#this whole arc has been amazing i will never shut up about it

[trashlie]

ILY FP 215 and 216 spoiler ///

wah i missed your ily commentary so much, tysm for taking the time to share your thoughts ❤️

i agree with you on so many things - similarly to you, i've been going back and forth on whether nol has been developing romantic feelings or not. he's so deep in the dark that for now i believe shinae is the light he can't help but be drawn to. and that may or may not imply something romantic, so for now his feelings are a schroedinger's cat type of situation. what's probably going to be a theme from now on is how shinae is able to calm nol down, be "a silence he likes". we've seen this during the confrontation with kousuke, when nol's anger was starting to boil up, she touches his shoulder and he snaps out of it. similarly, when he wakes up in the hospital and starts panicking, he immediately calms down when he sees her. also, her birthday is written on the morphine drip, so the symbolism is pretty straightforward - she relieves his pain. now i hope this isn't going to transform into a "she will fix him" kind of thing, but it looks like he will lean on her more.

i'm not sure if i agree with you that nol would've died that night if kousuke hadn't followed him. the way i interpret it, the fall on the glass table isn't the main cause of the life-threatening injury - it's kousuke's repeated physical assault. the punch/fall likely gave nol a head injury/bruises and the glass got into his coat then, but he still seemed mostly okay. sure, maybe it's the adrenaline that kept him going, but like, he registered pain (he flinched when he stepped on the broken glass), but he wasn't reacting (yet) to his neck at all. there was no blood anywhere (not even in the snow where he walked). it's only after kousuke attacks him again that he starts touching the back of his neck, and a red hue appears on his coat. when kousuke slams him into the ground, there's also a panel where he flinches and the colours are inverted, which imo is meant to signify intense pain. and i feel like this is the moment the glass shard cut deep into him and cause the damage.

would've nol collapsed and died eventually any way? honestly i'm not sure. maybe. at the very least, kousuke's attacks definitely worsened the injuries. but at the same time, like you said, it took nol almost dying to finally receive a moment of peace. it's twisted, but in some sense... if not for kousuke almost killing him, nol really might've just disappeared into the night and then went to jail the next day.

and isn't it so representative of kousuke and nol's entire dynamic, too? the fight could've been a goodbye between the brothers. nol has finally managed to break kousuke out of his shell, and in turn, is now giving kousuke's what he's always wanted (disappearing). they could have left it at that, nol wanted to leave it at that. but of course, kousuke STILL thinks nol's scheming something, chases after him again to get him under his control, and by doing so, causes him more pain and misery like he always does. obviously kousuke doesn't want to actually kill his brother... and given kousuke's mental state, it's not all black and white... but there's definitely blood on kousuke's hands now.

btw multiple people have pointed out a really interesting detail in kousuke's flashback of nessa and nol (same chapter): nessa tells nol there's a spider on the back of his neck (actually it's just the tag of his shirt sticking out), and that he needs to stay still, or the spider will bite him. she puts a lot of emphasis on the neck being very sensitive, which seems like such a random thing, but where does nol end up getting injured, in the present, after this flashback? the back of his neck! someone also pointed out that "spider" in this context might be a symbol, and that it might relate to yui and how it's her web of manipulation, and kousuke as her pawn, that ended up almost killing nol. in typical yui fashion, by pulling her strings without actually making her hands dirty. what do you think?

sorry this got so long. enjoy your watercolor drawings, that sounds fun ❤️

Aaaahhhh aahhhh yay welcome back!!! I have definitely missed these asks and getting to build off your ideas! I'm trying SO HARD to learn how to balance life and it's SUCH A DIFFICULT THING TO DO but!!!! I'm not going to waste any time replying to this - gotta get to it while it's still hot!!!

I love love looove how you put it - that Shinae is the light that Nol is drawn to. I think quimchee has been very good about how she's set things up to ensure that Shinae won't take on a "fix it" role, which is such a cliche! Actually, and I'll try to keep this brief lest I go off on a tangent, but I still think about the way Kousuke and Nol were set up as romantic lead tropes - "the asshole with a heart of gold", "the nice guys who finishes last" - and how ordinarily, the asshole with the heart of gold would be the character who gets the fix-it love interest and instead, it's the "nice guy" (I have started this post so many times - Nol as the "second lead" tropes and how he defies them all because he was never the totality of how he's presented but I never like where it's going lol). But yes, all that said, I think Shinae has been presented wonderfully as a catalyst, rather than a fixer. I also agree that because Nol is in such a place of darkness, it's hard to know if that light will simply be guidance or develop into anything else. I love a good gradually falling story, where somewhere along the line, those "roles" blur and what used to be platonic comfort becomes the kind of comfort you want to spend forever with - but I think there's just no room for that kind of concept with him, yet. He's spent so long denying himself any kind of joy or happiness he deems undeserved; the idea of wanting someone's presence forever is probably far from his mind, yet.

But that said, I think it sets up fantastic potential for Shinae becoming the person Nol turns to and comes to depend on, the person he goes to for bad as well as good, and I LOVE that as a set up for romance lol. Realizing this person is more than a lifeline, this person is the person who makes you feel happy to be alive. (I'm saying this loosely here because the phrasing makes it feel so much like an unhealthy dependence, but rather I mean we have good potential for Nol feeling glad he never made the choice to give up, lest he had missed out on everything that would follow, you feel me?)

Also I really like your interpretation of the injury! I admit I like the flare of dramatics and thinking of the most dire timeline lol but I think that's a good point. The way I'd been thinking it was that yeah, it was partly adrenaline, partly trying to will it away and that the bleeding hadn't yet gotten through his clothes. Once in 6th grade, a friend of mine was in band class and he stepped on his music stand accidentally and it swung over and cut him across the forehead. He laughed about it to a friend, unaware that he was BLEEDING. He told us he just didn't feel anything! It wasn't until someone else pointed it out and he had to go get stitched up! (Funny enough, this was on his birthday LMAO I had forgotten that detail until now!) But right, I think you are probably more right about this - that at any rate, Kousuke made the injuries worse.

It's taking everything I have in me to NOT go on a Kousuke and Nol tangent, and I hope I have the time and energy to write it up tomorrow, because I'd like to do it before the next episode, lest it derail me lol. A thought that's been hanging around me is that I think Kousuke doesn't actually want Nol to leave - on a very deep, subconscious level that he wasn't really aware of. He pushes him away and does what he can to prevent Nol from rising above him, but his acknowledgment that "nobody" liked him - nobody being young Nol before Kousuke beat him down - makes me wonder if he's realized that in some way he didn't want Nol to leave. I don't think it meant he wanted to like him lol so much as Nol was the yardstick against which he measured himself, and in a dark, toxic way, he needed Nol to stay around to keep him from being truly alone. Idk, there's a lot of thoughts there that I'll try to come back to but it makes what you said ever more interesting - the blood is now on Kousuke's hands.

Is there any way to ever recover from this? How can he and Nol ever resolve their issues? How can they ever find peace, with the way things stand? I had always hoped that, eventually, they would make peace, reconcile, find a way to be at peace, but with these events, it's hard to imagine how that would happen. (I mean, there's so much story to yet unfold lol so I'm not saying there's no hope! Just stating that the story has set itself up in a way that keeps me keen to see how it all pans out!)

Good point, also, about Nessa! I had been more focused on the cold juxtaposition between Nessa and Nol's warmth vs Yui and Kousuke to pay attention to the emphasis on the neck! That's a good way to look at it, too - everything is a web of Yui's making, right down to Kousuke. He, too, is as much a victim as Nol and Shinae. Without knowing yet what really happened with Nessa, there feels like a sense of Nessa protecting Nol - until she could no longer. (I think we've seen this played out with Nana, too; under her care, Nol was safe. Again, used loosely because danger still befalls him, but Nana has stood toe to toe with Yui before.) I wonder how much more of that past we'll get to see - surely we'll, at some point, be privvy to Yui and Nessa interactions? Or speaking of each other or... something? But that's a whole OTHER tangent.

ANYWAY wow I really lost myself replying to this lol I'm sorry if it feels all over the place - I am jumping all over the place!

Thank you for also bringing up Shinae's birthdate! I hadn't noticed that, but god I really love that. Shinae gives him peace, Shinae brings him comfort, Shinae can drown out the storms. UGH. I'M SUCH A SUCKER FOR THAT! Like, again, this is all just speculation at this point and possibly even conjecture lmao but I just love the way they are set up! Even if it's not set up for romance. I love Shinae becoming the beacon of light to the person who became light to her. THE WAY SHE ADMITTED THAT SHE WAS JUST TRYING TO EMULATE HIM!!!! DOING THE THINGS HE DID FOR HER! ALL SHE DID WAS TRIED TO BE LIKE HIM!!!!! SHE JUST WANTED TO BE THE FRIEND HE WAS TO HER and now SHE is that bright ray of sunshine to his gloomy cloud! She's the one making him open his eyes! I JUST! LOVE! THAT SO MUUUUUUCH.

It makes me wonder even more where we're headed. Nol clearly isn't immediately going off to jail yet - he's got a LOT of recovering to do, but what happens when that time comes? There's no way he can continue to try to evade them right? Surely by now he's accepted that at the very least, Shinae will do whatever she wants? Do we get to see him admit it to himself - that he doesn't want to leave? I was looking at 151 again because I'm a masochist and the whole "do you want to disappear? I don't want you to disappear" especiallyyyyyyyy juxtaposed against Kousuke spending his whole life trying to make him disappear.

I love them ;~;

#I Love Yoo #ILY Spoilers #ILY FP #ILY Brainrot #Shinae Yoo #Nol #Nolan Oliver T. Lochlainn #Stalkyoo #Aegi #the shipping commentary on my end is all speculative lol but i'm feeling it okay! #i just feel like in spite of all the tragedy that has brought us here #in spite of this whole wretched night #this little moment of calm this pocket of peace this little ray of light #;~; #THEY DESERVE THIS #I WANT MORE AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #this whole arc has been amazing i will never shut up about it

[beanghostprincess]

A very interesting AU concept would be swapping Sanji and Pudding, hear me out:

It starts with 9 year old Sanji at G€rma. In one way or another, his modifications partially activate. He is still weaker than his siblings, but its enough for J@dge to not imprison him even after Sora's death. (He still gets berated tho) Living like this slowly makes Sanji lose his emotions. He doesn't have a will to to live, yet he can't die.

