#they also both look very hot in this episode like they both are serving at dawson's party

[roxannepolice]

Getting stuff out of my system so maybe I can sleep. So obviously I loved The Giggle and loved the Toymaker, but as a Thoschei shipper I can't express how important it is to me how impersonal the Toymaker was about the whole thing and while my dreams of old men making out have not been realied, the ghost of the Master hanging over the episode really emphasised that. Like, welcome home cheater jokes are great and I was getting lowkey irritated by how both the fans and the writers were making ALL of the Master's actions about the Doctor.

But I was also worried that with a campy game loving villain that would also have a love hate obsession with and resentment for the Doctor, RTD would basically say behold the Master only +++ this obviously had nothing to do with CC giving the Doctor a literal speech about being better than the Master introducing a Dia de los Muertos villain that has soooo much history with the Doctor but is also soooo very powerful and then reiterating that the Master hates themself and only wants to be the Doctor but can't because of essentialism posing as existentialism. nothing whatsoever.

But no. Again, I am a bit tired of the Master being presented mainly as not-Doctor and I do think that if Ten didn't timelock the Tardis, they wouldn't have chosen their pet planet specifically, but compare Saxon's No. This is my turn. Revenge. Best. Served. Hot. to the Toymaker's cold Best of three. Compare the Master drawing pleasure from playing Satan the accuser about humans-turned-toclafane to the Doctor specifically because it's their pet species to the Toymaker being himself attracted to humans because of their nature sth sth Johan Huizinga sth sth homo ludens and play as the foundation of culture sth sth 2001: SO with bone and ball sth sth murder as kickstarter of culture and play as kickstarter of culture. Look at Ten's addendum of If that's what you want to the offer he makes the Master in s3, emphasising that he wants to understand what is it that the latter is after, and at Fourteen's certainty that the Toymaker really is only after games.

Don't get me wrong, I'm far from throwing monogamy at either the Doctor or the Master and they probably both made out with the Toymaker, both individually and menage a trois. But if after literal weeks of holding my breath for an actual cameo I leave the episode fully sated after a gold tooth and laughing sounds and people from outside my Davy Jones' Locker stuck ghost ship notice it too, then I'd say RTD did some really good job hanging the Master's ghost over the story. And that was not just to fan serve. It also made a point about the differences between those relationships.

#am i making any sense? #dw spoilers #dw meta #tw: negativity #just a bit but. i notice chibnallwho apologists can be touchy #the giggle #doctor who #doctor who 60th anniversary #the doctor #fourteenth doctor #tenth doctor #the toymaker #the master #simm!master #thoschei #doctor x master #tensimm #saxteen #the fact a ghost ship can be spotted from a gold tooth is really something

[lantur]

trip updates part one: Tokyo

It was a mercifully smooth 12-hour flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo! The seat next to me was unoccupied, so I could stretch my legs out, sleep a bit, read, and watch my shows. I finished Black Friend by Ziwe, which I loved, and Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read. I also watched the first five episodes of Succession, season one! I'm so into this show.

It was so easy to navigate Tokyo via the subway. I took the train from the airport to my hotel, dropped my stuff off, and had time to visit Senso-ji Temple that evening. Visiting a religious site is something I like to do as soon after landing as possible. Senso-ji in the evening, lit up, was beautiful. I wandered through the temple grounds to look at the pagodas and the stone Buddha statues, while listening to the clinking of people dropping their coin offerings into the metal collection area. I found a little ramen spot nearby, and the ramen was incredible and very comforting after 12+ hours of travel, going through customs, navigating around a new city, etc.

The next day, I found a cute little cafe right next to my hotel where I could start my day with my caffeine fix. I headed to Tsukiji Market, and I LOVE a market. Normally I hate crowds, but when there's food involved, that hatred goes away. :) I explored the food stalls and ate all the seafood my little heart desired - crab legs, eel, scallops, a sashimi bowl.

I went to Meiji-Jingu shrine, in the middle of Yoyogi Park, which is very forested. One of the coolest things about this location was seeing a wedding ceremony that was taking place, with the couple and family dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. It was a lovely area to explore, and after I inevitably got lost in the park and found my way again, I had sakura flavored soft serve ice cream as a treat.

The Hamarikyu Gardens were an unexpected stop for me, while I waited for my evening kabuki show to start, and I'm so glad I went. The flower field there was yellow as far as my eyes could see, and there were tons of hummingbirds around.

The kabuki show was a cool experience - I loved the music, and the body language of the actors!

Other highlights of the rest of my time in Tokyo:

Matcha lattes and pancakes at the cafe near my hotel

Seeing cherry blossoms at Ueno Park!!

The collection of art and artifacts at Tokyo National Museum

The food - ramen, katsu curry, pho!

Soaking in the large, hot public bath at my hotel, which I had to myself that night.

One thing I didn't expect:

The weather! Coming from one of the coldest places in the United States, where it gets to be -30 F, I didn't think that Japan in spring would challenge me. And yet, it did. I brought my mid-weight spring coat, which has been working fine for me at home. For some reason, I found Tokyo very windy, and the wind cut right through me. I was very uncomfortable walking around, and finally, I had to buy another coat at Uniqlo here, as well as a scarf. I got both for ~$40 USD so it didn't break the bank, at least. :)

I got to Kyoto yesterday morning and I have more to journal about that, but I will do so in a separate post. :)

It has been amazing to be on vacation. To not have to worry about work, or grocery shopping, or cooking, or getting my workout done before work starts, or anything. I love my job and it still feels AMAZING to not work.

Oh, also, I almost forgot to add - I got an email as soon as I landed in Tokyo, confirming that I have been accepted at the university I applied for, and will be starting my MSW in fall. It's been a lovely celebratory trip!

#lanturing

[nateezfics]

Kinks each member 1000% has? (Both as Dominant and sub) 👀👀

my brain for some reason isn’t working too well with me rn so i’ll just do the hyung line for now. will do the others later!

HONGJOONG

kinks as a dom:

- master/sir: instead of daddy kink, hongjoong is much more fond of being referred to as master or sir during sex. he’s strict on this, especially if he’s dishing out punishment, so his name during sex isn’t hongjoong to his partner; it’s master/sir. loves the way this title serves as a reminder of how much power he has.

- brat taming: he loves a submissive partner, but he also loves some spice in the dynamic. he’d enjoy a bratty sub to talk back to him, to test him, to drive him crazy; just so he can remind them in the end that he’s in control, and that his partner and their pleasure belong to him.

- marking: he’d leave bite marks, hickies, and even writing all over his partner’s skin — from their neck, to their collarbone, to their chest/breasts, to their tummy, to their inner thighs, and all the way to their ankles. literally every inch. these marks will also be left in hard to hide places, because the idea of them going through their daily activities with those small reminders of his presence on their skin for everyone to see gets him so damn aroused. he’s just possessive like that.

kinks as a sub:

- marking: whether he’s dom or sub, this man loves marking. as a sub he’d love for his partner to leave marks on his skin and to claim him as theirs. he’d wear them so proudly; and god, he’d be so whiny and a moaning mess at the feeling of his partner’s teeth on his skin.

- bondage: remember that salary lupin (i think it was salary lupin💀) episode where hongjoong was handcuffed and he looked a little too happy about it? well yeah, he’d love to be tied and completely at his partner’s mercy.

- size: whether his partner is bigger than him or not, he loves to be reminded of how tiny he is, of how cute and small and helpless he is.

SEONGHWA

kinks as a dom:

- daddy: his partner calls him daddy, and his partner is his cute little kitten. he’s very soft with this, and he likes to dote on his partner and shower them with praise and pleasure.

- bondage, specifically collar and leash: his partner is his kitten, and he loves to adorn them with cute fuzzy collars and leashes. ties them to the bed with a leash attached to a collar around their neck and serves them so much pleasure until they’re a mess.

- overstimulation: he’s a giver. he loves to make a mess of his partner until they’re shaking and crying. just can’t get enough of the way his partner sounds and the way they look when they’re cumming.

kinks as a sub:

- praise: every single second he loves to be told how good he’s doing, how good he feels/is making his partner feel. loves to be told he’s so pretty when he does this, or does that. driven by the praise.

- blindfolding/sensory deprivation: blindfolding heightens the other senses, and he gets so sensitive to his partner’s touch. likes not knowing what his partner’s next move is.

- orgasm denial/edging: he’ll beg and plead. and he’s shameless about it. will say anything to tempt his partner to relent, but inwardly he loves how his pleasure is in their care completely. the pleasure when he is allowed to cum is so intense, and worth it every time.

YUNHO

kinks as a dom:

- size: this is a given with this man. if he’s significantly larger than his partner, he will remind them every time they’re intimate of how small and pretty they look under him. will definitely love the way his partner would struggle to take him, or the way he can feel the bulge from his cock inside them.

- overstimulation: he’s not too keen on being a punishing kind of dom, much more suited for the softer side of things, so this would never be used as a way of reprimand for his partner. he just really adores the way he can make them feel, and wants to give them as much pleasure as he possibly can.

- temperature play: likes using hot wax or ice because they can be tools to heighten pleasure, and he always wants his partner to be as satisfied as possible. he adores how receptive your body is to his touch, whether it be the touch of his hands or the ice or wax.

kinks as a sub:

- praise: wants his partner to call him their good little boy, or good little puppy. he’d be so cute and blushy and sweet; just the best behaving sub for his partner.

- pet play: to tie in to the one above, he likes for his partner to dress him in a cute collar and put little ears on top his head and make him look exactly like the good little puppy that he is. he’d follow every command given to him in exchange for praise and for pleasure.

- voyeurism: this term is used lightly here because not so much that he wants to watch other people in sexual acts, but in the way he loves to watch you touch yourself and pleasure yourself before him while refusing to give him anything. it makes him so whiny and desperate, but he loves the yearning, and loves it when you finally give in.

