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#edit: overall i think that like.. i get the spirit but i feel like for many taiwanese the identity of tw has been everyone united agaisnt
zhuhongs · 4 months
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just found out the lead singer of taiwans biggest death metal band is also an active parliament member since like 2015.... and is still active as a death metal singer. he's a pretty standard taiwanese center left anti communist from what i could gather. which like as a leftist i dont really agree with but i also dont know enough abt taiwanese politics to like make a full judgement. though he seems to be a standard liberal nothing remarkable, radical, or new, not overtly horrible but just bland. but that was something i definitely did Not expect. apparently he's very pro indigenous rights and self determination for indigenous people but being in a centre left mega party like the DPP does not seem like the best way to achieve that. But yea, just thought I'd share
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#chthinic collabed heavily with collage last year and ik natsuki (lead singer of collage) is very pro indigenous rights and posts abt it a#lot of instagram and i really appreciate the amount of political stuff on her platform. its all very progressive tho v much limited to tw#so idk. i kind of got the cibe of some groups that see taiwanese indigenous issues as seperate to the larger issue of colonialism and#indigenous rights all over the world to conflicts such as palestine. where some other groups have a lot more of the collective consciousnes#and idk. my view is limited and i didnt see that much but when i go back i def wanna look for more political groups in tw and learn about#the political landscape there for leftism. theres a lot of potential in tw imo#chthonic* natsuko**#edit: overall i think that like.. i get the spirit but i feel like for many taiwanese the identity of tw has been everyone united agaisnt#china which i can understand from the perspective of the indigenous ppl that had their land colonized by the japanese then had to share with#the fleeing kmt settlers. but like i dont think that its the best approach to say only china bad rather than big governments threatening to#take your land by force is bad. because idk my take on china and tw is that regardless of the historical claim or wtv. taiwans indigenous#people have been there long before the han ever stepped foot. and china isnt all good as seen in its treatment of the uyghers and tibetans#but is overall not nearly as bad as the west paints it to be. china is neither fully a communist paradise. and has many capitalist undertone#s influence the government ever since deng xiaoping came to power. personally i never fully agreed with mao. i think mao was a necessary#figure in the beginning and let power go to his head and i believe zhou enlai always shouldve been the founder of the PRC#fuck the kmt.. never liked the kmt and it seems as they are also slowly losing favor in tw also. and like... hmm#i need to do more reading tho. none of this is like 100% set in stone how i feel bc theres a lot i dont know
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rainerioun · 1 month
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𝖸𝖮𝖴𝖱 𝖥𝖴𝖳𝖴𝖱𝖤 𝖲𝖯𝖮𝖴𝖲𝖤'𝖲 𝖥𝖠𝖵𝖮𝖱𝖨𝖳𝖤𝖲 𝖵𝖲. 𝖸𝖮𝖴𝖱𝖲 | 𝗉𝗂𝖼𝗄 𝖺 𝖼𝖺𝗋𝖽.
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— This will explore what your future spouse will love 'most' about you, and vice versa. If you feel more aligned with the first half, simply swap the perspectives. Sometimes, you might resonate more with your future spouse's vibe. Thank you!
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HOW TO CHOOSE A PILE : The outcome may vary based on whether you receive clear messages visually or intuitively. If you resonate more with selecting a pile visually, trust that inclination. Personally, I believe the notion that 'looks can deceive,' so I prefer to take a deep breath and close my eyes, allowing the pile I'm meant to connect with to come to me. You might see the color of the pile, sense or hear a number, or simply feel its overall vibe.
Please don’t redistribute or edit my content.
MUST READ + MASTERLIST
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PILE ONE
What Will They Like Most About You Physically? Figure, Height, Fingers, Hands.
When pulling out traits, I found several signs indicating a plump or chubby appearance. If you relate to this, rest assured they adore it, especially how it complements your height. I envision someone squeezing a teddy bear - in this case, you. They find you incredibly cute. Your hands and fingers, perhaps used frequently in your work or hobbies, captivate them. They'll marvel at the way your fingers glide over a page or mold something, appreciating your movements. It feels very poetic, in a way.
What Will They Like Most About You Mentally? Free Spirit, Sensitive, Homebody, Unstoppable.
Aw, your future spouse will surely have a nurturing side. They'll tend to coddle you, in a healthy way, of course. They admire how you pursue your desires with a free-spirited approach despite your introverted and sensitive nature. They'll likely encourage you to take breaks and relax, treating you like royalty. There's a distinct vibe of 'I hate everyone but you' coming through.
What Will They Like Most About You? Teacher — Light : Ability to Communicate Knowledge, Experience, Skill or Wisdom. Healer — Light : Passion to Serve Others by Repairing the Body, Mind, and Spirit. Ability to Help Transform Pain into Healing. Guide — Light : Represents the Nature of the Divine in Life and in Yourself.
They'll be quick to notice your depth of knowledge, not just on a conventional level but also on a spiritual one. Your future spouse will appreciate your natural ability to teach, guide, and heal others even when it's not your intention. Your wisdom may extend to philosophical terms, offering advice on profound matters that aren't easily grasped by others.
What Will They Like Most About You? Crow : Spiritually Strong, Creative, Watchful, Psychic, Strong, Clear. Butterfly : Undergoing Great Change and Transformation. Cheerful, Graceful.
Your future spouse will lean towards practicality more than you do and might not gravitate toward certain metaphysical ideas and theories as easily as you. They'll be amazed by your ability to understand such concepts. While they are intelligent, they tend to favor strict rules, whereas you thrive on constant change and learning experiences.
I'd like to add that I sense this person is deliberately holding back, choosing not to reveal much. They want it to be a surprise just how much they love you. Don't worry, they genuinely adore everything about you, even though they may have favorites.
What Will You Like Most About Them Physically? Hair, Rugged, Nose, Tired-Looking, Eyelashes, Face Shape.
When I was pulling traits, I couldn't help but think of Shōta Aizawa from My Hero Academia in terms of appearance, haha. Of course, this could be a woman or nonbinary individual, but they definitely give off a similar vibe physically. They might appear a bit rough or scruffy, and you'll find that attractive. I'm not getting any specifics on hair color, but I envision thick, longer hair that might look a bit disheveled. They possess that tired charm, which softens their face in a way. I see them having a hooked nose of some kind.
What Will You Like Most About Them Mentally? Spiritual, Reliable, Oblivious, Compassionate, Sassy, Intelligent, Mysterious.
Once again, your future spouse is intelligent but may lack in certain areas that you find amusing. They possess two distinct sides, perhaps being book-smart but lacking in common sense. However, I believe you'll help balance them out, whatever the situation may be. They'll initially have a mysterious, stoic persona, but you'll have the ability to break through it and discover their true sweetness. You will enjoy receiving attention from them, considering their reserved nature. While your humor aligns in some ways, this person is likely more inclined towards being sassy and witty rather than being a 'jokester'. At first, they won't be heavily into spirituality, or whatever you practice, but they'll become intrigued by your experiences and eventually find themselves following in your footsteps.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Storyteller — Light : Ability to Experience and Express Life through Stories and Symbols. Prince — Light : Romantic Charm and Potential for Power. Poet — Light : Expresses Soul Insights in Symbolic Language. Hermit — Light : Seeks Solitude to Focus Intently on Inner Life. Serves Personal Creativity.
Your future spouse is someone who expresses and feels love in an incredibly artistic manner. They have a secret, hopeless romantic inside. It's not just modern love; it's almost like you both worship each other, which I find incredibly beautiful. Seeing you in such a light will lead them to see you in other things, like art pieces or written words. They love you wholeheartedly. Adding on, creatively, you'll complement each other well. One side may lean towards being artistic and dreamy, while the other is innovative and a bit nerdy. You are both bound to swoon over each other.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Eagle : All-Pervading Power, Truth Seeker, Transforms Karma, Bright, Radiant, Challenger. Tiger : Lunar Force, Ease in Darkness, Passionate, Strong, Sensual.
With the eagle card, I'm not picking up on what you'll like about them, but rather another message about how you'll spark intense curiosity in them. You will inspire them to enlighten themselves and become an even better version of themselves with your teachings and guidance. Now, for the next card, this is something you'll definitely appreciate about them. I don't sense that this person will be shy when it comes to intimacy, in any form, and they won't hold back in showing how they love you.
Extra : Journaling, Eye Contact, Flowers, Parallel Play, Running Fingers Through Hair, Late Mornings, Poetry, Leaving Notes.
Best Mistake : Ariana Grande. | Movement : Hozier.
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PILE TWO
What Will They Like Most About You Physically? Eyes, Hair, Piercings, Harmonious Features.
Your future spouse believes that your hair and features complement each other perfectly, creating harmony. Your hair may frame your face. They'll enjoy gazing into your eyes, possibly because of the connection they feel or simply because they find them captivating, whether it's the shape, color, or both. If you have an alternative style, such as piercings, tattoos, or darker attire, they find it very alluring.
What Will They Like Most About You Mentally? Wit, Sneaky, Bookworm, Deep-Thinker, Reserved, Needy.
This person views you as a fox, sly, clever, and witty, and they're drawn to that energy. They appreciate your complexity and the fact that you're not always straightforward; it keeps things interesting. They enjoy being challenged intellectually. However, they also appreciate the softer side of you when you're relaxed and in need, and they'll gladly cater to you. I imagine them watching you as you indulge in your hobbies, eager to hear you gush about your interests.
What Will They Like Most About You? Advocate — Light : Inspires You to Put Compassion into Action. Poet — Light : Expresses Soul Insights in Symbolic Language. Child : Nature — Light : Friendships with Animals. Communication with Nature Spirits.
Whatever way you choose to create and express yourself, whether, through art, music, or even activities like photography, they'll find it intriguing. They admire both your process and the results you achieve. This person will always be your supporter. You might work with animals, and they appreciate your gentleness and kindness towards them, or perhaps animals hold significance in your connection.
What Will They Like Most About You? Nightingale : Fearless Voice, Speech, Communication, or Song. Sings and Speaks Freely with Kindness. Moth : Impulsive, Hasty, Wishful, Enthusiastic, Whimsical.
When I pulled the cards, I initially wrote down the wrong definition for the nightingale. I've corrected it, but I thought the previous message might still resonate. If you're someone naturally very curious and actively trying to learn, they'll follow right behind you. They're loyal, just like you, and will start doing things you do because they're inspired by your enthusiasm and positivity. If you were drawn to pile one, I'd recommend giving it a read as well. You may find something there because these piles are quite similar.
An additional message is that you and your future spouse will connect through music, whether it's listening together or separately. So, you could be receiving signs now through songs.
What Will You Like Most About Them Physically? Texture of Hair, Tone of Skin, Height, Prominent Nose, Dyed Hair.