Meanwhile, at Tottoland Big Mom is furios at a 6 year old Pudding because she just can't awaje her 3rd eye. She calls her a failure, punishes her for nothing, and tells her that she isn't her favourite daughter anymore. Hearthbroken, Pudding decides to run away like her big sister Lola did by hiding in the hold of a ship. She ends up in the east blue and after the ship wrecks, she meets Zeff. They are both stuck on an island fir 80 days, but he sacrifised his leg because he could never let a lady go hungry, its just wrong. Later they are saved and end up opening the Baratie.

Zeff raises Pudding as his precious daughter. She is already great at baking, but he teacges her how to make other dishes and cuisine. Everybody loves her, and anyone who even lays a finger on her will die.

Then Luffy arrives. While Pudding's real dream is to learn about the 3 eye tribe, she tells everybody that is to find the All Blue for her old man (she still covers her eye, Zeff is the only person who has seen it). After the events of the Baratie arc, she joins the crew as the cook.

The rest of the story would be similar. Pudding is now a pirate who uses her leg fighting skills and smarts to get by. (As well as an idden power thats connected to her 3rd eye) The marines gave her the epithet "chocolate leg Pudding". Im not sure if she already has the memo-memo no mi... I'm gonna assume she does and its very useful for her.

The first change in the plot is at Thriller Brak. Pudding notices her sister, but she is scared to face her at first, since that woukd mean telling her friends about her true lineage. For most if the arc, she deribetaly tries to hide herself and even wears a disguise. In a final moment in the arc, she asks Lola to talk to her privately. We don't see what happens yet, but we will one day.

The rest of the story is the same, until Whole Cake Island. When she is kidnapped by the Big Mom pirates. When her bounty poster is changed to "only alive". When the invitation to the wedfing of the 3rd son of the V!nsm@ke family and the 35th daughter of the Charlotte family are handed out. When Big Mom decides to claim her disowned child to give her up in an arranged marriage as part of a coup. Threattening to hurt Zeff and her friends if she doesn't comply.

I love this so damn much you don't even know-- I've always been saying that Pudding's story is basically Sanji's but like, with the bad ending because she never got to escape when she was little but Sanji did. And now that you mention this AU, it's just perfect to show their similarities but also to turn the stories around and,,, It's amazing.

Starting with Sanji, I adore that the approach here is that he's emotionless. I don't think he'd be like his brothers in a narcissistic, egocentric way. I think that after being abused constantly he just loses all will to leave and shuts down completely even if there is still empathy within him. The whole thing with the Vinsmokes is that they were all raised to be powerful killing machines and that's why they act like this, not because they actually are emotionless. And Sanji in this context isn't either, he just seems like he is because he just... Gives up. So I imagine a black-haired Sanji with some blond, completely shut down and just taking the abuse and living with it and serving the family without anything else.

But there is still some type of connection in him to like, animals and women, I think. It's small but it's there. He's not our sweetest boy but he won't harm women the way Niji does and he will help and feed animals because he is strangely attached to them and cooking. But Judge doesn't really say anything about it anymore because at least the kid gets the job done and doesn't seem like he's going to rebel or anything. He's kind of like in a Reiju position? Where he understands their situation and has his own emotions but just shuts down? Except that he's well, extremely depressed and mean and she's concerned for him. I think she still protects him though, she's the only one Sanji doesn't push away. Typical "they sit in silence and she hugs him and even though he stays expressionless it's obvious that he likes it with her".

And Pudding... I love that she gets her happy ending here. I've been saying Zeff has girldad energy and it just makes sense that he'd be extremely protective of her while teaching her to cook and fight on her own!! He raised the most gorgeous, sweetest, and yet ruthless cook of all seas! I think he'd be such a great dad for her because he would help her stand up for herself and also take care of her in their early years together when she is still having trouble adapting to a new, healthy environment. Of course, she still has nightmares and trauma responses when she grows up, and he helps her anyway, but she gets better at some point.

I love that he's the only one who sees her third eye!!! That'd be like, such a good plot point too for her to join the strawhats... Also, her dynamic with Luffy would be hilarious because despite being sweet, I wanna desperately keep her mean personality and she would be SOOO done with Luffy. Their relationship would kind of resemble Lusan's a lot, imo. And Nami would be sooo happy to have another girl in the crew so early!!! I also think she'd hate Zoro but not because of like, parallels with Zosan or anything, I just think their personalities clash too much-- And she'd have a soft spot for Usopp but that's because, you know, everyone does. Also, I like having a girl in the crew that isn't part of the coward trio. She actively fights and I love it. Then Vivi and Robin join them and y'know, I am starting to think another girl in the crew would be literally amazing hahahaha (I've been saying this for so long). So I am guessing everything stays the same except that during Thriller Bark she reunites with Lola but yeah, she doesn't tell the others about it. Because that's what WCI is for!

Then WCI happens... And I am losing it because I really, really, really want her to have the biggest breakdown about it and sacrifice herself Sanji-style (don't you just love how you don't even have to change the plot because they're literally parallels??? I will never understand how some people can hate Pudding lmfao she's literally Sanji). So she's forced to do the exact same thing she does in canon if she wants to save the ones she loves, but she doesn't want to kill Sanji?? Like at all?? And then you have Sanji who literally gives zero fucks about what's going on. I think he'd be forced to act politely and like a gentleman when he literally doesn't care about all of this-- And probably Pudding finds out and he's mean to her, yadda yadda yadda.

And y'know I would absolutely love if Sanji knew they're going to kill him but couldn't care less about it because perhaps dying is better than whatever life he's living, and when Pudding realizes what's going on she makes him want to live just... A little bit. Something awakens inside Sanji and suddenly he's scared and he doesn't want to do this. Sanji sees Pudding's third eye... Pudding finds out about Sanji's mother... They actually won't stop arguing at first, Pride & Prejudice style, and then Sanji sees her with a different perspective and all of a sudden he starts acting more protectively and sweet to her? So she's confused as hell and still tries to argue but uhhhh complicated relationship they've got there, but at least they help each other out.

And idk perhaps we have the Viinsmoke sibs having the same scene they have in canon and helping Sanji out but the crucial part is Reiju paralleling the original scene in which she helps Sanji escape. And he finally does and he leaves with the strawhats because I need them to have a happy ending. So he's still dealing with, you know, trying to express his emotions and wanting to live but he'll get there someday because at least now he's safe. Nobody kisses and forgets anybody because I will not allow a sad ending here, thank you.

#but seriously i love this so damn much #i could talk about this for hourssss #going insane #rn thinking hard about zeff raising pudding bc their dynamic would be so fun and cute #pudding in sanji's place and going through the same things he did with the crew but with her own issues and personality is amazing #idk pudding deserves so much love i hope she can get her happy ending in the manga or else i will riot #also thinking hard abt germa sanji not being evil or anything he's just depressed #like i LOVE evil sanji AUs but depressed sanji who just settles and doesn't fight back and suddenly he finds pudding and the strawhats #and now he has a reason to live and turns out he's a sweetheart?????? #going insane about them actually #he joins and nami goes and dies his hair blond bc it's very needed thanks #one piece #black leg sanji #charlotte pudding #whole cake island #red leg zeff #not tagging the others bc i'm lazy #ask-bean!

[bibibbon]

Tsumiki fushiguro's wasted potential

I will say this once and for all but tsumiki fushiguro was done so dirty by the narrative.

Tsumiki fushiguro is a character who is basically almost non existent when we talk about the fushiguro family and the fact that we only see her from megumi's pov is just sad. Megumi and tsumiki never had a good relationship to begin with and this is further highlighted when we see their interactions as a whole.

@twenty-qs definitely has a pretty amazing analysis talking about megumi and tsumikis relationship so I suggest you check it out if you want a more depth idea of what Iam talking about 👇

Point blank is that they aren't close and you can even assume that tsumiki (overtime) may of developed a slight hatred towards megumi for her own reasons. Both of them could of been depicted as very flawed individuals with megumi shutting everyone out and acting cold towards anyone as his own way to not get hurt by anyone or abandoned again. For tsumiki she had to take on a parental role at a very young age and she also had to cook, clean, manage school, take care of herself and take care of her brother since toji left. Tsumiki was quite older than megumi (2 years I think) but that means she can probably remember what happend and how, why and when toji left which is just a whole lot more packet of built up emotions that her character could of gotten to explore (but didn't). Tsumiki probably wanted to be close with her brother but due to both of their circumstances it just wasn't possible. That isn't to say that megumi didn't care for tsumiki considering that his whole motivation was to help his sister and that's why he became a sorcerer in the first place but he didn't appreciate or value her when she was around and as we see in the manga he viewed her as a nuisance.

We only see megumi change of attitude towards his sister when she falls I to a coma and he realises how ungrateful he was for the things he had. He promises to himself that once she wakes up again that he will try and amend their relationship but as seen in the culling games arc he continually pushes his sister away stating that she should go back to sleep and not worry at all. No offence but telling someone who has been in a coma for 1 year and 7months to go back to sleep is such a rude comment and goes against what megumi wanted which was a to fix the frail relationship he had with his sister. I think that this is one of megumi flaws and I wish it was explored a whole lot more but sadly it isn't. We are obviously shown that tsumiki is acting weird but this is something that we easily pick up on (we don't even know tsumiki that well but we still notice this detail) compared to megumi who easily dismissed this and I think this is very telling of how distant they really are and how they're not on good terms.

To cope with tsumiki going into a coma megumi ended up looking at what his sister did to him and put her on a pedestal letting this perfect version of tsumiki become his moral compass and by doing that he limits any actual humane feelings of negativity that tsumiki may have and ends up dehumanising his own sister unintentionally. This is seen when he calls her the perfect example of a good person and when in the culling games she is the only reason why megumi doesn't kill remi because he imagines her telling him "no megumi".

I feel like the tsumiki plot point should of been handled somewhat similarly to junpei and have the two situations parallel eachother which would add to the stories theme of history rhyming or repeating itself and to the parallels that megumi and itadori share. In this rewrite (if that's what you want to call it) I would have tsumiki gain a CT and cursed energy and have yorozu be in a completely different body. Tsumiki should meet yorozu when she wakes up from the coma and the two can get to know eachother. Tsumiki (lonely,scared and vulnerable) will tell her feelings to yorozu who slowly becomes interested in her after hearing that megumi is a sorcerer. Yorozu will become someone tsumiki can trust similar to what happend with junpei and mahito and to manipulate tsumiki yorozu will make tsumiki think about things that she wanted to avoid thinking of like the little amount of jealousy and hatred that she has of megumi that she shoved at the back of her mind. Tsumiki will probably be jealous of megumi for how he was toji's favourite, how he was going enough to forget about their early home life, for how megumi had an escape that tsumiki could never have, for how megumi never had to take care of another human being and for other things. All these feelings build up and tsumiki tries to see the good in this but she slowly loses herself to darkness and yorozus relationship without anyone realising it until it's too late.