YEOSANG

kinks as a dom:

- cyber/virtual sex: he really gets off to sex via face time, where he and his partner can watch each other masturbate while saying the nastiest things. also tied in with this is his love for recording the intimate moments together. he likes to record sex between him and his partner, and likes to rewatch the videos later on when he’s needy. he also enjoys the random texts from his partner with videos or pics of them touching themselves.

- degradation: he is very much a sassy dom. while he’s not the hardest dom out there, he does enjoy to speak to his partner in ways that’ll make them squirm and blush and beg. will tease and scoff and poke, and he definitely knows exactly what to say to get right into his partner’s mind.

- marking, specifically writing: likes to draw on his partner’s skin. will write the nastiest things on any part of their body, and will even draw stick figures doing obscene things. if he’s not feeling up for too much talking, he’ll write all the things he plans to do to his partner on their body, in all the respective places that correlate to what he exact he wants to do (for ex, writing “fuck senseless” just above his partner’s sex).

kinks as a sub:

- degradation: sassy dom, also a sassy sub. likes to be talked to in nasty even demeaning ways, but will give it right back to his partner. likes the cat and mouse dynamic this offers.

- orgasm denial/edging: he likes to be edged to the point that he can’t even speak he’s so frustrated. this is made even hotter after he’s been particularly bratty, and his partner snaps and makes him beg for release.

- exhibitionism: he doesn’t admit to this one so willingly, but really gets off to the idea of his partner making a mess of him where others could possibly see. specifically, the idea of him mouthing off to his partner and them putting him in his place while others are aware just really gets him going.

there are more kinks i think they could possibly have, but i just listed a few for each!

#ateez smut #hongjoong smut #seonghwa smut #yunho smut #yeosang smut #ateez hard asks #ateez hard hours #anonymous

[cherrycolakissies]

To celebrate Ginny and Georgia getting renewed for seasons 3 and 4 here's some more hot takes I have on the series!

• There's nothing cute or shippable about Abby and Press, he is verbally abusive towards her under the guise of a joke and she only hooks up with him because she likes the male attention and is very insecure.

•Abby and Ginny should not have taken Max or Norah back, but if they HAD TOO forgiving Max and Norah should've taken several episodes

•Georgia is a narcissist, it is damn near impossible for her to see things outside of what is good for GEORGIA. (I will further elaborate on this in a post of its own)

•Ginny is only so disliked because she's black

•Ginny and Marcus breaking up needed to happen

•Abby needs her storyline more fleshed out

•The show already suffers from "too many main characters syndrome" adding Silver and Samantha is too much and frankly I couldn't care less about either

•Samantha is a very realistic albeit very useless character, everyone knows of a "floater friend" in a friend group or a member of the friend groups girlfriend who's trying to hard to be apart of it.

•NONE of the Mang girls are racist, they are insensitive and ignorant because unless you are actively black, or POC, you do not know how to navigate that, that being said, Abby and Samantha have been microaggresive at some points throughout the series. (Mainly in S1)

•Norah needs a storyline. She's literally just there to be an extra character and to serve looks.

•There should have been a scene during the episode where Georgia sits in on Ginnys therapy session where a real conversation is had about being biracial with a white mother.

•Austin is clearly being set up to have a very dangerous storyline and to maybe too closely follow in his mother's footsteps

•Cynthia and Joe was very unnecessary.

•Hunter and Samantha being in the friend group still is also unnecessary.

• Ginny and Hunter do not need to be friends, she treated him horribly throughout the relationship and while he was a cringefest he did not deserve what she put him through

• The aesthetic of 1st season is a lot better than the 2nd one however both are done very well from a storytelling perspective and the grungy aesthetic of s2 goes with the unraveling of the shiny pretty life (and aesthetic) of s1

•You cannot dislike Ginny without disliking Georgia as they are a mirror of each other

#ginny miller #ginny and georgia #georgia miller #marcus baker #netflix #romance #antonia gentry #felix mallard #brianne howey

[showtoonzfan]

Nah because, let’s be honest, Season 2 episode 2 was NOT an Octavia episode. Vivzie may put her on the thumbnail for bate and have the opening be centered AROUND Octavia leaving, but after that, all the episode does is repeatedly cut to her, walking around doing literally NOTHING and serving no purpose, then cut back to what this episode was REALLY made for, more Stolitz bullshit fan service and filler. Octavia only comes back into the narrative in the very end, when the writers actually remember she’s a character and need her. She spends the entire episode wandering around doing nothing, and there was potential to actually FOCUS on her and keep the main characters looking for her on the back burner instead so we can actually LEARN more about her as a character OUTSIDE of her parental issues, ya know…get to know her more but…..NAH. If we did that we wouldn’t of had that “AMAZING” Brennan Ragers joke, as well as Human Stolas and more hot uwu scenes between him and Blitz! And let’s throw in more “Feel bad for Blitz because he’s lonely and no one finds him funny because of his sad clown life”- stuff in there as well even though we already focused on that in “The Circus”, and the show can honestly just hop off his and Stolas’s dick for ONE episode and actually focus on another character’s deep trauma for a change….like…OH YEAH, OCTAVIA. Seriously I’m tired of Viv acting like she cares about her female characters and is a complex writer when in reality she pushes her female characters to the back and portrays them as tools attached to the male characters to give THEM complexity and development, and what little development the female characters actually get, they’re still mainly either tools, or fan service. Even Loona’s depth and development didn’t go anywhere, no matter what she learns or what WE learn about her, she never changes and still acts like a bitch, while the relationship between her and Blitz never improve, even after “Spring Broken”, the episode that ALSO didn’t take their emotional rift anywhere and just forgot about it. Meanwhile Octavia isn’t a character at all unless the show wants to use her to make Stolas look good, or Stella look bad. She’s never allowed to breathe on her own without having to be attached to her parents, and that’s what I hate. What else do we know about Octavia other than she’s an emo teen with daddy issues? What else do we know about Loona OUTSIDE of her being an edgy bitch? They’re both flat and predictable teenage stereotypes, sure they like music and instagram but god Viv, can you make them more definable characters? Octavia liking Taxidermy and stars is the ONLY genuine thing about her that we know outside of the typical female edgy teenage tropes, and that’s a bad sign, and Loona is just your generic Vivziepop female character that likes partying and drinking. Focus on their other interests or OTHER problems outside of their parents Viv, and explore your characters BEYOND their trauma so we can learn more about them as actual people.

#vivziepop critical #spindlehorse critical #helluva boss critical #anti vivziepop #rant #vivziepop rant #vivziepop criticism #vivziepop critique #helluva boss criticism #helluva boss critique #anti Stolitz

[thenanamisimp]

What I've watched recently (spoiler warning - see bold titles)

Before the tragedy of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 episode 18 happened I had actually started watching Great Pretender. However, after the loss of a specific someone (Gege when I catch you) and a few days of mourning and crying at tiktok edits and angsty tweets, I couldn't bring myself to keep watching Great Pretender (I will get to it once I feel capable enough to commit to another series in a few days probably). I have instead caught up with some weekly anime that I've been watching this season as well as (finally) started reading MXTX's The scum villain's self saving system. Since I haven't posted in a few days, I wanted to share my opinions on the media that has been keeping me sane since the tragic loss of my favourite character (considering the situation as well as the fact that my average state of sanity is still slightly insane - take this with a grain of salt).

Jujutsu Kaisen (season 2, episode 18) - every Thursday on CrunchyRoll

The production team went above and beyond and I thank them for it. Nanami looked so peaceful in his imagination and I highly appreciate that they extended the couple pages from the manga into 7 minutes of perfection (I'm in so much pain)

Jujutsu kaisen (season 2, episode 19) - every Thursday on CrunchyRoll

Episode 18 felt like a fever dream and so did this one. To keep it short and sweet again (aka I don't wanna cry again), the production team did incredible work once again.

The apothecary diaries (season 1, episodes 1 to 8) - every Saturday on CrunchyRoll

I really wanted something short and more light hearted to watch - hence I finally decided to start this series. In reality I was planning to binge it when it finished airing but I was impatient. The story of an apothecary knowledgeable about poisons and medicine who serves one of the emperor's concubines - with the added bonus of a handsome fool who is in love with her while she doesn't seem to be interested at all! (Jinshi is so madly and hopelessly in love with Maomao it makes me die laughing every time she cringes at his flirting but also I LOVE HIM). THE ANIMATION AND COLOURS of this anime are incredible, there is literally no reason for anyone to not like this show. Absolutely watch this if you have even the slightest hunch you'd enjoy it

Spy x Family (season 2, episode 8) - every Saturday on CrunchyRoll

As a lover of season 1, I've been very excited for season 2. Up until episode 5 of season 2, I couldn't see what the plan with this season was but after the start of the cruise arc (I'm afraid to google the actual name of the arc - spoilers haunt me) my faith has been restored. We're back to exiting ventures with the Forger family, this time more focused on Yor's assassin adventures. Even more so, this episode was extra incredible as we got to see Yor in real action, fighting a storm of other assassins looking to kill the family she has been assigned to guard and looking hot while doing it. Spy x Family is truly an incredible shounen.

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions (season 1, episode 9) - every Monday on CrunchyRoll

I started this anime on release day and I started it for Ron. And I stayed for Ron. And mysteries (I do love me a good detective story). Overall, this anime is a good way to take a break from your daily routine by watching a mystery being solved in a comedic way while slowly also unfolding the bigger mystery of why the renowned Kamonohashi Ron stopped sleuthing. This week's episode finally gave us a good hint to his past! Honestly I wish more people were talking about this anime this season, it's so underrated.

