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#I WAS disappointed she didn't ask The Question at the very end of the episode though.
musical-chick-13 · 4 months
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(Mild DW Christmas 2023 Spoilers in tags)
#watched the latest xmas episode!!! it was fun I had fun. I like both ruby and 15 a lot and the older ladies BETTER show up again because#they were my favorite (to probably NOBODY'S surprise)#(<-both characters are VERY obviously being set up as recurring characters so yes I'll bet they show up again)#and I laughed a lot!!#and the discussion/parallels between ruby being adopted into a loving home vs the doc finding...uh.........Her™. that was GOOD SHIT#idk if I just have my Skepticism Glasses on but I WAS more focused on like...'oh that was a really good acting choice/oh that line delivery#was the most effective possible line delivery/that shift of expression was excellently-done and felt organic' instead of being#fully immersed in the story? I was very much like 'I am watching a story' and being...aware? of Me Watching A Story?#as opposed to like...getting fully lost in the episode to the point where it felt like I was THERE WITH the characters. if that makes sense#and idk if that was just me side-eyeing russell as a defense mechanism (because he has to prove to me that he's not going to#retread the same ground for the 50 millionth time. and that he's not going to be Weird™ about the fact that the doc is currently a moc)#or if I was supremely Out Of It™ or if that says something about the actual WRITING of the episode but it's unusual enough for me#that I thought it was worth mentioning#I have some other like...Preliminary Thoughts™ but I feel like it wouldn't be fair to put them out there when there's only one full episode#with these characters. so I'll see if anything changes before I talk about them.#I WAS disappointed she didn't ask The Question at the very end of the episode though.#but the most IMPORTANT takeaway. is that the lady they got to sing the Musical Number actually knows how to healthily sing#(<-see the first word in my url lmao)
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wonwoosthetic · 4 months
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Helloooo
Can you write about the NANA TOUR with minnie? plsss (can you also include the reaction of carats to her waking up and her closeness with wonwoo)
series masterlist
word count - 12k
a/n: thank you for the request!! I was very happy to write Minnie into these episodes/parts bc omg even just watching them was so much fun already! I had to change up a few things, for example like them not waking up Minnie but her already being up, I hope that's okay :) at the end of the chapter you can find a link to some Fan Twitter edits, I hope you like them too :) if there's anything else you'd like to see, please let me know! Love you all! <3
[everything in brackets like this was added by me]
everything in italics wasn’t caught on camera, but is just for you <3
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Go Together NANA TOUR 🌷Minnie
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EP1-1. Don't Let SEVENTEEN Know
Yeongseok was getting every piece of information about the other members out of S.Coups. What will they be doing at 5 in the morning? Which members are going to be drinking most likely? Who will be the most excited? The leader of the idol group was giving him every answer in detail, knowing the rest of the group like the back of his hand.
"Who will have the best reaction when they find out we're going?"
The question was thrown into the room, making the wheels in Seungcheol's head start turning right away. It didn't take him long to have the answers, remembering each time the members had excitedly talked about the Youth Over Flower program even before they had the luck of picking it out of the hat as a prize for their hard work. 
The '95 Liner started listing off some of the brightest members of the group. At the, once again, mention of Mingyu, the producers couldn't help but chuckle, remarking that the leader had repeatedly talked about the taller member.
Amid their conversation and after a particular question from the producer, the two men realised that while Minghao would be definitely excited, he might also be possibly slightly disappointed in the trip. Seungcheol explained that it might surprise him that it would suddenly not only be him and Jun in Rome but he and the 12 other members. Na PD made sure to let the leader know he'd be looking out for the '97 Liner with an extra eye and keep him close.
A follow-up question from one of the producers behind the camera caught Cheol's attention.
"Other than Myungho-shi," he wondered, "are there any other members we need to take care of?"
For a second, 'Coups let himself think.
"Minnie."
"Minnie-shi?" The producer asked him again.
The '95 Liner nodded. "She... you'll see... she can get... how do I say this?" He wondered out loud. "She tends to look for a person for.. comfort? She wants to have someone right next to her that... she can trust and she can be comfortable with because... It's like... she gets like this and just wants to have someone that will... lead them well. She's just very careful sometimes," he explained. "Especially with this program because she won't trust you well at first," Cheol chuckled, "because of the past 'Youth Over Flowers' episodes."
[Leader who knows his members very well]
"Okay, okay... I see... So, Minnie will be clingy? Once she trusts us." Yeongseok questioned him further.
Cheol nodded. "Yeah, maybe... and it might seem cute, but don't let that fool you," he suddenly warned the older man, making him chuckle.
"W-What? What do you mean?" He laughed.
"She has a very strong personality," Coups smiled with wide eyes, embellishing his statement.
"Aaah," Na PD nodded his head. A memory made him chuckle again as he put his hand on the idol's shoulder. "She was already making deals with me during the first Game Caterer episode."
[Kids who like debating]
The comment made the leader laugh out loud and touch the older man's arm as he threw his head back in glee. Yeongseok joined him, chuckling along with the '95 Liner while some giggles could be also heard from behind the camera.
"That means she's comfortable with you, hyung. That's a good sign," S.Coups assured him with a nod. "If she puts up a fight with you, it means she likes you. Then she'll also be more fun."
Na PD took a deep breath in, "Aah, ok. That's good then, I guess... a bit confusing, but..." his eyes closed for a second as he chuckled before catching himself again. "Then I'll make sure to keep Minnie close to me as well. Along with Myungho and Mingyu."
"And anyone else?" The producer from behind the camera asked furthermore, clearly wanting to make sure that each member would be in good hands.
Cheol pressed his lips together before the next member's name rolled off his tongue. "Woozi?"
-
After knocking on the hotel door, S.Coups let himself in.
"You're so loud," he commented right as he entered, the camera not following him.
"Come in," Hoshi just ushered him inside. Followed by Joshua, who repeated it,
"Come in, come in."
"You're too loud," the leader told them again.
Minnie sighed softly, a smile evident through her voice, "I've been telling them that."
Mingyu interrupted her before she could say anything more. "But-" and suddenly started singing a random tune. The maknae was quick to join his hyung, coming up with lyrics that would fit the instrumentals the group was playing in the background.
"Did they wake you up?" The girl suddenly wondered.
Seungcheol shook his head, "I was already awake."
"Why are you awake at this hour?" She sounded clearly confused, maybe even slightly concerned, but the '95 Liner just brushed off her worry as he remembered the 'script'
"I think I lost my phone."
-
Dino was still in the middle of his written-on-the-spot song when he called the leader's phone as he asked him to do. Hoshi and Na PD were still in the hallway of the hotel floor when the phone rang. Unbeknownst to everyone but the '96 Liner, Yeongseok picked up the call and followed the idol back into the room, hot on his tracks.
After the two came in, the older man revealed himself to the six members who were in the room. Starting on the left side of the room, Seungcheol had taken a seat on one of the extra armchairs while Joshua and Seungkwan were occupying the couch and table right by the window. Mingyu had gotten comfortable laying on the bed, while Minnie was sitting up and the youngest decided to stand right next to the mattress.
Na PD barged in, still on the phone, "Coups-ya, how can you leave your phone just lying around?"
As soon as he came into view, the members jumped back in surprise. Joshua sat up straighter while Mingyu just continued to lounge off. Minnie's mouth was hanging open wide, gazing at the man in front of her with big eyes.
But he kept up his act, "How can you leave your phone lying around?"
Their leader had fallen into a fit of laughter, gripping his crunches tightly as he tried to collect himself again while the rest just looked around the room in a state of shock and surprise. With so many cameras on you all of a sudden, the expressions on each of their faces were understandable.
Hoshi joined Minnie on the side of the bed she had claimed, reaching out for the hand of the producer.
"Ah... wait a minute- we really... woah..." He kept on starting sentences and not finishing them.
"This can't be it," Joshua threw into the room, now also up and closer to the bed as all eyes were on Yeongseok, who held onto the '96 Liner's hands tightly as he talked.
"Hey!" He started, "This is what was promised."
Hoshi sighed out loud in frustration, "No, but our concert just ended yesterday-"
"Wait," Mingyu suddenly jumped in, scooching up further to the front of the mattress to stop right in front of Na PD. "Are we not going to Korea?"
The producer shook his head with a smile, "You can't go! That's not where you're going." Making the rapper's grin widen even more and eventually errupt into bright laughter as he threw his hands up and let himself fall back onto the bed. Even before his back hit the white sheets again, his arms wrapped around the girl who was still quietly in the background, hiding her mouth behind her hand that was covered by the black zip-up hoodie she was wearing.
"WOAH, that's so nice!" He called out happily, tightening his arms around her as if she was to thank rather than the man standing in front of the group.
-
Each member received a microphone to be clipped by the collar of their clothing and got to sit back down comfortably. Minnie decided to stay on the right side of the bed, her shoulder brushing against Hoshi's.
Everyone but the leader was still in somewhat of a bubble of the unknown, unsure of what would be happening next or where they would even be going even after they had started interrogating the producers and staff members about their schedule.
The performance unit's leader had another important question, "What's the thing where Myungho and Junnie are going to Italy, hyung?" 
"Myungho and Junnie are going to Italy," Na PD simply answered, making the girl's eyebrows scrunch in confusion.
"Ah, so separate-" Hoshi started but was interrupted by Seungcheol, who chuckled at the disarray of his members.
"No," he smiled, "You're going together."
"We're going?" The '96 Liner looked up at the older man, who seemed to be also very much amused at the situation, but one member caught his attention.
"Minnie-ya," he turned to the girl with a smile, who met his eyes, "You've been so quiet."
She chuckled to herself, taking a deep breath in. "I... I'm still in shock," making the other producers smile as well. "Are we really going to Italy?" Her big eyes were fixed on him, not even daring to blink, too scared for it all to be a dream and blinking would wake her up.
Mingyu had fallen to his knees, clasping the producer's hands into his, practically begging him to not be lying to them. He desperately wanted the news of their apparent Italy journey to be true.
"Can I tell them that?" The older man asked his fellow producers who nodded with multiple chuckles. So, he turned back to the '97 Liners who were still gazing up at him with expecting eyes. "We're going to Italy." He assured them.
With big smiles and eyes, Minnie and Mingyu turned to each other, giggling before the rapper let his head into her lap, his cheek brushing against the white silk of her pyjama pants.
[Dream destination of the younger ones?]
Very quickly, Yeongseok explained the next few steps that would involve waking up the other members who were sleeping and gathering them all in one room to let the program officially start.
Only problem: some of the members were still drunk enough to most probably hardly remember anything about the events the following day.
"Right now, I-" Dino explained, "We're kind of drunk."
"We are drunk," Joshua agreed, his voice just underlying the statement he had just given.
"It's okay," Na PD assured them. "Everyone's drunk."
"Noona isn't," the youngest pointed at the girl who had stood up and was straightening out the hoodie she was wearing.
Yeongseok looked over at her. "Minnie, you're not drunk?"
The camera focused on the female idol who shook her head. "No," she chuckled, "I was sleeping, but my phone kept going off," she explained. "These idiots were texting me to come over." 
[Interruption of her beauty sleep]
Her comment got a round of chuckles from the producers behind the cameras, making her smile and shake her head.
"So you haven't been here for long?" Shin Hyojung, one of the female producers, wondered.
"No," Minnie answered again. "I actually came like five minutes before you barged in."
"Woah," Na PD gasped, "So you could've caught us even before Hoshi..."
[Lucky timing]
"We really wanted her to drink with us," Hoshi walked over to the '97 Liner, linking his arm with hers.
"And I wanted to sleep," she added with a smile at the older member.
-
First on the list: Waking up Dokyeom.
The group, along with the producers exited the hotel room and rushed into the lobby, on their way to find the room of the other member. Minnie walked alongside the leader, Seungkwan was right in front of them, walking backwards so he could face the two.
"Pledis really does this?!" He continued to question the reality of the situation.
The girl shook her head, looking down at the floor before glancing forward again. "That can't be real. They can't just take us to Italy like that, right? Pledis wouldn't allow that."
"But they are," the leader stated, continuously laughing at the situation.
"That's crazy," she mumbled to herself, hugging her arms close to her torso
-
She had found the idea of barging into the other members' rooms entertaining, yet scary at first. She wasn't able to get the thought of them doing the exact same to her out of her head. 'Thank God, I was with the drunk part of the group...', Deep down, she knew she had to thank Dino and Hoshi for blowing up her phone and getting her out of bed because the situation could've gotten quite uncomfortable for quite a few people. These thoughts led to her staying in the background during their break-in into Dokyeom's room, choosing to laugh along with the members as they loudly shouted out for the '97 Liner to get up. 
With his bloodshot eyes, he was still looking around the hallway on their way out towards the next victim's room. He tapped the girl's shoulder, making her turn to the right, immediately a giggle tumbling from her lips as she took in his dishevelled look.
"Minnie-ya..." Dokyeom gasped, "Is this real? Are we really going?"
The female idol patted his back with a smile, "Yes, we're really going right now."
"Woah..." he breathed out as they stopped right in front of the producer's room.
Seungkwan reached out to unlock the door with the master keycard, but his hand was slapped away by the '97 Liner rapper.
"Just go!" The leader, from the back of the line, called out, "Just go in with 'Woozi!'"
"What if he's not sleeping..." Seungkwan wondered out loud.
After a few more moments of debate, the members agreed to let Yeongseok walk in first to wake up the '96 Liner by pretending he was one of their managers. Waking him up softly like one of the staff members was definitely the better choice rather than barging in and screaming at his face like they did with the main vocalist right before.
Na PD didn't need much convincing before opening the door and stepping in. Everyone was surprised by the brightness of the room due to the lights that were still on - hardly anyone expected Woozi to be still up at this time. Well... he wasn't exactly. Walking further into the hotel room, the group of idols and producers found the singer lying on his bed, no sheets covering his body, still in the clothes he had worn before, spread out on top of the mattress.
One chuckle after the other fell with each step they took further into the room. All the while Yeongseok kept up his act of their road manager, trying to get Woozi out of bed.
Clearly confused, the '96 Liner pushed himself off the bed, the sound of each member's laughter echoing through the room as they started surrounding him. Mingyu's distinct laugh bounced off the walls specifically.
Minnie's eye drifted from the flustered member who had just been pulled out of his slumber, to the table right next to the bed. She immediately laughed even harder than before, walking up to Hoshi to show him.
After smacking his arm, she pointed forward, "Look at his protein powder!"
"Ah!" The performance unit's leader laughed out loud, "His protein! Look at the protein!" He caught the attention of the rest of the people in the room. Each member started laughing even more at the mention of the massive box of protein powder he had brought along for their, in relation, rather short Japan trip.
The producer was still too dishevelled to form proper sentences, just clearly wanting to get the group out of his room and onto the next one.
"Woozi-hyung, why are your sunglasses on the bed?" Dokyeom commented once his eyes found the accessory lying close to the pillows. Hoshi had reached out and grabbed them, handing them over to Mingyu, who put them on the older member's face and pushed them up to keep his hair looking somewhat sane.
Minnie chuckled with a shake of her head, "Woozi-hyung might just be the most fashionable sleeper I've ever seen." Then she turned to the producer. "But without them, you currently look like a crazy scientist." Getting a sarcastic grin from him in return, as Mingyu hit her arm with a chuckle.
-
"To which door are we going next?" Yeongseok wondered right away, as soon as Woozi was ready to go. He had gotten into the flow of the Seventeen members waking each other up. Each time, using their creativity and knowledge about one another to come up with fun ways to rip them out of their slumber and surprise them with the news.
"The room next door is-"
"Wonwoo," Minnie finished the sentence of the staff member quietly under her breath. Not enough for the rest to notice, but the camera right next to her had caught it.
Mingyu's voice suddenly rang through their ears. "But- I'm sorry. We'll skip Wonwoo-hyung."
The girl's eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she looked at her fellow '97 Liner, "Why?" Followed by Na PD who threw the same question into the room, sounding slightly more concerned than the girl, who just seemed confused by Mingyu's sudden comment.
