#I wonder if the writers were actually trying to foreshadow this here or if it was a throwaway line that just happens to fit

[guardian-angle22]

↳ requested by anon

#911 lone star #tk strand #carlos reyes #iris blake #gabriel reyes #here you go anon!! I hope you're okay with the ~creative liberties~ I took with the coloring and adding tk with gabriel #I just like how that one really shows him as 'in the family' #I wonder if the writers were actually trying to foreshadow this here or if it was a throwaway line that just happens to fit #my gifs #gif request or suggestion #episode: s04e01 the new hotness #episode: s04e04 abandoned #911ls parallel

[akiizayoi4869]

Zuko's Fever Dream

This dream that Zuko has when he's going through his little "metamorphosis" (odd choice of words there, Iroh) didn't make sense to me years ago as a little kid, and it still really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me now🤣. Like, if nothing else, this dream is a prime example, and a damn good one at that, of dreams not making sense. It shows Zuko as the Fire Lord, which makes sense, seeing as all he wanted at that point was to return home and claim his birthright (even if said birthright was never his to begin with). He's surrounded by a group of Fire Nation soldiers and two dragons, who are revealed as Azula and Iroh.

The dragon that is supposed to be Azula says this:

"It's getting late. Are you planning to retire soon, my Lord?"

"I'm not tired."

"Relax, Fire Lord Zuko. Just let go. Give in to it. Shut your eyes for a while."

As we see in these two images here, he almost does give in to what she's saying and almost falls asleep until the red dragon speaks up.

"No, Fire Lord Zuko! Do not listen to the blue dragon. You should get out of here right now. Go! Before it's too late!"

"Sleep now, Fire Lord Zuko."

"Sleep. Just like Mother!"

That whole dialogue exchange just doesn't make sense. The last bit that's said is interesting, and it also implies something that's disturbing on Zuko’s end: that he thinks for some reason that Azula, who was either 8 or 9 years old at the time, had something to do with Ursa's disappearance/death. Why does he think that? It doesn't make any sense to assume that his little sister had anything to do with that. It would have made more sense to have Zuko think that Ozai had something to do with it.

I guess you can interpret this dialogue as a sort of nod to their current circumstances. Azula is hunting down Zuko and Iroh for Ozai. By her telling Zuko to close his eyes and sleep, it's making him vulnerable to her, easy to capture. But then Iroh shouts at him not to fall asleep and to leave now while he still can. By doing that, Zuko can avoid being captured. That actually makes sense to me. But if this was supposed to be foreshadowing the eventual betrayal that was coming two episodes later, they could have chosen better dialogue.

The only part about this dream sequence that interests me somewhat is that Azula is portrayed as the devil on Zuko's shoulder, while Iroh is supposed to be the angel. Which, at this point in time, makes sense for Zuko to view the two of them like this. Azula is trying to capture him and Iroh, not to mention the rivalry he had going on with her thanks to Ozai’s abuse. Iroh has been the one family member he's had since Ursa left who has always been there for him. What's frustrating about this is that the narrative never makes Zuko question his views about these two. Iroh is obviously not this perfect angel who can do no wrong. He is very much a morally gray character who has done a ton of fucked up and sketchy shit. Azula isn’t the evil in Zuko's life that he must take down no matter what. That was Ozai. The fact that the narrative never challenges Zuko on his views on these two just stunts his character growth and is proof that he's not done growing.

Finally, we get up to my favorite part of this bizarre dream🤣

This shit. Wtf is this monstrosity😭. Were the writers thinking of the freaking fusion dance from DBZ when they thought of this? It literally looks like a fusion between Aang and Zuko. No wonder the poor boy woke up screaming. If that was me, I would have woken up screaming, too. The last bit of this scene was another thing that stood out to me.

Zuko touches his scar here as a way to reassure himself that he's still him. It just interested me because in an odd way, the scar is like a sort of comfort for him here? I guess? Idk. Maybe comfort isn't the right word to use. But this part just felt like something worth pointing out.

#atla #azula #zuko #iroh #Zuko's weird ass fever dream

[amethystfairy1]

Hi there, new anon here bc I don’t use tumblr like, almost ever. apologies for the rambling about how I love ur AU’s that’s incoming. Or if I did this wrong. Idk how to use tumblr.

Ok SO, I’ve been following your AUs on AO3 for the past few months and first of all, love it, I love your continuity with metaphors or specific descriptors that span across works, like Grian’s banded wings, glamor as heat haze on tarmac, scott having hair like spun sugar, just AUGHHHH so good I love. Little details like that make me as a writer and ofc fanfic enjoyed foam at the mouth. It’s so vivid I can picture it in my mind, I love the eclectic feel of the undercity, the mechanical lore things like wagons in Traveling thieves or rail carts and labs in TTSBC! Don’t even get me started on the peice about Doc and Etho in the depths, that one is so so good.

And your phenomenal foreshadowing? Like first read through never guessed that avian at Fremeere’s was skizz, but I went back after your recent upload and wow it totally is! Or how first read of TTSBC I never thought the two directors were the same because I hopped around in the reading order, but now it’s wayyy too similar! And now I get why a past and long dead antagonist would have such a specific and recognizable speech pattern… eerie. I love it. Can’t wait to learn more about that storyline!! I wonder how much Tango knows about Doc’s history with the labs and if he realizes the connection after talking with Zedaph. Zedango my beloved! Or just tango content/lore in general hehe. (Also, I find it humorous that Grian and Tango’s boyfriends have almost the same trauma as their dad, lol) Also, love how close the characters are to being reunited in Traveling Thieves!! They’re so close!

Anywhoo, just stopped by to say that Cub is litterally providing scar/Hot Guy with weapons in Scar’s new episode, only to see that you already saw that ofc. I was litterally kicking my feet and squeaking about it bc it’s just like TTSBC and your AU makes me so genuinely happy to read and has me in a chokehold. But the rocket arrows?? That are Hot Guy brand color coded! And expensive and I can see character!Cub being exasperated about scar’s trigger happy use of the rockets in the same way he doesn’t call the lab the Hot Cave, hehe. Or Scar showing off to Grian that he’s not the only one who can shoot sparkly projectiles!

so yeah, ik you already saw that, but i wanted to share that it’s so perfect for TTSBC or else my brain would not leave me alone lmao

DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR THE RAMBLES

I LOVE RAMBLES!!!!

I'm so glad you love my little tells for the characters! Heat haze on tarmac, hair like spun sugar, stuff like that just feels like it helps make a certain trait pop and so I try to make sure every character has at least one of them! I'm so glad you enjoy the mechanical ascept of the AUs! Both TTSBC and TT have their own little things, moving parts that keep the worlds going!

I love trying to layer in foreshadowing when I can! Skizz appearing, but I purposefully didn't tag him as a character because, thanks to avian culture, he doesn't use his name, and so it's not until we get to see from his POV that we actually get confirmation that's him!

I have no idea what you're talking about with the director, tho, because she's totally dead! She died 24 years ago during the Anarchy! Any odd vocal ticks and specific dislikes for hypothesis is completely coincidental and should be, should be, should be disregarded. 😑

They do, don't they? Whoops. I guess Doc has a lot to relate to when it comes to his future sons-in-law, huh?

CUB IS THE GUY-IN-THE-CHAIR CONFIRMED!!!! AGGGH!

Thank you so much for your rambles I absolutely loved reading them!!!! 💖

#fanfic #ao3 fanfic #through the sky blue cracks #traveling thieves au #worldbuilding

[everwitch-magiks]

I'd like to add my two cents to a topic that I understand some fanfic readers fret about: what to write in a comment on AO3. Many have weighed in on this, and there are useful guides out there (such as this one) to peruse if you find yourself wanting to leave comments on fic but having no idea what to write. This post, however, will not give such a broad and comprehensive overview of ideas for different types of comments - instead, I'd like to talk about what my favourite type of fic comment is, and why.

If you're curious about a type of fic comment that will really make a writer kick their feet and shriek with happiness... read on.

"I see what you did there!" I got a comment on a fic the other day that made my entire week. I've been thinking about it ever since. It was an "I see what you did there!" comment.

The comment was about a subtle element in the story, something that was very much between the lines. The commenter briefly described how they had interpreted that element; all the ways they had noticed it, the subtle mentions they had caught, and exactly how the commenter had picked up on all of those things. The bottom line was, simply put, that the commenter saw what I did there, and chose to tell me so.

And here's the thing: I had, in fact, intentionally put all of those things in the story. I had tried to work that element in between the lines - subtly - and deliberated at length about whether or not it was obvious enough, or too obvious, or so subtle that noone would notice. I had plotted and planned and clarified and rephrased, and in the end I'd settled on a final version - one that hopefully conveyed what I wanted it to convey.

Key word: hopefully.

Writing is lonely. It's you and your doc and your words and your commas, and you're constantly second-guessing whether what you're trying to express is clear enough. Does it work? Does it hit? Is it doing what it's supposed to do? Beta readers do help with all of this - in fact, beta readers help immensely, and they all deserve flowers and a treat of their choice - but even after quizzing your trusted beta about whether that thing you're trying to do is working or not, there is still room for lingering doubt.

The best cure for that doubt? You guessed it: the 'I see what you did there!' comment.

Seriously, I can live on a comment like that for months.

It's the ultimate dopamine hit, the unquestionable confirmation that yes, it worked. The words did what they were supposed to do. All that work trying to get it just right actually paid off.

Hopefully, at this point, you're at the edge of your seat wondering how one actually writes a comment like this? And luckily for you, it is pretty simple!

How to write an "I see what you did there!" comment If you notice any of the following in a fic you're reading:

A subtle parallel

Something that's a metaphor for something else

Something that 'bookends' the story - an introduction that is mirrored by the ending

A line that recurs subtly

Any type of foreshadowing

Anything that is hinted at, but not clearly spelled out

Anything that makes you go "I see what you did there!"

Point it out in your comment. Describe what you picked up on and how you picked up on it. Say: "I see what you did there!"

I think this is the sort of thing you'll know when you see it, and now you hopefully feel confident that you'll absolutely make the writer's day by pointing it out to them! It may seem like you're just explaining the story back to the writer, which may feel a little silly since the writer definitely knows what they put in there, but what you're really doing is confirming to the writer that you now know what they put in there, too. And that's such a cool thing for the writer to get confirmed.

Take care of each other out there in fanfic land, folks! I hope you're now feeling inspired to support your local AO3 author with a good ol' "I see what you did there!" comment! A classic for a reason.

#fanfiction #writing #ao3 #ao3 comments #ao3 comment etiquette #fandom

[beastofhearts]

So...Shazam 2 was a fun lil disaster

Like I really like the core ideas the movie had (Billy abandonment issues manifesting and affection the relationship with its siblings and the whole deities trying to come back) and laughed quite a bit during the movie, but I dont think the execution was as good as it could been. Definitely not as good as the first one but still I would suggest you to see it when it comes to streaming services

Spoilers below

1) I think it would had helped the audience understand some decisions and allowed the emotional scenes be more impactful, if we had seen the character’s as themselves instead of seeing them as adults. We need to remember these are teenagers...and in some scenes the adult versions doesn't make much sense.

