was cut due to just not making sense.

also, in season 5, the “inner white girl” scene originally wasn’t in the show at all, but one day i was listening to the song, and about a week before the episode came out, i wrote it. also, bree wasn’t written to be a she/they until literally the day of putting the clip out because i thought it would be cool. that’s it :)

also the way i write is that i write the full clip out in a google doc and then edit it in ao3 about an hour before i put it out, so a lot of changes happen there. just small things, like making dialogue flow better, changing certain songs because i just want to, and sometimes adding in new sequences that i just thought of.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

oh!!!! there!!!!! is!!!!!

personally, my favourite thing to write is little symbolic moments that make me happy because i play 4d chess in my head with myself every time i write.

before i go off, i must say, so many hints and clues have been dropped for season six so far. season six has been my favourite season to write and i’m already planning a spin-off project based on it to write, and it’s gonna be starting sooner than you think.

so a piece of writing i’ve been thinking about lately is the parallels between the girl squad and the lad squad. before i begin to go off, these are the characters i think parallel each other the most.

jake - sandy james - bree nick - rori theo - esther al - liz

jake and sandy is quite an obvious parallel to draw - both are football players, both begin the series closeted and having a close relationship with bryan - but their personalities are quite similar. both of them are closer with their mother than their father, both use their relationships as a method of protection, and both are afraid of of societal rejection at the beginning of the series. they also both discovered their sexualities and mental health issues over the course of their seasons, and both of their love interests are more outgoing theatre kids. jake and sandy’s relationship is also so interesting to me - because they start as very awkward friends, and jake tries to help sandy by making bryan break up with her, but outs her in the process, and sandy doesn’t want to forgive him. she takes her time and comes to terms with it on her own and decides to forgive him because sandy’s just a sweetheart - and this also parallels the way jake takes his time to forgive his mother. also, in their friend groups, they’re both the newcomer to them, and we get the introductions to the group dynamics in their seasons, and in the later seasons, they’re both a lot more relaxed as they’re in recovery <3

james and bree are also very similar characters. both have problems with substance abuse, both have promiscuous reputations, both have both mommy and daddy issues. they are both dean girls, to put it in spn terms. they’re both very funny, and use humour to cover up their struggles. both are dealing with a lot of mental illness and, throughout the series, it becomes more and more clear. they’re also both seen as “the hot ones” of their groups, with a lot of the characters canonically having small crushes on them (liz, rori and nick with james; rori, esther and annabell with bree). they’ve also both canonically hooked up with sophie. which i just think is fun. they also played mimi and roger together, which i think shows their parallels as addicts and people (with roger struggling with recovery and depression until the end, when he begins to get help, and mimi living the high life until it all crumbles down around her). they also share a want for independence and both are very sana-esque characters (james being middle eastern and religious, bree being the cool rebel girl in season 1).

nick and rori are both the “fun friend”. they’re both comedic relief in the early seasons, but we do get in depth with them as the show goes on. in grease, they play james and bree’s love interests (which is ironic, as rori and bree get together and nick is in love with james), and in rent, they play angel and maureen, the two main comedic relief characters. both of them struggle to connect their asian identity with their british identity, and both struggle with how the world perceives them (nick with their gender presentation and rori with her eating disorder). they both struggle with toxic masculinity and toxic femininity and use humour to cover up their struggles.

theo and esther are similar in the fact that they’re the squad members we know the least about. they’re both jewish, they’re both the mum friend of their respective groups, they’re both autistic and they’re both quite nerdy. they’re the most grounded member of their respective groups and tend to take charge and help make decisions. they’re also both quite sarcastic and very firm in their opinions.

al and liz are parallels simply because they are both nooras and vildes. they’r eboth autistic, they’re both the odd one out in their friend groups - liz being a lot more serious than the girl squad, al being a lot more in his own little world than the lad squad. they’re both very blunt and straight forward and say whatever they’re thinking.

also just some of my favourite bits of foreshadowing: nick being bitchy to liz throughout season 2 because they’re in love with james….. al talking about his sister to jake in season 3 and whenever al talks to the girl squad, bree insults him or walks away…… in season 4 episode 1, audrey mentions bree’s cousin is pregnant and then when bree finds out the results of her pregnancy test, oh no by marina plays (i’m now becoming my own self fulfilling prophecy)....... nick and all of his gender stuff throughout the series……. just all of the character stuff with grease and rent….. also just bree and rori’s whole relationship arc because it has everything. queerbaiting. subverting expectations. musical homoeroticism. a little cheating for fun. and they were best friends. honestly bree and rori season 3 is very august by taylor swift…… you weren’t mine to lose……..

speaking of, no one asked by here’s each season of skambr and the taylor swift albums they’re most like.

season 1 - debut/fearless

bro sandy is just such a debut/fearless era person. she’s looking for her place in this world!!!!!! she has the teardrops on my guitar energy (quite literally sandy pre-canon voice i bet he’s beautiful that boy she talks about and he has everything that i have to live without about bryan and sophie)..... the fun giggly crush songs that are deeply homoerotic….. esther season 1 voice the entirety of you belong with me. like esther really made a deeper connection with sandy in one month that bryan did in years of knowing her. sandy also is the type of person to stan love story, she just thinks it’s such a fun song and she does yell the key change every time it comes on.

season 2 - speak now/lover

elizabeth!!!!! liz is the type of person who only liked old taylor and then got internalised misogyny and then got over it and loves taylor again. the story of us is canonically a liz/rori song…. yes i am still a liz/rori subtext warrior….. liz is very never grow up and dear john is a very her and james song in the fact that they both relate to it……. when they bonded over their trauma “don’t you think i was too young”...... also lover is a liz season 2 album because it’s about liz learning that love is the most important thing in the world….. liz voice i want to be defined by the things that i love. also the archer is just a skam brighton song because it is an isaac song. also i’m just gonna say it. i like me! it’s a good song when brendon urie isn’t in it, you all are just afraid of having fun. also though liz in season 5 is very better than revenge because, while her season is about unlearning your internalised prejudices, i believe she deserves to be misogynistic for 3 minutes 37 seconds.

season 3 - red

now this is controversial. this season is about depression, grief and anger, and these feelings are red. literally jake voice so you were never a saint and i loved in shades of wrong we learn to live with the pain mosaic broken hearts….. like treacherous….. holy ground….. the whole country pop vibe….. the bitchy songs mocking people’s perceptions of the singer….. 22 is a lad squad song…. also jake voice i remember it all too well but it’s about his father’s abuse and his mother’s neglect…… like the whole season is just jake getting to the point where he is at “begin again”. also i feel like jake would like red because he spent a lot of time watching taylor swift music videos as a youth both because he liked the music and had crushes on the guys in them, and he feels red is the perfect middle between the country and the pop and the indie and he just really likes being sad.

season 4 - reputation

bree big reputation holland!!!!!!!!! she has it all - the romantic drama, the hatred of men, the fucking homoeroticism. bree stans the reputation tour and they have made the entire holland-fletcher family watch it on their netflix (al fucking loved it because he’s a canon swiftie, audrey had a fun time, patrick was a little confused, but has the spirit). listen bree “i did something bad”. bree “look what you made me do”. bree and rori “new year’s day”. bree voice i swear i don’t love the drama, it loves me!!!!!!!!! like the reason the season has a lot of reputation songs and ends with daylight from lover is a metaphor for bree leaving their reputation era…. also reputation has she/they vibes

season 5 - 1989

1989 my best friend 1989!!!!!!! i am coming out here as a 1989 (deluxe) stan. it’s just a serotonin album for me and it is just so nick. the mocking songs about their reputation…… the genuinely deeply depressing homoerotic songs that have fun upbeat music…… the cars….. also clean is just such a nick song. he is in recovery, he is just so personal to me. also nick voice one night he wakes strange look on his face pauses then says you’re my best friend and you knew what it was he is in love!!!!!!! nick canonically in love with all of their best friends braxton!!!!! also nick feels like a 1989 stan because they just have those fun energies. nick WILL scream the spoken part of shake it off at the top of his lungs. also new romantic is just a skamverse song in general. also just. out of the woods. no reason for me to say it other than it’s one of my favourite songs of all time.

season 6 - folklore/evermore

no evermore is not out yet. yes i am claiming it for season 6. see taylor has said that these albums are all about telling stories/fairy tales and that’s what season 6 is about. i cannot wait until next friday when the main and my plans for the hiatus are revealed…….. genuinely i do not know how anyone perceives skam brighton so i don’t know who people think the next main is, but…… i can only describe the state of me writing this season as the various ambiguous disorder gifs.