I sense your future spouse might have an alternative style as well, but it's not a must. If you're into dyed hair, they'll likely have it They could change colors with the seasons to suit their skin tone, or the color they have fits them year-round. You will enjoy the feel of their hair due to the texture which causes you to play with it. Generally, if you're taller than average, they'll be shorter, and if you're average height, they'll be similar. Either way, you'll like looking down at them or meeting their gaze directly.
Once again, whether you're drawn to pile one or not, I'd suggest going back and giving it a read as well. While the energies differ, I sense the message is similar. I feel like this pile is suited for individuals with eccentric tastes.
What Will You Like Most About Them Mentally? Sweetheart, Odd Humor, Confident, Adaptable, Ambivert, Clingy.
You and your future spouse will be inseparable, attached to the hip, if not driven by their clinginess then it's your own. It's something that makes both of you feel secure. They are the type to talk your ear off. This person's humor leans towards the darker or drier side. They might find everything amusing, but particularly society's less-than-normal aspects.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Networker — Light : Enchanted Unity through the Sharing of Informations. Engenders Social Awareness and Empathy. Gossip — Light : Awakens Consideration for the Feeling of Others. Honoring Trust.
I wasn't kidding when I said your future spouse will talk your ear off. They are quite the chatterbox. They'll be a drama queen, regardless of gender, but I think it's in a very playful and goofy way. You'll find it charming. They'll get super excited and giddy when they have a juicy secret to share with you. They're such a sweetheart that they would never intend any negativity, just relaying information without passing genuine judgment.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Octopus : Reaching, Yearning, Lacking Boundaries and Direction. Getting into Other People's Business and Sharing Their Own. Interested, Engaged. Wolf : Guardian of Family and Tribe. Activism, Ritual, Reliable, Fearless, Democratic. Embrace All, Exclude None.
What have I been saying? This person cracks me up. You'll adore how dependable they are, always a shoulder to cry on or a pillar of stability for you and others. They're just a people person. I sense they could become overly sensitive, requiring alone time. They tend to overshare, which is amusing when it's just the two of you, but you might need to help them rein it in around others. They can be a bit oblivious to social cues and may need some guidance when they're pushing the boundaries.
I sense they're internally extroverted but can get overwhelmed and find it difficult to handle social situations, even if they desire socialization.
Extra : Movie Nights, Bubble Baths, Parks, Sunshine, Wheezing, Glasses Perched on Nose, Comfort through Affection, Wrapped in a Blanket, Cheek Kisses.
Valentine : Laufey. | November : Sparkbird.
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PILE THREE
What Will They Like Most About You Physically? Glow, Eyebrows, Lips, Your Frame.
Your future spouse will be drawn to the glow you exude. They find your bright personality radiating through every aspect of you, from your skin's natural shine to your expressive eyes and the curve of your lips. Even the way you carry yourself captivates them, unintentionally flaunting, which catches their attention.
What Will They Like Most About You Mentally? Innocent, Active, Hardworking, Compassion.
Firstly, they hold you dear, especially if you're not one to pause or slow down due to your hardworking nature. You could have somewhat of an innocent worldview—not that you don't understand hardship, but you maintain a strength and light that others lack. They'll absolutely love this side of you and cherish you.
What Will They Like Most About You? Fool — Light : Fearlessly Revealing Emotion. Helping People Laugh at Absurdity and Hypocrisy. Warrior — Light : Strength, Skill, Disipline, and Toughness of Will. Heroism, Stoicism, and Self-Sacrifice in Conquering the Ego. Mediator — Light : Gift for Negotiating Fairness and Strategy in Personal and Professional Life. Respect for Both Sides of an Arguement.
Your future spouse will admire how, despite being a logical person, you're not afraid to show emotion when necessary. You navigate life with a balance of logic and emotion, displaying good discipline. You're not impulsive and can guide others through hardships without coming across as harsh, bringing lightheartedness and fairness into the mix. They'll find this quality honorable. Your humor always serves as a mediator in situations, never failing to lighten the mood for them and others.
What Will They Like Most About You? Cobra : Pausing, Waiting, The Inner Teacher, A Student of Life, Humble, Wise. Fire Ant : Aggression, Rigid Thinking, Following Orders, Thoughtful, Disciplined, Heat.
Your future partner could have experienced instability with others in the past due to hasty behavior, or they struggle themselves with acting too quickly. On the other hand, you give yourself time, thinking before you act. Yet, when you do move forward, you do so with an assertive and direct demeanor, which makes them grateful they can lean on you for stability.
What Will You Like Most About Them Physically? Nose, Neck / Collar Bone Area, Elegant and Composed, Chin, 'Bunny Beauty'.
Your future spouse has a very approachable appearance. Their face might remind many of a bunny. I imagine this person with a rounder nose and face, perhaps chubby cheeks, but with a prominent chin and jaw instead. They look well put together and carry an elegant quality about them. You'll endlessly adore your partner. It's very cute.
What Will You Like Most About Them Mentally? Bad Mouth, Neat, Stubborn, Loyal.
Their appearance versus their personality could easily turn heads. They seem sweet and soft, but use harsh language often, cussing like a sailor. They look nice but act naughty. They're also incredibly stubborn, which apparently you'll find appealing. You'll anticipate others' reactions when they open their mouth, finding it amusing. As for you, I sense it's the opposite. You might appear a bit intimidating but are actually very gentle.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Detective — Light : Great Powers of Observation and Intuition. Desire to Seek Out the Truth. Midas/Miser — Light : Entrepreneurial or Creative Ability to Turn Anything to Gold. Delight in Sharing Life's Riches.
This person will readily share their wealth or achievements with you. Your future spouse might have a good-paying job, or money could come easily to them, possibly through generational wealth. However, I sense that they just know how to handle money wisely and earn it with help from their well-built knowledge.
I don't get the sense that they're materialistic or chasing money, but rather that they invest in things that make a meaningful impact, like travel or once-in-a-lifetime experiences. They have achieved financial stability, but they also have wealth in terms of nonmaterial things.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Bat : Darkness, Letting Go, Death Leading to Rebirth, Excepts and Adapts, Adjusts. Swan : Effortless, Creativity, Sensitive Mystic, Elegant Power.
Returning to that elegant aura they have, I can't pinpoint exactly what causes it, but it might be because they are highly intuitive and sensitive to others' thoughts and feelings. They easily pick up on these subtleties and can adapt and change accordingly. Despite their effortless beauty, they are a complex person on the inside. You find them to be a puzzle worth solving.
Additional. Another Message.
For a few of you, I believe you may not immediately hit it off with your future spouse. Your composed nature might clash with their boldness, leading to disagreements stemming from stubbornness or a desire for "correct behavior." However, you'll both eventually look past it, but initially, it might feel like something out of an enemies-to-lovers book. It won't be extreme, but it could get a little heated. This could form in a workplace.
[NEVER SETTLE FOR SOMETHING TOXIC. I MEANT SIMPLE BANTER, NOT ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR.]
Extra : Sleek Attire, Slicked Hair, RomCom, Tattoos, Generational Insight/Knowledge, Promise Rings, Military, Dreamy, Shared Earbuds, Sharp Glares and Glances.
Make You Feel Good : Fetty Wap. | Powerful : Major Lazer. | Cry : Cigarettes After Sex.
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PILE FOUR
What Will They Like Most About You Physically? Voice, Beauty Marks, Lips, Eyes.
I want to mention that either you or this individual could be a musician, while the other serves as a muse. Whether or not it's you, your future partner will love hearing you sing. They find your everyday speaking voice charming, especially its soft, breathy quality. While eye contact with them may not be 'intense', it feels profoundly connecting and grounding. If you wear makeup, this person likes it. Perhaps it's the shape of your lips or their natural color, but I believe that wearing lipstick or gloss, anything that enhances your features will allure them even more.
What Will They Like Most About You Mentally? Shy, Tender, Well-Versed, Open, Quiet, Devoted.
Aw, I wish I could give you all a hug! You're so tender and gentle in both your words and your actions. You're devoted not only to your loved ones but also to the things that bring you joy. Your future spouse will find this incredibly endearing.
I'm sensing more about how deeply they love you rather than the specifics of what they like. When you meet this person, it'll feel like being showered with affection and passion. They genuinely value every aspect of you and want to express that.
What Will They Like Most About You? Angel — Light : Helping Those In Need with No Expectation of Return. Damsel — Light : Understanding the Nature of Healthy Romance. Inspires You to Rely on Yourself.
You not only embody the qualities of the cards, but I sense that your future spouse will view you as an angel. They might even adopt it as a nickname if you're fond of the idea. You're the shining beacon in their life, their prince/princess, which I admit can sound a bit cheesy or even cringe, but in your case, it's incredibly sincere and pure.
What Will They Like Most About You? Peacock : Inner Beauty, Compassion, Confident, Kind. Gazelle : Heighten Awareness, Ability, Vulnerable, Perceptive, Graceful.
Your future spouse sees you as stunning both on the outside and within. Your physical beauty is undeniable, but it's your soul that truly captivates them. They'll be in awe of its depth and beauty. Your future spouse may gawk awkwardly over you, yet it will be funny.
What Will You Like Most About Them Physically? Physically Expressive, Dewy Skin, 'Cat Beauty', Pout, Clear Skin, Freckles.
This person's skincare routine is godly. Their eyes and gestures are incredibly expressive, drawing people in. You'll notice their natural pout, which adds to their charm. Their features will have a feline or fierce quality, with high cheekbones, defined features, and possibly a smaller yet thick nose. They might also have a longer face or narrow eyes.
What Will You Like Most About Them Mentally? Funny, Loner, Eccentric, Sensitive, Humble.
Your person is a bit of an oddball, in the best way. They embrace their inner nerd or geek often. Your personalities are a perfect match, and I can see you both enjoying plenty of alone time together because you don't drain each other's social batteries. They're self-aware and true to themselves, no matter what.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Don Juan — Light : Spotlights Your Positive Seductive Qualities. Child : Eternal — Light : Determination to Remain Young in Body, Mind, and Spirit. Ability to See Things with Fresh Eyes. Guide — Light : Represents the Nature of the Divine in Life and in Yourself.
While they may seem reserved, this person radiates confidence when they're with you. They know how to play their cards right—they can talk the talk and walk the walk. But underneath it all, they're playful and childlike at heart. No matter how old they get, they'll always carry a lighthearted and curious energy, like a kid. Life with them will never be boring.
What Will You Like Most About Them? Black Egg : Speaking from an Authentic Voice, Truth. Bee : Earnest, Hard-Working, Content, Vibrant.
Your future spouse will be an honest person, always speaking their inner truth, even with strangers. They're not afraid to be vibrant, and I have a feeling that will influence you as well. Communication is important to them in this life. As I mentioned earlier, they could be a musician. If not, with their persuasive skills, they could find success as a public speaker or influencer of some sort.