2) Regarding the last one. I also think it would be nice if the writer also remembered they are kids. Look I love unicorns but if a black horse with a horn comes rushing at me... I wouldn't stay put with a big smile. I love Darla, I really do. But let her have more emotions than “ :D”

(That being said. I love the design of the unicorns. I think they are based on Karkadann? -persian unicorns- which is a nice surprise! Others monsters designs are a bit more rough but I still enjoy my mythological beast ♥)

3) Athena... Athena baby what im going to do with you. 3.1) What are you doing on a high school if you are 6.000 years old? What are you gonna learn if that something you decided at the END of the movie? is a school really the place to learn about humanity? 3.2) She mentions Freddy “saving her” from the bullies as the reason as to why she saves him from the dragon, but the bullies really never targeted her...  they were annoying, yes, but not hostile. At least to her, they were dicks to Freddy. 3.3) Why are you crushing...on a ... baby, compared to your age? Actually, why are you acting like a teenager at all? Like I just need one line, a “I been asleep for most of my life” excuse here

Again, I really like the character conceptually and I love the idea for her power, but she seems lost all the time and very out of place compared to her sisters and I was given no reason why. However and though I admit im not the biggest fan of romance subplots, I tough the dynamic between her and Freddy was very sweet. 

Actually, I think all 3 sisters are interesting! I would had loved to expand on their loss, their imprisonment and their discussion a bit more before everything went down like it did.  I would also loved to know if Ladon was sentient or not. He seemed to kill Hespera in his own accord but we don't know why he did it (and why with the tail when he has two good claws) ... I would also had liked for Athena to try to reach out to him while he was trying to scare her.

... I hate that he used his “paralyzing fear” for like 10 minutes and decided not to strike once. Moving at the pace of a snail. (But again, Freedy coming to save Anne was *chef kiss*)

4) The dream sequence with Wonder Woman really wasn’t well executed. It didn't had any service (it does not foreshadow, doesn't show or explain anything new) except conveying the wizard message. It took time away from other things that would had benefit from a longer time. In general, I do not know how I feel about Wonder Woman here. It only very conveniently solves one problem but back pedals all the consequences we had during this movie.

And hey, I know its unrealistic to think Shazam would be dead for longer than 2 minutes but giving Athena back her powers? why?

And that's it! Other than that I think I don't had any troubles with the movie. It was fun, packed of action and had good emotional moments and I specially like how this is direct consequence from the last movie!

#Shazam #fury of the gods #Shazam: Fury of the gods #reviews

[purrincess-chat]

I heard you were comforting sad Adrinette shippers and I came as fast as I could.

honestly I'm so tired of the fandom drama. Once again had to block people because apparently Adrinette is boring and generic and then dating is destroying the love square development. Like I don't know how to say this but, Adrinette dating doesn't ruin the development, that is the development. Now people are saying that the love square has been destroyed. All from their not fav side getting together?

Hugs for all the tired Adrinette stans. People turned on them so quickly and for what?

You are so right, nonny. Adrinette dating is the development for the square. The dynamics changing was always bound to happen. That's how development works. What would be boring is if they stayed the exact same. People have been begging for something to happen between them for 4 seasons, and now when something has finally shifted and changed people are clinging to the old ways like "how dare the writers change them, they were perfect the way they were!!" Make it make sense, yall.

I'm still trying to see the boring part of Adrinette dating. Every episode I have watched this season has been so interesting and emotional, and it has made me fall in love with them all over again because they're so precious. And the show finally delving into their characters and addressing issues so they can come closer together and deepen their bond??? Hello??? That's so good??? And needed? Literally how is Adrinette becoming more comfortable with one another to a point where Marinette is confident around him instead of stammering and Adrien finally having someone he can lean on for support with his whole family situation bad for the love square? Literally how? The kids are finally getting the opportunity to love each other openly and be together. That's what we have all been waiting for since s1. Just because it wasn't a side some people wanted doesn't make it bad writing. The writing this season has been better than all of the past seasons. There is linear plot, character development that sticks, a deeper look into the villains motives, people making moves all over the place, foreshadowing. Literally everything we've asked for this whole time.

Some people just need to accept the fact that this is canon now, whether they like it or not. They can either live with it or move on. If the show no longer appeals to them because *checks notes* the flagship of the show got together, and there are "other shows that do high school romance way better" then perhaps they should go watch one of those shows instead. I've lost interest in shows before too, but rather than whining about it to people who still enjoy it, I just stopped watching. It's really that simple. And all of the hate and vitriol spewed at Adrinette and Adrinette stans for having the ✨audacity✨ to defend their enjoyment of canon and how this development makes sense with everything the show has given us up to this point is actively making the fandom worse. Like good god it's the same two people, arguing why it's unfair that Adrien and Marinette got together when it should have been Marinette and Adrien getting together is the stupidest shit. And actively shitting on people just for liking canon and making actual real people feel bad for enjoying a show about fictional teenagers just because it didn't turn out the way some people wanted? Shit behavior. Absolutely shameful.

Don't feel too bad about having to block people, nonny. Do what you have to for your peace in fandom. We can hang out here and have sleepovers and talk about how wonderful the love square being canon is while eating snacks and braiding each others hair. ❤

#cat replies #asks #s5 discourse #ml spoilers

[antigonewinchester]

7 eps through season 12 and it continues to be strangely fascinating. I have criticisms for sure, but I’m holding off on them more specifically until at least the end of season, if only to put them in the full context and sort them out for myself.

overall, the show feels much more confident in itself than it has been for a while, and this confidence feels deeply connected to the story focusing more on Sam again, esp after the Carver era’s focus on Dean. a return back to the roots, w/ Sam as the more prominent character, and Dean back in a more supportive role. it’s the Luke vs. Han idea, w/ Sam as the “sensitive, smart protag” and Dean as the “funny bad-boy w/ a heart of gold.”

also the return back to the “Dean as a hunter, Sam as questioning it” framing. whenever the show hits a reset point, it always seems to pick up this dynamic again. take S8 and how much it echoed S1, in Sam out of hunting w/ a girlfriend and Dean returning back to him. it’s not as blatant in season 12, but Sam and Dean’s dynamic does remind me of their original attitudes, with Sam framed as questioning / wondering about hunting while Dean is seen as a hunter straight up. look at Sam and Dean’s convo in 12x06, right? (“SAM: Did you know people tell stories about us? / DEAN: Yeah. Apparently we’re a little bit legendary. / SAM: Yeah, but, I mean, so was Asa. Then a hunt went bad, and he ended up hanging from a tree, alone in the woods. / DEAN: He died on the job. No better way to go. / SAM: You really believe that? / DEAN: Yeah. What, you don’t? I mean, come on, Sam, it's not like we're in the “live till you're 90, die in your sleep” business. This? [DEAN points at ASA’S hunting wall] This only ends one way. / SAM: We should get back.) I suppose I’m zero-ing in on this framing in part because we know how the show, and Sam and Dean’s stories, ends now, and amongst so much of the fandom “it didn’t make sense!” opinions, I’m trying to figure out if the ending was actually foreshadowed and people just didn’t pick up on it, either unintentionally or deliberately.

on the other hand, in spite of its “reset” qualities, season 12 is also very self-aware in itself as the twelfth season of Supernatural. lots of dialogue call backs, characters talking about “who they are” in the whole context of the story, Mary as a returning character with so much history for the show both in-universe and on a meta level, Lucifer having his return in the body of an aging, has-been rock star, and his short monologue in 12x07 (LUCIFER: ...[God] needed my help, and He'd say anything to get it. His words, your words, they mean nothing. Don't you get it? This is all meaningless. Heaven. Hell. This world. If it ever meant anything that moment is past. Nothing down here but a bunch of hopeless distraction addicts, so filled with emptiness, so desperate to fill up the void... They don't mind being served another stale rerun of a rerun of a rerun. You know what my plan is? I don't have one. I'm just gonna keep on smashing Daddy's already broken toys, and make you watch.). the writers know the story could’ve ended much earlier but it’s still chugging along -- which is a weird spot to be in, admittedly. where else did the show have to go except to turn self-referential, look back at itself, go more meta? from a writing pov, I get the impulse, and obviously it gets increasingly meta up until the very end. while S8 was a reset, I do think the writers were trying to reckon w/ the whole show thru Carver’s era, even if they struggled w/ it. similarly, I get the feeling that S12 and beyond will try to reckon w/ the whole of the show, given how self-referential and meta it’s already gotten. (whether it does a good job w/ the meta aspects or not will be a different story.)

#season 12 #spn rewatch

[weakforarwen]

The Gates of Avalon

This was a pretty exciting episode, actually. The scene with Arthur in the lake of Avalon almost made me cry...that’s his final resting place... Things got really tense for a while before Merlin pulled Arthur out of the water. Merlin rescuing Arthur was really touching. Arthur almost met his end too soon... It really felt like foreshadowing, looking back. I didn’t know the Arthurian legend at all, so in my first watch of the show, I missed all the signs.

But something about the episode that doesn’t make sense to me is that the Sidhe leader was willing to take Arthur’s soul in this episode, but, in The Changeling, it’s revealed he’s been waiting for Elena to come of age and marry Arthur, which means he needed Arthur alive. So, which was it?

Looks like Gwen really was Arthur’s first love. None of his feelings for Sophia were genuine and I felt bad for how he was used. He was kissed against his will and became a puppet in Sophia and her father’s hands. When Arthur wanted to marry Sophia, Uther told him:

You've got your whole life ahead of you. Sophia is no doubt your first love, but she certainly won't be the only one. Enjoy yourself while you can.

This made me sad. Arthur did not have his whole life ahead of him, actually.

The most important thing about the episode are Morgana’s powers. Gaius, once again, made Morgana feel like she was crazy when they both knew she wasn’t. He also drugged her with sleeping potions that were largely ineffectual at helping her. No wonder Morgana went crazy. She was treated like a crazy person for years. Gaius tried to protect her by not telling her the truth, but he just made everything worse for her. The only thing he was right about was telling Morgana to keep quiet to Uther, but she was smart enough to keep her visions to herself anyway. Men love telling women they’re crazy so they never learn how powerful they are. At the end of the episode, Morgana was somewhat convinced she’d imagined things and that Sophia had been a normal girl. She was subdued and under Gaius’s thumb again, convinced she was crazy or simply had an active imagination, even asking for more sleeping potions. It’s incredibly infuriating and sad seeing a woman being treated this way - brainwashed to the point that she surrenders her agency willingly to another person (man).

It’s weird that Gwen knew about Morgana’s dreams and that Morgana implied they were magic, or, rather, that Uther would believe them to be the result of magic. Did Gwen know Morgana had magic? That’s not what it seemed like in seasons 2 or 3. Did Gwen think Morgana’s visions were real but not magical in nature? Like some people who believe in psychics and fortune tellers, but not in magic? Gwen was concerned for Arthur and believed Morgana should warn the King. She believed the King wouldn’t hurt his ward, but she was wrong.

Also, seeing Morgana so concerned and protective of Arthur was touching. Why did they ruin Morgana? She was so good. They turned her into an unlikable, one-note villain who was so far removed for this Morgana that I can’t think of them as being the same person. To me, good Morgana and bad Morgana are just different characters. 

But it was weird that Arthur thought Morgana had feelings for him... Morgana is his sister, and he talks about her like a sister in season 3, but here she was still his almost love interest. Neither of them seemed interested in each other, yet Arthur thought Morgana liked him, because he thought she was jealous of Sophia. No sister is jealous of her brother like that. Season 3 retconned so many things. It’s like the writers were trying to keep their options open and not rule out a potential romance between Arthur and Morgana, but it just didn’t stick because the actors, for one, had very platonic, sibling-like chemistry. 

