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hmspogue · 1 year

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Outer Banks Season 3 Shot by Shot Trailer Rundown

I do not own any clips or screenshots, all rights to Netflix and the creators.

To say I'm still reeling would be the understatement of the century, let's get into it.

John B: "From the very beginning, it was always Kooks..."

Even though they're set on us prying this orange filter from their cold dead fingers, these first two shots are actually stunning?

"...and Pogues"

Holy hell, we know we have all the ohter Pogues reuniting with their parents after they get back home, so JJ being all alone at this house is actually so heartbreaking.

Jiara nation rise, it looks like Bracelet Touch™ takes place at the empty Maybank house I'm not well.

"Some people with everything..."

Why are season 3's always everyones haircut season in shows like what is the source of this phenomenon?

But Rafe and Barry with the key

This hiding job is on par with JJ throwing pew pillows over it in the church.

Although, kind of think this is them getting ready to try and melt the cross down (which makes me so beyond furious), because off to the side you see the lighter fluid and the muffin tins, then later there's shots of gold.

"...and some with nothing."

The DIVIDE. I actually love the dynamic of Kooks vs Pogues heating up and the two cultures that try and exist on a very small island together. Especially since this season seems to be Kiara centric, her whole identity being called into question about where she falls I NEED IT.

I cannot even begin to express how sad I am that we're probably going to get approximately 3 seconds of them hanging out on Poguelandia because look at them!!! Let them be happy!!!

"That's the way it's always been."

SDHCULAISUEHLWAG JIARA FISHING ISNT JUST A MONTAGE I REPEAT JIARA FISHING WILL NOT JUST BE A MONTAGE.

I LOVE HER SO MUCH YES BABE GO FISHING!!!

Pope and Cleo making a signal fire together. Looks like that scene from the teaser of them walking in the field was probably them trying to scout out a good spot for it.

Jarah B looking fine as hell John B I know that bandana is your father's but i cannot even begin to imagine how disgusting it is at this point I'm sorry-

IM BEING SO NORMAL ABOUT THIS!!!!

I feel like both this shot and the previous one are them being saved by the plane that lands.

(@whitetrashjj the mullet truther, your time has come).

"Until now."

This may be my favorite John B set up narration so far.

Also, like I said, them getting rescued by the plane. Kiara looks almost hesitant? Could be the same shot as above where her and JJ aren't too sure about this plane or the people on it.

MMMMMMMM VERY concerning JJ bike crash. Pope and Cleo (or maybe Kie?) in the back of the truck with a crate.

Okay this is SO intereting to me because Ward with blood all over himself (whatelse is new?), Rafe, and Sarah helping him? I can't tell what's in his hand. But the family dynamics this season are goign to be somehow even messier, I can feel it.

Kiara getting kidnapped and taken to wilderness camp, I'm so not ready for this like. It's for sure the Carrera house in the back, the two shirts say Kitty Hawk Adventure.

For a long time, we all thought this was going to be something they ended the season on, but now it seems like it'll be a plot point in the middle. Thanks to @sun-undone and her unhinged costuming documents, we know that this yellow halter top is after the Carrera anniversary party we got BTS from (with the Jiara gate fight and John B rocking Topper's shit and Mike's "see, this is what I'm talking about, JJ"). We know Kie is seen later witht he Pogues, so Blue Ridge may be a quick, one episode plot mid season.

If they've been holding Blue Ridge over her head the whole season, then John B beating the shit out of Topper at the party is sort of the last straw, I cannot een begin to imagine the fight that he and JJ will have about it????

JJ and Kiara INSIDE the Chateau and a fire being lit OUTSIDE? If someone's trying to burn the house down witht hem trapped inside there will be heLL TO PAY.

IF THE CHATEAU GETS BURNED DOWN IM COMING FOR THE PATES I STG DON'T DO THIS TO ME WHY DO I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE MY CHILDHOOD HOME BURNING KJDFLAIUDHFAL??????

I know that Cline talked about having to mentally take Sarah to some very dark places this season and this shot just confirms my theory that I seriously think Sarah's going to kill someone and deal with the emotional consequences of that.

I want this to be feral JJ so badly after Kiara's taken, but, sadly, he's not in the right outfit. Not the first time we've seen machete!JJ though.

We saw this shot in the teaser, but looks like they're climbing up an abandoned elevator shaft. They're in their clothes they have on get reunited with Kie. I think it's from the same abandoned hotel the Pogues (minus Kiara, probably because they're going to save her) are in front of in a different shot.

Andd here it is: the new plot of the season and confirmation they're going after fucking EL DORADO NEXT LIKE.

Important to note this is shot on a plane as well.

Oh the Twinkie, how I missed you.

oh look they remembered a mom besides Anna this season WHY MY EYES WET LIKE THESE REUNIONS ALSO WHILE JJ IS COMPLETELY ALONE. HEYWARD, ADOPT HIM YOU COWARD!

Kiara's relationship with her parents is so askjhfailsuh COMPLICATED because I think they really do love her. And she wants more than anything for them to understand her and they just keep missing each other.

"My father and me..."

This shot is very aesthetically pleasing to me. That's all I have to say about it.

YEAH OKAY AND THEN I STARTED FUCKING WEEPING BECAUSE THIS?????? I CANT BELIEVE THEY PUT BABY JOHN B IN THE TRAILER?????

If they only do baby Sarah and Baby John B I will do something so drastic-

"...the treasure was our way out."

The way he's looking at his father? Like the pride in his eyes? I know this relationship is going to sting so badly with the way the Pates have talked about John B having to reconcile the idealized version of his father in his head with the one that left him for gold.

This is a kid that hasn't been hurt by the world or his father yet and I wanna hug him.

(post will be continues apparently i can only up load 30 images at once)

#outer banks #outer banks season 3 #shot by shot trailer rundown #john b routledge #jj maybank #pope heyward #kiara carrera #sarah cameron #jiara #obx3

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endgameinthenorth · 1 year

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My thoughts on tomgreg so far this season, to lighten the doom and gloom around here:

- Greg was shown to be very attached to Tom in episode one meanwhile Tom was crazy jealous of Bridget. It appeared Greg did not "rummage to fruition" but needing to tell Tom about it may have been the end goal to start with. This was a big change from their typical behavior prior to the time jump and sets the stage for upcoming interactions where they may springboard off this dynamic.

- Greg didn't betray Tom to Kerry and followed through on the request in what felt like a "damn I got it bad for that guy, doing whatever he says" vibe.

- Tom has confided in Greg and been genuinely vulnerable when he has not with anyone else, secluding himself in an intimate bedroom setting to make the call. He apologized for how he was speaking to Greg as well. Emotional progress.

- Comedic moments are not funny imo, but it does highlight that Tom can still be himself around Greg and Greg alone.

- Casually showing Tom and Greg arriving together in episode 4 brings up so many questions when we last saw Tom getting in a car with Shiv yesterday. Like usual, a lot is happening off screen between these two.

Do I wish we had more intimate moments after Logan's death? Absolutely. However the direct following episode takes place at a single location for a gathering and doesn't lend to emotional breakdowns. It's true Ken and Stewy had their moment but it was a moment that had to happen right then due to the circumstances, whereas something between Tom and Greg can wait.

Further speculation on what's to come:

- There's still 6 hours to go, and an art gallery. 🤞

- Shiv falling down the stairs gives me strong feelings that the Nero and Sporus metaphor is still going strong. Tom will marry/castrate Greg and watch or even instigate Rome (the company) burning to the ground.

- The "soundless sex" scene is yet to be seen. Who could this be? If it's between characters we've already seen being intimate it doesn't really advance any ending plot imo. I do have high hopes on this being Tom and Greg or something with Roman.

- We need to see more on why "The Disgusting Brothers" was put into play at all (I do not think this is just to say they're two sleezy single guys now), and I also do not think Logan mentioning Greg's gay father was for nothing. I want the question put to Greg for why he's still with Tom when Logan's gone and Tom has nothing to offer.

There's still time for that, it's just that with every episode being one day you're not getting the highlights over several months on display like we did between them previously. The big life-changing moments often do play out over short periods of time so not getting several months per season may actually be beneficial to see the start of their relationship unfold.