And finally! I've been reading The Scum Villain's Self Saving System (Chinese name: Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong), Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's first novel series. I've read both Heaven Official's Blessing (Chinese name: Tian Guan Ci Fu) and The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation (Chinese name: Mo Dao Zu Shi) and every time she impresses me with her writing skills. While I really want to share my opinions on her novels, I would like to make a dedicated post for MXTX's novels once I finish all of them, as I've actually not read most the extras for either TGCF or MDZS and I've not finished reading Svsss. I'm also very (im)patiently waiting for my copies of TGCF volumes 5-8 to get here in the mail in the next few days. I do have to say tho, Svsss has surprised me as I find it to be quite different from MDZS and TGCF, which is valid considering it was her first release.

Thank you for reading this (mostly) anime ramble! Enjoy watching :)

theNanamiSimp

#anime #anime recommendation #anime review #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #the apothecary diaries #spy x family #ron kamonohashi

[variousqueerthings]

SOOOooooo Time Of Angels/Flesh And Stone

these episodes are great set-pieces with a lot of fun twists and turns, such as the Angel coming out of the screen, and the gun from the trailer being used not in violence but to save them with the gravity, and the trees in the ship, good fun, good fun

of course it also completely obliterates a bunch of its own Angel concepts by showing them moving, and by undoing the idea that if they see each other, they are trapped forever

and then there is The Problem Of River Song. I really think I should listen to some of her audio dramas where she's not hanging out with the Doctor, because my goodness... anyway all in the Score!

a criteria will be rated 0-10, with 10 being best score:

sexism rank objectification (female character is ogled/harassed/turned into a sex joke by the doctor and/or a lead we’re supposed to root for and/or the camera): 5/10

sexism rank plot-point (lead female character is only there to serve plot, not to have her emotional interiority explored): 7/10

interesting complex or pointlessly complex (does the complexity serve the narrative or does it just serve to be confusing as a stand-in for smart, this includes visually): 7/10

furthers character and/or lore and/or plot development (broader question that ties into the previous ones, at least two of these, ideally three should be fulfilled): 7/10

companion matters (the companion doesn’t always have to be there, but if the companion is there, can they function without the doctor– and overall per season how often is the companion the focus or POV of the story): 6/10

the doctor is more than just “godlike” (examines the doctor’s flaws and limitations, doesn’t solve a plot by having it revolve entirely around the doctor’s existence): 7/10

doesn’t look down on previous doctor who (by erasing or mocking its importance, by redoing and “bettering” previous beloved plotpoints or characters, etc.): 6/10

isn't trying to insert hamfisted sexiness (m*ffat famously talked a lot about how dw should be sexier multiple times, he sucks at writing it): 2/10

internal world has consistency (characters have backgrounds, feel rooted in a place with other people, generally feel like they have Lives): 7/10

Politics (how conservative is the story): 7/10

FULL RATING: 61/100 (if I can count….)

I do think this is the first episode to showcase Karen Gillen's potential, and I think it's also the episode to show that she's not... quite as good as some previous leads on this show. she just doesn't emote very well. her fear in both the first episode when she sees the Angel to her terror when she's told there's an Angel in her eye is barely anything -- I don't know if this is Karen Gillen (who I thought did very well in M*rvel!) or a direction problem (my favourite Karen Gillen moment was early in the first episode, when she squeaked excitedly about going on the planet surface, which was very cute)

if I were prone to blaming everything on M*ffat, I'd say that he talked about how he cast Gillen because she was hot. so how does that map onto having Amy Pond be a rounded character? some actresses have risen above this kind of casting in the past, but it's an extra hurdle for sure, and one that I don't think Karen Gillen at this point could do much against, especially considering the episodes don't let the character properly have a feeling about being abandoned for 14 years (she will later on in the show, I remember, but right now nada)

on the flipside, the Doctor babbling for 30 seconds to land on "there's an Angel in her eye" and then grabbing his mouth in shock, is one of my favourite eleven moments generally!

OBJECTIFICATION: OKAY. okayokay. okay. like. Amy is wearing her third miniskirt of the season, because Amy wears them as a Choice (because she's not a character I guess, she has agency, it's nothing to do with Karen Gillen's legs), and River Song is introduced in heels and a sexy dress, because she's a sexually liberated woman, but actually one we get past that it's not so bad. River Song is actually wearing very practical clothes of the same shape and make as the army dudes

the real issue is going to come in the sexiness bracket, so it's hard to say where the objectification ends and the "sexiness" begins...

PLOT-POINT: Amy is all-emotion arguably, while River furthers a lot of plot, and gets some backstory. the frustrating thing is that Amy is still oddly... distant from her own history with the Doctor

he leaves her again, and then asks her to walk with her eyes closed through a forest of Angels. the Doctor tells her to shut up, yells at her, and she's very helpless and while this is technically compelling, Amy doesn't... have much of a reaction to it. to much of any of it. the music is doing the emotional heavy-lifting here more than the writing

BUT all in all, both Amy and River get some interesting stuff to read into!

COMPLEXITY: It’s a good plot, the crashed ship, the running, the forest full of angels, and I think it works because fundamentally it's not actually that complex at all. it's got a fair few set-pieces and plot points happening, so it's good that the central plot is essentially "get away from Angels before they catch us."

and it all comes back to the gravity of the ship several times, fun set-up and payoff

CHARACTERS/LORE/PLOT: so technically there's a lot happening here -- the crack in the wall, the Angels, River Song, the Doctor putting Amy in a precarious situation...

I'm not sure that it all comes together completely, the weak point is... Amy and the Doctor, to me. and there's a lot of quite subjective feelings within that, especially related to casting and writing of their relationship. oh dear that ending.... and the "it's all about you" as a symptom of things to come

and of course the Angels are kind of... cool and then a bit eh (but not as much as they're going to be)

"The Pandorica opens" is mentioned again and it's kind of cool

knowing that River knows that Amy is her mother... I am not sure that this was established as plot yet or not or if Alex Kingston knew, but watching it that way is interesting (even if I'm not a fan of it)

"Time can be rewritten" I remember that from Ten...

COMPANIONS MATTER: Amy is kind of damseling. she damsels. that's her role. Damseling sometimes is not a crime, but anyway. she does what the Doctor says (as a symptom of writing to come)

and the "if I always told you the truth, I wouldn't need you to trust me," as a symptom of writing to come..... the Doctor used to trust Companions -- generally the power imbalance between the Doctor and Amy, where she has to blindly trust someone she barely knows who has abandoned her several times... unclear if this belongs in this bracket or the sexism plot-point one, but it certainly belongs somewhere, because it's not really a thing that I believe is done on purpose... it's because the Doctor is so Interesting, and Amy is right to hang onto his every word, even when the Doctor hasn't earned it

I note also the "oh she's good," thing which River says about Amy this time, and Churchill said in the last episode, and is another symptom. lot of symptoms in this episode

“GODLIKE” DOCTOR: The Doctor says shut up a loooot in the second half of this one, and yells when frustrated, which I wasn't a fan of -- this isn't really "godlike" Doctor as such, but it very much is the "I'm so smart and you're so useless in this situation," Thing, which after Sherlock makes your eyes twitch...

but overall the Doctor is just a guy in a situation that they're trying to solve, same as everyone else

PREVIOUS DOCTOR WHO: soooo it's a couple of smallish? things, but it's part of the River Song problem as a whole, which is that she knows so much more and is much better at things than everyone else, because she knows the Doctor and the future etcetc. and she's more important than all past companions and emotional connections the Doctor has had

so you've got these bits early on - River tells the Doctor how to steer the Tardis using the "blue stabilisers" which stabilise the Tardis. rather than what was established end s4, which was that the Tardis needs more than one pilot, it's just that the Doctor never... stabilises it

And then she lands the Tardis and it doesn't make the familiar sound, and she says, “it’s not supposed to make that noise, you leave the brakes on." sigh. fuck the beloved noise I guess, it's just a stupid thing that the Doctor could change at any time

“SEXINESS”: And Now! To the Crux!

HOW MANY ONE LINERS CAN YOU FIT INTO AN EPISODE??? I wrote this when watching the first 4 minutes:

Sexy shoes

Sexy lipstick

Hello sweetie

Sexy wink

Amy doing a sexy “it’s how you keep score”

Sexy speech pattern

Sexy innuendo

then I had the: “he thinks he’s so hot when he does that” and “ooh, you sonicked her"

and ends on a handcuffs joke

poor River Song, there's this moment when the Cleric has threatened to tell the Doctor about her Past, and then later she makes a joke, and the guy does and the way her face twists!! Kingston is a good actress!!

and then for Amy there is... the ending......

INTERNAL WORLD: it's not really too important for this episode, but it all works

POLITICS: also not so important for this one, but there's nothing egregious going on in it

One thing I've noted that I'm not sure where to put is that at this point in proceedings lives still tend to matter -- some people die in various episodes and it's a tragedy. I don't know if this is politics, or Godlike Doctor or Companions matter, but it's a good thing overall

FULL RATING: 61/100 (if I can count….)