Yorozu presents a plan to tsumiki one where tsumiki will finally stand up for herself and be acknowledged by people. This plan ,(tsumiki tells yorozu about info that megumi gave her) consists of tsumiki taking the points that will be given to her and making a new rule probably the same rule that yorozu made or something else. This is where tsumiki herself betrays her brother and yorozus enters the stage mocking megumi for his lack of observation and how badly he has treated his sister. Here we can have tsumiki confront megumi about how she felt and the slow hatred and jealousy that she has towards megumi can be revealed. Megumi tires to chase after his sister and yorozu but before he can do anything sukuna uses the binding vow.

As yorozu and tsumiki are fleeing they seem the scene that is sukuna making megumi eat his finger and this is where yorozu feels like she hit a gold mine and has a new goal of using tsumiki as bait to get sukuna to come near her. Tsumiki on the other hand is horrified she only wanted to be acknowledged and confront megumi about the things he did but now she looks at the scene below and feels like this isn't right for her. She tries to go and help megumi but yorozu grabs her and tells her not to however tsumiki insists and yorozus intentions become clear to tsumiki and how tsumiki was played and used.

Same few chapters go the same until sukuna in megumi body confronts yorozu and asks where tsumiki is. Yorozu doesn't respond and goes on about she loves sukuna and power of love blah blah. Tsumiki on the other hand was near she watches the battle hoping that she can help her brother but she can't. Yorozu loses and ends up dying she still gives sukuna kamotuke but sukuna doesnt really care.

As sukuna was about to leave he spots tsumiki and megumis soul starts fighting to help and protect his sister in anyway he could. Tsumiki puts up a bit of a fight trying and failing to get megumi to regain control. She is killed with her last words being directed towards megumi. Megumi snaps he is now trying harder then ever to regain control and for a minute sukuna lets him (Iam trying to make it mirror the thing sukuna did with yuji in shibuya) nos megumi si confronted with his sister's dead body and he naturally reacts with anger and sadness overcoming him. Without sukuna needing to do anything megumi loses control and his soul sinks to the abyss. Megumi ends up blaming himself for not understanding tsumiki for not being able to see her pain and his whole pedestal view of her is shattered. Megumis own moral compass is shattered and so is the last person he considered family he has basically lost everything he cared for.

Tsumiki fushiguro should of been treated with more respect by the narrative and I feel like making her situation mirror junpei would of done wonders to her arc it would of also been a very effective way to show jjks themes and a beautiful way to tackle feelings that she must of felt that we never got to see from her character. This idea would of also finally given us character development for megumi as his image of tsumiki is destroyed and he blames himself for not seeing the pain that she was going through. This would also be an interesting direction to take megumis character in and would emphasis on just how hopeless megumi feels after her death and we would be given more emotion which is something that I think this arc lacked between the two of them.

#jjk ramblings #jjk manga #jjk #jujutsu kaisen manga #jujutsu kaisen #fushiguro tsumiki #jjk tsumiki #tsumiki deserves better #jjk critical #jjk rant

[klausbens]

i'm getting used to the idea that my opinions in this fandom will often be the opposite of whatever the general public seems to think, but i thought human nature and family of blood were just... okay. they're very... charming episodes, to be sure, the storyline is novel and the sets, cinematography, costumes and acting are great, i just feel like it left me feeling bitter more than it left me thinking ‘oh, that's a nice episode!’

this, of course, mostly resides in how martha was treated as a character. after two episodes which, more or less, seemed to highlight her qualities and actions and existence beside her feelings for the doctor, we're back at it. and i'm tired of martha being sandboxed in them. and i know that's the whole thing with her storyline, but it's so hurtful to witness over and over how she'll basically never be enough for the doctor, no matter the universe—mostly because so little of it rings true to me. i do not believe ten would never look at her twice. i do not believe there is no way he could fall for her. i do not believe he doesn't like her. he surely likes her enough to flirt with her, and the writers have such fun planting all those little innuendos in his dialogue toward (or regarding) her, but it's like they take some sort of perverse pleasure out of then shutting the door in her face and trying to make the audience believe that's rightful and that she has no reason to be hurt by it. it's exhausting.

martha does have the single most important role here, as she does in quite the number of episodes in her run as the companion. i always joke that the doctor would have regenerated 53 million times if it wasn't for martha, but that's actually not much of a joke. she's saved him so many times. and when, at the beginning, the doctor asks her whether she trusts him, what he really should've done is he should've told her “i trust you”, because the whole thing boiled down to martha having to fix his mess and the doctor 100% believing she would. at least he said something about everything being in her hands, which could be counted as implicit admission of trust, but yeah. the dialogue implying she is the one to have to trust that the doctor will come back to her, despite having to be the one to make him come back, is just...

i adore ten. he is the reason i started watching the show—well, tennant is—and i felt his absence so much during these two episodes that when john smith briefly spoke in the tenth doctor way of speaking my heart grew three sizes, but there's something deeply... off with his characterization at times. or maybe it isn't off, as such, just his flaws are highlighted a lot more than other doctors'—which is fine, per se, he's a 900+ old alien i don't want, need nor expect him to be perfect. it's just, coupled with the questionable general arc of this season with martha and him always in this wobbly, awkward spot between friendship and something else, and the way they seem to use martha as a cushion to fall back onto and punch when the doctor fucks up, it leaves a bad aftertaste in my mouth i guess. specifically because i think too much, and i often think about how so many people dislike martha for things that have so little to do with her and so much to do with the absence of rose, the faults of the doctor and the disservice the writers did to what could've been—and has been, if you look at her—an amazing character. a widely beloved one.

you know what, the episode would have been fine. john smith wasn't the doctor, he had this thing with the nurse or whatever, fine. part of the plot, i guess, was that of course he wouldn't have wanted to give humanity up, and what better reason not to want that than to feel love while trapped as a human? fine. but what i don't really get, and what makes me feel a little sick to my stomach actually, is the ending. where he goes back and talks to joan and asks her, or really, when you think about it, tries to manipulate her into coming with him. that's nothing new, the doctor is pretty manipulative and always has been, but he usually uses the allure of space-time travel and breathtaking sights and incredible adventures to basically kidnap his companions like some sort of old ass peter pan, and he's honest with it. he does genuinely think, every time, that what he'll offer the people he takes with him is so much better than whatever they might be thinking of doing with their lives that they will ultimately be happy they followed him. and they are, until they aren't, because that's the tragedy in doctor who for you, but here. here, he uses feelings. he uses joan's feelings for john and somehow promises her he's still capable of whatever john was, including falling for her. and why would he do that. that's just mean. to joan, to martha, hell, even to himself. i really have absolutely no clue what they were trying to do with this scene except, as i said, highlighting his flaws. because he knows damn well. he knows damn well that, even if he were to fall for her, she'd have to leave or die and it would break both of their hearts. that's the whole theme with him, isn't it? i thought it was. he's just experienced that with rose and he's keeping everyone at arms-length because he doesn't want it to happen again, and that's understandable. but then he goes and does this. i don't know. i simply don't know. there's also the whole thing where joan tells him she wants nothing to do with him, because she's in love with john—not some doctor—and he, the doctor, has caused so much harm choosing that specific place in space-time to hide. and the thing is, he's so creepy in that whole scene. when he speaks to her, the things he says, how he says them, how he looks at her when she calls him out. amazing acting, but there's something so dark about him in these episodes that i can't help but want to crawl out of my skin.

one might argue that he tried to get her to come with him because he remembered what john felt for her, or at least what happened between them. and that's further sustained by them hinting at him remembering what martha said to him about him being everything, and her loving him to bits. but that just makes it feel more gratuitously mean to everyone involved (so, ten as well), and steeps the two episodes in this... bitterness, which takes from the overall enjoyment. for me, at least.

there's also other things i disliked about the ep, like when in the video the doctor tells martha ‘you. don't make me leave you behind’ which kind of sounds like he was expecting he would? same way as he was expecting he'd hurt people because that's what humans do, which i agree with, but why underline the fact that he was potentially going to leave her? of course she would have stayed close in order to make him turn back to himself, i don't think that really needed saying. that's just one of the little jabs to martha the writers love to insert in scripts. thing is, i despise them! anyway, the post is long as it is, just—if there's one thing i loved (and it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the rest, but,), it was the way ten hugs martha after he tells her ‘thanks for looking after me’. with his eyes closed and that genuine, childlike smile. engulfing her completely. i so wish things had gone differently between them.

#doctor who #tenth doctor #martha jones #tenmartha #david tennant #freema agyeman #10th doctor #doctor who meta #meta

[anewp0tat0]

AAAAHHHHH!! CONSIDER MY SHIT FLIPPED!! THE BLACK BUTLER LIVES! What are your thoughts on the new art style?

BRO I'm with you, flipped like that pancake I managed to throw half out the pan😩 I still can't believe. best Monday every fr.

and ooo thanks for the question, I wanna hear your thoughts after this👀 I've already said a little bit about this in the tags of some other posts, as well as touched on it in my master post of the crew, but I suppose I may give a big final answer(for now, from this teaser).

judging the art alone, not the fact that we get a new anime or anything exciting like that, just the art alone... it's very pretty!

yea this is very pretty. the kid looks great, small and good, and his hair looks feathery and neat, so I approve. I think they nailed his general proportions, I think they'll do a great job at keeping them consistent during episodes! the image to the right does looks a tiny bit like a 3d asset, which is a bit jarring compared to the previous anime style, but I'm flexible towards this change. even if he looks like a video game cutscene character, I usually love cutscenes!!

but here's the drama I'm sure you're here for. yes, unfortunately, there are some wee things that I don't love as much🤏

the first thing, it really doesn't matter and I should shut up about it now... but YOU asked so ajdjfksksk why did they have to shrink sebs jaw cmon my favorite art of him ever was during the Greenwitch arc so don't tell me I'll NEVER be able to see that style of him animated😫 I just like prominent features man. I know he's meant to be pretty but but but....

ah okay. heres the main thing that I think most people may agree with.

these are two screenies of sebster from the teaser. honestly, as ☆luxurious☆ as his lashes are, I'm not a fan of the left image. the airbrush on his hair feels a tad overdone. I love the attention to detail, especially in the one on the right, it shows a lot of love! but there's just something about it that's a bit off for me.

and I think after 24 hours I've finally figured it out: it's the colors.

the realization started to hit me when I saw my favorite edit so far here by @ashxketchum. the colors have been edited to be much more saturated and warm. and I think this is exactly what is missing here.

