#know about both him and the upcoming episodes... i think this is where his arc is heading for now. and it will be UNBEARABLE to watch

[brookheimer]

looking at the 'midseason trailer' and seeing roman fighting his siblings, roman shitting on gerri, roman working for fascists, roman walking proudly through ATN like logan did just two days prior... it's not surprising, but it is fucking sad.

logan's death will not free roman. instead, it will reforge the chains he's worn all his life, casting them in iron -- that's what roman deserves for thinking, for the first time in his life, that maybe he wants the chains off. that's what roman deserves for killing his father by not loving him enough, by not loving him correctly or at the right times. logan's death will not free roman at all. if anything, it will imprison him.

(as always, this got very long, so keep reading under the cut!)

this was the worst case scenario for roman. not just logan dying, but the exact way everything played out. he betrayed his siblings, he fired gerri -- for nothing. he could have been on the plane with his father in his last moments -- he refused. his last interaction with his father was leaving logan a voice message that called him a cunt -- the first time roman has ever, ever, questioned or stood up to his father, and also the last. we don't know what killed logan. we probably never will. but god if it won't feel awfully coincidental to roman: the one time he fought back against his father or even showed the slightest hint of doing so, his father died. is it likely that logan heard roman's voice memo and keeled over because he called him a cunt? no. but is it just as possible as anything else? entirely. roman might have killed his dad. roman murdered logan when he could've been on the plane with him holding his hand, if he were a good son. he didn't even tell logan he loved him. not that he needed to, it fucking oozed from his every pore and the desperate nature of that love was one of the reasons logan could never quite stand him -- but that's not the point. roman's one attempt at agency, at setting boundaries, at standing up for himself killed his fucking father.

logan dying would never have been good for roman, at least in his current state, no matter how the actual death came to pass. people often talk about abusive relationships as if the end-all-be-all fixer to abuse is independence, and it's not. independence isn't always enough to heal, especially not when it's forced upon you rather than something you choose. this is especially true for roman, i think. what roman needed was not just to gain his own independence, but to realize that independence and love are not mutually exclusive, that gaining one does not mean losing the other. logan's always hammered in roman's weakness, his wrongness; roman was never someone who deserved to be loved on his own terms. roman's never considered himself to be someone with agency and authority in his relationships -- he's been told over and over again that he isn't a real person, that there's something deeply wrong and unfixable in him, and he believes it. he's never set boundaries with his father or even his siblings because i don't think he really realizes he has the power to do that. he's simply there until people decide they no longer have use for him or want him around, and he'll always come crawling back after a kick because he doesn't realize he's not on a leash -- that he doesn't need to be on a leash. independence has been unreachable all his life, he isn't normal or real enough to be a real normal independent capable person, but if he grovels and shows his use enough, then maybe he can be loved. but his dependence and loyalty is all he's good for. independence means no love, no family, no relationships. and roman desperately wants, needs, those relationships in a way that none of the other characters do (or at least can admit to) -- he wants his father in his life, no matter what; he wants his siblings in his life, no matter what. but independence, being his own person, separating himself from logan's side means he'd lose everything else, everyone else. he's not good for anything anyways. it's not like he has other options.

...until the start of season four. that's why this is all so tragic -- more than anyone else, it seemed like roman was on the road to healing. it seemed like he was finally realizing that independence and love might not be as mutually exclusive as he's been made to think: maybe he could be independent while still having a relationship with his siblings and even his father. maybe he could have his cake and eat it too. he's realized that he's capable, that he has his own worth, and that he can be successful without living under logan's thumb -- and, more importantly, could still text him on his birthday and try to rebuild a relationship, this time outside of business. outside of "that room" in waystar royco. an actual fucking family relationship. that's what escaping the cycle would look like for roman — not complete separation, not a metaphorical killing of his father, but the ability to live alongside him, to have a life outside of him, to love his father without living for him. so simply removing logan from the equation wouldn’t help roman, not when what he needs most is to realize that self-respect is not mutually exclusive with love, that being your own person isn’t a betrayal, that family and love aren’t dependent on how low you can kneel and won’t be whisked away the moment you stand up. and for the first time in his life, it seemed like he was on track to discovering this. maybe he and the siblings could have the hundred, logan could keep going with atn, and in a few years down the line they'd all get together to talk shop and joke around and coexist -- for the first time, he had started to think of himself as enough of a real, okay person to be allowed to coexist with his family, rather than naturally subordinating himself in every interaction.

roman could’ve been his own person, could’ve escaped the cycle, could’ve started a business with his siblings and tried to heal, but now he won’t. he can’t. roman can’t become his own person now, not when his first attempt to do so is exactly what killed logan. it’s his fault. he fucked up and now there’s no dad. he gained his independence, but at what cost? love. that’s the cost. it always has been and always will be. nothing could be more detrimental to roman roy than the exact series of events that occurred in this episode, because just as he started to see a world beyond his father, logan dies -- proving once and for all that the only world beyond logan is one without him in it at all. that’s been roman’s fear all along and why he’s stuck so close to his side: roman loves and loves and loves and is terrified, terrified, of death. of loss. but in a moment of 'weakness,' roman wobbled (he tried to stand up to logan rather than just taking the kicks as he's supposed to, as he always has), and his father paid the ultimate price. there’s no more dad. there’s no reviving him.

…unless, of course, there is. unless roman can undo his error by choosing his father again, and again, and again. becoming logan is the closest roman can get to resurrecting him, after all. and besides, doesn’t he owe it to dad after killing him? after calling him a cunt, choosing not to be with him on that plane he ended up dying on? after forgetting to even say “i love you dad” before the end? roman needs to fix things. needs to make it like dad's still here. needs to make it like he didn't kill his own father by refusing him for the first time in his life. so roman will be the firebreather logan wanted -- he'll do ATN, he'll push for mencken, he'll do whatever it fucking takes to try and make things right. if it's his fault logan's no longer here, then he needs to do everything he possibly can to fulfill his dying wishes, to do what logan would've done, were he alive.

"dad can't die, he's dad." he can't ever die. he's immortal, and his immortality was solidified by the circumstances of his death -- logan will not die. he’ll live on in roman, as roman.

roman will make sure of it.

#to clarify -- i do not think this is roman's endgame. i Hope it is not his endgame. i just think based on the previews and everything we #know about both him and the upcoming episodes... i think this is where his arc is heading for now. and it will be UNBEARABLE to watch #i'm hoping things get better by the end. that there's reconciliation and an ending open enough to allow for a slim possibility of future #healing. but as of right now... i think things are going to get a lot - a LOT - fucking worse before they get better (if they get better..) #k it's 1:30 am i haven't read over this at all so fair warning there. but yeah. told yall i had a lot of thoughts re: what this might do to #roman. hats off to jesse armstrong for creating the literal worst situation imaginable for him. fucking ingenious. i too love putting this #sad little man in situations! but yeah. gonna be watching thru my hands but eating it up while weeping etc etc etc #succession #succession spoilers #roman roy #succession meta #succession s4 #connor's wedding #logan roy #casey shut the fuck up about roman roy #100 #500 #succession speculation

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Ok so Buck is getting a meta before I write my 7x03 meta and it’s all because of this still we just got!

We haven’t seen Buck in blue jeans (he’s worn jeans they’ve just always been super black) since season 2x01 - you know when Eddie rocked up at the station and put his shirt on - yeah you’re all thinking what I’m thinking aren’t you!!! The parallels of that jealous Buck and upcoming jealous Buck keep on paralleling. Putting him back in this style of jeans now is so very deliberate and interesting - if you ask me it’s playing not only into jealous Buck, but also into Buck and his hamster wheel - it’s playing on the whole buck 1.0 upgrade to 2.0 etc - there’s something about the fact that Buck essentially stops wearing jeans when he bonds with Eddie - something in the idea that that was the moment he was being both more true to himself, but also hiding a part of himself as well - it’s almost as if the intention is to parallel and revisit some of earlier Buck and explore him opening up the part he hid. Now with the context of Buck in s2 being in a (intense for him) relationship that’s shifted and ended without him knowing/ accepting it and a new guy coming on the scene sparking jealousy before creating a strong bond, and the parallel/juxtaposition of what we’re about to see - new guy sparking jealousy and presenting a threat to his status quo whilst he shares an intense bond with Eddie is a pretty interesting concept - the idea that they may be playing into the beginning of Buck recognising that his relationship with Eddie is changing and different in the same way he slowly figured out Abby had left him - only this time it’s changing in the opposite direction - stronger more unbreakable and allows him to be his true self - well that would be an amazing piece of storytelling in my opinion.

Now obviously alayna and the wardrobe team wouldn’t have known way back in the beginning of s2 that the story was going to head in this direction, but a great designer can make choices that they made in previous seasons work for them in future ones. So to me it feels like this sudden switch back to jeans is deliberate and about tying into the past to move and change things in the present/future. Alayna knows the full arc Buck is on and the fact she’s chosen now to do this when she could’ve done it at any point or not done it at all tells me all I need to know!

Would you like some other things we’ve got going on with this outfit?? I thought you would and I’m here to serve!

We’ve seen Buck in a spotty shirt like this one exactly twice before - 2x14 when he’s at a diner with Maddie talking about Buck finding his own apartment and Maddie going back to hers and going on her second first date with Chim.

Side bar - This is the episode we ‘hear’ of Tommy in the present tense - funnily enough to save Eddie - which in light of Eddie Tommy bestism were about to get is making me chuckle (it’s clever writing and retcon) in technical terms it’s the only reference we have of him as still working for LAFD - all his other appearances are in begins episodes so ‘historical’ rather than in the present!

And then we see a different spotty shirt when he goes to see Chase Mackey in 3x04

There’s also the other dark short sleeved button ups we see him in - not spotty, but striped - the one in 4x14 when Taylor comes back,

The most awkward I love you in the history of television in 5x09 has Buck in dark navy blue with vertical stripes (I don’t have the ref picture handy as I’m on my phone but I’ll come back and add it later 😎🤓)

Then we have 6x10 and the buckley-Han family get together where everyone finds out buck has donated his sperm to Connor and Kameron

All of these scenes are pretty key moments in Bucks arcs and what I find interesting (with the exception of the first one - 2x14 which kind of fits but also doesn’t) is that they are all moments that lead to developmental regression by Buck - under the guise of growth - moments when he thinks he’s moving forward but is in fact either side stepping or going backwards. Suing Bobby and the fire department is obviously the loudest of these moments, but they all fall into this category.

2x14 is perhaps the most interesting and relevant (what with the pattern being almost the same) in reality it’s a scene about Maddie moving forward and getting on with her life - that happens to also include buck getting his own apartment rather than camping out in her dining room. Thing is Maddie talks about going to therapy and putting in the work to feel and find normal in the aftermath of a major traumatic event. In some ways the chase Mackey spotted shirt kind of also falls into this same category - the aftermath of a major (or two) traumatic event for Buck and him trying to get back to his normal (he’s just going about it all wrong)

And here in season 7 we have Buck back in a dark short sleeved spotty shirt in the aftermath of a major traumatic event (Bobby and Athenas Cruise disaster - he couldve lost his dad) trying to get back to normal (something we’ve seen him trying to do for the back half of s6 obviously) and I can’t help but wonder - with Oliver talking about Buck getting off the hamster wheel he’s been stuck on - whatever happens whilst Buck is in this shirt is going to be a major catalyst for him. its going to set him off on his arc for this season and we'll to put in the work his sister did post killing Doug and actually move forward and learn about himself in the process. What that looks like I don’t know but the scene this is from is going to be key to his escape from repeating his past mistakes and actually growing towards his happiness.

The costume department haven’t let me down yet so I’m feeling pretty excited for that scene!