"I just don't think it's going to be funny," he told the older man before meeting the eyes of the female member.
Minnie opened her mouth, still a slight scrunch in her eyebrows, but as soon as she closed her lips again her eyebrows returned to a neutral facial expression. Dino was quick to react.
"No, no, no, Wonwoo-hyung is fun," the youngest commented, already ready to make his way to the next room.
The girl was next. "Mm, it's gonna be okay," she assured the rapper, speaking softly as she walked up to him. "We'll make it fun."
-
Arrived at the next room, Seunkgwan and Dino were the first in line, right next to the door. The '98 Liner was already holding the keycard up, excited to wake up the next member.
"Wonwoo?" Na PD asked them again to make sure.
The main vocalist nodded, "Yes, we'll go with Wonwoo."
The producer of the show had caught up with the two youngest, standing next to them as the Seungkwan reached out to knock.
Minnie had come closer, stopping between Hoshi and Dino, waiting for the singer in front of them to finally open the door.
For a moment, the group waited after Seungkwan had knocked on the door three times. Only that Hoshi had already become too impatient,
"We can just go in." Not even wanting to wait another second, making the girl next to him chuckle.
"Let's go in," Dino whispered along with the older member, ushering Seungkwan to just open the door. With a soft push down on the handle, they opened it. Before they let themselves in, Hoshi had pushed Minnie forward, right past the maknae, who added another quick whisper of,
"Noona, go in first."
With quick, yet quiet steps, the female member pushed the door slightly more open and stepped into the room right after flicking on the lights.
"Oppa?" She greeted him at first.
Dino followed right behind her, with Seungkwan afterwards, who held the door open for the cameraman.
"Wonwoo-hyung, they say we need to go," he commented as soon as he walked in.
"Huh?" A raspy hum came from the other side of the room.
While all the other members were toddling inside in a line, one after the other, Minnie's voice was caught by the microphone.
"Oh- pull up the covers," she hastily stated. "Cover your body."
"Why-" Wonwoo was about to ask her a follow-up question when Na PD's voice echoed through the room.
"Wonwoo-ya!" He called out as he revealed himself from the hallway, appearing at the foot of the bed, on which Minnie had sat herself down, while the rapper was holding up the covers over his chest. "It's time to go!" The producer chuckled at the reaction of the '96 Liner as he let himself fall back against the mattress. "Wonwoo-ya... why are your shoulders so wide?" He laughed as he got closer to the bed, his hands finding his bare shoulders that had gotten famous ever since their Game Caterer episode.
The female idol laughed along with her members, holding onto the massive block of a power bank and his glasses as her eyes switched from watching the group in front of them to the man to her right, still hiding underneath the white hotel bedsheets.
"They're definitely wider than Mingyu's!" Cheol commented with a chuckle, making the girl divert her glance over to the '97 Liner, who continued to stand still with what could almost be considered a pout on his lips. She tilted her head with a tight smile decorating her face.
Yeongseok's laughter and voice filled the room, "I think we need to cover him up!" As he tried to do exactly that by tucking the sheets closer to Wonwoo's side. "Stay like this! Stay like this right now!" Pulling them even higher up to his neck.
Not able to hold back a smile, Minnie carefully opened his black frames and tried to place them onto his nose, knowing just how blurry everything must have been for him, making the situation even worse. As they happened to fall slightly crooked, she reached out again to fix them. "Wait," she chuckled, "You have to wear them properly."
"Oh," Na PD looked at him, "Yes, wear your glasses, please."
While Seungkwan's attention was now on the magazines that had been placed on the nightstand, the girl seemed to have noticed the redness shooting to the tips of the rapper's ears, making her smile even wider as she tried to cover them with his hair, running her hand over them and through each strand. 
With a quick hand motion and moving lips towards the '98 Liner, he immediately knew what the girl had asked him to do.
"Ah- wait, wait, where are your clothes, hyung?"
"Oh, where are your clothes, Wonwoo-ya?" Yeongseok immediately engaged with them, looking around the room before the '96 Liner pointed towards the couch. He pushed himself up to sit up straight, the white blanket falling off his shoulders exposing just the very upper area of his torso.
"Oh? Hi, PD-nim." Wonwoo threw everyone off-guard at the sudden greeting. He had only now straightened his glasses properly and blinked enough times to get adjusted to the bright lights in his room. 
Along with Yeongseok, who greeted him as well with a surprised tone lacing his voice as their hands interlocked, Minnie chuckled with the other members at the conversation happening in front of them. With laughter, the girl let herself fall forward, the palm of her right hand hitting Wonwoo's bare skin and shoulder muscles.
After being handed a shirt, the rapper turned to the two members that were closest to him - for one, Minnie on his left, sitting on the bed, and Seungkwan still standing to his right.
"What is this?" He asked them, the corners of his lips curling up into a tired smile.
"Hyung," the '98 Liner started, "We're going."
"Youth Over Flowers is starting," the girl explained further, giggling once again as the surprised eyes of the '96 Liner met hers. 
"Going now?"
"Right now," she nodded, her hand still on his shoulder, only leaving it when he pulled the black shirt over his head and torso.
The quick comment, "That's my shirt," by Mingyu was met with a blank stare from the girl as she pressed her lips together, and quietness washed over the room. Wonwoo having to put on pants first, was the next big attention seeker.
While the rest of the group was debating who to wake up next, either Jun or Minghao, Na PD also admitted to his guilt of having to explain to the '97 Liner that he'd be going to Italy, not alone with his fellow Chinese member as he had thought, but with all the Seventeen members together. Minnie's hand was gripping the sheets, holding them up just slightly after she had noticed the struggle the rapper was having as he tried to put on pants without revealing himself to an entire camera crew and staff members.
-
They decided to go with Jun next. Apologising to him would be easier, or so Na PD thought before they barged into the '96 Liner's room, ripping him out of his slumber. Now, the producer was standing by the left side of the bed, his hands intertwined in front of him as he tried to find the right words.
"Jun," he spoke ever so softly, "I have something to tell you." The still dishevelled member looked to his right, trying to find the eyes of the older member while Dokyeom was trying to place the microphone onto the collar of Jun's shirt.
"I don't know from what point I need to start telling you," Yeongseok admitted, getting a round of laughter in return.
Minnie, who had taken her place next to the maknae, let her head fall onto his shoulder as the giggling shook both of their bodies.
"We lied about so many things," he admitted. "I don't know what to talk about first."
Jun let his eyes drift around the room, trying to find some explanation in the glances from his members, but they were all just smiling back at him in pure amusement. With a hand, he covered his mouth nervously.
"From what is it the truth?" He wondered, hoping to be able to figure out the starting point of what the producer kept on claiming to be 'a series of lies'.
"There's no truth," Minnie stated with a chuckle. "It's all lies."
"Hey!" Na PD turned to the girl, pointing at her with a smile, "Don't say it like that!"
"You have to be honest with him, hyung... He was so excited for the trip." She fought back, all while fighting her own giggles as Jun kept up his confused facial expression, switching between the two arguing parties.
"That..." He started once again, still flustered by having to admit to the fake schedule they had created for the idol group. "The... this program," Na PD finally let out. "That entire program."
Still slightly unsure of what exactly the man was talking about, the '96 Liner slowly nodded his head, "Aah... ah... okay..." Making the members around his bed chuckle.
The older man kept his stance with his intertwined hands, looking down at the performer with pure guilt written all over his face. He repeated his apology, explaining that the schedule wouldn't include the other two famous men, but the rest of his group instead. Trying to lift the mood by elaborating on how wonderful it is to be able to spend that time with the rest of his members was used to more so soothe him instead of the idol as Jun was still very much disoriented by the sudden intrusion.
"Do the members know too?" He wanted to know.
In chorus, they started explaining to him they had only just found out as well and weren't in on any 'plan' as he had thought.
Na PD placed a comforting hand on the '96 Liner's shoulder. "The people in front of your eyes right now," he started, "They didn't know anything 5 minutes ago." What he did leave out was the fact that not only were they unaware of the situation they'd be thrown into, but also unbelievably unprepared, as a rap battle seemed much more important.
The youngest of the group had another confession to make as he opened his mouth. "And hyung... I'm drunk right now." He suddenly revealed. The girl on his right wrapped her arm around his waist, patting his back as the room erupted in another round of laughter. Wonwoo was quick to jump into the situation, holding up his hand, showing four fingers that he moved around in front of Dino's face, a fond smile making his lips curl.
"Oh-" the maknae was surprised by the sudden action, "Three?" He called out, getting another chuckle from everyone in the room. Minnie's palm hit his chest with a giggle.
-
On their way out, onto the next room, the female member was interrupted in her conversation as the youngest called out for her.
"Noona!" He turned around to face her while she was walking a few steps behind them, next to Seungcheol. 
She hummed in response, "Hm?"
"I really wasn't too weird, right?" He stopped in his tracks to let her catch up with him before he interlocked his arm with hers. "You were the only really sober one, so please tell me. I wasn't too weird, right?"
With a tight smile on her lips, their looks met. "Well..." she started, already making the maknae close his eyes and groan in embarrassment. "You weren't weird. You were just being you. But you did start a rap battle all of a sudden," she recalled with a giggle.
"Ah...," he sighed, letting his forehead rest against her shoulder, "Noona, why did I do that?" 
Her lips formed a fond smile as she patted his back. "Don't worry about it. The people watching this will find it funny."
"Are you sure?" He asked her further, still with a slight sulk lacing his voice.
[Younger brother looking for affirmation]
She nodded, her hands brushing over his hair, making him smile.
-
The members had made their way into Vernon's room. Seungkwan had gone in first after the group was convinced that he the second youngest was actually still awake and not sleeping, like the rest had been. Inside, they were greeted with yet again the bright lights of the room, and, just like with Wonwoo, another two copies of their magazine cover on the table that Dino presented proudly to the camera.
The '98 Liner had himself fully covered by the white bedsheets, confirming the suspicion they had of him, like his fellow HHU member, not wearing anything to bed.
Mortified by the sudden amount of people invading his room, he had pulled the blanket up to his face. Even with Seungkwan's warning, nothing could've prepared him for this moment.
Minnie and Hoshi had joined him on the mattress, sitting down on the left side that was kept free while Na PD tried to get the younger member out of the comfort of the bed.
"I'm in such a dirty state right now," Vernon confessed, now hiding his entire face behind the safety of the sheets. "I'm only wearing this right now," he pointed to the thin piece of clothing working as a robe.
Yeongseok chuckled flustered. "Oh- you're only wearing that?"
Without a warning, Hoshi's hands suddenly travelled underneath the covers, getting a look of confusion from the girl in return. He patted around the mattress and body of the man underneath them when he suddenly nodded with a big grin.
"Ooh, he's really only wearing this," he told the rest of the room. The members and crew chuckled at his uncalled action. Shocked, but definitely not surprised.
Minnie, who kept her eyes on him, leaned closer to him, slapping his leg with an amused scoff, "You can't do that!"
Her fellow '97 Liner and rapper right next to them, hunched over in laughter, his hands falling to the shoulder of the performance unit leader, pushing him away.
They agreed to let him put on clothes first before they would move on to the next room. But the blanket still covering him turned out to be more of an obstacle than expected as he started squirming around, Na PD trying to lift the sheets to give him some more room to put on the pants that were handed to him. The movements seemed too funny for the group not to comment on them.
"Are you shedding?" Seungkwan was the first to comment.
Minnie smiled at his struggle. "You look like a transforming worm, Vernon," getting a round of chuckles from the members.
-
Getting Jeonghan out of bed was easy for the group. The '95 Liner was quick to play along and jumped into character almost instantly when Yeongseok was the first to walk into his room. He was up on his feet and ready to jump into action. You could've thought he hadn't even been sleeping.
"I don't know," Jeonghan mumbled, "I don't know how I am right now." While some of the other members were still focused on the magazines with his pictures on the cover. Somebody had placed a few copies of them on his table as well.
Na PD chuckled warmly, "You're very pretty right now. It's okay, it's okay." His assuring words made the vocalist nod and ready to go on to the next room.
Minnie sighed, "You could really wake up Jeonghan-hyung at any hour and he'll look pretty. That's so unfair." Followed by a slight sulk that was caught by the members. She was just about to turn around when Seungkwan's follow-up comment made her stop.
"Then you gotta work on your beauty sleep, noona." His words made her open her mouth but close it quickly, reminding herself of all of the cameras that were on them, so she just nodded. But a sarcastic smile was plastered on her face.
Woozi couldn't help but shake his head in amusement at the two. "Don't listen to him," he mumbled, patting her back before he turned around to leave them alone.
-
Next and final room: Minghao. The member Na PD was dreading to face, having to, once again, explain the situation and the lie they had come up with, making the '97 Liner believe he'd go on a trip to Italy with Jun alone, along with two other people from the entertainment industry. Well, now he'd get to enjoy the Italian flair with 12 of his members.
Standing in front of the last hotel room they'd break in, the debating started. How would they greet the member who was looking forward to the trip the most?
Seungkwan proposed that Yeongseok should go in first, clapping and congratulating Minghao on the trip. Jeonghan had the idea of letting the '98 Liner walk in first to wish him 'safe travels', but he stopped himself in the middle of the sentence, deciding that it would take too long to let one member after the other inside. Final decision: all of the barge in at the same time, clapping and celebrating. That would wake him up, for sure.
After one flick of the lights, the members rushed inside, their loud voices immediately filling the room as their claps bounced off the walls. Wide eyes welcomed them as Minghao looked around the room in surprise, taken aback by the sudden appearance of his members along with crew members he didn't recognize right away. Only after Seungkwan introduced Na PD, did the '97 Liner realise who was standing in front of him. He sat himself up to greet him.
Then it was time. The explanation.
Yeongseok started. "Oh, to be honest, Myungho-ya... there's something I need to apologise to you about."
As soon as the soft and delicate words, "What is it?" Left Minghao's lips, the producer stepped back. You would've thought he had to tell him Santa wasn't real by his reaction.
But after a moment of silence, he spilt the truth, explaining that Jun and his 'trip to Italy' was happening right at that moment, adding that the rest of the members were coming along too though. From her position next to S.Coups in the corner of the room, Minnie, along with the rest of the members burst into laughter when he started clapping and smiling almost painfully fake.
-
Minghao got dressed and the others got themselves comfortable around the room, spreading out onto the bed, and the couch, and some chose to stand up.
That's when Na PD spoke up again, "Okay, everyone's together, right?" A conversation easily followed. Hoshi started by explaining their fully packed schedule, which made the members realise that they would not even have the time to film 'Youth Over Flowers' at any point during that time, but the producer clarified the careful thought process that went into kidnapping the idol group and giving them a well-deserved break during such a busy time.
As the realisation of it happening right now hit Dino, he groaned and let his face fall into his hands, catching the attention of the girl. Minnie chuckled at the youngest antics, elbowing the leader on her right before she nodded towards the bed, where the maknae was contemplating all of his life choices.
"Look at Dino." Seungcheol joined her giggling, eyeing the youngest member carefully. "He's still drunk," she shook her head with a smile.
While Hoshi and Dokyeom discussed which month they had thought they'd get to film the program in, Shin Hyojung spoke up from behind the camera.
"Considering that, too," mentioning the packed schedule of the idol group. "we freed space for a week." Which caught the attention of each member.
Various gasps and hums echoed through the room.
"An entire week?!" Minnie wondered out loud in shock, getting a nod from the female producer in return.
"An entire week," she confirmed.
After she dropped the next lie, which had been the fake schedule they created for the entire week, another round of gasps could be heard from the singers. None of them could really believe the time and dedication the production crew had put into this - just for them.
"All fake," Seungcheol commented.
Minnie turned towards him. "Did you know about them being fake?!"
He was quick to shake his head, "I swear, I knew as much as you guys about this. I only found out a few hours before you."
"That's crazy..." the girl mumbled, her arms crossed in front of her chest, tightening the zip-up hoodie around her frame.