#skam brighton #skam brighton spoilers #what's up i've been a swiftie since i was 3 fucking years old and i will be loud about it!!!!!!!!#also i do love my funny little people i play with in my head (the skambr main squad) they are my dearest friends i would do anything for the #them

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wyattvsmusic · 3 years

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AJ Tracey - Flu Game ALBUM REVIEW

AJ Tracey is one of the few UK artists who can do just about anything. His last album, his 2019 self-titled debut displayed his range of abilities from spitting hard bars, making club tracks, dancehall vibes, garage throwbacks and even country-influenced sounds. Even though I didn’t love everything about the album, I still think that AJ Tracey has solidified himself in music in a way that not many people have. Usually when an artist starts out in the Grime and UK Hip Hop scene, they seem to get boxed in but by including so much variety on his debut, it feels like he already showed that he does not just do one thing. Even though Flu Game is just his second album and his first album only came out in 2019, it feels like AJ Tracey has already made such a big impact with one album and some massive singles. During quarantine, he put out a bunch of singles, including Dinner Guest and West Ten which appear at the end of this album. I love Dinner Guest because it’s fun, catchy, and you can never go wrong with a MoStack feature. I love the way they go back and forth with each other on the song as well. As for West Ten, I don’t love it but I also don’t really hate it either. I like UK Garage music a lot and AJ’s biggest song Ladbroke Grove (a song I love) is a Garage song so it did kind of seem like he was trying to strike gold twice with doing another Garage song but there’s nothing wrong with making two Garage songs also. I do really like how AJ Tracey raps on the song and he even makes callbacks to lines on Ladbroke Grove but I am not too crazy about Mabel’s vocals at all. I do like how their vocals mix together on the hook but the way Mabel’s vocals are chopped on that part make it sound like a rip off of Jorja Smith’s On My Mind (also a Garage song). Both Dinner Guest and West Ten came out pretty early in 2020 so to me, including them at the end of this new album seemed like an easy way to get more streams. As for the rest of the album, I am not going to lie lie that I am a bit disappointed with this album. It is not that it is bad but I was hoping for an album better than his first one and there really is not a lot of variety on here either. I don’t need a whole mix of different genres like the first album but this album is mostly Hip Hop songs and I would have liked some more variety in the production on them. I did love the single and album opener, Anxious though. I love the hook “If you get my number, then don't hit me on no dumb shit / We on demon time, my little hitters make the pump click / I been anxious lately, let me hit two on my blunt quick / I leave Novikov and all these yatties wanna come with.” I love how confident he sounds on these types of songs and I liked his flow a lot. You really can’t deny AJ Tracey’s ability to make a catchy song as it seems effortless for him. Even the songs I’m not too crazy about are still catchy like Cherry Blossom. A lot of the first half of this album after Anxious sounds the same though, especially in the production. It’s not that AJ isn’t rapping well, it’s just that because a lot of them sound similar, it makes it feel like filler. I love AJ Tracey over drill beats (Migos is probably my favorite song of his) but Bringing It Back and Cheerleaders sound a bit too similar. The song Kukoč also features a drill beat and I thought that I would have a problem with the NAV feature but it’s actually one of my favorite tracks. The album starts to show some more variety at Little More Love which is another standout. It’s like a Hip Hop version of Butterflies in a way, at least in the way it sounds, maybe not the lyrics. This section of the album is a bit poppier and light-hearted but my biggest problem with some of these songs is the production. Top Dog and Perfect Storm sound a bit too similar. I liked T-Pain’s feature on Summertime Shootout while Kehlani’s feature on Coupé didn’t really do it for me. Regarding the title, I like sports to a degree but I had never heard the phrase Flu Game before. For those who don’t know, refers to one of Michael Jordan’s famous games where he was sick but then went on to win a game in the NBA finals which the Bulls eventually won. After I learned that piece of information, I thought it was a very cool title because we are still in a pandemic where people’s lives have forever been changed but despite that, AJ Tracey is gonna come out of it as a winner. I don’t hate this album, I’m just disappointed because I know what AJ Tracey can do but there are a lot of highlights on this album too.

Fav Tracks: Anxious, Kukoč, Little More Love, Top Dog, Dinner Guest

#AJ Tracey #Flu Game #Nav #Digga D #T-Pain #Kehlani #sahbabii #Millie Go Lightly #MoStack #Mabel

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makeste · 6 years

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BnHA Chapter 014: Chapter 13 Died for This

But it’s okay. We’ve put all of that behind us now.

Previously on BnHA: RESCUE TRAINING VILLAIN INVASION

Today on BnHA: Aizawa is a fucking badass. Class 1-A gets ambushed and split up into convenient little two-and-three-person groups perfect for having a bunch of quick minifights that’ll give some of the less prominent characters a chance to briefly shine. Deku and Tsuyu wind up on a boat surrounded by a bunch of angry fishpeople. Basically a lot of setup, but exciting setup.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 19 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

fyi it’s the middle of the a.m. and I’m supposed to be sleeping. but fuck it

(ETA: in hindsight I really should have just gone to sleep lmao)

would be nice to see these color spreads in color. I’m sure I can find them somewhere but I’m too lazy

“Encounter with the Unknown” well that’s accurate, I guess

did these guys just wake up one day and think “I’m gonna go full evil”, or was it a gradual process? most shounen series I’ve read feature villains who are evil but also eventually redeemable. but somehow I can’t picture that happening with these guys

also I suppose that waking up one day when you’re only three or four years old, only to find that your skull has vanished, leaving your brain exposed, and that you’ve suddenly grown a fucking dinosaur beak with razor-sharp teeth, might fuck someone up enough to start ‘em down that villainous path. I GUESS

(ETA: apparently for my example I accidentally picked the one guy that supposedly was created expressly FOR the purposes of being evil)

these gung-ho superhero wannabe teens are not taking this situation nearly seriously enough IMO

sigh

also where are they watching from? how did they get to such a distant vantage point so quickly?

I hope the anime version of this clears that up

ohhhh hold up, I’m just now realizing that because the panels placed Aizawa and the villains so close to one another when the portal first appeared, I assumed that’s how close they actually WERE, but in reality Aizawa was watching from a distance the whole time I think

spatial awareness, I lack it

seems like communications have been cut off

they tell Kaminari (remember that name remember that name...) to try to signal for help with his quirk! I guess his lightning/electricity quirk gives him the ability to do that somehow. cool beans

Deku is concerned because Aizawa won’t be able to take them all on at once. but Thirteen is right there though. his their quirk is pretty OP

(ETA: I have been advised that Thirteen’s gender is actually supposed to be ambiguous and Viz just took it upon themselves to label them as a “he” because it wouldn’t be Viz if they weren’t ruining things entirely unnecessarily. so from this point forward I will be changing any “he/hims” to “they/them” when referring to Thirteen.)

OH MY DAMN AIZAWA’S GOT SOME SHIT UP HIS SLEEVE

YESSS he’s not even asking Thirteen to help. he seems REALLY confident that he’s got this. what are you up to you badass fucking ninja

(ETA: apparently he is a badass self-sacrificing fucking ninja about to get way in over his head!! not gonna lie I love him all the more for it)

now he’s making a heroic leap down to the villain group

some redshirt villains are wondering who he is, even though the other villains addressed him by name only moments earlier. I don’t know who is in which fucking group, because you’d think they would have heard that, but apparently not

ooohh these motherfuckers bout to die and I can’t wait

SURPRISE BITCH YOUR QUIRKS DON’T WORK AND NOW YOU’RE BEING K.O.’D

“YOU DUMBASSES THAT’S ERASER HEAD” YESSSS SAY HIS NAME AND LET THAT FEAR ECHO DEEP WITHIN THE PIT OF YOUR SOULS YOU TRASH MOTHERFUCKERS

this one guy made out of rocks expresses doubt that Eraser Head’s quirk will work on him. wow you’re just asking for it aren’t you dude

doesn’t seem to slow him down though

oh my god he’s ducking and weaving so beautifully and effectively. apparently he’s really good at hand-to-hand combat. and they don’t know whose quirk he’s canceling because of the goggles. it’s surprising how good he really is at handling a group

I take it he doesn’t consider himself an ordinary villain, then :/

Deku is supposed to be evacuating but he’s just watching EH kick ass

the fact that we’ve cut back to Deku suggests that something bad is about to happen, though 8|!

yeah I’d say so, yeah

motherfucker these guys got a fucking league

I was gonna make a joke about how this eloquent guy clearly went to an elite fancy villain high school. but then I thought again that there might really actually be a villain school. so, uh

yeah that’s right Deku, they’re after your dad

this guy doesn’t seem to know that All Might’s currently chilling in the break room, so that’s good? less good is that he doesn’t seem too worried about him not being there

AHHHH MOMOTOPS AND BAKUGOU ARE RUSHING HIM ALL OF A SUDDEN

WHAT THE FUCK DOES A GUY WITH THE POWER OF HARDENING THINK HE’S GOING TO DO AGAINST A GUY MADE OUT OF EVIL VAPOR

AND BAKUGOU’S NOT MUCH BETTER OFF

HOW FUCKING STUPID ARE YOU TWO BRICKS

“that was close” you don’t have to lie, Dr. Neck

(ETA: oh my god I can’t believe this of all things got a fucking callback. that’ll show me to ever assuming anything at all about this fucking series.)

Thirteen’s just standing there holding an arm out and saying “no, get back!”

fucking useless. you were supposed to be cool, Thirteen

I SWEAR TO GOD THIS SHADOWY MOTHERFUCKER BETTER NOT EAT MY SON

“WRITHE IN TORMENT” OH JESUS

so now this black mist is swirling around fucking EVERYONE

EVERYONE

and then it fades...

and now Deku is... falling? into the flood zone?

ohhh so he did the portal/teleportation thing again. that seems to be his ability, then

so I guess he split them all up. which makes sense; when you have this many characters, you need to split them into smaller groups so as to be more manageable. but they’re also going to still need other characters to interact with, so I wonder who Deku’s going to be paired up with then?

I really need either him or Bakugou to be paired with Todoroki

uh oh Deku’s not even out of the water yet and he’s already run into another villain

this man is literally a meme. I wonder if he’s aware

-- AYYYYYYY

MY GIRL TSUYU WITH THE DYNAMITE SAVE

aaaand she’s wrapping her tongue around Izuku

and pulling him to safety!

how is she talking with her tongue wrapped around a guy. HOW DO THESE CHARACTERS ALWAYS FUCKING DO THAT

they surface! and for some reason there is a boat!

oh she also rescued Mineta!

and

I see. I see. this is why I was warned about him

anyway!

WHATEVER A FROG CAN DO!!! OF COURSE!!!!