#tomgreg

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syrcaljirk · 1 month

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Disclaimer this post is completely opinion please do not try and find where I live or cancel me lol I am a teenager

so tmagp! this post is gonna contain spoilers up to the most recent episode that came out today. (mag 10)

oh also if you don't want to see criticism/negative opinions don't read this

I am, so far, um not enjoying it, to say the least.

For some context, I got into TMA just before the season finale or so? And I was excited when I heard about tmagp because I wanted to try and figure out stuff myself before it was said in series you know?

and I wanted to like it! and I do, it's really good, but every episode something has been irking me

whether it's the Fandom analyzing every single line (and I get the temptation completely I really do) or the constant callbacks to TMA when they said this show would be a good jumping in point for new listeners

But I think my main issue is the speed at which it's going, the cliche/just genuinely not very scary statements, and the characters actions themselves

Let's take this by section (please ignore my horrible horrible grammar)

Speed: this season has been so quick I keep forgetting we are on episode 10 of season 1 of 3

I get that they're going to go a bit faster than they did before because this is shorter but it's genuinely pissing me off a little bit

I have almost no emotional attachment to these characters. and that feels mean to say when so many people love them and make fic and stuff about them!

But i just really don't know them or their personalities enough to feel that sort of connection to them.

Other than Alice maybe (also why does everyone think she's evil please explain that to me if you want bc I don't see why)

Every episode feels like you're being slapped in the face with lore and it just isn't very pleasant

The show doesn't feel like TMA did and I wasn't expecting it to, really I wasn't. But I expected it to feel at least similar?

Let's get into the most recent episode. I almost hated this episode. And that is so mean of me to say I know.

Let's get into the episode thing now! I haven't been genuinely scared by a single of these episodes. Full stop no lie. Everything is so predictable including the plot and it's really messing with me. Don't get me started on some of them.

But the thing with Bonzo...it's so. Ugh. Like, I came into this expecting slow burn horror with actual tension. And this episode felt like a bad comedy bit. Maybe it's scarier to British folks because of what was his name, um, Mr Blobby?

Anyway this could be bad faith criticism and I am trying my best to enjoy this show and I am but it's. Very different. And I don't know how I feel about it.

The ending felt like a very clear "oOh cLiFfHaNgEr!" thing. I tried to care about it but I didn't feel anything. There was no tension and I didn't even hear the tape recorder. That felt cliche too.

I'm sorry if this comes off as me being an asshole or raining on your parade but this is how I feel about it. I'm a random teenager on the internet I know nothing I'm legit dumb

My opinion doesn't have to be yours, but if you do agree, let me know! I'd like this post to be a respectful place to discuss things that we didn't enjoy instead of just the positives, you know?

And there are a lot of positives! This show IS really good. But there were things I didn't like and that's okay!

#tmagp spoilers #tmagp #tmagp critical #rant post #idk man i really tried to like it #rambles #mag 10 tmagp

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mrhowells · 9 months

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Smallville 5x04

LOISSS MY WIFE IS BACK!!!!

Shut up Clark no one was hoping she'd stay in Europe longer, you just can't deal with her greatness

"Actually, I just ran into Mrs. Kent at the Talon and right out of nowhere, she asked if I'd like to move back into the farm😇". "Yeah right." "...😇" "...Really?"

AHJKHSJS PLS THE FACE JOURNEY

Lois: 1 - Clark: 0

See that's why we need Lois, it immediately turns into a comedy and Clark gets more personality.

LOIS BIKINIJFKSFJAKJK

BRO. HOLD ON. Was the AC actor on b99 as young Scully?? PLS that would be so funny.

the prettiest girl I've ever seeeen🎶 from the cover of a magazineeee🎶

like????????

she's still insulting the guy who saved her I LOVE HER SO MUCH THAT'S THE LOVE OF MY LIFE OKAY

and the Lana/Lois scraps I liveeee (but also, why didn't we get more, where is the humanity?)

"He can swim faster than I can." HEHEHEHEEHEE😈

Professor Milton Fine? I don't think so

He really just compared Lex to Hitler, BRO💀💀

Same Clark, same

"I got a buck." "Yeah? You should use it to get some fashion sense."

lmaoooo

LOIS STAHP I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THIS

It's actually beautiful, you can see her come up with her next burn in real time

"You know, this, uh, whole orange and green thing you got going? Looks like Flipper threw up."

Gooodd I'm in love with her

SHE CALLED HIM FISH STICK I'M-

"You were turning blue." "It's a good color on me."

LOIS STOPPPPPP I NEED TO BREATHE😭😭

THE WAY HE'S LOOKING AT HER? DUDE SAMEEEE

no because they actually have great chemistry

wdym German philosophy is easy DO YOU KNOW THE TORTURE I WENT THROUGH IN HIGH SCHOOL??? DO YOU??

stop why am I shipping Lois and AC they're so cute together😭

HELP

Lois if he falls into the water, shouldn't you jump in after him??💀

I really feel like they made the change in Lex too abrupt which is kind of a bummer because they had a great setup for it after Lionel tried to kill him at the end of season 3.

"You really don't listen, do you?" "No, I try not to, I find it distracting."

AGAIN, I LOVE LOIS AND THEY'RE CUTEEEEE

some of his pickup lines are really cringy though💀

not me getting invested when I know this isn't going anywhere😭

"LOIS??!?!?"

perfect timing Clark

Clark: 🧍😠

"Lois is all over this guy. And all we know him is that he can swim faster than I can."

jsdkdjHkas HE NEEDS TO GET A GRIP BECAUSE WHY DOES HE SOUND ANGRY AND NOT CONCERNED😭💀

I can't

Chloe: listing perfectly normal things about AC like him being on a swim team

Clark: Does he have a criminal record?😠

"I don't know what it is about this guy but I get a bad feeling."

Mmmhhhmmmm okay yeah...

CLARK DON'T EMBARRASS YOURSELF PLS

Even Lana is so done with his shit I'm crying

"Do you really believe that or is that just a pickup line for the girls?" "Clark!!!!"

RIGHT IN FRONT OF LANA LIKE-

you can't make this up😭

PLSSSSSS

Okay Lois he would totally attack AC because he's jealous (and he kinda did💀) but he wouldn't straight up invent lies about him, come on.

OOOOh is this actually the first time we hear the nickname boy scout? (I don't have the best memory so I'm not sure😅)

not AC calling Lex "bro"💀💀

"One day of college and he's already an activist."

PLSSSSS

Again, I think they could've set up this plot a bit better wrt Lex's reasons for selling that weapon despite the damage that it causes.

I'm sorry but this is kind of funny

OK NOW I'M FULL ON LAUGHING

WHAT IS THISSSS😭😭

"Are you okay?" "WET AND READY BRO."

SHDAJKFHDHGWAUIFGQM W H A T ???

WET

AND

READY

????????

I JUST FELL OUT OF MY BED WHO IS THE LEGEND RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PIECE OF DIALOGUE I MUST KNOW😭

"Well, you didn't tell him about my pitchfork, did you?" "I defended you."

*brief pause from the comedy of it all to feel PAIN*

the way AC says "bro" takes me outttt

"Maybe we should start up a junior lifeguard association or something."

STOOP THAT'S WHAT BART SAID TOO (not the lifeguard part but you know what I mean)

This just in, JLA stands for Junior Lifeguard Association💀

STAY SUPER BRAH (I'll stop making fun of AC now I prommy)

noooooo Lois😭😭😭

welp, I shipped it while it lasted

(I'm still tagging this post as clois though because we all know who the OTP is😌😌)

"I was just trying to look out for you." If you say so👀

not to be repetitive but...

CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GOOD SHE LOOKS IN THIS LIGHTING????

"I've known a lot of guys who want to own the world. I haven't met very many who actually want to save it. How am I ever gonna meet someone like that again?"

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP FALLING TO MY KNEES DO YOU GUYS EVEN UNDERSTAND????