-
"I'm going to make some announcements," Na PD called out to get the attention back to the moment. "And we can talk about other things later!" Firstly, he let them know about their destination as only some of the members had caught onto where they were going - Rome, Italy. While sounds of surprise and happiness filled the room, Minnie stayed quiet and surprised Cheol when she suddenly wrapped her arm around his. The crutch made it slightly awkward, but it didn't stop her.
"Who has been to Italy?" Yeongseok wondered, getting a round of shaking heads in return.
"None," was repeatedly thrown into the room as different members answered him.
"No one?!" Na PD was well surprised by the answer. "Minnie," he caught the attention of the younger woman. "Not even you?" Expecting for at least her to have been to one of the most visited countries in Europe. But she shook her head as well,
"Not to Italy, no."
"That's why we picked it," another female producer explained from the other side of the room.
"We've never been to Europe," Seungkwan wined.
Woozi nodded in agreement, turning to Yeongseok, "We haven't been to Europe either."
Minnie's head dropped to Seungcheol's shoulder. He let go of his right crutch, using his now free hand to caress the arm she had interlocked with his.
Na PD's speech went on. "To be honest, Seventeen has had a really packed schedule up to now. I know that you had a really hard time." He got sounds of agreement and nodding heads in return. "You must've had no time to rest at all. So, the concept of this Italy vacation is different from our usual 'Youth Over Flowers'." He continued to explain the differences in the program the group would film. They wouldn't face any hardships, not suffer as they go along. It would be an 'all-inclusive package' for a real holiday.
"So, you just need to play. We searched and rented all places where we could play and enjoy. At breakfast, go visit stuff and eat delicious things. At dinner, we get together and play," he explained further. "We're going to spend a week like this." As expected, the members reacted in glee. Happy, surprised and yet still not fully believing things that good would happen to them.
Woozi was the first to question the sincerity. "We can believe this, right?" Which made Yeongseok turn to him in surprise,
"You can trust me! You can trust this!"
Minnie squinted her eyes jokingly. "I feel like that's exactly something that someone who'd try to trick us would say."
"No, ah-" He sighed and shook his head with a smile, "Really. Trust me with this." Turning to the other producers, he looked for help. "Tell them that this is right!"
After revealing the new name of the program 'NANA Tour', the group almost forgot it was too good to be true. But the following words from Na PD made them realise they may have started celebrating too early.
"Since our trip is an all-inclusive package," he stated, "there's nothing that you guys need to prepare."
"Huh?!"
The members started to look for each others' gazes, trying to find some sense in a moment of confusion.
"You don't need your bag or anything else," Yeongseok explained further. "The things you need are the clothes you're wearing and a cell phone. You don't need your wallet."
"Really?" Dokyeom asked out loud.
Minnie glanced at the man in confusion while mumbling to herself "But I'm wearing pyjamas." Her worried tone got a chuckle out of Seungcheol as he looked over to her, shaking his head.
But even with all the good news the group had gotten, bad news was about to follow as well.
"The problem is that we- our package's departure schedule is a bit early."
The girl opened her mouth to say something, but Woozi beat her to it as he pointed at the man on the bed.
"I'm saying that his eyes are scary!" Making the crew of producers and cameramen laugh wholeheartedly and zoom into Yeongseok's face.
"How could you let us leave us without anything on us?!" Minnie called out in frustration. "That's not right... You have something planned! Don't lie!"
Na PD couldn't help but chuckle, hunching over before holding himself up from the mattress by his hands. "No, I promise. We're going to go to Italy. But the problem is that we have to go kind of early!" He argued back.
A comforting hand found its way to Minnie's back as Cheol shrugged his arm out of her grasp to wrap it around her frame. Her eyebrows were back scrunched up in confusion as she whispered to the leader,
"I don't trust him." To which he chuckled.
"It's okay, you can trust him." But she just shook her head with a pout on her lips.
Her attention went back to listening to the producer as he spoke, "You guys are going to get dressed starting now and in three minutes-"
"What?!"
"In three minutes?!"
"Hyung!"
"This is so much fun," came from Jeonghan, who seemed to be the only one to enjoy the stress that was put on the group with that statement alone.
Na PD was quick to add, "Because you don't need a bag or wallet! We have all of your passports."
Right away, questions started coming from left and right.
"Can I still brush my teeth?"
"Can't I take a shower?"
"Is there underwear in the package?"
"Everything!" Yeongseok answered Dokyeom's question. "Just wear what you're wearing now-"
"I can't wear pyjamas to the airport," Minnie sighed out, running a hand through her hair with a deep breath.
Jeonghan grinned at her, "Don't worry, Minnie-ya. You make everything look fashionable."
With scrunched eyebrows, she glanced over at him, not able to hold back a smile once she came to sight with his.
As soon as Na PD gave the official 'ok' to split up and start getting ready, the members split up quickly. They rushed out of Minghao's room one after the other, trying to get to their own rooms as quickly as possible. Jeonghan didn't seem to be nearly as stressed as the others as he decided to stay back. Minnie was doing the same, standing still in her place next to the leader.
"Oh... oppa...," she sighed. Cheol immediately knew what she wanted to say, so he was quick to interrupt her, patting her back once again.
"No, go, go. Get ready. Change your clothes. I'll meet you downstairs," he assured her.
"Really? You'll still be here?" She asked further, getting a nod from him in response.
"Ok..." she mumbled. before she left, she hastily threw her arms around his shoulder, giving him a quick squeeze before exiting the room as well, thoughts of which clothes to take out of her suitcase already rushing through her mind.
-
She had already finished packing her luggage the evening before, right after the concert, wanting to spare herself the stress of packing it right before their flight back home. Therefore, Minnie's baby blue suitcase was already in the hallway, where she had to put it on the ground to open it.
"Ok," she thought out loud, "Rome is probably hot right now at this time of year... but I want to be comfortable on the plane. So... I'm not gonna wear shorts, but thin long pants. But a short shirt. That should be fine, right?" She looked up from her position on the floor, glancing at the cameraman, who just shrugged back. 
The girl chuckled and nodded to herself. "It'll be fine," she stood back up after gathering everything from her suitcase, including a pair of sneakers. "More important is... what will I take in my small bag," with a hand on her chin, she contemplated. "Sunglasses... maybe tissues... I can't bring make-up, right?" The cameraman shook his head. "Ok... that's... ok... but suncream. I'll need suncream. OH- and chapstick- hold on. I also need to brush my teeth..."
-
After Wonwoo, Minnie was next to enter the meeting room, getting greeted by Na PD immediately, and the '96 Liner along with S.Coups, Hoshi and Minghao who had already taken a seat on the chairs and couch. She had changed into a pair of jeans along with a slightly cropped white shirt and a grey cropped cardigan on top. A black hat was on her head, but she had taken it off once she walked in.
"Minnie, come in and sit," the producer ushered her inside. But something caught his eye. "Ah- Minnie-ya," at the sound of her name, the girl stopped in her tracks.
Yeongseok reached out his open palm. "Give me your bag."
Her hands found the handle on her shoulder in an instant, clinging onto it tightly.
"But I need it," she fought back.
With a sigh, the producer continued looking at her. "I promise you, everything you need, you'll get from us. Come on, give me the bag."
Hesitantly, the female member let the leather brush off her shoulder, before slowly handing it over. But just before Yeongseok could get a hold of it, she pulled it back, "Wait! Can I take out what I need?" 
A chuckle tumbled from his lips as she shook his head. Glancing over at the other members, he only found amused faces looking back at him. He took a deep breath, "What is it that you need so desperately?" 
As an answer, Minnie placed the bag on the console table on the left side of the room and started rummaging. Picking out the important things, she counted them, "Chapstick, sunscreen, and... sunglasses!" She showed the things to the producer, who nodded after inspecting them.
"Ok, ok, you can take them. If they fit in your pockets. Now sit down." With a nod and a quick, "Thank you," she went after his orders.
-
Na PD, Cheol, Joshua, Wonwoo, Dokyeom, Vernon, and Minnie made their way downstairs with the elevator. Stopping in the garage, where a car was already waiting for them. Just as they were about to leave, the '96 and '98 Liner of the Hip-Hop-Unit walking towards the vehicle first, Yeonseok calling out for S.Coups caught their attention and made them turn around again, almost forgetting that their leader wasn't going with them.
One after the other, the members said goodbye to him, hugging him one last time before they'd be on their way. Minnie stood still between him and the producer.
"Aah, you're not coming with us!" Vernon suddenly realised.
The girl pouted, "How the heck is he supposed to come with us with his injury?!" Clearly frustrated by the situation.
"I totally forgot about that," the younger member nervously chuckled. After individually making sure they had said goodbye properly, wishing him a comfortable ride home, it was Minnie's turn to hug him. Without a word, she threw her arms around his shoulders as Joshua patted the head of their leader. With a sigh, she let him go again.
"I don't like this...."
"Don't be like that, Minnie-ya," he nudged her. "Have fun in Italy. Be careful."
She nodded hesitantly, "I guess we will."
"You guess?!" Na PD gasped next to her, making the girl chuckle. "You guess?! We'll make sure that you guys have fun."
"Ok, ok," she nodded again. One last time, Seungcheol opened his arms to pull her in. Just as she was about to let go of him, the '95 Liner whispered something into her ear, to which she frowned at first as soon as they separated, but then she assured him, she had understood him. With a last wave, she bid him her final goodbye before she'd get to see him again in about two weeks.
[they will reunite well]
-
EP1-2. Off to Italy
Minnie took her place by the window, with Minghao on her right. The bus had started its engine and was about to start driving away. The members looked outside to see their CEO, managers, and most importantly their leader standing on the side, waving them off.
[bye bye]
With a sad smile, the girl waved back, nodding at S.Coups after he had motioned something with his hands. Her gaze didn't leave the window until everyone was out of sight. Only then did she let herself fall back against the seat, looking down at her hands with a sigh. Her fellow '97 Liner noticed her quietness and placed a hand on top of hers, making her look up.
She was greeted with the kind smile of her best friend, making her grin in return. He gave her hand a little squeeze, which she copied, quickly developing into a battle of who could squeeze the other person's hand harder. Even if it was obvious who would win, Minnie still put up the fight, grinning down at their hands, and just taking a moment to be thankful for the person to her right.
-
Hoshi, Wonwoo, and Minghao were sitting together at Incheon Airport, waiting for the connecting flight with Na PD, who was behind the camera they had set up, engaging in a comfortable conversation.
Minnie suddenly appeared from the background, joining the group on the floor, her phone in her grip.
"Did you talk to your mum?" Yeongseok asked.
The girl nodded with a smile. "I told her we're going to Rome."
He chuckled, "What did she say?"
"'Why not closer to us?'" Minnie changed her voice into a slightly higher tone, impersonating her mother. "'I could've brought you guys something to eat.'" 
[caring words of a mother <3]
The members around her started laughing, with Hao leaning onto her shoulder.
Na PD scoffed with a chuckle. "Does she think we won't feed you?"
Minnie shrugged, "I think she also thinks this will be more like 'Youth Over Flowers'." To which the producer laughed in return.
-
Deep in her slumber, the female idol was catching up on the few hours of sleep she had missed out on due to the intense rap battle her fellow members wanted her to witness.
[beauty sleep]
"Minnie-ya," a soft voice from the right spoke up. When she didn't react, a hand reached out to nudge her. 
The camera angle expanded, to expose Wonwoo, who was trying to get her to wake up. With one more gentle shove to her arm and a repetition of her name, his voice ever so soft, Minnie's eyes fluttered open. For a second, there was clear confusion written on her face, but as she looked to her left, she found the rapper's eyes already on her, she smiled.
"Hm?"
"Eat something before we land," Wonwoo spoke quietly, not trying to distress her as she tried to adjust her eyes to the brightness. Minnie nodded and with a quick click of a button, she let her seat straighten back up. 
"When do we land?"
"In like two hours."
"Ok," she answered, trying to hold back a yawn without any luck. Then she glanced at the clock. "Ah... I forgot about the time difference... it's evening now."
"Mm," Wonwoo looked away from his phone to glance over at her, "Are you still tired?"
For a second, the girl seemed to think about it. "A little bit. I hope I'll get to sleep."
-
EP1-3. First Step of the Travel
After landing and walking through the airport for a good bit, they arrived at the visa checkpoints. Jun and Minghao were separated from the group due to their Chinese passports, but what caught the members off-guard was when Minnie was directed towards a different line than them.
"Where are you going?" Mingyu asked the girl as he filmed himself.
"We took Minnie's EU passport, not her Korean one, so she has an easier way," one of the producers behind him explained to him. The '97 Liner nodded while watching her walk away.
The female member had gotten her own vlogging camera, filming the lower side of her face that was still covered by a mask. She didn't start talking until she came to a halt and pulled the mask down and the camera up to show her entire face.
"And now we'll wait. Because the members are gonna take a little bit longer than me." And ended her commentary with a smile.
-
Dino, Hoshi, and Wonwoo were the first to join her.
"Noona, you just walked through the gates!" The youngest called out as soon as they had caught up with her.
Minnie chuckled, "Yeah, it's like this within some countries in Europe. If you were born here."
"Aaah," he nodded. "Practical."
When she saw the vlogging camera Hoshi was holding up, the girl put her own one down, focusing more on her surroundings as they walked through the entrance/exit of the airport and out into the warm late summer air.
The rest of the members, besides Jun and Minghao, were already hot on their tracks as well and followed them to the bus that was waiting for them outside. Walking in, they greeted the driver before cramping together into the seats at the back. Vernon and Minnie decided to sit together with the younger member by the window and the girl by the aisle.
During their little gaming session, the girl decided to relax, mostly focused on her own phone, texting her mum about their arrival, sending a quick message to their leader and scrolling through Social Media.
When Minghao and Jun finally joined them on the bus, they were ready to leave. Right from the start, the producers could feel the energy coming from the group. Everyone was excited and most of them had slept enough on the flight, explaining their high energy levels.
"The name of the airport," a staff member suddenly spoke up, "is Leonardo Da Vinci Airport."
"Ooh, Vernonnie." Dokyeom's voice rang through the ears of the girl. Only a split second later, she started to laugh. The members quickly caught onto the comment by the '97 Liner.
"No, Leonardo da Vinci."
"Not that Leonardo, Dokyeom-ah," Minnie and Mingyu spoke at the same time, both smiling at the situation. It was only then that Vernon, the man in question, realised what was being said, making him chuckle as he ran a hand over his face.
During the rest of the drive, Na PD was in charge of entertainment. He started with the description of their accommodation, mentioning that it was an Airbnb they had booked. But before they would get to their housing, the crew had decided to make a quick stop by the Colosseum to take a group picture and let the idol group roam around a little bit.
The producer started them off with some facts.
"You all know what it looks like, right?" 
The group agreed in union.
"Round and pretty," Minnie added with a bright face. At the sound of her voice, Wonwoo turned his head to glance over at her, a fond smile on his lips.
"Right," the producer answered, "Round and... yeah, pretty I guess too." Making the girl chuckle. "It's a building that was built about 2000 years ago. It's an ancient theatre. Simply put an amphitheatre. There's an audience, and what do you think they did in the centre?"
"Duel," Wonwoo and Minnie answered at the same time. With grins, they glanced at each other, chuckling when their eyes met. European history had always been a big interest of theirs.
"Exactly," Na PD pointed at the two. "Duel. Gladiators would fight each other or a tiger vs. human."
The girl suddenly gasped quietly, "Hoshi-hyung..." Which only seemed to have reached the ears of the two '96 Liners next to her, who had turned to smile at the other one, clearly amused by the comment of the female member. 
-
After they arrived at the sight, the group quickly split up again into smaller portions, each member wanting to see and explore the ancient building for themselves.
Minnie stood still as her eye raked up and down the height of the Colosseum, astonished at what she was seeing with her own eyes.
"It's so much bigger than I expected for some reason," she commented out loud, catching the attention of Yeongseok, who had stopped to her left.
He nodded. "Mm, but you must be used to buildings like this, or not?"
The girl shook her head with a smile. "I don't think you can ever get used to this. Ancient buildings are always so shocking when get to see them in real life."