Izu is thinking furiously and has Resting Hero Face and it really suits him

this kid doesn’t miss a trick

Mineta points out that there’s no way they could ever possibly beat All Might! but even Tsuyu, who doesn’t actually know that All Might has a weakness, nonetheless realizes that the villains must have found one if they went through all this trouble just to get to him

I shouldn’t keep being surprised by how smart and talented all of these kids are. they managed to get accepted into this school, and so far they’ve lived up to that elite reputation. and yet, I consistently am surprised, and pleasantly so

well, I was trying not to be biased either toward or against him, but so far he’s not making a very good impression this chapter

oh shit the fish guy is back and now there’s somehow like a dozen of him??

WHERE DID THEY ALL COME FROM

meanwhile Deku is more clueless than I expected

you literally know the way to beat All Might, though?? he’s losing his powers and he’s secretly very weak without them?? you know this???

would “revenge” not be a good enough motive even without all the rest? I guess I’ll shut up and see where he’s going with this

there’s a whole page of Deku thinking about how much he loves All Might

I wonder if maybe he literally can’t understand why someone would want to kill him

that’s very sweet actually

meanwhile Todoroki is off somewhere kicking ass and taking names

easy there A Song of Ice and Fire

and it looks like Bakugou is stuck with... ... ...I still can’t remember his name. Momotops it is and continues to be

the actual Momo is paired up with Lightning McQueen and the extendable ears girl! and her quirk looks to have something to do with making weapons appear out of her limbs or some shit. fucking sweet

also that means it makes logical sense for her to have as much of her limbs exposed as possible, and to be honest I’m glad there’s actually a logical reason for her to have the skimpy costume then

and shit, Iida, Homestuck, Too Many Arms and Ochako are still facing off with Dr. Neck

Dr. Neck’s neck hasn’t really been prominently featured since his appearance at the end of chapter 11, but I’m in this too deep to back out now

Aizawa is still being epic, but he needs to wrap this up now cuz the kiddos are in danger!

or at least, in theory they are

well. this is shounen, after all

BONUS:

Tsuyu is so flipping cute. I didn’t expect to have that opinion when she was first introduced but here we are

I’m really glad he made her a girl

#bnha #boku no hero academia #makeste reads bnha #aizawa shouta #kurogiri #midoriya izuku #asui tsuyu #and I'm not gonna bother tagging mineta cuz I do in fact hate him now #let's not dwell on that though

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shadows-twilight · 5 years

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RWBY Volume 6 Finale

At long last, and yet way too soon, we are here. The big finish. The closing curtain. The are my various thoughts and opinions for the season finale of RWBY Volume 6, "Our Way"

SPOILERS BELOW:

You know, I think I'm really going to miss this opening. It quickly became one of my favorites. The song is really good, and the visuals are probably RWBY's best yet.

I love the nighttime scenes in the Maya engine. They are by far some of the most beautiful in the series.

Ok, I just want to point out how funny is that the character with the most variety of outfits on this show is the one played by a famous cosplayer. While it doesn't have the traditional color scheme, I do like Cinder's new look. Neo's is pretty dapper too. It's got more elements of Roman while also throwing in plenty of new stuff.

Woah, so Neo can extend her illusions to entire ships now? Not just a couple of people? Nice. Ok, fuck you Cinder. You don't have the right to make callbacks to Pyrrha.

It wasn't until Blake and Yang arrived on the scene when I realized...they missed everything. The last they heard, the rest of the heroes were just waiting for them on the cliff side. Then they come back from the battle with Adam, and suddenly there's Cordovin in a disabled giant ass mech and a horde of Grimm attacking Argus. And they thought their adventure was interesting.

I liked Cordovin's little breakdown. It starts off with her ranting at the heroes, but it quickly dissolves into her directing it at herself. Nice little moment.

Ok, I've been giving praise to the 2D effects up until this point, but massive kudos to the 3D crew here. Water is a very difficult thing to animate, and the way the water broke as the Leviathan resurfaced looked absolutely stellar.

You want to show someone just how far RWBY has come on a technical level? Show them the background characters in any of the first three volumes, then show them the background characters in the shot with the Cotta-Arcs. These designs are good enough to belong to central characters.

You know, whenever I see these Fence-Like hard light barriers, it did always bug me how no one ever thinks to go for the obvious generators. How messed up the the one that does is a mindless Grimm that didn't even notice the shield until it ran into it.

I don't know why, it's such a small thing, but seeing Ruby just casually refer to herself as a Huntress gives me a very warm feeling

You know, for declaring that the Atlesian fleet won't give the heroes any support, they're doing a pretty good job of giving them support.

Hehe, the way Weiss looked back at Ruby. "You're going to make me aid you in something stupid, aren't you?"

Holy shit, the 2D drawing flashbacks. They didn't need to go that hard. They could've just shown the original Poser shots like they did in Volume 5, and no one would have thought any less of them for it. Instead they did this. CRWBY, you are absolutely killing it this volume!

Aaaand of course they had to give special attention to Pyrrha and Penny. Because, you know, can't have a moment like this without ripping my heart off in the process.

Ha, using Jinn as a Clockstopper device. Nice. I realize there are probably better movies I can reference for comparison, but sadly that's the one that immediately jumped to mind.

I love Jinn's personality. Moreso, I love that she even has a personality. It would have been so easy for her to be an emotionless magic-AI, like the Oracle from Aladdin and the King of Thieves. Instead, she has a spunky, almost mischievous attitude that makes her quite endearing.

AAAAAAAAAAAHHH, SUMMER!!! I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR THIS!!! WE FINALLY SEE SUMMER!!! AND SHE LOOKS AMAZING!!! That's it, this is the best volume ever. Pack it up, people, we're done here!

Holy shit, new song! And it's amazing! God, the soundtrack for this volume is going to be on frikkin' fire. June can't get here fast enough.

Wait, so the petrification was only surface level? They can break free from that? Is that due to the size of the Grimm, or Ruby's inexperience? Does that mean Kevin might end up breaking free later down the line? That would certainly make for some pretty good end game material.

I was wondering if the mech might have had any other weapons (because lord knows putting all of their eggs into the giant cannon basket would have been the dumbest move ever on Atlas's part). The drill is a very welcome surprise.

Aww, Cordovin got a redemption moment. That's nice.

My heart warmed a little when Qrow decided against the flask. It was a small, but oh so wonderful moment.

Aww, Qrow's small smile after his talk with Maria. I imagine getting praise like that from my hero would give me the warm fuzzies too.

Ren, tone it down buddy. You almost showed some proper emotion geeking out about Ruby's crazy stunts. Gonna have to ask you to calm down there.

Ooooooh, so Ozpin can still see and hear what's been going on, and isn't afraid to lend a hand if the situation is in need of it. Interesting.

Woooaaah, so Atlas is a floating city? That's so cool! I imagine the part that's still on the ground is Mantle, unless I'm getting the scale and geography wrong. Now I really can't wait to explore this new Kingdom.

Well, the discussion about the battleship's formation isn't frikkin' foreboding at all.

I can't understand the lyrics well enough to be able to tell who or what the end credits song is about, but good gawd do I love it. I was kind of hoping that it would be a Weiss song, what with Volume 4's being a Yang song and Volume 5's Blake, but I don't quite think that's the case. In fact, listening to it again I'm thinking it might be Team RWBY as a whole. Still I really love this song and I can not wait to hear the full versions of the rest.

Ok, that after credits scene was just...wow. I guess we can say for absolute certain that Salem is the Wicked Witch of the West. I mean, flying monkeys? Really? That is about as on-the-nose as you can get, guys.

So...that was Volume 6. What did I think? Well, I will still say that Volume 5 was immensely enjoyable, despite what the YouTube community may try to say about it, but holy frikkin' HELL did this volume blow it out of the water. I mean, we got so much out of this volume, proper pacing, amazing action scenes, Salem's backstory, Neo, the statue scene, I could go on. This volume did so many wonderful things that I could geek out about all day, but the most important things they did is that they put the focus where it's needed to be for way too long now: Ruby. This was Ruby's volume, through and through, and it's about time. I may roll my eyes at a lot of the hate that people will give this show but one of the criticisms that I will freely give them is how underdeveloped Ruby has been compared to the other main characters, including JNPR. Hell, even in Volume 4, when all of the members of Team RWBY were given their own story line and their own focus, Ruby was pushed back almost to the point of being a side character in favor of Ren and Nora. Now, however, Ruby has finally been given her time in the spotlight and I have loved every bit of it. This easily rivals Volume 3 for the spot of RWBY's best volume yet, and I can not wait to see what Miles, Kerry, and the rest of CRWBY bring us next volume. Until then, I hear Rooster Teeth has a new show coming out. Some weird mech anime or something. I don't know, it hasn't gotten a lot of exposure or anything, but I guess I'll go check out. Until next volume, my friends.

#rwby #rwby spoilers #rwby volume 6 #rooster teeth #rooster teeth animation

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perispinel · 6 years

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Adventure Time Finale Liveblog

Already this episode is off to a weird start, starting with a flashforward in the future with two random one-off characters and- OH MY GOSH THEY FOUND FINN’S ARM AND THEY LIVE IN MARCELINE’S HOUSE NOW!

Did Finn like die? THis has to be a fakeout about this.

King of Ooo is alive far int he future? he melted in the fire as wax remember writers?

Oh my gosh this is why they showed the Enchiridion episode last, Mount Kragdor is back!

the king of Ooo is BMO! Wait why does he have PB’s crown... oh my god BMO outlived everybody. he is unfazed by death

BMO is kickin’ em out already, what a savage

That arm is giving BMO some flashbacks. Awww adorable!