Extra : Spying From Corners or Doorways [Playfully, of course], Singing, Puppy Dog/Pleading Eyes, Feather-Light Touch, Pinky Promise, Junk Drawer, Piggy Bank.
Don’t Be Afraid : Carpenters. | Brooklyn : Lana Del Rey.
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ittsybittsybunny · 2 months
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ATLA Live Action Series Review:
The Good
Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!
Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.
Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!
Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.
Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.
Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!
Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.
Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.
The Bad
Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?
Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.
Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.
Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.
Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.
Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.
Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.
Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.
Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.
Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.
Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.
The Ugly
Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.
Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!
The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.
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TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.
Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.
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lurkingshan · 7 months
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Shan! After today’s episode of Only Friends, I have the feeling that I’ve lost a sense of the endgame of this series. I think I was under the impression — from the promos, the tweets, etc. — that we were going to get a summarily messy ending, with a whole bunch of toxic threads needing to be unwound. I’m intrigued by my thoughts on this — and maybe a touch concerned that we might end up getting morality stories out of this. By the time we roll around to an episode 10 or 11, what are your thoughts on a viewer not having a sense — not even of where the journey will end — but also of what the meaning of the journey was in the first place? I wonder if, in successful show construction, if I would have had a stronger and clearer sense of this earlier in the series?
Typically, we do have a strong sense of a show’s arc and narrative beats by this point in a story, but Only Friends specifically does not follow bl beats, so it’s always been a little bit its own beast. That said, it’s funny that you ask this now because after this week, I do feel like I have a sense of where this is going and I’m not sure how I feel about it. Namely, I am now fairly confident that we’re headed toward an ending with all three couples together and happyish, if not purely happy. The way this episode was structured to lead us into the final arc points to the end game conflicts—Boston and Nick figuring out where they stand on monogamy and distance, Mew deciding whether he can truly forgive Top, Ray trying rehab and Sand getting his head spun by Boeing—playing out next week, leaving the finale for resolutions and probably some kind of final word on this group of friends who barely seem to like each other.
I feel mixed about this suspicion because to me, happy endings all around doesn’t feel totally aligned with the spirit of this show and some of its themes. It feels a bit like the character arcs have been adjusted as we go, so that if you returned to the beginning and tried to draw a straight line to where we’re landing, it wouldn’t entirely track. But I’m also aware that this show has been unusually shaped by external forces like branded pairs and fan reactions.
In recent interviews the show’s creators, Jojo and Ninew, shared a few things that made a lot of this click for me:
Their original vision for this show was intended to be cast entirely with supporting actors and not bl pairs (this is why Neo and Mark were first in)
When they realized they were getting branded pairs they they were surprised and tweaked the characters and story to fit them (I’d bet money this rehab arc for Ray was added once they knew Khaotung was playing him)
Jojo allows the actors and their management to view their scenes (he said this specifically about sex scenes, but it may include others as well) and anything they are uncomfortable with doesn’t get put in the show
They have been tracking fan reactions closely and have incorporated those reactions into their final editing decisions (for example, removing a scene of Top hooking up with a random because people already hated him more than expected)
For me, all of this adds up to the conclusion that the show has in fact changed pretty significantly from their original vision, and those changes have been in the direction of a more conventional ending that will align with expectations for bls with branded pairs. In the end, branded pairs are a capitalist endeavor and they can’t let OF damage the brands. So while I do think the show has done more than any that came before it to push the boundaries of these constraints, they’re not going to be able to go all the way. The pairs need to end up in a good enough place that fans don’t want to burn GMMTV to the ground and the actors’ next projects are still set up for success.
So to your original question: I think the tension you’re feeling about the show’s overall point is a result of these changes creators are making as they bow to external forces. I personally think, given the constraints they are juggling, that they’ve still kept the story and its themes pretty legible, and some of the messaging is landing very consistently. But Only Friends is clearly not purely uncompromised art, it’s serving a lot of different needs and motivations.
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chance-lard · 1 year
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Book!Lucy & Lockwood vs Show!Lucy & Lockwood: A VERY LONG Deep Dive
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So I finished the Netflix adaptation of Lockwood & Co.
Overall, I think it was a respectful adaptation, which, despite some plot changes, kept largely to the spirit of the books. At minimum, Joe Cornish actually seems to like L&Co, which is way more than can be said about most adaptations these days. Hooray!
But I wanted to write a bit about one of the bigger changes they made: namely the dynamic between Lucy and Lockwood.
I’ve seen people saying that the Locklyle adaptation to screen was very true to the books, just without Lucy’s close personal voice, and sped up a little in the romance department (“Stroud doesn’t mention what Lucy was doing with her hands! They could have been on Lockwood’s face in the books!” etc).
Respectfully, I disagree quite a bit with this. While some argument could be made about it having shades of their relationship from THB/TCS onwards, I actually think Show!Lucy’s attitude towards Lockwood is a 180 from the way she views him in TSS and TWS.
IDK, this might be a bit of a controversial opinion judging by what I’ve been seeing in the L&Co tag and general ways people have interpreted TSS and TWS in the years since their publication, but I’m going to try to back my argument as best as I can, focusing only on those books.
I’m using the original paperback UK editions of both the Screaming Staircase (2013) and The Whispering Skull (2014).
Spoilers for the show and VERY mild spoilers for books 3+ (literally just the name of a new character/type of ghost + stuff already shown in the show that wasn’t shown until later in the books)
Another warning: this analysis is 5500(!!!) words long, and mostly quotes from the book. If you’d like to just read the main bits, look at the intro/conclusion to each section and read the TLDR; at the end.
PART 1: THE NETFLIX SHOW
Before diving into differences, there are things I do think stayed the same between the show and the books:
Lucy and Lockwood banter, swap one-liners and occasionally squabble.
Lucy remains unimpressed with some of Lockwood’s more slapdash schemes.
During missions, they work equally and trust each other with their lives and the job.
They care about each other’s wellbeing.
Basically, when things are going well between them, or when they are in high-stakes circumstances and need to cooperate, there isn’t too much of a difference between Show!Locklyle and Book!Locklyle.
But as Tolstoy (lmao) says, all happy families agents are alike, all unhappy families agents are unique in their own way. With that said, I think the differences between Show!Locklyle and Book!Locklyle are best explored through the way conflicts are handled.
In the show, there are 5 major arguments between Lucy and Lockwood:
Episode 2: Lucy feels upset and hurt because she thinks Lockwood only views her as an “asset”.
Episode 4: Lucy is upset that Lockwood doesn’t believe/doesn’t want to admit that she is talented enough to talk to the Skull
Episode 5: Lucy gets mad at Lockwood being self-sacrificing/death-seeking after they escape from the Winkmans.
Episode 7: Lucy calls Lockwood a boy with a “cold dead heart of stone”, and is upset that he won’t let her and George in on his past.
Episode 8: Lucy is furious at Lockwood using dangerous methods at the auction, that “every relic hunter in London is out to kill us”, and that Lockwood is acting self-sacrificially again.
There are also the following minor squabbles:*
Episode 1: Lucy rolls her eyes at Lockwood for forgetting the chains at Mrs Hope’s house.
Episode 1: Lucy mad at Lockwood and George for the toothbrush cup initiation test.
Episode 2: Lockwood gets annoyed and brusque with Lucy for keeping Annabel’s source and trying to communicate with her ghost. After Lucy is nearly possessed, he flintily tells her he will burn the source, and that they have more important bills to pay.
*Note there might be some more minor squabbles, but they weren’t significant enough to make their way into my notes
The most important takeaway here is that Lucy is the one who initiates most of the arguments! We can also note Lockwood’s response to Lucy’s anger: mostly he mutely self-reflects as she shouts and storms away, then later he comes to her to apologise and promises to do better. 
The one time Lockwood gets mad at Lucy (Ep 2) we are a) not shown the bulk of the argument (there’s a cutaway after the fight with the ghost to Lucy justifying herself), b) it’s anger born of worry, and c) Cameron’s delivery of the lines is quite measured and muted.
In essence, when it comes to conflict, Lucy is the one holding the cards in the relationship between the two of them.
We also know the show is set much earlier than the books (which take place over the span of a whole year). Show!Lucy isn’t acting this way out of concern for a Lockwood who she’s known and loved for ages. Rather, Lockwood is someone she is not impressed by at all from the outset. The show is setting up what makes Lucy special here: unlike the adults, the other agents, and maybe even George, she’s the only one who can see through his “prodigious entrepreneur” mythos to the hurting teenager beneath.
Within the logic of the show’s universe this makes sense. Unlike Book!Lucy who is a judgemental grump (and is why she has “no female friends”; TWS p80), Show!Lucy is a more confident girl coming right off the back of losing someone she loves dearly.
Having experienced an arguably greater loss than Book!Lucy at this stage in her life, Show!Lucy seems adamant to prevent anyone else she cares about going down the same path. For Book!Lucy, this is a realisation she only comes to near the end of THB.
So to summarise, in the show, Lucy is a hurting, no-nonsense girl, unimpressed with Lockwood’s antics and objective enough to act as his “chain to earth”. From the way Lockwood responds to Lucy’s upsets, we get the sense that he’s quite sincere and maybe more in touch with his emotions than he shows on the surface.
The show portrays two people gradually learning to trust each other and perhaps slowly, mutually discovering their feelings as they do.
PART 2: BOOK: ACTIONS
The show uses disagreements as watersheds for character development, but they don’t play as significant a role in the books. Still, I went through TSS and TWS and made notes of every time there’s conflict between Lucy and Lockwood because the differences are quite telling.
TSS:
Lucy is mildly irritated/snarky at Lockwood for the entirety of the Hope case in TSS, and is angry when he forgets to bring the chains.
Lucy is angry at Lockwood for talking about the Annabel case and getting her name in the papers (TSS, 231)
Lockwood gets angry and berates Lucy for keeping the Annabel source (TSS, 179-181)
Lockwood calls Lucy “too sensitive” and accuses her of getting too close to ghosts (TSS, 248-249)
Lockwood is furious at Lucy for trying to talk to Annabel again (TSS, 284)
TWS:
Lockwood angry at Lucy for talking about the door on the landing (TWS, 116)
Lucy angry at Lockwood (and George) for taking her Listening for granted (TWS, 258)
Lucy scolds Lockwood for brushing off/slapping down George (TWS, 398)
Purely by numbers, they get mad at each other fairly evenly (rather than it being one-sided from Lucy, a la the show).
But numbers themselves don’t tell a full story. In fact, after looking at the particulars, I was surprised to see just how unbalanced their relationship is in the first 2 books (TSS in particular), and how much Lucy sits under Lockwood’s thumb for the whole thing.
Let’s look:
THE SCREAMING STAIRCASE
The Hope House - Lockwood forgetting to bring the chains.