"The Eiffel Tower for you too? You must've seen that quite a few times already," he continued the conversation as the two made their way further around the arena.
Minnie chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so," she explained, "But it's a lot smaller than people expect."
"Oh, really?" To which she nodded.
"So, this," she pointed towards the building right in front of them, "Is... insanely beautiful. Especially now at night."
-
Once the idol group had gotten back together, the individual sightseeing coming to an end, they decided to try to give their leader a call, reminding themselves of the fact that the time in Korea was 6 a.m., so the chances of him picking up were slim. Explaining, why they were so surprised when Seungcheol did in fact pick up the call, revealing his tired face on the screen of Hoshi's phone.
"Oh, he picked up!" Dino called out, making the girl, who was still in awe of the arena, turn around.
"S.COUPS!" Jun shouted out in glee. Minnie chuckled, watching the screen, seeing how clearly tired the '95 Liner was, assuming they had ripped him out of his sleep and that ungodly hour.
"We came to the Colosseum," Hoshi explained to him.
"Is it fun?" The leader wondered, his voice laced with pure exhaustion and still deeper than usual.
"It would be more fun with you here," the girl smiled, getting a chuckle from him in return.
"Mh, I bet," he sarcastically answered.
The performance unit leader suddenly announced they'd be taking a picture, surprising Cheol over the phone, who did his best to do some kind of pose in his position on the bed. Even with his absence, a group picture with all of them together was necessary.
-
EP1-4. Something Happened in Their House
In groups, the members were ordered to leave the bus and start their seven-minute walk towards their Airbnb. Minnie was in the second group that got to exit the vehicle, along with Hoshi, Wonwoo, and Minghao. As soon as they stepped out and fell into their usual walking tempo, for comfort, the girl looped her right arm with Wonwoo's left - no reaction from him. The group easily fell into a natural conversation, commenting on what was around them, what they passed, and the warm weather they were lucky enough to catch during this time of year.
"I'm not normally sentimental," the '96 Liner from the Hip-Hop-unit suddenly stated. "But it's gonna become sentimental."
The female member nodded. "Because we're on our first real vacation as a group, minus Seungcheol-oppa. And in a really nice city as well." The three men agreed with nods.
-
When they finally arrived at their housing for the night, they got to walk through the apartment in the old building the crew had rented out for the group. Each room had its own charm and the members already knew it wouldn't be easy to choose. But then again, their individually designated rooms often get lost after nights of drinking and playing games, and suddenly four people are sleeping in a two-person bed. So the choices weren't all that important to the singers.
They decided to let faith decide and play a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The winner would get to choose first, then the second, and so on until each member had a bed assigned to them.
One after the other, the singers walked around until they reached the room they had chosen to sleep in. Dino and Jun had decided on the three-beds room, leaving one still free. That's when Minnie appeared from around the corner to glance inside.
"Ooh," she commented with a smile as she came in. "I don't think we've ever shared a room together in this constellation, right?"
Jun agreed, "Yeah, I don't think so."
"Noona, stay, it's gonna be fun," the maknae, who had already made himself comfortable on one of the beds that had gotten pushed together.
Minnie chuckled, walking in to throw her cardigan and the pouch she had taken from the plane, onto the mattress. "Of course, I'm gonna stay with you guys."
"Yeyy," Dino looked up at the older member, who smiled down at him. He was quick to sit up straight once he noticed she had gotten comfortable on the other bed right next to him. "Do you want to sleep by the window?" The youngest asked her.
"Hm?" Minnie wondered, turning to her right to see the window being closest to her bed. "I don't mind it."
"Okay," he nodded before throwing himself onto the sheets.
-
Minnie and Jun had left their assigned rooms. He had joined the four beds Joshua, Hoshi, Mingyu and Dokyeom-room, engulfed in comfortable conversations as they settled into their housing, while Minnie paid a visit to Jeonghan, Woozi, Wonwoo, and Seunkgwan's room.
The girl was sitting on the bed with the '98 Liner when Na PD surprised them with a visit. "Please wait in the room for five to ten minutes!" He announced as he waltzed in.
"Okay," he got a reply in chorus back.
As soon as he left again, the group started talking.
"His eyes are weird, I keep on saying this," Woozi commented, getting a round of chuckles from the members in return.
"They're spun around," Seungkwan added.
Minnie sighed, "I'm telling you, we still can't trust them. What are we gonna sleep in? We don't have any extra clothes." Her question seemed to get the roommates to thinking, the wheels inside their heads visibly starting to turn.
"Maybe... maybe they'll give us something," the youngest of them answered her with a shrug.
"But we're definitely gonna have to work for them," the '96 Liner stated. "They're not just gonna give us everything."
"Yeah, I don't think so either," the girl agreed, letting herself sink into the mattress.
-
After a few minutes, the members were called to gather in the kitchen. Walking in, they could already see that something had been set up.
"Tax-free?" Minnie wondered out loud as soon as she had entered the room. Joshua, who was already sitting down, turned to where she was looking at - a poster on the wall.
Slightly confused, yet intrigued, the girl took a seat opposite Woozi and next to Jeonghan, waiting for the next steps as the two main songwriters of the group grinned at each other. Both were still carrying only a small amount of trust with them when it came to the program they were filming.
Yeongseok brought in a shopping trolly, that he placed on the table the two were sitting on, revealing it to be filled to the brim and explaining the meaning of it to the group. As they hadn't had time to pack anything, aka the crew didn't let them bring anything other than what they could carry on their body, the producing team would provide them with everything they could possibly need. 
Ranging from toiletries to clothing or even electronics, the crew had thought of every single thing. The first thing they presented were T-shirts. But not just any shirts. Custom-made T-shirts for each member. The group gazed at the item of clothing with wide eyes. Every shirt had a different design, fitted to the member whose name was written across the chest. Cherries for S.Coups, dumbells for Woozi, and so on.
Next was underwear. A true essential.
"Hold on," Minnie suddenly stopped. She pointed to a pack of black underwear with a rim she only knew too well. "I have to work for the underwear I model for? I thought I'd get them for free." As they were Calvin Klein underwear the production team had packed for her, the girl was surprised.
"AH!" Seungkwan suddenly shouted out. "You don't have to remind us of that photoshoot!" Getting a round of chuckles from the members in return, and a sarcastic big grin from the girl.
"You're welcome!" To which the '98 Liner only glanced at her in disgust.
"I'm sorry, Minnie-ya," Na PD told her. "But you also had to work to become an ambassador, right?"
With a squint, she glared at the man to her left. "Touché," she mumbled loud enough for the other members to hear, who laughed at the conversation.
The show continued as he presented the rest of the containments of the bag: Kimchi (jongga, of course), dumbells for whoever would want to work out, cup ramyeon, shorts, shampoo, a NANA Tour guidebook, zip lock bags, fans, wet tissues, stir-fried gochujang, toothbrushes and toothpaste, a bag, merch, and even earphones.
Then, last, but most definitely not least, the producer pulled out an envelope, with a quick side-remark.
"Jeonghan-ah, you'll really need this. You're going to cry," he explained. "For all of you, filled with his heart S.Coups' letter." Without missing a beat, the vice leader of the group suddenly erupted in fake tears, his groans echoing through the room. The girl couldn't help but chuckle as she nudged him with her elbow. Once he returned back to his normal state and Na PD sat back, she leaned over to the '95 Liner.
"Cheol told me to choose the letter."
"When?" He looked down at her in slight confusion.
"When we said goodbye to him. He mentioned a letter, but I was so confused about what he meant. But it must be this." Jeonghan nodded, leaning apart again to avoid suspicion from the production crew.
After they were introduced to all of the items, the group was clearly intrigued by what they could get. They knew they could, but how? Well, definitely not for free, of course. Yeongseok explained they would have to play a game, earning item after item with each round they'd win. The game they had decided on was 'Human Zero'. A game Seventeen was somewhat familiar with, but since they hadn't played it in quite a while, the worries were accordingly high.
But as soon as the game started, every fear had made its way out of the window. The group was surprisingly good at the game Na PD had chosen. In each round, the members made the right decision with who decided they should and shouldn't stand up. They were very good. Too good in the producer's opinion. Suspicion rose.
Even when they asked Hoshi what number Yeongseok should shout out next, the idol group stood strong and won another round.
It went as far as that the members even individually promised to stand up, making him almost want to shout out '13!' but if there's one thing Seventeen was flawless at, it would be teamwork - and teamwork only worked amongst the team, individuals outside of the group wouldn't understand.
Even though the idol group won each round unexpectedly, even with repeated attempts to change the game's rules and make it less likely for them to win and to prove they weren't cheating, it was still as entertaining as everyone expected. The entire crew was laughing along with the singers, surprised by the unexpected win after win.
The planned five rounds quickly turned into fifteen with Seventeen winning each round and the production even adding products they could win. But just because it didn't turn out the way the crew had planned, didn't mean it was any less entertaining. If anything, it made it all that much more amusing. It was the living proof that Seventeen talked, slept and breathed a language only they could understand.
"Just take all of this," Na PD sighed in defeat as he pointed to the prices on the table.
With all the interesting things they had earned, there was one thing that was still a mystery to the group and they'd finally get to reveal.
Jeonghan got handed over the letter Seungcheol had written to his members. He opened the envelope and opened the piece of paper, a piece of plastic being the first thing to catch their eyes.
Minnie glanced at it. Her facial expression of confusion quickly changed into surprise as she realised what the '95 Liner had just picked up - Coups' credit card.
"Oh wow..." Jeonghan gasped out loud along with Dokyeom who looked at the letter with wide eyes.
"That's not a letter," the girl commented, leaning in to try and read the words that were written on the piece of paper the card had come in. He read it out loud.
"Thank you for picking my letter. I feel so sorry for you guys going without any preparation. You can use this card however you want. I will be waiting for you well in Korea. You can use this card however you want, okay? Have fun. I love you."
A round of claps and gasps in affection filled the room.
"It really is his personal card," Dokyeom pointed out.
"His personal card?!"
"Woah... he really is the best leader," Minnie commented. A round of heads nodded in agreement.
They decided on Dino to keep the card safe as he was already the manager of the pocket money they had received before their departure.
So after a long day of travels and finally also a game, the group was released.
"Since it's late, hurry up and wash up. Change into these clothes and let's rest well," he dismissed the members.
"Good night," Minnie's voice echoed through the room as some members clapped in appreciation
"Well done, guys."
"Great job."
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The Fortune in The Fortune Teller
This is an isolated look into this specific episode.
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The Fortune Teller is the 14th episode of book 1 of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is famous for supposedly developping the show's romantic subplot between Katara and A\ang. The episode does two things: A\ang attempts to flirt with Katara, and Katara is finally willing to consider him as more than just a friend.
However, I believe that this episode could have masterfully foreshadowed the pair not getting together in the end. In this essay I will detail how each step the episode takes towards a Kat@ang endgame is actually foreshadowing the opposite.
1. Katara and the Nature of Destiny
In the beginning, the Gaang meets a person getting attacked by a bear. He is acting incredibly passive, simply dodging the bear's attemps at his life. Then, A\ang and Appa interfere to help the man. When the Gaang questions him on why he was so passive, he says it's because the Fortune Teller told him he'd have a safe journey. They then have the following exchange:
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The man's logic is obviously flawed. If the Gaang didn't interfere, if the man continued to passivaly dodge, the bear would have attacked him. Fortune and destiny come from agency – from actively shaping them.
However, Katara is delaited at the prospect of seeing the future. Her and the Gaang go to meet the Fortune Teller, Aunt Wu. Aunt Wu tells her she'll marry a very powerful bender. Later, she comes back asking more details about her future husband. Remember her excitment, fantacising about her future husband:
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After that, Katara becomes somewhat reliant on Aunt Wu's prophecies. She goes as far as to ask her what she should eat.
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And she obeys her "prophecy", despite not wanting to. She became like the man from the beginning. She knowingly follows the fortune even though it doesn't make sense. She had given up on forging her own destiny.
Although by the end of the episode, she is no longer in this state of reliance, she still believes in the prophecies. Then, Sokka says that A\ang is a very powerful bender. This reminds her of what Aunt Wu said about her future husband. I don't want to cherry pick, so I took 4 different pictures of her face when she realizes A\ang might be the powerful bender she is to marry:
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With the look in her eyes, with her mouth tilted down and with the ominous music, this could easily be read as disappointment. Especially when remembering how she fantacized about the powerful bender earlier in the episode. She doesn't smile, but looks concerned. As if she doesn't want this. Earlier in the episode, she says this:
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A\ang is like the papaya. The fortune says he's right for her, but Katara doesn't want him. Now, she isn't like the man, passively dodging the bear attacking her. She shouldn't sit and wait for the prophecy to come true point blank. She has the agency to shape her own destiny and not to choose A\ang as her future husband.
2. A\ang, Meng, and First Crushes
In this episode we're introduced to a girl named Meng. Aunt Wu told her she'd end up with someone like A\ang, and so she developped a one sided crush on him. Throughout the episode she attempts to talk to him, all to no avail. Because A\ang is not interested in her.
Interestingly, her one sided crush is directly paralleled to A\ang's crush on Katara.
Exhibit A:
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Exhibit B:
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Exhibit C:
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Please note that in exhibits B and C in particular, there is an emphasis on the other party not reciprocating their feelings.
In this parallel the show draws, A\ang is Meng, the younger, shorter one the one who is in love; and Katara is A\ang, the older, taller one who... *checks notes*... doesn't reciprocate.
But in the end, A\ang and Meng have a heart-to-heart.
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Sometimes you'll like someone, and they aren't going to feel the same way, and even though it's hard, it's okay. They're young, just kids having a crush. A\ang responds to this with "I know what you mean". Because he, just like the audience that watched the parallels, knows that Katara likely doesn't return his feelings.
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In conclusion, The Fortuneteller could have been brilliant foreshadowing to Kata\ang not being the endgame couple, and it would have done so through beautiful, mature lessons about first loves and destiny. Thank you for reading.
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adh-d2 · 2 months
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Ok. I'm going to need to wait for the next episode to truly decide how I feel about this, but right now I'm like, pretty pissed off at Hunter and Wrecker?
You'd go to the ends of the galaxy for your sister, spend the rest of your lives searching for her, stop at nothing to get her back...yet when she returns with your long-lost brother you look at him like this?
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Look, you've been on thin fucking ice since he told you he'd had his chip removed and you just believed him. The guy that you know had a mind-control chip in his brain. The effects of which you've seen and felt and know for a fact are impossible to resist. And you just believed that the people who put it in him in the first place voluntarily took it out? No follow up questions? No doubt?
How little did you care about Crosshair to begin with that you'd so readily accept that he was of sound mind and acting of his own autonomy?
Just for fun, let's review what you know about Crosshair right now:
His chip activated. He was forced to say, think, and do horrific things; and these things were outside of his control.
Those horrific things included trying to kill you. He's shot at you multiple times. He's an unparalleled marksman. He's always missed.
You left him behind on Kamino. It was the right choice at the time. He was literally trying to kill you, you didn't know why, and you couldn't have safely extracted him. But he still got left behind.
He has expressed how painful this was for him every time you've interacted since ("we didn't have a choice" "and I did?" | "They don't leave their own behind...most of the time").
He also said some really mean things to you.
He was horribly injured while under the Empire's control.
He rescued Omega from drowning.
He maybe had his chip removed? No need to confirm, I guess.
You left him behind on Kamino. Again. But he asked for it this time, and he said he knew what he was doing, so...
He became a prisoner of the Empire. In the facility that houses dissenting, disloyal clones.
He managed to get a message out to you while imprisoned. That message wasn't a cry for help, but a warning. Go to ground. They're after Omega. Protect yourselves.
Omega just told you he helped her escape the Empire.
AND, I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH, YOU LOOK AT HIM LIKE THIS?!
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I'd say I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed...except actually nah I'm pretty mad.
Episode 5 is going to have to do some serious work to salvage my opinion of these two. Or at the very least stop framing them as the moral centre of the show.