Poor Merlin got rotten fruit thrown at him a few times. I don’t understand this weird form of punishment. It’s just wasteful. They’re wasting good fruit and vegetables on publicly humiliating someone. Couldn’t Merlin have scrubbed the floor or something? I liked Merlin and Arthur’s dynamic much better in the first season. Arthur was far gentler with Merlin and they felt more like equals.

#bbc merlin #merlin #morgana #arthur pendragon #gwen pendragon #the gates of avalon commentary #the gates of avalon

[jazzythursday]

I’m about to go into another very long Marvel rant/dissertation here— mostly for myself— that I started writing soon after the Loki Series finale so please feel free to just scroll past this, because honestly I think I kinda overdid this one. It’s jaded and overly dramatic even for me. You have been warned:

The last 4 Marvel movies/shows I’ve watched left me feeling so completely depressed and unsatisfied and hopeless about the future of popular entertainment and story telling in general, and I know I’m not the only one. The fact that fans are going into these experiences hoping for a good story and character arcs that make sense with prior characterization, and leaving feeling… empty is a very clear sign that their approach leaves a lot to be desired.

Infinite War had some valid reasons to end the way it did, because by having our heroes fall so much harder than ever before, it built up the tension and high stakes for the next film. But what does that do when Endgame leaves us feeling even worse? I wanted them to triumph and finally come together to be better. I expected there would be losses of course but not enough to negate the wins. Instead the characters were subjugated for plot, characterization was watered down, and we lost all the original Avengers besides Thor and Bruce (who was no longer even Bruce). Peter loses Tony, Thor’s previous loses are permanent, and so many other things that, in spite of loving a lot of the movie, mean I haven’t been able to stop being sad about it for literal years. And the amount of thoughtless destruction that seems to be at an all time high when it comes to character’s lives and disregard for properly exploring emotions just doesn’t leave much to be expected at this point. Far From Home was good. It was. I liked it a lot. The acting was wonderful and there were some really interesting themes they grappled with but I still walked out of the theater feeling like there was still so much detachment surrounding a lot of the decisions, a little too much thoughtlessness (that, and the gaping hole of Tony). I’m not going to talk about WandaVistion but I’ll say that I was invested until the start of episode 8, and finished episode 9 feeling drained and tired and sad.

Then we get to Loki, a show which has plagued far too many of my thoughts since I started watching it, and has crushed my hopes for ever truly being happy with a Marvel project ever again. Loki is a character who’s ostensibly felt alienated and unseen for most of his life, and that’s before finding out about his parentage. His first movie ends with his suicide attempt and subsequent fall into the void. His second takes place a year into working under Thanos and ends with him being taken away in chains (yes I know he’s the villain he’s done bad things etc. etc. but for the purposes of this I’m only focusing on his pov). Then his third involves his solitary imprisonment, his mother’s death, and his near-death (considering the likelihood that he was actually stabbed), although it does end on a lighter note with his acquisition of the throne. Then we get his redemption and reconciliation with Thor in Ragnarok, immediately followed by the utter tragedy that is the first 10 minutes of Infinite War, which I don’t think I need to explain.

So what I suppose I’m saying here (very very inadequately) is that after all of that, I can’t believe the proper story to tell in his first chance at being a main protagonist was one where he’s constantly degraded and beat up, convicted of things he didn’t actually do, given no focus on backstory or implied/established motivations, and labeled as a clown and a narcissist! His powers are weakened, he displays almost no recognizable mannerisms or competence, he’s held to a higher moral standard than every other character, shown no respect, and ultimately loses EVEN MORE. We’ve seen him lose and lose and lose and lose again. We’ve seen him die THREE TIMES, we’ve seen him redeemed TWICE. So who in their right mind thinks that the most compelling story to tell after all of that was to see him LOSE AGAIN?! And not only lose, but lose without any real triumph, dignity, or acknowledgment beforehand. Death to the author aside, reading the utter nonsense the team behind it have spread, it’s so clear that it wasn’t made in good faith. Whether in ignorance or true maliciousness, they just don’t care. They didn’t research. They didn’t try and see things from his point of view. They didn’t truly sympathize with him as a person while writing. They didn’t understand. And they truly, truly wanted him to fail.

I’m tired of feeling hopeless at the end of everything, of leaving the theater or turning off the TV wondering why I even bothered, why I even care when I’m just being strung along with as little consideration as an audience as my favorite characters. I wanted to actively see him strive to be better, not just be told he could be. I wanted to see him triumph over his demons, not forget them. I wanted to see him be the “master of magic” that every other damn movie has alluded to, and to use his powers effectively. I wanted him to be powerful. I wanted him to, if not win, then win on a personal level at least. I wanted to see him take agency in his life and PROVE EVERYONE WRONG! And, though it’s now bafflingly controversial to say, I wanted it to be told by an experienced and competent writing and directing team that knew and understood his character and were passionate about telling his story.

I would ascribe to the notion of “don’t like it, don’t watch” if I could but I care to much to not be affected by this obvious decline in quality and awareness. And I’m a relatively recent fan. I haven’t been waiting for Loki to get his moment in the sun for 10 years. I’M NEW HERE, and my heart breaks so much for fans of the original movies who have lost their love of Marvel or Loki because of the way it’s been handled. No one should fall further than they can climb up from, and I’m tired of watching loss after loss and never getting the release of gaining enough of it back. What’s the point of caring about these characters if the writers won’t? Of investing in a connecting cinematic universe if it lacks continuity? Of looking for clues and foreshadowing when there isn’t any and the only twists are random and pander to shock value? The way these pieces/characters are being created and interpreted is reductive and incompetent, and for once I’d like to watch something that feels crafted, inspiring, and gratifying to see to the end.

If some people like the Loki show we got, I have no argument against that, because my own opinion is just as subjective as theirs. Though, I’d like to think that if what I want is for the show to be better out of love for the same character, then what they enjoyed from the show can coexist in that. If anyone’s actually read up to this point, I have to admit I’ve forgotten mine. Mostly I just wanted to express my frustrations over how unfeeling and stale most entertainment, specifically from Marvel as of late, has been.

TL;DR: I care too much, waaay too much, Marvel cares too little, Disney doesn’t care at all, and I don’t know how to accept that.

#jazzy’s thinking too much again #marvel thoughts #marvel critical #loki series critical #loki series negativity #marvel #loki series thoughts #Loki series #why am i like this?? #loki

[matan4il]

hello, I just wanted to ask you a quick question about your meta process. Do you play Devil's Advocate while analysing? I mean, do you ask yourself if there's a non-buddie explanation for everything (plotline, foreshadowing), or do you just instantly go for the Buddie explanation. I'm just curious because sometimes it feels like meta writers don't do that, and I get that your focus is on the buddie-mess of it, but surely in order to persuade anyone that your view of a thing is correct, you have to disprove all over possible explanation. You know, like Sherlock Holmes said "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"

Hi Nonnie! Good question.

So the short answer is yes and no. I do take into consideration other explanation. Not whether they exist, 'coz if someone's adamant, there is always an alternate explanation. I have, for example, shipped non-canon het ships that can be compared to Buddie, and for them too, every romantic trope could as an idea be explained away. So the question isn't whether there's an alternate explication, it's how often do we see what has most often been a romantic trope being used with a platonic duo, how hard do we have to work to come up with an alternate explanation, are the tropes used in a way that's different to the treatment of actual platonic bonds (like Hen and Chim) etc. So I don't immediately go for the Buddie explanation and there were things that I saw how one could infer a Buddie interpretation for them, but I felt it wasn't the more immediate one, so I never included them in my meta posts.

At the same time, I'm also not looking to "prove" anything. I'm not a detective trying to solve a mystery and having to prove that my solution is the correct one. I started out writing my meta 'coz my whole point was, "we're not crazy, this is what we're seeing because the show has made some very deliberate choices, here is what I see and why I think it's intentional." But at the end of the day, I'm not trying to convince anyone. I'm a person online expressing my POV. I could be right, I could be wrong. My POV isn't better than anyone else's. And I'm certainly not trying to push any agenda, just say what I see in the show and what it was the show which made me into a Buddie shipper. I think that's true for most Buddie shippers: we didn't start watching to ship Buddie, forcing our interpretation on the show. 911 kept throwing romantic tropes at us in relation to Buddie which made us start shipping them.

So that’s my answer, yes and no. I do take other possible takes into account, I don't automatically try to turn everything into Buddie "proof" but I also don't feel the need to try and convince anyone. People who see what I do and enjoy my posts are amazing, people who disagree with my takes are also great. Let everyone enjoy what makes them happy! It’s a difficult life, fandom should bring relief and joy, not the burden of proving anything to anyone.

I hope I managed to explain myself? :) Please do let me know and have a wonderful day! xoxox

(I got an influx of asks, I WILL answer all of them, but it might take a sec. If anyone wants to check whether I've already answered theirs or to read my replies, here's my ask tag. Thank you! xoxox)

#buddie #911meta #buddie meta #911 meta #9-1-1 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #edmundo diaz #evan buck buckley #christopher diaz #ask #anon ask #fandom discourse #fandom discussion #911onabc #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc

[neongreengummiebears]

Disorganized Thoughts on Sex Education Season 3

I binge watched the entirety of season 3 on Friday, and after sitting with it for a couple days, I have composed myself enough to offer some thoroughly disorganized thoughts on what I’ve seen. 

     While I did enjoy many things about this season, I don’t understand the people who claim it was the strongest. In fact, I believe that it was the weakest. I don’t know what exactly happened during the delay, but I swear they have to have lost staff. Writers, perhaps editors? Whoever usually reins things in a bit, keeps the show grounded, and everyone in character. Whoever had that job, they’re either gone, or they’ve just stopped giving a fuck which, while relatable, is unfortunate in regards to this show. Now what do I mean by that? Let me elaborate:

1. This season was gross. And I don’t mean in general, like I didn’t like it. No, I mean that the writers decided that being sexually explicit wasn’t funny enough and decided to add just a fuck-ton of fart jokes and toilet humor. And I get it, okay? This show prides itself on being crass. But you can be crass without being disgusting. I acknowledge that this comes entirely down to personal preference, but I can’t stand toilet humor and I feel like this season really ramped it up. Every episode was someone farting or talking about shit, or that god forsaken thrice cursed bus scene. Sex doesn’t gross me out, talk about sex all fucking day I don’t care, but I don’t need to watch an extended scene of someone digging their own shit out of a bus toilet in a sock and chucking it out the window onto someone’s car. And even just smaller things, like Aimee talking about the flour constipating her or her taking a massive shit in Jean’s toilet when she and Maureen were there. Those scenes weren’t necessary for the plot in any way, which leads me to believe they were just there because someone thought they were funny and if that’s you’re thing go off, but it most definitely isn’t mine. 

2. Ruby and Otis. And more importantly, what was the point of Ruby and Otis? Now don’t get me wrong, I like Ruby as a character and I found their relationship interesting. And I think that it would have been even more interesting if the writers had devoted more time to properly developing it- Ruby was getting better as a person but she wasn’t there yet. I liked it once Otis started standing up for himself more, and demanding respect in the relationship and as she started to actually care for him she did come to treat him more respectfully. I think with more time they could have been really good. But they didn’t get that time- she said she loved him and they didn’t even work through that fiasco before he was kissing Maeve at a gas station. Overall it had a lot of potential but the way they played it left me just sitting here like...why? Like from a narrative standpoint what was even the purpose? Because from where I’m sitting it really only served as yet another roadblock standing between Otis and Maeve and even though I shipped them like CRAZY in season 1 and 2 the constant unnecessary roadblocks are getting a little old. Which leads me to my next point...