I even tried my own hand at it, and yea personally, I think slapping a saturation, tint, and just a BIT of contrast on the whole thing can do numbers on it.

already I like it(no I'm not just praising my own work, it's not the best edit out there I did it in 30 secs). I think the reason for this is because the background is very rich in contrast and warm tones, so the characters(particularly sebastian who is all black) stand out when they are muddy and low contrast. I love stylistically when contrast is high, but that's just a personal thing, and I shouldn't hold a studio to those standards.

I tried it for the poster too though, which again I felt was a bit off. official art has never been the most top tear, and the poster is GOOD, the background is awesome and the two peeps looks amazing. but my problem with it was clear once I did another color edit.

(edit on the right)

again, I feel like everything was very muted in the left original, not to mention a tad monochromatic. I really think a kick of contrast and hue could do wonders.

BUT. I know that at the end of the day, it's not a big deal. I don't really care. would it make my day or whole year if they slapped a color filter on it, or continued to work on the color grading of the scenes? probably yea! but my opinion isn't obsolete, and most of all, I look forward to and respect the artists decisions.

so no I'm not "fixing" the art😅😒.

and finally, I think this is awesome:

(I had forgotten but this gif is edited by @kilruas from this post)

GORGEOUS. could it turn some people off cause it's mostly cg? maybe. idc though. gorgeous. gimme some of that beverage.

sorry for the rant, hope it's what you wanted! I think that's everything... I like it 85%!

#my asks #thanks for the ask bud! #kuroshitsuji #black butler #kuroshitsuji 2024 #2024 anime #my text posts

[opheliathestarqueen]

Okay like I knew the arc they were setting up for Izzy’s development would lead us here to his death but I’m still devistated.

He grew so much this season and even had a whole beautiful monologue about what being a pirate is (to show how much he has changed) only for him to die. Like I get why but it hurts so bad.

That death scene with Ed was amazing and Con O’nell really just overall killed it this season, but that scene…specially… like damn.

The way that he just wanted to die looking at who he loved the most. The apology for hurting Ed. The assurance to Ed that he is in good hands. The expression that he himself wanted to die (which has been a thing this whole season of him also wanting to give up the way Ed did, like he did try to kill himself when Ed left him). The acceptance that Ed would never love him in the way he needed to be loved. The acceptance of Stede and Ed’s relationship just solidified to him that he could go and Ed would be okay.

God I’m never going to shut up about that scene

Just so devastating

#ofmd spoilers #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #our flag means death spoilers #ofmd s2 #ofmd season 2 #our flag means death season 2 #ofmd season 2 spoilers #edizzy #off to read cannon divergent fanfiction now to cope

[hanna-kin]

My season 2 thoughts

I think I'm ready to share my thoughts about season 2. There will be more specific posts because I can’t shut up about this show.

But these are my first thoughts about the season as a whole.

I'm going to be honest. When I finished the final ep all I thought was:

Okay is that it?

I was overwhelmed but felt underwhelmed. I was confused and empty.

I had longed for this for over a year. Spent everyday in this fandom. I had missed the characters every single day. And I had built expectations and a vision of what season 2 would be.

And it was non of that. It was so different from any expectations and visions. So vastly different that it almost didn't feel like the same show.

I almost felt a sense of panic. I don't know how to describe it. I almost felt guilty for not loving it.

I talked to a few friends about it and it felt like they also felt like that which made me feel even more panicked. What if it was all gone? Just like that?

Is this it?

But felt like I needed to watch it again. With a lot less pressure and without any premises.

And so I did.

I love it

I love it so so much. The more I watch the more I fall in love and the more I engage in the fandom the more I adore this show.

And when I've talked to my friends and seen posts it feels like a lot of people feel this way.

Edvin wasn't wrong when he said the fandom isn't prepared for what's coming.

He knew...

They all knew...

Season two is not as gleaming as season 1. But damn it's still magical.

There are so many things I love. Wille's and Simon's journeys. Their arcs are amazing.

They are allowed to grow, they are allowed to make mistakes, they communicate, they are honest with eachother, they learn about themselves, they learn about eachother.

I love them so much.

The acting is just amazing. Everyone stepped up their game but especially Edvin. The way he portrays Wille never ceases to amaze me. The range he has and the layers he adds to Wille is so incredible and I'll never stop talking about it.

And Omar, giving life to Simon yet again. I can't imagine a better Simon. This season gave us new and different sides to Simon but they feel just as real and as authentic as in season 1.

And Malte, damn.

I loved the new characters and the development old ones got. Marcus is a great addition and a perfectly written character. He's not a villian but he's not a perfect character either. He feels authentic.

I love Stella, Fredrika and Nils this season. They added alot of joy.

I love the added humour. Because even if the season was darker it felt lighter because there was more humour. I mean Simon chucking the dodge ball at Wille 😂

Best thing ever.

I cut my hair

Best thing ever.

I love them so much.

I love season 2 so much.

I think Lisa created such a brave and ballsy season. They all did.

Lisa had it planned from the beginning and she had to see the fandom scream at what they wanted, loudly and and very adamantly. It must have been a little scary but she was true to her words and she trusted herself. And of course she knew best. Of course she knows her story and her characters.

They all do.

But I still think they were all so brave. The writers, directors, editors, and of course the cast.

We know how much they love young royals and their characters. And they acted their shit out. They went into season two with so much passion and drive and it shows.

They worked their asses off and it shows.

I'm so proud of them for doing season 2 and staying true to their story. They deserve all the praise and love.

I fucking love season 2.

#young royals #young royals thoughts #simon x wilhelm #wilhelm x simon #Edvin ryding #omar rudberg #yr cast #wilmon #lisa ambjörn

[flower-boi16]

Scrooge's Character Arc is Amazing And Here's Why

OK SO I REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE SCROOGE'S ARC IN SEASON 1 SO LET'S GO!!!!

In the series premiere, we first get introduced to him as a grumpy old man, not bothering to spend some time or talk with his nephews and shoving them into a room to do their own thing. He pushes the nephews away, choosing not to spend time with them because "family is nothing but trouble". He claims that he doesn't need family and can do things on his own.

However, later on in the episode when the boys (and Webby) mess with stuff in the garage and accidentally unleash Pixu, the golden dragon, and Scrooge uses the stone gauntlet to defeat it, he goes to the boys, and tells them they endangered themselves and Scrooge while also almost getting him killed multiple times...

...and he enjoyed it. He felt a feeling he never felt before; the thrill and excitement of danger and adventure he would get into with his family before, and he decides to take the boys on his trip to Atlantis as they're very first adventure. It's the beginning of Scrooge reconnecting with his family, and the rest of season 1 shows him bonding with the boys more, as he connects with them as family, going on adventures with the boys like he did with Donald and Della.

Now we get to the penultimate episode of the season, The Last Crash of the Sunchaser. At the end of the episode when they make sure the ship is balanced, Scrooge tells the boys what happened to their mother, tying up the main mystery of season 1. After the reveal, the boys blame Scrooge for their mother's disappearance since..ya know, he built a spaceship for her.

At this point, Scrooge would've finally connected back to his family again - so he makes himself vulnerable to the boys for once and...they attack him, accusing him of being responsible for their mother's disappearance, after he did so much for them and reconnected, which causes Scrooge to lash out at them.

At the end of the episode, after Beakly tells Scrooge that he's pushed away his loved ones once again, saying that she hopes he's happy, he says..."I am". After all he's done with them, taking them on adventures, bonding, taking them in, they stab him in the back when he lowers his guard towards them to be vulnerable, so he's glad he lashed out and pushed them away, as he regresses back to his old mentality;

Family is nothing but trouble, and he's better off without them. The final episode of Season 1, The Show War, features the grand finale to Scrooge's arc. When Magica gets into McDuck Manor possessing Lena, we see Scrooge has...well, he's been turned into a bum with little care for adventuring.

The episode shows how far Scrooge has regressed, going back to how he was in the first episode; a grumpy old man who shuts himself away from others, especially his own family. He's not the thrill seeking adventurer he was before this point, he's just a depressed bum who took "letting himself go" to a whole new level.

In fact, the episode has him regress even further from that point, as Magica feeds into this, saying that Scrooge doesn't need his family, he did everything by himself alone, he can do it again. The thing is, if Scrooge did do that...he would be pushing away all the people that ever cared about him, isolating himself and cutting all communication from his family in order to keep himself alone...

...that's not a very healthy way to live.

But he's Scrooge McDuck! He doesn't need family, he did everything alone before and he can do it again...but...despite Scrooge's cynical & negative views on family...there's an aching part of him deep down that truly does miss them. And, when Lena reminds Scrooge how great his family truly is, how no matter what, they'll always love each other, support each other, care for each other and face any daring adventure together, he realizes just how much he truly misses that.

How much he misses the thrill of experiencing adventures with his family after pushing them away out of his grief of losing one that was close to him deep down, in spite of his prior negative and cynical views of family.

It fully completes his arc of reconnecting with his family, as when he meets up with the boys again, he expresses that he deeply missed them.

Scrooge started out as a grumpy old man who shunned himself away from the people who cared about him out of pure grief and loss of loosing Della...until three little scamps came barging into his doorstep and made him experience the thrill of adventure again.

#ducktales #ducktales 2017 #ducktales analysis #scrooge mcduck #ducktales' character writing is SO underrated #I am going to make a post about Lena soon btw #her growth is just as great as Scrooge's

[nataliaphantomhivesblog]

What are your current fandoms??

OH MY GOD!!! I WAS WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO ASK ME THIS!! LETS GOOOO🥳🥳🥳

1. Black Butler<3

It would've been incredibly distasteful to not put this beauty on top of my list. I have been a fan of this one since 5th grade, the literal backbone of my insanity.

I may complain monthly over the agnoizingly short chapters, but the narrative and storytelling in this manga is one of my favorites ever.

Although you didn't ask, I have the need to mention: Ciel Phantomhive is my child!!

And yes, I am still awaiting Prince Soma's return.

DISCLAIMER: I am not a sebaciel wierdo and my space doesn't welcome the romanticization of pedophila. "waah waah but it's fiction!" okay?? my account is dedicated on fictional stories and characters and I don't want your wacky shit here. Thank you in advance.

2. Bungou Stray Dogs!!!

What a crime it would've been if I didn't mention the reason my account grew in the first place!!

BSD has such a special place in my heart. Tbh bsd saved me during the downfall that was 2021.

I think people who aren't new to my blog know I'm a sucker for Soukoku. I've made extensive analysis on their relationships for 3 years now. When will this brainrot end!?!?