That, exactly that is the reason she loves Clark (or will eventually, whatever) I'M GOING INSANEEEE THEY WROTE HER SO WELL😭

"Lois, I promise, some day... you'll meet someone even more special."

this episode was everything I needed and more

#ellie's smallville thoughts #smallville #5x04 #clark kent #lois lane #arthur curry #clois #lex luthor

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imthepunchlord · 1 year

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The whole system for the Miraculous is wonky as hell and much of the writing feels like they're still on that whole Good/Bad Luck concept from the show's planning stage. LB's power is literally Lucky Charm, and the symbolism of Ladybugs are good luck symbols not creation symbols. Same with the Black Cat symbolism (though the Miraculous borrow from Chinese culture and Black Cats are good luck symbols in China) I'd be more than willing to wager that the Peacock and Butterfly were concepted out before the change and no one went "Hey shouldn't we change the peacock"

Originally there was no Peacock. They were planning to do Bagua instead of Wu Xing. So a couple of miraculous from concepts were able to make it in.

But yeah, I have a growing list of what I noticed to be concepts that got changed, but weren't fully implemented to match those changes, so it's like they're still working off those old concepts despite the changes and it's not working as well, at least, how they're going about things.

As you mentioned, yeah, there's still the Good-Bad Luck theme going on (which both animals are European exclusive in terms of lucky view, an unlucky animal in Chinese should've been an Owl or Wolf).

Marinette's Luck and Tikki's treatment of her.

Now older concept Marinette was a lot more problematic. She was invasive of Felix's company and would try to force kisses on him. She also used her good luck powers selfishly, which brought bad luck as consequences. So being more pushy with her interest and being more selfish, it warrants Tikki to be criticizing and more questioning of Marinette and her choices.

Marinette now though is very selfless and considerate of others, and hardly ever abuses her power or use it selfishly. Despite the changes to her character, she still suffers a lot of bad luck (much of it played for comedy which sometimes goes too far), and Tikki is very criticizing/nitpicky of Marinette's choices and actions.

2. Chat still pursuing LB despite the clear no

Felix still pursued LB despite the clear no because he was cursed with bad luck. His actions aren't ok, but you get his reasoning on why he still tries.

Adrien though is curse free, still pursues LB despite the clear no and its because he really wants to be with her and is trying to wear her down and is dismissing her answer and feelings. That's not good.

3. Hawk Moth and His Son

Felix actually was not HM's son. Between that and him not having a desire to be a hero, it made sense why Felix wouldn't actively look for HM. He doesn't have that close connection nor did he have that drive.

Adrien is HM's son, and he has that close connection and could get that plot moving. And yet 5 seasons now, Adrien is none the wiser. It's a weird placement where they know he is HM's son, but they're also acting like Chat still isn't his son so has no reason to look into HM and discover things and get this plot moving.

4. The Slow Slow Slow Slow Slow Slow Slow Civilian Side Burn

When it was Felix and Marinette, he couldn't stand her (understandably) so he avoided her while she makes all the effort to try and get closer with him. It's understandable why the civilian side of things would be slow going.

Now, Adrien is friendlier and does like Marinette, and she still makes a lot of effort to confess to him and get closer with him. But it fails or goes nowhere, which just sets up this impression that she is far under his radar. And introducing Kagami didn't help cause you could pass off him being too blind/set on LB, but Kagami shows that he can notice other girls, so Marinette just isn't a romantic option. I do hear they finally reversed the LS in s5 but it feels way too late.

5. Marinette and her Parents

Earliest concept of Marinette actually had her coming home finding her father dead. And I didn't see much else of her having parents or them talked about. And given that Marinette is written to be independent, self-reliant, hardly turns to adults for help and advise, and seems to turn to Tikki as a mentor; to me it seems that Marinette's parents were just never meant to be in the picture or factored in. Mindful, I think Marinette was originally meant to be college age. If she and Chat Noir were always meant to be a romantic pair, well, there is no way this Chat is a young teenager.

Either way, she now officially has parents, but they are hardly in her life, she never really turns to them for help and advise like a 13 yo should, and she's still incredibly independent. Mostly, she turns to Tikki for help and advise. At It's almost like her parents aren't there.

This way of writing how uninvolved and absent her parents are, it could be a left of to them possibly being dead, or it could be a left over from the earliest thought that Marinette was going to be older and not need them around as much. They made a change, but it's not fully implemented, especially with Marinette confirmed to be 13 at the start of the show. I don't know how much independence 13 yos in France get, but I'd expect they still rely on their parents quite a bit.

So, this is my list of things I noticed that were changed concepts, but they didn't fully change everything to really make it work, and it feels like they're still working off those old concepts despite making changes. Or they're just trying to have their cake and eat it to. They do that a lot.

#ask Punchie #ml salt

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wildgeese98 · 2 months

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I want to write down some of my thoughts about Magnus Protocol so far. I am definitely enjoying it. It's really fun listening as the episodes come out and screaming with everyone on here afterwards. I'm having a blast theorizing and analyzing. But my opinion of the show is still evolving. It's early days, but I am beginning to settle on the things I do and don't like about the show so far.

It's inevitable that Protocol will be constantly compared to Archives. It is of course a sequel and will suffer the heightened scrutiny that all sequals are subject to. The two biggest differences I've noticed so far have to do with pacing and characters.

Archives started slow, very slow, and I love that about it. Season one remains my favorite. In my mind nothing will ever compare up to the way the danger slowly creeps into the story, appearing in little drips and bursts until it suddenly explodes and everything gets turned upside down. Protocol has made no attempt to emulate this slow build up. We are almost immediately plunged into the thick of things. I think this was a good choice. As much as I yearn for that season one slow burn there's no way something like that could work now. Not when the majority of the audience is coming in champing at the bit for the story. I just hope they will be able to maintain this pace. After episode 7 things seem to be happening very quickly and I worry that too much might be revealed too soon in an effort to keep everyone engaged. I personally would love a bit of delayed gratification on some of these mysteries, even as I'm frothing at the mouth with curiosity.

As a consequence of this faster, more plot laden pace I have noticed something of a de-emphasis of the statements/cases in favor of plot progressing dialog. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Nor is it something that sets Protocol totally apart from Archives. Seasons three and four had almost as much dialog before and after statements. However I do hope that the cases get some room to breath as the early season excitement evens out. I would love a few episodes that end on a case with little to no dialog afterwards. In some of these early episodes I feel like the dialog has kind of stepped on the cases and lessened their impact. As much as I am here for the plot and the mystery, the statements are what made me fall in love with Archives. Some of my favorite episodes are not relevant to the plot at all. It seems like there is less room for that in Protocol, which I figured would be the case but I would still like to see them allowed a little more space.

Speaking of the cases, my opinions on the eight we've had so far have varied for "oh this is very cool" to "meh, ok". Nothing has really wowed me yet but none have fallen completely flat either. My favorite so far is either Making Adjustments or Putting Down Roots. I'll be honest I have been a little sad about the lack of Jonny written cases. I know Protocol is much more of a group effort, but Jonny's writing is a big part of why I'm here. Granted he has had some hand in all of the episodes. Still there really is nothing like a fully Jonny written episode. Though neither of my two favorites were written by him so maybe I should be keeping a more open mind. It was an interesting decision to front load so many of the guest writers into these early episodes. There are 24 guest writers slated and we've already had three back to back. I suppose with almost a third of the episodes featuring guest writers they will be fairly frequent and It has gotten the audience used to the concept early on.

Side note: I was looking at the list of guest writers and it includes both Muna Hussen and Jon Ware, creators of I am in Eskew and the Silt Verses. I am positively wriggling with excitement to see what they come up with for their episodes.

The other big difference I've noticed between Archives and Protocol is the characters and how they're interacting. We knew already that we would be jumping in with an ensemble already established. It took Archives quite a while to build up to this many regular characters and even then Jon was the Main Guy throughout. Now, despite Sam somewhat falling into the main character role, we have a much more even focus on all the characters. This I think is what is going to truly differentiate Protocol from Archives. Broadening the focus to a whole group rather than just the one guy (as much as we might love that guy) feels like it will open up so many more directions for the narrative to go. We have the potential for side plots and multiple narrative threads happening at once. We are already seeing this play out as Sam and Alice, Gwen and Lena, Colin, and now Celia all have their own separate yet connected things going on. I'm excited to get more of everyone's back story and to see how they all react as the plot puts more pressure on them.