#I’m telling you this scene is the catalyst!!! #mini meta #buck costume meta #kym costume meta #911 stills #911 spoilers #911 abc #evan 'buck' buckley #7x04

[lizaluvsthis]

I feel like they're doing a lot of episodes centered around 3 and 4's relationship as of recently, like almost every episode ever since WOTFI 2023 has in some way been about 3 and 4 in some way, they're definitely cooking up something...

Would be weird to be doing a lot of episodes cented around one of the protagonists and a tritagonist's relationship without a reason...

Yes I've noticed that, it's why I randomly show up in a constance of space to ramble about these ga- i mean- 'friends.'

Ive had me suspicions on randomly show ups with SMG3 because it is never unlikely we get this much of episodes with SMG3 in it. I feel like something would go wrong about Three's most appearnce as a tritagonist role from his character.

I'm aware of what would have the consequences to happen in the future, once he gets involved with the Adware themself. Either be possessed. Either d-e. We're not sure about this because when we mostly used the Axol theory who existed in the seasons and d-ed.

The protagonist which is Melony, were his loving partner who were to suffer the most from grief. Besides me mentioning them. I really do feel like they are trying to hint something that SMG3 will be a more focused main character in the series.

We never know when the arc will happen soon. But just for me to say, I noticed not a while back is that. Back before the new designs or even wotfi 2022. Lets get to the older episodes where SMG3 specifically appears around the episodes which as the months of March, October, or even Jul- June? Was it?

We're both not sure about this because with the new episodes been released that included smg3. It seems to me that they've broken the schedule whenever smg3 gets to be in a month where he is in other episodes. But the new ones could be making us think harder with it.

It wouldn't be weird for me to call but too "skeptical" for me that they'd release a season filled with SMG3 dump from other episodes in everywhere.

I doubt that they're only putting this so that the tritagonist can get some attention from the fans. When he'd already been considerately part of the SMG4 Crew members.

He'd play as a focused one because why the hell not? This is SMG3 and SMG4 we're talking about and there is no denying that they will both end up in something important.

Like any other with Axol and Melony's Bond.

Because it's more different with these two. They both have a slow form of chemistry during the years. And therefore is slowly having to form into something else.

Call me crazy or insane one last time or again and again, but I'll have to put on.

"SMG3 is being put in the episodes because he'll be more of a valuable person to appear mostly in the near upcoming 'strange' event."

Even if he were to call as a villain, he is still a tritagonist. He is there with his boy- i mean- FRIEND. To be there with. To return a favor. And have something that he's hiding to yet reveal.

But with his insignificant torture with people, his line never ends when he kept calling SMG4 "Baka" in the other episodes there-has-been.

SMG3 can never go back because he's already there, his appearance meant everything from the entire fanbase/community.

Because everyone here is now making these bunch of unexplained theories where it can have the possibilities for him to di- i mean- possessed. Or something angsty would happen in the further future.

But we'll never know that in a certain fact.

Unless it'd be more serious...

#lizafixates #smg4 #smg34 #smg3 #smg4 smg3

[cinderella-ish]

Momiji, Kyo, and what it means to protect the ones we love (part 5 of 5)

From the beach arc onward, we see Kyo intentionally spending more time with Tohru. He asks her to hang out in Kyoto, he eventually agrees to be in the play, they spend the New Year together, and he does little nice things for her when he can, like washing her scarf, or giving her the paper flower when he sees how upset she is.

This isn't wildly different from S1 Kyo, of course. He's done little nice things for her right from the beginning, like going to pick her up from work in E2. But he's more intentional with it now, and he's aware of his feelings for Tohru and desire to spend time with her. He may still feel unworthy of her, but he finally accepts that his presence makes her happy, so he's willing to quash his self-hatred enough to spend time with her, for her sake.

And we see Momiji work at protecting Tohru, most notably in Ask Him For Me, when he tries to accompany her on her mission to find Kureno, and when she insists on going alone, he draws her a map, tells her to stick to the bushes and give his name if she's caught, and tails her to make sure she doesn't get into trouble as she searches for Kureno. (Just look how worried he is! And look at him getting Tohru out of there!) He sees that Tohru feels very strongly about being involved, so he does absolutely everything he can to make sure she can do so as safely as possible. We even see his memory of the night Akito scratched Tohru's cheek, just to make his worries crystal clear.

He also doesn't try to distract or manipulate Tohru when he realizes she's upset. He asks her what's wrong and listens, and he even cries with her.

Takaya also connects Momiji and Kyo in the structure of Ask Him For Me/manga chapters 74 and 75. Momiji's section of this episode is almost bookended by two appearances from Kyo.

Near the beginning, Tohru asks Kyo about Kureno, and he warns her not to go looking for trouble. And at the end, we have that rooftop conversation.

Tohru: It's only natural to want to be with the person you love, to want to be by their side, right? Kyo: What is it? Are you in love with some guy? Tohru: N-n-n-no! It's not about me! Kyo: Don't worry. When you do fall in love, you'll have my full support.

So, in this episode, we have Momiji trying to protect Tohru, and Kyo trying to cheer her up and spend time with her, a complete reversal from where they started relative to each other.

And then, Momiji grows up.

After Golden Week, a bunch of the kids gather at Shigure's house for dinner, and when Tohru notices that Kyo isn't with them, Momiji volunteers to go get him (Momiji really is always the one to invite Kyo to join everyone). In the manga, Tohru starts crying when she notices that Kyo's not with them, no doubt thinking of Kyo's upcoming confinement.

When Momiji arrives in Kyo's room, they have this exchange:

Kyo: You guys are gonna eat here, too? Momiji: It's okay, we settled on curry. Kyo: Whatever. You grew a lot, huh? Momiji: Right? Pretty soon I might be taller than you, and better looking! And then, and then... maybe Tohru will accept my proposal? Do you get that if you give up, something like that might happen? So you shouldn't give up. I'm gonna stop going, 'There's no point in thinking about this,' and giving up. Wouldn't it sting if some other guy took Tohru from you? Well, look at the time! We better go help make curry! Come on!

In the manga, it's made clear that Kyo is horrified that everyone knows he loves Tohru. He stands separate from the rest of the group at the barbecue. In the manga, he and Tohru share a cute moment of blushing eye contact.

I love how Momiji says he'll stop thinking it's pointless, too, after he encourages Kyo not to give up. In a conversation where he could have focused on the fact that Kyo is his romantic rival, he instead focuses on the fact that they both might have futures worth fighting for. They're fighting beside each other, even if they can't both be the one Tohru loves romantically.

Later that episode (or a few chapters later), Momiji's curse breaks. He now has a real future ahead of him, but he sees how Tohru looks at Kyo, and he knows that his own future won't be at her side like he wants.

Kyo: Momiji? Jeez, you're here of all places. Tohru and them are inside looking for you, so- Momiji: What? Kyo: Huh? Uh, nothing. Did something happen? Momiji: My curse is broken. Would it surprise you if I said that? Kyo: What? Listen, you- Momiji: Yours breaking would make Tohru happier than mine breaking. I'm sure she'd be happy. I mean... you know, right? I'm the one this stings. Kyo: Shut up. I don't wanna realize that. It's too...

Gosh, this scene breaks my heart every time. On both of their behalves. Momiji is dealing with his first real heartbreak, and Kyo is dealing with his extremely complicated feelings about loving Tohru, his guilt over Kyoko's death, and his upcoming confinement in the Cat's House.

It's clear Kyo cares for Momiji in this scene, and Momiji really tries to put on a happy face for Kyo, but he can't. Megumi Han does an outstanding job as Momiji in this scene. The way her voice breaks when Momiji smiles and says, "Would it surprise you if I said that?" is just crushing.

The visual storytelling is stunning, too. The wide shots, emphasizing how lonely both Momiji and Kyo are. The way the scene is composed to emphasize the distance between them. The close-ups on their faces when they're each grappling with the thing that's gutting them. The way Momiji's smiles are always immediately followed by the saddest looks. The way their solo shots mirror each other's, at the beginning, middle, and end. We also don't see Kyo's eyes between the moment Momiji says his curse is broken and when Kyo is saying, "I don't wanna realize that."

Before the beach arc, I don't think Momiji would have watched that sort of interaction from a distance, and I don't think he would have let it stop him from making plans with Tohru. He would've just wanted to make her smile and spend as much time with her as possible, even if that meant ignoring her feelings. And he definitely wouldn't have let himself feel sad. Momiji's pain in this scene is evidence of his growth.

That night, Momiji goes to speak to Akito, after having dismissed her the night before. His speech to her might be my favorite moment of the whole series. It's the climax of Momiji's arc, at the very least.

Momiji: I'm sorry I sent you home alone yesterday. I spent the whole day thinking. Wondering why my curse is gone... only mine. I couldn't think of anything that would cause it. But I can say this: Akito, I can't stay by your side for the rest of my life. And you can't tie me down anymore. [Akito slaps Momiji] Akito: Monster! Traitor. Traitor! [Akito beats her fists against Momiji's chest] Akito: If you leave here, leave me, you've got no place to go! Your mother and father won't just welcome you back! No one will! You'll never be happy! Momiji: I know. I've become so free, and so lonely. The curse breaking doesn't mean I'll get the girl I want. And the bonds that unconditionally connected me to everyone are gone. It's too late. I can't go back to before things were broken. But... but don't tell me that not having those things means I can't be happy! Don't just decide that! I feel vulnerable being free, but a happiness might exist for me! It might be somewhere in the future, waiting for me to catch up! I'm going to finally start walking along my own life's path. What about you? How long will you stay here? The person most afraid that if they leave this place, they'll have no home and no happiness... Akito: Shut up. Just shut up. Get lost. Momiji: Okay.

It's almost the credo of the whole series, isn't it? That it's better to make your own way, with no guarantee of love or happiness, than to cling to bonds that have become a burden and wish for things to never change. What Momiji's saying is what Akito needs to accept in order to be free herself.

And Momiji, despite all the loss he's suffered, despite having his heart broken that very afternoon, he's still determined to keep going.

I love this as the climax for Momiji's arc because it showcases the ways he's grown while also showing us the things that have always made him such a special character. He's standing up for himself and his future, not afraid to make Akito angry or say things she doesn't want to hear. He's acknowledging that it hurts, and that he might never have the family he so desires. But he also might.

It's a waste of time to think about loss or life getting harder. The traveler never thought about that stuff.

He still has hope, even as everything seems so dark. And he still tries to help Akito, even after everything she's done to him.

The parallels between Kyo and Akito in this episode/chapter are so well done. For both of them, the pain of moving forward is just too much right now, but Momiji still wants to see them both move forward anyway, and he's telling them this in a straightforward, mature way, rather than manipulating them.

And Momiji's not done affecting Kyo's arc.

After Kyo asks Tohru if she loves him, we see Momiji's face and hear him say, "I mean... you know, right?" Once more, it's Momiji whose voice Kyo hears at such a crucial moment.

It's painful for Kyo to finally accept that Tohru loves him. He doesn't know she already knows about his confinement, and worse still, he knows he has to tell her about the day of her mother's death.

But again, it was Momiji who led Kyo to realize that he loves Tohru in S2, and now it's Momiji leading Kyo to realize that Tohru loves him, too.

After Kyo unloads his guilt on Tohru, and Tohru falls from the cliff, it's really Yuki who gets Kyo to take the final step toward accepting Tohru's love, so I won't say much about that except to point out that Yuki says making Tohru smile was protecting her, and that only Kyo could make her smile like that.

I think this scene, where Momiji and Kagura team up to tease Kyo, is the last time we see Kyo and Momiji together. But they're still affecting each other's arcs all the way to the end.

After Kyo and Tohru get together, they visit Kyoko's grave, and Kyo asks Tohru to move away with him.

It's selfish, and it's going to take Tohru away from everyone else, but he still asks anyway. It's a very Momiji-like thing for him to do.