And oh, of course I am forever greatful to the lovely @ryuuaka713 for collaborating with me on various post, I couldn't have done it without her!! Hope life treats you well! You got a tumblr friend always rooting for ya<3

ALSO: If any of you ever want to ask me anything regarding bsd that isn't Soukoku, please do! I love bsd as a whole and would be happy to answer<3

3. Berserk

Let me make one thing clear!!! I am NOT a berserk reddit fanboy who completely ignores and neglects the narrative of this story in order to fill whatever inner void that needs to be filled.

I am suuuper passionate about the Golden Age Arc and the Pre Eclipse era of Berserk, it would be impossible to shut me up about it.

I could go on billion rants about Griffith's character and his actual complexities throughout the narrative. (no, he isn't emotionless, that would destory the whole point of the story lol)

Also I want to give a not-so-subtle shoutout to @bthump for validating every single thought I had while reading Berserk and always providing textual evidence. Thank you for being the light in the darkness of this fandom!

4. Death Note

sighs yes I am still in the fandom of an anime that has only one season and ended so poetically that it makes perfect sense that it doesn't have a continuation yet my brain screams for content when obviously it will never happen.

Before anyone asks, I am not team Light or team L, both of them are selfish people and used others lives in order to beat one another.

I am a constant defender of the fact that the Death Note consumed Light. Not only is it textually stated; but it's visually stated

(Light's eyes get wider and more innocent looking for a reason when he forgets the death note guys!!!)

Anyways, this story is absolutely awesome and I think most people can agree with that.

I don't rewatch this anime often, but when I do I get shooked by the big brain plans and big brain confrontations lmao.

5. Moral Orel

"MORAL OREL SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN CANCELLED!! FOOLISH PEOPLE FEARED IT SPOKE TOO MUCH FACTS" I scream into a void, tears fill my eyes as losing my religion by R.E.M plays in the background.

Seriously though, I love this show; a literal masterpiece. I don't think theres any show that made me incredibly concious of how my own family's dynamic worked as this one did.

Has amazing takes of the human condition and contains life long lessons.

I once made a long post about the generational abuse of moral orel if you want to check it out!

Anyways, if you haven't had the glorious chance to watch this masterpiece. PLEASE DO!! I BEG!!! The whole series is out on youtube!

we don't talk about the first 3 episodes!!!

6. Sonic!!!!

I never post anything sonic related on my blog, but I adore Sonic! Not only my childhood, but it continues to pump off amazing content and games.

Fun fact: I have a cute mini sonic keychain my friend gifted me, I take it with me everywhere!!

DID YOU KNOW THAT KELLIN QUINN FROM SLEEPING WITH SIRENS WAS INVOLVED WITH THE SONIC FRONTIERS SOUNDTRACK!?!?!? AAAAAAA I LOVE SONIC GAMES MUSIC AND ITS DIVERSITY

Nobody asked, but my favorie character is Knuckles and Shadow for anyone who wants to know! (No one wants to know but I HAVE THE NEED TO SAY IT.)

anyways yes, I love Sonic, I am at arms-lenght with the fandom since i'm... well... not much into the furry stuff that goes on. But theres lots of fanmade content out there that is super cool!

IN CONCLUSION!?!?!?

I have lots and lots of other fandoms im in but i fear i will go on forever if I keep on talking.

Thank you so much for reading all the way through and please, don't ever hesitate to ask me anything related to any of these fandoms above. Hyper analizing stuff is my speciality after all:D

#fandoms #inbox #black butler #kuroshitsuji #bsd #bungou stray dogs #soukoku #berserk #berserk manga #griffith berserk #ciel phatnomhive #death note #llight yagami #moral orel #orel puppington #adult swim #sonic #kellin quinn #knuckles the echidna #shadow the hedgehog #sonic the hedgehog

[vvivacious101]

Rewatching RWRB ALREADY?!

I rewatched the film. And, I can say this for a fact that I liked it a whole lot more the second time around and I already liked it the first time around but watching it for the second time made me appreciate it a whole lot more!

This has never happened in my life, I have never rewatched a movie in a single day! So, RWRB is making my personal history as well.

I remember the director mentioning the fact that Nick or Taylor are in every scene of this movie and they really are! They really carried this film.

Under the cut are all my thoughts that I had while rewatching this movie for the second time. There are spoilers galore. So, you have been warned!

Also, if you make a drinking game out of every time I use the word 'good' you will be dead by the time you reach the end!

With all that out of the way, let's get into it!

"When the revolution happens it will be because of this wedding." Henry's first line in the movie is so underrated!

Cake-gate is AMAZING! I love the fact that Henry pushes Alex down while getting up! Poor guy deserves a little revenge. I had never heard the song ‘Bad Reputation’ before but I'm in love with it!!

Everyone who said Zahra is the BEST thing in this movie is right. I can't get over her railing Alex with a pillow.

“What if I set myself on fire?” Alex is the king of comebacks! “We'd ship the ashes to Heathrow.” But no one is getting one over Zahra.

Taylor as Alex is so good! I can't get over how perfect he is!! Also, I love how Henry is just upstaging Alex in the damage control portion of this movie. Like, Henry's revenge arc is not over yet!!

I feel bad for Alex, every time he tries to one-up someone he just ends up backing himself into the corner.

Okay, the CLOSET SCENE AKA ONE OF THE ONLY SCENES THAT I REMEMBER FROM THE BOOK IS EPIC!!!

The beginning of it with them flailing around is peak physical comedy and then Henry just casually admits to smelling Alex... it's too much and it's only starting.

I just love how Taylor fidgets in this scene, he is like trying to find space for himself so badly but when he turns to confront Henry that moment is so good!

“I need to get out of here.” Ugh, I feel for Henry.

Okay the threat neutralized bit is comedy gold. I hope it becomes a viral meme!

We need to talk about Oscar. There is something very weird about Alex's parents. I feel like the writers of the film were very conflicted about their relationship and instead of having them be together or be divorced, they just left them in limbo. We never see Ellen and Oscar interact in the film. In the one scene, they do appear together, Alex is in the middle and it feels weirdly symbolic like he is literally the thing keeping them together.

We need to talk about this coffee shop scene. We all hate Miguel. But seeing Taylor as Alex in this scene is everything. He comes across as so charismatic and gorgeous. Just look at him!

We have got to talk about how many strong female role models Alex has in his life – his mom, Amy, Zahra even, Nora.

Zahra literally puts on a lot of hats in Alex’s life. She is like his big sister, substitute mom and friend and she does all this while looking supremely put out with Alex. This one’s a multitasker.

This is what I actually want to do in parties!

Henry is so awkward, I love how squeaky he sounds when he first meets Alex at the New Year Eve's party, poor boy is so awkward. And, then when he gets left alone he just completely shuts down. Henry, I love you!

I love how Alex just pulls Henry onto the dance floor.

Henry isn’t even dancing he is just getting progressively more drunk and flustered.

Henry looks so devastated in this scene. I literally feel for him. But, I can’t get over the fact that the song playing in the background is 'Magic' originally sung by Selena Gomez for Wizards of Waverly Place the movie. I loved hearing it here even though they are using a remix in this instance.

Their first kiss is so GOOD! I have seen it umpteenth number of times thanks to the trailer but it hits me in the feels every time. Also, I love how panicked Henry is and how shocked Alex is after the kiss.

“More like the first 50 rows of a Gaga concert kinda gay” is absolutely sending me. Also, accurate AF.

Not Alex being completely distracted by the sight of Henry!

Amy and Alex's moments are so GOOD! I really love the casting for Amy!!

IMHO all of Amy and Alex’s scenes should become viral memes, they are all so good!!

This entire RED ROOM sequence is so epic with Alex trying to decide how he should be standing when Henry comes in, to the ending when Amy barges in and Henry starts looking at the books so intently and whatever the hell Alex is trying to do. Oh god!

Like Stonehenge!!! (IYKYK)

Poor maypoles. I really love this scene. There is a reason we got a teaser for it, their chemistry in this one is off the charts!!!

This kiss is my absolute favourite no wait isn't the bicep kiss my favourite but this one is up there. It's so good. The way he pushes Alex and kisses his smile and then stares at him. Ugh so so so good! This teaser might have come close to the trailer in how many times I watched it and you may remember that the trailer came way earlier.

Oh god, Henry is so goddamn happy and SMUG as he says, "Yeah, agreed". He literally goes through every emotion under the Sun in this movie.

Wait a minute! WAIT A MINUTE! I didn't realise this the first time around but as Henry stands in the doorway he seems to be taking a mental picture of Alex and HOTDAMN. Fodder for the spank bank apparently.

The cafe scene is so good. The banter, the eye contact, the flirting, the blushing!!!

"And I thought Alexander Gabriel Claremont-Diaz was a mouthful." "He is."

Oh God! So good!!

"Only momentarily", that scene is so angsty. When Henry flinches it is its own goddamn scene!

I really like the "I'm so not playing this cool right now" moment. His apprehension is so delicious. I'm sorry Alex but it is and when he just puts his head down on Henry's shoulder in defeat. So good!

Let's talk about the sex scene! It is better than I remembered. I really like the kiss they share after Henry tells him that most people are wrong about him. And the thing with the hands. Listen I read a post about it being an old Hollywood thing but man if this is an old Hollywood trick it was masterfully employed. I just loved their hands and how Alex's hand is going down to meet his (imitating penetration) and then how Henry's hand opens up (imitating release) followed by the withdrawal of Alex's hand. This is genius why did people stop doing this! Also, Nick's expressions in the penetration scene are so goddamn... WOW. I don't know how to describe them but holy shit that is some explicit stuff. But what I think I love the most regarding this scene is how intimate it feels like the camera almost feels like an intrusion on a very very private moment because the scene itself seems to depict an intimacy between these two characters that is beyond just sex.

Also, RIGID. IYKYK!

I have got to give it to Taylor he really held his own in this scene with Uma Thurman. Like WOW!

Okay, wait there is another scene with Alex and his parents which I completely blanked out but it still leaves me with the same sentiment regarding the state of his parent's marriage.

Say it with me! Happy Henry is my serotonin!

Zahra really lays into Alex and Henry. "Little Lord Fuckleroy!" WTH! Henry's expression at the end of it all is so good!

This scene between Alex and Ellen is so heartwarming. I think it might be their best scene together. I love how there is this implication that things aren't right as Ellen picks up the phone but then it's undercut by the fact that she is only ordering pizza. I love how Alex's uncertainty over his mother reacting negatively is undercut by her acceptance.

The moment on the lake is probably my favourite part of this movie because it highlights the fundamental difference in Alex and Henry's positions.

Henry's situation isn't time-dependent or a for-now problem it is a forever thing and Nick's expressions in this scene are heartbreaking. But, despite where it ends up going I really love their interactions as the scene starts. Alex and Henry are so happy and touchy-feely. I just love the intimacy of this moment even though it leads to heartbreak.