I really am enjoying Protocol however if I am being honest most of my enjoyment is coming from the mysteries and overarching plot rather than the cases. This is a total reversal from my feelings about Archives, where I was mostly there for the individual statements and at first tolerated, then eventually enjoyed the overarching plot. This isn't to say that the Protocol cases have been bad. They just haven't grabbed me like Archives did. There is also still plenty of time for this to change. The problem right now with comparing the two is Archives is a full, completed story and Protocol currently consists of 7 episodes (8 if you're a fancy early access person). It is just too early to fully judge Protocol, either on its own or in relation to Archives.

Overall what really matters to me is I'm having fun and I've got something to look forward to every week. I think to key to fully enjoying Protocol is accepting that it is never going to scratch the exact same itch that Archives did. Still, it has the potential to be its own different but equally satisfying experience.

#Just some of my Protocol thoughts #long post #tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp analysis

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ronancexists · 11 months

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^^^ Exactly!!

This is why Ronance should be canon. Robin and Nancy are already integrated into the whole Upside Down of it all, they're flushed out as characters and we love them because of it, and we wouldn't have to worry about a new character taking over possible plot lines for the two of them along with the rest of the characters.

If they made Ronance canon:

1) We would get to see Nancy be with someone who respects her, sees her, and understands her, but also challenges her in ways Steve and Jonathan haven't. We would also get to see Robin have a girlfriend for (I'm pretty sure) the first time in her life.

2) We would just get to see more fun dynamics between Ronance and then also the drama with Steve and Robin and their friendship. Like imagine how confused and hurt and overwhelmed he would feel about Robin being with his ex-girlfriend and how guilty and worried Robin would feel being in a relationship with Steve's ex, especially because I have no doubt he told her everything that went down between Nancy and him at that Halloween party. And also because the Duffers were trying to push Stancy on us so hard during season 4 with Steve saying he imagined/was currently imagining a future with Nancy and six kids.

It would definitely put a strain on his friendship with Robin and Robin would be so upset and feel so bad that she hurt her platonic soulmate and broke "the bro code." Nancy would feel guilty and try to break things off with Robin but then as soon as she does that Steve gets on her ass about not hurting his best friend and he would eventually get over it after he saw how happy they were together. Because ultimately that's what he wants. He wants his friends to be happy, but it would still sting for a long time after.

3) I would hope we would get Nancy confessing to Mike about her feelings for Robin and then in turn Mike confessing that he thinks he might like Will as more than a friend (because let's be real the Duffers are going to be burned at the stake if they don't make Byler canon by the end of this series) and we get the same scenes but it's with Robin and Will. I like to imagine it as the scene in season 4 that was switching between Nancy and Fred/Jonathan and Arygle about the not coming to see each other on spring break thing.

4) We would get to see both of these characters have their happy endings. I imagine Nancy would still be attending Emerson and Robin would follow her (I would have no doubt that Robin could get in because she's fucking smart as hell, like girlie learned 3 languages for fun and she translated Russian without an ounce of knowledge about the language) and because Steve is Robin's platonic soulmate he would follow her. They would live together and Steve would probably go to the community college there and they would share an apartment while Nancy lived in the dorms until she could save up enough to move in with either just Robin or Robin & Steve because again, platonic soulmates.

I'm not trying to upset anyone who ships Vickie and Robin. I would too if only she didn't appear to be so similar to Robin like with the rambling. I (personally) love the whole opposite attracts shit with Ronance and I think they have more chemistry than Robin and Vickie do. But like the post I linked said, the Duffers have the entirety of season 5 to make Vickie a fleshed out character with an entire character arc and storyline while also making the audience fall in love with her, and they would somehow have to do it without taking away from the characters we already know and love.

This, along with the reasons above, are why I ship Ronance and, personally, why I think they are the better ship. I'm sure there are more (PERSONAL!) reasons, but these are the only things I could think of off the top of my head.

#ronance is everything #ronance and byler in season 5 #ronance #robin x nancy #nancy x robin #robin buckley x nancy wheeler #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #also byler #make them canon #in season 5 of stranger things #platonic stobin #stobin #stobin friendship #platonic soulmates stobin #like i want to love vickie #she seems sweet and cute and i love robin being able to have a crush #i just really wish that they had developed her in season four and actually roped her into the upside down #instead of only giving her like five to ten minutes of screen time total #this is not anti vickie the person this is anti vickie the plot device #she seems like a nice girl i just do not have time to make new friends on this show at this point!#they had their chance!#they squandered it!#these are just my opinions #don't come for me #please and thank you #stranger things #stranger things 5

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radiant-reid · 2 years

Text

my cm skips and why

inspired by @steve-harringtons-slut post

season 1

fisher king pt1 it's my least favorite multiparter, i just don't love the plot and it's the start of elle's downfall which makes me sad

season 2

fisher king pt 2 for the same reason as above

aftermath i can watch the first bit but not after elle's undercover part because i don't like bad things happening to her

north mammon i used to like this one but it's hella sad, like one girl has to kill her best friend and the parents don't even really care and then it's all because they dissed the unsub 20 years ago !! like he's a sicko

distress boring af and also i hate watching sad spencer where no one does anything to help him

legacy also bores me and they should have used the 'unsub killing homeless people' once with the s4 finale

season 3

doubt boring and the ending sucked

In name and blood haley hotchner. i was a fan at the beginning and the end but she was cheating on him and i will never be persuaded otherwise. i hated her in this episode, also strauss too. and then spencer's sad at the end, nope nope nope

true night this one bores me, it's such a dumb plot, like a dude who writes comic books lmao

in heat i love JJ and Will and i think that's the only reason i occasionally put up with this episode because the rest of the time it sucks

season 4

normal i think this is a very boring one !! the road one where he ran over his victims >>

omnivore the first time i was cool watching this but now that i know what the start of it is, i save myself the emotional pain

season 5

nameless, faceless same reason as omnivore, i know what happens next and i hate seeing hotch sad. also the victim's kid, who is kind of the victim himself, i would not have cared if he died since he decided to go to school when he should have just stayed at home and been safe, like okay, risk the lives of everyone there

100 no no no no no, too sad

parasite i feel like they did a plot similar to this with the guy in charm and harm

solidarity man again, boring

our darkest hour plot is dumb af, and it's too similar to catching out with a homeless unsub breaking in and killing residents. also, I've always felt like it was meant to be based on Richard Ramirez and it's not scary enough for that

season 6

the longest hour obviously same reasons as above since it's the second part but also i really hate that the dad made Morgan promise to look after his daughter. i get it, he wanted someone good to be there for her, i just feel like that's a shitty thing to do to a near stranger

Devil's night nah, there's has to be a limited number of episodes about unsub's burning people and this one's the worst

what happens at home not a bad plot but ashley seaver ugh, she's the worst

Valhalla + Lauren it's not as sad as when haley dies because we know emily's still alive but i hate that she didn't tell the team and they're all sad

with friends like these not really a big fan of unsubs with hallucinated friends

season 7

heathridge manor sorry mgg, i just don't think this is scary or interesting

divining rod that whole wig thing creeps me out

season 8

god complex the plot is not good and i feel like the title doesn't fit at all

the good earth boring

magnificent light this is makes me laugh because it's so cringe

zugzwang too sad for spencer

season 9

the inspiration and the inspired okay maybe i have two least favorite multiparters because this one i also hate, like the praying mantises and random head in his fridge, nah

route 66 the hotch bit, i like, but the whole plot with the girl running away with her dad, i do not

200 i love JJ and i can't watch her in pain like that. also, i do not get why they went out to a bar right after her rescue like whos idea was that ?

what happens in mecklinburg boring and unrealistic because no woman is going to get out of her car and walk up to a massive truck when they can't see anything bffr

season 10

if the shoe fits makes me cringe so much

hashtag also makes me cringe

nelson's sparrow so unnecessary !!! like why would they kill gideon off when he's been gone for 7 seasons ?? and you're trying to tell me he just got killed by a random unsub, the jason gideon ?? that would have never happened

season 11

drive i hate the episode title and the plot, they should have called it something like execution

derek too sad, i want all the characters to always be happy

a beautiful disaster can the Morgans not catch a break ??

inner beauty plot makes me cringe hard

season 12

seek and destroy i feel like they kind of used this plot before and it felt like a lazy reattempt