And then, he says this:

I'm taking her with me. You good with that? I'll keep my promise. I know I'm really late, but... I'll protect her for life. So, we're good, right?

He's taking her with him, and he'll protect her for life. He's learned from Momiji, but he's still Kyo.

As they get ready to leave, Tohru starts reminiscing and starts to cry because she'll miss everyone so much.

Kyo: Clearly you don't get it. Listen up: everyone loves you more than you think they do. So it'll be okay. This isn't the last time you'll ever see them. It's the start of a new banquet, right?

In his last appearance, Kyo hugs her and cheers her up and offers a healthy dose of optimism for their future.

And the last time we see Momiji, he's sitting at the dojo with Haru and Rin.

Momiji: More importantly, how dare Kyo take Tohru with him! I bet he just wants her all to himself. I wanna pinch him! Really hard! Haru: Why not pinch him tomorrow? Momiji: Nah, I can't do it in front of Tohru. Oh, but thanks to him, I have another dream. I'm going to find an amazing significant other, and we're gonna go visit them just to show off! So Tohru had better stay happy. She'd better keep on smiling, or I'll be disappointed.

He's complaining and getting annoyed at Kyo (and threatening light physical violence!), but he's still dreaming of a bright future for himself. And he's trusting Kyo to keep cheering Tohru up in their new home.

When I started thinking about writing this series, the point I thought I'd be making was that Momiji functioned as Kyo's mentor in Fruits Basket. But after putting these posts together, I really think it'd be more accurate to say they were each other's mentors. Their relationship has a mutuality from the start. I hope they remained close as adults.

And I really hope Momiji found an amazing partner.

Momiji and Kyo: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Here's a plug for my fic, Bloom Within Us. It's a canon-divergent AU where Tohru dies after falling from the cliff. I've really enjoyed exploring Momiji and Kyo's relationship in that story. If you've enjoyed this series, I hope you'll check it out!

#fruits basket #furuba #fruba #kyo sohma #momiji sohma #akito sohma #kagura sohma #tohru honda #hatsuharu sohma #furuba analysis #fruba analysis #fruits basket analysis #character analysis #analysis #rich characterization #character traits #character development #story structure #kyo and momiji are basically brothers! #romance #kyoru #kyo x tohru #my meta #by cinderella-ish #character arcs #complementary character arcs #fanfic #ao3 #ao3 fanfic #ao3 link

[theflyindutchwoman]

I know it’s disappointing that Lucy ranked so low in the detective’s exam, but let’s not forget that hardship when it comes to promotions it’s nothing new in the show. Both Angela and Nolan had their problems before getting to their current positions. One of the first things we learned about Angela is that she wanted to make detective and she didn’t make it until season 3 and Nolan was sent away so he couldn’t take the TO exam (in hindsight they just handed him the promotion later on in season 5 but I hope it kinda shows my point?)

Don’t get me wrong, I would have love for our girl to get the score she actually deserves, but I also wanna see where we go from here.

Oh, as disappointed and enraged as I am for Lucy, I also want to see how this is all going to play out. And in light of her upcoming storyline, let's just say that I'm even more intrigued. But what makes this so heartbreaking is the unfairness of the situation and the optics. It was never about Lucy's competence, even though that's the only thing that should matter. It was never about the sprinklers. That was just a convenient excuse. She got penalised for something that might be questionable (the five-player trade and getting her man a promotion) but she didn't break any rule. Worse : her promotion was blocked by someone who directly reaped the rewards of what she did. Let's take the time to acknowledge that Primm is now a lieutenant while he was still referred as a detective in s5.

And yet, this is nothing new. When Lucy found out about her score, all I could think about was what she said back in s1 : "Look, this kind of obstacle is new to you, but it's status quo for me. You're a novelty item right now, but in 13 months, you'll be a P2, and the cops will treat you like one of the guys, but I'll- I'll have to prove myself to every cop I work with." (1.01) "You'll never be in my shoes. And you'll never know how unfair that is." (1.04) And I hope that this is acknowledged. I hope this is part of her arc. Because this is all too real for women. And even more so for women of color.

Because yes, you're right, Angela and Nolan faced some hardships before being promoted… In Angela's case, it was due to a terrible mistake that she did. One that had devastating consequences (don't get me wrong, it was heartbreaking to see Angela in that position and she more than earned her promotion). Now, Nolan's situation was far more similar to the one Lucy's in : he pissed off a higher-up who decided to block him. Only since it lasted one episode, I can barely consider this as a hardship. Especially since he actually got the Golden Ticket for his trouble. You know, the thing that Nyla got after years of intense undercover work… (again with the optics here). So unless Lucy gets back on track in an episode or two, that would be a major double standard. One that circles back to what Lucy said in s1. And one that isn't new. Nolan broke the rules several times along the years and while he got punished, it never really stuck for long. Whereas Lucy hasn't broken anything and still got penalised.

All of this to say that I don't mind this storyline as long as it is treated properly. Besides, it's not like we didn't know it was coming… We were warned since the moment we found out about the detective exam. So I am looking forward to seeing what Lucy will do next. One thing I know is that every time she has been underestimated, she has prevailed and proved herself. But that's part of the issue, isn't it? She still has to prove herself. Despite getting a medal, despite being handpicked for the UC Academy while still being on patrol, despite being chosen to act as Watch Commander for a day, despite being listed as the arresting officers while she was an aide… All of these things that were supposed to help her advance her career weren't enough in the end. Scratch that : it didn't even matter. And that's why it hurts so much. So I really hope that she gets everything she deserves at the end of her arc. That this is going to be her season :)

#I guess I have a lot of feelings #I'm sorry Anon for unloading on your ask 🫣 #ask & ye shall receive #the rookie #chenford #lucy chen #6.03

[1000sunnygo]

(1.6.2024) Mugiwara space vol. 17 feat. Kazuya Nakai and Kamiya Hiroshi highlights! I don't promise accuracy

Source (give it a listen if you have time! it has teasers to the new opening and ending)

-

Kazuya Nakai - Zoro || Kamiya Hiroshi - Law

-It's Kamiya's second time in Twitter Space, previously he was with Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy). He says that last time he babbled a lot thanks to Mayumi san's presence, even though he forgot most of it by now (hmm how convenient that you forgot this, kamiya san 🤨)

-Anytime One Piece (the 24/7 YouTube broadcast of the episodes) has 150M views and already in its 4th lap having completed broadcasting all episodes 3 times.

-The entire Space focused on the two voice actors reading out a heap of letters from the animation staffs about the Zoro vs King and Kid-Law vs Big Mom episodes.

-Kamiya jokes about being slightly younger than Nakai and calling him "Nakai-kun" instead of "Nakai san". Funny that Kamiya's career as a voice actor is actually longer than Nakai's.

-The Zoro vs King finale had 20000 frames in the episode which set a record. The movements were a lot more fluid and film-level. After all, often it's considered overwork if it crosses 5000 frames in a TV episode.

- The animators themselves tried out new things. It seems in one of the shots, Wado ichimonji's direction was reversed from the manga's direction as a realistic correction. Cue jokes about Zoro (and King's) long (long) attack names. Also, anticipation for legendary Mihawk vs Zoro to match the quality.

- Cutting to Kid-Law vs BM, Kamiya commented that it was scary that the fluidity of movements was so good that it made him wonder if that level of effort was necessary at all (he said it's like a Disney movie).

(in case you didn't know, this scene was indeed animated by an animator who worked in Disney.)

- Kamiya says it was both fortunate and unfortunate that Mami Koyama (Big Mom) wasn't there with them in the booth (she recorded her part separately). Both Kamiya and Nakai agreed that they'd give up immediately if they were to confront against Mami Koyama somehow.

- Kamiya also noted that Big Mom used "ore" to call herself in the final scene ("I am Big Mom") - exerting dominance 💪 her falling scene was intentionally animated beautifully.

- 1066 was animated by people all over the world, so the time adjustments and language barrier was a challenge. Episode director Henry thurlow balanced it well. In his letter, Henry credited the animation director for adjusting a variety of art styles from all participating animators. It was his first time directing a One piece episode, in fact it's the first time a foreigner has directed an anime episode. He thinks the episode was successful.

- Kamiya was calling Kidd "the extra budget man" for having his complicated-to-animate attacks costing extra budget 💸

-In the final scene vs Misery, Kamiya was asked to ad-lib breathing sound for Law. Kamiya immediately said "sure, got it". Regarding this, Kamiya said he loves doing ad-libs, it adds a little more life to the characters.

- Finally, announcement for the upcoming Egghead arc debut in anime (Nakai was exhausted of reading letters so Kamiya took over to read director Nagamine's final letter lol)

- The Egghead arc would appear in a new artstyle. Unlike the serious WCI and Wano, there's a more relaxed, "fun adventure" vibe for the future adventure island. And the animators are finally free from the torture of drawing Kaido's scales (and the kimono design patterns) so they're in a relaxed mood having escaped wano 🌞 and entering "the cool future where zoro has long legs and wears dove shoes" 👢✨

-(letter cont.) "..Also, about a certain change in Law! What will happen to his voice? It's an interesting future!"

Kamiya: Well, I just finished recording that. My voice is still cracking 😎 *nonchalantly continues reading*

Nakai: is it okay to spoil like that??

(fr Kamiya would not share Law's role with ANYONE even if he turns into a woman huh)

And that's it for the highlight!

#what i got is that kamiya san came to the studio to voice Law's upcoming episode and that's why mugiwara space was decided to air today 🤔 #my translations #trafalgar law #one piece #trafalgar d. water law #roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #charlotte linlin #big mom #eustass captain kidd #eustass kid #egghead arc #one piece episode 1089 #one piece anime #one piece manga #one piece 1066 #one piece 1062 #one piece king #kazuya nakai #hiroshi kamiya #female law #female trafalgar law #one piece translations #mine #my translation

[princessamericachavez]

okay so i’ve been thinking nonstop about this post by @anxieteandbiscuits​ pointing out how everything about Buck and Eddie’s arcs is eventually tying back up to Buck’s couch because it was stablished in the very first episode this season and the show was telling us where it was taking these characters this time around. Which got me thinking about what we saw stablished in that first ep and how showed us what the last couple eps of the season would give us. 

So we got Bobby and Athena, right? And we had a very clear reminder that Bobby struggles with his sobriety every day through his insistence to stay busy at the cruise to avoid temptation at the 11 bars. Which eventually lead to more about his history with AA, Wendell and Bobby’s struggles. We also had that last scene of the episode with Athena’s parents, connecting to her past. If we take ep2 of the season into account, we are also seeing a nod at Athena’s past loss and, through her mother’s own fear of losing her father, her fear of grief and losing another partner like her first fiancé. Which will probably come to a head in the finale after the 6x17 setup. 

For Hen? We saw her struggle with her work-life balance. Trying to juggle med school, a job and her family. And we saw, clearly, that what she was neglecting was her interpersonal relationships. We see this when she misses her lunch date with Athena and still accepts more responsibility as interim captain from Bobby. Later, in the second episode (because I really do feel like the first two episodes this season were a single arc setting up the upcoming storylines) we see this further pushed when Karen calls Hen out for forgetting to pick her son up, and Hen breaking down because she failed her tests and feels like a failure after the Happiness Convention death. We saw Hen struggle with balance between all these sides of her life through the rest of 6a and it was solved by the end. (I do wish the show’d let her go on with this throughout the entire season because it feel like they ran out of things for Hen in 6b and recycled the biodad thing, but that’s a complaint for another day)

Then, for Chimney and Maddie, we had the big decision of Maddie moving back in with him, of them being a family again, we had Chim’s fear of being left behind and Maddie being the one to take the necessary steps to reassure him that she’s not going anywhere. All that? Yep, set up for the proposal! We’ve seen a huge advancement on their relationship this season and it was pretty clearly telegraphed in the very first episode!