3. Why was Maeve and Otis so unsatisfying? That’s not actually a rhetorical question, I can tell you: Because the writers put so little effort into what is supposed to be the main couple on the show. I feel like they put more effort into keeping them apart and then when it comes time to put them together they’re just kind of like NOW KISS, they only talk like once after and then they ship Maeve off to America. Now I’ve heard rumors that Emma Mackey might not want to return to the show for season 4 so if I had to guess at all of this I would say that both this point and the last was a sloppy attempt to cover their asses in the event that they can’t get her to sign back on. If she does return, they can explore the relationship between her and Otis in season 4. If she doesn’t, they’re probably going to put him back with Ruby. But they couldn’t just write her off without at least touching on the relationship they spent the past 2 seasons building, even though Otis and Maeve barely interact in this season, which is frankly another reason why it felt so shoddy. They spent exponentially more time talking to other people and then half the time when Otis was talking to her he was super cringe. 

     Overall, despite loving their relationship initially, the characters have changed so much from their original dynamic, and have interacted so little, that I really don’t even know what’s pulling these characters together. It’s disappointing to admit that I’m kind of over it but honestly even the writers don’t feel invested. it kind of feels like they put them together because the audience expected it and after 3 seasons of anticipation the payoff was generally underwhelming. 

4. Otis. Just...Otis. I understand that Otis was introduced as being a very nice helpful character in season one. He was the quintessential good guy. And then in season 2 he got to explore being a douche for a bit- which is fine. He is a teenager and he was going through some shit. But I really felt that by the end of season 2 he should have resolved that particular plot point. And he was a little better in season 3 I guess? But he didn’t really progress until the end of this season and from a writing standpoint I feel like they really dragged that out for too long. 

5. What’s with this show and it’s hard on for cheating? Like seriously, why does almost every relationship have some kind of infidelity. Like, were Otis and Ruby officially broken up when he kissed Maeve? Maeve certainly hadn’t broken up with Isaac, and this was almost directly on the heels of their very emotional sex scene. There was the issue with Jean and Jakob last season, and Eric cheating on Rahim with Adam. And then Eric (for some reason) cheating on Adam this season with random Nigerian dude whose name I can’t remember. Just...why is this a thing? 

     But also can we just talk about how weird the break up was? And out of left field? Like they literally spent the whole season developing their relationship, and then they get to Nigeria and after hiding the whole time he is subtly able to talk about Adam to his grandmother. And he sounds so proud, and so nice when he’s doing so, and not at all like he’s planning to end this wonderful relationship he’s describing. And then when he gets back, guilty after cheating on said boyfriend (like he should be) he asks Adam, seemingly as a test, if he would go out to a club with him. And Adam says no because that isn’t his scene and like...Eric knows that isn’t his scene. But at the same time, I feel like if Eric had sat him down and been like “You don’t have to wear makeup or dress outlandishly, just come to the club with me because it’s important to me” I really think Adam would have gone. And if the clothes and make-up were a dealbreaker like...why? You know who you’re dating. And while wanting him to tell his mom isn’t an overwhelmingly outrageous request, when you start getting into his physical appearance then that’s just actually trying to change him as a person and that’s just a really shitty thing to do. 

6. I promise there will be some positives in this list at some point but before that...what the fuck Eric? Like, I understand that Eric wants to get out there and explore his options, find someone more comfortable doing the things that he wants to go do. That’s realistic I guess, your high school relationships don’t work out and just because Adam came out for him he still isn’t obligated to stay in a relationship with him. But from a fictional narrative standpoint? What the fuck is this? Adam and Eric were one of the most popular ships on the show. They have been foreshadowed since season one, and had so so much effort put into developing them both as characters. Adam has come such a long way. They have brought him so far out of him comfort zone that Adam in season 3 is almost a completely different person to Adam in season 1. They spent so much of this season further developing the relationship they established last season, and for what? To break them up at the very end? WHY? 

7. Following on the heels of point 6, Aimee and Steve. They didn’t need to break up. I understand the direction the writers were taking this- Aimee wants to be single for a while to fully process her trauma and get to know her own body again. And that’s valid. I just don’t like it because I very strongly suspect that she will have a new love interest next season and that all her stuff about being single isn’t going to be shown. It will all happen off screen during whatever time skip they employ between seasons and then they’re going to use the fact that she is single to introduce a new more dramatic love interest for her since golden retriever boy Steve wasn’t interesting enough for them. Maybe that’s just me being cynical but if anyone can come out of season 3 NOT feeling a little cynical it would probably be a miracle. 

8. A positive! Finally a positive! I love the relationship between Adam and Rahim. Do I want them to date? Not particularly. I wouldn’t be mad if it happens, but I really just like them as like awkward begrudging friends. Some of my favorite scenes this season were the interactions between the two of them (Once again, the disgusting bus ride notwithstanding) I like Rahim a lot more when he isn’t interrupting my ship (which is a habit of mine. I liked Ola a lot more once she broke up with Otis) 

9. I don’t think Viv was out of character. Some people have been saying that she was, but I don’t think so. She has always been ambitious and even Jackson understand that about her in the show. And even when she was working for Hope and carrying out her rules, she was never an antagonist because she never gave up her personal morals to do it. For example, when Hope had them divided into boy and girl lines, Jackson asked her where Cal should go. She told him that boys went to the left and girls went to the right but as soon as Cal was like “Im not a boy or a girl,” Viv was immediately like, “ Oh! Right! Let me ask Hope.” She approached the situation in a way that made it clear that she recognized this issue as a legitimate problem and when she went to Hope it wasn’t framed like “This person is being an issue refusing to choose,” but instead like “We didn’t account for this possibility, that was our bad. How should we fix it?” Later on, on the class trip, Viv even lied to Hope and told her everything was fine because she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Viv took the opportunities presented to her, but I never interpreted it as her being an antagonist in any way. 

10. I love that Viv and Jackson remained friends, and I love that Viv has her sexy long-distance boyfriend who sexts about wheat XD Her sexting was one of my favorite scenes- well written, laugh out loud hilarious. No complaints. Sexy boyfriend was indeed very sexy and honestly, Viv absolutely deserves him. 

11. Mr. Groff better apologize to Adam next season, or at the very least have any kind of fucking conversation with his son at all or else why the fuck did I watch SO MANY scenes developing him as a sympathetic character? They could have spent that time developing ANYONE, but instead we were focused on him so like...I’m going to need some kind of payoff. Make it relevant

12. I want more bonding scenes between Adam and Maureen. I love Maureen- I love her friendship with Jean and I love how she always chooses her son over  her estranged husband (as she should) I especially love her very loving and supportive relationship with Adam, even though Adam is terrible at communication. It’s a self indulgent wish, I’d just like to see more. 

13. Isaac. I made many posts after the season 2 release, about how much I despised Isaac. Unlike Ola, I find that I didn’t have a complete change of heart but I don’t hate him AS MUCH as I did before. I still don’t like him though and while you might think “Yeah but you hate anyone who stands in the way of Otis and Maeve” no. This is historically accurate and yet, this season? Not true. For example, I don’t hate Ruby. Do I think her inclusion in the story was handled poorly in a way that made the entire plot point unnecessary? Yes I do. I also feel that way about Isaac, but less so because I feel like the relationship between him and Maeve deepening was better foreshadowed and was kind of the natural conclusion given the events of the previous season. As a character though, I still don’t really like him, and after 2 seasons of him I don’t think it has anything to do with him interfering with Maeve’s relationship with Otis- I just legitimately don’t like him. And I don’t like him with Maeve. I think the biggest irritant this season was the way that, after confessing about deleting the message he was like “yeah I fucked up but only because I like you so much, just forgive me” And then at one point I believe I remember Maeve apologizing to him for her reaction to everything. But then when he found out that she kissed Otis (admittedly a shitty thing to do) he got so mad and like, held a fucking grudge about it. And I get it, he has a right to be mad, but also boy you were the one groveling like 2 episodes ago get over yourself. They both fucked up in different ways but he acts like he has the moral high ground all the time and it gets really annoying. I don’t know, maybe I’m letting my general dislike of the character color my perception of events, but this show has managed to change my opinion on characters before but it still hasn’t made me like him so I think it’s just not going to. 

14. What the hell were they trying to do with Hope? Like legitimately, what? Because I can’t quite figure it out. And that’s mostly because I feel like they were trying to make her a nuanced and sympathetic villain, but they broke a cardinal rule- To make a villain sympathetic you must also ensure that nothing they do is inherently irredeemable. For example, principal Groff. He was a grade A dick for the past 2 seasons but I still feel that, now that we have a sympathetic backstory, if handled properly he could still come back from this. He can see the error of his ways and if he works really really hard to make amends to his family he could perhaps have his character turned around. In Hope’s case however, I would argue that they did makes her nuanced, but failed to make her sympathetic because as a character she went too far. If they had stuck to her just being a general tyrant of a headmaster - enforcing strict rules and regulations but doing so out of insurmountable pressure from her own bosses -  and then softened us towards the character by showing us her willingness to help Maeve get a scholarship, her troubled marriage, and her inability to conceive, it could have worked. The trouble is when they brought in her racism and general bigotry. Those weren’t flaws brought on by stress, those were deeply rooted character flaws that the character isn’t going to overcome because by the end of the season the character hasn’t even admitted them to herself. The issues were addressed by others, but not by Hope herself, leaving me to believe that the character herself still views them as a nonissue. I would be very surprised if she even appears in season 4 and moreso if they manage to even half-way redeem her. I’m relatively certain we won’t see her again, which makes me question the effort put into her character development. 

15. I like Jakob as a character, I don’t like him as a love interest for Jean, but I LOVE him as a father figure for Otis. It’s very conflicting because I want him to stay in Otis’s life, but I don’t like him as a romantic interest for Jean. also it’s pretty clear he isn’t Joy’s father so that’s going to be an awkward fucking conversation. If she even tells him. The way the show is going I kind of feel like she won’t, or will at least put it off for as long as possible. 

16. I want more interaction between Otis and Jean. Positive interaction, not just her being intrusive or Otis being a little bitch. I like their mother-son dynamic when they’re getting along so I just generally want more of it. 

17. Adam. Adam has become my favorite character in this show and I just generally want more of him and his relationships with others. I love his relationship with his mother but I want more if him and Emily, and him and Ola and now him and Ruby. I want to see him and Ruby discussing the Kardashians. I want him to train Madam and enter her in more competitions and just ultimately grow his social circle. Get all the love and support for god’s sake this boy needs it. 

Im sure there are plenty of things I’m forgetting and you can ask me about them if you like but for now it’s late and I’m tired. 

#sex education season 3 #sex education season 3 spoilers #sex education #otis milburn #eric effiong #adam groff #jean milburn #maeve wiley #Aimee #I don't know Aimee's last name #My bad

[fanficmaniatic]

The "Anti-Chat" Theory.

(Which is also why Chat Blanc 2.0 wont work and why Ladybug needs to be akumatized).

This is a turducken on my thoughts for S4 and the future of the show so just roll with it.

So, Season 4 has been wild so far, and if clues given by the writers and people involved in show are any indication, this is only the beginning, we are in for a bumpy ride and things are just going to keep getting worse.

In all the discourse revolving season 4 something that we are all mentioning is how “Chat Blanc” is still a thing and there is no guarantee it won’t happen again. If anything it now seems more likely Chat Noir will get akumatized considering the imminent Ladynoir fallout, and how Adrien is still living with his Father, as his isolation keeps getting worse. And though I am always In for some good Character angst, and I feel like it is necessary for Adrien to know about Chat Blanc, and/or for Chat Blanc to reappear, I don’t think Chat Blanc 2.0 is something Adrien nor the show needs right know.