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nimrism · 16 days
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could you make this post? please, it's so fascinating i really want to hear your thoughts on it
"The Dark Tower" Morgwen Interactions Analysis
i've literally been waiting for someone to ask me this so i can go all out in answer, so you're literally my favorite- THANK YOU! i've tried to put all the thoughts swirling around in my head into one coherent post, so strap in and let's LOOK AT THE IMPLICATIONS (from my perspective)!
first and most importantly, i want to zero in on morgana's choice of kidnapee; she could've chosen anyone in camelot, any one of the knigts who were regularly privy to arthur's battle plans and schedule, but nope. if we're looking at it from the perspective of "she needs the closest person to arthur" wouldn't that be merlin? she could have kidnapped and brainwashed him; he would've made for a fabulous inconspicious mole in the court, and arthur literally goes to him for anything and everything. i actually think it would make for a really interesting au/fic if it were merlin who was kidnapped instead of gwen (love confession/magic reveal possibilities are ENDLESS), but maybe it's a little too close to the plot of "a servant of two masters" and the writers didn't want to be repetitive. i'm going to be biased and delusional in believing that morgana did choose gwen, in particular, for more personal reasons as well as for her nefarious ones.
the way i see it (and this is obviously very objective), by the time we get to this point in s5, morgana is LONELY, like, has-no-one-in-the-world-except-aithusa type of lonely, and her choice of allies has been lacking diversity as of late (why are they all men 💀), AND they all end up dying anyway. so, she needs a plan, and she needs a trusted ally (she also needs a bit of love and lip balm cause DAMN). BUT the thing is, why would anyone be loyal to her? she's never kept any allies (or friends) thanks to her wit and charm alone, she's only ever kept men loyal to her by striking fear in their hearts. it's the same for her friends and family, i think. she doesn't believe they even tolerate her existence, so she needs to be crowned queen to subdue them and FORCE them to respect her. the same goes for gwen. she was only morgana's friend when morgana was a naive and vulnerable girl, plagued by nightmares and unexplained fears, and the second morgana grew out of them (or learned to control them) gwen stopped being affectionate, stopped being open. that's how morgana sees it, and it only reinforces her belief that gwen would never understand the person she's become now, she wouldn't quite see what morgana was trying to do. unless morgana forced her to.
the whole kidnapping affair was to MAKE gwen understand, because she wouldn't do it of her own free will. gwen would never willingly be on morgana's side, so she had to jump through a few morally questionable hoops to bring her over. in the end, i do believe all morgana really wanted was a friend (maybe a little bit more, amirite ladies), though by this point her concept of friendship had become twisted beyond recognition, and in all the chaos, this was the only way she thought she could have one. throughout the episode, a lot of the old morgana shines through, even if it is portrayed as just manipulation, and i do think that was her either slipping back into old habits or forcing herself to, for the sake of the brainwashing and for the sake of their friendship that she's trying to rekindle.
a point that i've seen several people make is that between the niceties, the "real" morgana peeks through several times throughout the ep, but i kinda disagree. i don't necessarily think that just because her smile drops, it means that the niceties were a facade and her "evil" side pops back out. i read the sudden change in expression more as disappointment. gwen fights back with such vigour that it's probably painful for morgana to realize that her former friend sees her as nothing more than an evil witch who's hell-bent on hurting her, now. she's disappointed that gwen, who was supposed to know her best, believes what the others do, and doesn't believe that morgana is being sincere in her offer of friendship.
a small remark i also have is: why wasn't morgana one of the visions/hallucinations gwen had in the dark tower? it's interesting to see that the closest three people to gwen are her brother, arthur, and merlin, of all people. i feel like gwen's history with morgana has to have had a lasting effect on both of them, even if morgana is supposed to be "evil" now. you don't stop loving someone just because they've chosen (or BEEN chosen by) the dark side. morgana was one of the people gwen cared about most in seasons 1 through 3 (s3 is pushing it a little, but still), it doesn't really make sense for it all to be forgotten so completely like we see in this episode. i also think it would've been super interesting to see a hallucination of younger morgana in particular, partially as a reminder that part of gwen still cares about morgana and largely because i'd like to see how gwen would react to that vision... would it differ from the other three? what would morgana do? would she sneer and laugh like elyan and arthur? would she do a little rawr like merlin (😭)? i feel like a ficlet is in order for this concept cause i would like to see it but i have to imagine it first (but that's the hard part 😭)
NOW ONTO THE MOST DELICIOUS PART OF THIS ANALYSIS: THE QUOTES
M: "Would you prefer some chicken?"
i just found this one hilarious tbh like she's so out of pocket what are you doing offering your kidnapee some chicken and WHAT WAS THE OTHER OPTION, IF NOT CHICKEN?
M: "I know how lonely you must be, all by yourself in that room. At least you're not shackled, and there's daylight. You can move, you can see."
oof. she's obviously referring to her own capture and torture, pulling from her own experience. it's heartwrenching that morgana has been through all of this, traumatised beyond reason, but it's even more heartwrenching that she thinks she's doing gwen a service, like this. it might not seem like that to any sane person, but after everything she's been through, morgana's worldview is completely different. in her mind, however twisted and detached it has become, she's being merciful to gwen this way, giving her luxuries that she was never afforded when she was captured. (including a warm meal with chicken at miss havisham's table 🤩)
M: "I too have suffered, Gwen. I spent two years living in darkness. I spent two years chained to a wall at the bottom of a pit... You did not know."
goddddd this line... it's just so painful, so powerful, so indicative of SO MANY THINGS. it's EVERYTHING. every acting choice katie and angel made in this scene was brilliant but ESPECIALLY their facial expressions in this particular part WOAH. the way morgana's voice cracks on the word "pit" is DEVASTATING. i was floored. the way gwen's face falls as she processes her words and they properly set in... INCREDIBLE. the concern in gwen's eyes is palpable as she realizes the horrors inflicted on her friend. and the final "you did not know" was so, so powerful. morgana realizes that gwen didn't know about and clearly wasn't okay with what she went through. gwen had no part in it. morgana SMILES at gwen's reaction, but instead of it being a smile of malice or evil it's one of RELIEF, and one that she hides very promptly. she's reassured in the knowledge that gwen had no idea she had suffered so immensely, and that, more importantly, she wasn't involved in it. it's SO important to note that morgana has no idea whether arthur had a hand in her own torture or not. it's especially not a good look on him that he invites the sarrum as a friend of camelot so soon after the events of "the dark tower", so, as far as morgana knows, he could've been a "friend" when she was being tortured for years, too. i wonder what would've happened if morgana had kidnapped gwen AFTER the sarrum's visit to camelot... i feel like that would have complicated things with gwen much further, if morgana thought she was complicit in her imprisonment.
M: "I would have sold my soul for someone to show me kindness such as this."
only two points on this heartbreaking line: 1- FUCK the sarrum of amata. all my homies HATE the sarrum. s4 and s5 morgana might both be textbook cases of "evil", but they're two VERY different people with two very different worldviews and tactics. morgana's imprisonment turned her into the cold husk of a person she is by s5. and 2- this just further confirms that morgana thinks she's doing gwen a favor, dining with her and letting sunlight into her room and choosing not to tie her up etc.
M: "Your hands are cold... I have a warm fire going for you."
oh boy is this a MOMENT. the way morgana keeps her hand held out. the way gwen reluctantly puts her hand in hers (MORGWEN HAND-HOLD!) *ivy by taylor swift starts playing out of nowhere* {ohhhhh goddamn, my pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand, taking mine, but it's been promised to another, ohhh}
um anyway i digressed. then the way gwen wriggles her hand out of morgana's grasp, while morgana grips her fingers with unwavering determination... it's just delicious.
M: "Anything you want, you can have. I'll give it to you."
idk about you but personally i'm SOLD. take all my money. i read this as morgana trying her utmost best to sell gwen on joining her, but i can also see the manipulation laced in it.
G: "Why are you doing this?"
M: "Because we're friends. We always were."
to me, this reinforces the theory that morgana's just trying to get her friend back on her side. by stating that they've always been friends, morgana reaffirms their friendship as much to herself as to gwen. she was her friend once, and she can be again.
M: "I'm helping you. I'm looking after you."
this sort of feels like morgana is telling herself that, more than she's telling gwen. maybe it's just part of the manipulation process, but i do believe that this was morgana's conscience reassuring her that what she's doing is in gwen's favor and that she's being kind to her.
M: "It's alright, I'm here."
UGH this line. morgana is being the person she needed when she was imprisoned. this scene is also a parallel to all the times morgana woke up screaming in the middle of the night and gwen was there to comfort her in s1/2. this time the tables have turned and it's morgana comforting gwen. simply delicious.
M: "My darling, I was wrong to make you suffer."
TEA! to say that this line was spoken from the bottom of morgana's heart might just be a bit too delusional, but i like to think there's at least some truth to it. torturing gwen had a lot of paralells to morgana's own imprisonment and torture, and she did want to make her suffer, at least in the beginning. but it was also different from what morgana went through. this is NOT to justify torture, btw, torture is BAD, but her "manipulation" tactics got a bit too personal at some point, and i like to think at least a part of it was genuine.
G: "No. Whatever twisted game you're playing, I want no part in it. I would rather stay here and die."
ouch. gwen's resistance to the last possible minute shows such strength on her part (cause me? i would've given in before she even dragged me through the desert tbh) and it gave us such a delicious performance from angel; the reluctance? the uncertainty? the distrust? the relief that morgana is there but also the FEAR of what she's doing? the contradiction between the morgana that gwen once knew and the morgana that everyone KNOWS is evil? but the morgana that gwen once knew is shining through now, and she's saying everything gwen wants to hear... grade-A angst.
IN CONCLUSION they're gfs your honor, this was all just a plot to snatch gwen back from arthur cause morgana didn't think seducing her herself would work. (this phrase could be in reference to this ep or the "lancelot du lac" ep i'm cackling morgana really is hopeless) there are also SEVERAL psychological layers to it, but describing it this way is just easier.
SO... this is possibly the longest post i've ever made. it got a little more comprehensive than i originally thought it would be, but THERE YOU HAVE IT! that's my take on the morgwen interactions in the dark tower. if i seem a little biased, that's because i 100% am :) i hope that clears things up. this is an open invitation to keep sending me asks (even if it's about the most random things ever) cause i love them and i love every single person who sends in an ask, and a public apology for how long these answers get sometimes 😭
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binary-not-found · 1 year
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Okay, I love Chase, I love that she doesn't let herself be intimidated and is herself at all times no matter what, she is firm to who she is and what she believes in, so I know in my heart that she knew it was Kate who was with Lucy, not only because Kate is probably not there very often and it's a new vibe in her space, but because of the pure and warm energy that Kate has
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Because Lucy asks if she felt her strength or stern authority, and Chase's answer is that she actually felt sincerity, and if Chase is as good as I know she is, it speaks to how Kate always acts following her heart, doing what she knows is the right thing 🥺
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Lucy is one of the most genuine characters I know, she is distracted, when she concentrates she can't talk/listen to another subject, she has phobias, she is stubborn and afraid to show her feelings but at the same time she has the heart of a child and is very sentimental, so seeing this kind of scenes where she is real, not wanting to see her friend get a wound stitched up, showing displeasure in her own way, makes me very happy, especially the way Kate reacts to this, she is just so happy to see how silly her girlfriend is
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And the best scene in the whole series finally came, I find it very funny how Kate was so sure she had let that go and as soon as Lucy mentions it she immediately panics.
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Kate's face of disappointment and surprise when Kai said "CPA" with full confidence in his response 😅
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This one just because I love watching them mess around with each other, and Kate and Lucy standing next to each other is always cute ❤
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How cute she looks so nervous to say it in front of everyone and goes over to tell Lucy first, as if to make sure it wasn't anything ridiculous and that she was going to be able to say it in front of the others, plus Lucy's totally excited response wanting her to already tell them 🥺🥰
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"Miss America!"
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Everyone's reaction and Jane saying Kate would have made a great Miss America just so Kate could feel more comfortable after noticing her nervous, and the way she can joke once Jane makes the comment, they are a family and every time they are welcoming her in a better way and making her feel part of them, I love them 💗
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And of course you didn't think I was going to leave out the best thing about the episode, knowing that they are there for each other, knowing that they can joke and play with each other, it's really what's worth it, it's not just a job, it's family ✨
I'm so happy we finally had new episodes and got to see all our Ohana together, I missed Lucy so much and seeing her with the boys and Kate, I don't know what I'll do when the season ends :(
That's all for today, remember that my question box is always open and my private chat always available, thanks for reading me and don't forget to leave a comment in the tags, I love you 💖
2/2 episodio 19
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cfr749 · 1 month
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What’s your opinion on the Valentine’s Day storyline? specifically Tim being upset with Lucy and just how it was written in general?
Hi anon!
Thanks for the ask! I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you!
So I will admit my feelings have evolved a bit on this particular storyline especially in context of season 6 (which I am enjoying so far).
I'll start with my thoughts on the whole five-player-trade thing since those storylines were so intermingled (and apparently that whole thing is going to be the gift that keeps on giving 😂).
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Side note: I still wish they would have just dealt with the repercussions of the whole TO/Rookie superior/subordinate thing directly instead of inventing all this sorcery when they could have just acknowledged the inherent misogyny and sexism they've already admitted exists.
We still could have had the cuteness of the group scene and all the plotting to find an opening for Tim without making Lucy out to be a manipulator.
But for whatever reason, they really didn't seem comfortable dealing with the power dynamic issues and repercussions head on, so now I guess we get to see Aaron try to date his therapist instead 😂😬
But at least it seems like they are trying to fix their framing this season by making it clear to the audience that Lucy is the one being wronged, so that's a good thing in my book even though it's hard to see her struggle.
So, after all that, you will be shocked to hear that I wasn't a huge fan of Lucy's choice to do the five-player-trade thing 😂.
I do understand why Tim was upset with her. I think doing what she did behind his back was a problem. Don't get me wrong, though -- they both failed majorly at adult communication 101 here.
Tim should have talked to her before he made the decision to switch positions. Had they discussed it, I don't think Lucy would have felt the same level of responsibility and pressure that she did to make sure Tim wouldn't be stuck in a role he hated. Mostly because she never would have agreed to him taking a desk position and they would have had to work together to come up with another solution. From there, the story could have unfolded very differently.
Tim made a choice behind her back that impacted their relationship, but only his career. Lucy went behind Tim's back and made a choice that ultimately impacted both of their careers.
But, at the end of the day, Tim 100% came out of the situation a winner. And Lucy is continuing to pay the price. As happy as I am that Tim finally acknowledged Primm's role in the outcome of Lucy's detective exam, I am actually pretty disappointed that we haven't seen any actual acknowledgement from him that Lucy is in the position she's in now specifically because she didn't want him to be unhappy.
Lucy's choices were her own, and now she's gotta live with that, but there's no question that she did what she did out of love. And it sucks that we haven't seen any direct appreciation for what she was willing to risk for him, even if he wasn't a fan of the execution.
I had to go back and watch some clips from this episode in order to respond to this, and I have to say it actually gutted me to see how genuinely happy and proud and excited Lucy was for Tim when he got the promotion. Especially juxtaposed against Lucy learning that as much as Tim loves her and wants to support her, he really isn't able to fully get behind her on her dream, which is, of course, understandable, given his past, but still just really heartbreaking for Lucy.
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When I initially watched the five-player-trade episode, I was just waiting for Tim to pop up at Smitty's trailer in his own hazmat suit to help Lucy. I thought he would be a little irritated about Lucy going behind his back, but ultimately I though we'd see him acknowledging and appreciating just how much she was willing to do to make sure he was happy (forget torpedoing her career -- she cleaned Smitty's trailer for god's sake!).
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Moving into the V-day episode...
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First off, boo on Tim for bailing on V-day breakfast (even is she was up late catching up with Noah 😂).
Even though I understood why Tim was upset, I don't love avoidant Tim (looking at you, beginning of 6x02 Tim 😂). Lucy of course deals with it because she does genuinely love him and understands how he operates, but this is something I do think he needs to work on and I'd like to see change over the course of the relationship. As much as I loved their Rookie-T.O. dynamic, there are definitely aspects of it that don't belong in a healthy relationship.