Now, Eddie’s arc this season has been rather understated, probably because he went through so much in s5. However, rewatching 6x01 I was very curious to see that Eddie mentions Shannon for the first time in a good while that episode! When Chimney is talking about running out on Maddie the morning after their “one night stand”, Eddie recalls that he had Shannon sneak out to avoid Christopher catching her in his bed and he talks about how hhis vere was using Chris as an excuse to protect his heart. It sounds very familiar, right? So curiously enough, while we didn’t see much of his loneliness arc play out in 6a, it was lightly stablished (and probably expanded through him going through so many milestones with Chris this season, with the wanting to do things on his own and his first crush, both signaling that Chris is growing up and Eddie can’t devote himself to his son 100% of the time anymore to avoid getting hurt again). 

Which finally leads us to Buck and his very clear pursuit of happiness. Which, curiously, begins with his desire to be considered for interim captain. Which is nothing weird, we know Buck wishes, more than anything, to be seen as worthy (of respect, of love, of a home, of a family). I don’t think we’ve talked enough about how the couch theory connects directly with Buck wanting to be a captain. To the point where twice he asks if not having a couch is an issue for it. Now, keep in mind, Buck drew a very clear correlation between couches and relationships and his fear of making the wrong choice again. The conversation also has some curious nods about having what you want “right under your nose but refusing to see it”. Uh... Anywayyyyy the second ep of the season hammered this down with the Happiness Convention and how clearly it affected Buck, how badly he craves that answer and that peace. When Bobby talks to Buck about being at ease as per AA standards, he does mention that it requires being able to look the world in the eye and being ok alone, but since we already saw Buck in his single chair for a while and ok with that decision until the wrong couch (and likely the wrong relationship) were brought to him by his death experience, I don’t thing his “happy ending” will be solitude. 

Now, on a final sidenote, I will say that I could be inclined to deny the correlation between the Diaz’s and Buck’s search for a couch if it wasn’t for 6x12. Because, before that, there was little to no mention of Buck’s lack of couch (as opposed to the constant nods to his search for happiness and meaning and the whole donor plot). But after 6x11 made a BIG point of reminding us about the theory and how Buck sees it, and then 6x12 did THAT with Eddie’s couch, only to later double down on it in 6x15 with Christopher... I think whatever the answer to this theory is HAS to be somehow related to Chris and Eddie. Whether it’ll be in a romantic manner or a familial one or simply just stating that Buck’s found happiness and peace with them... remains to be seen tomorrow. But they’ve definitely set up the story to go there (or clowned me hard with deceptive storytelling which would annoy me to no end).

Anyway, that’s my long winded analysis just to say that I love how this show has stablished so many things since the first episode of the season and I’m really looking forward to see where they take us in the finale. 

#911 fox #911 spec #but not really #is mainly analysis #buddie

[athousandbyeol]

discussion #8 (only friends): topmew are fighting a losing battle from the beginning [episode 1 recap]

there are so many things to unravel and i don't even know where to begin. i was quite overwhelmed and underwhelmed during the premiere of only friends. i couldn't fathom everything that was happening as episode 1 was A LOT, but i'll try my best to gather everything that i see from these two episodes in two different posts (and will try to be as coherent and concise as possible).

as always, my discussion posts are always welcomed to incite more discourses everywhere. i hope it can provide a bit of clarity to the thoughts or questions everyone has especially about topmew.

please take this with a grain of salt :)

let's begin.

episode 1: the game begins

topmew's first encounter; the baseline of top's interest in mew

so, it turns out, top and mew met way before boston introduced them to each other! that was a very pleasant surprise. and also very essential to the 'possible' topmew love arc.

i believe, during their first encounter, top was possibly annoyed by this guy (mew) who happened to bump into him and spill the drink all over his shirt. but as mew poorly attempted to fix the mess, top was more interested in mew's white wristband.

this is when things get interesting. white wristband means celibacy; mew isn't interested to be 'hit on'. but top outwardly said, "you're wearing a white wristband. i guess i can hit on you." at this point, top is really colour blind

but what top said there showed his egoistic/self-centred nature. i guess when top said this to other people, they might immediately agree to 'get laid' by the top tier. but clearly, mew (and ray) wasn't succumbing to top's ego. and this somehow challenged his pride even more. their first encounter was a moment of sparked interest in top— he wanted mew more than ever. who is this guy? why is he so hard to impress?

topmew's second encounter; they kicked off (together)

as they met again the second time, the spark was mutual. mew was interested this time, probably because he saw top's persistence as a 'challenge' that he wanted to take on. he was flattered, yes, when top said he was cute, but he also knew he couldn't let those words cloud his judgement because, at the end of the day, top was still a stranger with a name.

these stealing glances; both of them were checking each other out, kind of like a player looking at their opponent, trying to study their enemy's face/appearance so it would be easier for them to strategise and take aim for the upcoming battle. but it was also a moment of blooming intimacy between them. the distance was nonexistent and it was clearly intentional from top's behalf. he just wanted to be there, present and close and reachable to mew. top wanted to make himself bigger than anyone else in the room. it was his way of saying just look at me and no one else. and oh, did mew look at him all right.

the push and pull game continued as top complimented mew, saying he was cute with the glasses. i don't know if it's intentional how frequently the 'i can read people well' and 'i know what people are thinking' is repeated in episode 1. i guess it's a foreshadowing that 1) mew's judgement of top will be entirely wrong (perhaps mew has always seen top as someone who's a bit suspicious but kind. but that will change once he knows top and boston are fucking behind his back while top 'deemed' to pursue mew as his boyfriend) or 2) mew has been right all along (he knows top was playing with him from the get-go so he tricked top into his 'game' and played him too). i think it'll be a mixture of these two (and possibly more) because mew is proven to be VERY cunning, deceiving and manipulative too.

i have to say, i think top does like mew, but not romantically (not yet). in episode 1, i think top just likes the idea of winning mew over. i believe it's fairly easy for top to get whatever he wants, given that look and status of his. however, he has never met someone like mew who didn't see those things as charming or a good enough reason to have a steamy hook-up for the night. and this tallies with what mew said in episode 2, "you aren't entirely my type."

at this point, top just wanted to prove to boston that he could have his way with mew. mew wouldn't be so difficult to lure because look at him? doesn't he look gullible? i think these are top's initial thoughts as he observed mew from afar. he truly believed that mew would eventually give in if top played his cards well. (but mew isn't as easy as top and boston think he is.)

so that's when top used one of his tricks, "i have a headache. sorry because i have to crash at your house for a while." this is clearly top 1) putting mew at ease by coming over to mew's house (mew's territory), just to make mew comfortable of doing 'it' at his own space (again, an act of manipulation that read gentleman-ly, but not really), and 2) giving mew the idea that mew is in control and he can stop if he doesn't want to (which to an extent was valid, but top was hoping they won't stop because he wanted to do mew there and then and there was no way top would leave this house without having a taste of mew).

topmew's first kiss; a silent demand of agreement

as i've mentioned, top only wanted to have sex with mew and that was it. he didn't have other intentions to be in mew's house other than getting in mew's pants and giving him a 'good' time.

from the way top behaved around mew, it was like a hunter studying his prey. again, in this hunter-prey/hunter-hunter relationship, of course, one will have the upper hand over the other. but it's different when it comes to topmew. it's because, in actuality, both of them are hunters. yet, top and mew delude themselves into believing mew is top's prey and top is mew's prey. thus, this is one of the reasons why i equate their relationship as fighting a losing battle. if both of them are hunters, is it possible to benefit anything from each other aside from gaining new skills? i don't think so. this isn't a beneficial relationship. both of them will end up hurting each other the most to determine who's the better hunter.

however, as top and mew were kissing, it was mainly controlled by top. as this was in top's element, he had all the benefits. and he believed, with his good kissing 'skills', it would be enough to bend mew in his direction and give in.

at one point, mew was about to admit defeat.

here, i think mew was a bit dazed. none of his past lovers (?) were this bold and top took him by surprise. it was also evident when top first kissed him. it took about 2 to 3 seconds for mew to respond as he finally could register whatever was going on right now.

there was hesitation, but as mew was also equally intrigued by top, this wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.

drawing boundaries; another challenge for top to partake

the sexy times ended as quickly as they began. mew wasn't ready to do it with top. i'm glad they retained this part. it provides so much depth to mew's character. also, it makes sense because their first time will be very special for mew as it'll confirm his feelings for top, and it'll also be one of his tools to 'guilt-trip' top into thinking, "you've destroyed my trust in our relationship," aka the confrontation scene.

i think it's very valid how mew wants his first time to be with someone he knows— likes. he doesn't want to do it with a stranger, even though that stranger is very handsome and charming like top. and it's also funny to me that top insisted—

—they can do it even without knowing each other.

this already sets top and mew apart; top doing this so casually with anyone as long as he 'comes', for the sake of his pleasure and to set his mind off of his problems, and mew wants to do this only with people he knows/likes because it's what he believes is appropriate/true. it shows how different their understanding of sex is, and possibly how love works. what top said here also amplifies his need and frustration to have things going on as he planned. he didn't want mew to ruin it even though this involved mew. he just wanted to taste mew— why is it so difficult?

and this line knocked me off GOOD because it's going to be so pertinent as the series progresses.

side note: i have a tiny feeling that mew will end up being like boston at one point in this drama to get on top's nerves. it might be one of his ways to play top at his own game; sleeping around with no strings attached, with no names acquired, with no feelings tied. top uses sex as a relief and confidence booster, so mew will also use sex to break top's heart. and this will tear top apart. i hope it will.

ice cream; a motif of gaining composure and masking anger

i see this ice cream scene for two different reasons.

from mew's perspective, the ice cream acts as a 'cooling effect'. he was definitely 'heated' from the intense make-out session with top before. so the ice cream helped mew regained his composure and set his virtues straight again; no one-night stands in my watch, ever. not even with someone like top. he's levelling his head again so that he won't act on impulse— it's one of mew's ways to gain back the control he has over the game.

as for top, it's very interesting how the camera focused on top's mouth first.

i think it's clear as day: top IS mad. he is beyond pissed. he didn't get what he wanted. and mew had the audacity to offer him ice cream? that's why the camera focused on top's mouth; we didn't get to see his eyes because the eye is the beholder of emotions. if his whole face is shown, it's easy to detect the anger in top's eyes. it's very smart directing in my opinion. i absolutely adore this shot.

then, this scene progressed with mew saying some interesting things. i think it might be another foreshadowing that mew will be the obsessive/possessive type when he likes something/someone. and top keeps on playing this confident and understanding guy in front of mew despite knowing mew might get the gist of his dishonesty. but, again, at this stage, top doesn't really know mew to make that judgement. it's safe to say it's his constant perception of mew; he won't know. he's too nice/gullible to read through my lies. again, it's top thinking he's still in power; but in reality, mew is also controlling him.

when they're sleeping on the bed, mew glanced at top. i think it was an invitation. didn't you say you want to cuddle? why should i go to you? you have to go to me. again, this clearly shows who's more powerful in this relationship; it's mew.

also, i think it's quite baffling how easily top agreed to mew's needs here on the bed. i guess it's because the bed/sleeping is top's weakest point (point proven in episode 2 when it's confirmed top is an insomniac! i freaked out while watching it last night because my assumption came true t_t).

so, being here with mew on the bed, when top has always been battling with those nightmares— of course, he would be at mew's mercy. mew was giving him a lot of things here; comfort, solidity, company, safety and warmth. these attributes helped top to get a good sleep and keep those devils astray. (i believe this is one of the things top //genuinely// likes about mew. mew helps him sleep better. mew helps top with his sleeping problems. mew offers him safety, something he has been battling with for a long time.)