(sometimes i skip every episode with spencer in prison but this is as if i'm not)

in the dark don't like the plot

true north an unsub making a sundial ? bffr

season 13

blue angel the plot is like pleasure is my business but with an unsub with a different relationship to the exclusive prostitute and it's way worse

dust and bones the unsub makes me cringe so hard

bad moon on the rise an unsub that thinks he's a werewolf bffr

miasma an unsub that thinks he's a plague doctor bffr

annihilator fuck you linda barnes

the capilanos an unsub that dresses like a clown bffr

the dance of love an unsub that kills based on song titles bffr

all you can eat like unsubs roasting their victims, there can only be a certain number of unsubs poisoning people and this one is the worst

season 14

innocence all because he's not related to his dad ?? shoulda just blackmailed his parents separately or run away

luke too sad, skip

night lights cringing

truth or dare jeid episode, no more needed

season 15

awakening nope jeid

ghost this just seemed unnecessary, like okay luke and matt worked together and caught someone, why would he then kidnap them and get arrested again ?? if you wanna be in the mob or diss the mob, you should know your fam will probably get killed

rusty be fr, i know people can be delusional and whatever but i just cannot with this one

family tree again, be fr, why did he cut the ears off and hang them up ? it's hilarious in an ironic way

face off + and in the end this is the way they chose to end the show ? nah

season 16

i don't even need to watch it to know it sucks, like a covid plotline bffr, that's the most cringe ever. it will never exist in my mind

#my top words: bffr cringe and boring #okay what does everyone else think ?#and i'm sorry for being judgemental af #criminal minds

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mermaidsirennikita · 9 months

Text

ARC Review: One Season with the Duke by Addy Du Lac

Out now (and available on Kindle Unlimited)! 4.25/5.

For when you're vibing with... fast physical burns and slow emotional burns, culture clashes, and friends to lovers done right.

With a secret hanging over her head, Hettie has been blackmailed into getting engaged to an asshole. Fortunately, her childhood friend (now Hot and Sizable Duke) Finn, offers a helping a hand... in marriage.

Friends to lovers is a tough sell for me--however, once I realized how much of the friendship in this book was rooted in childhood, I was readier to bite. And I'm glad I did! This is a fun, sweet, surprisingly hot Scottish romance that really focuses hard on the relationship development.

Quick Takes:

--Here's what I dislike about friends to lovers so often: either the hero longs for the heroine but doesn't have the balls to make a move, or the heroine longs for the hero and somehow he Doesn't Notice Her (doesn't get turned on by her) and the heroine is left looking pathetic. In this case, Finn is the one who's very aware of Hettie from the jump. However, she pretty quickly identifies that he's All Grown Up, and he actually makes his move very early in the novel. That, right away, solves a lot of problems for me.

What I expected from there was a marriage in name only, wherein they would, for some reason, wait on fucking for like five billion pages, and I would get increasingly annoyed. But nope! These two are getting down less than a third of the way into the novel, because it makes sense. They're married; the marriage being valid is super important for their general scheme and Hettie's safety; they're not in love (she definitely isn't) but they're physically attracted to each other. Why not?

So it's like, this mixture of duty and genuine interest that brings them together, and I found that compelling. It felt real and pretty authentic to the time period (albeit with the added benefit of them being just five years apart in age and hot). I really appreciated that there wasn't all this handwringing about it from Hettie--no "oh no, I must marry my hot duke friend to escape my evil cousin". She knows she's got a good thing going, and they both are aware that it may never be this dreamy romance (until it is) but they're gonna try and make it work. And a lot of making it work involves the thing they are 100% on the same page about from the get-go: boning the fuck down.

--A lot of the conflict in this book, and I mean this in a good way, felt very old school. There's an evildoer setting out to blackmail Hettie (I personally enjoy a blackmail plot, especially when the heroine is an heiress; there's something about a "MUAHAHAHA" that I just like), obviously. Then there's this stretch in which she's really adjusting to not only being a duchess, but being a Scottish duchess, and I liked the distinction made here. While Finn may be very Englishified in some ways (although he does do a bit of a brogue at the right moments, as all Scottish heroes Must and Should), he is Scottish. His people are Scottish. There is an expectation that his wife will acclimate this, and it's like--not fuckin' easy. I liked that it wasn't easy. In some ways, it felt kind of cinematic while also subverting some of the old school-isms where the heroine goes to Scotland and everyone is all och and aye and just welcomes her with open arms.

In particular, Hettie's mother-in-law does not welcome her with open arms. In many historical romances today, I don't feel like supporting characters who are a) not villains and b) not getting set up for the next book receive much fleshing out. At least, not in the way they used to. But here, we see a woman who is understandably protective of her late husband's legacy, a bit possessive of her son, and......... kind of a bitch to Hettie. However, not a bitch without dimension. She's not flat. There is meat to her character, and there's meat to her relationship development with Hettie. I'm extremely soft for historicals in particular that place an emphasis on female relationships, so that was nice to see.

--You're going to either be frustrated or relieved by the fact that we the readers know Hettie's secret from the start. For some, I suspect this will lead to some "but telll hiiiim", and at points I did feel that way. However, from her emotional perspective, I get why she didn't; and I also personally appreciated knowing her secret from the start. It's not an inconsiderable issue, and I personally find that when a hero or heroine dithers over something we don't even know the truth about... That's where the frustration really comes in.

--We do get a grovel in this one, and it's quite sweet. I can't say much about the grovel because spoilers, but I liked it a lot. There are insane grovels, and there are emotionally sense-making but still deeply felt grovels, and I think this one falls into the latter.

--This book got me to care about two people who are ultimately Good and Solid, in a relationship that is like... not toxic. Which is hard for me! That said, I really like Addy's writing style, and I wouldn't mind seeing her try her hand at a batshit pairing down the road.

--As a random aside, if you like a bit of "she is too young for me and I am a hideous pervert for noticing her ankles" (which I do), there's a dash of that behind why Finn didn't pursue Hettie earlier. She really isn't too young for him by the standards of the time (they're about 5-6 years apart) but he felt very bad for finding her hot when she was eighteen, and I enjoyed that discomfort immensely.

The Sex Stuff:

Like I said, they starting fucking early and they really don't let up. I literally let out a sigh of relief when it began sooner rather than later; I fucking hate the "oh we're married but let's wait until 80% into the book to fuck even though the marriage can literally be invalidated if people find out you're still untouched" dance. Wow, two people thinking with their brains and their libidos!

The sex is well-written and explicit, and like... earthy without being over the top, if that makes sense. I posted that excerpt of Finn commenting on Hettie's scent while he was...................... he's Scottish so down under isn't a joke that makes sense, but he was going down on her. It's the simple intimacies of sex that I found the book did really well. Also, I really liked how they talked about sex with each other--you can feel that there's a friendship there (and he's such a pleaser). And like, there's no shame around Hettie having and enjoying sex without being in love quite yet? That's one thing I appreciated throughout; she cares for him from the start but she knows she's not in love yet... and she's still comfortable with expressing affection for him in a sexual way, and he makes her comfortable with it. There isn't this expectation that being aware of being in love is important for good sex, which I often sense with the writing of heroines. Something that I can't give away happens and Finn is like "maybe no sex for a while" and Hettie's reaction is basically "exfuckingcuse???"

A romantic and emotionally authentic debut, which I think will appeal to many readers--especially those who like historicals that are well-researched and real, without trading in on some of the more problematic aspects of the subgenre. In fact, in general, if you find that historical romances "scare you" a little, I'd say this is a good one to ease your way into the genre with.

Thanks to Addy Du Lac (@thataddylady on here) for a copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#romance novel blogging #arc reviews #book recs #books #book reviews

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oh-three · 6 months

Text

Loki S2E4:

Oooh, maybe Victor Timely is the guy who pruned Loki in episode one. Or, maybe it was his episode four self. Either way, something tells me we're about to find out.

Whoa, Miss Minutes keeps surprising me.

Also. More of Hunter Renslayer, ooh.

"See you soon" is literally this man's catchphrase.

WHOA, THAT'S A BETRAYAL. Not that I didn't expect it, but wow. Gotta say, Miss Minutes is right, though. Clearly, he didn't really do much.

Alright, let's see what Victor's gonna fuck up.