Heh after so long BMO is having trouble remembering Finn’s name.

The plot description said NEPTR was telling the story, they faked us out totally!

Finally, more Betty!

Finally, more Maja!

Looking at Finn is like “you die eventually. BMO has your arm now.”

Having BMO narrate the whole story makes it sound like a five year old trying to describe World War II.

Finally Duke of Nuts, my favorite character!

Literally no one likes him, he wants to be MacGyver

Justin Roiland has work while R n M is off

Princess Bubblegum is going the Leia route of going from Princess to General

Oh no a little cake spy.

Huntress Wizard, played by Mona Lisa from Parks and Rec, did a good job getting rid of that sky

Come along with me, it is time for war you seeeee

Marceline and PB better makeout RIGHT NOW Marceline, yes, please reconsider PB Oh geez Marceline is just casually like “I saw people die PB.” Marceline be like “I felt worse” all over us

Finn is right.

W-what? Finn whatcha goin on about with nightmares? I thought he was gonna break the fourth wall

I love when a war begins with someone repeating “WAR” over and over

Yep yep there goes the banana guards. What a great plan

“You’re weird” isn’t what I’d say honestly

He doesn’t know what fruit is apparently

Lemongrab is totally piiiiiissed... Oh he’s just sad.

Gumbald literally is backing UP because of them being serious Finny boy

Hey Fern, remember when I accidentally killed ya? Good times boi

“You’re a toddler” is the cue for “I kill you or you give up”

What a great time for a commercial break.

Okay, time for my thoughts in-between the show: this is giving me crazy feelings. Like, knowing BMO outlives everyone, regardless of the war’s outcome... wait, BMO said Finn was heroic til the end right? Oh my gosh will Finn sacrifice himself? Well either way BMO probably SAW him die, old age or not. BMO is literally the imbodement of a child who doesn’t understand the consequences of anything. Back to the show!

Nice job making me almost sad BMO.

Unconscious world? That’s crazy man.

So no war? Aiight.

Finn was all like “go to dreamworld and talk things out” and they be like “let’s have a war again”

Ooh cool, let’s get those songs for the album here

Jake is going back to his roots

Ooh let’s get Tom Sharpling up in this guys

Aww poor Fern.

PB isn’t reluctant at all to kill someone even if they look like Finn, as long as they be an enemy.

Oh sweet evolution Fern!

Fern is going the toddler solution, that’s fine.

Okay Greg from Steven Universe, enjoy your appearance while it lasts.

Is John DiMaggio spending the episode in a dream state?

Pinching people in the dreamworld really wakes you up? That’s dope.

W-what? why’d they just vibrate

Fern does sound like a knockoff Finn sometimes honestly. Heh prove you’re tormented Finn!

Oh geez this is really dark, PB had a messup life. Recreating that scene for some symbolism I suppose!

Ooh subconscious world!

Aww his girlfriend is here- I wish I spoke korean.

It’s nice his kids- oh nevermind.

Is this symbolism for him being connected to his wife like by the sides?

Hahah we got a fart joke everyone, wrap it up! Just kiddin I don’t care either way

I bet Pb is learning what it was like living as a completely unintelligent being without any choice. Will this cause some empathy?

Yeah repressed memories must smell awful.

Obviously Fern and Finn share the same memories, but it’s cool to see them confront it Mindful Education-style

I missed Adventure Time’s art style honestly.

Oh I get it, Fern originated from the Finnsword.

Oh wow, all of that took place in the span of one second!

PB and Gumbald are learning empathy now, are we not having a war or?

“No no no that happened next.” Good job faking out the fake out.

I love these breaks telling us small bits of lore and secrets about what’s going on that we’re not noticing. Anyway, I am excited to find out what this portal is exactly- I’m guessing Magic Man, Betty, and Maga’s weird cryptic chant is gonna cause some big bad event. Will Adventure Time end with the end of the world? I’d be mega shocked if Finn just died. Wait why isn’t Marceline in the future? Realistically she should be there UNLESS she got killed, soooo... back to the show!! :D

We saved the day! Big scary baby is definitely good!

Wait Fern is in the real world now???

Ice King was just gonna leave until he had that flashback

It is so cute seeing Betty and Simon’s past, I wwant fanart of them having a happy life.

Did I mention FP is super cute? I love Flame Princess

This is getting quite dark man. Even Marcy is scared.

PB don’t martyr yourself

Aww what a great leader, telling her army to flee in terror instead of dying without purpose!

Oooh Fern is on good side now!

Gumball Guardians are her real children

Is this even a kids episode? this should be rared PG-13 man

I hope all this rogue gallery characters still get lines. oh there they go

Heh Jake and Amethyst have some similarities don’t they

Wow what a dark end for someone, skull cracks open and innards bounce around and endanger people

Ice King is the savior! How cute

This is more epic than Reunited but that’s not fair to say exactly, one is finale and one is a special

Oh no poor bananas, so dumb

Let’s go Jake, doing what he does best and being helpful!

Did Jake explode and die?

Remember when LSP and Lemongrab dated?

Aww Lemongrab and LSP is a canon ship, only straight ship allowed for those two

Come on Ice King, remember who you and Betty are!

Ice King is reciting the song from the episode. Oh my gosh come on dude, replace at least ONE word in the song silly!

Betty is too crazy to not throw a tantrum I guess.

Maga the Sky Witch- Kill Count 1

No no no Flame Princesssss! Maybe she’s okay?

Fernnn!

Did PB just die? Oh my glob

Oh Marcy’s going back to her roots

Okay PB is alive, it’s fine.

Marceline just had a PLanet Hulk moment right there.

Aww it’s canon now guys! Marceline X Bubblegum eternally and they kissssed! Guys they made up for so long of teasing!

Oh no I think they’re breaking them apart layer-by-layer

Ice King is Simon again, yeyyy!

I love that the moment PB and Marcy are confirmed gay for real they just have them holding each other close to prove it even more

Finally Jakei s confirmed not dead

Oh no is Jake dead, 2.0.?

Finally we have a reason BMO knows what happens. He nearly died.

Okay so... Flame Princess and Fern are taken out while Maga is definitely dead. I have a feeling Marceline might die,or else we’ll need a thorough explanation for why she’s not living in her house. Like I can tell that this character voiced by Willow Smith is Jake’s descendant but Marceline is potentially an immortal I assumed so they wouldn’t have her be gone without explanation. Then, here’s a question: is Jake about to sacrifice himself to save BMO?? Also, BMO straight-up says the world ended so I have a feeling that he wasn’t just being coy.

Oh my glob, what’s about to happen. Jake and Finnn’s home is destroyed.

BMO is getting deep. Okay HE’S SINGING THE SONG :D

Is this about to have a Rogue One ending? How is this going to end happily?

This song is meant to be bittersweet, no way is this a happy ending song guys.

Is BMO secretly badass? CARTOON CONSPIRACY No it’s just the power of music.

Oh I get it! Discord, Harmony, Music, it all makes sense!

Oh literally everyone sings this! along with screaming!

They got so many voice actors for this!

Is he going to explode? Oh my glob?

Here lies Finn. he was a good man. I love him.

“No one gets to choose how it happens. the most important thing is that we’re here together.” Nice way to make me sad twice

Is Simon going to become Simon forever? What’s going on here? Is Betty going to get her bones crushed???

Aww how cute of you Betty. not making my heart any calmer

Ooh yes he’s Simon again :DDD

Oh my gosh this is a crazy kind of ending

Oh no I’m scared now.

thanks for the reminder of The Tandem Elephant’s existence man. Okay, so... this is crazy. Simon is back, like for real, he’s not dying or anything... Betty is potentially dead... Finn didn’t die, which is dope... my eyes are watering, definitely not about to cry. I can’t believe it I’m emotional over cartoon show wow. Just knowing I have eight more minutes until it for real is all over. Maybe I’ll just like, watch it again so I can pretend it didn’t end yet? No that’d be fake. I normally don’t even cry in situations where it’d make sense so this is telling for me I guess. These commercials really make me appreciate how good the show I’m watching are. :’D Okay so, I don’t think Magi actually died, although it’s hard to tell really since I didn’t get a good look at her. I have no idea what is about to happen but I am freaking out.

Ultimate Adventure continues now

Oh wow Betty fused with the crystal boi

Simon and Marcy, reunited for real

Imagine how much it must suck to wake up after so long of being stuck as someone else

I DON’T FEEL SO GOOD. is that a reference... Oooniverse?

Okay so Gunter is the future beard boy I guess.

Oh wow they grew a Fern. and found a new sword.

YES HE SCREAMED. THE BOY SCREAMSSS!

Thanks for disobeying me Finn

Finn officially has the singular arm. Dope.

Future baby boy has a big beard

Finn and Jake can’t live forever, this is the past yes

Ooh the music hole is here again! Epic callback broos

Ooh the hole sings the End Credits Song oh geez

New Ice King is Gunter, old ICe King is Simon

Ooh nice glimpses of what might become of some of our friends in the future

Ooooh Lemongrab and Jake get along better.

Aww cute his dad is going to space now

Flame Princess and NEPTR friends forever

Jiggler callback!

Susan is here!

Normal Man is cool!

Huntress Wizard continues to be fun!

PB and Marcy are still gay, Pep But is still edgyyyy

THE HUMANS ARE BAAAAAACCCCCKKKK

They found the sword oh glorb!

OH WOW THEY JUST HINTED AT WHAT A FUTURE ADVENTURE TIME SPINOFF WOULD BE LIKE!

I LOVE THE FACT THAT THEY DIDN’T RESET BUTTON US BUT DIDN’T KILL EVERYBODY OR SOMETHING!