This is the argument that plays out most similarly to how it does in the books. Lockwood asserts that filings “will be fine” for a job like this. In both mediums Lucy lets him go, but in the show she rolls her eyes and tuts, while in the books she tells herself “now (isn’t) the time”, takes a deep breath and changes the subject. In my opinion, this difference is insignificant.
BUT: in the book, the chains get brought up again. On p39, Lockwood suggests they should leave the house because it’s too dangerous, it is Lucy disagrees and thinks they should stay (as an aside, compare this with Lockwood’s behaviour in the show, particularly when escaping Winkman at the auction!).
Lockwood “condescendingly” tells her that her head isn’t in the right place, and Lucy once again accuses him of making bad decisions by leaving the chains out. Lockwood in turn first blames George (as he does in the show), then goes on to blame Lucy!
How the argument resolves is also interesting. Lockwood smiles at Lucy, and ribs her:
‘How’s your anger management going, Luce?’ (p40).
This effectively defuses Lucy’s rage (she likens his smile to “the sun coming out”).
Only after she’s no longer at the peak of her anger does he admit fault:
“He clapped his gloved hands together briskly. ‘Alright, you win'” (about staying at the house). (p40).
Even in the very first pages, we see Lockwood comporting himself as Lucy’s superior. We get the sense he doesn’t take her anger very seriously. Lucy also doesn’t seem to be able to stay mad at him for long.
Now, I've seen readings of Lockwood smiling in this moment as him being simply unable to stay mad at Lucy. That's definitely one interpretation, but I personally don't agree with it. Lockwood has a patterned habit of using his smile to get out of trouble:
“Lockwood took a deep breath; perhaps he realized he had to explain himself to George and me, as well as to Barnes…(Explanation). He switched on his fullest, most radiant smile.
Barnes winced. ‘Put those teeth away’” (TSS, p426)
And:
“‘Papers that almost certainly don’t exist,’ I growled…I didn’t look at him; if I had, he would have given me the smile, and I wasn’t in the mood for that.” (TWS, p258)
Though as we can see, by TWS Lucy has definitely wised up haha
Lucy’s name in the article
On paper, this argument is similar to the one in the show. The major difference is at no point in the books does Lucy explicitly tell Lockwood to keep her name out of the papers.
In the show, this argument leads to one of its biggest disagreements (Ep 2):
Lucy: I told you to leave me out of it.
Lockwood: And I told you I'd handle it. What are you so worried about? It's all true.
Lucy: We haven't even solved the case yet. What if Hugo Blake sees that and comes after me?
Lockwood: Well, then, we'll look after you, Luce. You're our biggest asset.
Lucy: Asset? Is that all I am, then? Just something to make you money? You think that you do things so differently. But you're just like the rest of them. You're as bad as everyone back home.
In the books, Lucy does not get angry when the article comes out (p217). She only gets upset after she’s pulled in by DEPRAC to see Hugo Blake. When the argument erupts, George is also there and it plays out like this (p232):
Lucy: “Don’t touch me. Because of your article, I came face to face with a murderer tonight, and funnily enough, I didn’t enjoy the experience.” 
Lockwood: “Blake is not going to come after us”.
George: “Or if he does, it’ll be very, very slowly, hobbling on a stick. He’s over seventy years old.”
After Lockwood and George’s further justifications about why Blake is not going to “get them” (p232-233) Lucy thinks:
“What (Lockwood) said made sense, as usual. It was good to be out in the night again, with my sword and my colleagues at my side. The distress of my brief encounter at Scotland Yard was slowly fading. I felt a little better.”
We know from this that Lucy’s anger was one borne from worry and fear of Blake. By successfully alleviating that fear, Lucy’s anger at Lockwood dissipates. At no point is she mad at being treated as a showpony or asset by Lockwood. In fact, going back to when the article comes out (p 217), we’re presented with the following:
Lucy: “I still don’t know why you mentioned me but not the necklace.”
Lockwood: “It doesn’t hurt to emphasise what a star you are. We want other clients to come running, eager for your services.”
He doesn’t use the word “asset” here, but you can easily replace the word “star” with the word “asset" to get the original lines that triggered the argument in the show. To this statement, Book!Lucy has no reaction at all (the topic changes).
[As an aside, Lockwood also obliquely calls Lucy and George “inessential” on p214, which they also don’t comment on. Also, at various points he calls George and Lucy “fishwives” (p 272) and Lucy “sensitive” because she’s a girl (p 353) (lmaooo what an ass).]
Lockwood, Lucy and Annabel
I’m lumping these three arguments together because they follow the same pattern: Lucy tries to talk to Annabel, Lockwood gets upset that she keeps trying. What is absolutely fascinating is just how he treats Lucy when he is upset, and how Lucy responds to his anger in turn.
The first argument begins the morning after the fight. Lockwood says:
“Why, Lucy? I just don’t understand! You know an agent has to report any artefact she finds. Particularly one so intimately connected with a Visitor. They must be properly contained.” (p179)
He continues berating her like this (with a lot more anger than he ever displays on the show).
Lucy tries to apologise:
“Yes. I said I’m sorry! I’ve never done that sort of thing before.” (p180)
But Lockwood is still angry:
“So why did you do it now?”
Lucy spends the next page trying to explain why she took Annabel’s source, but even after her apologies and justifications, Lockwood is still furious:
“You forgot? That’s it? That’s your excuse?” (p 181)
The three of them talk a bit more about the mechanics of how Annabel ended up in the house, then when Lucy is in the middle of talking, Lockwood cuts her off again, and they have this whopper of an exchange:
“I hope you’re not trying to change the subject, Lucy,” Lockwood said in a cold voice. “I’m in the middle of ticking you off here.”
I set the case down. “I know.”
“I’m not finished, either. Not by a long chalk. I’ve got a whole heap more to say.” (Lockwood loses his train of thought here). “The point is: don’t do it again. I’m disappointed in you.”
Lucy meekly takes Lockwood’s lecture:
“I nodded. I stared at the tablecloth. My face felt cold and hot at the same time”
Lockwood’s one-sided lecture of Lucy lasts a whole five pages!!!
But he’s not done. It comes up again on p248 where Lockwood accuses Lucy of being 'too sensitive’ (in both the psychic and emotional way), and of getting “too close to (the ghosts)”. Then, in a 180 from the dynamics of power in the show (remember, Lucy threatens to quit several times), Lockwood threatens to fire her!
“You need to be careful, Lucy,” Lockwood said, and his voice was flat and cold. “Wicked ghosts aren’t things to trifle with. You’re keeping secrets again, and any agent who does that is endangering the rest of us. I’m not having anyone on my team who can’t be trusted. You understand what I’m saying?”
Again, Lucy takes this lecture meekly and submissively:
I did understand. I looked away.
In the final argument about the matter (p284) we learn that Lucy is actually a bit scared of Lockwood.
“You deliberately let her free?” Lockwood said. “That was a stupid thing to do.”
When I looked at his face, my heart quailed. “Not free,” I said desperately. “Just…freer.” (emphasis mine)
On p285 Lucy starts crying/tearing up because she thinks Lockwood:
 “...Would not forgive me…this was the end of my employment at the company”. 
Ordinarily, you might be able to argue that her fears are misplaced and subjective (because of her narrow perspective). This rings a little hollow given Lockwood’s threat on p248.
Does Lockwood ever apologise to Lucy during the Annabel affair? Once, when at his suggestion, Lucy tries to talk to Anabel, and things go awry:
“I’m so sorry. I should have never asked you to do that. What happened? Are you OK?” (p192)
It’s a sign that Lockwood does care about her wellbeing, despite his general distance from Lucy and the way he carries himself, which is as a figure of authority, and more importantly, as Lucy’s employer.
Seriously. We like to joke in this fandom that Lucy is too wrapped up in her own head thinking that Lockwood is out of her league to notice that he actually likes her. But reading the books again with detailed notes, I think Lucy’s impression is actually accurate.
In fact, writing this up sparked a memory of reading TSS for the first time (prior to the release of TWS), I remember thinking there wasn’t going to be a romance between Lucy and Lockwood. I couldn’t articulate it fully at the time, but I imagine it was because of how much older Lockwood seemed and how much control her asserts over her behaviour, combined with the way early book Lucy (to borrow Holly’s words from THB) “can’t say no” to Lockwood.
It is only by the end of TSS, does Lockwood finally say to her:
“I trust your Talent and your judgement and I’m very proud to have you on my team. OK? So stop worrying about the past!” (p436)
It’s still a tad condescending (think: praise from kindergarten teacher) but it’s a momentous occasion because as shown, prior to the Combe Carey Hall case, Lockwood seems to respect and trust her very little. This bookend leads nicely into their growing dynamic in TWS.
THE WHISPERING SKULL
Lucy, Lockwood and the skull in Bickerstaff’s manor:
By The Whispering Skull, Lucy and Lockwood’s relationship has evolved (which would make sense given the 6 months between books 1 and 2) and consequently the way they conflict has too. However, they still don’t ever reach the level of direct conflict they do in the show. Take what I consider to be Lucy’s biggest upset at Lockwood in the first 2 books:
On page 258, Lucy says:
 “Forget it! What happened to us treading carefully, Lockwood? I’ve a good mind to go back home!”
Lockwood begs her to reconsider. Lucy remains angry. She says:
“You’re taking me for granted. Me and this house.”
However, it should be noted that although she mentions Lockwood by name, she’s actually angry at both Lockwood and George (yup, he’s there too). She calls them “both mad” for expecting her to agree to their scheme. She then stalks away from them in a rage, leaving “the others” (not just Lockwood) to follow.
In short, her anger isn’t directed at any particular trait of Lockwood’s (such as recklessness or foolhardiness), but rather at having been duped by both George and him. Nevertheless, it shows that she’s become more comfortable at expressing her anger in general by this point.
Lockwood’s door on the landing
As in the show, after the skull tells Lucy about Lockwood’s door, she confronts him about it.
In the show, after Lucy brings it up, Lockwood responds by diverting the subject:
Lockwood: That is not just a nick. You need to get that looked at. Could be some toxins got into your blood.
Then:
Lockwood: You're not Marissa Fittes.
Lucy: Cause you can't handle being my Tom Rotwell? Second best?
(This response is OOFT and also VERY Show!Lucy imo)
Another difference: in the show, Lockwood clearly believes Lucy, but doesn’t want to admit that she might be talented, because he’s used to being the most powerful one.
In the books, Lockwood just flat-out doesn’t believe her:
Lockwood lowered his mug; he spoke flintily. “Yes, I know (the door). The one you can’t stop asking about.” (p116)
He also calls her a “prima donna” (lmao LOCKWOOD).
Here, again, Lucy responds a bit more huffily than she probably would have in TSS:
We stood there, glaring at each other. (p117)
Lucy defends George
I think this argument, from page 398, though minor, nicely summarises Lockwood’s general attitude in conflict.