Who left this man alone after he went through the TimeDoor??

Okay, can't blame him for the crisis though. Not after last episode.

"Your words changed me" is the single most powerful phrase ever. I don't even remember this lady's name, but I like her.

O.B. and Victor complimenting each other and O.B. slowly realizing who he's talking to is the funniest thing ever. He's fanboying over him the way Casey was fanboying over him.

Also, the fact that Sylvie stuck around is pretty neat.

MOBIUS 😂

My man really does not want to go out in the suit again, and Loki's his scapegoat. They are such a married couple.

SYLVIE, STOP ADDING FUEL TO HIS REPRESSED EMOTIONS. LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Brad, what the fuck.

Hah, get called out. You're out of friends.

D-90 and B-15 just stepped into the wolves' den 👀

Not Brad grabbing his collar the same way he grabbed the straps of his uniform in episode one.

Lmao, D-90 getting told to go help Mobius- and just Mobius- watch Victor. Alone time with him oughta be awkward.

Loki defending Mobius 😭❤

"What if you are wrong to believe that this place can be any better? What if I was wrong to spare him? It would be easier to burn this place down and start from scratch." Yes, but as Loki tried to tell you, it's harder to take the difficult path- and, oftentimes, the difficult path is the right one. Nothing that's right is ever easy.

^^^^ "Trying to fix what's broken is hard."

Ahhh, I see you coming around.

Sylvie does have a point, though- it'll be dangerous letting Timely go after this.

"We are gods." drops mic

Wait, you guys didn't try the pie.

Dammit, Renslayer.

OH NO. SHE'S GOING TO KILL THEM ALL.

HOLY SHIT.

That was so horrifying wtf.

At least Brad seems to be having regrets already.

Whatever you do, DON'T LOSE HIM, D-90.

Just. This scene with D-90 and Victor. It's funny and sweet, and I love it-

WAIT, NO. BRAD, WHY.

COME BACK, D.

There's something very significant about D-90 getting pruned exactly one season after pruning Mobius, and I don't know how I feel about it.

Everything is going wrong.

And now they're gonna think Timely kill D-90. Nice.

Well, at least B-15's smart enough to know it was Renslayer.

I can't decide if Victor's a great actor or a terrible one. 😂

"There's still time." Hello, past Loki, you have no idea what our poor present folks are going through right now.

I still want to know why that phone's ringing.

Ah, so Loki literally did prune himself. This moment is like watching Harry save himself in Prisoner of Azkaban.

The look on Sylvie's face Lmao 🤣

ANSWER THE PHONE.

Bet it's Renslayer. Oh. Nvm.

CASEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING.

Miss Minutes glitching into oblivion is the most satisfying thing ever.

Okay, now that Brad's exposed, someone please prune him. He's expendable.

Oooh, the systems being offline means that magic works in the TVA. 👀

THEY ENCHANTED HIM. 😂

RAVONNA'S BEEN PRUNED.

IT ACTUALLY WORKED, AYYYY.

Okay, is Victor doing this out of the goodness of his heart or does he actually have some sinister plot? Is he about to die?

THIS IS THE SAME MUSIC THAT PLAYED BEFORE THEY FOUGHT ALIOTH LAST SEASON.

I am having a fucking blast with this.

WHOA.

FUCKING RIP.

THAT IS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING.

Thank god it wasn't Mobius or Loki.

SHIT, IT EXPODED.

AND THERE'S THE MUSIC THAT PLAYED AFTER MOBIUS GOT PRUNED.

I HATE CLIFFHANGERS. 😭

#loki spoilers #loki #loki series #mcu

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captain-hen · 6 months

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holy shit, your post about non-canon queer ships is so real!! and i think the reason why so many of us get attached to fanon ships is because it tends to have the buildup that most canon queer ships now lack for one reason or another -- maybe the writers don't want to be accused of queerbaiting, or they did have plans but their show got cancelled thanks to the streaming model, or maybe these showrunners and writers are just more interested in marketing 'diverse' characters than doing any of the work required to make these stories feel authentic and real.

these days, the characters meet, and you immediately know they're going to get together in about eight episodes. the characters rarely have individual identities or story arcs outside of each other, and the fact that most new shows are only a step away from getting canceled means that the writing rushes through all of the buildup in order to get to the supposed payoff that doesn't make you feel anything.

which is why a ship like buck and eddie, for example, is so much more compelling to me than anything i've seen in the past five years bc we got to actually see these characters grow as individuals and go through so many important relationship-cementing experiences way before they would (presumably) get together. from the many lighthearted fun, moments of friendship to all of the hardships they've endured together to taking the steps they need in order to actually be ready for a relationship -- we got to go on that journey with them every step of the way.

eddie didn't just come in during season two, PTSD-free, mentally healthy, and divorced, and announce that he's queer to the firehouse 0.2 seconds after meeting buck. no, he had to navigate the messiness of his wife coming back and dying, buck had to deal with the fallout of the ladder truck incident, they had to work through the lawsuit and the shooting and the repercussions of said shooting and had to make their way out of relationships that didn't work for them. but they got to do it all together, and we as an audience got to see that relationship play out over six whole seasons.

so now, buck and eddie getting together wouldn't feel manufactured, it would feel real, and rewarding, and it'd feel like the only natural, satisfying conclusion to both of their story arcs. i just...i don't see that in new queer media because we don't get enough about either partner or their dynamic before their relationship turns romantic for me to get invested.

(sorry for dumping in your inbox bjskdjdk, u just did a really great job articulating the exact point about queer rep that i've been trying to put into words for a long time 😅)

no, you're so right! i think this is a combination of showrunners trying have a checklist of 'diverse' characters, and the 8-10 episode model where shows are in constant danger of being canceled. these characters meet, 5 seconds later they're kissing, and they're declaring their undying love for each other at the end of the season...if they even wait that long. it's literally so rare to see shows that actually bother to give queer relationships some time to breathe and develop, the only examples i can think of are casey and izzie from atypical and ava and beatrice from warrior nun. and if what we do end up having most of the time with canon queer couples is fine with the people who like them, then all the power to them! but having a weird superiority complex or decrying others for liking non-canon queer ships is...not it.

i mean, everything you've said about buck and eddie is exactly why i'm so obsessed with them—they meet every single requirement i have for a well-written dynamic! both the characters are fleshed out, rather than being plot devices for each other; their relationship is incredibly well-developed; it's a slow burn; they have interesting conflicts and arcs; and there's actually a reason as to why these two make sense as a couple, rather than them just being two attractive adults in the vicinity of each other. i can't count the number of times i've seen LS fans say that people should just watch lone star because 'the gay couple is actually canon' which is not only infuriating, but also speaks so much as to how people have seemingly ceased to care about good and interesting writing in favour of the canonization of queer ships. (i'm sorry, but t/arlos sucks and i would rather buck and eddie get married to different people rather than ever end up like them)

at the end of the day, good writing matters. interesting and intricate storytelling and development matters. you can't just handwave all of that and pretend it's fine just because the characters are ~~diverse~~. i'm being so serious when i say that i'd rather a show had a handful of characters who are minorities who are written well and manage to drive the plot forward; rather than an entire cast full of them who ultimately don't do anything, and are only there so that the creators can pat themselves on the back and not do any work to actually write them well.

#neethu answers #cityscreams

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fayesdiary · 10 months

Text

Faye's Fòdlan Journey: Season 1 - Chapter 1: Welcome to Fòdlan

Introduction

<-Previous Masterpost Next->

After two posts' worth of introductions and preambling, we can finally start playing the actual game.

The objective is simple: Defeat the bandits' leader before they burn down the village. Easy enough.

Weapon Durability returns in this game, contrary to Fates, Echoes and Engage. Personally I feel pretty neutral towards the mechanic as a whole, but it's a nice way to balance Combat Arts, returning from Echoes and consuming durability instead of HP this time.

Here when a weapon breaks, instead of disappearing altogether or turning into a worthless 30 weight 0 might weapon you have to repair or get rid off, it gets a penalty in Might, Hit and Attack Speed, which could be a more elegant solution depending on how severe it is.

Bows also seem to work like they did in Echoes, with an added penalty on hit the further you attack from. Which is, you know, pretty fair. Wonder if Hunter's Volley is just as busted here.