Okay I have a lot of thoughts... that was a ffinale. It really was. It was not something I got disappointed in because they didn’t wrap up anything. It wasn’t like waiting 10 years for 10 more episodes of a cartoon. It was like epic man. I naerly teared up guys. It didn’t end with a Reset Button like some finales would- Everything Stays, but it still changed. Sorry, this post is too long for anyone to read all the way through, but I still hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the last Adventure Time episode. A zillion out of ten guys.

#Adventure Time

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whateverisbeautiful · 6 years

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Reveling in Richonne

#110: The Future (8x09)

So y’all, Carl stole our hearts and then was stolen from us. 😥 And as this episode came to a close we got Carl’s precious final moments in his 8 season journey.

Rick holds his son’s hand as Carl lets him know, “I know you can’t see it yet, how it could be. But I have.” And then we get the reveal that the dream sequences we’ve been seeing are actually Carl’s visions for the future. 😭

And y’all I actually really liked that reveal. (Side note: For me, I’m gonna also let this explain why Rick looks the way he does in those flashbacks (apart from being a reference to the comics) cuz I feel like kids always have a unique way of seeing their parents lol. 😋)

As they cut to that opening image of Rick with the short hair and beard we hear Carl’s narration saying, “You have a beard. It’s bigger and grayer.” And then they show the lovely dream scene of Rick and a glowing Michonne and in Carl’s voiceover he says, “Michonne’s happy. And Judith is older and she’s listening to the songs that I used to before.”

I love that most all the other descriptions of the future are literal physical descriptions but in Carl’s dream world it’s important to him that Michonne is happy. All the way here for it. 🙌🏾

And I was happy cuz if all of this was Carl’s vision, then I’d like to think that how happy and loving Rick and Michonne were in those visions is probably how Carl saw them in everyday life. Like we got to see Richonne through Carl’s eyes and they look just as in love as ever. 😊

I always appreciated how much Carl supported this relationship between R&M as soon as it became official. And It’s great knowing that in Carl’s ideal future Rick and Michonne are still together and making each other happy.

He continues, saying, “Alexandria’s bigger. There’s new houses and crops and people working, everybody living and helping everybody else live. You could still be who you are. That’s how it could be. It could”

Sure it’s very idyllic and optimistic but I think that’s what’s so special about Carl’s perspective because, as a kid who spent his childhood in the chaos of an apocalypse, for him to still be this hopeful of the future is big, and that alone suggests that hope can still live on.

Rick looks at Carl and says, “Carl it was all for you. Right from the start. Back in Atlanta, the Farm, and then at the prison it was for you and Judith. It still is. It’s gonna be. And nothing, nothing is gonna change that.” 😭

I love that Rick tells Carl this because it’s the gospel truth. 💯 Right from the start it was Carl that gave him his will to survive. His kids kept him going. And then what’s cool is Michonne became another major person in his life who kept him going and who will be the key person to keep him going after this.

And it’s also so true that Rick really did do so much both for and because of his family as well. I appreciate that Rick Grimes is many things but first and foremost he’s a committed family man. 🙌🏾

Carl looks up at Rick and says, “I want this for you, Dad.” And y’all this is precious cuz while we all know parents have hopes and dreams for their kids, this is a reminer that kids can have hopes and dreams for their parents too. So just like Rick worked so hard to give Carl a better life and wanted that for him, Carl wants Rick to have the best life as well. 😭

And Rick tells Carl, “I’m gonna make it real. Carl, I promise I’m gonna make it real.” And Carl smiles, knowing his dad is pretty consistent with keeping his promise. 👌🏽

Rick’s words remind me of that emotional moment in one of TWD’s best episodes, “No Way Out”, where Rick sits by Carl’s bedside and asks Carl to let him show him the new world. And while it’s devastating that Carl won’t live to fully see the new world it’s sweet to see Rick still promise to make it real for him.

Plus my Richonne-loving self also liked seeing Rick promise to make Carl’s vision a reality since part of what Carl wanted is for Michonne to be happy so that means that’s part of what Rick’s promising to make real, like he already constantly does. 😊

Carl hears this and then looks over at Michonne and she nods as they share a smile cuz I think Carl knows she’ll be right by Rick’s side helping him to make this real. And, as we see during the rest of 8B, she’ll really be the one to step up and honor Carl’s wishes most of all. 👌🏽

So then the dagger in my already broken heart is when Rick tells Carl, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. A father’s job is to protect his son”

Y’all that legit hurt. 😥 Cuz again, so many people had made Rick feel like maybe he didn’t have what it takes to keep Carl alive and so many times he proved people wrong and demonstrated how he’d stop at nothing to protect his son.

So it’s painful to know he feels like he let Carl down when he really didn’t. Like there doesn’t seem to be many kids or many father and son’s left in this world so for Rick to have gotten Carl this far, especially as a single parent for a minute before Michonne quickly became a second parent, means Rick did a great job fulfilling his duty as a father. 👌🏽

Carl then says something sincerely heartfelt in saying, “No. It’s just to love.”

I actually really appreciate this cuz, from the kid perspective, it’s Carl saying what he values most was the love his father gave him. And it makes sense cuz, after all, love is what motivates the protection.

So I love that he tells Rick this cuz he’s saying you didn’t fail me as a father especially because your role was just to love me and Rick absolutely did that.

It’s important for Carl to be able to communicate this with Rick cuz Rick definitely needed to hear that from his son. As much as Rick may want to carry the guilt, he has to know that if all his son wanted and expected from him at the end of the day was love, then he doesn’t have to question himself cuz he more than delivered.

So then Carl reaches for his gun in a way that implies he knows the time has come. And y’all this is when it really got real and Rick has the same response I had when he repeats “No” as he’s clearly not ready for this to happen. Me neither, Rick. 😔

Starting to break down, Michonne says, “Carl, it should be…”

And Carl responds saying, “I know. I know. Somebody you love.” And I’m glad that we get yet another callback to a prior season, when Carl and Michonne had that precious moment in the 6x10 canon episode.

In the scene on the patio, the two of them essentially acknowledge the mother/son relationship they have as they share how they’d be the one to stop the other from turning.

I really thought that would be how it goes down in Carl’s final episode, (Even tho what I really thought is that we’d never have a scenario where Michonne would even have to stop Carl from turning but here we are.)

So then Carl looks up at Michonne and says, “...When you can’t do it yourself. But I still can.” As hard as that is, it makes sense. If you can do it yourself you spare someone the immensely emotional and difficult act of doing it to you, so in a way this is Carls final act of looking out for his loved ones.

Then, getting choked up, Carl says, “I grew up.” And even tho I still don’t know for certain why he said that in this context, I just love that he gets to say that he grew up because we really did watch him grow up on this show. 😭

Then with conviction he says, “I have to do this. Me.” And you see how much that breaks both Rick and Michonne’s heart but they also know they have to honor what he wants.

So as they both silently seem to agree, Carl then has my final favorite moment of the episode when he looks at Michonne and tells her, “I love you.” Y’all. I. can’t. 😭It’s great.

You can feel how much Carl means it. And then Danai slays in her delivery of telling Carl, “I love you too.” cuz you can physically hear Michonne’s heart break and also just how much Carl has come to mean to this woman.

It makes me think about where Carl and Michonne’s journey started and to see it end with the two of them sharing heartfelt “I love you’s” is beautiful. 😭🙌🏾

And Carl stays looking at her a little longer as if to want to cherish the image of his best friend in his memory one last time. Because y’all, with all the trials and challenges Carl had to endure, I feel a big reason he’s able to look back at his life with some happiness and fond memories has to do with Michonne and her presence in his life.

Like she truly made his life so much brighter and better and fun, and his final look at her says that he knows that and appreciates it.

Also with Michonne losing her second son it makes me think of this moment right here...

And hopefully Michonne finds comfort in knowing that now maybe Carl and Andre are together somewhere. 😭

So then Carl turns to Rick and I was like here it is, the moment I never wanted to come. Like lemme tell you, this was me at this point...

Getting genuinely choked up, Carl tells Rick, “I love you, Dad.”

And Rick, hardly able to remain composed, tells Carl, “I love you. Carl, I love you so much.”

And then he kisses his son’s forehead and promises to him again, “I’ll make it real. I will.” And y’all just the thought that Rick and Carl are saying goodbye to each other is heart shattering and still doesn’t feel real.

I do love his reiteration of this promise cuz to me it really is Rick telling Carl “I’m going to keep going for you. And if you can’t go to the world you dreamt of then I’ll go for you.” It just goes to show how no matter what Rick will always be and act as Carl’s father.

Also, it’s crazy cuz Carl is the last person that Rick even knew pre-apocalypse so we’re watching Rick say goodbye to not only his son, but also his last trace of “before”.

So then we see Rick and Michonne huddled over Carl one last time and y’all who would’ve thought we’d see something like this?? 😥

But it’s pretty perfect that Carls final words were “I love you, Dad” cuz it was this father and son that were the engine of this whole series.

And then they cut to Rick and Michonne outside of the chapel. Rick is sitting with his head in his hands and Michonne is standing behind him, frozen. At first it could seem like maybe this was after Carl pulled the trigger but I could tell they were waiting for it...which I was like how the heck did Carl convince them to leave and not stay with him until the last second? 🤔 but then again it’s probably best for them to not see it.

So they wait and then they hear the trigger get pulled...and the way they both react and flinch as though that bullet went through them too is so emotional. 😥

Especially seeing them break down as they realize it’s done, it happened, and Carl is gone. It was almost too much.