Back to the point, I do think what Lucy did was misguided and short-sighted (and unbelievably sweet). I do think she should have actually apologized (sorry not sorry doesn't count 😂).
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But, while we're at it, Tim can apologize for making a major life decision without talking to her first also... 😂
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The scene at the end was cute; I like it better now than I did when it originally aired. Some actual heat over "fuel for later" would have been great but it is, of course, The Rookie. And I do wish they would have made the gift somehow meaningful for them to give the scene a little bit more weight (think when Jackson gave Lucy the St. Michael pendant), but hey, at least we got the trophy this season 🥰.
Ultimately, it didn't make me feel a whole lot, and it's not a scene that makes the list when I think of my favorite moments for them.
And watching it back did highlight (IMO) the contrast between what we've seen so far in season 6 vs. the bulk of what we saw in season 5. And while angst is part of it, for me, I think it's more about giving us a story that (at least occasionally) goes beyond the surface level (Tim was mildly irritated! Lucy was sassy and silly!) and explores the character's emotions in a way that makes them more human and relatable.
What were your thoughts on this storyline??
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leiascully · 8 months
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This 'Field Where I Died' exchange has always bothered me, where Mulder says, 'If early in the four years we've been working together an event occurred that suggested, or somebody told you, that we'd been friends together in other lifetimes, always... wouldn't it have changed some of the ways we looked at one another? And Scully says, 'Even if I knew for certain, I wouldn't change a day.' Then she says well, except for that flukeman thing. That's nice and all, but I always felt like she was answering a different question. He was asking her about them, about who they were to each other, not whether she had any regrets. I always felt disappointed in her answer, like she dodged the question. Thoughts?
I feel like that's kind of essential to their relationship, and one of the things we love so much about it. Everything is oblique or shrouded in shadow. They talk directly about so many things, but so rarely about what there is between them. Each time one of them opens up, the other one has to deflect in some way. Their love is too bright to look at directly. To discuss it is to open the ark of their covenant with each other. They're not sure they'll survive. Even her serious answer has to be tempered with a joke. But I do think you're right - she's not answering about their potential multiple lifetimes. She's skating past that assertion and just answering about the last four years. I honestly think that question is something of an apology on Mulder's part, because he was kind of a jerk to her at first. He's saying I didn't know. I couldn't know. And she's telling him It's all right. You couldn't know. There are so few moments that she doesn't show her trust in him - even in Wetwired, you can feel her fighting against the idea that he's betrayed her. They've pledged allegiance to each other.
I think the kindest interpretation of this odd moment in this odd episode, which in its attempt to set up a different soulmate for Mulder ends up reaffirming his connection with Scully, is that it's both of them feeling a little bit of a sense of relief that the depth of their connection makes sense. If they've known each other for lifetimes, the mud and the rain and the quiet hotel room in Oregon make sense. Her willingness to confront other government officials and possibly shoot them to get him back in their second case together makes sense (although the timeline of Deep Throat does not, haha). His devastation over her abduction makes sense. The fact that she shot him, drove across the country to save him, and learned an ancient but living language on his behalf makes sense. All the things their families didn't or don't understand about what they mean to each other are easier to brush aside if there are centuries of companionship and love behind it. They're not being foolish or codependent or toxic or whatever. They're deeply and intricately linked together by circumstances beyond their control. Meeting each other was coming home.
Also they're both very pretty in this episode thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
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watchfuldeer · 5 months
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“in the alternate universe where eps 8-9-10 didn’t get rewritten”
Wait, rewritten how?? May I ask? Should I?
i wrote way too much sorry
they were rewritten to include shiv being pregnant, which hadn't been written into the season until that point. everything in 8-9-10 relating to shiv's pregnancy was an extremely hasty last minute addition, which is why it made no damn sense narratively when they dropped it into the beginning of 4.04, in a scene they filmed towards the end of shooting. every person who said in the interim between s3 and s4, shiv is not fucking pregnant, was in fact entirely correct, and they didn't plan to write it at all and it sticks out like a sore thumb in terms of succession's otherwise quite delicate plotting. which is especially disappointing given the huge payoff that paying close attention had during s3.
so, it scuppered their plot big time, but they just about clawed it together, if you ignore like. every emotional beat between episodes 1-7 lol. which is a real shame! i'm sure jesse had good intentions. but yeah, that's why they were rewritten. i think 8 and 10 weren't even rewritten to a substantial degree, but 9 is hanging by a thread in terms of cohesion - it's the only episode where they had any time to put 'oh shiv is also having a baby' scenes in, and reading the scripts it's just so clear that other stuff not only hit the cutting room floor but got swept away completely. connor is pretty much a non-entity after 4.08, for instance.
as for tom and greg (and shiv and matsson, and greg and matsson, and that whole mess of a love square) i think reading between the lines there are things missing. i can't say for sure what they were, but the script books were highly edited for publication, and no way is jesse ever going to personally give me a straight answer to the question 'what was shiv's actual arc in s4, before it became She Is Pregnant', or 'why did you prevaricate in the edit on tomgreg and tomshiv to the detriment of both, but mostly at the expense of tom, which felt really weird while watching the season because where the fuck did he go'. and yet, i think the denouement for both was really fucking good. stuck the landing despite taking a bizarre, last minute route there.
but yeah, if tom and greg did bang, it was 4.09. because the final scene for tom and shiv in 4.09 > first scene for tom and shiv in 4.10 makes very very little sense for either of them. it's like something else happened for tom at the end of 4.09 than what we saw. because the beginning of the finale he's with greg like yeah we're divorcing byeeeeee, and like wouldn't that have a lot more weight if he'd done anything other than be so eepy at logan's wake, while greg was crawling on his knees for tom to mencken and had that deleted scene with ewan. wouldn't greg almost betraying tom in the finale be higher stakes if they'd slept together, wouldn't it be more obvious and devastating that tom invites shiv into the car because she's suddenly more useful as his wife because of the decision she made at the vote... i simply think it would have been delicious.
huge caveat that this is just my thoughts. just my lil ol theories and thots. i read scripts and think about this stuff alot and have kept an eye on behind the scenes shenanigans. maybe shiv slept with matsson instead! maybe greg did! idk! but there are hanging threads that were snipped imo, rather than wonky plotting from the outset.
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berylgrace · 3 months
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final episode review
this show has been... a rollercoaster to say the least. some thoughts (good and bad) under the cut.
the fight with ares... loved seeing percy come into his own wrt his power, wish the fight had lasted longer than literally thirty seconds... i know the idea was drawing first blood but that scene made it look easy, which it WASN'T, because he's the GOD OF WAR
olympus looked really cool
love love loved the poseidon scene, which surprised me after i was so disappointed by ep7. although it was a weird choice to have him just immediately come in and surrender, i guess we're going with the angle that he trusts percy enough to know there are bigger things at stake. still kinda weird for a prideful god tho
it's more afterwards that i enjoyed. as i said to @posallys literal minutes ago, he tells percy that the sea does not like to be restrained, while the two of them have an exchange that reads, very emotionally, as two people trying their absolute HARDEST to restrain themselves: poseidon being bound by godly rules and unable to say directly what he wants to, and percy holding back on asking the questions he's wanted to ask his entire life, being respectful, calling him sir
mixed feelings about the luke thing. i liked the atmosphere of the scene, the fireworks and celebratory vibe juxtaposed against the darkness and percy being alone with luke, but the way it played out didn't make sense. he (and annabeth) were certain it was clarisse, and had no reason to suspect luke, but we had a case of "inexplicably percy knows everything" yet AGAIN as he just... connects the dots? except there WERE NO DOTS TO CONNECT?
luke's explanation being that he didn't report clarisse bc of her supporters and needing proof - completely believable! absolutely no reason to question that.
which brings me to annabeth being there. she's supposed to be keeping an eye on clarisse, so what prompted her to follow percy and luke to the woods instead? she trusts luke, she doesn't trust clarisse. make it make sense
thankfully i don't think this will affect her defense of luke because although she heard it all (...okay), luke attacked after percy mentioned hermes. annabeth had already warned him about that, going as far as to shut off the iris message before he could mention him. so i guess in her mind she can justify the attack that way (unlike she would've been able to with the scorpion but... rip that i guess) and still believes luke is good, just misguided
"I'm here to recruit," line went hard as FUCK
the bait and switch with the sally reunion only to turn into kronos? that was rude to do to me at 2am. did not see it coming. kinda cool
postcredits with gabe just... everyone else has said it better yeah but the whole point is that sally CAN'T divorce gabe, this is her only way out without being completely ruined financially, it just takes away so much from her character. like? if she could've divorced him all that time why didn't she? i know abusive relationships are complex and people stay for certain reasons but sally only stays bc she cannot leave financially. he literally had to DIE and her to sell the statue in order to barely afford living on her own (bc in SOM, percy talks about how they struggle with money, and the skateboard shop is a treat)
so... out of 10 i would give this show like, a 5. it was just frustrating at times, paced weirdly, and i would like to see a season 2 and hope for improvements. also a big shoutout to leah's hair at the very end?? so cute i nearly cried
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daylander1000 · 11 months
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Will you watch season 2 of HotD or you've lost interest in the show? I wasn't thrilled with season 1, but I do like some characters and I'm curious to see if they'll do them any justice in the next season(s). I'm still trying to be optimistic (which is definitely against my nature 😁), although the latest leaks from Spain (which I desperately hope to be false) doesn't sound promising.
Idk it you read Fire & Blood, but that book is often overrated imho, almost all the characters there are painfully one-dimensional, shallow and bland, while the plot is full of illogical things (especially the Dance part) . So, as you can see, I'm not the biggest book fan, and I do believe that the show did some things better and gave a bit of depth and complexity to certain characters and fleshed them out. However, at the same time it seems to me that they didn't complete what they started, like, you see the potential of the characters and understand their motivations, but then out of the blue they do or say something totally nonsensical and OOC. Take Alicent at the end of episode 8. Rhaenyra says something nice to her and she suddenly forgives everything and forgets that's the same woman who wanted to "sharply question" Aemond after her son Luke maimed him over an insult (a fact, actually), the woman her husband always favoured at the expense of Alicent's own children and finally, the woman who is married to Daemon, the sociopath who hates Alicent and her children and who will kill anyone (and apparently with Rhaenyra and Viserys' blessing) without remorse if it benefits him and his side. I mean, the guy even had the gall to look annoyed during the prayer for Vaemond. Still, according to the show, Alicent somehow needs to "misunderstand" Viserys' last words to crown her own son, and not because it's probably the only way to keep her and her children alive and safe and because her son actually has the strongest claim to the throne according to Westerosi laws avd tradition. And don't get me started on the Velaryons who are collectively depicted as "Dae and Rhae fan club". Like, what is Corlys even thinking?! I won't ask about Baela and Rhaena because they obviously don't get to think and are just unconditionally supportive of Rhaenyra and the Strong boys. Rhaenys is contradictory and inconsistent. It's frustrating, really. Also, the fact that the narrative/the framing of the show heavily favours team black is also off-putting. Nevertheless, I'm still curious and just a bit hopeful that season 2 will balance these things a little. Maybe I'll just be terribly disappointed, but oh well. Sorry for the rant :D
Anyway, as a fan of your fic, I would like to know your opinion. Does the show deserve our optimism and what are your predictions regarding season 2?
S2 predictions? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Why would you ask me this? This is a show where someone in a professional HBO writers room said, "So what if a dragon just bursts up from the underground?" And the showrunner was like "Fuck yeah!"
I don't think they even thought to do a camera pan of the carnage. It's like they wanted to make Rhaenys look badass but did a Koolaid Man scene instead.
Tell me that this isn't Rhaenys
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Predictions? This is not Leftovers where you could do a whole video essay on foreshadowing and subtext and hidden clues. This is a series where there's a horse running loose in a writer's room and nobody knows what it's going to write next.
This is the most bizarre thing I've ever seen.
My prediction for S2 is that during the time off at least one person realizes that they failed to make Aegon into Joff 2.0, that instead of having him be affably evil, he's onscreen affable and offscreen evil, and they'll try to double down on actually showing that he's evil and actually showing that he's worse than Daemon and Rhaenyra.
We've seen Daemon in brothels, grooming and marrying children, killing Rhea, killing innocent people and murdering lords at court, but we've only been told (by very minor characters) that Aegon is a baby-eating rape monster. It's all extremely "tacked-on."
I think Aegon's the biggest problem that they have to work on. Just getting at least this one character to make sense moving forward.
When Jahaerys is killed, I think they'll use that to really commit to making him the bad guy. Like he'll have to be killing a baby or raping someone or eating someone so that it's not Rhaenyra and Daemon killing a child but "Look at what this bad man was doing instead of protecting his son."
As far as predictions go, that's all I can see. If they only develop one character in S2, it needs to be him. Rhaenyra has Rockstar!Daemon, Rhaenys and Corlys on her side, so they'll have to upscale the green threat otherwise it's a bunch of grown people and veteran soldiers fighting two children who have no experience at anything because the oldest one is a 20-year-old frat boy and his brother is still a teenager. Aegon's going to have to really be villainous.
I feel like there's a reason all his nude scenes are with his mother, it's one of the few consistent things between them through the time skips and actor changes, and I feel like they're going to go fully 500% in that Commodus direction
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and have him just be creepy and rapey with her in a "bad incest," how-the-turntables, "be careful what you wish for" way. Alicent's defining trait seems to be "perpetual victim," so I feel like they'll go this way and frame it as if she's getting what she deserves for slapping him around. Ten extra points if they have Rhaenyra or Rhaenys there on hand to be like "Is this your king?"
I don't see them doing anything with Rhaena besides sending her away, and I actively don't want to see Baela going out there getting her dragon killed and her face burnt off in defense of Rhaenyra.
I honestly try to not think about s2 of this.
I was a hardcore asoiaf fan but I didn't like Feast or Dance. I read Dunk and Egg, but he didn't finish that either. And when F&B came out, I got the audiobook and I listened to it for a few hours, probably less than five, and I couldn't concentrate because I kept thinking "Did this bitch seriously package his story notes as a novel for sale??? This is an insult to storytelling."
And I deleted it.
It's the quality for one thing. It's the lack of diversity, it's the author not finishing anything, it's the fandom being 20% fantasy fans, 80% trump rally...
Like, in just 10 episodes HotD has managed to give a voice to pro-rape feminists. Didn't even know that was a thing until I saw it on Twitter.
I saw some of the leaked pics of Helaena at the funeral on my feed, didn't have to scroll far to see people just casually r-wording Helaena and acting like having six fingers is a killing offense since eugenics rhetoric is apparently thriving in this fandom.
And on top of all that, the story doesn't even make sense.
I don't want to be like "dramaturgically speaking" but narrative coherence is a thing. Just from bing chat (yes, I'm using bing 😣):
Narrative coherence is the degree to which a story makes sense. Coherent stories are internally consistent, with sufficient detail, strong characters, and free of significant surprises. The ability to assess coherence is learned and improves with experience. Individuals assess a story's adherence by comparing it with similar stories. The ultimate test of narrative sense is whether the characters act reliably. If figures show continuity throughout their thoughts, motives, and actions, acceptance increases. However, characters behaving uncharacteristically destroy acceptance.
This show has curb-stomped narrative coherence.
Like, take that scene where they killed Vaemond. The way they write it, Rhaenyra has come back after 6 years of never visiting her father to drag him off his deathbed so he can support her in taking Driftmark, the seat of house Velaryon, away from Velaryon people to give it to her son by Harwin Strong. Vaemond is killed for telling the truth.
With different lighting and music, that's peak tyranny. That's some Mad King Aerys shit. In full view of all the lords at court. Every single person in that courtroom is aware that Luke is a bastard and they've just witnessed a lord like themselves get beheaded over it. This isn't Daemon killing commoners. He's killing the lords and ladies of Westeros.
But there's no fallout. Nothing. All the lords of Westeros cease to matter. It's just another Tuesday to them.