I'm surprised this has a lower rating than the beast below, it's overall a stronger (double) episode. Perhaps it's that several pieces are coming together (for example Amy not having opinions on her relationship with the Doctor rankles more now than previously), perhaps it's that I'm harsher now than then

overall it has a fair few high rankings through being relatively inoffensive, with lower points being granted because of how River Song affects the structure of Doctor Who as a whole, and because I need Amy to feel some kinda way. and the longer it takes without that, the more it becomes obvious

the high notes of the episode are the plot itself and that Amy and River balance a certain amount of Doing Plot to Things Happening To Them

Amy kissing the Doctor at the end is so... I mean it leads into Vampires of Venice, but really Amy is so... aggressive. and intense. and does not take in any cues. and it doesn't help that I know the deleted scene after this is even moreso Like That

#im watching eleven who #im watching dw #the measurement #flesh and stone #the time of angels

[dearemma]

Do you have any theories for 2x08? I remember someone saying that it might focus on Christine and M'benga, hope that's true!

so! based on the promo pics that were released, we're definetly getting some christine and m'benga material.

we learned on episode 1 of season 2 that they served on the klingon war together and were one of the few survivors of a massacre. here is the description of episode eight:

"Captain Pike and his crew welcome a Klingon defector aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, but his presence triggers the revelation of some shocking secrets."

we are getting some flashback content. christine is looking very hot in her black widow suit, i can't wait to get my hands on the footage.

ANYWAYS BACK TO THE SHOW!!! here is what we've heard so far about the episode:

I think that that's pretty accurate. For both of you, Season 2 is 10 episodes, do you have a favorite of the 10 episodes and why? BUSH: Oh, I'm gonna say eight and nine, and I can't say why because that would be a spoiler. BABS OLUSANMOKUN: Yeah, I would say eight, but I can't tell you why either – Oh, it was eight, now nine!

[ comment: nine is the musical episode ]

“As a performer, myself, the scenes that are the most challenging emotionally are the ones that are most enjoyable [...] and where there's the most to be found artistically,” said Jess Bush of the season ahead. “And there's a lot of that in episode eight. I loved doing episode eight with Babs. It was one of my favorite from the entire two seasons. And working with Jeff Byrd (Yellowjackets, The Flash TV series). He's incredible. He's an actor's director. I think he made us both feel really safe to find the truth of that episode. It stretched me and stretched Nurse Chapel a lot.”

You can’t drop a Star Trek truth bomb like that without fans wanting to know more. So, probing deeper, the stars revealed a bit more about episode eight with the round table. Olusanmokun shared: “I can’t reveal much of it, you know, but somewhere in there, there was a moment where I was like, ‘Okay, this is going much deeper.' It felt epic. I hope that was captured. I hope what you see on screen is, but it felt epic as we made episode eight — for me, personally.”

Olusanmokun assures us that it is in the cards. "We're going to see some of their past history, how they came to be, how they came together as compadres. It's written beautifully, and of course, we then tried to mold it as much as possible with our performances. "It's been something. It was really lovely to do. It was really lovely to experience. We maybe go over a scene together while waiting. "I know what I do [to prepare], but I also see that Jess comes quite prepared, and so when we land in front of each other, or the camera's rolling, there's a lot to work with. That's all you can ever ask of your scene partner. There's a lot of giving and taking and being open. Regarding their scene sharing, Bush acknowledges how close Chapel and M'Benga are. "Speaking for myself, I think it's just about staying open and curious when we're together on set and in discovery mode. "There is definitely a lot of deepening of the relationship with Chapel and M'Benga in this season, and we get to go through a lot together. It's something that I've really enjoyed. I think it's been a beautiful deepening of both of their stories separately and entwined. Very heartful, very heartful."

and i could not find the quote, but apparently christine is dropping a shocking secret this episode

so basically.... we're in for a ride, folks

as for theories... nothing specific tbh?? i'm waiting and seeing

#livia answers

[burningexeter]

PITCH:

Attack On Titan: New Dawn

What is it — an American made Adult Swim/Toonami original series that acts as a sequel or continuation of the Attack On Titan anime and is done in the same style or aesthetic of the first two seasons.

PREMISE:

Set three years after the events of "The Final Chapters - Part 2", we at first follow Historia Reiss — or as she now goes by her old identity "Christa Lenz" — as she's currently in hiding with her daughter Ymir away from the Marley and Eldia conflict in a large fictional seaside town off the coast of California.

See, it's revealed that the rest of the world is actually "modern day" where before they've completely ostracized the Marley and Eldia side in horror and disgust but now after the Rumbling caused and led by Eren Yeager, tensions are now higher than ever especially now that Marley and Eldia are now aware of the modern world.

Wanting to give both her child and herself a chance at a normal and decent life away from everything Historia has ever witnessed, the former Queen of the Walls is now among the mundane and trying to make it on her own, doing whatever she can to give the two of them a new life.

But unfortunately, Historia discovers the hard way that she can't run away from her past no matter how hard she tries when a path she takes brings a certain familiar face to her or rather on her trail — Mikasa Ackerman, now a bounty hunter who hunts down criminals on the modern side and even Marleyians and Eldians. On top of that, she now has a new and deadly, almost twisted femme fatale personality that finds herself attracted to Historia like a cat to a mouse.

It's then that Historia is dragged into a fantastical underworld by Mikasa that deals in crime and violence with the two of them developing not only an unlikely relationship but also an unlikely love for each other as they fight against the odds that they're now going up against.

Notes/Details/Trivia:

• Not only will the Funimation dub voice actresses Trina Nishimura and Bryn Apprill reprise their roles as Mikasa and Historia but the voice cast for the new characters are Walton Goggins, Steve Valentine, Jason Statham, Sumalee Montano, Jamie Clayton and Hazel Doupe.

• Obviously from what you read and the piece of fanart from Larkei on top, Mikasa and Historia will become an official romantic couple very, very, very early on. But it will be in an unconventional way with Mikasa forcing and even blackmailing Historia to not only have her stay and hide out but for the two of them to be said couple with the former declaring to the latter "From this moment forward for the rest of your life, you. are. mine!". The source of blackmail is none other than the life of Historia's own daughter.

• The show will push the limit of the TV-MA rating like most Adult Swim shows do (both the good and bad ones) as always this time with grounded and brutal violence that at times is visceral. Examples of this are a character getting stabbed in the armpit, a character finding a jar full of severed tongues, a character getting stabbed in the face and having to pull it out and plenty of zombie-type body horror (which I'll get to) with media such as The Devil's Backbone, Sons Of Anarchy, Boardwalk Empire and Overlord serving as the violence influences. However, the show will also push the limit of sexual content as well — there will be female nudity shown for starters and two examples of what type of content we're talking involves the two leads are when Historia wakes up after first encountering Mikasa fully and thinking or hoping it was some sort of nightmare, to get up and step on something that's warm and sticky.... she looks down and it's cum. Another is that in the next episode, Historia is woken up by something hot and just as sticky that splats on her face and to her shock and horror, it's Mikasa nutting on her face intentionally to wake her up.

• What will also make it stand-out more is that it will go back to its predecessor's horror roots that it had in its first few episodes. But it's in a distinctive new way that ties into the Titan serum — it's a special serum that's origins will be kept ambigious which permanently gives Mikasa and Historia "undead powers" where their bodies can be taken apart and put back together, contort, wounds heal immediately etc.

• Through a couple of references and easter eggs, a retroactive shared universe will be heavily implied to show there's more to the AOT universe.

#attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #mikasa ackerman #historia reiss #mikasa and historia #mikasa x historia #mikahisu #adult swim #toonami

[keepofkandrakar]

W.I.T.C.H. Character Headcanons (bc I say so)

So for those of you who don't know, I'm creating a rewrite of W.I.T.C.H. on Wattpad. It will essentially be if it were given a live action adaptation with a standing total of 60 episodes (5 seasons; 12 episodes per season). These headcanons all apply to said rewrite -- I have my Wattpad linked on my blog so go check it out!

Irma is canonically a Latina lesbian, that's zero debate, however I specifically headcanon her as Guatemalan.

Taranee and Peter Cook are canonically blasian! The Cooks are out here representing the blended families! I will be taking no arguments or criticisms!

I read a post a while ago about how every other fantasy world is based on Medieval Europe, Metamoor/Meridian being one of them and I was like "you know what would be cool? if instead Metamoor was based on Ancient Indian culture." so that's what I did and now Elyon and Phobos are ethnically Indian (Elyon's new name is Elyon Bhandari and I can't think of it as anything else now) (plus Metamoor is actually ten times more interesting with the amount of lore I'm creating for it).

sidenote: I need it to be known that Elyon will also be serving as the vice president of the Sheffield Student Government/Student Council to foreshadow her queenliness and she's also a book girly and she has initiative and Phobos is actually clever enough in his manipulation tactics for Elyon to not question everything until the last couple days leading up to her coronation. I wanted the queen to serve.

Everyone imagine real quick (cartoon) Matt Olsen as a black man. I don't know how I started picturing him black but now I cannot stop because it just works! We need a black lead guitar/lead singer of a rock band everyone will be making thirst edits over who is also humble kind sweet loyal loving-- And can I just say he would look sexy hot with the Shagon dreads! You cannot change my mind on this!

Kio Cyr is literally Eric Lyndon! I found an image with him in a NASA t-shirt and I was like "that's him folks!" Though, I do specifically headcanon Eric as Filipino.

Alchemy is now Alchemy Torres and she's a chem/bio nerd with an affinity for puzzles. I'm still figuring her out but she will gain more importance in S2.

I made a crackship out of Nashter (one of the Runics from the 100% WITCH arc) and Taranee and now it's very very serious. Not only does he have a British accent (do not ask) but he and Taranee are basically a detective duo/partners-in-crime turned besties in S3, which corresponds with the Crisis on Both Worlds arc which means angsty Taranee which means incredible banter between a smartass and a flirt.

And when I tell you that Nashter is the only white Runic I mean it: Darmon is lighter skin black, Shalin is Asian of some sort (specific region TBD), Cromo is dark skin black, and Ran-Rah is indigenous af.

Caleb lowkey is giving indigenous energy? I've barely touched him but the farthest I've gotten is that I saw one fanart of Caleb if he were on Phobos' side originally and now he has a whole defection arc in S1 from head of Phobos' guard to rebel leader in addition with angsty C&C so there's that going for us.