But it really became too much when they cut to them digging his grave with Carl’s body right there. Why do they do this to us? 😭

Again, who would have thought we’d ever be in a position to see Rick and Michonne in ASZ digging with Carl in a body bag. It’s just wrong. 😔

And then Michonne breaks my heart for the thousandth time this episode when she starts to break down again. It’s like the life has understandably been sucked out of them. 😥

I was glad Carl got an episode for his sendoff and goodbyes and I felt his scenes with Rick and especially Michonne were really effective.

It was still clear tho that Carl’s death would be the beginning of the end for this show. And more and more that seems to be very true.

One of the final scenes in the episode is the reveal of Negan being included in Carl’s dream for the future and y’all…

I wanted to fight when I saw that lol. I get that the show pretty randomly switched Carl’s character up to make him the new voice of harmony and peace, but to suggest that he really saw a future where Negan could just happily be gardening in ASZ and talking alone to Judith like he wasn’t the guy who ruthlessly killed and tormented most of the people there...It’s a huge stretch, to say the least. 😑

It’s funny though cuz they have Rick walk in another direction when Judith approaches Negan cuz I think the writers knew that even in a fantasy world there ain’t no way Rick would just be chatting it up with Negan lol.

The only thing that’s sort of nice about this is they have Negan in a garden, which calls back to when he said “I’m not growing a garden” in 7x01.

The episode ends with red-eye Rick leaning against the tree to reveal that whatever has him in that agonized state has yet to occur.

I just remember feeling like this guy can never get a break. And I was also worried cuz he was alone and so I was like TWD you better not have done nothing to my sister Michonne. Fortunately, they knew better than to have him lose her too this season.

And that concludes 8x09, TWD’s most heartbreaking episode apart from 7x01 imo. Chandler, Andy, and Danai knocked it out of the park like the pros they are.

Carl lived a short life in the grand scheme of things, and at the same time Carl and Chandler were around for 8 years for us. So I’m grateful he honored our screens while he did.

Carl was always the one character I thought was safe. And even though that ended up wrongfully not being the case, Carl will still always be the character I think of as the future.

During the times when the walls were closing in and Rick felt like he couldn’t see ahead, Carl’s presence in his life is what helped remind him there’s more, there’s a future.

When Michonne had seemingly accepted that maybe she’d always be alone or treated as some lone wolf mystery, Carl’s presence is what helped remind her that there are people who can genuinely care about her and who she can genuinely care about, and that she can have a future with this new group of people she found at a prison.

And y’all already know Carl gets a ton of props for being a major factor in giving Richonne a future.

When Rick and Michonne needed reminders of why they fight, it was Carl and Judith’s presence that reminded them. Carl was the future worth fighting and even dying for to them.

And even though Carl won’t be with them, he will still be what keeps their eyes focused ahead and thinking about the “something after”.

So no matter what, Carl Grimes is the future.

Also can I just say that y’all really are the best for going through every heartbreaking detail of this heavy episode with me. 💯 I appreciate it cuz as hard and upsetting as it is, Carl was too important to this show and to Richonne to not break his final episode all the way down.

With 8x09 putting 8B on a pretty somber but heartfelt start I was very curious to see where Richonne goes from here without their son.

I knew it’d be an extremely tough journey ahead but I also knew they were going to come out of this together cuz, despite the fact that both Rick and Michonne lost most other family members, the family they found in each other is strong enough to keep them going.

And I’m glad that we see the power and strength of Rick and Michonne’s relationship in these following episodes. 😌👌🏽

#richonne #richonnefamily #richonne fandom #michonne #rick grimes #carl grimes #twd #8.09 #the walking dead #notmygifs #s8

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blancasplayground · 6 years

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Best and Worst of AoS Season 5

Here is my season five postmortem, in the form of a roundup of what I loved and didn't love. It got really long, so I won't spend too much time on the intro. Let's just dive in. Obviously, major spoilers for the entirety of the season follow.

Best: The Future

For the first half of season five it felt like the team was stuck in a dystopian YA novel. In a good way. It was a bold move to completely change the look and feel of the show, but it worked from both a narrative and production standpoint. Not only did it make the best use of the reduced budget, since they could film primarily indoors on smaller-scale sets, but they didn't have to deal with the goings on in the MCU back home (that would come later -- and it's not on the "best" list). Creating a future from scratch requires tremendous imagination and planning, and they delivered a rich backdrop. I was sorry to leave behind the characters we met there, like Tess and Flint. Of course, they had to return to the present eventually, but they did a really good job of world-building for those episodes.

Worst: Contradicting Time Theories

The showrunners have said in interviews that there were a lot of heated discussions in the writer's room about time travel logic, and it shows. Back in the season-three episode "Spacetime" they gave us one answer (which happened to be one I really liked) -- time is an illusion. As Fitz explained, the past, present and future happen simultaneously. We just experience it in a linear way because we're limited to the third dimension. So it cannot be changed. But when they blew up the Earth for the season’s main storyline, they also blew up that theory, because they HAD to change the future now. They weren't going to allow the world to be cracked apart. It's not that kind of show. Plus, they’re still tied to the MCU, so they couldn't let that future play out. And yet, when they returned to the past they had characters still behaving as if it were fixed (the whole "invincible three" idea, which so many people disliked), but trying to change it anyway. Either the future is pre-determined or it isn't. Trying to have it both ways makes for sloppy and confusing stories. It also gives viewers a headache.

Best: Fitz's Journey

Fitz's absence was notable in the first few episodes, but to make up for it we got "Rewind," one of the best episodes of the season. We saw Fitz struggling with his dark side, only to have to embrace it in the future to save Jemma and Daisy in the most badass way (a total "baller move" as Daisy put it). The blend of pre- and post-Framework Fitz was exactly what they needed at the time. Unfortunately, it may have opened the door for The Doctor to take control in "The Devil Complex." He got a chance to marry the love of his life, but that happiness was short lived. His psychological break (which was an incredible reveal and riveting to watch from an acting standpoint) and what he did to Daisy split the team and the audience, sparking a lot of debate about the nature of good and evil both on screen and off. Which, I think, was exactly the point. Was he redeemable? Could he have learned to control his dark side? Could the team ever learn to accept this new version of Fitz and his morally questionable, yet undeniably effective, methods? We'll never know. Which brings me to . . .

Worst: Fitz's Death

(Jemma gif because I can’t watch that death scene anymore.)

(But this is almost as bad.)

We've been over this, and the wounds are still fresh, so I won't rehash what so many others have said more eloquently. I will point out that the issue is not with the death itself. They had to do it in order to bring back Cryo Fitz (or perhaps because they knew they could), who hasn't experienced the majority of season five. It's an intriguing idea, and should open up a lot of pathways for his story next season. Also, it gave Iain another chance to show off his crazy talent (like he needed more this season, but whatever, we're grateful). It's just the way they did it, and the fact that anyone thought this would be an acceptable sendoff for a fan-favorite character if it really was the last episode. The fake-out (which wasn't even a proper fake out because they REALLY DID have to bury Fitz) undercut what should have been a bigger moment -- Phil's departure and impending death as well. They botched it, plain and simple, and there's no taking that back.

Best: Philinda Endgame

They took their time getting there, but May and Coulson finally expressed their feelings for each other (at least, the human versions), each in their own signature way. May finally telling Phil she loved him just to shut him up was classic May. And that kiss behind the shield ought to go down as one of most iconic TV kisses in history. I sincerely hope they get lots of parasailing in, and, despite it being a lovely sendoff, that we'll see one or both of them back next season. Incidentally, I believe the fact that Robin drew the two of them on the beach in Tahiti before they changed the future means that they wound up together in the previous version of the loop too. Of course, Phil had to be gone to allow May to become Robin's mom, and now I'm giving myself a headache again. See what you've done, season five!

Worst: Team Infighting

This show is never better than when the characters work together as a team, whether it's on an action-packed mission or simply solving a problem on the ground. Which makes the decision to split everyone up along multiple fault lines later in the season a confusing and super frustrating move that wasn't at all fun to watch. Families fight, sure, but the divisions this year were deep, involving the loss of trust and respect, and the questioning of each other's core moral principles. These are not minor squabbles. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish by stepping up the tension and having them take sides against each other in the face of their greatest challenge yet, but I don't think it worked out the way they wanted it to. I would love to see everyone come back together and be a family again, as long as it's done realistically without sacrificing characterization.

Best: Graviton

With this season possibly being the last, the writers took the opportunity to pick up a thread they'd left dangling in episode three. Ever since the introduction of gravitonium way back when, fans have been wondering if the show would follow through and deliver the major comic-book villain Graviton. Considering this season could have been the show's swan song, it was a good time to deliver on that promise. And they did, in a way that was surprising yet somehow fitting. Glenn Talbot has been a thorn in Coulson's side since he showed at the end of season one, so to have him become the final Big Bad is a satisfying, if tragic, fate for the character. Especially since, in his twisted mind, he believed he was doing the right thing, right up until the end.

Worst: Ruby Red Herring

Sorry Dove Cameron fans, but the show let your girl down. Despite the potential in her first few episodes, Ruby never lived up to the compelling, cutthroat (or cut-arm, haha) villain they set her up to be (her hooded alter ego never even got a cool villain nickname). As it turned out, she was only there as a distraction, to confuse the characters and the audience about the real identity of the Destroyer of Worlds. And just as she was getting interesting -- the way she watched and mimicked Fitzsimmons alone told us more about her cold upbringing and the lack of human connection in a few moments than we got in all her episodes before that -- they killed her off to give the team something else to fight about.