“Lockwood, we’ve been so blind! He’s desperate to investigate it. He’s been obsessed with it all this time. And you just kept criticising him, slapping him down.”
Lockwood responds at first by doing what he typically does (justify, accuse):
“Yes of course I did! Because George is always like that!...It’s just how he is! We couldn’t possibly have known.”
But compared to the chains argument in TSS where he deflects until the end, moments later:
His shoulders slumped. “You really think he’s affected by the ghost?”
Perhaps it’s because of the imminent danger George is in, but this time he takes Lucy’s anger seriously. Unlike the chains argument from the beginning of TSS, he doesn’t put on airs or “give permission” to Lucy when he senses he’s in the wrong. This way, they work together to prepare to get George back.
PART 3: BOOKS: THOUGHTS
“Wait,” you say, “Doesn’t this just prove that the show is like the books? Sure, it might have skipped that weird employer/employee stage from TSS, but it at least follows their relationship in TWS well, right?”
To this I say, yes, but also no. We need to take into account the role the arguments play in both mediums.
In the books, since Lucy is a very personal narrator, the arguments are a good way of showing the Locklyle relationship unmarked by her own thoughts. Although Lucy is quite inaccurate at judging what people feel and think (see: Holly), she’s not the kind of unreliable narrator that makes up things people say or do.
In the show, since we don’t get to see Lucy’s internal monologue; the arguments are instead used to show how Lucy feels. To that end, I can understand why they made her more direct/in touch with her emotions during them – if she didn’t say anything, the audience probably wouldn’t know.
SO: to get a full picture of her relationship with Lockwood, we need to examine both her acts AND her internal feelings.
What does Lucy feel in the show?
In the show, although Lucy does like Lockwood, she hates (or at least is troubled by) the following: he’s reckless, he’s (over) confident, he’s arrogant and loves the spotlight. But her two primary issues with his character seem to be:
His death-seeking nature:
“What does any of it mean if we end up stabbed or dead at the bottom of the Thames with nobody left to care?“ / “To be honest, the bottom of the Thames used to be a far more appealing place to be.”(Ep 8)
His distance/mystery:
“You might be able to turn your feelings on and off like a tap, but I am drowning here, Lockwood.” (Ep 2)
“At the centre of you is just a…” “A what? A cold, dead heart of stone?” “Yeah, maybe. But who knows, though? 'Cause you don't actually show anyone.” (Ep 7)
Is this the case in the books?
Nope. Not at all. This is the absolute biggest difference between Show!Locklyle and Book!Locklyle.
Lucy has very little to say about Lockwood’s general recklessness because, well, she is reckless too (this is the case in the show as well – makes her look just a little bit like a hypocrite).
In regards to his death-seeking nature: Lucy doesn’t even pick up on it until the Skull of all people points it out, and that is definitely much further along than in TSS and TWS.
But why doesn’t she see these signs? It ties back to how Lucy feels about Lockwood’s distance/mystery in TSS and TWS which is, well: she loves it.
Show!Lucy can’t stand Lockwood hiding things from her and running off madly towards “any old mystery”, and that’s what makes her a good grounding force for Lockwood there. 
Book!Lucy fully drinks the Lockwood kool-aid and buys into his grand myth.
From the very outset, Lucy immediately likes Lockwood. Unlike Show!Lucy who compares him negatively with the people “back home”, Book!Lucy thinks:
“Lockwood, I already liked. He seemed a world away from the remote and treacherous Agent Jacobs; his zest and personal commitment were clear. Here was someone I felt I could follow, someone perhaps to trust.” (TSS, p 112)
We also get Lucy’s opinion of Lockwood “throwing himself” into missions the very first full day she joins:
“Vigorous and energetic, eager to throw himself into each new mystery; a boy who was clearly never happier than when walking into a haunted room, his hand resting lightly on his sword hilt…It already pleased me to think of walking into darkness with Lockwood at my side.” (TSS, p 127)
She starts buying the “Lockwood narrative” very quickly too. When Lockwood says:
‘This will be one of the three most successful agencies in London…And you can be a part of that, Lucy. I think you’re good, and I’m glad you’re here.’ (TSS 129)
Lucy thinks:
“You can bet my face was flushed right then – it was a special triple-combo of embarrassment at being found out, pleasure at his flattery and excitement at his spoken dreams.” (TSS 129)
We see her continued fall into Lockwood’s all-consuming orbit on the next page:
“For a moment, as he said this, it all made perfect sense…when he smiled like that it was hard not to agree with him.” (p 130)
Contrast this to the show, where instead she cooly responds, “Thank you,” then immediately asks: “How do I know you’re good enough for me?” (Ep 1)
Show!Lucy clearly isn’t buying it from the beginning, and continues to not buy it. We can see the difference after the Hope House case when Lucy is talking to George.
George: “Maybe if you'd been more interested before you went charging.”
Lucy: “That was Lockwood's decision. I've only just started. What am I supposed to say to him?” (Ep 2)
George: “You're meant to say no. You have to, or you'll make him worse.”
George is another character who works well to contextualise Lucy’s behaviour towards Lockwood. In the show, George sees Lucy as someone capable of reigning Lockwood in. Whereas in the books, he sees Lucy as equally at fault for being reckless.
“When is going to be the time? When you and Lockwood are both dead, maybe? When I open the door one night and see the two of you hovering beyond the iron line?...All you and Lockwood care about is going out and snuffing Sources, as quickly as you can! ” (TSS, p 139-140)
Rather than deflect blame onto Lockwood as she does in the show, she says:
“Because that’s what makes our money, George!...If you were less obsessed with it, we’d have done twice as many cases in the last few months…We waited all afternoon for you.” (TSS, p140)
The “makes our money” line sounds a lot like something that would come out of Lockwood’s mouth, and makes me wonder whether she’s parroting something he said at this stage. Conjecture aside, it shows the reader that Lucy is firmly on Lockwood’s side – as established, Lucy “never says no” to Lockwood, and everyone else knows it.
I suspect part of the reason this continues for so long is because Lockwood never is too approving of Lucy, which causes Lucy to scrabble for the rare moments of his approval.
“Moments before, he’d been promising to incinerate the locket. Now it was the key to all our troubles. Moments before, he’d been giving me a rollocking; now I was the apple of his eye. This was the way it was with Lockwood. His shifts were sometimes so sudden that they took your breath away, but his energy and enthusiasm were always impossible to resist.” (TSS, p 190)
“As usual, the full warmth of his approval made me feel a little flushed.“ (p TWS, 108)
Although by TWS Lucy is far more comfortable with Lockwood to his face, she can’t help but put him on a pedestal at the back of her mind, which marks the remaining difference between the show and the books.
“One full year after my arrival at the agency, the unrevealed details of my employer’s early life remained an important part of his mystery and fascination.” (TWS, p 40)
Even George calls her out on it:
“Oh, come on. You love all that mystery about him. Just like you love that pensive, far-off look he does sometimes.” (TWS, p 55)
Putting aside the “haha Lucy has an obvious crush on Lockwood” part, what’s interesting is that George specifically hones in on Lucy enjoying the “mystery” of Lockwood – although she does want to find out what’s behind the door, she also is drawn to, rather than repelled by (unlike Show!Lucy) the part of him that keeps things hidden. Her encounter with the Fetch in THB shows her precisely what is underneath that mysterious facade of Lockwood’s, and that (combined with Holly) is what, I think, finally scares her out of her idolatry.
As for Lockwood, we can only guess at his thoughts in the book, but we do know that he’s far less open than he is in the show. It is George who reveals to Lucy that Lockwood’s parents are probably dead (TSS, 114).
Lockwood only really brings up his parents (and quickly moves on to other matters) at the END of The Hollow Boy (p 391).
I think he makes a concerted effort to act as Lucy’s employer, to the extent that he hardly asks about or takes an interest in her personal life at all. Compare the line in the show where Lockwood says:
“Interesting outfit, Luce. Didn't have you down as a fan of unicorns. Or rainbows.”
To the book, where not only does Lockwood never comment on Lucy’s appearance, that line is a callback to a line said by George: 
“Ooh, Lucy – I’ve never seen you wearing that.” (TSS, p175)
In fact, I’d maybe even go so far to say that the show has snatched bits from George’s relationship with Lockwood and Lucy respectively and repurposed into Locklyle dynamics [see: George worrying about Lockwood’s recklessness, George upset at being treated as an asset (TWS, p107)].
This isn't to say that he doesn't care about them: he very clearly does and it is most clear in moments of crisis. But Lockwood is such a unique character, plus a known Stepford Smiler, and so "typical" signs of feelings of happiness (smiling at Lucy etc) shouldn't be taken at face value when trying to ascertain how he feels – and this is true until THB.
I don’t want people to think I’m cherry picking moments of tension between Lucy and Lockwood to make a point here. Once again, Lockwood does care about Lucy. When Lucy isn’t caught up in her Lockwood-filter, and when Lockwood isn’t preoccupied with his role as THE Anthony Lockwood, they share plenty of moments where they joke, laugh and generally act like teens, which the show captured just fine.
But those moments of cheeriness belie a narrative backbone that is very different. Lucy in the books is just 14 years old, and she’s looking for a (metaphorical!!!) “grown up” mentor after losing her father and being betrayed by Jacobs. Meanwhile, Lockwood is trying his best to shut the door on his childhood and act wiser than his years.
Thus when they meet, Lockwood just happens to be playing that authority figure Lucy thinks she needs (but we know she doesn’t!), and is only happy to oblige by continuing to play that role until slowly Lucy (and George) start breaking down his guard.
TLDR;
Show!Locklyle has a far more balanced dynamic than Book!Locklyle, which is objectively pretty “boss and employee”. Perhaps controversially, I don’t think Lockwood felt anything other than general workplace fondness/friendship for Lucy for most of TSS (at least until Combe Carey Hall).
Most importantly: Lucy in the show hates and is hurt by Lockwood’s secrecy, but Book!Lucy fawns over the very shadow consuming his soul – that is, until her rather rude awakening at the end of THB.
The ramifications of these changes have also spilled onto the characters. Lucy in the show comes off as more strong-minded, practical and confident, whereas book Lucy seems tougher, more of a tsundere (ye) and more love-starved. Lockwood in the show is the same attention-hungry “politician”, but more sincere, troubled and subdued. Whereas Lockwood in the books is crueller (remember that time he threatened to shut a kid in a coffin?), flashier, more competent and a huge brat (affectionate).
Which Locklyle is better is a matter of personal taste. In the show there’s arguably more dramatic tension, and the relationship is more tender/romantic and caring overall. But I think there’s something to be said for how unique Lucy and Lockwood’s dynamic is in the books, and the very carefully written unfurling that takes them to the end of TEG.