This theory has many parts, I promise it all ties neatly at the end.

First things first, I may be a little biased, Chat Blanc is an episode I really enjoy. I love Time Travel shenanigans, and I was dying to see Adrien finally find out about his father. The heavy consequences of the episode were obviously erased, but the impact of it all still remains trough Marinette, whom we see in the episode ‘Sentibbubler’ is having nightmares about the whole thing. But still, I love the episode, and I really don’t want an “Stormy Weather 2”… which is an episode I heavily dislike, compared to THE BEST formulaic episode of the Whole show, a.k.a “Stormy Weather” a.k.a My favorite episode. So yeah, this whole first point is just me REALLY not wanting an episode called “Chat Blanc 2.0” But there is more to it, and is the fact that I don’t see how it could work out.

“Chat Blanc 2.0” is unnecessary, and the reason why is that bringing him back wouldn’t actually do anything besides perhaps bringing Ladynoir further apart. Ladybug still CAN’T know Chat noir’s identity, (Let’s be honest and admit that’s prolly s4 finale OR happening during s5) so the show would go out of its way to make his dialogue as plain as possible without mentioning his father being hawkmoth. And yes, I do realize that Chat has been bottling his emotions and it all is likely to come out during THE ladynoir fall out… But people are ignoring the elephant in the room which is that Chat Noir DOES NOT fight Ladybug.

I promise this is relevant.

Chat Noir, unless mind controlled, would never attack Ladybug. The most clear example of this is in “Gamer 2.0” when he straight up says “I could never bring myself to fight you” as he sacrifices himself for her, that added to their classic “Is us against the world, My Lady” every season finale, and Marinette’s “In case something happens to me” In ‘Optygami’, it all could pretty well be a foreshadowing of a Ladynoir fight, where Ladybug is akumatized, and Chat has to willingly fight her. Yes, one could argue that he did fight her during ‘Chat Blanc’, but it could also be read as more of him trying to make her listen.

Where am I going with this? Chat Blanc 2.0 would be unable to bring the nuance the story needs right now. Chat Blanc still wouldn’t fight his father, because I doubt they won’t leave that for season 5. Chat Blanc still doesn’t have a motive to actually fight Ladybug. But the most important part is… What would happen at the end? What would be the change? What conversation are we having? What would be different than what we got in the original Chat Blanc?

To be fair, maybe I am wrong, maybe it can work out, this is just a theory. Maybe all the things I crossed out as impossible will actually happen, but I have been watching the show for 6 years, and If I have learned something about it, is that it is a slow burn, in ALL the aspects.

So yes, I believe Ladybug/Marinette needs to be akumatized, but I also think that Adrien has to learn about Chat Blanc, and that Chat Blanc needs to reappear, having a bigger Role than just a nightmare. So… how does that tie with everything I just said? Easy, the “Anti- Chat” Theory’

So you probably remember “Anti-Bug”, one of the best episodes from season 1, where Chole tries to help Ladybug, she doesn’t listen, and Chloe ends up being akumatized into “Ladybug but evil” … In theory, that is the deal, and is no wonder I am picking Felix Graham De Vanily to fill this role.

From an animation perspective, Felix is the obvious choice, he is identical to Adrien, and if following Anti-bug’s logic in costume desing, that would mean they can reuse Chat Blanc model with no alteration needed.

Now, How would this work? By giving Ladybug a jump scare. She thinks she has to live one of her worst nightmares again, to then find out “Oh… This is not Chat Noir” while still creating enough tension, by looking scared and distraught, that she HAS to tell him that she is scared of him being akumatized WITHOUT actually needing to mention the alternative timeline. This gives Chat noir the chance to lash out, once he realizes this is part of why ladybug is keeping him away, which can lead to Ladybug’s future akumatization.

Why this way? And please hear me out. Chat Noir NEEDS to let his emotions out, and I don’t think lashing out at ladybug is the best way but I see it as necessary. Adrien needs to take on more responsibility while being Chat, but he also needs to learn how to healthy express his emotions, because he is not allowed to do that in his current situation. Ladybug being akumatized because she feels guilty about Chat Noir allows Adrien to do BOTH. Because to save Ladybug he would have to realize “My emotions are valid, and is okey to let them out, but the way I did it was not the right one”, and both Ladybug and Chat Noir would have to apologize because this whole thing is not miscommunication… is a misunderstanding of their partners character. Ladybug needs to relay more on Chat and Chat needs to take on more responsibility… it won’t happen if Ladybug is the one that needs to save Chat Noir.

Adrien needs to realize that he needs to save himself, and that there’s people outside of his father that care for him. Ladybug is this figure that he looks up to and Admires, and is from a side of his life that his father has no control over, (At least from his perspective). So if she forgives him, if they are able to fix their relationship he will realize that things can get better.

Now, going back to Anti-Chat… his deal is way bigger than just bringing The Ladynoir fight… Is about setting up seasons 6 and 7.

What do we know so far? The Love Square and Gabriel’s Hawkmoth is going to come to an end by season 5. Which has left many fans wondering “Then what is happening on seasons 6 and 7?” And the best answer we have so far is in the episode “Timetagger” where Bunnix reveals that there is a whole team of miraculous holders fighting the Hawkmoth of the future, which is by the same episode confirmed to not be Gabriel Agreste. Besides this, I think it is safe to assume that the specials are quietly setting up themes that could come back In seasons 6 and 7.

Now, when speaking about characters that could be future villains the fandom seems to have its collective mind set on two individuals: Lila Rossi, and Felix Graham De Vanily.

Besides ‘Rocketear’, (E17), ‘Wishmaker’ (E18), and the special ’Shadow Moth’s last attack’ (Eps 25&26) we don’t know the names of the episodes of the second half of the season, which is really uncommon for miraculous ladybug, and the reason they gave us as to why is “You would know who is akumatized based on the names”… Which AGAIN, is really uncommon for ML. If you have been in this fandom for a long time you’ll realize that most people working in the show don’t really seem to care about spoilers. Now, this is kinda a conspiracy theory, but If you saw that there was an episode called “Anti-Chat” would you have assume it was any one other than Felix?…. No, right? That’s what I though. Miraculous has proven that it is good at subverting expectations, so when they are pointing at something (like a Chat Blanc 2.0 episode) it may not be as we want or suspected it to be. So I think an Anti-Chat episode makes a lot of sense.

Now, Why am I saying that this can set up future season? Buckle up, pals, here we go. What do we know about Felix?

He is evil, or at the very least seems to be ill-intentioned, if his attitude and look at the end of his episode is anything to go by.

He is after jewelry. Which, yeah, was only shown in that one episode he appeared, but this could pretty much be a foreshadowing of him later on going after the miraculous.

We know that he is bound to appear 3 more times

For this theory to work, I need it to happen in episode 22… Yes, the feared 100th episode of the show. It is not as important why Felix is akumatized, but what is happening WHILE he is akumatized.

Besides what has already been discussed, with Ladybug being scared, Ladynoir should not be able to work together. They are tumbling on each other because Chat Noir feels like she doesn’t trust him, but Ladybug NEEDS his reassurance right now, which he wont give.

This, is directly parallel with what is happening between Anti-Chat and Shadow Moth. Because Felix, even though he wants the miraculous, he won’t let himself be bossed around. He is demanding things from SM, and like in Robustus, Anti-Chat tries to, not just take Ladybug’s and Chat noir’s Miraculous, he wants to destroy Hawkmoth too. Which will lead to Shadow Moth being the reason he gets de-akumatized, instead Ladybug and Chat Noir saving him... bringing more fuel to the Ladynoir fire.

Now, Why should Felix have an attitude with Shadow Moth? Well, my friends… Do you remember, years ago, when the producers of the show said “The peacock miraculous holder will make Hawkmoth look like a baby”…. That’s not Mayura. Nathalie is a great miraculous holder, and she is really clever. But instead of making Gabriel look like a baby, she makes him look smart because he has someone like her on his team. What I am saying with this is that Felix, will suspect/ figure out Gabriel is Hawkmoth at the en of Anti-Chat, and that he will get the peacock miraculous during “The Last attack of Shadow Moth.” Thus, setting up a villain for future seasons.

This makes Felix 3 appearances be: In episode 22 (Anti-Chat), In episode 26 (SM last attack, part 2), and during S5’s finale. Felix situation will be much like Lila’s during s1 and s2 where she was introduced at the end of the first but not used until the end of the second.

Conclusion:

Felix Graham de Vanily has the potential to be a future villain and bring the Ladynoir conflict to finally surface.

And to clarify, The Ladynoir conflict, just like this Felix theory, is not something that will, nor can get resolved in one episode. If anything the fight will be around the end of season 4, and it will get resolved during season 5.

But again, this is just a theory, and I will probably be death wrong, but who knows?

#Watch E22 be called Anti-chat #Anti-chat Theory #ml theory #ml meta #miraculous theory #miraculous meta #miraculous season 4 #rocketear #shadow moth #miraculous season 4 finale #shadow moth's last attack #felix graham de vanily #Adrien agreste #Gabriel Agreste #Marinetter dupain cheng #akuma #wishmaker #senti bubbler #Chat Noir #Ladybug #Cat Noir #Anti-Chat #AntiCat #miraculousladybug

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Mega Leech

Like every cartoon ever made, today's episode is the environmental episode. We all know how high-quality those tend to be, right?

Let's get into the twelfth (chronologically the tenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Mega Leech.

We start off with the shyest girl in Marinette's class, Mylene, mentally preparing herself for a protest with her boyfriend, tough guy with a soft side, Ivan.

Wow, real subtle foreshadowing there, writers.

The thing Mylene and Ivan are protesting is something called the “Oxygen Project” by Mayor Andre Bourgeois, which will supposedly create fresh air for Paris. To be fair, this isn't just a random character trait they slapped onto Mylene like what we've seen with other episodes this season to justify their new Akuma forms. Back in the Season 2 episode “Reverser”, a major plotpoint for the final act was that Andre was about to approve a project that would send trash into space, which Mylene and Ivan were protesting at, before the titular Akuma threatened to send the trash back to the Earth. This show can get weird at times.

Even though they're the only two protesters, Andre still has Officer Roger Raincomprix take them into custody. To his credit, Roger does try to resolve things diplomatically, and is very hesitant to take them to his car (even though they aren't handcuffed and there's no divider), he only does so when his job is threatened by Andre. And let's get the obvious joke out of the way now because there's going to be a lot of moments like this.

Marinette sees the event from her house, and after running late to school resulting in a brief moment of Unfunny Marinette Slapstick, tells the class what's going on. Surprisingly, instead of ignoring the whole situation like every other episode she's been in, Ms. Bustier decides to actually be a teacher for once and calls Roger. She says that she'll supervise their protest while the rest of the class comes with her.

Back at the park, Andre is about to chop a tree down with a chainsaw, but is soon called out by Ms Bustier. Mylene calls out Andre for the obviously not eco-friendly project, but he soon plays an ad for the Oxygen Project.

Huh. So this is how Druidia's canned air business took off.

To be fair, this is actually a funny scene, as it does feel like an over the top commercial you'd see, especially the kind that gets promoted by a politician. Of course, this funny joke is soon followed yet another reminder that Marinette likes Adrien, because the writers assume the audience will forget if they aren't bashed over the head with this knowledge every episode.