Also, Henry jumping into the lake to escape a love confession is a whole-ass mood.

So someone pointed out that the transition from Henry's bedroom to the V&A is a bit iffy and it is. It totally is. I also don't know if I get what point Henry is trying to make with the whole trading one prison for another thing but the ending still makes the whole rift come together. I really want to know how this is handled in the book because I need clarification on the minutiae of this scene and how it came to be.

We have seen Henry and Alex in the same bed atleast three times now and this third time is the best. I love how Alex is holding Henry's wrist and how Henry smiles his little smile.

Henry is really conflicted at this tarmac, isn't he? And, things are just going to get worse.

I really like Alex's speech and how it's intercut with scenes of Henry literally trying to make himself smaller followed by scenes between Alex and Heney that we haven't seen so far. I especially like the last scene in the woods. Did I mention happy Henry is my serotonin?!

I really love Zahra's expressions in this scene. Zahra and Alex have some of the best scenes. These two really play very well off of one another.

The scene when Alex calls Henry baby. I remember reading someone say that they wanted this thing to be a whole ass thing and it was. It was a thing. I love how they utilised this endearment to further this moment.

This piano scene is so beautiful. These two really love each other.

I really like how Alex picks up Henry's nervous habit of fiddling with his ring.

So, we are here on election night and I just love the scene in the hallway with Alex and Henry and that hug. It's so damn cute and wholesome.

I really like the ending of the movie. It's kind of a nice allusion to Henry and Alex having a home together.

I really also love the end credits with the actors' names because in the end you have Nick and Taylor and you can see them playing with their pinkies. This scene is actually in the movie it's only that when it appears in the movie you are distracted by everything happening with the King. But, it is positively the cutest thing ever.

Also, the end credit scene. "Do you think anyone noticed?" You betcha Alex we did!!

#rwrb #red white and royal blue #rwrb spoilers #henry fox mountchristen windsor #alex claremont diaz #also for me henry is going to remain #henry george edward james fox mountchristen windsor #because i really don't want to mess up my tagging #myposts

[inlocusmads]

this week in "mads's utter madness":

I absolutely loathe the Mary Sue-ificiation of the Crimes of Passion MC. Now, I did have high hopes for Crimes because it was one of those books where you had a strong hook, a compelling but flawed main character who is obviously trying to process well, everything.

Trystan from Book 1 is so different compared to Trystan in Book 2, besides the obvious surface-level personas. And besides that, the prologue/the inciting action that courses us to the main storyline was so different between the books.

Now I do think this is going to be a closed-door mystery as per usual, because the killer is one of Trystan’s siblings but I can’t shake the underlying royalty plotline influence.

The Royal Romance left a sour taste in my mouth, as I’ve always said because I’m just not a fan of the Cinderella-esque stories. It is good when it is done right and between PB’s either overly specific storylines or vague plots, no definitive “ending” and chippy dialogue and constant sidelining, I just feel like they should give this trope a much-needed break. Give it a couple of years off. Shut the fuck up with the monarch plotlines. 

The whole “Trystan is reinstated as heir” is an interesting dilemma to delve into. PB, don’t fuck it up, you have an AMAZING character development arc in your hand. You’ve set it up perfectly.. On one hand, Trystan is proud of Drakovia. Yes. They talk about it all the time. They tell MC all sorts of things about their home country.

It is not typical for an exiled  person who talks about their country and family all the time; especially when that someone has been villanised to the point of no return. 

On the other hand, Trystan probably knows this. They’ve got this Stockholm Syndrome with their family where they cannot turn away, but at the same time, turning away is the only option. They have a toxic family, but the very few people - between the likes of Mags and Trystan’s dad (I’m assuming Maksim is as kind and oblivious to Viktoria’s “shammy” schemes and goes with anything Trystan wants) makes them stay.

 On the other hand, having gotten a taste of what it is like to actively seek out the truth by MC, Trystan wants this life too. They want to be able to control things, have a say in what they put inside their brains, to really experience adventure while actively seeking out answers, to nurture their curiosity that Drakovia has repressed for so long. 

I talked about how the constant snake imagery throughout the Book and in the book cover stands for themes of transformation. You can read it here (and I really hope you do, because that shit is so conspiratorial, it is almost a character essay at this point) and I talk about how you have themes of “rebirth” associated with the snake and how Trystan would have to carve such a life for themselves.

 Personally I would like for them to reject the throne, since it has been the root of all sorrow and pain; especially when Trystan is themselves, averse to the idea of monarchy and usually just offers a voice of support, never a proper stance.

They’re like Juliana’s Yes-Man at this point. I’d like for Trystan to have an opportunity to stand up for themselves and have their own words to say, because half the time it is just “You go MC!” or “I totally agree with <person>”. Maybe it is the inner writer in me wanting to give everyone a really cool character arc or maybe it is Nora talking lmfao.

Coming back to MC for a hot second - I hate what they’ve done to them. Period. I’m sorry lol. It’s literally the Mary Sue-ification because MC is not qualified in law or international relations or international law.

Albeit being a quick learner, there is zero exposition as to whether Mags filled them in on how the Drakovian court works, because they just walk in, steal a bunch of evidence and go give it?? 

Like I’m pretty sure Ruby and Luke are going to be sidelined as hell too - with Ruby being confined to the “Wardrobe Best Friend” trope with giving MC new clothes to wear and Luke being the “expert hacker” - they’re the deux ex machina, the “saved by the plot convenience” character archetypes. I’m sorry, Crimes, you can do so much better, honey.

Back to the whole court procedures thing and the MC’s slow Iron Man-ification:

(even Iron Man dies at the end but they won’t, nope. PB out here overpowering every single main character, like dude, why. Make me interested! 

GIVE THEM KNOWLEDGE GAPS. MAKE THEM GROUNDED TO REALITY. I know fiction isn’t real, but like I do need to be able to empathise and support a character and they’re possible with the introduction of flaws or gaps in their knowledge. It makes the fight even more bitter and “to the end” as opposed to a one-and-done situation)

Let’s just play through the whole court procedures over again, to kind of like see either the lapses in PB's writing or maybe they're deliberate ???? in which case, PB i'm so sorry I've been bashing you, you guys are wonderful :

Trystan gets summoned back to Drakovia because they believe they’ve got new evidence that supports the theory that Trystan actually did it. They killed Juliana.

But they go through the whole witness testimony over again? Like all the Thorne kids come up and give their character witnesses; talk about how they were close to Juliana and how Trystan would’ve done it - it just seems redundant. Like I’m pretty sure there would’ve been a trial eight years ago which led to the whole exile.

 Like did PB forget the reason why Trystan was exiled?? and didn't T CONFESS to it like a million years ago? and only now have they ruled it off as "an accident"??

Viktoria was the one who approved it. She sent her child away - perhaps as a punishment or maybe to evade the Press. Trystan spends their years in New York and then suddenly Viktoria calls them back?

Trystan admits to it. They say something like - “Orchestrating a sham lawsuit just to get me back in the country wouldn’t be out of character for her” about their mother. It is clear Viktoria wanted her child; her eldest child and the immediate heir to the throne far away for a while to maybe cover something up? I don’t know. She brings them back, gives Trystan a lawyer (i’m pretty sure it is a court-appointed lawyer). They do a lot of sabotaging and that’s where MC comes in.

So what was the primary goal of the trial anyway?? Viktoria wants their child back, but gave them a faulty lawyer who cannot make a defensive case and -- is it all just a catalyst for MC to get involved? It seems so out-of-character for a mother to do that. If I hypothetically was a parent who sent my child away and is begging them to come back, I wouldn’t give them a shitty lawyer and somehow also help them win the case? Like what was Viktoria trying to do even?? Her moves are so random, so sloppy for the queen of a country that's super uninviting to foreigners and cold and calculative. Even Olivia says so in Book 1. She says how Drakovia plays their cards close to their chest. 

I’m pretty sure this was just an excuse for MC to play lawyer and I did cover that topic in this disappointing post here. Yes I am disappointed. My day is ruined. Of course I’ll be writing a Fix-it fic. PB, fucking hire me man. JK jk jk but like, they totally should hire fanfic writers who do the Chekhov’s Gun principle so well; meanwhile PB’s just using that gun to shoot themselves in the leg.

I HAD HIGH HOPES FOR CRIMES.

Okay back to MC’s -- weird courtly procedures?

MC starts playing attorney even though Trystan appoints Mags as their representative - like what the fuck. I know you have your police training MC, yes, I get it, but you can’t just Jake Peralta’s “cool cool cool cool cool” your way out of this. No. Get a proper fucking attorney for God’s sake. 

Drakovia is chaos, fine. Great. We’ll just call it Gotham City instead, but they can’t do courts right? Technically you can fire your lawyer in the middle of court proceedings, but it isn’t going to do you any good and might leave an “unfavourable impression” according to Bentlymore.com. It is also going to further delay the process. Now can a non-attorney play attorney? Under some special circumstances and under the discretion of the court. Viktoria is the court, so fine. Queen Mom allows it. MC can play lawyer.

But at the same time, I know Viktoria’s words are final, but MC is literally everything that Drakovia isn’t a fan of. They’re a foreigner and fine, you can call it xenophobia but let’s just walk in Drakovia’s shoes for a minute and see this: MC walks in, MC says they know shit about everything, when they are superiorly underqualified, MC sides with Trystan and they’ve got a love thing going on as well - how is this not against the interests of the court? (Here’s an article that articulates it well)

Coming to the evidence we have: The letter submitted by Juliana’s mothers has no proof that the letter was addressed to Trystan and Trystan specifically. It’s all a massive ?? because everyone starts to think about the contents, when we have no concrete proof it was written to Trystan and also nobody stops to think why letters? And especially, how did they get this evidence anyway? Was it an unsent letter? They have emails and phones and shit, like why this? And Chapter 2 ends with the confession they got on tape.

Okay, like. This is absolute bullshit. We’re back to square one. In Book 1, it is known that Trystan confessed. They “coached” a confession out of them because Drakovia didn’t want answers, they wanted a culprit and it was easy to pin it on Trystan because of course it is. Viktoria approves. The punishment is exile and ostracisation. Which stemmed out because of the press thing and Viktoria wanted their child far away and now this letter pops up which literally does NOTHING. The tape doesn’t matter either, like - the case was done eight years ago when they chucked him out. 

The question we need to be asking is, what took them eight years to realise this? Where did Juliana’s mothers find the evidence? Because if it was in some closet or something, or between the pages of a book, all of this stuff could’ve been done way more sooner. Why eight years? Why so long? And did Viktoria intend it to be permanent?