Either way, I hope I’ve convinced any readers of this giant word vomit that the show and book dynamics are two very separate beasts.
Agree? Disagree? Found it interesting? Hate my guts? Let me know what you think!!!
Till next time!
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jaypea00101010 · 7 months
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A single design problem I have for each D&D 5e class
Made this a thread over on bluesky and figured might as well bring it over here. Not really big problems in most cases, but just, small things that I feel WotC should tweak in all current 5e classes.
Artificer: No clear weakness.
A single class that can make great a great support character, DPS character, tank, single target attacker, stealth character, etc
Obviously needs to be built spesifically for each of these, but every other class has at least one thing they can't do.
Barbarian: No force resistance
Slightly cheating because it's not inherently a problem with Barbarian, but recently more monsters have been using Force damage instead of B/P/S, and barbarians should absolutely gain resistance to it while raging at higher levels.
Bard: Full-casting
Bards are designed to be a jack of all trades, it's right there at 2nd level, but they seem to have missed the 'master of none' bit.
Full spellcasting up to 9th level, a pretty solid spell list, and spells they don't have they can take with Magical Secrets anyway, even 9th level ones.
Cleric: Turn Undead
A holdover from older editions, turn undead in my opinion just doesn't make for a good universal option on clerics.
I'd much prefer something like spirit guardians or spiritual weapon be reworked into their universal channel divinity.
Druid: Universal Wildshape
Probably controversial, but I have similar problems with wildshape that I do turn undead, it's good, but a weird universal option.
If I'm a druid getting my powers from stones, plants, or the stars, why can I also turn into a ferret? There should be a few options to pick from instead.
Fighter: Action Surge at Level 2
Action surge is such a good feature, usually it's just some extra attacks, but the fact you have the chioce is great....
That said, I think it coming online so early incentivises unintentionally incentivises multiclassing, casters dipping for 2 spells a turn mostly. They've somewhat fixed it by limiting what actions you can use it for in OneD&D, but I personally just feel it should be later level rather than limiting it.
Monk: Ki Dependancy
This doesnt' need explaining, everything for monks costs ki and it really doesn't need to, they should get resource free disengage and dash, or have ki recover faster.
I had an idea for a ki recharge of 1 min, but less points overall, so you have all points for every fight
Paladin: Oaths at 3rd level
You get your power as a paladin from a sacred oath you swear, so why do you only choose that oath at 3rd level?
That's like a warlock only deciding their patron at 3rd, or a cleric only deciding their god at 3rd (Yes 1D&D does this and I hate it).
Ranger: Spells Known
Why do rangers, the class that's meant to be about being the best prepared for the wilderness and natural areas not have prepared spells?
It just seems so obvious to me, and I've got no idea why it's not done like that already?!
Rogue: Is Pretty Good
If anything I'd say that I'm not a fan of skill floors like reliable talent, and expertise not letting you use it on other tools is a bit strange, maybe the large subclass level gap?
Yeah overall I'm a fan of rogues though, they're just solidly made.
Sorcerer: Spells Known
They tried to fix this in Tasha's with subclass spell lists, and I think that's good idea generally, but letting them swap them for (admittedly limited) options from 3 different spell lists is also weird
Just give them subclass spells they can't swap, or maybe can swap fron one list and you're good.
Warlock: EB is a Cantrip
Eldritch Blast is a good spell. Too good to be honest with multiclassing at least, it's one of the reasons PalLock is such a good combo.
EB should scale with Warlock level so be a feature not a cantrip, or cantrip scaling with warlock level like it was in that One D&D UA that they then reverted.
Wizard: Subclass Theming
Tying wizard subclasses to schools was a bad idea, and what we've gotten outside the PHB seems to be an attempt to go back on that.
It also means they don't have room to explore all of each school, I'd love a teleport or summon focused wizard but school of conjuration smashes them together weirdly
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ganondoodle · 9 months
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you know, as if it wasnt already boring enough that both link and zelda got back to their 'perfect' physical selves without any consquences from all that happened, the fact that zelda doesnt even remember anything either is just adding insult to injury
although it was also a lil disappointing at the end of botw that zelda didnt age even a little bit or had any other physical change at least she was conscious during the time she sealed calamity ganon in the castle and it overall feels less illogical
when you get the mastersword back in totk you get a cutscene of zelda with it after she had already transformed which kinda .... is weird? she seemed pretty awake there, and it being right after transforming is strange since the mastersword was already restored in that cutscene, i would expect it to be a slow progress- that said .. it also seemed like her soul was doing pretty fine, unlike how mineru said that you lose your soul when you do the dragon thingy; i guess it could be that that was jsut a thing that was believed without knowing if its true but ... why even mention it then, just to dangle some consequence in front of us only to reveal there wasnt any danger actually?
also someone (i think) commented once that zelda being turned back in that weird way was meant to be that she got time reversed .. which ... okay??? the teleport to that weird nakey floating dimension is still a weird choice to me (yes i know its probably the spirit realm or soemthing and thats why the ghosts that went poff already were there but it still feels off to me) .. aynway, i guess it was meant that ghost sonia + rauru did the give power to link thing that sonia and zelda did to rauru when he magic laser blasted all those poor moldoras (and never does it again ... why not magic laser blast away gan instead he was pretty openly standing on that rock problem solved hfldshnflsnjlfs) and that time reversed the dragon thing .... but aside from the symbol for the time thingy lighting up theres no indication for it if i remember right? its just some awkward looking magic beam blast save zelda edition (tm) why not at least include the clear tök sound that goes off when you use time reversal in game? would it have been both more clear AND cool if link was still standing on her head, the world gets that spirit realm filter like it did in skyward sword to indicate that theres a shift, then have the ghosties appear and let you as the player select time thingy and then her, ghosties give you their energy and the sound of time reversal goes off, the schemes of the world below goes black and white and start to shift; you dont need to literally show the path zelda had been flying over those thousands of years, but make the world a blurry mess and let the music speed up so you feel like you are actually doing something and then she turns back maybe near the temple of time (zonau edition) so its near the place where she was last human, the filters and ghosts disappear and whoop you got your epic falling scene ... but i would like to have zelda still remember it, otherwise it just feels .. weirdly manipulative? like lets reverse your brain and memory zelda no dont worry i meant good lmao trust me
that is if it was meant to be read as a time reversal on her .... but then i question why it wasnt used beforehand? couldnt you have done that to ganondorf even? if sonia and rauru can give you enough energy as ghosts then why couldnt sonia reappear after getting one-punche-mand-to-death or when you fight gan in the present time? is the excuse that he was so miasmafied or deep below the earth that the spirit world thing isnt in reach? couldnt you have done it after he did the dragon thing then? or is it a one time thing so they saved it for zelda? but then why didnt sonia get her ghost ass back there immediately after she died and time revrsed gan getting the enigma stone? ALSO if it was a time reversal on zelda where did the stone go??? shouldnt it be time reversaled out of her in some way to undo the dragon thing? where it go?? also to time reversal a body gotta be different to getting her soul back?? or was it just never gone so what mineru said about the risk was literally jsut so it seemed more tragic when it really wasnt??? like the apparent possibilty that the time reversal CAN be used on living things and not just objects makes me question it all even more?
(also was it meant to imply that rauru somehow through his arm got them both into the ghosty dimension?? bc how did they get there, and why cant they do it again? if spirits are fine over there even if they already went poof then why act so sad about mineru fking off like that? just go back there and say hi? njfkdnjkdj)
like im sorry i cant help but overthink all of this, with every supposedly explanation i just question it more?? i dont want to sound like one of those guys that go -OoHoh there was no clear text explanation for it so i dont knooooOOOOoOw i dont know how to use ma braiiin it makes no seeeensee- or maybe i am? i dont need an explanation for everything, in fact i LIKE when there are unexplained things, but it still has to feel .. whole? there are unexplained things that make a world and story feel more mystical without taking you out of it, but theres also a way to leave things both over AND underexplained with it seemingly contradicting itself or it just trusting that you take it all at face value and never think about it that it just feels off, the the first big moment where i felt SO taken out of the game i felt actually stunned was when i was at the shrine of life and it wasnt there anymore, at all, the cave shaped like a vague imitation of it, i felt like the game was laughing at me for being so distraught about it, like what you remember and care about the game this new one was supposed to be a sequel to? lmao, anyway theres a puddle of healing water :)))
idk i just ... if its not obvious already zelda is my special thingy so of course i overthink and criticize it in ways that may seem insane to the average person, but thats just how i work i guess :/
(i am still too thinking so much about how it all feels like such an afterthought, like especially with the weird time bubbles that literally NEVER COME UP AGAIN???? WHAT WAS THE POINT??? AND WHERE DID THEY COME FROM??? and why youd choose to suddendly give zelda time powers out of nowhere and then basically not do anything with it?? zelda astral projecting to the temple of time somehow even tho her soul was lost but is also fine just to give you the time reversal gimmick is so ?? oh wow look at that zelda gave you her sage oath before you even knew about them look how coool ok but how? and why? it wasnt the actual engima stone you touch to go into ghosty world either just like a .. a weird ghost of it, it just feels off man, ok you got zelda out the way and have your neat gimmicks and uuuh dang we need to find a way to give them to you idk lol listen, i KNOW you are not supposed to question it, i KNOW they always go gameplay over story but goddamn the story ruined the gameplay for me bc everytime i think about playing it again i just get reminded of the things that dont make sense or are just so .. lackluster in ways that even botws worst parts didnt)
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ancientgoddessofegypt · 5 months
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Script Manifestations: The Astrology Edition - Using Mars+Neptune/Scorpio Placements & The Mental Power Of Mercury
Scripting manifestation involves us to use our minds to cultivate the story of our reality we would love to see for ourselves. When we grab does pens to write in those journals about the little things we want we must gravitate to what motivates us to want more. What dreams are we going after? What does your subconscious say about your desires? What does our hearts continue racing? This is why my theory for planets mars,neptune, & mercury come in as the 3 main planetary energies to focus on when writing your scripts to change your reality. Scripting is one of the best ways to dive into the reality we wish to see for ourselves, leaving nothing to chance.. and if you had the power in your hands, why would you?
Also looking at the sign placement of scorpio will help benefit us. If you ask why scorpio, it is simply because scorpio has the ability to use the power of their tongue to magnetize things to them. Wether you have scorpio strongly in your chart filled with stelliums, your big 3 or simply connecting to a certain house, this is how you will polarize the dreams/reality you want to you.
So for people who want to know the best possible way to script using astrology, heres a few theories/observations i picked up.
Mars is the forced within us, the drive, the motivation, the energy we use to go into something head first without thinking it through. Mars is the ruler of aries, but most don't know it is also the co ruler (and the original ruler in sidereal) of scorpio.