After having a pleasant chat with the three completely ordinary kids, they along with Byleth begin clearing out the bandits, while Jeralt sits in the back doing fuck all and yelling random advice.

Thanks, dad. Really cool.

Good thing Edelgard's there to pick up his slack with the first crit of the game.

Also the proportions between the characters and the village is really funny. My main Edelgard headcanon is that she's a huge kaiju fangirl, so it's nice to see she's fulfilling her dreams. All she needs now is learn how to fire a laser from her mouth.

After killing a few bandits, their leader shows up to pick a fight with Byleth.

They kill him pretty easily.

Except Kostas must have smuggled a Revival Stone from Elyos, since he gets back up like it's nothing.

He charges at Edelgard, but Byleth puts themselves in the way.

But just when the bandit is about to strike...

The world stops.

And Byleth finds themselves in front of Sothis once more, who is pretty peeved they were about to throw away their life so recklessly, since that would also kill her.

She finally introduces herself: Her name is Sothis, also known as "The Beginning". Though she wouldn't be able to tell you why is that, given that lo and behold, she has amnesia, the favorite plot point of modern Fire Emblem.

Someone had to have it, and since Byleth seems to have all of their memories, she lost her privilege to hers. Honestly, I think she'd get along with Alear.

One thing's for sure, though: Her first impression of Byleth is... less then stellar. While she lives and breathes sass and metaphors and moves and emotes a lot for someone with the eepy disease, Byleth is overly blunt, barely emotes and tells morbid jokes with such a straight face everyone thinks they're serious.

Or at least, I'm having them be that way. I love the idea of Byleth being selectively mute and socially inept.

(Also apparently support points can go down? I doubt you'd be able to get the characters to dislike you so it probably just hinders your progress to get their convos)

Apparently Sothis stopped time, something she herself didn't remember she could do. Well, that's convenient.

Luckily for both of them, she figures out she can reverse time too.

Not thanks to Byleth, who joked they could just sit here and wait to die.

Sothis turns back time just enough for Byleth to react to the bandit's attack, bids them farewell with some cryptic nonsense and- wait, is that readable text?

Upon further inspection, it is, even if the only phrase I recognise is at the top, "The goddess always lives in heaven and Fòdlan" and "It is watching over us. The mother[???]".

That's neat! Didn't expect to see readable text in actual English. Usually this stuff is hidden with a special alphabet.

Anyway, this time instead of just putting themselves in front of Edelgard Byleth actually strikes back at the bandit leader, finally putting him down for good.

Wait is he aware Byleth turned back time? How!?

Byleth earns the MVP, which in this game looks like one of those photos you'd get for Employee of the Month. Which I suppose makes sense.

A face shows late to the party. It's Alois, of the Knights of Seiros.

He's really happy to see Jeralt after 20 years, who apparently was the former captain.

Jeralt is way less thrilled to see him, though.

Jeralt and Byleth are "invited" to return to the Garreg Mach Monastery with Alois and the Three House Leaders. I say "invited" becuse Jeralt clearly does not want to go there but feels he has no choice, and I suspect Byleth would just go wherever their father goes.

Before heading out, Byleth has a chat with Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude, who all seem... oddly interested in them.

Huh. Jeralt would have done wonders in Elyos with a name like that.

Claude makes it clear once again that our presence at the monastery is, in fact, mandatory. So for all of those who hoped there was a secret fifth route where Byleth just retreats to the woods and lives a long, peaceful life, I'm sorry to crush your dreams.

They finally mention they're students at the Officers Academy of the Monastery. And through a quarrel they immediately start with each other, we learn they're the heirs of their respective nations.

Whoah. Shocker, I know.

And already not only they're fighting each other (seriously guys it's only the prologue, fucking chill), they are all strangely in awe of Byleth despite them having just killed a few bandits (with their help no less) and are already fighting each other to have them join their side. Boy, this does not bode well for the future.

WAIT I ALREADY HAVE TO CHOOSE WHAT

I know I'm going to choose Dimitri regardless given this is Azure Moon, but GEEZ this is way too soon to force a choice like this onto the player! You just met these people and already you have to declare your allegiance to one of them!

With that choice way too important for just the prologue of the whole game being done, we finally head back to the monastery.

But not before Byleth ponders a bit about the three of them.

They think Claude has an easy smile that is striking as well as fake, that Edelgard is constantly judging them and that Dimitri seems honest but with a lot of darkness to hide. What that means, we still don't know.

All in all, a decent Prologue. There isn't a lot here to chew on, but it shows the basic mechanics fine enough. The lightning is great and I LOVE Fòdlan Winds as a track.

Fòdlan as a whole has a particularly distinct sound, I think. Though I wouldn't be able to tell you why.

I am still baffled they have you choose a route this soon, though, and while the house leaders bickering with each other already is just worrying in-universe for the storm that will one day come, the fact they already seem to be throwing themselves at Byleth's feet for just killing a few bandits is mainly concerning for the narrative.

While I don't think power fantasies are inherently a bad thing, I fear it wouldn't gel at all with what Fòdlan seems to be going for. But I guess we'll see.

Lastly before closing off, a few notes about the characters we met until now.

Seiros: Local goddess is fucking pissed. I guess we'll see the aftermath of what happened in the intro soon enough. Also I still swear her design is Greek-inspired.

Nemesis: Wonder what caused the war between him and Seiros to begin with?

My guess is likely the creation of the legendary weapons given that, you know, they seem to be made out of Seiros' family and that is enough reason for her to want him dead. But if that's the case, we still don't know why he did that. Is it just for power, or something else?

Byleth: Not gonna lie, getting a few red flags from the way they're handled. No customization options, a mostly silent protagonist, their dialogue choices may very well have barely any effect. Not to mention they already seem to sloowly gravitate the plot around them.

Jeralt:

Jokes aside, he seems fine as a parent. Save for him not doing anything during a bandit attack.

The question is always not if he's gonna kick the bucket, but when. I even somewhat know the how.

Hey, he's a Fire Emblem parent, is that really a spoiler?

By the way, I'm suprised he's a Paladin. Always thought he was, you know, a Mercenary, but maybe that's just because I kept comparing him to Greil given they're both mercenary dads.

Sothis:

BEST GIRL BEST GIRL BEST GI-

*ahem*

I freaking love her.

She's the perfect combination between refined and a sassy chaotic gremlin, and she has one of my favorite tropes which is living inside another character's body. I am SO excited she can talk to Byleth whenever (and apparently read their thoughts?) and can't wait to see what they do with her!

Alois: Very little to say since we barely met him, but he seems a jolly fellow.

Claude: You know, maybe this is a 4D chess move I don't understand, but isn't the whole point of a schemer and deciever to NOT come across as sketchy? I feel constantly talking about how sus you are kinda undermines that but, what do I know.

Edelgard: Ah, the one who just mentioning her name starts a flame war. Not much to say about her yet, although she seems the type to sleep light with a few knives on her person, given how openly mistrusting of others she is.

Also she is a massive kaiju fangirl. I don't care how little sense that makes, you will have to take that headcnon from my dead body.

Dimitri: Honestly right now I'm just waiting to see what that "darkness" is about. I just know it will lead to him becoming VERY murdery in the timeskip so boy, can't wait to see him snap.

Introduction

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#fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe16 #faye's fòdlan journal #azure moon

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pholiabanna · 10 months

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The way if mlvn is endgame, it just lacks any interesting continuation bc what is the plot??

S3- they lie + break up. Mike blurts out he loves El and El overhears it. At the end of the season she comes to Mike and says i love you too but Mike cannot respond because he is 'insecure' apparently. They get together.

S4- El lies because Mike cannot say ily. They spend the season separated. Mike realizes now he can say ily to El... while El is in another dimension and cannot respond (so a switch situation to S3 scenario). Now El doesn't respond to Mike at the end of S4.

S5 - NOW IT IS EL WHO CANNOT SAY ILY!!! But she has to say it!! and respond to Mike's monologue!!! Like??? pls this is just so terrible!

Yeah, I agree so much. They've (intentionally) made them unredeemable as a couple as of season 4, and if they were still together in s5 they would need even MORE conflict (since conflict is essential for writing a storyline and making a story move forwards, even if it's the story of a romantic relationship). But it's gotten to a point that if there's even one more conflict between them most of the audience will be actually pissed off (they already were in s4, just look at some of the most viral GA tweets last year hating on them).