And as usual, Adrien ignores Marinette's odd behavior around him, but that's more because he's distracted by the ad, because he was told it was for perfume (did the oxygen line not give away the purpose of the commercial?). Quick question: Why is Gabriel taking part in this? Why is a fashion designer being commissioned to create a bottle for a government-sanctioned project? Does he just invest in random projects and hopes they'll go under so he can akumatize someone? As for Mylene, her classmates are naturally confused as to why she is opposed to this project if it's good for the environment. Her response is something that can ironically be used to criticize this very show when talking about the Oxygen Project.

We then get a moment where, of course, Chloe is the one to say she doesn't care about trees despite having no real prominence in this episode. Seriously, this is the only line she gets and it's to remind the audience how much of an irredeemable monster she is.

Oh my God, Astruc, why don't you just say she's a climate change denier while you're at it, seeing how you already view them as criminals? You clearly want to throw every negative character trait and label at her, don't you? If you're so crazy about hating her, why not make Chloe Captain Planet villain levels of evil?

Marintte points out the obvious flaw in Andre's plan to stop pollution by selling air in plastic bottles that can easily pollute the ocean, which gives the Mayor a lot of bad press, and even though she's the one to say this, Mylene still shames her for ignoring her attempts to get people to protest because she was busy. Yes, the show is seriously trying to blame Marinette for not doing enough to help the environment on top of her various other responsibilities like PROTECTING THE CITY OF PARIS ON A DAILY BASIS.

The families of the kids come to support the protest, and Andre tries to call Gabriel for help, but he basically tells him to figure it out himself, supporting my earlier theory in the process. He transforms into Shadowmoth and sends an Akuma and an Amok to Andre. This transforms him into Malediktator again and and gives him a Sentimonster ally, the titular Mega Leech.

Mega Leech is another example of a Sentimonster with a simple design but a really interesting set of powers. As soon as its summoned, Malediktator jumps into his mouth and summons an army of minature clones of himself (making me wonder why they didn't call the Sentimonster “Micromanager”) to jump into the ears of civilians and control them directly like Plankton in that one episode of SpongeBob. It's a pretty terrifying concept and a really clever extension of Malediktator's mind control powers.

Adrien transforms into Cat Noir and tries fighting off the Malediktator clones, but obviously gets overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Marinette soon pretends to be possessed by a Malediktator clone to get Mylene to run away while she transforms, once again summoning her Lucky Charm as soon as she meets up with Cat Noir because the animators really want to show off the new suit. She uses the Lucky Charm, a single ice skate, to break the mayoral sash around one of the Malediktator clones and frees the Akuma and Amok, but Mega Leech is still around, along with the brainwashed civilians. She and Cat Noir realize that the Akumas and Amoks must have multiplied when Malediktator cloned himself. Ladybug tells Cat Noir to distract the Malediktator clones (the latter actually acknowledging how he always has to do that)

Ladybug meets up with Mylene in the sewer where she had escaped to earlier, only to find the girl crying. Ladybug offers Mylene the Mouse Miraculous, but she turns her down because of how scared she is. Unlike when they tried to do the same thing by having Zoe doubt herself in “Queen Banana”, this scene makes sense because Mylene has consistently been shown to be a very timid person. It feels much more believable to see this from her. Granted, it's undermined by Ladybug saying that Mylene is already like a superhero because of her protesting for a good cause. I get she's trying to reassure her, but the whole environmental lesson is kind of muddled by saying Marinette doesn't care about the environment because of how busy she was FIGHTING CRIME. Thankfully, the lesson is more about bravery being able to move onward in spite of fear.

Nevertheless, this still motivates Mylene to take the Mouse Miraculous and transforms into Polymouse.

And boy, is it bad. I'm not trying to body shame Mylene here, I'm glad they didn't try and slim her down either, but I'm really not a fan of the color scheme for the suit. With the use of pink and white, it looks way too similar to Pigella.

I get that they were trying to make Mylene look like a mouse, but I'm just really not a fan of the white gloves and boots. They stick out compared to Pigella, where they actually blended in with the color scheme. Then there's the actual suit itself. Why give the suit a hood if you're going to make it yet another skintight jumpsuit? At least with Carapace, they had more armor to help him resemble a turtle, but there's no excuse here. And finally, the hair. How can you take a girl with a very vibrant hairstyle, make it pink when transforming, cover it up, and then call it a day? There are just so many questionable design choices here. I don't think it's as laughably bad as Shadowmoth's suit, but it's really one of the weakest hero suits to be introduced recently.

I'd give my thoughts on how to improve it, but thankfully one of my anons gave their own ideas for a redesign.

Thank you to whoever sent this in. You certainly get character design better than some of the animators on this show, and that's saying a lot given they're supposedly better than the ones at Pixar.

Ladybug gives Polymouse the ice skate to use as a makeshift flail with her weapon, a jump rope, while she fights the Maledikator clones. Polymouse uses her power, Multitude, which turns her into a swarm of miniature clones to take on the horde of Malediktator clones and free the brainwashed civilians. Ladybug meets up with Cat Noir, but big surprise, Cat Noir gets brainwashed by a Malediktator clone. Sure, Polymouse frees him from the control, but I'm surprised Ladybug isn't more used to this happening by now.

Ladybug then gathers several temp heroes to help them out. She gives Kagami the Dragon Miraculous to become Ryuko, Nino the Turtle to become Carapace, Max the Horse to become Pegasus, and she gives back the Bee Miraculous to the super amazing Zoe so she can once again become the world's greatest superhero, Vesperia. There’s a brief joke where Cat Noir rushes to join the team pose, which could be seen as foreshadowing for future events, and if it is, good job, writers.

Pegasus uses his Voyage to teleport Vesperia above Mega Leech, where she uses her Venom on the Sentimonster, while Ryuko uses her Wind Dragon to gather all the scattered Akumas and Amoks freed by Polymouse for Carapace to trap in his Shelter. Ladybug purifies all the Akumas and Amoks, gives Andre a Magical Charm, tells him to rethink the Oxygen Project, and the heroes leave where Ladybug takes back all their Miraculous.

Back at the park, Andre decides to plant more trees in what's obviously not a desperate attempt to save his reputation. He may say he's doing the right thing, but I doubt investors will be happy that the project's being aborted just like that. We get one more hilarious moment where Marinette stutters around Adrien, who soon goes home and gets sent to his room by his father (because we just needed an Angstdrien Depreste scene this episode for some reason), who fidgets with his ring and stares ominously as the episode ends. And in case you live under a rock, this reignited a certain fan theory I'll be talking about in another post.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty decent episode. The environmentalism subplot was pretty standard for episodes like this, with how the antagonist is a rich asshole who doesn't see how he's harming the environment, and gets his mind changed by a hopeful youth. I'm glad Andre isn't Captain Planet villain levels of evil here, though I am glad the episode acknowledges that there's no single solution to stopping pollution, and that there needs to be more unity if we need to help the planet's situation.

While it had a bumpy first act, things really started to get interesting as soon as the action started. Questionable design aside, I thought Polymouse (who didn't even name herself in the episode) had a good first outing with the use of her powers coupled with the use of the Lucky Charm. The first act with Mylene really showcased her character and her courage in the face of adversity well. Part of me kind of wishes we could have seen her interact with Ivan while she was transformed, but then again, he was still brainwashed I think.

The other heroes honestly felt shoehorned in during the climax. I get that they helped gather all the Akumas and Amoks, but there was really no buildup to them appearing like in other episodes with multiple heroes.

The one major problem I have is how the episode tries to blame Marinette for not being as kind as Mylene because she didn't know about the protest, even though, as I have stated multiple times, SHE ROUTINELY SAVES PARIS EVERY EPISODE. I think that counts as saving the planet.

This episode had some flaws, but it was still pretty enjoyable, and it was one of the better episodes this season so far.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #iota #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug sugar #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #mylene haprele #polymouse #nino lahiffe #carapace #max kante #pegasus #kagami tsurugi #ryuko #ryuuko #zoe lee #vesperia #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #hawk moth #shadowmoth #shadow moth #andre bourgeois #malediktator #chloe bourgeois #queen bee #queen b

[rayless-reblogs]

Let’s talk about HFW’s returning characters

Something I want to make clear before anything else – I really enjoyed HFW, and I really like most of these characters. Despite the criticisms I get into here, please understand that a) I think the game got more right than it got wrong, and b) these are only opinions, not absolutes. I'm not trying to convince you of anything, I'm just sharing thoughts.

Spoilers under the cut.

Aloy:

I think it was a risky move to start Aloy off as so harsh and unyielding with her friends, pushing them away. But to me, it feels like a believable development. In the first game, she's grateful to start making connections, to actually have friends after a literal lifetime of solitude. Now that she's more comfortable with the idea of friends – is, in fact, so comfortable that she might even take it for granted – she wants to protect them. So she pushes them away. She may also fear becoming too emotionally invested in them, having not yet learned to balance the inner world of friendship with the external task of accomplishing her world-saving goals. The thing is, her shift in attitude comes across as jarringly abrupt. We see a hint of it in the Talanah comic when Aloy leaves the victory party without a word, but even that feels a bit too quick and absolute. That aside, I think the game does a decent job of digging into Aloy's fears and frustrations, especially in her relationship with Beta. One problem I have with the first game is that Aloy so often comes across as literally better than everyone else, with no questioning of that (from the game itself) or repercussions for perceived hubris, and this game gives her some flaws to work with.

Amadis:

On this list, Amadis is the character I'm pretty indifferent to. But I was sufficiently invested to be disappointed by his appearance in HFW. For one, he just doesn't look much like he does in the comic; he's much more anonymous here. For another, he never really makes a connection with Aloy, and he didn't connect with me at all. I was interested to see how his story played out, but he didn't endear himself to me and I'll be fine if we never hear from him again.

Avad:

I never expected Avad to be in this game at all. We're heading into the Forbidden West, and he's a king who has to stay on his throne. So the little soupcon we got early on was very welcome. His character model looked a bit off to me (“stodgy” is one word I've heard for it, and I think that's right). But he offered some interesting tidbits, primarily that he plans to abdicate just as soon as his brother's old enough to rule. And he very hopefully hints to Aloy that he might like to join her in her adventuring. Both of these were unnecessary for the writers to throw in (as was one of the game's rare head-heart-fist options in Aloy's answer), so I wonder if this could be foreshadowing – a means of reminding the gamer of Avad's existence on the way to the third game. I've been wondering what it means that HFW shot down so many of Aloy's potential ships. Will the game makers force a canonical love route, and with Avad? That said, as I played the game, as I went through cauldrons and fought rebels and jumped off of cliffs, I repeatedly thought to myself “This is the life Avad wants?!” I really struggle to see Avad coping with Aloy's lifestyle, and Aloy's given no indication she wants to settle down and stay put. Anyway, Avad's unnecessary inclusion strongly leads me to believe he'll be in the third game. I'd like to see him with a large role again, as I think there's still room for his character to grow.

Ted:

Thebes was by far my favorite part of the game. I was so amped up while playing it, eager to know which of all the possible horrible scenarios had happened, what I was going to find. I love the horror elements, I love the data points. I love the uncomfortable, paternalistic way Ted refers to the new humans as “the kids”. And what a payoff. I don't know if this is controversial, but I think keeping Ted's appearance censored was the right choice. However they'd depicted him, someone would've seen it as awkward or laughable or in some way not scary. Leaving it to your imagination is much more effective. It also leaves the question open of how self-aware Ted remained – did he live every day of those thousand years, waiting, thinking, as the minutes passed? Did he know what happened at the end? Or had he completely lost himself? It's whatever you think is scarier. (Or, if you like Ted, whatever's more merciful, but I don't think I've ever seen anyone in this fandom who likes Ted.)