The reason why i used mars as the first planet to work with is because mars is the physical aspect of something coming to fruition. And from what I noticed, the script manifestations that did come through i had to ACT out something. Like it couldn't of happened if i didn't do the research, didn't go out there seeking and looking for something to do, or even commit to the thing that i was working on. For example, one day i randomly wrote about the day i wanted to have out in the city, i put it in real good detail (mercury) and even imagined how it would go (neptune). One thing that stood out that day was that i randomly walked passed a store where they were playing live music, at first i felt like i didn't have enough time but then i felt this 'pull' to go in and said fuck it why not lets have some fun! I went in and saw some people in there groovin so i started groovin too! I went home later and checked out the journal and you know what was in there? I literally wrote that i would have the opportunity to just break out and dance and feel myself feeling the good spirits in the area and thats EXACTLY what happened. I didnt remember doing that and thought that was crazy how i got it but overall it was a real special day (and i put that it would be a 'special' day too!)
So with that being said you should utilize mars in your story because you have to will it into your reality by putting the effort & energy forward to get that outcome. Don't leave nothing up to chance if you don't have to.
Now we're dealing with neptune and the imaginary tales that we face when we're alone. Our inner selves mirror the reality we currently live in. Do you not like where you are? Its your job to look into the mind to see what is happening. The power of the imagination can create worlds in our current reality to bring forth the magic we need in this lifetime. So using neptune isn't the easier of the bunch when manifesting and heres why: the imagination doesn't always bring us to the destination. It dissolves the cloudiness that was in the way of us remembering exactly what we want to do. Neptune is the creative force, but with mars it can be willed into reality by simply listening to the higher heart. Everything doesn't always make sense, but the intuitive side of neptune flows and presents us with possibilities for the imagination to show forth its creativity in many ways. Neptune dissolves the means of taking things too serious, so with scripting being in 'delusion' (and i say this lightly) helps with mars walking into the door of unknown territory. Focusing on the higher self and its wants brings longer satisfaction in the souls drive for the human experience to be what it wants and not what YOU and the ego/conscious prefers. In order for things to flow smoothly, we must first meditate (neptune) on what we want, let the mind follow up with the details & description of something (mercury) and then awakening into that idea/plan and going for it with no remorse (mars). Allow your brain to sore into your consciousness to see all the ideas and different places you can go to in your mind, because practicality never wins with neptune. Ever.
Now neptune and mars together brings things to a grounded level. Mars is only doing what the mind wants, so the conscious side of our brains moves to the assertion of what we need or want at that moment. Anything is possible, which is why mars is important in scripting. Once the idea is already plastered on a sheet of paper, we can now admit that we must lead to where the idea paints us to be in. And no matter what obstacles seem to be in the way, it will not stop you from making sure the idea pans out the way it is suppose to. No matter how much we have in store, mars and neptune never care to be prepared... somehow this where mercury comes in.
Mercury is the prepared and unprepared energy of the two. It is the trickster that uses its mind to get what it wants and a lot of times is quick on their toes. Mercury is the descriptive story teller and needs to write out its ideas in order to see the plan come into fruition. Mercury doesnt like doing everything without a blue print, this is the more 'practical' energy of the bunch. Connected to both gemini and virgo, mercury is strong with its power of the mind, the voice, and the brain. So when we're scripting our manifestations, we must ponder on the idea before we go in tooth n' nail. Mercury thrives off the detail of a story, and again, you are the creator of your story.
Now adding all three planets together, we have mars the force in getting the idea to come into fruition. We have neptune, the one that starts it off with the imagination, & our friend mercury who is the planner and the one who pays attention to detail. With scripting all of these are a must and the feeling you get when writing them down also counts for something. Aspects & house placements are important in this too. If you have any random placements like neptune-sun, or mars-venus, mercury-jupiter this detail is wonderful because neptune/sun should focus on the self expression of the imagination. Mars/venus expresses itself through what you have a divine love/passion for, & mercury/jupiter should focus on the optimism and what it believes to be true. Hope this helps as i will present more on the aspects/signs/and house later on.
Now I added scorpio because scorpio is the witch of the zodiac. Its the one that uses its tongue to will what it wants. It can create spells out of the power of its mind and is useful when scripting our realities the way we see fit.
I'd say it's the perfect energy when writing down a clause for the end of our script. It's the spell that magnetizes the fruits we wish to bare. So I say whatever placements you have with scorpio is helpful with script manifestation. For example lets say you have scorpio in the 5th house, this is the house of childlike expression, romance, and talents. So each script you make you can focus on love, sensuality and what ever you are extremely passionate about because THIS will magnetize itself into your reality much faster than anything else. Same for any other house. Scorpio is what we are most passionate about so focusing on the house its in is important. If there is a particular placement in scorpio this can work as well however my focus was more onto the house cause I believe this is fine little detail in script magic. Hope this helps! Part II on this soon!
Ask me questions on how you feel about your placements when working with script magic!
I will be doing a second part of this focusing a small detail on neptune/mercury/mars in the houses & sign. Thank you for listening <3 cheers!
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far-side-skies · 1 day
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Reworking Noob
Inspired by this post by @crossyyt. Saying what we're all thinking, Number One Fan was a lackluster episode despite the fact that it furthered what little overarching plot we managed to get out of the end of Season 2.
And it's because of this guy.
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Gifs from this post by @atmosiacyclonia
Yeah, Noob. "The fan", and the writers' way of making jabs at both the fanbase and the industry as a whole apparently. Kind of entertaining on a first watch, especially over a decade after the show has ended, but looking at it critically...
He's just kind of a nothing character overall. We didn't need him to get involved in the quest for Warp crystals, he doesn't add anything to the story, he doesn't leave any meaningful impact on the story and yet he gets frozen in the prison crystal in Cyclonia Rising. Anyone could've been in his place and not much would've changed overall.
But I'm a believer that all characters have a use, you just need to find one for them. Noob didn't have much potential, but the potential that he did have feels wasted.
So let's see how he could've been put to better use.
TL;DR: I put him on the reserve team that was mentioned in Talon Academy and then never brought up again. Alternatively he could be a relative of Dark Ace.
Edit: I hit post on this too soon, added more thoughts as soon as I realised this wasn't in my drafts anymore.
First off: remove the meta commentary aspect. Poking fun at fans is bad form and commentary on real-life merch production in a fantasy setting like this is, in my opinion, nonsensical and makes my worldbuilding brain itch.
Second: Let's take a look at this kid's design.
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When did y'all notice that Noob has black hair
and red eyes?
I only noticed a year ago.
Remind you of someone?
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Allow me to freak out a bit, because
This can't have been an accident, right? What was the intent behind it? As far as I've noticed, these are the only two characters with this specific colouring. What was Nerd Corps trying to tell us??
Ok, freakout over. What are our options?
Noob and Dark Ace are related, and Noob's obsession with the Storm Hawks comes from knowing that he had a relative who was part of the old team.
Possible, but considering how quickly Noob bounced from being a Storm Hawks fan to an Absolute Zeroes fan, I don't think it's likely. If that is the case, then a rewrite of the episode would be needed to show a little bit more loyalty from Noob. I don't know about everyone else, but the jump from one fanbase to another feels like a pattern of behaviour in my opinion. He rotates through special interests on the regular. Nothing against that in a real-life context, but it feels like another mean-spirited jab at fans.
Meta commentary aside, Noob could be rewritten to be a fan of the original Storm Hawks because of this potential relation to them. It'd give us something close to a "real" origins episode if Noob was given a chance to infodump about his old idols. Maybe he dislikes the new team for being "inauthentic", or he doesn't care all that much about them, he's just interested in the Condor; a crucial piece of Storm Hawks history.
As for Dark Ace? Noob could either be unaware that the copilot he might be related to was a traitor (possibly indicating that the Sky Knights tried to cover up the traitor aspect), or he rejects the copilot out of disgust. He's just a traitorous Cyclonian after all and fodder for an identity crisis in Noob if he was anything close to a main character.
In short: Noob could've been used as an exposition device.
Option 2, and my personal take on how Noob can be made useful:
Rewrite him in full and give him a touch more screen time. Put him in Talon Academy for a scene or two, and then have him beg to join the reserve team that Aerrow suggested to Lynn. "Number One Fan" makes good on this suggestion and is about the whole reserve team, not just Noob.
I see this as a two birds, one stone solution. Noob gets to be useful, keeps his character trait as a mega-fan of the Storm Hawks, and that loose end from Talon Academy gets tied up somewhat. As much as I love the show, its episodic writing lead to quite a bit of disappointment. But it just means we get to play with all the elements like dolls.
Let him be an exposition piece for the world in regards to sky knight merchandise, but have it make sense in the context of Atmos. If he really is the only Storm Hawks fan out there (which I find doubtful), why are action figures of the team being made without the Hawks knowing? Either all his figures be handmade, or repurposed from existing figures of more popular teams like the Rex Guardians. Or hell, keep the joke that there aren't any Piper dolls in production, but have it be due to resource scarcity brought in by the war. Or Cyclonis bought every single Piper doll to use as target practise for whatever machine or weapon she's working on.
As I said above, let him be from the Talon Academy. Have him be so enamoured with the Hawks' takedown of this Cyclonian institution that he latched onto them as heroes and then got wrapped up in war propaganda in his efforts to become their number one fan. He's obviously a good few years younger than the team, so have his understanding of the war be incredibly shallow, and maybe give him an arc where he learns from that.
I was going to add more to this a lot more but a misclick or some kind of tumblr goof caused this to he published half-finished instead of saving it to my drafts, so eventually I'll make another post elaborating on these ideas. For now though I'm curious to see what everyone thinks, and their own takes on Noob. Is he a waste of screen time? Did you guys scrap him in your AUs? Did yall forget about him? Let me know.
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diceqi · 25 days
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just finished watching dr s2!!!!
how do we feel about it??
(spoilers ahead. don't mind me yapping HAHA)
tldr: s2 is goated, watch it!!!
personally i found it really fun but my slow brain couldn't handle the pacing (it was a little too fast for me to process, lol) but overall i really loved a lot about it like the animation, the soundtrack, the voices, the writing, and everything :0 it lowkey gave me sons of garmadon vibes (which is a good thing, cuz i loved that season)
honestly i'd give it an 8/10, cuz i like it a bit more than season 1 and we got to see some character development. honestly the only thing that threw me off was the random mech transformations especially with cole bc i feel like he doesn't need the mech? like he got the rock monster ability which wouldve been cool to use instead of his mech😭 but lego gotta get that bread ig!! edit: nvm i think cole needed a bunch of earth around him to use that ability so ig it makes sense why he would have to use his mech😭 also i wish we knew what cole's journey was like when he followed wu's spirit!! maybe we'll know soon?
i loved seeing more of kai and wyldfire and lloyd and arin. seeing arin frustrated hurt a lot because my poor boy was so overwhelmed and stressed😭 like that's so sad, it kinda feels like how lloyd had to become the green ninja and defeat his dad and the overlord lol. in this case, arin had to learn the rising dragon technique (but couldn't even do a proper spinjitzu) and stop the wolf gang, plus he wanted to find his parents and felt like he let everyone down :(
then lloyd getting visions was awesome, i loved taht they added it. it just adds to the chaos of the season and we got to see lloyd's struggles as becoming a master
then there's uh. some "lostshipping" scenes?. honestly i ship them so hard but i tried to think like a normal person lol. i think they're touchy and close because they think of each other as family. but i honestly can't get over the scene where geo has a flashback to cole holding his hand and cole looking at him lovingly😭😭 LIKE WHOA THERE BUDDY, SLOW DOWN!!!!