Best: Nostalgic Callbacks and Fan Service

We got so many callbacks to previous seasons throughout season five. Maybe it's because the writers knew there was a chance this would be the last year, so they packed in as many references to the history of the show as they could. There was also the milestone 100th episode, which naturally lent itself to looking back. In addition to paying off older plot points (see above re: Graviton) they directly acknowledged their loyal viewers with that "small but active fan base" line. It was exciting seeing Mike again. And good to have Davis back too, with his mysterious survival story (that I hope they never reveal). Not to mention Hunter (which I will, down below). These were all gifts to long-time fans and we ate them up.

Worst: Infinity War Tie-In

If you're going to go there (and yeah, they had to, given the show's history), then fully commit to it, rather than using the cop out of ending the season just before the movie's biggest moment. Anyone who's seen it knows that the ending could potentially have a major impact on the show. So embrace that (imagine Phil handing Mack the keys to Lola, only to watch them fall to the ground). Or they could have used the multiverse to disconnect from the MCU once and for all. There were already so many questions going into the finale, whether they would or wouldn't go through with the snap was one debate I could have lived without. And it's still up in the air as to whether it will be a factor next season. Given that the airdate is after the next movie comes out, I'm inclined to think not, but I kind of wish we didn't even have to worry about it.

Bonus Bests:

The Return of Lance Hunter

Every single moment he was in was pure gold. I really hope we haven't seen the last of him.

Fitzsimmons Wedding

I mean, obviously. So beautiful and emotional. A shining moment of light to balance the darkness of the rest of the season..

Deke

I love Deke. End of story. He is still around and he will be back. See my explanation post here. I have no official confirmation of this, I'm just thinking positively.

One final note: These gifs were pulled from all over. I’m still rather new to Tumblr, so if you see something that’s yours and would like credit, let me know (and also if you could let me know how to do it that would be great).

#agents of shield #agents of shield s5 #aos #fitzsimmons #philinda #phil coulson #daisy johnson #leo fitz #jemma simmons #alphonso mackenzie #yoyo rodriguez #deke shaw

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midsummer-daymare-blog · 7 years

Text

Look What You Made Me Do

Song Analysis by Lu Bausela

Album: reputation (2017)

Composed by: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Richard Fairbrass, Fred Fairbrass & Rob Manzoli

If you have been on the Internet lately you’ve more than likely heard about Taylor Swift’s latest single. ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ has kept the artist’s consistent tradition of breaking records and jumping to the top of the charts in mere minutes; in the era of having an opinion on everything regardless of knowledge and factual information, social networks were instantly filled with ‘reviews’ of the song: there have been first impressions on this song and there have been meditated observations. It shook me that a large amount of people do not seem to understand the difference between ‘review’ and ‘opinion’, nor do they seem to appreciate the value of objectivism and the essence of subjective tastes. The first impression that the vast majority of Internet users got about the lyrics has to do with the tabloid news from last year in which Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Taylor Swift herself were tangled in an issue of, let’s say, double-facedness. However, I believe that art in all its forms is fully exploited when we appropriate the message, when we adapt a work to our own life and provide our own interpretation… when we add a personal meaning and a personal value to it. Therefore, in the following paragraphs, I will comment on different interpretations that I have come up with regarding the lyrics—and to some extent the music—of ‘Look What You Made Me Do’.

The dark tone of the song is palpable from the first note that is heard. The piano and violin/cello introduction set the mood for a tetric presentation: this melody makes us picture a music-box ballerina spinning on top of a messy table in which everything has been tossed around and dead flower petals are scattered. It also makes us think of a horror movie situation in which a villain is about to be introduced; there is a certain caricaturesque element to it, as if the shadow puppet of an Count-Olaf-type-of-character was seen approaching its prey. It also makes us think about old, silent movies: this is the melody which would accompany a tragic story in which an actress from the ‘20s copes with pain and death. Then the piano leaves place for a monotone bass tune, accompanied by similarly monotone melody sang by Taylor, again contributing to the idea of stillness, lack of impulse, and death. However, the situation changes when she sings “But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time”: the idea of rebirth, hope and resilience is introduced in a high-pitched melody in which the piano is everything but still. The quick repetition of notes, however monotone, adds an accelerated heartbeat to this spirit and the singer is alive again. In coming back to life, the singer has brought with her an obsession, a single idea which governs all her thoughts and cannot be placed aside: there is nothing more to her now that this one single reason. Revenge? Justice? Regret? We’ll discuss this in following paragraphs. Back to the music, the following stanzas stick to the previous points, with the exception that now anger is more clearly expressed and perceived: the beats are louder and stronger and a chaotic tune reflects the singer’s state of mind. The whirlwind of sounds alerts of a tornado of emotions which is not afraid to impact its targets, but once again this is cooled down by this governing idea, this monotone yet firm beat, which makes sure to keep all other sounds in check under its wing. The silent movie, shadow puppet actress melody comes back again with an explicit mention of a movie role on the lyrics, granting circularity to the music and reflecting one of the ideas in the lyrics and the aesthetic of video: what goes around comes around, i.e. karma. The bridge melody is scary because it alerts you of imminent danger and then it comes to a suspenseful stop. The chorus comes back for a last time with the repetition of this singular idea and then the song abruptly ends: no fading in time, only the pure resolution of the one single possibility for the situation. (For the record, I’d like to say that I am no musical expert; these observations may be easily refuted, but I’d like to encourage you to do so if you think I am mistaken.)

What is, then, this governing idea, the single possible path that this reborn voice can follow? The first interpretation is art, recording a whole new album. In interviews and album forewords, Taylor Swift has stated many times how her personal life is reflected in her music. Her songwriting process and the stage of production of a record have usually taken her two years, but tabloid news of last year and her own statement in the 1989 World Tour documentary that she wasn’t sure about which direction to take for the new album turned those two years into three. Gaining artistic inspiration from painful experiences is not new to either Taylor Swift nor the music industry or art as a whole, for that matter. “I don’t like your little games (…), the role you made me play (…), how you laugh when you die (…) [and] your kingdom keys,” she writes, summarising plenty of experiences through iconic or symbolic elements. That description of the pain and disappointment she endured leads to the lines “I rose up from the dead” and “Look what you made me do.” Taking into consideration Swift’s tradition of turning to music in order to cope with her own feelings, it can be said that this very album and/or this very lead single are that which those experiences turned useful for. This, of course, leaves an ironic remark: in trying to bring her down, those responsible have only fuelled her crave for artistic development. In fact, the resource of the telephone call in the bridge might be an ironic callback to the snapchat post Kim Kardashian uploaded last year, which was the match that started the fire.

A second option has to do with the presentation that Taylor Swift staged on social networks anticipating the release of the song: poetic suicide. In relation to the idea expressed in the second paragraph, this song sets a mourning tone at the very beginning and the lyric video is even accompanied by the picture of a tombstone. Furthermore, Swift referred to the Kardashian-West issue as “character assassination” in a Tweet now deleted after her, precisely, public death. Taylor Swift killed her own social image by means of erasing the content of all her social networks—except her music videos—and placing a black background on her tumblr and official website. All this black, the colour which symbolises death and mourning, may have been representing precisely the passing of her former self… a more innocent, docile and forgiving Taylor Swift. However, after many deceptions and backstabbing, that personality passed away: “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now (…) ‘cause she’s dead.” She was cornered into this by the things and the people who hurt her. “The kingdom keys once belonged to [her],” meaning that she once saw the world as a fulfilling place in which she was in charge of her own life and people turned to her when they needed someone to look up to… but then she realised that as “the world moves on” drama is going to catch up with her. After she was forced to kill her persona, she states that “karma” will serve those responsible, and just like her own downfall (“I got mine”) everyone’s is inevitably due (“you’ll all get yours”). Reading the lyrics in this sense leaves us with a rather dark feeling when the song ends, since there is no hope: the singer has taken the ultimate decision and, as the song abruptly finishes, we are left with the idea that there is no possible way to revert this situation.

In the third place, the song can be interpreted as the result of death and not the act itself: because of death, the singer has completely changed as she was reborn a darker spirit. After describing the events which led to her “character assassination” she addresses those responsible asking to contemplate the result of their actions, but she also warns them. “Look what you made me do” implies not only this poetic suicide, but the fact that they have awakened a vengeful Taylor Swift themselves. It is because of these people’s actions that only revenge is in the singer’s mind. When she sings “I’ve got a list of names and yours is in red underline” she might be implying that the sole purpose of this new persona is retribution and, in a sense, justice by taking the law into her own hands. Her fixation is further emphasised by stating that the name or names of these people are twice checked and stating that “you’ll all get yours” not as a prediction, in this case, but as a threat. Therefore, the villain which was described in the second paragraph can be interpreted as Swift herself, especially due to the fact that she describes herself as the one responsible for these people’s “bad dreams”.

Finally, the lyrics can also be read as a letter to the music industry. Instead of having a particular group of people in mind while listening to the song, I encourage re-reading or re-listening to the lyrics considering the media and the music industry as the addressees. ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ can also be interpreted as an artist’s frustration towards the corrosive power of mass media and public opinion. This song can be understood as a critique towards the cynical aspects of the business and the artistic constraints that musicians have to put up with. Therefore, when saying “look what you made me do” the singer refers to the fact that she had to either hide from the public eye, stop sharing her personal life on the Internet, switch music genres, or adopt different artistic directions. I am not saying that Taylor Swift was forced in moving from country to pop music, but these lyrics might as well be criticising the biased microscope under which she has been analysed throughout the years. Following this idea, the singer has been assigned the role of the villain and she is meant to play that in the public eye, thus being forced into a corner which she had originally tried to avoid.