"it all depends on you," mew's way of saying, are you up for the challenge?

previously, i thought only ray would be the volatile/unstable character in this drama, but i think mew also fits this category.

he puzzles me because at one point, it looked like he was about to take top in, but then i see him pushed top away especially when top was getting closer to him. i don't know what he's trying to do here; if he's ever genuine in wanting top to 'woo' him, or it's just mew wanting to have some 'fun' time by playing with top's ego.

mew said this relationship could work, but it depended on top. if top was sincere and diligent enough, mew might let top in. it's just another way of mew luring top into his trap, again, wanting to be the controller in this relationship. mew didn't want to give in that easily. if top wanted him, he had to keep trying.

i guess mew is holding onto this belief; if you want me, come and get me. i won't do the work. it's entirely on you.

this somehow also makes me believe top and mew are each other's mirrors. whoever top is, mew is like that too. whoever mew is, top resonates with his traits too.

"will you be my boyfriend?" top challenging mew's 'kindness'

the public proposal. honestly, i believed mew wouldn't say yes (but he DID. i kind of blacked out yesterday because of it).

but what was the purpose of it? well, i think it's just to prove boston wrong (again).

boston said they are the same; they don't do love. they don't settle. they won't have as much fun if they decide to be a faithful lover and only do it with their respective partners. this ticked top off because in no way top ever wanted to be equated to boston; he is a man of his own. he's number one. how dare boston thinks they are the same?

side note: this bombastic side eye reminded me so much of akk :') i have to say, akk and top have this similar boyish charm that is absolutely gratifying. however, akk is a certified green flag while top is mayday mayday red alert all the way.

hence, top decided to go to lengths; he asked mew to be his boyfriend publically.

i'm not sure about this, but i think there's a tendency for a public proposal to be successful just to 'save' face, and that was what mew told top in episode 2. he wasn't comfortable with these grand gestures because mew wanted his potential lover to respect him. clearly, top's proposal wasn't an act of respect as it was spontaneous and 'impulsive'.

but in one way or another, top did win this round because mew said yes— and that was all that mattered to top— winning mew over.

conclusion

episode 1 set the foundation of the characters and their dynamics with each other. however, i also believe episode 1's common theme is to let the games begin. i see this in topmew, sanray and bostonnick too. but i'm sorry for not diving deep into other pairs because my brain isn't brain-ing at this point hahahahaha.

i'm curious to see how far mew and top are going to lure each other into their 'territory' just to have the upper hand in this so-called 'game'. but again, as i said, they're just battling a losing game. they both will lose in the end, literally and figuratively.

[1 | 2 | 3 | 4 (i) | 4 (ii) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12]

#ofts #only friends #only friends series #only friends the series #ofts meta #ofts analysis #ofts discussion #mew only friends #top only friends #topmew #book kasidet #force jiratchapong #forcebook #meta #discussion #analysis #this is quite overdue so i apologise #last week was overwhelming in ways i couldn't explain #i hope this is coherent enough #na discusses

[ecargmura]

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End Episode 20 Review - An Actual Cliff In A Cliffhanger

This episode legit ends with a cliff showing up, so it’s a cliffhanger! …I am sorry for the awful dad joke. Anyways, the first selection continues as we learn more about the other mages. I think that learning more about the other mages is a nice add in because the mages from Wirbel’s group and Denken’s group are most likely going to be recurring characters later on in this arc. They are totally not going to fail the first selection; they have way too much focus to be taken out of the spotlight this soon.

Let’s talk about Wirbel’s group first. Wirbel is surprisingly a nice guy underneath his scary demeanor. He knows how to kill and has killed women and children before, but he knows when he should and shouldn’t do so. He had a flashback of his time as a mercenary of the Northern Magic Corps. It was a cruel job as he had to kill so many innocent lives in addition to killing demons. Yet, he did it all because he had a crush on someone and promised that he’d make the world a better place when they meet again. Seeing how he is similar yet different from Ubel really makes him stand out. I can’t wait to see more of him later on. I really liked the scene where he fell for Fern’s bluff when she was pointing her staff at him.

Poor Ehre. She was valedictorian of her class at a prestigious magic school, but she lost to Fern, the girl who was basically homeschooled all her life. Imagine being someone who has a Bachelors, Master’s and PhD and then losing a huge job opportunity to someone who only had a high school diploma. Would that be a big kick in the face for the most educated person? That’s what Ehre’s situation was. She lost to Fern, who was trained under Frieren, but never having a proper formal education in an academic institution. If I was Ehre, I’d be ashamed; I hope that this would be a moment for her to become humble, not that she wasn’t.

Scharf has a cool ability, but he doesn’t have much spotlight. He is able to solidify flower petals and turn them into magic. He gets knocked out by Land and then wasted so much mana that he had to get floated around by Wirbel. I think that showcasing Scharf and Land’s abilities at the same time was a smart idea because it shows how different they fight as mages. Land is someone who has trust issues, so he summons clones of himself to fight in his place and deceive enemies while the real him can take shots when the enemy is distracted. Out of the two mages, Land’s magic is the most terrifying.

Now for Denken’s group, Lauren’s magic is Jilwer, an ancient spell that gives the user super sonic speed. Since she’s still a novice, she’s not good at concealing her mana when using it yet, so that’s why she’s backing out of the upcoming fight; she did steal Frieren’s stille, though. Richter’s magic seems to be manipulating Earth? Either that or he can create tremors. I can’t tell. However, he’s the most sadistic of the group as he wanted to kill either Lawine or Kanne when Denken told him not to as both are still kids and knocking them out is more efficient. When Denken said that, I instantly liked him because he’s honest and has morals. He’s still an enemy, but he’s an honorable kind of person. He wants to fight Frieren and I can’t wait to see what sort of spells he has.

The scenes with Genau and Sense are interesting as Genau purposely proctored an exam where people will be killed to prove to see who is qualified to become a First-Class mage. I do wonder if Sense is the girl that Wirbel had a crush on.

Now, there’s a bit of foreshadowing of an elf called Serie; I’m using “they” because I have no idea of they’re male or female. They’re an elf who knows practically everything in the entire world. Given how they are described, I feel like they are older than Frieren. I honestly can’t wait to meet this character. It’s not often you see an elf much older than Frieren; Kraft is older than her, but Serie feels like prehistoric.

I know that it’s already been three episodes since the first selection has started. I do wonder how many more episodes it’ll take. Hopefully, it won’t drag out too much. I’m mostly anticipating the clash between the two senior citizens next episode. The showdown of the century! What are your thoughts on this episode?

#frieren beyond journey's end #sousou no frieren #frieren #fern #ubel #land #wirbel #ehre #denken #richter #laufen #genau #sense #serie #review #anime #anime review #ecargmura #arum journal

[centaurianthropology]

What Happens Next: Speculation about C3 in the Upcoming Episodes (Spoilers for C3E51)

Obvious spoiler disclaimer is obvious, but in case it was missed in all the confusion, this is entirely a post about what I think will happen in the upcoming episodes, based on what (little) we know about where the party ended up at the end of the episode. Obviously all this speculation could be proven false next week, but it’s still fun to do as a thought exercise.

I’ve seen a lot of speculation about what’s going on with the split party and how things will play out with the division.  I have also seen speculation about where, exactly, the Ashton/Orym/Laudna team are.  I have my own thoughts about this and figured I would share them.  

So, first off, let’s start with the more concrete team and what I think they’ll do.  We know that Chetney, Imogen, Fearne, and FCG are in northern Wildemount, halfway between Uthodern and Aeor.  It’s pretty clear what the focus here is, and what direction Matt is intending to take them.  Their priority as characters is clearly to get back with their companions, but to do that they have to divert to Chetney’s old stomping grounds, and possibly also the place where FCG was originally salvaged.  This provides not only a general direction, but a purpose to the upcoming mini-arc.  Given how focused the story has been on Imogen, the focus is shifting and allowing new characters to take the spotlight and have some of their backstories explored.  FCG, for example, has been desperate for meaning.  He’s been trying to move forward, but a part of him will always be rooted in his past until they can confront it.  So Matt’s given them the means to confront it.  He’s also given Chetney the means to do the same, and given Travis’ expression when he realized where they were, Chetney knows that his reception in Uthodern will be frosty at best.  

And this is great!  Imogen has been a major focus, so physically removing the party from her storyline allows them to reset and gather themselves and their new plans rooted in their backstories, gaining more power and getting prepped for the rematch with Otohan, Ludinis and Leliana in the process.  Both Chetney and FCG have backstories very removed from Marquet both by time and distance.  The time may be unchangeable, but the distance has just been eliminated.  FCG, especially, really hasn’t had much time devoted to their backstory, but instead have gotten hints and snippets as opposed to Fearne and Chet getting at least one episode, and Imogen getting an entire arc.  So it makes sense to give them, and by proximity, Chetney, some time in the spotlight.

And I think that this also gives us a lot more fuel for understanding what’s happening with Ashton, Orym, and Laudna than we thought.  These mini arcs are, apparently, about backstory, and about shining a light on characters who haven’t had much time.  I’ve heard a lot of speculation that they were transported to Tal’dorei, and that this arc will be about reuniting with the Crown Keepers and resolving Opal’s plot.  But the problem is, that plot is NOT the plot of this campaign, nor is it the plot of any of the main characters.  It’s Orym resolving a problem for a friend that Ashton and Laudna have no connection to, and it’s doing it without Fearne getting to be there as well.  So I genuinely don’t think that’s the direction we’re going.  As much as some folks really, really want Dorian back in the campaign, I don’t see that happening for a while.

I think they’re in the ruined landscape left behind after the cataclysmic event that ripped Hishari apart.  I think that, much like FCG has not had an entire episode devoted to their backstory, neither has Ashton.  Ashton has dropped hints and gotten moments like the mind-dive, but the Hishari stuff has been put on the backburner thanks to the Apogee Solstice.

But much like Chetney and FCG were hurled physically to their backstory in a way they can’t ignore, so too has Ashton been hurled at their backstory in a way they can’t ignore anymore.  This makes sense from a storytelling perspective, to focus the story on backstory for both parties rather than solving an ancillary issue of a character from a different mini-campaign while the other party gets satisfying backstory beats.  This also makes sense from a character perspective.  The characters have been so focused on Imogen’s plot, and for good reason, but now we have had our midseason finale.  Now they are at their lowest point, and certain characters really have to face their past before they can start to rise up as the heroes they have to become.  Orym needs time to stew after realizing that his husband and father-in-law died to draw Keyleth out, and he himself was the lynchpin to bringing her and, by extension, Vax to the key and powering the apocalypse.  We will definitely deal with that fallout, but I don’t think we will immediately.  Laudna has come to at least a little peace with her past, but will eventually need to deal with Delilah once and for all.  Ashton is the most obvious current candidate for a backstory quest, because they have proved consistently unwilling to ask about it, and keep waiting for other people to have their moment before Ashton has his turn.  So Matt’s forcing his hand.  He’s shoving the backstories of the two most reluctant characters to deal with their pasts (Chet and Ashton), and getting a bonus FCG past in the mix as well!  And that’s fantastic!

I would finally like to discuss what will happen to the half of the table not in a given party, and what the actual structure of these mini-arcs might be.  I think each arc will need at least a few episodes to play out.  FCG and Chetney may both be getting backstory quests, so they might make Ashton’s extra long or complicated to balance.  I would guess that Chet’s will take maybe two episodes to get to Uthodern and start to address his issues, then they will either meet Devexian or get redirected to Aeor for reasons, and FCG will get a few episodes.  We might then get one wrap-up episode for their mini-arc to dovetail the stories and set the characters on new paths.  This means about five episodes for Team Wildemount.  

Team HIshari (???) will likely get the same amount of screen time to make things fair, which makes me think that Matt will make the Hishari plot a little more complicated to make up the difference.  Maybe four to five episodes as well.