Hell, they go even further and frame the scene like Viserys is Old Theoden fighting off the curse of Wormtongue. Otto, Alicent and her goblin children all but shrivel and wither from the sunlight that Rhaenyra brings as Vaemond is cut down by noble Daemon. In that scene, Dark Sister might as well be Andúril, Flame of Old Valyria, sword of justice.
There are shows that are easy to watch that we say are "no brain cells required," but HotD is like, "No brain cells allowed. Switch them off or put them on silent so you don't disturb anyone."
I have no hope for season 2. I would never rec this to anyone or say that I think the writing will improve. The foundation is shit. You can't build a strong s2 on a shit s1 unless you're writing a procedural or an anthology where nothing that comes before matters.
You can't undo things like Alicent supporting Aegon as king because of a misunderstanding. There's a limit to how many things you can retcon without destroying all sense of continuity and they've already gone beyond that in s1.
They're past plot holes. They have whole parts of the world that are just void of all thought. Alicent and Rhaenys are characters who respawn and disintegrate from scene to scene as needed. Corlys is three lines of dialogue in a trenchcoat. Daemon Targaryen is somehow, impossibly, a less-developed Damon Salvatore.
No optimism here.
I'm that jaded ex fan who's like, "hotd is a barren wasteland, riddled with racists, ableists and toxic stans, and those are just the writers. The very fandom air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten-thousand Lindelof-level writers could they fix this shit."
But that being said, I have a really bad habit of watching shit TV.
I've seen Catwoman more than 5 times.
Waterworld, Jonah Hex, Elektra, Daredevil (Ben Affleck and Colin Farrell), Battlefield Earth, Supernova. At least 8 of the Fast movies. All the Transformers. Dracula 2000. All the old school classics of bad cinema.
I haven't watched Morbius as yet and the only reason why is because I feel like Jared Leto is intentionally trying to become Nicholas Cage and I don't want to support that.
There is something about the cringe that hooks me. And with a TV series? That weekly cringe? That is peak entertainment.
It used to take me 4 sometimes 5 hours to watch and digest a single episode of Titans because there were so many questions to think about.
I hyperfixate on bad writing. Trying to figure out all the ways it went wrong and why and what they were trying to do. Once I start, I can't stop thinking about it. I'm hoping swhhw gets it out of my system, but I don't know.
Like, anybody can make good TV. Anybody can do that if you try hard enough. But truly horrible TV isn't supposed to exist. It's like 20 million an episode to make HotD? Nobody is supposed to invest that in a show where the showrunner doesn't even know how old the characters are. Bad TV shows are supposed to be snuffed out before they see the light of day.
But HotD is something special.
You don't accidentally end up with a Koolaid Dragon busting up through concrete. A director described that scene to a VFX crew. The actors had to rehearse that repeatedly. They had to do a read-through...
Like, just think about that.
And then they announce that they're going ahead with s2 without writers?!
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That is insane. Part of me says look away, and the other part of me says that s2 of HotD will be something the likes of which I'll never see again.
I really don't want to watch S2, but honestly, I might. Not because I think it will be better but because I'm dead certain it can only get worse.
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layaboutace · 4 months
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Clara Oswald and River Song are strange in that they are completely unrelated characters, yet have similar character traits and a unique relationship with the doctor. they are also similar in their rather inconsistent writing, with Clara having a terrible opening and disappointing ending, with an amazing in-between, and River having an amazing opening and ending, while having a terrible in-between.
clara was so disappointing from her first episodes, zero chemistry with matt smith and just a terrible plot line that showed absolutely nothing about her personality, she was so underdeveloped that they could simply switch her job from nanny to teacher out of nowhere and nothing would change. however when the 12th doctor showed up, its almost like she regenerated as well into a better more realistic character! not only does she have an entire seen life outside of the doctor, but the doctor effects her and brings out her worst character traits. she tries to be like the doctor and her curiosity becomes carelessness and her sharp wit becomes pathologic lying to her boyfriend, she becomes reckless and somewhat cruel, immitating the man that she used to criticize for having those traits, she becomes addicted to traveling with the doctor, and to the doctor himself. its very interesting in how it effects the doctor as well, because no matter how deep clara gets into her dark side, the doctor is always by her side, helping her, even when she betrays him, even when she does something stupid, hes always read to be by her side. their dynamic is complex and in many ways toxic, and its very interesting! the ending of season 8, with clara lying to the doctor about danny coming back, and the doctor lying to clara about finding gallifrey, would have been a perfect ending, its them looking at each other and hugging, to hide their true faces, what the doctor had taught clara to do. last Christmas, the season 8 Christmas special, would have also been a perfect ending, the doctor and clara going on one last adventure in a dream, and the doctor reuniting with an old clara was beautiful, as the two opened up to each other about their lies. then it didn't end and surprise its another dream shes actually young. i don't like this at all, but i really like what they did at the end of season 9. face the raven is claras 3rd perfect ending, its the drastic conclusion to all the negative traits her relationship with the doctor has brought out in her, and she pays the price for it, dying tragically attempting to be clever. and then it doesn't end. heaven sent was a perfect finale for this, with the doctor battling with grief before overcoming it. except he didn't now its time for hell bent, and messy conclusion with some of moffats worst moffatisms all in one episode with messy themes and a terrible ending. i like the idea of clara traveling on her own, I don't like her evading death, yes she will die eventually, but still becoming doctorlike wasn't her end, it brought her to come back and then mess with the mind wipe device, making the doctor forget about her, she in the end is rewarded with effective immorality and a tardis of her own for being like the doctor. the doctor isn't even rewarded for being like the doctor thats often what makes him so lonely! its so sad because she had 3 perfect outs and for her actual ending it was completely flubbed of any thematic closure for a happy ending with immortal clara.
Similarly, river song has a rocky history of quality. silence in the library is an amazing opening, and it perfectly sets her up as an engematic reccuring character by making you ask the right questions while making her an actual intriguing character, unlike season 7b clara who often came across as a plot device. however after that she completely falls apart. she is a femme fatal written by a straight man who wants her to step on him. she is in love with the doctor and her whole life revolves around him and she lives for the few days she sees him and she loves him so. she have zero chemistry with matt smith, something she shares with most people interacting with matt smith, so I don't buy their Romance, I don't buy that they did the dirty, seriously i hate that in season 5 11 was pretty definitively asexual but after that hes kissing lesbians without consent and making innuendos with his sonic screwdriver! Her story is also makes no sense, its overly complicated the way moffat loves to write things and has zero emotional payoff. her being amy and rorys kid is something that i don't like as a concept, but if it was done well i could roll with it, but its not done well and has zero emotional pay off for anyone involved. this is compounded by the second twist that mels, Amy and Rorys best friend since childhood who was literally never mentioned until now, is actually river, who can regenerate! not only do amy and rory not have a reaction to it, but afterwards its just never mentioned and they just roll with it??? its just incredibly poor writing, im sure river is better written in the big finish stories, but in the actual stories, shes one of the most poorly written characters in the show. however, she has an amazing ending. the husbands of river song is an amazing episode that shows river as a character who has an interesting life outside of the doctor, she has amazing chemistry with capaldi, and is just a really fun episode, with a sad but satisfying ending to rivers story. honestly both these characters suffer from some of moffats worst qualities in his writing, and while i would say river got the worse end of the stick, clara is still let down by her terrible introduction and ending
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chloe-caulfield94 · 10 months
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Different reactions to Chloe and Kate
It puzzles me that Chloe and Kate evoke such different reactions in players. It would be hard to find a LiS player who didn't feel protective of Kate and didn't do their best to save her. But with Chloe, reactions are much more varied, with a sizeable portion of players finding her mean, bitchy, demanding, manipulative or what have you.
While Kate and Chloe certainly have wildly different personalities and aesthetic, I would argue they find themselves in a very similar position in October of 2013. Kate was drugged and assaulted by Nathan and Jefferson. And Nathan attempted to do the same to Chloe, which she barely avoided, breaking free just as Nathan began his "photo session". Remember, when Max learns of the ordeal Chloe and Kate went through, she has no idea what is the purpose of the dark room. Neither do Chloe and Kate. From their perspective, that was straight up date rape. What was your impression when you first played the game and heard Chloe recount her encounter with Nathan? Or when you heard he drugged Kate and took her from the party to some room? I was enraged when I found a photo of unconscious Chloe on the floor in Nathan's room. Only at the end of Episode 4 we learn that Nathan and Jefferson "only" took pictures (and still I think that drugging, undressing and posing people is a form of sexual assault).
Chloe had many other traumatic events in her life, but for the sake of this arguement let's focus on the one she shares with Kate.
Both Kate and Chloe demand Max's help and both vocally express disappointment if Max doesn't do what they want. If you take David's picture, Kate on multiple occasions, both in person and via text messages, accuses Max of being uncaring and part of the problem. She doesn't accuse Max of being a coward, she straight up questions Max's motives, saying that she took the picture out of some sadistic pleasure. Yet I never see players complaining that Kate is toxic or that she tries to guilt trip Max. Because when it comes to Kate, everyone realizes that people who are hurt don't always ask nicely for help. Sometimes they don't know how. Or they are too proud or too stubborn. Or they simply lash out. It's difficult to be polite when something horrible was done to you. So even when Kate snaps at Max, everyone still wants to help her. Because Kate is not mean. It's her horrible situation that got to her.
Why can't then some players look at Chloe through the same lens? Why does she, who went through the same ordeal as Kate (and many other horrible things) have to be polite, patient and stoic? And when she isn't, when she gets angry at the constant stream of shit poured on her head every day, that means she's toxic, manipulative and selfish?
As an aside note, Chloe has more right to demand help from Max then Kate. Max and Chloe are best friends. They both refer to each other in that way throughout the entire game. They have known each other for years. And Max has known Kate for barely a month! The game takes place in October. The school year usually starts in September. The previous school year Max attended a different school in Seattle. We know that Kate and Max had weekly tea parties, but given that Max has been in Arcadia Bay for only six weeks, how many of those they had? We know that Kate's closest friends are Stella and Alyssa. Shouldn't Kate expect help primarily from them? Why is she angry with Max, who she's just met and not her long-time friends, who are completely MIA during her crisis?
Furthermore, taking David's picture instead of butting in actually makes sense. In Episode 1 we don't know who the person reponsible for Rachel's disappearance is going to be. At that point, David is still one of the suspects. The picture is solid proof that can be used later. And if you think that Max shouldn't take the blame for Chloe's pot because it might damage her academic career, then you should also think that she shouldn't get into screaming matches with campus security officers, for the very same reason. Contrast that with not pulling the trigger on Frank, which is really a stupid thing to do. Think about it - two teenage girls alone, a greasy creep with a knife shows up and threatens to cut them and on top of that he's wearing the bracelet of a missing (and likely dead) teenager. If I were Max, I'd shoot. And Chloe isn't even that angry with her if she doesn't. She simply says she failed to stand her ground (which is an apt observation). A few moments later they are back to hand-holding.
I'm not trying to shit on Kate. I like her very much. I'm just pointing out the double standard. Almost everyone is understanding and feeling protective of Kate. But somehow not everyone is willing to extend the same courtesy to Chloe, who is every bit as hurt and vulnerable as Kate is.
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theflyindutchwoman · 3 months
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Hi. I saw your previous reply about Rosalind's episode (5x04) and you said you "felt let down" by it. Do you mind talking about it more? I was so disappointed by Rosalind's return, I don't know what I expected but that wasn't that. I'm curious to read your take on it.
Oh I don't mind at all! Just remember though : this is merely my opinion. So for anyone who liked that episode : by all means, keep enjoying it. Now, in the interest of fairness, I may have hyped that episode in my head before it aired… It looked like it was going to give off so many Day of Death vibes… And boy, did it fall short in that regard! So I guess I set myself up with that one. But generally speaking, I simply felt let down by the lack of closure and all the missed opportunities.
That's not to say that it's all bad. I'm actually going to start with the things I liked. This might be an unpopular opinion but I for one didn't necessarily mind that there was no final showdown between Lucy and Rosalind (and by that, I mean a deadly one). The way I see it, Rosalind was introduced as an antagonist for Nolan. She was primarily focused on punishing Armstrong before her transference to Nolan. But Lucy… As far as Rosalind was concerned, she was always a pawn to toy with. She was the victim of opportunity when Nora was saved. Don't get me wrong, Rosalind enjoyed torturing her. Obviously. But in her twisted mind, she was never the endgame. Her fixation was John. Which is why I rather like Lucy's arc in this episode, that she was the one who got to rescue Bailey the same way she was saved. I thought that it was a very poetic way to close this chapter for her. That instead of having to kill someone, and add another traumatic experience, she actually managed to get save a life. Lucy had basically made the decision during the trial prep that she didn't want to play Rosalind's games so at least, she got to have that.
Another point I liked were those little glances between Tim and Lucy - The ones I mentioned in my other reply. Especially when he was being lowered down to the basement! THAT LOOK! That moment was exquisite. Or when Lucy didn't know how to answer Bailey's question regarding Nolan's whereabouts and turned to Tim for reassurance and help. Those were little crumbs really, but they became so important since we barely got anything on the Chenford front. Which leads me to the parts I was disappointed with.
Starting with that last scene between Tim and Lucy. It felt so cold, so dismissive, so devoid of real compassion… And that felt so out of character. I get that things were awkward and all between them… But come on, that didn't stop Tim from panicking when Lucy was radio silent for two hours and going after her in the previous episode… So I have a hard time believing that he couldn't even simply ask her a little 'You okay?'. Rosalind played such a big part in Tim and Lucy's storyline… This is a history that they share. Something that was explicitly acknowledged in 3.01. And indirectly again in 5.01… That storyline deserved a better ending, a better conversation… It needed some closure and there wasn't one. For Lucy or for Chenford. And the sad part is that this is not the worst part of the episode…
For instance, I still can't quite figure out what Rosalind's reasoning was. Besides torturing Nolan. Apparently I was supposed to believe that the woman who managed to organise her own escape, who was three steps ahead from the Feds, was suddenly tired of being on the run and wanted to die instead? Puh-lease! That's another part of the episode that needed more development. I understand that some things were out of the writers' control and that they needed to hurry to end this arc. But there were better ways. As it is, it didn't make much sense. Especially since the dilemma that Nolan was supposed to face didn't have any lasting consequences.
And that brings me to my biggest problem : where was the character development here? Show me the guilt. The anger. The doubts. Did Nolan even feel guilty for not choosing Bailey? Did he feel responsible for her being targeted? Compare this to Tim's arc after Day of Death and how he was feeling for what happened to Lucy. Compare this to Lucy and how she felt responsible for what happened to Chris. And how did Bailey feel about any of this? I thought that the proposal would lead to this conversation, but nope. In the end, what we got was Nolan crying for two seconds… And Bailey's death treated as a joke. Literally. They seriously made her death as part of the running joke of Bailey being superwoman. She already 'died' once or twice, so what's one more… Again, compare this to Lucy's arc about recovery and the level of care and respect that went in it. I'm not even a Bailey fan and I felt offended for her. Like I said, this episode missed so many opportunities… And don't get me started on the fact that if we wanted to know who killed Rosalind, we had to watch Rookie Feds…
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tinyshinysylveon · 5 months
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I just saw on Google that Ochako confirmed that she is in love with Deku in the manga, is this true?
I'm really behind on the episodes, believe it or not I didn't even have the courage to leave the first episode. Yes, I ship BkDk, I'm following it through the community, you make me have hope, even though half the famdom hates this beautiful ship, I know there's a possibility that it's fake, I don't know, but I was sad about it.
I'm sending this ask to all BkDk analysis professionals, as you can see I'm a bit desperate, don't be surprised if you see this ask on other profiles!
(I researched more, it seems like everyone is against BkDk, even though the manga gives so many signs), can you explain it to me? what are the possibilities that BkDk will be canonized?
wooo i finally got time and caffeine to answer (sorry anon for the late reply!) -- i just realized you sent this ask to me bc you consider me a "BkDk analysis professional" and i am very flattered except i feel like i'm not one you say i am lol but thanks for the thought tho anon, so for you, i'll try my very best! ;;;;;
disclaimer: sorry for any spoilers if you decide to read on!