For me this makes it even more obvious they will break up, but it also explains why byler is better by miles. If a relationship doesn't have any slow burn at all and they get together jn the first of 5 seasons, they will need, as I've said before, constant conflict to move their story together forwards. However, since byler is a slowburn, their conflict of not having gotten together yet and not having confronted their feelings yet is precisely what's moving their story forwards. But when they overcome this and they finally get together, they will have a perfect and healthy relationship unlike milkvan, not only because they are the right person for each other, but because the story (stranger things) will be over at this point, meaning they won't need to introduce petty conflict in bylers relationship to move their story as a couple forwards because there won't be any story to be told anymore. We'll just be shown at the end that they're established, healthy and mature. And I'm pretty sure seeing this play out will make most of the non homophobic audience who isn't for byler yet because they don't think it will happen, fully root for them after realizing they're just better.

Thanks for the ask, and also if there's tons of spelling mistakes in this I'm sorry, my autocorrect is always a bitch and I'm too tired to proof read rn lmaoo

#byler #byler tumblr #will byers #mike wheeler i know what you are

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willel · 1 year

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Seeing your post about Joyce making Will's clothes and Willel makes me so sad because I just know half of s5 is gonna be about the ships and love triangles and it's so frustrating because I know the stuff we do get will just get buried under ship wars and complaining. I don't care what happens (honestly I'd rather neither Mileven or Byler be endgame at this point) cause no matter what, the "losing" side will use every possible chance to kill a vibe and the "winning" side will just be insufferably smug, it's like a lose lose situation for me lol

Love triangles never work in shows like this. If stranger things was a teen drama, I'm all for shipping and ship wars but for a show so heavy on the plot, having constant romantic drama makes no sense and takes away time we could spend with the actual supernatural aspect idk :/ There's just soooo much more I want explored than Will and El having deep introspective conversations with only Mike again for the 5th season straight

-sigh- Same anon. Same.

I don't think anyone understands how much I am DREADING all the romantic drama next season. I really might just die next season if all my family feels are buried under characters bickering about their romantic feelings. I'm just tired.

I feel like there's so much more to see and understand about these characters but it always get boiled down to who loves who romantically. WHY

Maybe I wouldn't be so tired and bothered if the fandom weren't filled with people fighting about ships day in and day out. Not only that, they sometimes attack the familial bonds because they see them as threats. It's so goddamn annoying and almost impossible to avoid at this point. It's EVERYWHERE

There was another thing I wanted to add to that post but I forgot.

There are some people under the impression that people who care about WillEl (such as myself) only care because of ships (as if that makes sense). That we push Will and El together as siblings to either get in the way of a ship or to support a ship. That caring about WillEl is a recent development. That people only pretend to care because they've become step siblings. That because they don't have as much screen time as the romantic drama, their relationship is worthless an non-existent. That people try to push Will onto El because they think Will should be the main character or some crap.

NO.

WillEl has been around since the beginning. Sure, I didn't hop into ST until 2017 but even when I got here, I remember there was at least one prominent person in this fandom pointing out some of the WillEl things I had been thinking about since I binged season 1 and season 2 (then I started posting my own things under this username and voila)

People don't push Will and El together because they're siblings now. People don't care about them because of ships.

Will and El have a CONNECTION. They've had it from the getgo. Even the actors noticed and understand it. It's always been there!

El RECOGNIZED WILL IN A PICTURE!!! To our knowledge, she has never met or seen Will in her entire life but as soon as she laid her eyes on him she was stricken with recognition. WHY, AREN'T THEY CURIOUS ABOUT THAT???

Don't they ask themselves how Will and El were able to speak to each other in the Upside Down when El has only been able to do that with her mom and possessed Billy???

How about the weird parallels of when El is in the picture, Will is not and when Will is in the picture, El is not??? Or a lot of their scenes being mirrored especially from season 2 onward???

Haven't they questioned what El "saw" about Will when she saved everyone at the Byers house before Joyce or anyone told her a goddamn thing about what was happening???

Can they not feel the connection these two have whenever the topic of the Upside Down enters the conversation??? Have they not seen the constant quiet glances between the two of them whenever something fishy is going on???

Like, of course there could be MORE and I've always wanted more, but these burning questions have been swimming around our part of the fanbase for years and years while they were on the other side only caring about their ships.

And hey, if that's all they care about in a series like this, you do you. Maybe the plot and the supernatural connections just don't interest you and hey, that happens! We've all seen the Star Wars shipping wars after all even though it's supposed to be a sci-fi space adventure.

But I need answers! I love theories!!! And most of all, I LOVE FAMILY FEELS.

If being a shipper in a fandom is your thing, then please do! ... But why oh why do they turn around and try and degrade all these adorable heartfelt platonic and supernatural relationships? I just don't understand it.

Most of all, why the heck the Duffers write it in in the first place. Man. Love triangles are the bane of tv shows (That I don't even watch just know about second hand)

The only love triangles I approve of is Hopper-Joyce-Bob and Lucas-Max-Dustin. Those were tame. To be honest, I'm surprised the fandom isn't shitting itself fighting over Lucas-Max-Dustin, how did the Duffers pull that off? They need to do that again.

#stranger things #this is my journal now apparently #r slash off my chest time

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headspacedad · 8 months

Text

One Piece: ep 6 spoilers

"Why's the waiter coming?"

I'm surprised by who Nami was in cahoots with. I thought it was going to be the Marines. Didn't see the shark people coming.

on a side note, I enjoy the way the pirates are introduced by their wanted posters and then tear them apart in one way or the other.

Anyway, as betrayals go, I thought this one was pretty well done. The show's done a good job of telegraphing Nami's conflict with what she feels about the crew and what she's got going on inside so this switch wasn't a surprise. It was more of a 'to save the crew' in fact than a betrayal.

The shark people were pretty scary too. Scary in a manga way, again, though if you went deeper it could be so much more frightening and dark than that. Also the obvious fish people vs humans gave all kinds of back history that wasn't good vibes. Again, this world building feels so organic and rich, like there's all kinds of stuff going on in places we're not paying attention to and we're just getting one of the stories. I'm really enjoying it and my little seasalt lover's heart is loving the fact everything is ocean based in the world.

Sanji's backstory managed to be weird as hell and also as horrifying as hell. This story is just so good at introducing horror elements into its world but, because they're manga tinted, they never go as dark as they could be, just give you enough to get the flavor. I like Chef, and his magnificent mustache, even more now. I'm glad he and Sanji got a proper goodbye instead of just some tossed insults. The characters deserved more and so did the audience and it was very emotionally satisfying.

I'm not going to lie, I got a swell of emotion when Luffy said "I need you to wake up, Zoro" and then we got the "You're my captain and I'm your first mate" in response. The 'good talk' duo have solidified their bond.

And now we're off to get Nami. I half expected her to leave the map behind with Zoro's body but apparently nope. I get it though. The Shark guy would just go back after Luffy if she had and he wouldn't trust her anymore either. She wouldn't have gained much by tricking him that way and not for long.

The story's built up so well too that by this point when Luffy says they're going after Nami I DON'T feel the cynical 'well yeah, because you've got to get the map back'. I really do believe he's going to get his crew mate back.

And, all right, all right - the clown is back. You guys can chuckle about my previous thoughts in earlier episodes. Not going to lie, the ear thing was disgusting. But I laughed when they pulled his head out of the back at the very end of the episode and I'm weirdly okay with him coming along in this form for the time being. Don't necessarily want him to be a permanent crew member. Just - I'm all for side pieces from time to time in my plot.

Also I saw Blondie sneaking glances at Coby. Pretty sure I'm going to get my bonding with those two. Good. They both deserve it. I doubt it will pay off in this season but I'll be very curious to see where that goes in later seasons if we get them (pay your writers, Netflix and stop canceling series after three seasons)

So thumbs up for this episode as well. It was predictable in a lot of ways but well played in that and so it kept it interesting and enjoyable. I should stop now but I've only got two more episodes to go Netflix tells me so lets burn that oil!

#one piece #spoilers #review

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