I believe Trystan’s words when they said it was all a sham. I doubt in their grief, Juliana’s mothers will still want and continue this stuff and it is very clear they’re being controlled because in a way, this trial affects Trystan the most. It is clear Trystan is the intended target because Viktoria’s whole purpose of their child coming back is to reinstate them as heir. 

This is literally the most Swiss-cheesy convoluted plot ever. PB what the fuck. Respectfully, give this royalty shit a break. Trystan Thorne deserves a better plot.

MC and their ragtag team save the day yayyyy! Of-fucking-course. They hack into some servers and get the real footage required, which is like-- w h a t. And Luke goes, “yo Drakovia has a weak security system” (once again, armoured by the plot convenience) which is so unlike a country that literally guards a fucking martial arts technique and when Trystan teaches MC Labrintha, it is this huge deal like “omg look drakovian kiddo teaches american kiddo this super secret thing” and their SERVERS AREN’T SECURE??? 

I’m not saying Luke should be dumbed down. No. He’s an awesome dude. The problem is, PB hates giving anyone a real challenge and wants to rush up the plot.

Anyway, and also I’m no legal expert, but in order to have a trial, wouldn’t the plaintiff and the defendants submit all evidence to the court? Like even the forged secret tape? Like if the footage was hidden so “carefully” that a smalltime computer guy from New York can get into it from a fuckin work LAPTOP mind you, isn’t it supposed to be submitted to the court like wayyyy back in time too? 

It’s one of the first things they’ll ask you to do. The Royal Guard ended up deleting it and fiddling around with the tape and submitting that instead, which is also like-- so weird and nobody questioned it too? It would be obvious to know if a tape is edited or not. The jump-cuts, the changes in the background - I’m pretty sure no Royal Guard can get away with this, realistically but we threw that out of the window a long time ago. 

I hate the MC saves the day plotlines. It’s a personal pet peeve of mine. I just-- fuckin. No. PB. shut up. Please. 

And also fabricating evidence is illegal, so good that the Royal Guard gets fired, arrested and persecuted for this. It is clear whoever the guard was talking to is the real dude to watch out for and I highly doubt it is Viktoria, rather I think it could be Eveline? I’m still very much involved in this schism plot. Viktoria probably saw this, brought her kid back and initiated the “heir” protocol before Eveline’s team can initiate the “persona non grata” on Trystan, use Juliana’s death as fuel and initiate her policies on making all of her children heir to the throne; thus beating Viktoria’s side by a landslide.

That would be like a really god-tier plot, imo. PB do that challenge. That’s the only kind of royalty, political “thriller” plot I’ll accept, with murder solving in between for MC to get occupied. And also MC, leave the law to the people who are trained. You’re part of the law enforcement. Please. Just. ughhh

Ok that's all.

As for who killed the lawyer/murderer, my bet is on Astrid. She reminds me of Ivy from AME; someone who plays the air-head character but is easily manipulated into doing the dirty work. She’s also like super self-obsessed to the point where it is literally impossible for a person to be this horrible. At least Bas had an iota of sympathy for Juliana. Vasili is the voice of reason. Mags is the glue in the family. Lydea’s amazing, please marry me and they don’t deserve this. Kasper and Emika are like “wtf’s happening” and “fuck you MC” and Patryk isn’t even here.

some incriminating screenshots here from the latest chappie

I love Astrid honestly, she's rocking that hat, but also I have the faintest feeling she's got a whole dark past and is being influenced by both sides of the schism.

#choices book club #crimes of passion meta #mads pls get back to this later

[citrus-cactus]

for the character ask game: any assortment of 7, 14, 15 for Eri and 13, 13 and 30 for Dokamon? (appmon)

ERI AND DOKA-CHAN! Oooh, interesting! For reference, the ask game is here.

Eri:

7. A quote of them that you remember

HMMM, not so much a quote, but imo the most memorable Eri moment of the series was her giving a righteous, impassioned speech to YJ-14 on Haru's behalf and then proceeding to fight him with explosive... kicks. AFTER AN ENTIRE SERIES, when the chips are down... it turns out she's a kicker, not a puncher. Amazing XD Say hello to my little friends: Common Sense and Reasonable Discourse!

14. Best storyline they had

I will always love that they stopped the show for two whole episodes to give us the Appliyama election and results, and I will never shut up about Eri being such a badass on Knight's yacht. It was all just really fun. Even though the show never addresses the unhealthy ways in which Eri pushes herself, I do like how this arc gave us probably the most it ever has of Eri's authentic, non-idol self: her code of honor, her grace after falling just short of her goal, her trust in her friends, her unwavering dedication and strength, both in body and spirit.

15. Worst storyline they had

It would be easy to pick her showdown with Beautymon, but I'm not going to do that. I think it had the makings of something interesting; if the focus hadn't been solely on physical appearance, but more about losing yourself to popularity, manipulating the masses, or the impossible standards of influencer/idol culture. No, instead I'm going to pick her intro episode, because it felt like such a baffling way to introduce us to her. She just... does not come off as sympathetic or likable in the slightest to me. Episode 6 is a much more enjoyable episode and gives us a bit more interesting character material to work with, but my first time through the series as I was still trying to decide if Appmon was worth watching, neither Eri or Astora made the best first impression. I really do love her though!

Dokamon:

13. Your favorite friendship they have

This is such an interesting question, because I'm struggling to recall if he even has meaningful relationships with most characters, besides Eri, Mariperi, and Gatchmon (and even then, those relationships are all pretty unbalanced). He'll do anything for Eri (or to get Eri to notice him). He certainly developed feelings for Mariperi, and Gatchmon is his "aniki"... but most of the time, Eri exists firmly in the center of her own universe, Mariperi appreciated the time he spent with her but basically rejects him, and I seem to recall instances where Gatchmon enjoys Dokamon looking up to him and agreeing with him, but is any of that what you could call a mutual friendship?

His relationships outside of those three, to my recollection, are almost non-existent. Regardless of whether Eri and Astora are in "bite each others head off" or "we're more similar than different" mode, does Dokamon ever have much to say to Musimon? I'm not sure he's even that close with Eri's other Appmon, even the ones he fuses with... iirc, they make a pretty dysfunctional team in the Appmon Games. The situations where he does interact with other characters, I think it's almost exclusively on behalf of Eri (i.e. doing whatever he thinks she wants), and it's often antagonistic in nature. "Don't get in Eri's way!", "Listen to Eri!", etc. I think Offmon looks up to him and he certainly worries about Offmon, but that feels more like a sibling relationship than a friendship.

Off the top of my head, I do think the only 'mons he would acknowledge as friends might be Gatchmon and Musimon. I do like the episode where they all run away together and end up helping that kid. I think that's the closest we see of Dokamon hanging out with those he considers his equals, and it did result in some great moments with the three "main" partner Appmon. But it's also possible I'm overlooking some more obvious friendship moments, and if so, I apologize Doka-chan! T^T

30. The funniest scene they had?

All that said (and it might sound like I'm negging on Dokamon through all of this, but I'm not!), my favorite Dokamon moments are when he's comedy relief... specifically, the instances where the joke is that he's too... well... stubborn and/or oblivious to care about whatever the MotW's silly shenanigans are. I'm thinking about Episode 14 (Puzzlemon), where his solution to being trapped in a room with giant heavy marbles is just to start punching them indiscriminately, physics-based repercussions be damned (Dokamon, NO!). And when Calcmon is depowering everyone using the power of math, Dokamon gets so angry that it just doesn't matter what numbers are coming up on Calcmon's screen; Dokamon's gonna punch that creepy nerd, and it's gonna hurt, full stop. Is it that he's not, strictly speaking, the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree? Is he so blindly optimistic in his own abilities? Or is he 100% loyal and willing to throw down for Eri to such a fault that it turns around and becomes an asset again? Maybe all of the above, and I kind of love him for that.

These were all interesting questions to think about, thank you!

#asks #randomidiosyncrazies #appmon #appli monsters #eri karan #dokamon #the cactus speaks

[rainiiisspamming]

BSD 109 SPOILERS!!!

Seriously read it first don't spoil yourself it's amazing it will ruin you and your life.

Okay now that that's out of the way, I will literally NEVER shut up about BSD 109 ever, and specifically about Dazai. This is not a serious analysis, just me being in pain because what the fuck.

Now before anything gets said, a few points :

He will survive. He's the plot, quite literally, and I have seen a lot of people point out the fact that his character arc isn't finished yet, and I totally agree- Asagiri is extremely careful with his plot devices and writing, so I'm pretty sure he wouldn't just cut Dazai's arc right in the middle like that. Tons of people have made several analysis on this, and again, I 100% agree with that.

A lot of people have been theorizing that the bullet in his head is not real, and that Chuuya stopped it with gravity. I agree with that- it makes sense, and would be the best way for Asagiri to 'save' Dazai from his situation.

Biology majors have made several panel analysis explaining that the spots Dazai got shot in are, in fact, non-lethal. Even when it comes to the head injury, the bullet wouldn't go as far as completely killing him, but instead harming parts that would have to do with memories and planning (not gonna get technical because it's definitely not an area I'm comfortable in, I'm a literature major ffs, but the arguments have been made).

Okay, now that these are out of the way, can we just talk about these panels for a minute, because there is so much to unpack. The shot in one the previous chapters in which Dazai kinda just, pathetically drags himself and his broken legs to a camera was bad enough, because we know Dazai hates pain. He endures it, but his whole thing is that he's looking work a way to die painlessly. And in this chapter, well. Not only has Dazai been waiting a while in there, while Fyodor and Sigma were speaking, but his whole interaction with Chuuya is SO much. From the way his eyes lighten like never before when he tries to convince Chuuya to come back, to Chuuya just not being there- I think that overall, Dazai didn't believe a second that Chuuya would come back. I mean, he looked mighty confident there, so either the situation is completely out of his control, which I doubt, because come on, it's Dazai (but I would love if it was the case because Dazai loosing composure has to be the most interesting thing ever), either he did have a plan that involved making his 'death' convincing to Fyodor.

Now, back to that pain thing. I think the worst part was the face he makes while yelling at Chuuya after Chuuya takes the first shot- he is in SO much pain (also I looked it up and the bullet did hit super close to a nerve so he might have a severed nerve I'm unwell). And then the head bullet hits, and the two other- he must have been in so much pain. The way his eyes are light but in a different way as he (falsely or not) realizes that this is It. The way one of his last words is 'finally'. He doesn't even get to finish his sentence, because he passes out before that. It was all so much.