And that’s a lot of time to have half the table not there.  There are two options here.  Either each team gets a few guests to fill out their party temporarily a la the Slayer’s take.  This could definitely happen, and would be fine, though guests in  a backstory quest often pull focus, so I feel iffy about it.  But they have been quite some time without guests, so I would understand the appeal.

Or you could have the other regular players come in as temporary support characters.  I sort of love this idea.  It allows the regulars to all still be at the table, and allows them all to dabble in a temporary other character and other class.  This is the Dalen’s closet solution, in which Liam played a one-off character because Vax couldn’t be in the one-shot.  

The Slayer’s Take solution allows the actors to get some time off, which might be needed.  If that’s the case, I think each arc will play out in a single go before the other arc takes over.  The Dalen’s Closet solution doesn’t give time off, but it does allow the players to also use messages between their absent characters to keep things going.  I think this solution is more likely to alternate episodes between the parties.  I personally prefer the Dalen’s Closet solution, as it keeps all the regulars at the table, and it offers all of them the opportunity to take a mini-break from their current characters and just play around with something new.

Anyway, those were my thoughts on what I think is coming up in Critical Role.  Again, everything is subject to change and the whims of Matt and the players.  This was just trying to do a bit of logical extrapolation to determine what I think the most likely path forward is, and some of my preferred ways to see it play out.

#Critical Role #Critical Role Spoilers #chetney pock o'pea #Fresh Cut Grass #Ashton Greymoore #Orym #Laudna #Fearne Calloway #Imogen Temult #speculation #I love writing posts like these and speculating how I think plots will play out #I am often Jossed #but it's still fun #and sometimes my extrapolations end up being correct #which is even more fun!

[eyesteeth]

hey. let's talk about names.

tsv s1 and s2 spoilers, carpenter and faulkner centric, analysis, tsv s3 speculation, long post.

tl;dr - carpenter's two names and faulkner's two/three names can be used as an indicator of affiliation, and change of name in s3 could indicate an upcoming affiliation change.

we know that "carpenter" and "faulkner" are not these characters' real names. these are names given to them by the church. much like how the snuff cult name their followers after body parts, it seems that the parish of the trawler-man like to name their members after occupations. "carpenter" is easy for a modern audience to get, one who makes things out of wood, but "faulkner" is a bit more difficult, likely being a derivative of "falconer", one who tames falcons or works with falcons.

these two names are very interesting choices, in my opinion. the trawler-man's two mouths, the one that takes and the one that returns, that symbolism is displayed in these two characters throughout the series. faulkner's fear leading him to his betrayal in season two, taking away carpenter's security with the parish, and carpenter's love for faulkner leading her to return to the church to say her final goodbyes. faulkner is the taker, and so he is named for one who trains predatory birds, and carpenter is the returner, named for one who builds and makes things constructive.

but that's not what i'm here to get into. you (presumably) read the tldr, so here's the meat of this post - names and affiliation.

carpenter has two, so she's easiest to start with. her birth name and her church-given name. we don't have to think too hard to recall her birth name. there are many flashback episodes where it's stated, and she occasionally refers to herself as her birth name in her internal dialogue.

it's mallory - mallory glass.

the first piece of relevance to her names is actually stated explicitly, right there in the text. she rejected her old name out of shame for what she had done, and hoped that taking a new name would be like starting again with a clean slate.

however, it hasn't worked. we can see extremely early in the first season just how tired she is with the faith and with gods in general. the supposed transfiguration never happened, and she's still as frustrated at herself as she was before.

season two helps change this. she gets a whole episode dedicated to confronting her own shame (via the patented Trauma House) and comes out the other end with a better idea of what she wants to do moving forward. she ends the season with the decision to step away from both the trawler-man's faith and the cairn maiden's faith, choosing to live as a person and not the extension of a religion.

and, if she's no longer tied to a religion, it would perhaps be a bit odd to keep going by the name given to her by one. if she truly self-actualizes at some point during season three, capping off her arc, i believe her going by mallory again would be a great signifier. she no longer belongs to the river, and she's comfortable enough with herself and her past to be mallory.

alternatively, she could choose to keep going by carpenter out of spite, a sort of "fuck you, i'm taking this for myself", which could be a fun inversion on the taking/returning dynamic she has with faulkner.

and speaking of faulkner...

faulkner has three names, but the first isn't quite that relevant, so i'm mostly going to treat it as two. two of these are, like carpenter, his birth name and his church-given name. however, he has a second between the two, his chosen name.

faulkner is transgender (if this is how you learned this i'm sorry), and so his birth name is sort of stricken from the record, so to speak. and we know he has a chosen name - it's said!

so, do you know his name? pauses for four seconds, unblinking, like i'm dora the explorer.

faulkner's name situation is perhaps a direct opposite to carpenter's. he has a name he liked so much he chose it for himself, and then he discarded it for the name the church gave him and has been wearing it proudly for, as of season two's finale, a whole year!

but i need to back up a step first. because i could argue about whether or not faulkner experiences the same shame carpenter does or, inversely, is completely shameless, but there's no real point to it in this particular instance - because we have not seen much of faulkner's life outside the church.

the things we know about his backstory essentially boil down to this: he grew up with a neglectful father and two brothers who were, depending on how you view it, extremely rough and tumble to downright abusive. his mother is not in the picture and it's implied that she either died in childbirth or left after having her third child. after finding a water tank marked with the symbols of the trawler-man in the woods, faulkner drowned his brother charlie by accident due to miscommunication. this incident gained him popularity at school. at some point his brother eddie leaves the house, and eventually his father leaves too. after that, faulkner packs up his things and makes his way to the church, at which point he is sent on a mission with a day or less of turnover.

it is a lot of information, but it's all tied to the church. the way the flashbacks are framed through faulkner's narration feels like a fable he's telling to himself. the brave prophet, abandoned by his family, walked for days to the church, where he was eventually let it and was sent on a mission that very same day. the pain was all worth it because he found a family in the end. the pain must mean something, so there has to be a reward at the end. a classic tale of victory emerging from struggle.

most of carpenter's backstory revolves around the church as well, but we do get to see her have time to herself in season two and in a few flashbacks, giving us insight into who she is without the church's expectations. even though faulkner has months of break in season two, that time is spent within the parish and is sped through, again, almost seeming to suit the narrative he's writing in his head. the verses don't need to know how much chocolate he ate in eight months.

and so, if faulkner is to be a figure in the verses, a prophet with a story, it's paramount that he has the name the church gave him. it fits the role he's cast himself for - who cares about the actor? it was a gift from the trawler-man. a name was taken, and what returned was "faulkner". he has, essentially, put all his eggs in one basket. the river told him he had done well when he drowned his brother at thirteen and he's been chasing that high of validation ever since.

let's jump into another framing - what the characters know.

we, as an audience, know the name mallory due to backstory narrated by the character. however, that's all mental, thoughts carpenter is having as she goes on this journey. the other characters (with exceptions for a few gods) are not privy to her internal dialogue. and, yet, many of them likely know her name.

adelina glass was well-known in the faith. mason went out of his way to pick up carpenter and convert her, literally visiting her for years before she came with. there was no welcome wagon for faulkner. mason doesn't do this for just anyone. carpenter's family name is "storied". and so, others may very well know of adelina glass' granddaughter mallory, or connect carpenter with that name on their own time.

conversely, it's incredibly likely that no one in the church knows faulkner's name. there was no fanfare for him. his turnover was done within 24 hours. mason might've known his name, if the personal name must be returned in order to take the church-given one, but mason is Fucking Dead. we, as an audience, know faulkner's name, but that's because it was given to us in circumstances that literally one other character was privy to.

so. do you know his name?

now, back to affiliation. or, well, closer to that.

i can't get super deep into it in here (i literally can't, i've rewritten this five times now and trying to do so completely fucked up the essay each time) but faulkner's arc is based around validation, family, and where he finds it. his birth family was no good, so he sought out family in the faith and the parish.

however, he's encountered two road bumps. in season one, it was that murder was icky. he was freaking out before sainting the hotelier and ran from the place once the man had transformed, and when the withermark is found, he talks about "needing to be past" the whole guilt over murdering hundreds thing. this was a conflict of faith - a god must feed, but he doesn't want to put food on the table.

the second road bump was season two - faulkner becomes a high member of the parish but finds that the role is uncomfortable for him and that he doesn't agree with things that take place. mason is transparently undermining him, and the jellyfish saint mason presents to faulkner makes those "i don't like murdering innocents" thoughts bubble up again.

however, i'd argue that this second bump makes him regress in his arc. certain doubts of faith could be corrected into doubts of the parish if he's in a certain mindset during season three - if he feels uncomfortable with something, he could wave it off as the parish misinterpreting his god. he clearly still loves the trawler-man - he killed two people for the perceived heresy of making their god go legal.

but if he gets past this mentality and realizes that the church and the faith don't have what he's looking for - real family and validation - then he may begin to favor his own needs, and exist as his own person again, without the faith fueling him. he wouldn't be faulkner anymore. he wouldn't need the name of the church. he'd go back to the name his family called him by, the name he chose for himself.

and so, we go back to affiliation. faulkner is, seemingly, all-in on the church as of season two's finale. he's put himself into the role of prophet, and so he must have the name of one, a name given to him by the river. his chosen name, representative of himself without the faith, is not a priority for him. he's chosen to cease to exist as himself and exist as a part of a whole. seemingly.

but, much like how carpenter may go back to mallory in season three once she fully understands herself, faulkner may go back to richard if he has a realization that makes him leave the faith. both of them choosing to seek family in each other and not the church. maybe they'll get to reintroduce themselves. mallory and richard. sister and brother.

but not in the religious way.

#listen i need love and family and hope to win in the face of uncaring gods and capitalism. if you even care #tsv #the silt verses #sister carpenter #brother faulkner #analysis #long post #i am. not joking it's nearly 2k. this was four whole google docs pages

[extasiswings]

Hey feel free to not answer, but I'm really curious about your opinion on eddie about the donor thing. I didn't expect him to be angry and being a caveman and saying "nope you can't do that" but I really expected something like " are you really sure about that" instead everything was very comic. Do you think we'll get to a point in which they talk to each other?

In a word: yes.

Here’s the thing. Was it what I expected either? No! But did I think it made sense in the context of the episode? Absolutely.

Where Eddie is concerned, 1) Eddie keeps his cards very close, 2) except in very special circumstances, Eddie does not React(TM) to things instantly in the moment, he is too controlled for that, and 3) (tying into both of those) Eddie doesn’t generally air his business publicly (in smaller, private conversations, sure, but generally if Eddie’s ended up with his personal life being a topic of overall firefam conversation it’s because someone else brought it up). On top of that, the reveal happened fast and they immediately had to go to work. I highly doubt that Eddie even knows how he feels about it because it was so far out of left field, and when they got in the truck they really didn’t get to ask many questions before Bobby shut that down. It makes sense given how it played out that he’ll need time to actually unpack how he feels about it and why.

I do think they’ll talk about it eventually. Especially since it seems like (both from my read on the upcoming episodes and from things Oliver has hinted at) Buck is going to have a really difficult time with this. That said, they are doing something really interesting with Eddie right now: highlighting how far he’s come and how much he’s grown (and is continuing to grow) while still holding back on letting them talk about certain things. The longer they go like this, the louder it is that the well/the will/the shooting are the things that Eddie still isn’t touching (when those are things that Buck needs to talk about).

(Sidenote: it was loud as hell that Eddie was talking about the tsunami and him and Christopher having dealt with their tsunami trauma without Buck being there, because of the three of them, Buck is the one who hasn’t ever dealt with his tsunami trauma—and that’s really where this love story started, isn’t it?)