#w.i.t.c.h. #w.i.t.c.h. headcanons #headcanons #will vandom #irma lair #taranee cook #cornelia hale #hay lin #guardians queue-nite #elyon brown #w.i.t.c.h. comics #w.i.t.c.h. cartoon #jetix w.i.t.c.h. #w.i.t.c.h. jetix #w.i.t.c.h. rewrite #irmelia #matt olsen #caleb #w.i.t.c.h. caleb #peter cook #alchemy ethel #w.i.t.c.h. alchemy #the runics #eric lyndon #shagon #phobos #you cannot change my mind on any of this #brain chemistry has been altered #alchemy is lowkey giving me avery kylie grambs energy??? #metamoor

[gidaryeong]

2022 roundup

Watched less tv this year than probably any other year in my life because I was mostly pregnant and queasy beyond belief, but here’s a roundup of the stuff I did manage to cram. Not only kdramas, though mostly that. (I’m probably forgetting some but these are all that come to mind rn.)

The Red Sleeve: Didn’t actually finish this because of the pain, but it was so well-made. Ambitious cinematography, great storytelling and acting. Lee Se-young really gave us the range; having only seen her poised and regal in The Crowned Clown before, I loved watching her goof off in between the angsty bits. A serve.

Hyena: I normally dislike law dramas, but the leads are so mesmerizing (and so attractive) that you root for them even when they do objectively evil work. Have never seen such palpable yearning between two characters. Jung Geum-ja is the Most.

Into the Ring: Goo Se-ra my beloved! I want more romances like this: haggard social worker and the social justice gremlin whose daily complaints he has to resolve. Enjoyed every second.

Rewatch of Kingdom and Ashin of the North: Just as brilliant as the first time around. Come on Netflix, now that HBO Max is collapsing in on itself, get with that blood and gore and get to work on season 3 already. I want to see Ashin go apeshit!!

Jodhaa Akbar: Seven months later and I still get tingly thinking about this romance. Akbar dueling Jodhaa to win her back, and showering her with jasmine petals mid-fight. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai both looking so hot it should be illegal. A soundtrack to make the sun rise even in the bleak midwinter. This was my first visit to Mughal India but not my last! (Thank you @rain-hat for the recs, you are a gift to tumblrkind!)

My Liberation Notes: Okay I was so into the first half that I cannot even tell you. It burrowed into the darkest, weariest part of me and lit a match. But I did not care for Mr. Gu’s backstory and the ensuing foray into the criminal underworld, and somewhere around there it lost its heart.

Love Between Fairy and Devil: Jam packed with tropes. A surprisingly touching and very entertaining fantasy for the Hades/Persephone girlies. Great visuals, too!

Alchemy of Souls: Speaking of great visuals! I will admit that I hop skipped my way through much of part 1. The world-building is claustrophobically boring, which is a shame because it is so charmingly costumed. I adore the premise of a villain body-swapping into a nobody. There is some good acting in this and there is also some very bad acting. I am upset with part 2 for filing the fangs off my darling Naksu, but I do admit that the dark fairytale vibe has got me hooked. (Evil mothers sewing golden thread into the bare skin of their daughters! Our hero tormented by the furies of hell! A marriage of convenience to the resident goth! I am eating it up by the spoonful.)

Stranger Things: I feel like I am in the minority here so this is probably on me, but I thought this was the least scary and also least emotionally engaging season. I think the problem horror-wise was Vecna and that they showed him too soon and too often in his campy monster makeup. All the Russia stuff was boring af, and I didn’t like that the kids were separated all season. Eddie was however a most delightful addition to the gang. Rest in power, babygirl.

First Love/Hatsukoi: I hate amnesia plots, and I don’t understand why the characters deal with it the way they do here, or why it is never resolved or even treated as something in need of resolving. However, the leads are delightful together and their chemistry is out of this world. Would happily have watched many, many more episodes of this. (I ragged on the color-coded families to my husband, before we realized we both wore the exact same shade of burgundy. So now I’ve decided that it’s cute and not weird at all.)

Things I didn’t finish, but might pick back up some day:

Business Proposal: Chaebol heirs are such a turn off that I couldn’t even finish it for my girls.

Bloody Heart: I only saw a few episodes of this because it was so difficult to find a good stream anywhere online. Goddamn Mouse gatekeeping Jang Hyuk from me!!

Under The Queen’s Umbrella: Too many princes.

#the red sleeve #hyena #into the ring #kingdom #jodhaa akbar #my liberation notes #love between fairy and devil #alchemy of souls #stranger things #first love hatsukoi #bloody heart #kdrama roundup

[thegeminisage]

tng update time!! we're back, baby. sunday we did "the masterpiece society" and "conundrum" and last night* we did "power play" and "ethics."

*by last night i mean earlier tonight, but i'm typing this at 1am and letting it post tomorrow

the masterpiece society: this one was okay. i was very endeared at first to this guy flirting RESPECFULLY with deanna after the ordeal of 3 rape scenes in one episode but then she shot him down and he kept flirting. WILL my misery never cease

that said, i like that picard was nice to her when she fessed up about fucking with him. i am so fond of saying "treat him really niceys" about data but perhaps we should also be treating DEANNA really niceys. instead of raping her repeatedly.

one hilarious detail i noticed about this episode was that they went out of their way to show us a lot of extras in this episode (sometimes we don't even get this many extras in ten forward scenes) and show us that the extras were. diverse. because if the society is "genetically engineered to perfection." and then you only show white people. THAT puts a whole new spin on things. i'm imagining some joker on the production team looking at a shot of mostly-white extras and frantically calling the casting director on the phone

i was EXTREMELY worried when they asked geordi to work with this woman but he was professional the whole time to my huge relief. actually, geordi had a little bit going on in this ep that i really enjoyed - when these "perfect" people kept implying he would have been aborted as a fetus in their society he gave as good as he got EVERY time and his blind ass DID in fact wind up saving all their lives and GOOD FOR HIM!

i dont really get what the big deal is about 23 people leaving = destroying their society. if you can't plann for people being out then it's your managerial skills that need work. also, they were kinda freaks, so maybe they needed to have their little cult broken up. sorry

conundrum: EPISODES FOR MEEEEE. this episode was just like tabula rasa, except this predates tabula rasa, so really tabula rasa is just like IT. anyway, amnesia. i was gleefully rubbing my hands together the entire time

hands down funniest bit was everyone just assuming worf is captain despite the fact that he's bloodthirsty and insane but the second funniest bit was data the bartender. "where's the android?" "serving drinks in ten forward." "[as data speed types] you must have been one hell of a bartender." 10/10 no notes

also his little chess game with deanna!! wah.

actually no the other funny bit was riker lowkey running around on deanna with ro. and i abslutely LOOOVED he and deanna being flirty with each other. it's ABOUT TIME we got some real food. it's been so sexless up til now that all she did was play with his hair a little and we both went bananas

and then the scene at the END? riker more flustered than we've EVER seen him and these two ladies ganging up on him...mwah. 10/10 perfect.

the villain this episode was good. when he first showed up cathy was like who tf is that and i was like idk some rando im sure he doesnt matter but then the computer named him first officer and it was like !!!!!!!!!!!! they tricked me !!! it's a VERY rare day when tng manages to trick me i was so pleased. i do kinda wish they hadn't theo teennwolfed him though (made everyone else a bit dumber to make him seem smart)

power play: deannna was so hot in this episode she should play male characters more often

i really REALLY wish i had been riker deanna and worf that had been possessed. data's not as much fun when he's someone else and not data. obrien could have come too if he wanted though i guess

PLEASE do not tell rosalind chao to shut her baby up. the last time someone told anyone to shut a baby up in a property she happened to be acting in. well. mash fans know. they know.

i genuinely believed those guys were ghosts until the last second. probably because prisoners makes no sense. also, i think prison for 500 years is too much. can we not just let them die

i love when possessed data tried to prove worf and worf was like lol no. he knows data is 10x stronger than him lmao

i wish guinan had been in this episode it's been ages and i miss her

after how tense and fun the beginning was the end and middle of this episode were kind of anticlimactic. still, it was fun and so it gets a pass. more people should get possessed on the enterprise

WHY DO I ONLY GET 4K CHARACTERS PER TEXT BLOCK staff i'll fucking kill you. anyway

ethics: RIKER/WORF/DEANNA IS REAL IT HAPPENED ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN!

ok, first of all, sorry i have to go ahead and get this out of the way before i get to the good stuff, picard advocating for assisted suicide is NNNOT his best look. in fact it's literally such a fucking bad look. actually. uhh tw for talk of suicide here on down

i understand what they were trying to do. they wanted to present both sides of the ethical dilemma here "equally." but there are some problems with this. firstly, in the real world, assisted suicide is for people with like. terminal illness. worf was fine. yes, he was paralyzed, but he was healthy and had the change to regain a great deal of his mobility. so picard already looks like an asshole because he's advocating for a disabled person killing themselves because they "can't" adjust to the loss.