Petra:

There wasn't much of Petra. I could've used more Petra. But I wasn't expecting her to have a huge role, so I wasn't very disappointed. I did think, though, perhaps in HFW's efforts to remove most of Aloy's ships, their interplay was pretty toned down; I've always felt that in the first game Aloy responds the most positively to Petra's flirting, but that all felt pretty muted here.

GAIA:

I like GAIA, but this game didn't do anything to add to her character. She's basically exactly the same as you see in the first game's datapoints. Definitely a missed opportunity.

Nil:

I'm glad to see Nil Lives is canon, as I like my weird topless criminal friend. And I'm happy to see him redirecting his passion towards something less unambiguously lethal. But personally, this arc underwhelmed me. It was fun talking to Nil, I enjoyed his scenes (I even enjoyed the racing minigame, which is not a given), but as a narrative move, it didn't feel particularly – useful. There's not a lot of development for his character, and Aloy (to me) actually seemed less comfortable with him than she did in the original. It felt like Nil was included more for fanservice than to advance his character. After Nil becomes an itinerant cow racer unattached to any greater goal, where do you take his story? I'm not sure what kind of purpose he'd serve in the third game (again, especially because, like Petra, his connection with Aloy feels muted now), so I have some doubts he'll return. But if he does show up again, I'll certainly be glad to see him.

Sylens:

I would've liked to see more of him, but when he did show, I wasn't disappointed. I've never felt like I could trust Sylens, but something I'd always banked on is that he'll do everything in his power to save earth because he wants to live. And then, at the end of the game, he proved me wrong. That was a surprise, but an interesting one, and it made his decision to fight for earth more meaningful, rather than a means of simple self-preservation. Obviously he'll be in the third game. I've always assumed Aloy and Sylens would spend the whole series both uneasily cooperating but also actively opposing each other as events shifted. I hope the third game doesn't turn him into just an ally; he's the best antagonist in the series and I'd hate to see him defanged.

Talanah:

I feel like this is the big one, the most controversial one, and I don't have anything to say that other people haven't. The quest was interesting, but underwhelming. Talanah's focus on Amadis felt way too narrow, and her leaving Aloy behind felt out of character. Looking back, there's definitely this sense of, I'm so glad to see Talanah, I wish she wanted to hang out with me more. Which is a letdown after seeing the comic and the HFW advertising that featured her front and center. You got the sense that Talanah was going to be in this alongside Aloy, not just occasionally running past her, intent on stuff that has nothing to do with the main plot. I don't hate Talanah in HFW, but I remember feeling an inarticulate something about her quest, some kind of lack, and after seeing other people's takes, I have to agree that her role could have been so much more.

Erend:

Oh, Erend. I hadn't realized how deep his inferiority complex ran, and hearing him beat himself up over regrets about Ersa and not feeling like he was being useful to Aloy got to me. Which was some good character... not growth, but examination, definitely giving him something to build on in the next game. So I liked that. What I didn't like is when characters – particularly Aloy – denigrated him just for being who he was. It was bad when Zo did it, because Zo always got to come off as being in the right. But it was worse when Aloy agreed with it. I really wish Aloy could have been as supportive of Erend as he was of her. Do I think Erend's being foreshadowed to be the canon love interest? I think it's too early to say. True, he wasn't sidelined, muted, or otherwise distracted, as her other original shipmates were. And, true, the game makers didn't have to make them embrace each other at the end of the game, but they chose to. On the other hand, the embrace could very easily be read as platonic. And since one of the game's central themes is the Power of Friendship, it makes sense for Erend, literally one of Aloy's very first friends, to stand in and represent that in that shot. Anyway, he's clearly going to be in the next game, and I hope he gets the chance to prove himself – to himself.

Vanasha and Uthid:

Wasn't expecting to see them, so this little tidbit was welcome. Not much to say except that I'm glad they're doing well, would like to see them again.

Varl:

Oof. The game positioned Varl as the “heart” of the team, the emotional center who grounded and protected the other members. I'm not mad they killed him. (Actually, I think it was a good twist, as I felt like the game had been leading me to expect Beta to die, taking my attention off of him.) But I wish there'd been a quest or two with him first. I wanted to know him better. He's very likable in this game, but arguably too likable – there's not much dimension to him this time around. His relationship with Zo did draw his character out some, but Aloy wasn't there to see much of it.

In all, I really like the game, I really like these characters (most of them, not Ted). For the most part, I was happy to spend time with them and they all added to the experience. But I think the writing could go deeper, so I hope most of them return in the final game and show us that depth.

#horizon zero dawn #horizon forbidden west #aloy #talanah khane padish #erend vanguardsman #varl #sylens #amadis #avad #ted faro #petra forgewoman #gaia #nil #vanasha #uthid #horizon forbidden west spoilers #meta #speculation

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Conjecture About the Strangeness of Coda and Project Votus

Okay, I talked in my TWB post yesterday about that I wanted to talk more about the fact that Project Votus was founded 8 years ago. I think that’s SUPER significant. My fellow theorists and I were conjecturing about it a few days ago, and it’s probably easiest if I just give you our convo rather than trying to restate everything.

Disclaimer: let me start by saying that this is just us conjecturing. We don’t have tons of evidence for most of this. We’re more using what we DO know as a jumping off point and letting our head canons take over. (Which is fun. ;D) And I will say that we’ve done this before, and been right. But there’s also a good chance most of this will be wrong or at least somewhat wrong, so please just keep that in mind.

First, I want to throw something ELSE out that we talked about like 2 weeks ago (I didn’t want to go back and find it; our Messenger threads tend to be miles long and that’s really NOT an exaggeration 😄 ).

So, at the very beginning of Still, before Beth and Daryl come running out of the brush next to the ruined car, we see first a a half-hidden full moon, and then a figure crossing the road in the distance. It’s very quick and small, so it’s easy to miss. Most people would probably assume this is a walker, and it’s really too indistinct to see details, but many of us don’t think it can possibly be a walker. 

It moves too quickly across the road, almost as if it’s running away from something. And remember that the walker herde is right behind Beth and Daryl. That’s why they’re running. So, it’s almost like someone else is running away from the herd as well.

Now, I’ve been aware of this for a long time, but have never been able to come up with anything to explain it. Since it’s never addressed anywhere in the episode, or S4, or any other season since, I guess I’ve kind of assumed it’s thematic. Or a foreshadow of something. The question is, what?

If it IS a person, it almost seems like a foreshadow of the Whisperers or something. Someone moving with walkers. Except that storyline didn’t happen for 5 more seasons, and Beth wasn’t even a part of it, so that seems doubtful.

As I’m writing this, I almost wonder if something about crossing the road is thematic. With the fully moon above, maybe it represents crossing into the realm of the dead or something. I don’t know.

@galadrieljones​ brought this up recently and asked if any of had any theories about it. Overall, the answer was no. We’ve never really been able to make heads or tails of it.

But recently, I’ve gotten a kind of confirmation (for myself at least) that what happens later at the funeral home was a total set up. So I wondered if maybe this strange figure is evidence that Beth and Daryl were being watched for a long time.

@galadrieljones said she didn’t think the Grady cops were particularly capable of such a diabolical, detailed reconnaissance operation, and I agree with her. Just doesn’t seem to be their thing. And they seem too bumbling and narcissistic to have the patience for something like that. I mean, they’re hardly ex-navy seals, you know?

But we also know now that the CRM watches various communities and has been doing so for a long time, so I think it’s possible that when the prison fell, they might have been watching various groups, but overall not deciding to approach them.

If that’s the case, perhaps they simply tipped off the Grady cops, so they really didn’t get involved until they actually picked up Beth. (Of course, that assumes Grady and the CRM were already heavily involved and working together at that point, and we certainly don’t know that for sure. Maybe they were. Or maybe the connection didn’t come until sometime after Beth was shot; we simply don’t know.)

But here’s my other issue with this. Because of the way the writers presented things, it definitely doesn’t seem like the Grady cops could have been involved before they picked Beth up. I think that’s why most of the GA just accepts the events of Alone at face value. The most likely explanation seems to be that they just happened to be driving around, saw Beth, and grabbed her.

For me, that just doesn’t seem logical. I take the opposite view. What are the chances the dog happens to bark, the walkers happen to be on the porch, Beth happens to go out the window, and there just so happens to be someone with a car there to pick her up?

Yeah, not buying it. Gimple is WAY too careful a planner to have that many dominos not connect in some way.

Plus, if you remember, it was said on TTD after Slabtown that one of the patients at Grady (I want to say it was the first one who Edwards took off the machines when she first woke up) was meant to be the owner of the funeral home. And if they’d already picked him up and taken him to Grady, why would they go back? At the very least, it suggests they were watching the place.

So, you can see that there’s SOME sort of connection here, and we just don’t have enough of the details or variables to determine for sure what it is.

So, with all that in mind, here are some of our thoughts about Project Votus being founded 8 years ago:

@twdmusicboxmystery:

So… I’m gonna throw something else out from episode 7 that I’m super excited about. I’ve been wanting to discuss it with you gals. Not sure if you picked up on it, @Galadriel, but it’s just said in passing by Jadis while talking casually with Huck, but once you think through the implications, it’s kinda huge.

The research project Lila is doing, studying the walkers, is named Project Votus. That’s what all the Vs on the papers stand for. Jadis says that Lt. Col. Kublek (that’s Huck’s mom) and Maj. Gen. Beale (who is apparently the Lt. Col.’s superior) founded Project Votus 8 years ago.

Umm….? Think about that. That’s almost exactly how long it’s been since Coda. Well, probably a little longer than that, now. That means this research project was founded right around the time Beth was shot, or maybe within a few months after.

What are the chances that’s a coincidence?

Well, since it’s Gimple, the answer is zero. But think about that. Beth had a big 8 next to her in 5x09. And Andrew Lincoln’s charming British voice talked about attacks on the Republic. HOW CAN PEOPLE NOT SEE THAT SHE’S GOING TO BE PART OF THIS STORYLINE!!! Sorry. Gonna blame that outburst on Daylight Savings. I’m better now.

My point is, I think Beth and Grady had something to do with the founding of this project. The most obvious thing would be that the research started at Grady with Edwards, and when the CRM realized the scope of what they were doing, they absorbed Grady and took over the project. Which means Edwards may well be dead. I think we’ll see him again either way, but it may just be in flashback. UNLESS he escaped with Beth.

That’s another thing I’ve been thinking about on and off the past few weeks. There’s a lot of symbolism I haven’t been able to reconcile yet. Because of symbolism around Daryl, you all know I firmly believe Daryl and Beth will reunite and then together will go find Rick. That much has become very clear to me. Especially recently with the Emile/Josiah/Rufus story in Fear. I guess that’s what made me think about this recently.

But the problem is that I’ve noticed other symbolism, especially around Aaron, that I’ve thought pointed to Beth and Rick being in the same place (the CRM). And obviously that doesn’t jive with what I said about Beth and Daryl reuniting first. And of course, it’s just because we haven’t totally figured out how to interpret all the symbolism. I’m sure it will make perfect sense when it plays out.

But what I’ve been toying with is that maybe Beth was ONCE a prisoner of the CRM, back in the beginning. Maybe she was once one of their test subjects (especially if we’re right that she was bitten, like Rick, then she would have been valuable to them) but she escaped. We always assumed the running flash from S5-9 was her escaping from Grady, but what if it was her escaping from the CRM at large?