Anyway, when I saw that first question, I was so confused in the beginning because I didn't remember Ochako confessing to Deku that she's in love with him. However, I did go back to search it up and she did confess to Toga that she did fall in love with Deku (chapter 394) esp when Toga and Ochako had a heart-to-heart convo.
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(i had to go for the raw ver. so that i can see what she says in japanese but it is basically the same as what it says on the translated ver. "...then, I fell in love with Midoriya Izuku and now, that's why I'm here to stop you!")
This chapter tho literally has togachako moments all over it! She was trying to reach out to Toga by revealing what her motives were and how they had changed from being a hero, not just bc her fam has poor income and she needed the financial stability, but for others (mostly influenced by deku) as well and that's why she's willing to even "reach" out a hand to Toga and listen to her feelings. (anon you made me read that chapter again and i'm in literal tears because i remembered she told toga she has the "cutest smile in the world" in the end aaa my heart asdfghjkl) Now, I'm not going to ignore that she revealed to Toga that she has feelings for Deku (even in the manga/anime, she's so obvious with her feelings by blushing, ashido teasing her, etc.) so we technically already knew from the start. It's just that she admitted it now, not really surprising tbh.
BUT, we have yet to know what Deku's feelings are in the matter or if he even reciprocates them. As far as I know (or I have seen so far), Deku literally gets blushy or embarassed around girls whenever he gets near them (like the time with hatsume accidentally landed on top of him) because he is still just a teenage boy with hormones who probably rarely have close girls as friends until he attended UA.
Please keep watching anon! Ngl, I actually had the same thought as you back then, but then I kept watching and watching until I finally caught up with the anime and manga. Hori does not disappoint when it comes to the BkDk dynamics, especially in the most recent chapters in the manga which I won't spoil for you, but it is definitely worth catching up to! I highly suggest you keep watching because season 6 by far has one of the best top moments I've ever seen that happened between bkdk. Also, a lot and I really mean a lot (bc I have posted a couple of bkdk posts back then when s6 was still airing so i read reblogged tags and chats lol) have even acknowledged that bkdk could actually turn into something special esp from the ones that were against it from the beginning. This means not everyone is against their relationship as you say they are. If anything, the people against it have actually lessened and the ones that are still hell-bent on being an anti are probably the ones that never read the manga, watched past season 1, knows that this is the top-ranked ship in mha and feel threatened it'll get in the way of their respective ship for bk/dk or just plain homophobes. I've never seen or recalled someone putting together a whole essay of why bkdk can't be together, other than, "he bullied him" or "guys can't get together in shonen anime!" or some other dumb reasons.
As for the other question, "what are the possibilities that BkDk will be canonized?" All I can say is anon, we just need to have hope for Hori to provide us that in the end honestly ;; Don't get me wrong, I love BkDk as much as the next person since I shipped them right from the start of episode 1 but I would still love it if Hori gives us a little panel at the end where they're working together in the same agency or damn, staying together as roommates under the same roof. He didn't even have to make it obvious, just make it indirect while us bkdk audience can fantasize about what's really happening behind closed doors while the others can think of it as them being platonic roomies asdfghjkl In any case, through my 'bkdk rose-colored glasses' tho, my answer would be a huge chance of them being canonized because of how much their relationship and character has grown so so much from the impact towards each other since s1, especially from Katsuki's end (i would love to show you the moments, but idk if i should spoil ;;;), but with the glasses off, I'm just really hoping it goes to that direction where Hori is one of the few authors that does it because I'm sure there are other shounen mangas out there that have their protags get together with the same gender, although subtle, but are not as popular as Hori's work.
Now, I would like to end this with a comment, please don't give up on shipping BkDk. You may feel like you're a minority who ships them, but we're actually a big growing community (esp in ao3 and djs) with just a lot of haters (mostly from the western side) because Hori gives us more of the spotlight and a whole lot of character development since the start of chapter one. I would say it doesn't really hit you for being proud to be a bkdk shipper until season 6. If you see it, you'll know what I mean because it still makes me tear up to this day ;;;
so here's to hori and to many bkdk moments we'll get in the future (hopefully in the upcoming movie!) and thank you anon, fellow bkdks, or prob other random but curious passerbys for coming to my boring Ted-talk haha
also here's dk looking at kacchan and kacchan looking away (๑ᵕ◡ᵕ)
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itsana004 · 7 months
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I have to ask for Droite for the character meme! (Or if you already got an ask for her, then Gauche?)
Ahhhh, first of all thank you so much for the ask! 💓 This one is special because it's about a minor character I care about a lot, and did for literal years and I'll do my best not to make this a paper scroll long (can't make promises). So let's roll! Here lays my truest thoughts on Droite/Dextra
•How do you feel about this character
You'd be surprised to know, but I did not like her character at all when I saw her for the first time.
She looked so... cold, had a lack of personality, unlikable boring character? Or maybe it was the fact she looked much older and more mature than the other main cast at the time, especially when she was strict? I can't pinpoint the specific reason, but there was really a time when I saw her as most viewers of Zexal see her as: an uninteresting boring minor character.
So how come I changed my mind? And got so attached to her to the point literal years passed and I still love her character?
The first time I ever saw Zexal episode per episode was probably when I was 10-11 years old on the TV, and Zexal was pretty popular in Italy back then, and I distinctively remember this character made an impression on me on episode 54 in her duel against Tron, with her solid strategy and clever tactics (and it was very unique compared to any other character), cause let's be real, this show is about dueling, if the character weren't good duelists, they really didn't stick to me in the long run (and Droite sure didn't give her best duel at all in that Droite and Gauche Vs Yuma duel, it was generic and boring to me), but Droite was doing very well against the main antagonist of that season, Tron (and it even made me root for her!) and the way he got around her strategy and the cards he used felt very oddly specific because of the nonesense rule that Yu-Gi-Oh women cannot win, so we can forget a minor character woman actually beating the main antagonist of that season (I understand the plot was needed to be driven forward with Tron as the main antagonist ofc lol but I have more thoughts on how they could have handled it better but I don't wish to digress) - anyway this duel stuck to me and as I said, Zexal was fairly popular in my town and I was talking about it to my friend, a frustrated naive young me saying how she felt about that the butterfly girl with purple hair losing and for some reason I didn't catch her name and my best friend told me it was "Drua" (from Dorowa but fandom decided it was Droite and I was confused but I found here in the end!), and then I searched her name on Google and saw a gorgeous fanart of her holding a butterfly and you could say my spiral started then (so in a way I am the way I am because of my friend, it's all her fault). From that point on I started to form an attachment to this character and pay attention to every time she appeared on screen, but boi young me was in for total disappointment because from that point on Droite was never given this kind of focus, or any development nor deliver a duel like that ever again (In Italian dub from 4kids they censored Droite and Gauche being homeless orphans being picked from Mr. Heartland so extra less scene 🤬). Young me also kept wondering, what happened to all those feelings she poured in ep 54? And I figured in the end that's a question only god knows, cause Zexal writers definitely don't, and so fanfics gave me much better answers. As years passed, I have to say I only grew to love her character more and more, I just kept learning new things about her and appreciated her character paying attention to every time she appeared from the limited screentime she had and I'm going to list some things I really love.
I was glad to learn that dueling wasn't something she was forced herself to learn for the purpose of training or for the sake of becoming stronger like Kaito, but it's something she enjoyed ever since she and Gauche discovered Duel Monsters when they were homeless orphans living in the streets (I feel like this adds more to her personality), and for them being only kids struggling to live day by day, found a little joy in their lives, and it even became their star of hope, something to look forward to in their hellish life (MY POOR BABIESSS I LOVE THEM MUCH).
I also love the fact Droite and Gauche treat each other as equals, they must have helped each other to get stronger by dueling one another, there is no air of superiority between them like Shark is towards Rio when it comes to dueling, so I assume Droite and Gauche have always one up the other to the point they have the almost same number of wins and losses against each other, and they must have spent their time mostly support each other as well. I love how she recognizes Gauche's move against Esper Robin instantly showing how close they are. WE NEEDED MORE SCENES OF THOSE TWO SQUABBLING, ACTUALLY, WITH THOSE THREE WITH KAITO, I NEED THEM TOGETHER IN ON LINE OKAY.
Also can we talk about how this girl had endured powerful electric shocks?? And joined up to the top 3 in elite duelists with Kaito and Gauche like the QUEEN SHE IS???
Also girlie just tasted tomato juice which was implied to be blood so casually what's up with that????? (That scene is so funny it will always be one of my favorites).
This woman is such a girlboss!!! Droite can casually fly a helicopter, run around the Tower like she owns it, being assertive in general a force to be reckoned with throughout the little time she appeared in Zexal, and humble her man to back away (THE NOTORIOUS NUMBER HUNTER TOO) and catch this man in his lies then HUMBLE HIM AGAIN IN THE W.D.C. AND YEET HIM FROM HER LANE (PLEASE THIS SCENE WILL ALWAYS BE FUNNY TO ME) .
Idgaf that she lost against Vetrix, she manhandled him in this duel, and not even his crest power from Barian world worked on her THIS IS QUEEN BEHAVIOUR RIGHT THERE.
Despite her lack of appearence in the second part and the complete abysmal decision to make her lose TWICE MORE LIKE IT WASN'T ENOUGH, I still appreciate the little contributions she was allowed to make.
I guess, a part of me is still attached to her for what she could have been? How she could have been used? (I brainrot about that every day) and it's painful to love a character that isn't very liked or even recognized while also completely understanding why, but I guess I still love her character and that doesn't seem it will change for a while.
•All the people you ship romantically with this character
I ship Droite with Kaito and no- I don't care what anyone says, if Zexal writers sent an announcement right now saying they will never be canon, I would still ship them because fanfics convinced me, cause some fans will always be better at writing romance than Zexal writers would ever dream to. I really love picking up from what was left and actually putting them to use by adding more things to the table to fix the mess, and I'm gonna die on this hill.
I also don't mind any other ships with Droite (as long as they are not problematic...) but one of my favorite rarepair has to be Droite x Akari (my comfort ship <3) - they haven't interacted once but they are both girl bosses and hot and I don't need any more reasons.
•My non-romantic OTP for this character
Just like I said in Gauche's one, this has to be Droite and Gauche. I refuse to see them through a romantic lens. It is true they share a lot of care for each other, but canonically Droite has romantic feelings for someone else and familial/platonic love exists, and interpreting them that way makes their relationship much sweeter and deeper in my eyes. Gauche being the only family that Droite has in a world where she was born with none will always be more meaningful and deeper to me than them being in a romantic relationship will ever be.
Another fact I forgot to mention in Gauche's one is although they don't have a specific label for each other in the sub, the Italian dub seems to be the only one where they actually refer to each other as "Fratello and sorella" (Brother and sister) - Kaito says "It's right that his sister duels", and although dub changes are not always for the best, I am fine with either one, in one they have a label for their relationship where it isn't left blank and it enforces their familial bond - (Droite says along the lines of "I'm his manager so I have to pull him out of this" in the sub - of course, she's not just a "manager", but at this point what do they even refer to each other... there is no label, and for two people who literally grew up together and spent so many years together, I find it odd - but on the other hand, these two never knew what the word family even meant when they were orphans living in the streets, and that being the reason for the lack of label to their relationship is just─
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•My unpopular opinion about this character
She best girl─
•One thing I wish would happen/had happened with this character in canon
(Omg this part will be so long I'm so sorry)
1 - In episode 54, I wish instead of Droite giving up and losing because of her own free will, they could have made it so that she couldn't handle the power of the crest and collapses right after she draws a card, after trying so hard to resist it as long as she did - first, it doesn't make her look incompetent or make her look bad and still makes Tron a threatening villain. Second, it leaves the outcome with "No result" and still leaves it ambiguous than a straight "Lose" because of the notorious "female characters cannot win because they suck" awful rule the Yu-Gi-Oh series has created that screams sexism and misogyny from the writers - and no - the fact that the audience for this show is mostly boys does not excuse it.
2 - She should have won the duel together with Yuma in episode 104. Zexal has a really tedious habit of making strong female characters sacrifice themselves to show their valor and significance - no - that's not good enough when it is done again and again (Rio for her brother, Anna for Yuma, Droite for Kaito and Gauche and... Yuma?) and god I hate this so much, they could have found plenty of ways to show that without making Droite lose, we already know how dedicated and devoted Droite is for the people she loves/cares about, she tried to call Gauche back to conscious several times and took the fall for Yuma several times, they didn't need to kick her out of the duel to reinforce that same pathetic excuse again.
3 - Droite, Gauche and Kaito are the three people who have the most connection with Mr. Heartland (than Yuma will ever be) as well as having actual reasons to retaliate against the late Mr. Heartland, as they were exploited and have suffered hell from him, so why on HELL Yuma and Astral were shoehorned into that frecking duel - I do not care they are protagonists - I do not care people love the touching moment between Astral and Yuma before they transform into Zexal III - they could have animated that exact scene in their battle against Don Thousand or any other duel - there was no reason at all that would explain this decision in terms GOOD WRITING - to rob Kaito from that duel - imagine: after Kaito wins the duel against Mr. Heartland, since Droite and Gauche were already in Heartland City because of Yuma's friends understanding the world was in danger, Mr. Heartland in his last efforts could have pleaded Gauche and Droite to help him and manipulate them telling them how he saved them as orphans and they are here today because of him. But to his surprise, they don't, instead they use their ace monsters to attack him instead and send their farewells, and Mr. Heartland meets his demise - heck, they could have been the ones to take over after Kaito collapses - no matter what anyone tells me, either of the two ways it's how it should have played out because all of those three characters meet a proper closure with this man, but zexal writers do not give a sh8t about any other characters except their precious main and that leads to bad writing.
4 - I'm not really a fan of Droite being Gauche's manager? My reason for that is Droite spends most of Zexal serving/helping/sacrificing for other characters and is never her own person, and to me this is one of many examples. It's fine that she's his manager but what I wish would happen is Droite starts to miss competitive dueling and feels confused about her feelings of doubt towards her current job, and so for the upcoming W.D.C. Tournament (becoming a yearly event) that everyone including all our beloved cast will participate in it, Droite takes it as an opportunity to seek answers she needs through this Tournament and is encouraged by Gauche as well to "get a piece of the action", so she participates as a competitor together with Gauche - it lets her be her own person instead of being a "cheerleader" for Gauche (she can still be supporting of him while being a competitor) + it shows Gauche and Droite will support each other no matter in what they do and there are no ill feelings if Droite decides to resign from being his manager.
5 - The complete lack of development or scenes between Droite and Kaito, heck, it might be as dry as the sahara desert, and for me to say it is very concerning, luckily for me fanfics exist! So for the "what I wish would have happened", there is a fanfic called "I'll Always Be With You" by AquaMagic.389 (is my canon now, and in the second chapter I WEPT) - yeah, that's what I wish had happened, it's just adding the little things in the flashback that can slowly build up overtime.
Fun fact: In the Japanese W.D.C. 3DS game in Shingetsu Rei's route as Droite is her opponent, Yuma tells some things about her to Rei and he literally blurts it out for everyone to know about Droite's feelings in public to piss her off lmaooo - and later with Kotori's help Droite confesses her feelings properly but we don't know what happens after that (damn I-) so another I wished is them having actually some development post-canon, who knows, maybe through a Tournament (my brainrot from "La puissance de zexal" fanfic from griffon chap 20 is showing) yeah I'm gonna stop right there.
6- Finally, the last point. Every anime ever has a beach or light-hearted episode, why couldn't we have that like a field trip?? Also, I always found it interesting Hart and Droite's love for butterflies, I wish I could see them having such a cute moment where Hart admires her deck and it reminds him of those peaceful days when his big brother and he would chase butterflies and would share about those days with Droite it's just-
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I'm so sorry this post turned into a paper scroll after all, if you ever reached until here then thank you and sorry for making you read all that, take care and have a good day! And again, thank you so much for the ask 💖
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