SECONDLY, the use of "can't" was very poorly done here. if picard had said, worf is too stubborn to change his beliefs, he WON'T adjust to this because he will refuse to try, that would be a LOT BETTER than saying "worf CAN'T adjust to this, it's too many lifelong values to change."

and finally, if we really wanted to be "equal" about the debate, it wouldn't be about worf's ability or inability to adjust to being disabled, it would be about his BELIEFS. like his society and heritage, which he cherishes so deeply because he felt disconnected from it for so much of his life. instead picard was just like "worf is way too much of a pussy to do this just let him die lmao"

like he seriously tried to persuade will to KILL WORF. worse, to help worf kill himself!! JUST BECAUSE WORF WAS DISABLED. he even guilted riker about it: "he wouldn't have asked if he didn't know he could count on you." girl what the FUCK

ok anyway, speaking of will: his reaction here was so strong i wonder if he knew someone who'd killed themselves before. NOT that i'm complaining about a strong reaction. FINALLY we are getting some solid worf/riker Content. maybe asking your commanding officer to kill you is romance or whatever. i loved their argument to little bitty pieces. compare to: riker in tears next to deanna's sickbay bed. ooough i am eating. according to the wiki they actually cut a scene of nose-to-nose yelling and i'm mad about it. LET THEM PUT THEIR FACES TOGETHER. give me something to live for

deanna in this episode too. her kneeling by the fallen worf and murmuring "let me help you." her making him talk to his son. him BASICALLY asking her to be his kid's new adoptive parent should he kick it

oh speaking of alexander. he said some really troubling things this episode. such as, "my mom always said klingons had dumb ideas about honor" and "i don't care about being klingon." HIS MOTHER WAS RACIST..............if alexander decides the klingon ways aren't for him that's fine but that should be a choice HE GETS TO MAKE what an insane way to be raised. meanwhile people are out here calling worf a deadbeat and he put aside his suicide plan for alexander specifically

other shocking things about this episode: beverly was sooooo good actually. she was channeling bones energy in her fury and i mean that as the highest possible compliment. that other doctor quite literally KILLED A PATIENT because she's so sketchy and focused on her own glory "oh i need tokeep a professional detachment" YEAH SO YOU DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE. bones would have torn her limb for limb and i'm very glad beverly did too. i just don't understand why she was allowed to like leave the ship and go back to practicing medicine. she should have her medical liscene revoked. was this too also in the name of "both sides" of the debate girl this isn't fox news she KILLED A PATIENT for her own personal gain just space her ass!

the fake-out with worf dying was expected but them faking us out for so LONG was a surprise. i was like how are they gonna get him out of this one and it's literally the klingon anatomy. double of eeeeeverrrything. wow that sure is something. funny that worf has ridges on sooo many places. love that it took until season 5 to see it

also, that surgery scene was GROSS. im not normally squeamish but that little worm thingy they put into him looked awful

devastated there was no worf/riker reunuion at the end but other than that and picard and that other dr lady not getting fired it was extremely good. one of my favs so far i think actually.

tonight: "the outcast" and "cause and effect." i've started spoiling myself w/ episode summaries in order not to get surprised by 3 rape scenes in a row again and ik what both of these are about and im soooo excited for it

#personal #star trek blogging #tng lb #i'm like 10-12 episodes behind on my spreadsheet...oof. i gotta ctahc up soon

[jira-chii]

The moment the One Piece anime becomes art

(Big spoiler warning for the One Piece Wa no Kuni arc, around the episode 1070 mark of the anime. Yes, I know the manga is better, but what I am about to talk about is a little more special for viewers of the anime, and fans of animation in general.)

For the tldr, this twitter post covers a lot of the things I am about to talk about.

One Piece is great. You don't need me to say it. So I'll cut right to the chase. The moment One Piece transcends being a run-of-the-mill (and sometimes kind of mediocre) anime, and becomes art, is when Gear 5 is introduced.

Is this a hot take? I honestly don’t know. Gear 5 is goofy, it’s weird. It’s so different from traditional mainstream shounen anime. I’m sure it’s an abomination to hardcore Japanese anime purists. 

But it is also a brilliant example of storytelling by using visual animation to its full potential. It weaves together so many complex ideas, and even carries an important message for the anime industry in general.

What do I mean by ‘art’?

Obviously this is a subjective question and I am using the term ‘art’ very liberally. I am actually referring to something called ‘textual integrity’.

Textual integrity is when all the elements that comprise a text work together to faithfully deliver on its author’s intent, from start to finish. It’s when recurring symbols, dialogue and story beats in a novel or movie start to match up. Or when the colour palette of a painting works in harmony with its motifs to convey a mood or idea. It’s the kind of thing that makes you think: “Oh! So that’s what that was about!” when you notice. Sometimes it even gives you a new point of view on the topic.

Dissecting each of these elements, trying to work out what they say on their own and how they play their role in the bigger picture, is one of my favourite embarrassingly nerdy activities. So please indulge me as I explore just some of the many, many elements that make up the colourful tapestry that is One Piece’s Wa no Kuni arc. 

(And please note, my interpretation is just one of many - that’s just part of the fun of analysing art!)

How the 'idea' of Wano is built

The Wa no Kuni arc (which I’ll abbreviate to Wano arc) is, much like many other main arcs in One Piece, about the fight for leadership over a country. 

The history of how Wano came to be in its current state is framed through the story of Oden. Oden, the former Shogun, was executed before he could fulfil his goal of opening up the land of Wano. With his death, the country is plunged into a dark age, where the poor starve and are forced to slave away for Kaido’s benefit. But Oden’s son, Kouzuki Momonosuke, manages to escape to the future along with a band of loyal retainers. They enlist the help of pirates and return to free Wano.  

That was a very bare bones summary, but it does give an overview of some of the ideas the arc explores: leadership, succession, rebellion etc. The conflict for Wano’s future is most starkly characterised by its two competing leaders - current ruler Kaido, and Momonosuke, the son of the previous Shogun. And nowhere is this more obvious than in their character designs.

Momo and Kaido are both eastern-style dragons, but that’s where the similarity ends. They are totally different in almost every other way: different colours, different sizes (initially), different levels of confidence, and importantly, different ideals. This is because they represent different values as potential leaders for the one country: Kaido wants to keep the country closed and turn it into a weapons factory for his own benefit, while Momo wants to free the people, and (after some deliberation), seems likely to follow in his father’s footsteps and eventually open the country. 

This arc has elements of a war story about national identity, it explores what true leadership looks like, it has tons of political intrigue, spying and sabotage, and it even serves as both a coming of age and a revenge story for Momonosuke. The clash between Kaido and Momonosuke on its own is already a compelling narrative. There’s a clear preference in this conflict too. How often have we heard the Akazaya Samurai serving Momo be referred to as the ones who will bring Wano out of the neverending night into a new dawn? 

There’s a solid good vs evil formula right there. But then we throw pirates into the mix and things get...slightly more complicated…

How pirates complicate things

The Wano arc primarily centres around a domestic power struggle. From an outsider’s perspective, the Straw Hat pirates are a foreign party that basically overthrow Wano’s current Shogun to reinstate their preferred ruler. 

Politically speaking, this looks bad, and Luffy knows it. Pirates really should have no business meddling in the affairs of other governments. That’s why the deliberate move to not be portrayed as heroes is a smart one. 

There’s another meta layer to this decision as well. Wano Kuni is very clearly based on the forced opening of sakoku Japan to the Western world. It would have been so dangerously easy to go down the path of a simple story about the pirates ‘saving’ Wano and ‘enlightening’ them to the outside world. But unproblematically portraying a ‘foreigner’ as the big strong saviour of a country clearly based on Japan definitely has problematic Eurocentric overtones!

In One Piece, pirates are not heroes. But it can be easy to forget that when your main character is such an incredibly likeable pirate. Trying to reconcile these two seemingly opposing facts is really, really hard, and Oda definitely does not choose to take the easy way out!

And yet, Wano arc goes a long way to conveying the nuance of this message. Through the careful interweaving and layering of its plot, symbols, motifs, character designs, character arcs and more, everything culminates to lead us to the final answer: Gear 5. 

Wa

I know that sounds like a joke title but I promise it’s not.

‘Wa no Kuni’ translates to “the Country of Wa”. It is never mentioned what ‘Wa’ actually means, but the most obvious interpretation would be ‘Japan’. ‘Wa’ commonly refers to “japanese style”, as in wagashi 和菓子 (Japanese sweets) or wafuku 和服 (Japanese clothes).

The character Wa 和 by itself can also mean peace or harmony, and this is the interpretation that stands out to me. Because I think this is a concept that also captures the complexity of One Piece itself. 

‘Wa’ to me is about finding peace through harmony, but when the world is as complex as it is, that harmony requires us to embrace, rather than reject contradiction. 

Have you noticed Wano arc includes many recurring motifs that contrast, conflict and seemingly contradict each other?

For instance, I mentioned previously that our ‘heroes’, the Akazaya Samurai under Kouzuki Momonosuke, were commonly associated with heralding the new dawn. In fact, the ‘Kou’ 光 in Kouzuki 光月 is the character for light!

But the ‘zuki’ 月 part is actually ‘moon’. Isn’t it strange that the clan that we are supposed to be rooting for, the band of ‘heroes’ who will bring about a “new dawn”, is associated with ‘moonlight’?

This concept is extended further, in the design of Gear 5 no less! It is explained that the Fishmen worshipped a previous incarnation of Luffy’s new form as the Sun God Nika, however our introduction to Luffy in Nika’s iconic pose is against a moon. 

This is not a coincidence. Did you notice the Kouzuki clan symbol includes a sun as well?

We're not just exploring the duality of the sun and moon either. Gear 5 is actually a mix of Eastern and Western influences. The animation very much seems inspired by Western slapstick cartoons, but the visual design is reminiscent of fuujin and raijin gods, with even a bit of that komainu lion dog influence. 

And while the cloud shawl/scarf coupled with Gear 5’s moon association evokes Asian moon goddesses, don’t you think “Nika” sounds awfully similar to Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory?

The Eastern symbolism clearly represents Wano, while the Western bits are everything else. We see something similar with Izou’s character design: his style of dress is distinctly Wano (Japanese) style, but his chosen weapon is a gun, a symbol of the outside (Western) world. The mix of Wano and non-Wano influences tells us this is somebody who has embraced both parts of his identity. 