Anyways this post is a mess but who cares I needed to put those thoughts somewhere because I didn't feel a think after 101 except for a oh, that happened, kinda feeling, but 109 had me sobbing. Genuinely crying, out loud, hugging my pillow. I really hope Dazai's gonna make it. Just imagine Atsushi, Aku, Kunikida and Chuuya's reactions if he doesn't. God fucking dammit.

#also i saw a post that was like #beast spoilers but #chuuya went on a rampage after beast dazai died #if bsd dazai dies #chuuya might actively lose it #i wanna see that #anyways i'm in pain #why would he do that #raine talks #bungou stray dogs #bsd 109

[timothylawrence]

OK P4 thoughts.... now that it's been like 18 hours...

overall... solid 8.5/10. i loveee murder mysteries

the dynamic between the characters carried the game more than anything

multiple moments where I laughed out loud so s/o to the writers

AND despite guessing the big twist from day one, I was pleasantly surprised by various other twists and turns in the story so yay :)

never before has a silent protagonist literally swayed my heart in such a way Yu Narukami you are my angelll

ok spoiler-y review below :)

okay. serious review time but keep in mind im fasting so like these are the rambles from that. i'll start with the positives :)

did not believe jordan when she said i would be adopting these children by the end yet here i am. every single character you met had such a sweet and profound relationship and dynamic with one another... it was so so sweet. truly the high point of the game is how the characters interact. Yukiko and Chie, Rise and Naoto, Rise and Yu, Teddie and Yosuke, Naoto and Kanji... even Yosuke and Yu..... like they were all so so so wonderfully crafted with one another... AND RISE WAS THE SHINING STARRRRR

Dojima and Nanako.... the way i thought they wouldn't have such a big role and then by the end i was crying . yeah. big bro . i love u .

I KNEW IT WAS ADACHI!!!! I LITERALLY CALLED IT FROM DAY ONE!!! DAY ONE!!!! I just couldnt stick why he was choosing the teenagers,.... hence why the twist with Namatane was so fucking good. S/O to Jordan and Fil who had to listen to me scream about how he was the killer without being able to shut me up.

Okay but in all seriousness Teddie becoming human was like the wildest part of the game like did no one else go ??

The soundtrack bangs. to be expected.

Yosuke's SL was my favorite... i dont know how teary eyed i got but whew. it was teary. the ending scene on the grass... yea... yea...

man. the icon. the star. Yu Narukami. I NEVER thought I would like the protagonist, at least not more than "he's cool", and yet by the end I was more sad than anything to say goodbye to him!!! i had so much joy playing as him, he was so funny, so loyal, his dialogue options we're just phenomenal. He felt like a real character in his own world despite never even talking. I think I'll miss him the most/

ok time for the bad stuff:

okay like atlus why do you do this thing where you create such a good amazing storyline about humanity and what makes you you only to drop the ball and opt to make things creepy or some form of phobic !!! like WHY!!!!!!!

Kanji's treatment was actually vileeeee . I hate how they chickened out in the last moment because instead of having a whole discussion abt homophobia internalized and otherwise you've just created a homophobic ass arc in the game that serves no purpose. like UGH. just go the full mile!!! go !!! let him understand there's nothing wrong wit him being gay!!! stop backing out!! You quite literally would've had a near perfect arc if you just went that extra mile and didn't make things weird !!!

also naoto........ don't even wanna trudge into the discourse here but he/him Naoto is where I stand idk. his story kinda felt really similar to my own when i was in my teens but... again...Atlus...

hey atlus can you make ONE game where there isn't 10 scenes of teenage boys being creeps or has some form of teenage fan service. please.

rlly sucks that i cant reccommend this game without caveats because atlus is.... ugh. but yes. i did enjoy it. it has some moments that are genuinely uncomfortable and made me go :///. but i can fix things as is my will as a writer etc etc.

yeah i think thats what i have for now. i loved playing this game but i think i'll love thinking abt it and plotting even more..... <33333

#ewbie.txt #ewbie p4 liveblog #if anyone has more questions or comments... hmu... i havent stopped thinking abt this game man

[captain-hen]

hi again!! i realized i never updated you with my thoughts on s6, so here they are, rapid-fire style:

overall i think episodes one and two were very weak, but the rest of the season has been pretty decent. 6A was definitely my least favorite batch of episodes if i had to pick, but watching it all at once wasn't that bad and 6B has been very promising so far.

athena's cold case episode was really sad and unsettling, but i'm glad they did it and i'm very happy that she got to have that closure and revisit the case that made her want to be a cop. that's actually one thing i've been really liking about s6, that we've gotten to go back and tie up a lot of old threads from previous seasons.

the noah storyline was really weird and imo it should have been a longer arc with a better payoff for him. he wasn't a bad guy and i'm a little sad about the way they treated him.

idk what it is about maddie and chimney but i feel like their relationship has been a little off in 6A. i liked all of their domestic scenes with jee-yun, but i also think some things were very rushed (like the scene where they got back together). maybe it's just that they didn't get a lot of screentime? 6B has been better though and i'm glad the writers are finding their groove with them again.

on a brighter note, season six eddie is making me very happy. after his breakdown in 5B, he seems so much more at ease and more comfortable in his skin now and i'm so proud of him :)

hen might be my favorite character this season. her trying to do so much in episodes one and two, failing and having a breakdown but then convincing the prof to give her another chance and nailing it, and then eventually deciding that being a doctor wasn't what her real dream was and that her family was more important? i loved every second of it, and i think that aisha hinds's performance was nothing short of magnificent. i also loved the henren flashbacks!!

i kind of wish that they'd brought in the priest from s1 or another old character instead of wendall for that storyline. i enjoyed it regardless and i really loved all of the grant-nash family scheming, but i think it wouldve been more impactful if we had actually already known this character instead of just pretending like he'd been here the whole time. it's not a huge complaint though bc i do think bobby saving tamara and shutting down that fake rehab center was very healing for him....and did i mention how much i loved the grant-nash stuff? if there's one thing season 6 is doing right, it's the grant-nash dynamic. i miss michael and harry, but everything with bobby, may, and athena has been amazing.

sorry for the long ask, i just have so many things to say 😭 and i have even more to say about 6B + the buddie of it all, including the sperm donor plot, so that's gonna be a separate ask!!

-NewTo911Anon

hi again! i mostly agree with all of this! i actually thought 6x01 and 6x02 were two of the better episodes of the season, so i'm surprised you didn't like them (though i do understand that the blimp call was disappointing). the devil you know was SUCH a good episode, same as tommorow, and you're absolutely right that hen's arc has been the best one this season!

i agree with you about maddie and chimney: the premier was promising for them, but they just kind of...settled back into their relationship with each other with no bigger hurdles? i was hoping for there to be a little more of them having to work things out; i appreciated that 6x01 showed their lingering insecurities, but...idk. unlike the other seasons, they really haven't had a proper arc this season (as of yet). even maddie has just kinda been drifting from episode to episode, and hasn't really had a proper storyline, which is very uncharacteristic of the show.

home invasion and what's your fantasy have been the weakest episodes imo, and i completely agree with you about the noah arc; it could have been a really good storyline for maddie to mentor another dispatcher while trying to adjust to being back at work after her extended absence, but they had to go with this extremely out of touch plot that was in very bad taste. i'm pretty sure the noah thing is one of the aspects of the season that i will not change my mind about, even after a full rewatch.

it was nice to hear from you again!

#neethu answers #anon

[bookofmirth]

controversial opinion: the way sjm didn’t let nesta grow into her powers and train them even though nesta had that whole arc of never wanting to be weak again and never wanting to be at someone’s mercy is very strange to me. nesta is smart. she knows cassian is the strongest warrior and still saw him almost die on the battlefield. so i’m not sure why she thinks she can protect her and her friends from everything with just knowing how to throw a punch. it feels like she should understand that training and mastering her power is the only way to become unbeatable and to save herself and her friends from being hurt by anything.

obviously nesta doesn’t want anything cauldron given but her mating bond to cassian is cauldron given and she has no issues accepting that pretty quickly. and obviously sjm definitely has some bias to making sure rhys is always the most powerful (amren losing her powers, nesta losing hers, feyre never being described as stronger than him) and honestly i rather rhys gave up his own powers to save feyre and fix his own mess for once

but the other thing about nesta and not training her powers but rather physically training is that it puts her on the same playing field as cassian. this way nesta can never be more powerful than cassian. she will never be a better warrior than him so she’s always going to be inferior to him. she doesn’t have her otherworldly powers anymore so she’s just gonna train everyday and sjm is gonna do the same shit to nesta that she did to feyre. after their respective books, they’re gonna sit in a corner until they have babies

honestly i rather rhys gave up his own powers to save feyre and fix his own mess for once

This would have been AMAZING OMG. That would actually be a really interesting fanfic.

I feel like Nesta's internal journey was well done, I really do. Watching her struggle with her negative thoughts and knowing that she's doing shitty things and feeling bad about it, but almost being unable to stop herself. And the way that she internalizes a lot of the things that people have said, or the way that she misconstrues others' actions (e.g. thinking that everyone "chooses" other people), it all made sense to me and made me feel for her. And I felt like we were able to watch her overcome those instincts.

It's just the other stuff, like the powers? And the drinking? I think we are supposed to accept the loss of her powers as being because of one thing you mentioned, that she didn't want them in the first place, but I also think that Nesta didn't trust herself with her powers. Everyone gets mad that the IC didn't want to tell her about making the sword and stuff, but Nesta was also very wary of herself? She's very "act now think later" and especially in the beginning of acosf, her actions were pretty destructive. I don't think that Nesta trusted herself, and that's why she and Amren fought in the first place - Feyre wanted Amren to convince her to train her powers, and Nesta shut down and lashed out.

Nesta does still have some powers. She's still High Fae and Made, so... I suppose we will find out in the future what she is still capable of!

I do get what you mean about her essentially having to take on Cassian's expertise. Nesta was a fighter before, it's just that she did so with words. I guess I am still mixed on whether it made sense for her to lose her powers because to me, it's about whether it makes sense for Nesta, not if it puts her on par with someone else.

after their respective books, they’re gonna sit in a corner until they have babies

tbf Feyre is part of ruling the court, it's just that she and Nesta were not in a good place in acosf and since we were following Nesta, we didn't see much of Feyre unless it was a scene fraught with some sort of plot tension. We don't really get to see Feyre's day-to-day. Plus, the stupid death pact thing. I hope that sjm shows Feyre being a bit more active coming up (in CC3, apparently), and that IF anyone else ends up pregnant, they still continue being a part of the story. She's got an opportunity here to not sideline mothers.

#acosf #nesta #ask #anon