See also: Eddie’s comment about the longer you go without facing the things you’re afraid of, the more terrifying they become. He’s come so far and grown so much…but all the things he’s kept locked in a tiny box marked “do not open” (the shooting, the will, his feelings for Buck/his sexuality most likely), those only get bigger and scarier the longer he puts off talking about them, and my guess is that’s exactly why he hasn’t (something about that and “what are you afraid of” being the question that bookended his breakdown…thinking thoughts…). Buck being a sperm donor, Buck being in a position where he’s once again one step removed from parenthood—it’s so very Eddie/Christopher/will-coded, which means that it’s very possible that when Eddie gets a chance to actually digest this situation, he’ll put it in that box with everything else. And if that’s the case, for them to meaningfully talk about the sperm donor thing or anything else on the list of things they haven’t talked about, Eddie needs to get to a point where not unlocking that box starts to have more terrifying consequences than what he might risk by just doing it (maybe a Buck near-death-experience will get that through his head 👀).

Anyway, I think I had a post several weeks ago that I’m often wrong about the specific timing of plot points because I always underestimate the writers’ dedication to drawing out these arcs so the characters really get what they need from them instead of shortchanging anything for quicker gratification. But rarely wrong about the actual narrative trajectory. And that’s still true and I think something that everyone can keep in mind when feeling frustrated that XYZ hasn’t happened yet.

#chapel talks #ask #anonymous

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume Meta 6x16

Thank you costume department for giving me an easy ride this week after a couple of weeks of epics!!!!

So there aren’t a lot of costumes to talk about this week (only 9) and only for 4 characters - Jee-Yun, Maddie, Chimney and Hen. Everyone else was in uniform the entire time. There wasn’t even all that much going on with the uniforms to talk about either - they didn’t single anyone character out as separate from the rest!

In more general terms we got to see check and stripe theory at play again on the characters in peril or trouble. We continue to get children in peril foreshadowing going on and I was obsessed with the choice to put Jayden in an army green zip up top an a tee with hand prints all over the front. It wasn’t only a nod towards the many voices making light work of locating him when he snuck off, but it also would appear to be foreshadowing for the idea that it will take many hands to rescue Chim (and whomever else needs saving) in the finale.

As always its below the cut to save your dash!

Jee-Yun

Baby Jee why you have to be so cute? Ok so other than the adorable way she kept staring at Bobby in the scene in his office her little denim jacket was very cute. I’m intrigued by the fact that we had Chris in a denim jacket last week and we’ve got Jee in one this week, I think I’ve talked about it in one of my previous costume meta’s, but Denim jackets are a symbol of rebellion, freedom, change and comfort. To me the use of these denim jackets (and we can include the sort of one Maddie wore in this as well) are a form of foreshadowing - telling us that change is coming/happening. For Chris last week it could be symbolic of the Diaz boys moving on from Shannon and while still honouring her and including her in their lives, they are in a place to make change and move forward. While For Jee it is being connected in with the engagement ring and so represents the change in family dynamic that is upcoming reenforcing the engagement (and subsequent marriage) of Madney. In both cases the suggestion is that the change will be a comfortable one.

these pyjamas are just so lovely - I want grown up sized ones please!! They do however have some super interesting potential meanings attached to them. Firstly I would not be surprised if the choice of floral pyjamas (again attached to the ring) are foreshadowing Jee-Yun flower girl duties at the Madney wedding. Secondly the choice to have ones that are only partly coloured in is interesting - it suggests there is still ongoing work and that things aren’t finished yet - its a work in progress - here telling us the engagement isn’t a foregone conclusion in the way we perhaps think - there are lots of ways this could be read - Maddie proposing before Chim, Jee handing the ring over, the ring being found, them both proposing to each other - lots of possibilities - the unfinished nature of the pyjama print is likely telling us things are not going to go as we expect them to! then there is the types of flowers on the pyjamas and wha they mean in relation to the arc of this episode, but also more widely with Maddie. There are two main flowers on these pyjamas - gerbera daisies and sunflowers. Gerbera’s mean cheerfulness and loyal love, while the sunflowers represent happiness, loyalty, resilience, hope, endurance and enduring love and if you are not seeing how those meanings perfectly describe Madney then I don’t know what to tell you! Sunflowers are also closely connected with hidden disabilities and especially with mental health, this is where the resilience and endurance comes from - I think they are supposed to further highlight Maddie’s mental health struggles which were discussed in the episode, but their appearance on Jee show us the bright side - the hope that comes from fighting on and coming out the other side - it ultimately connects into the ‘I got out of the ocean for you, for both of you’ of it all - the idea of following your own personal sun!

Maddie

Fascinated by the choice to have Madde in black and purple for both her costumes this week. The first is a black top under a black jacket with a yellow and purple check pattern as well as a cat, skull and wing logo dotted across the jacket. Black is a power colour, but it is also about concealing vulnerabilities, while purple can be a colour that encourages self knowledge and deepens our understanding of our innermost self. I think their use in both costumes here is not so much about Maddie in the scenes we see her in, as much as it is reflecting on the amount of growth and work she has done on herself to get to where she is right now - how she concealed how vulnerable she was from everyone including Chimney back in season 5 when she was at her lowest with PPD. Then the presence of purple shows us how much Maddie has learnt and how far she has come - it is an indicator of her current state - she is in a good place and has a good understanding of both herself and of her relationship with Chimney. That isn’t to say that Maddie isn’t still concealing vulnerability - we have seen her talk with Josh about not wanting to change the status quo because they are in a good place so there is still an element of underlying tension etc which will need to be resolved before the engagement can become a reality.

Then we get this black shirt worn with bright purple sweats. The two heart necklaces are worn in both scenes this episode, the smaller heart necklace is a new one, the larger one has been around all season and has seemingly been used interchangeably to represent different characters at different times. What I find interesting about Maddie now having two hearts rathe than one is that idea that the large heart was much more about family - this included Buck. It still does mean family, but now with the smaller heart it suggests there is a division between familial love and a different type of love - romantic love. To me this diviion at this moment is important. it tells us that Maddie has previously kept Chimney in the box of family - so while she loves him and is in love with him and fully committed to the relationship they have, it has always been a whole - a part of her familial love. This has been a self preservation tactic for her - she still bears the scars of her marriage to Doug and keeping Chimney in the box alongside family is a way of her protecting herself. Now though, now we have it separated - it is smaller, not because it is lesser, but because it is a tentative step - testing the waters as it were - a representation of Maddie deciding that it is safe enough to set that love free properly, that she is ready to take that leap again and have a marriage not just a family.

Chim

Chim being almost entirely in grey this week (with a blue marl tee under the grey zip front hoodie) started wit the grey shirt we see him in at the jewellery store. this shirt is a cleaver piece of costuming because it has both a horizontal stripe and a check pattern on it. the white horizontal stripes play in to stripe theory - change is coming for Chim, while the darker grey vertical lines help to create a check pattern which continues the Chim in check theme we’ve seen all series and is very much foreshadowing his being in danger and impending injury.

Chim’s grey zip front hoodie is a waffle knit which gives it a subtle check pattern, so here again we have more check on Chimney - all building up to whatever peril he is going to be in in the season finale. Grey is a conservative colour and is associated with being unemotional but also compromise. It is also a colour of  stability and control, so I found it especially fascinating for him to be wearing it throughout this episode where he appears to be anything but unemotional, stable and in control! 

I do however thing the grey is an intentional call back to his father - who we saw in a lot of grey. It makes me think of the conversation Chim had abut his father with Myung-Soon about him not being able to make his first relationship work, or his business, however his relationship with Myung-Soon has workd - well as has his business - when he was in the right place. 

With their being a loud call back to Tatiana and Chim not being able to make that relationship work because ultimately they wanted different things, whereas his relationship with Maddie has worked despite all of the obstacles they have faced and Chimney is successful in his career (hello very pointed visual of Chim in the captains chair and office!). I’m also amused at the choice to have him wearing a head torch - a nod to the ring box having a little light in it and it being empty - in the same way that Chim’s search for the ring in the garbage heap is also coming up empty.

Hen

This Celtic knot jumper is my favourite outfit of the episode. the red white and blue hints at patriotism, but in this case I think the patriotism is code for being supportive towards your friends and family - as we see Hen doing here - supporting Chim even though she has reservations about him proposing to Maddie. 

The use of Celtic knots - specifically the Solomons Knot is a really cool choice. Celtic knots in a general sense mean infinity or eternity - and can be attached to various concepts such as faith, friendship or romantic love. The Solomons knot specifically has connections to wisdom and knowledge as well as having a connection to the endless cycle of time and the concept of setting things in motion. These are all meanings that connect with this scene so well, the other thing to consider though is that these knots aren’t just found in western culture. they are commonly found in African culture - the knot is often found on the clothing of the Yoruba people where it denotes royal status, and on the people of the Kuba, it has a very different meaning, it is known as the Kramo bone symbol and means "one being bad makes all appear to be bad"

The duality of meanings is fascinating to me - I think the jumper is signalling Hens unending love for Chimney as her friend, but also hints at her reservations about Maddie - that idea of one being bad makes all bad is pretty interesting in the context - the idea that Hen isn't convinced about Maddie because she 'abandoned' Chimney and Jee once. It hints at Hen making sweeping decisions or forming an opinion based on one thing rather than seeing the whole picture - its about Hen not being in the relationship and therefore not seeing all the parts of it - its a direct call to The speech Eddie made on Bucks balcony in season 5 about Buck not being in Maddie and Chim’s relationship and Buck loving Maddie in a different way to the way Chim loves her because he knows her in a different context. 

Yellow hoodied Hen my beloved! Its just such a good colour on her! It does of course (as always) represent communication - and in this instance, a representation of the fact that Hen and Chimney are communicating properly once more - they had their talk and are now back on the same page and back to getting themselves into trouble together! The white trousers we definitely a choice! Although I think what the costume department were trying to do here was show Hen getting her hands dirty in a physical way - in a visual representation of penance - undertaking a mucky and unpleasant task asa way of making up for her not talking openly with Chim about her concerns. 

“Oh what a tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive!” The Walter Scott quote appears apt on the surface for this hoodie Hen wears at the end of the episode, as it looks to be a web like design. I however didn’t think the web metaphor fit here - if we’d seen her in it at the beginning of the episode, it absolutely would as she tangled herself up in a web throughout the episode. 

To me it looks more like shattered glass or broken ice (interestingly enough the pattern is described as sea ice on the designers website!) both are perfect analogies for Hen at this moment - her preconceived notions and her illusions and worries have been shattered. The broken glass could represent the image she saw of how things were in Madney’s relationship have been shattered - it can represent her dismantling the image she saw - the reflection (which is never the actual reality) and recognising it as false enabling her to move on and forward. The broken ice metaphor is both playing into the concept of ‘breaking the ice’ like those silly office team building games etc that get played - Hen breaking the ice post her and Chim’s big conversation from earlier. But the broken ice metaphor can also be about being trapped in a way of thinking and without obvious escape without help. It’s a nod to the fact that Chimney offering his forgiveness to Hen is an act of breaking the ice that had covered their relationship - Hen being the one wearing it is a representation of the person who created the ice in the first place. 

I didn’t manage to get this out as quickly as I’d hoped this week, real life decided it wanted me to be very busy!! But I go there in the end! hope you enjoyed reading it and let’s see what next week brings us (I think it might be a case of normal service resuming and there being a million costumes to talk about!!