It is fitting then, that Gear 5 should also incorporate a blend of diverse influences, representing the melting pot of creatures, races, time periods, hopes and desires that make up the alliance ultimately responsible for ushering in Wano's 'new dawn'. It’s even possible to see links in the design to the Minks (moon symbolism and predominantly white colour scheme) as well as the Fishmen (Nika already established as the sun god worshipped by former slaves).

Gear 5 encapsulates 'Wa' because it embraces chaos and makes it work. Who could ask for a better god-figure, to represent the insane group we can only call the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance? 

When I first started Wano, I thought it would be a story of hope in the future overcoming the darkness of the past. I thought this would be a story about teaching a country to let go of traditions that it held onto too tightly, and wholly embrace the unknown (I too am sometimes at risk of developing a Eurocentric mindset...and I'm Asian).

I was wrong, of course. Nobody let go of tradition. It's more complex than that. Momo's insistence on trying not to rely too hard on the Straw Hats symbolises that (which is also why I find Luffy being forced into claiming Wano as his territory just to protect them under the Yonkou system a little uncomfortable, but that’s a story for another day).

Opening oneself up to new experiences does not mean completely discarding your past. Momo has physically changed, but he is still Momo. Yamato is still trying to be Oden, but he will do it in his way. The history of what lays beneath Wano has been passed on to the new generation. All of this will influence Wano's future moving forward.

Harmonising complexity starts with accepting it. The past matters. Everything that has happened, no matter how terrible or beautiful, has resulted in what we see, hear and feel today. And all of that, regardless of how hard people try to hide it, will continue to matter in shaping the future.

'Wa' is not just Luffy's answer to Wano. In true textual integrity fashion, 'Wa' encapsulates the philosophy of One Piece, and I think it also conveys Oda's wishes for Japan as well as the world.

'Wa' captures the complexity of what being a pirate is; how a leader should act; what freedom means; what chasing your dreams looks like; what it is to live. And none of it is sunshine and rainbows.

The world is complicated. It is chaotic. There is no sense in distinguishing black from white, good from evil, or even the sun from the moon. Everything is mushed together to create this terrible, beautiful mess. ‘Wa’ is an answer full of contradictions, and yet there is this harmonious balance within the chaos, a perfect reflection of our imperfect, complex world.

I do love that there is a side character named Hamlet in this arc, because this writing is nothing less than Shakespearean. But the reason I call Gear 5 art is not purely because of the writing alone.

Let's get meta

Alright, we’re going to step away from the story, get a little bit meta, and talk about the presentation of the arc as a whole, including how it is structured.

Wano Kuni is depicted in a way to deliberately evoke imagery and symbolism of Japan: even before we reach the country, the crew are assaulted by carp and great waves, clearly inspired by Hokusai’s own; the lineart is stylised to look like calligraphy; and the music utilises shamisen and koto, which fits in perfectly with how the whole arc is structured like a traditional kabuki play, right down to the red, green and black curtains that frame the start of each clearly marked Act. 

Everything presentation-wise in this arc has been carefully prepared to make it feel as Japanese as possible. Why is why when Gear 5, in all its cartoonish, physics-defying glory, appeared so suddenly in the middle of what had been primed to be the most Japanese anime set in basically Edo Japan, it was a bit of an understatement to say I was definitely caught off-guard!

It felt like I had fallen for a trap. In the middle of watching my kabuki play, suddenly I realised it was I who was being played all along...

And that’s the point!

Gear 5 is pretty much the least anime thing to happen to the One Piece anime. At the climax of the arc, we do not get the full satisfaction of a badass final fight like one would expect at this point of the story. Instead, we get the most cartoonish and batshit insane sequence I have ever seen in One Piece.

It is downright insulting to Kaido, who had been built up to be this huge, menacing final boss. Gear 5 essential reduced him to a googly-eyed snek - the poor thing even got blown up like a balloon at one point!

The closest thing I can compare it to is the Davy Back Fight arc. But doing Looney Tunes shenanigans during the looney-by-nature Davy Back Fight is a totally different story to doing Looney Tunes right in the midst of the tension of seeing a whole country’s beacon of hope fall in battle against their oppressor. 

The contrast is stark, it is shocking, it is tonally subversive, and unexpected. It is such a deviation from what we are used to.

...And yet, isn’t it glorious, that when Luffy basically reaches god-status, he not only decides to break the rules of anime physics, but the rules of mainstream anime as well?

One Piece, through Gear 5, is subverting the shounen anime battle formula. And while I don’t know if Oda intended for the animation to be so starkly western, I am absolutely certain it was what the animator’s intended. 

Because this deviation from the norm is sending a message, not only to anime fans, but to individual artists, animators, storytellers and creators in general. And that includes the big animation studios. 

The message is important: break free from the status quo. There are no clear lines that define what anime can and cannot be. Let japanese animation take inspiration from western animation, and vice-versa. In fact, this is something that should be encouraged of all animation. 

One Piece is encouraging us all to experiment and surpass our boundaries. It is telling us that even a smash hit mainstream shounen anime can still break all the rules and be not only successful, but create something unique and new and truly, truly special…even if some people think the result is a little bit ugly. 

If that’s not art, I don’t know what is. And I am so, so happy One Piece did it. 

#analysis #one piece #one piece anime #wano arc #wano kuni

[dirtytransmasc]

Hi! SoC fan here, I think you nailed the Kaz/Wylan dynamic beautifully. I haven't read the book in a while and I need to read it again but their dynamic is one of my favourites, and it totally has that father/son or older sibling/younger sibling vibes to it. I always liked how Kaz is the person that Wylan confides in, and how Kaz reassures him because he sees so much of himself in Wylan. He's not infantilized at all. He's the youngest in the group and he comes from a very, very different background to the crows, so he's naturally just very awkward and naive but the more time he spends with the Crows, he becomes a lot more badass and assertive, especially in the King of Scars duology.

I think the reason I love them so much is because they're a mess. like the blend between father figure, big brother, and mentor is just so satisfying, cause they just make it work which makes it 10x sweeter in my opinion. I'll be honest in saying I just started listening to the audio books very recently, and I typically have to listen to it a few times over to fully comprehend it (cause my attention span is hot grabage), so I know I have so much more waiting for me in terms of watching their dynamic grow, but I thought their general vibe was quite obvious, but I tend to look way to closely at characters I like right from the get-go, so that's not saying much.

(I'm gonna repeat myself a bit from my last post, cause I wrote that while tired and I feel much more confident in my explanation now)

like, kaz is just a nuturing character (in his own *special* way lol), he naturally takes a stereotypical "man of the house" role within the crows, and we see that this effects each of his relationships differently; with wylan it puts him in a caretaker position. wylan is the youngest of the group, has likely never been truly supported or loved, he never had a big brother to shield him from the world, or a father to aspire to be like, to learn from, to be loved by. kaz, wanting to 'protect his investments' aka, wants to take care of the people he loves, fills those voids, while also finally getting to be the big brother he needed after losing jordie, and helping wylan be what he never got the chance to be. he actively plays both roles, plus the role of mentor, and you can see the distinct edges; the 'dad' makes sure he eats, is safe on the streets, going out of his way to give wylan every opportunity he can. the mentor pushes wylan to be better, stronger, more independent, even if he comes off as brash at times. the brother not only protects, but stands like a shield, like a guide, a light in the dark that is the barrels. its everything wylan needs and more (cause its that relationship that allows wylan to find a home within the other crows and to find his confidence in himself that his piece of shit father attempted to squash) and its healing for kaz himself.

its nice seeing kaz have a bond with someone that outright forces him to loosen up, it looks nice on him, he serves those pockets of vulnerability and happiness. I nearly choked when he went to see wylan in the first episode and asked the last time he had eaten cause it just felt so... odd, and then to watch kaz really step out of his typical cold persona to make sure other's respected wylan. I was floored, it was everything to me. he really takes care of wylan like he needed someone to do for him and it hurts in such a sweet way. he makes sure wylan never has to break himself, to fight and bit and scratch to make a name for himself, because he just wants him to succeed.

then there's wylan himself. he takes after kaz so much (he's basically just kaz with a weaponized baby face/innocence and speck of mercy, fight with the wall), growing more and more confident with his guidance, finding his footing in the barrels, surpassing every demeaning expectation his father set for him, having this soft bond with one of the scariest men of the barrel wylan proves himself to himself, stops seeing himself as weak or broken or shameful and embraces his skills. there's also no bigger ego boost then being the unofficial 'kid' of the big and scary kaz brekker, especially when he's got that baby face to use to his advantage. kaz is someone he can trust, to confide in, to be protected by, to be able to fall back on, to understand when no one else does. kaz stepped up for his shitty dad and lack of big brother, stepped up when wylan was alone, stepped up and was the closest thing to family wylan would have until he got accepted into the crows, and even then, their bond runs so much deeper beneath the surface that it outweighs the other crows (besides maybe jesper). kaz made sure he was safe when he was unprepared for the barrel, allowing him to be come our bomb loving, baby face having, downright terrifying when he wants to be, baby girl, that we know and love.