In a way, that would make sense for why they took away the flash, because that would have happened a long time ago. Maybe she hasn’t been with the CRM for a long time, and she really is Legs running around in The Red Machete. So, that would make sense for WHY she’d be able to help Daryl find Rick, because she knows a lot about the CRM and how they operate because she escaped from them once upon a time. Yes, this is totally my head canons taking over and me trying to force the symbolism to fit, but still. I think it’s possible.

@galadrieljones:

Omg I’m so glad you brought up the 8 years. I had the same thought. Also, I’m on my phone so I don’t have a screenshot, but Lyla injected the TS with a heparin compound. I think it said “Lythium Heparin.” I immediately went back to all @twdmusicboxmystery’s old posts about the cure. (X) Beth was on a heparin IV in Slabtown and it’s yet unexplained and I don’t know how that, plus the revelation with the timeline, can be a coincidence.

I really like your theory that Beth escaped the CRM. Idk why but I feel she’s out there. Ofc it’s just a hunch, but wouldn’t that be something??

@wdway:

I love your speculation. Something that has always bothered me about Grady/Dawn believing that Beth was valuable is that if that was true, why would they ever allow her to leave. As far as we know, she did leave by Daryl carrying her out. Unless she was taken back to Grady and when they were treating her for her gunshot wound was when they discovered her value.

If she was part of the CRM maybe she could have been taken to the Commonwealth, better hospital, better doctors and escaped or kept there. That would be a reason why she would still be there and involved in taking down that community, working her way to larger more important CRM sites. I don't know, just throwing things out. I just believe there are too many ties between Beth and Eugene and hints of a Rebellion within the CW not to have something to do with Beth.

@frangipanilove:

That!! Is very spectacular! The heparin IV is one of the major red flags from Slabtown!!!

@galadrieljones:

Your thoughts are all so intriguing. I have hesitated to theorize too much on what may have happened to Beth post-Coda. There are already so many good theories. But I am coming around to the idea that she was brought back to Grady by someone where she recovered. Then either she left, or Grady was “neutralized” and she and perhaps a few others managed to escape. Pure speculation. But I was very...excited by the timeline and heparin references in WB...

I think it’s as good a speculation as well that she could have ended up at the Commonwealth. Or maybe she was there at some point in time? The Reapers ended up in Virginia. They may have some connection to Grady. She could have taken the same path they did. Anything could have happened??

I remember reading the cure theories so long ago. At the time when I was originally getting into TD, I was very confused about why Beth would have a heparin drip, so I was so thankful to find these posts, even though they were older. And there's some other older post that I remember, too, about there being a machine in the room with Joan, for treating deep vein thrombosis? A blood clotting disorder. And some of the ambiguities surrounding the conversation in the room with Joan, and also with Trevitt. I was excited to see this theory, which you all and others had initiated so long ago find relevance after all these years. The instinct to question that was correct. Slabtown is too weird, man.

@twdmusicboxmystery:

Yeah, you’re def not crazy. It was a deep vein thrombosis machine. (X) And there’s absolutely no medically sound reason to use that or blood thinners on someone with a head injury. You could kill them. But it’s not like edwards wouldn’t know that. It was always evidence to me that someone was going on at Grady, specifically with Beth, that they were being sneaky about.

Okay, totally random speculation here. Again. When you talked about them maybe not wanting to let her go because she’s valuable….. Per Nicotero’s weird comments, and a few other things, we believe a walker horde interrupted Beth’s burial in a white church, right? I’m sure the walkers probably knocked the church on its butt, because FG’s church was a foreshadow of that.

But the thing is, we already know the CRM knows how to manipulate walker hordes and has no problem making use of them. I talked about this concerning Alone recently because the walkers being on the porch just never struck me as remotely a natural thing, and I’m sure now it was orchestrated by…someone.

So maybe someone intentionally sent the horde that caused TF to leave Beth behind, specifically because she was valuable, and they wanted to recover her? I know that doesn’t entirely jive with what I said earlier, but even if Morgan or someone found her, what are the chances they take her back to the exact same place? Unless it’s intentional and they’re from there or something, you know? Again, could be totally wrong. But I wouldn’t put any amount of diabolical-ness (totally a word 😉 ) past the CRM at this point.

@wdway:

Random thought, but Beth's hospital door was the only one we were shown with a pink slip of paper in some type of paper holder on her door. Other had black slips.

@galadrieljones:

If she had been "experimented" on in the early days of Project Votus or whatever, then definitely they would want to recover her, even if she was dead. In this entirely speculative (but admittedly fun to mull over) case, maybe it's possible that Dawn was the one who, ironically, didn't understand the "stakes," if she was willing to let Beth leave.

There's also the weird thing where we don't know whether Dawn is the one who actually shot Beth, or what the heck was happening in Coda. Imagine somebody with military trained sights shooting her in the only spot in the head they thought she could conceivably survive. This would ensure her family would think she was dead. Engineer the horde, then take her back. If she had some sort of cure or evidence in her blood, I imagine they'd do much worse.

Granted, Idk why they'd go through all this trouble and not just kill everyone? Unless it's because they knew Beth would only cooperate in the future if she knew her people were safe. Anyway, this is Gala fanfiction hour lol. But throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks has worked before lol.

Okay, that’s about it for our convo, but this was very intriguing to me. We’ve known about the walker hord that forces TF to leave behind for a long time. Years. Since Coda aired, really, or just after. But it never occurred to me that if might have all been purposeful. Of course, we didn’t know anything at all about the CRM back then. It would be super interesting to me if, as @galadrieljones said above, Beth wasn’t shot by accident as so many of us have always thought, but on purpose, because they didn’t want her to leave.

And most of this is coming from what we learned in this past episode of TWB. The CRM literally killed a bunch of people, sent a walker herd through, and used the dead as test subjects. This is something they do. So, who knows? Maybe they sent the horde hoping to kill all of TF and take them as test subjects, but Rick and Daryl are just too skilled at surviving, and surprised the CRM by getting most of their group out of harm’s way. Meanwhile, they had to leave Beth behind, so Grady or the CRM or whoever took her, and when TF went back, she was gone. They thought she’d turned into a walker and gotten out of the car somehow, so they searched for her, but couldn’t find her. Eventually they had to move on, which was why Daryl was kinda pissed at Rick in 5b, and why he looked into the face of the blond walker tied to the tree in 5x15.

But see, they were looking in the wrong place. She wasn’t there anymore at all. She’d been picked up and taken somewhere else entirely. *sigh*

The other thing that strikes me about this is that having the whole thing be purposely orchestrated actually makes for a much stronger story. Forgive me while I geek out on story craft for just a minute.

There’s a concept in story-writing called Deus Ex Machina, which means a scenario where at the end, something just miraculously saves the day. It comes from Greek mythology where sometimes at the end, Zeus or some other god would just show up to put everything right. It’s considered to be a very weak and trite form of story telling. Basically, the hero needs to save their own damn selves. If something miraculously shows up to save the day, without any previous story set up for why they might be there, it’s considered cheesy and “too convenient.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. Because of the world of TWD, they can use hordes of walkers anytime they want to create drama, kill of characters, or just get everyone’s adrenaline pumping by watching TF run for their lives, and it works just fine because they live in a world where this is an everyday occurrence. No extra explanation needed.

I’m just saying it’s a much stronger story if the walker horde that led to Beth being left behind was purposely put there, rather than being random. That’s all. Geek moment over.

Okay, I realize we didn’t actually mention Project Votus THAT much above, but hopefully it’s clear that we’re thinking the strangeness of Beth’s arc in S4 and S5 probably ties into Project Votus somehow. We just don’t know exactly how, yet.

Also, for the record, I agree with @wdway​ about the Commonwealth. I’m not at all abandoning that as an avenue through which Beth will appear. Maybe once she escaped the CRM she ended up with the Commonwealth, or something. I think we’re much more likely to first see her there, but then learn about her history with the CRM. 

Let me leave you, one more time, with the disclaimer that this is mostly just speculation and head canon. I do think most of our observations here are correct, and must lead somewhere, but there’s just no way to know if our conclusions are at all right. But it’s definitely fun to speculate about.

What do you think of our ideas?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

[sylvain-ia]

What are your thoughts on the members of the Storm Hawks team?

My thoughts in general? The Hawks team is impressively balanced - each character has a personality trait that compliments and/or mirrors another member of the team. They just feel so familiar and effortless.

Character specifics? Here we go—

Aerrow: fiery redhead. At first, I thought he suffers a little bit as a character for having very few flaws to relate to — but it was really good to see his over competitive nature come through more as the series went on. I also love the parallel between him and Dark Ace. Having said that, he’s the most considerate and attentive to the team - he has to make sure they’re all ok and safe which is incredibly endearing; especially the bond between him and Radarr.

Finn: shooort goof with the level of confidence I can only dream of having. Usually, this kind of character doesn’t interest me because the ‘dude bro’ trope often has no character depth and was really common back in 2000’s. However, the writers made Finn really dynamic and genuinely fun to watch — I really didn’t expect to like him so much but I’m glad I was wrong. On a few occasions he falls into the the stereotype but for the majority of the show he actually grows as a character and bring out the fun in the other Hawks.

Junko: big softie. Rhino species are always cool imo. I wonder about the deeper meaning behind him being ‘weaker’ than regular Wallops; there seemed to be some foreshadowing significance to this. Also, I’m really curious about his living relatives — the Hawks are all referred to as orphans, yet he has cousins, nephews etc … do they check in on him or..? He deserves better.

Piper: fierce crystal mage who takes zero shit is everything I want to be. Piper doesn’t even care what anyone else thinks about her passions — she just pours herself into her fascination and interests. Plus she has the most relatable team working experiences of over preparation and planning just for everyone to completely ignore it. Despite this, she is integral and they know they need her too. Piper is awesome and ahead of her time.

Radar: little helpful lemur, rabbit, baby that absolutely has saved the Hawks from certain DOOM on multiple occasions but still needs protecting at all costs.

Stork: green string bean emo panic boi. Uncomfortably relatable comfort character. Strange and delightful , unaware of how intimidating they can be. Genuinely, at one point back when the show aired, thought he’d be the villain eventually but after the first few episodes I got the vibe that his dark moments are reserved for the people who try hurt the Hawks; he would do anything for them. But he can fight, yet the fear is dominant and his flight response takes over (or this is the best merbian tactic to isolating the enemy and I have been duped). Saaaad to know he was alone for so long on the Condor (I have a few head cannons about that too). Have also begun to noticed he’s deceptively tall, like taller than most characters at full posture. And his overall design is fascinating to unpack (I could do a full post on that alone YuY). Fully theorised maybe the reason Stork is significantly older than the others is because the creators didn’t want parents complaining that a bunch of 14yo’s were flying an old (broken) airship. He’s basically the only one legally allowed to fly the ship - and this utterly cracks me up to think about.

Fun fact: I only found out the Hawks were teenagers a few months ago. When I was a kid, I never researched into shows I watched, so I fully assumed Hawks were a bunch of adults. They just looked like adults compared to other ‘kids’ in the show and they were waaay too independent and capable; they live on an airship, fly their own skimmers, engineer machines and fight people. The coolest thing I did at 14 was ride my scooter into a pond.

I could keep going all day but I’ll stop gushing for now. These are just my silly thoughts and ideas :3

#storm hawks #long text #opinions