As always, tag list below! Until the next episode! 💜💜💜

@mistmarauder​ @theladyyavilee​  @leothil​ @girldadbuddie​ @kitkatpancakestack​  @buckscurls​ @lemotmo​ @trashendence​ @elishareads​  @clipboardsandstethoscopes​ @comfortbuddie​ @fiona-fififi​  @callanee​ @calyssmarviss​ @pbandjeremiah​ @batgrldes​  @spotsandsocks​ @livingwherethesidewalkends​  @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark​ @diazboysbuckley​ @sweettsubaki​ @shortsighted-owl​ @sherlocking-out-loud​ @wh0re-behavi0r​  @favouritealias​ @hearteyesdiaz​​  @ktinastrikesback​  @princesschez75​​ @bucksbuddie​​ @oneawkwardcookie​​  @leatherati​​ @moniquekatie​​ @wanderingwomanwondering​​  @trickster-archangel​​  @asharadaine​​ @ajunerose  @talespinner230​​ @pop-kam​​ @swiftiebuckleys​​ @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx​​ @butchjerry​​ @mandzuking17​​ @yelenasbuddie​​ @copyninjabuckley​​ @name-code-black-widow @rogerzsteven​​ @bi-moonlight​​ @usercowboy​​ @inthecarwithaboy​​ @inandoutoffocus-blog​​ @toboldlynerd​​

#kym costume meta #911 costume meta #costume meta #911 costumes #costumes #colour theory #911 on fox #911 fox #911onfox #jee yun buckley han #Maddie buckley #chimney han #hen wilson #season 6 #6x16

[alphinias]

If you accept a different argument for Chenford ;) - I actually don't agree with you and your anons about Chenford. Sure Tim almost dying in the last episode was anticlimatic and it had big potential but the scene that followed where they went into a flirty banter with smirking was top notch and showed their chemistry and their good old banter really well. I also think they used that scene to show Aaron's mind and character. He seems to be the one who's clearly onto them, whether he thinks they're together or just have feelings for each other. They've established similar reactions from Tamara and Angela and i think they'll play important role in the upcoming episodes when they'll either come out with the truth or be exposed by someone else.

I also think not all love declarations in fiction need to be big and dramatic. I think fans often want stuff that come across as too dramatic or fanfiction-y. And in Chenford's case they have years of friendship going on. They don't need to dramatically explode, telling each other they're in love. They already know they the other one has feelings based on ep1 and2 when they were about to have sex and then acknowledged it, followed by all the angst in s5. They're actually really good at communicating. Even when Tim doesn't want to show his vulnerability, Lucy always gets it out of him. He doesn't share his stuff with anyone but her. They know each other inside out. So I don't think they needed a more dramatic first kiss. That whole last scene was the sweetest ever - they were both just really content and secure with each other. Could they have done with more angst in the previous episodes? Sure. But i think that's because it's an ensemble cast and there's not enough time (i wish there was less Nolan scenes lol). Right now, let them have a few episodes of pure bliss. Drama will hit them soon enough. And it may not just be work related - there's also Chris, her past relationship with Nolan, Isobel could come back, Lucy could go UC for a longer period and it'd mess with Tim's head due to his history... Also, people want slow burn but this is season 5 already. There's nothing worse than waiting for this long for a ship with the best chemistry to finally happen only for it to be canceled/actors leaving with hardly any happily together time :)

Sure- and honestly I’m happy that the people like you who love it are satisfied and happy with the result of the slow burn they’ve been waiting on. I mean that. I like to see people happy with their ships. And I realize I seem to be in the minority with being underwhelmed with Chendord’s canon. That’s fine. I’m happy for the fandom that I am.

Most of this stuff we just have different opinions on and that’s not gonna change. I have mine so I’m not gonna yammer on for too long about what I think and all the things I think could’ve been better because I already have. I think the scenes needed to have more weight, and you don’t. We just don’t agree. But imo (okay I guess I am gonna yammer a bit) BECAUSE we waited so long for the slow burn, we deserved something more substantial and not just “cute”. They could’ve gotten together at the exact same time and it could’ve been ten times more satisfying, easily. It’s CHENFORD. They deserve a memorable canon scene/turning point and not to get together basically like any old ship on the show.

I respect your views but the only thing I’m gonna totally call BS on is the ensemble cast not having enough time thing. That’s just an excuse and they DID have enough time, had they used it in a different way. Plenty of my favorite ships do not involve the main character and had huge emotional arcs to getting together, like Stydia. It’s the writers’ job to utilize all their characters and scenes in efficient ways.

And just to make it clear, I do think the chenford scenes are cute. Their chemistry is excellent so of course they’re cute. It just feels unsatisfying to me in the lack of impact and fulfilling storyline. You see it as not needing to be fanfic-y, and I see it as it’s a television show and the whole point is to be entertained. These emotional moments between your biggest ship should be a little more magical than real life, and it doesn’t have to be fanficy and stupid to reach that.

#nace had the simplest confession in the world but it was BEAUTIFUL #it doesn’t need to be crazy but it does need to be something #chenford #ask

[adultswim2021]

Aqua Teen Hunger Force #74: “Hoppy Bunny” | February 17, 2008 - 11:45PM | S06E05

Hey, some of these fucking episodes have DVD commentaries for them. I am mostly watching these on HBOMax for this blog, and I popped in the DVD to check to see if a moment in this episode was censored on both versions (it is). Imagine my surprise when I clicked the episode title and it asked if I wanted to watch it with commentary! When I was getting ready to cover this season, I checked the DVD to see if there were commentaries. Nothing on the packaging or the menus advertised that they did. Squidbillies volume two on DVD also suffers from this issue. Contemporary DVD reviews fail to mention the fact that select episodes have commentary tracks, probably because the person reviewing them opted to “Play All” and would not ever know the option was on the table.

I’ll start off this as a way to play catch-up: Reedickyoulus also has a commentary track. Dave Willis says that he got the idea for not featuring the Aqua Teens in the first few episodes by riffing during an interview that in the upcoming season the Aqua Teens move out because they realize the house was somehow causing all the strange things to happen, and that the show was just going to be about the empty house. So that’s what got them going down the path of the Marcula arc-ula.

The commentary for this episode features two writers, Thom Nicolette and Ted Murphy. They cop to the fact that they were the ones who wrote the scene where Shake microwaves cats in Reedickyoulus. It was in their first draft, and it was never changed. Dave Willis muses that he found other examples of on-cat violence in the show to go to far, but for some reason found the microwaved cats to be funny, so maybe his barometer is off for that kind of thing. 

This episode is Hoppy Bunny, which is a reasonably funny but not terribly memorable episode. I’m saying that because I really didn’t remember this one much at all. In fact, most of the episodes from here on out are ones I saw once, MAYBE twice. I remembered the character of Hoppy Bunny, but that might be because I saw the screengrab from the episode that accompanies it on episode guide sites and on various streaming platforms. It’d be like if you remembered what Bugs Bunny looked like, but didn’t remember him clearly being Jewish.

The plot! Carl buys yet another sexually-charged product; this time it’s a pied-piper program that includes a recorder that can summon turned-on broads. When he finally gets it, wires begin making their way into Carl’s body, eventually turning him into an elfin flutist, playing for the benefit of Hoppy Bunny, a man in a round bunny costume. He’s voiced by Scott Adsit, and the episode makes sure you know that he’s just some dude. In fact he’s a surgeon. 

A bunch of other furries show up. I don’t recall the episode calling them furries specifically. I was hyper aware of furries at the time because I was extremely online, and I wonder how much furrydom was in the zeitgeist in 2008. It was 5 years after CSI did an episode about them, which I remember a co-worker complaining about. He’s the only furry I specifically knew, and he balked at the inaccuracies of the episode. I pray CSI never comes for the middle-aged Adult Swim bloggers. It sorta seems like the episode was playing it safe by not using “furries” as shorthand, but if you know, you know. 

The moment in question that I was wondering if it was censored? Remember, from before? One of the furries (a unicorn) has a wet spot on his crotch, I think implied to be a cumstain. It’s pixelated out, which seems silly to me.

Frylock tries to solve the problem using science, but Shake torpedoes this by offering to give Frylock a massage and ripping off the diamond on his back. Shake gleefully celebrates obtaining the diamond. Dana Snyder highlights this moment on the commentary; how funny it is that Shake’s ultimate goal seemed to be to steal the diamond for the entire series and he’s spent this many episodes biding his time. Shake, even after experiencing the power of the diamond by taking flight and feeling it’s power, is so unimaginative that his plan culminates in him taking it to a pawn shop to try and get 20 dollars for it. 

I definitely like this show better than Squidbillies, but this uses the same formula as the “Wing Nut” with a plot that is specifically unresolved and given an ending that flaunts how little this all matters. I liked this episode fine, but it benefits mostly from the fact that I’ve seen it fewer times than “classic” Aqua Teen episodes. I am perfectly pleased with these characters and these settings! I am glad to have watched this! What more do you want from me?

Stray things I haven’t mentioned yet:

Matt M stars in the commercial that Carl is watching. It’s live-action!

There’s a part where he shows sheet music and the writers claimed that it was the Communist Manifesto transcribed into music notes. 

The shot of Cars jammed into Flylocks room is funny. Shake was using it as a parking lot for the furries.

The original ending was Frylock getting seduced by Hoppy Bunny, and Carl evolving into a griffin who slaughters the furries.

That’s it! STOP READING THIS

EPHEMERA CORNER

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #aqua teen hunger force

[princess-ibri]

Frozen 3/Series part 2: The Heroes

Ok here we go!! So on the Good Guys side of the plot, Anna and Kristoff are preparing for their wedding. The plot for Anna would focus on her growing into her role as queen, forging new connections with the memory of her parents now that she knows more about them both, with Mattias becoming a new second father figure for her. We'd also leanr more about what it means for her to be part of the Bridge between the world of humans and spirits, even if she doesn't have access to outward powers the way Elsa does. And of course there's the relationship with her and Kristoff, which hits a snag as the wedding approaches as Kristoff begins to worry more and more about his upcoming role as Prince Consort.

Frozen 2 had a cut plot line about Kristoff feeling out of place and stiffled in the court atmosphere of Arendelle, which I think brings some good depth and tension into his role, and would be a big focus of the emotional arc between him and Anna, with them both learning more about eachothers wants and expectations, and learning ways to healthily compromise and grow their relationship together without one having to overshadow the other. We'd also see more of Kristoff's troll family. I know I know, but we'd focusing more on their culture and the mystiscsm they're linked to as being part of the Earth spirits.

Ryder and Honeymaren also get larger roles, and thru them we and Anna and Elsa learn more about their Northuldra heritage and culture. Firstly, we'd learn that Ryder and Honeymaren are actually just Arendellianized versions of their names, with the Northuldra forms being Hunaja Mari and Rydi. Rydi is acting as the new Ambassador of the Northuldra to Arendelle, hanging out with Kristoff and Anna and getting to explore the outside world. While Hunaja Mari is helping show Elsa around the Enchanted Forest and connect to her mother's past and heritage, as they both train under Yelena in the ways of Northuldra shamanism, in order to help Elsa gain more control over her new emerging powers.

And of course there's Elsa, who throughout the series would be gaining deeper connections with each od the Elemental Spirits, unlocking the ability to tap into the different elements as she does so, with both impressive and sometimes humorous results--when she accesses the powers of Earth she begins to be able to understand animals, and we hear for the first time what Sven's voice actually sounds like (I really want it to be someone smooth like Liam Neeson or Idris Elba xD )

But she also of course has to end up facing Voland and his minions, which would end up with a battle royal where she takes her final form as a true Snow Queen, facing off against the demonic powers released when Voland finally manages to gain access to the mirror that is held in Atohallan.

(The series would also have some focus on the previous Fifth Spirit, a character cut from Frozen 2, who in this would have been connected with Earth the way Elsa was with Water, and who had something to do with why Elsa was chosen. )

So yeah thats's the Heroes side! I'd really like to do a proper Story Bible/Episode List for this idea but it'll probably be a bit. But I hope this gives you a good taste of what a Frozen 3/TV series might be!

Part 1

#disney #my art #frozen #frozen 2 #frozen 3 #elsa of arendelle #elsa #princess elsa #anna and elsa #anna frozen #elsa frozen #kristoff frozen #honeymaren #ryder #anna x kristoff #northuldra #arendelle #Atohallan #hans christen anderson #the snow queen #frozen trolls #the fifth spirit