Undoubtedly, Taylor Swift has done it again. Throughout time she has gradually switched styles and has taken meditated risks. This new step in her development as an artist is connected to her previous work as regards music genre and style while opening the door to a set of dark themes which she has not thoroughly explored yet. It is likely that we will see her darker self now and that this album will not send as many hopeful messages as the other. But with Swift, we never know: ‘Our Song’, ‘Change’, ‘Long Live’, ‘Begin Again’, and ‘Clean’ are the last tracks from the previous albums and no matter how much pain an album is filled with, she has always finished with a hopeful and optimistic note. Will ‘reputation’ be the same? I guess we’ll find out on November 10, 2017.

Lu Bausela

Aug 26, 2017

#taylor swift #reputation #taylor lyrics #review #look what you made me do #lwymmd #ts6 #taylor swift review #look what you made me do review #lyrics analysis #ts6 lead single #taylurking #taylorswift

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vodka-aunt-coran · 7 years

Note

PLS post the songs list for the Voltron musical

ok under a readmore bc i did write quite a bit homework what’s homework

warning this takes Creative Liberties with the story. also probably way more songs than would actually be in a musical. also remember that i actually have no music/playwriting experience. this is just what i scribbled in my notebook to relieve boredom.

Pilot: lance-centric, bc vld begins in a very lance-centric way. opens rly big and grand, then dips in the middle as lance gets yelled at and has to cover for pidge. ends hopeful abt the future.

A Bad Idea:

1st verse – hunk trying to stop lance from sneaking out with pidge.

2nd verse – finding pidge and her explaining the whole aliens thing, which lance dismisses and hunk panics abt.

3rd verse – ship crashes and music picks up chaotically hunk futilely tries to stop pidge and lance from chasing it.

Spotlight: lance has a big, heroic, totally unreasonable plan, but it gets interrupted by keith making a grand entrance. rest of the song is breaking in, saving shiro, and escaping with lance trying to (literally) steal back the spotlight.

Just Bear With Me: the most fleshed out i have. back at the shack, they start putting everything together, and lance is incredulous the whole time. each character’s verse starts with “just bear with me”

keith: [verse about weird energy in the desert and explaining his conspiracy board]lance: [after a few beats] i think being out in the desert has fried your brain.keith: why you–shiro: actually…just bear with me

shiro: [verse about kidnapped by aliens and remembering nothing but the superweapon ‘voltron’]lance: well he’s been off who-knows-where for a year. we can’t honestly expect–pidge: lance.lance: what?pidge: just bear with me–lance: UGHHHH

pidge: [verse about overhearing alien chatter and how voltron is definitely somewhere on earth]lance: alright, well, i still think this is a load of malarkey. isn’t that right hunk?hunk: [staring at conspiracy board]lance: hunk.hunk: um.lance: buddy.hunk: just bear with me!lance: for the love of–!

hunk: [verse about fraunhoffer line, they all head out to the desert and the cave]

lance: [entranced by the pictures on the walls] hey guys…just bear with me…[touches wall and it collapses]

Can’t Look Back: finding out about voltron all the way up to approaching the castle. everything happens very quickly and they have to roll with it. lance has a verse with callbacks to “pilot” and shiro gets a somewhat more serious verse.

followed by a slower, sadder one by allura and coran, which is abruptly cut off

Countdown: a bigger song with, again, a very fast pace

starts with allura quickly assigning, then kicking them out to find green and yellow

pidge + shiro with a theme called “go, be great”. a little slower but rly nervous on pidge’s part.

hunk + lance with theme from “a bad idea”. very chaotic.

back at the castle, they find out there’s a lot less time than they thought

there’s panic and dissent about what to do

allura has a brief moment w themes from the altean’s “can’t look back”

then the music picks up again and she gives them their armor and sends them off

A Born Leader: shiro, pidge, and keith are on sendak’s ship, but then pidge wants to split off to find her family and keith doesn’t want to go alone. shiro helps pidge (”go, be great”) and directs keith (”patience yields focus”). but like. he’s lowkey barely keeping it together. when his arm activates he almost loses it but has to stay strong for the team. there is some mention about how he literally only just escaped from prison.

Form Voltron: exactly what it sounds like. idk what there would be lyric-wise without it being corny, but ??? it has to be there. the end is some celebration.

Some Assembly Required: bc that title was rly good. condenses episode two, very training-montage. think “one last hope” from hercules + “i’ll make a man out of you.”

Rivals: expands on keith and lance’s enmity, more of a fun song. they mess with each other back and forth. ends with shiro telling them to go to their rooms. probably includes theme from “spotlight.” possibly happening during arus plot.

I (Don’t) Want to Forget: pidge and shiro song abt matt. finding out that shiro attacked him, pidge wanting to get more info, and shiro backing her up.

The Champion: fight w myzax. starts with myzax as ‘the champion’ but as the song progresses and shiro remembers more, he begins being ‘the champion’

Remember: shiro tells pidge what happened and let’s her know that he remembers katie. goes into pidge’s flashbacks which should technically happen next episode but Fight Me.

A Hero’s Job: the ball of the castle of lions yeah that was a pun

starts with lance, keith, and hunk talking about how cool it is to be heroes. lance goes on w things like how it’s a hero’s job to save lives, and be celebrated, and stay far far away from home…then he has to cut himself off and leave.

before hunk or keith can question it, pidge jumps in with shiro and allura and tells them that she’s leaving bc her hero’s job is somewhere else. keith argues (”everyone has families”), but shiro cuts him off and tells pidge that it’s her choice.

switch to lance and coran talking about how they can’t go home now (”homesickness”).

lance says something foreboding about how a hero can’t go home immediately before the bomb goes off.

Chess Not Checkers: great googly moogly it’s all gone to shit

keith and allura head out to check the arusian village

shiro tries to hold off the galra from the castle

keith and allura realize it was a trap

shiro thinks he has the upper hand but then lance is threatened and he has to stop. has some allusions to “a born leader” but goes sour at the end.

keith and allura get back to the castle too late.

they have a spy on the inside that’s right pidge contacts them at the very end and they once again have some advantage

A Hero’s Job (Reprise): tears of the balmera

starts w hunk focused on having to save lance

pidge sabotaging the galra within the castle ("go, be great")

hunk swearing to help the balmerans

everyone kicking sendak’s ass

The Day Is Saved

Confession: starts with lance out of the healing pod and bickering with keith, but transitions into pidge ultra-nervously telling everyone that she’s a girl. themes from “remember”

pidge: …i’m a girlhunk: i knowallura: me tookeith; same herecoran: good for you!pidge: what??lance: what????

Stay Focused!: hunk trying to keep everyone on track throughout the events of taking flight. pretty lighthearted, summarizes the episode briefly, and highlights hunk taking his role as paladin perhaps most seriously out of them all.

Defenders of the Universe: again, much briefer than the actual episode, but the paladins save the balmera and are finally hit with how big their job is. over the course of the song they work together better (esp keith and lance with hints from “rivals”). Heavy usage of “form voltron.” allura also embraces her role as leader, albeit irresponsibly (hints of “can’t look back” again), and almost dies reviving the balmera.

Monster: begins with everyone goofing around in the detainment bay and sendak as the monster, but as people leave, it devolves into shiro breaking down and believing he’s the real monster. ends with sendak jumping to life and shiro ejecting him in a panic. heavy references to “a born leader” and “I (don’t) want to forget.”

Sacrifice: switches between allura being haunted by her father and the team desperately trying to pull things together. allura has themes from “homesickness” and “can’t look back” and it ends with “you don’t have to make this sacrifice”, allura crushing the machine, and the stage goes dark as she cries.

The Art of Stealth: a more lighthearted song about sneaking into the galra base. allura uses her shapeshifting to sneak in with shiro. hunk uses the robot to dismiss the guard’s suspicions. keith…is humorously bad at it and lance, pidge, and hunk are heard offstage critiquing him.

The Lion’s Den: shiro returns without allura (”sacrifice”) and they plan to break into the Big base. keith is trying to talk them out of it by mentioning the risks (”a bad idea”, hunk might give him a dirty look for using his theme), but shiro (”a born leader”) and/or coran (”homesickness”) refute him with the importance of allura.

Traitor, Traitor, Traitor: allura yelling at zarkon as he more or less ignores her. “sacrifice” was where she lets out her sadness, this is where she lets out her anger.

Dissonance: voltron gets in, but then breaks apart when zarkon does his mind-fuckery. pidge, lance, and hunk go to save allura. shiro gets ejected from his lion and freaks out a little (”monster”). keith goes to save him, but ends up trying to fight zarkon solo (possibly hints from “art of stealth”). they manage to escape, but just barely. then, just as they think they’re in the clear, the wormhole gets fucked up and they scatter.

[end act one]

i didn’t have a chance to start act two, but things i want it to include are

Blade of Marmora: ulaz’s intro which includes themes from “the champion”

Patience Yields Focus: keith’s ‘who am i’ song. it uses themes “patience yields focus”, “everyone has families”, and a pidge song that will definitely be there called “cosmic dust.”

Confession (Reprise): an actual galra keith reveal scene.

Spotlight (Reprise): lance’s seventh wheel song :(

The Red Paladin: allura solo song that heavily implies red paladin alfor (”sacrifice”) and tries to deal with galra keith (”traitor, traitor, traitor”).

Knowledge or Death: my guy i don’t have many ideas for this but i want it to be hardcore and heartbreaking

#anon #ask #musical vld #ok this took a while AND I REALLY NEED TO DO HOMEWORK!!! AHHHH!!!#anyway if i fail to pay attention in class tomorrow i may add more ideas for act two #hopefully a hunk song that ISN't just mr cellophane #text

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