#said I was more confident and I'm rescinding that statement now #I feel like I just rambled in circles #but I don't really care #I feel too much about them to put it into words #like they're just so undefinable #there *aren't* any words for them #thats how special they are #to me at least #my bbg's #kaz brekker #wylan van eck #also to the people saying to stop bbg-ifying wylan #your wrong #he is baby girl #he is also a criminal who builds bombs for fun #he can be both at the same time #SoC #six of crows #shadow and bone

[bloomingcockroaches]

Hii I'm interested in your thought that At The World's End should've been two movies? Can you elaborate? Or give a link if you've talked about this before?

hi!!! i'm so flattered by this ask, thank you for caring about my thoughts!! :D i'd be more than happy to share

basically, i think that the amount of Plot(TM) in dmc vs awe is poorly balanced, so my reasoning for splitting awe into two films requires some run-up about what i would do to dmc

dmc serves to establish a few things, they are:

1. jack's deal with jones for his soul/the pearl

.......1a. bootstrap bill turner's sentence aboard the dutchman

.......1b. will turner's quest to free his twice-cursed pirate father (thank you master ragetti)

2. the existential threat of global capitalism/encroaching colonial empire/the end of the golden age of sail

we also, very importantly, introduce tia dalma, the sea goddess calypso in disguise. dalma is central and indispensable to the plot. she is the reason for jones, for the brethren court, for the eitc, for jack's compass and barbossa's resurrection. i mention this for two reasons:

1. i love her

2. i don't want it to seem as though i'm saying that dmc doesn't introduce things that are both fantastic and extremely important to awe

people tend to talk about dmc as a filler episode and that isn't true. that's not me being defensive about what was for many years my favorite of the triology it's just true.

now, what would i do differently? easy:

i would cut out the whole 30 minute segment on the island of the pelagostas. it is racist as fuck, poorly paced, and focuses too much on extended slapstick sequences that are very technically impressive in terms of stunt work and sfx, but very boring to watch

we should have gotten will onto the island, he meets cotton's parrot who screams for him not to eat him, he finds the pearl's remaining crew tied to a tree, he frees them and they all run back to the pearl where they meet pintel and ragetti. will says he's here for jack and gibbs explains that jack went looking for [insert magical artifact] and he won't be held responsible for his hubris. we cut to jack running towards the pearl. will smiles. we cut back to jack and see a large group of zombie skeletons behind him. will stops smiling. "time to go" he says. we watch as a desperate jack sparrow throws an amulet of some kind over his shoulder and the zombies dogpile onto it. he scrambles back up onto the pearl and orders everyone to keep to the shallows.

damn. obviously his plan for this magical artifact was a dud. whelp. time to go find tia dalma. we need her help. we were hoping to avoid that fate because jack was less than chivalrous in ending their relationship but clearly our first plan fell through.

i would cut most if not all of the water wheel sword fight on isla cruz. I RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS AN UNPOPULAR DECISION but i promise the wheel fight would have been way more fun if it had been 5 minutes instead of 30.

cutting this down would ALSO cut down on the tussle between the dutchman's crew and elizabeth, pintel, and ragetti. i find this to be a more painful edit because i think they're sooooo cute together and their hot potato choreo with the chest is extremely funny. also this is one of elizabeth's longest action sequences. BUT SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE!!!

overall isla cruz gets cut down to 10 minutes, this includes

1. establishing davy jones' curse mechanic of being unable to set foot on land but the crew being able to act in his stead

2. establishing norrington's plan to get the key to beckett and restore his standing with the crown and getting the heart into his pocket

3. getting will off the dutchman, back on land, back with elizabeth

4. fantastic aerial shot of davy jones screaming over the empty chest

cutting the majority of these slapstick action sequences reduces our 2.5 hour movie to god's perfect runtime: a tight 90 minutes

i would also change the intro because it drags and feels like they couldn't decide if they wanted to open with jack in the turkish murder prison or with will and elizabeth's wedding so they did both and it feels awkward/slow

i sympathize with it being difficult to wrangle our golden trio together when one of them has fucked off to god knows where but bleagh. the turkish prison is never mentioned again, he goes there to get a drawing of a key on a piece of tanned hide. why on earth would he even need that. either the item he went to retrieve should have been magically significant or we should have just opened with gibbs telling jack that the crew is getting antsy because he's a dogshit captain and they're all sick of his shenanigans.

also i would not repurpose our saved hour for other stuff. the start and end of dmc is just as it should be. we begin with disrupting will and elizabeth's wedding and we end with jack being eaten by the kraken. those are the perfect beats. they have to stay that way.

ok this is super long and i'm afraid tumblr might eat it so im gonna talk about awe in a reblog!!!

#ask tag #scatter brain at work

[tiodolma]

I remember you said you hate Arthur 😗 What are your thoughts on Gwen? Do you like Gwencelot?

guinevere guinevere guinevere... RANT INCOMING. Hot takes generator coming along. brace yourself.

hmm i think she had a lot of potential at the start especially in s1. She was spunky. She had really good rapport with merlin. It felt like she and him could have done a lot of pranks and hijinks.

Then when mergana (the whole shebang) started to happen i thnk they pushed her to become more of arthur's voice of reason as replacement for the spot morgana used to hold.

it's still a little weird how she and arthur got together tbh. Like okay, her views on arthur started to change when he began saving merlin's life i in the cup of life episode. But Idk i wish we could've seen more introspection on her part?

She's not like Merlin and Morgana who had high hopes for Arthur from the very start. Both of them had been working on Arthur from the Bottom and Top. Merlin was peasantry and Morgana was nobility and they both pushed Arthur to be the kinda cool dude he was in S1. And I feel like she got pulled along by MM's efforts to see the good in Arthur. Where does Guinevere fit in all of this? In the middle… I guess because it worked! MM's efforts showed that there was hope in Arthur and Guinevere acknowledged that. Then in s2 when Merlin became more focused in thwarting Morgana in and when Morgana's powers truly awakened and her hate for Uther deepened... Guinevere was what? left to pick up the pieces? I think?

I'm saying this because in s2 both MerMor were already stepping into their destinies, the real "I want to do what's best for Arthur and Camelot." phase. Guinevere was stuck in the weird spot of just being the one who truly cares for Arthur as person.

Now I know this sounds ArWen-positive. but on Gwen's side.

The problem with Arthur tho is that once someone is kind to him he he holds that person on a pedestal and only wants to see that version ever. IDEK why in the span of five seasons, he still has a low opinion on women and girls, he still has this chivalric notions that it's a men's world and girls should just be protected and kept in the dark and that servants should just stay as servants. Moreover his attitude with the women Uther tries to make him marry is abhorrent. He doesn't like the girls who challenge and mirror him too much (like Vivian or Elena from The Changeling). For him his ideal woman is the prim proper perfect loyal- looks good as nobility type. He has this like list of what makes a perfect woman for him and it's so incel-like lol. The moment any of these make a mistake, he casts them away (yes even guinevere). He can make all those "I am doing this for the kingdom" "my love can never be" "what would my father think" excuses but what happened when Guinevere became his queeen and chief adviser? He kept things from her and won't listen to her as his voice of reason. He's honestly frustrating tbh. His ego mixes with his notion of being a "King" and a "Man" and he kept pulling rank at both his Queen and Merlin.

This leads me back to Guinevere just being pulled by the story and cleaning up all the messes ArMerGana leave behind. It's complicated. She's a reflection of whoever was close to her. When she was still close to Morgana, she thought Arthur was a prick. When she was close to Merlin, she almost shared his views of Arthur being the "best thing ever." When MerGana decided that Arthur was an okay dude, guinevere also rode that boat. When Arthur was king and was already like "magic users are all lunatics" Guinevere became like, "yass ur right u have a point." Morgana tortures and brainwashes her and she becomes the latter's ultimate weaopn. Merlin lies to her constantly and she's just "fine whatever you say Merlin teehee but i'm watching you OwO." Arthur abuses Merlin even as King and Guinvere is still like "Aww you two are so cute, but i also think merlin staying as ur servant serving you for eternity is alright."

On one hand ppl can say that she can make her own judgement. Ofc she can. But I wish I saw more? just more. What are her hopes and dreams outside of arthur, merlin, morgana or elyan? Did she want to be a smithy? did she want to be a maidservant forever? did she hope to be a lady in waiting? did she want to become an apprentice of gaius? did she want to be queen? was she not upset that merlin and arthur kept secrets from her? (this was a deleted scene from s5 btw) does she even want a kid? we dont even know that! we know nothing!

She was interesting as Queen, I admit, but bruh it was still like watching Morgana and Arthur on the throne (and lets be real she had been their representative on both times). It's annoying. And this is my point. Guinevere is like... a shapeshifter or chameleon. That's why even now we could never tell what she would be like as queen post-series. WE DON'T KNOW GUINEVERE.

it's like she was whatever the narrative wanted her to be. Maybe that's the point then, that it's her destiny to be the boat that tries to keep itself afloat as the natural disasters called Arthur, Morgana and Merlin swirled and raged around her.

the only light at the end of that tunnel i think was Lancelot. His presence made her actually pursue stuff/hopes/dreams. AND IT SHOWS. They remind me of MerGana in their intense moments in s1-s4. GwenCelot chemistry is electric as hell. THEY WANT EACH OTHER, not for the king or queen or knight that they can become BUT EACH OTHER.

When Merlin and Guinevere weren't too wrapped up in "arthur is actually a good guy deep inside, just trust me on this, give him a chance give him a chance give him a chance" moments, when Merlin and Guinevere PURSUE SOMETHING ELSE, I see honesty, I see something RAW, i can see cracks in the facade forced on them just by merely being in Arthur's presence start to fade and break down.

So yeah. Lancelot had to be killed early coz what would happen to the "King Arthur is the best and hottest sht in the universe" narrative if we had actual Mr. Anime Protagonist Lancelot Du Lac in the show?

GwenCelot needed to happen. I was waiting for it so bad. I was so excited for it. It would have been he perfect foil to ArGwen. It would have added a lot more spice to the show. It would have made Guinevere a more well rounded character with her own hopes and wants instead of the "she's the only braincell holding this group together" character. I want to know Guinevere better, all the good and the bad and not just this impossible perfect angel that the show carved her out to be.

overall thoughts on guinevere? started interesting, ended up boring, gave us nothing.

overall thoughts on gwencelot? yes pls give us the dramatic, encompases beyond all reason courtly romance that arthuriana is known for.

#thots #merlin critical