ALSO COLE TURNING INTO A DOG WASTHE BEST THING EVER I SQUEEALLLED HE WAS SO CUTE ARHHGHGH ARGHGHH!!!! COLE FOREVER!!!💗💗💗 AND HIM SAYING "i am always adorable!" MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD AHAHAH HE'S AWAREE ABT HOW CUTE HE IS I LOVE HIM SMMMM RAHHHHHHH!!!!!1!1!
also kai got locked with bonzle forever :( thats so sad but kai got optimistic and said the iconic "ninja never quit!!" line which made me happy. but he didn't get to see cole 😭🙏 and jay didn't even reunite with any of the ninja LOL
the ending was so sad and im kinda sad we didn't see enough abt jay but hopefully we will in part 2🙏🙏 man season 2 made me go thru a ton of emotions and honestly i think the hype was deserved :D
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faintingheroine · 4 months
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AN OLD RADIO DRAMA OF AŞK-I MEMNU!!!!!!!!
GOD I DIDN’T KNOW THIS EXISTED!
Two things I love: Aşk-ı Memnu and old Turkish radio dramas!!!
I am so excited!!!!!!!!
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Edit: I like the general vibe of this radio drama but I do think its Nihal is wrong. Her way of thinking isn’t well-delineated and her jealousy is ignored. It almost feels like Mademoiselle de Courton is more jealous of Bihter so far!!
I think adaptations except the 1975 miniseries tend to minimize Nihal’s jealousy over Bihter which I find interesting in itself.
Here in this radio drama Nihal is almost a joyful child which I like on some level since Nihal does have a joyful side, but she is also a melancholic extremely possessive type in the book which this radio drama doesn’t reflect. In this radio drama Nihal is so… normal. Like will she have fainting fits? Will she make Bihter’s life a living hell? Will she dream of joining her mother in her grave? Will she want to die to make her father sad?
This Bihter’s way of speaking is very charismatic which I liked, it is my favorite thing about this so far.
Edit 2: Ooff Nihal is really depicted as a normal child. Her possessiveness over Bülent is never mentioned. Her jealousy over/annoyance with Bihter is completely understandable and not as mean-spirited as I think it is in the book.
Edit 3: This was the biggest disappointment. Nihal was just a dumb wide-eyed child who wasn’t jealous of Bihter but was just legitimately annoyed at her. She did none of these things except fainting a couple of times:
“Like will she have fainting fits? Will she make Bihter’s life a living hell? Will she dream of joining her mother in her grave? Will she want to die to make her father sad?”
A Nihal who isn’t petty, who isn’t jealous, who isn’t possessive, who doesn’t shout at Bihter that she hates her, who doesn’t dream of death, who says that the wedding they went to was “beautiful”, who struggles to understand what Firdevs Hanım’s note means, who is never passive aggressive… Who is always laughing or speaking like she will cry at any minute. She didn’t even play the piano! Why does every adaptation except the 1975 miniseries bowdlerize Nihal? I don’t get it.
The drama ended with Nihal laughing and deciding to read her father a fairy tale. It is a good illustration of her character “regression” since in popular imagination fairy tales are something for children, but it didn’t mean anything because beforehand we didn’t really see Nihal’s reluctance to grow up beyond her once randomly telling her father that she didn’t want to marry (which didn’t make any sense continuity-wise because she seemed completely fine at the wedding they went).
Other characters weren’t much better adapted either. We never learned Firdevs Hanım’s backstory so Bihter’s dramatic suicide at the end didn’t make any sense. Bihter and Behlül did sound legitimately in love. Behlül was concerned for Beşir’s health!
The first half of the book was adapted in detail but the ending was incredibly rushed. Overall, badly made.
It is not my least favorite Aşk-ı Memnu adaptation solely because of its “aesthetics”. I like the diction and way of speaking of the Turkish actresses of 50 years ago, Bihter almost seduced me. I also simply like radio dramas. It can’t be worse than the 2023 Bihter film but it might get the second place.
For all of its flaws, 1975 miniseries is still the best adaptation of this book. Itır Esen’s Nihal with her cold stares and passive aggression will always be the best Nihal.
But nothing can hold even a candle to the book. They simply can’t reflect any of the character depth or the brilliance of construction in any adaptation. Maybe this book shouldn’t be adapted anymore.
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hopeymchope · 9 months
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My SPOILERY thoughts on Rain Code: Pre-DLC Edition
I've now finished everything that's available to us before the DLC cases start dropping in one week beginning with "Chapter Desuhiko: Charisma Killed the Cat." I'm totally down to learn more about the supporting detectives in this manner, so that should be a nice treat.
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But I've completed the main story, every side quest, unlocked every "Gumshoe Gab," and read through How to Be a Master Detective: A Yakao Furio Case. I've done everything I can do for now.
As such — since I already shared my SPOILER-FREE thoughts over here — let me offer you my SPOILER-HEAVY reactions under the cut below.
So click on for EXTREME SPOILERS regarding things I have questions/misgivings about, things I feel are teasing future sequels, things I adored overall, and more.
By the end, I feel like it's practically impossible to dislike Yuma OR Shinigami. After Chapter 2 makes Yuma AND the player really start to feel like the contract is a burden and Shinigami is unworthy of any trust, the game brilliantly gives us Chapter 3 — the chapter where Shinigami starts to chill the fuck out and they get to confront the most unambiguously evil culprit plot in the whole thing. Kodaka and co. did well to make us start warming back to the partnership right after pointing out the obvious concerns. Our heroes reach their lowest point and then climb back to their best. Shinigami becomes less hyperactive and more sensitive and caring. And of course, Yuma goes from being a weak, frightened little fawn and shifts into The final scene between them is genuinely heartstring-tugging.
The repeated hints about the darkness that Yuma has unleashed, the blood that's on his hands, and the talk from Vivia about the extreme dangers of the Book of Death and how the Book of Death "will destroy the world"... that obviously never went anywhere. I guess we're saving that plot thread for a possible sequel, most likely? (Though I suppose it might be discussed in the DLC... but I personally doubt that.) Because they worked so hard to make us go from "Shinigami is untrustworthy and extremely sketchy" to loving and accepting her at the end, making us revert back to fearing and distrusting Shinigami is going to be emotionally difficult to endure. ... And I live for that shit. :D
I also think there's still merit in my earlier prediction that in an eventual sequel, Yuma will have to face the music for his crimes of repeatedly reaping criminals' souls... and maybe even get reaped himself. The game regularly reminds us of the death on Yuma's conscience. That's gonna come into play somehow, at some point.
Another bit from that earlier post that I still stand by is that, if this series continues, we'll definitely see a case where the person we're trying to exonerate is actually TOTALLY guilty of the crime.
By the way... I once mused that I didn't think Shinigami's "ghost/spirit" design was very distinctive. But after playing the game, I totally embrace it and accept it now. Even though my partner kept calling her "Dollar-Store Gengar," there's a certain genius to her design. She couldn't be too visually distracting if she was going to be flying all over the screen for the sake of quick gags while accompanying you, so making her both a relatively simple design as well as primarily transparent was VERY wise. And purple has come to be associated with notions of poisonous presences and/or ghostly appearances pretty heavily in the past 30+/- years. Very clever.
Another unanswered question: What's with the animal ears on Zilch Alexander and the angrily aggressive nun? They twitch like they're alive! Are these people some kind of human/animal hybrid? Or, wait... since Zilch wears a hat and the nun wears a habit, is this just a little bonus feature of their headgear? Battery-operated fake ears? Whatever the case, Yuma clearly didn't think it was worthy of noting or mentioning, so it must be a fairly common sight in the future.
I predicted "Makoto looks exactly like Yuma under the mask bc of the homunculus experiments" VERY early. Like, literally when I first met Makoto at the start of Chapter 3, I was already there, LOL. But from that moment, I always thought the twist would be that Yuma was the homunculus-copy and Makoto was the original version of him. So I got that backwards. And I definitely didn't think Yuma would wind up being Number One or turn out to have identity-swapped with a minor background character. That was TOTALLY left-field shit for me.
On that same topic... when Chapter 5 began, I was so EPICALLY disappointed. Like, after all the teases about homunculi and what that terminology implies, we get... zombies. Just fuckin' ZOMBIES. The most overdone thing in video games for the past 20 years now!! But as the chapter continued on and the truth about the city became obvious to me, I was really excited by the reveals. I knew something was off about the "meat bun" obsession, but I had no idea where the hell this was going. I mean, why WOULD I? "Homunculus" has never before meant "zombie" :P And of course I had ZERO idea that everyone in town was actually a homunculus replacement for a dead citizen until the game started dropping those HARD hints during the Chapter 5 investigation.
How amazing was that "pink blood" twist in Chapter 5? Brilliant little meta-mystery that really fucked with DR fans' beliefs and expectations. BRILLIANT, I tell you!
One thing that sadly fell flat for me about the conclusion was exactly WHY Yuma went from "I give up, Makoto is right, I need to let him win" over to "NO! I must FIGHT BACK and expose the TRUTH!" It kind of felt like the only reason he did the latter was because Shinigami really wanted him to and was sad that he was giving up, and Yuma clearly cares about Shinigami by then, so he just.... goes on with it. Is it because he realized in that moment that he could successfully expose the truth AND still make everyone happy? Because how the FUCK could he have known how that'd turn out?!? Especially after Chapter 2's conclusion, Yuma had no reason to believe that exposing the truth was going to always be a good thing for everybody. ... Personally, I thought they really needed to make Yuma a lot angrier about Makoto grinding up criminals for meat. That mass-murder would've been a GREAT reason for him to get up and fight back, and it would've made a lot more clear sense as a reason for him to keep going than some vague desire for an idealized world that has every fucking reason to NEVER work in practice. I just... I don't get it.
Back to positive stuff: Chapter 4's murder mystery is one of the best Kodaka has ever put together. Just... no notes, great job, loved it.
I wonder if Vivia really is immortal somehow. The possibility isn't ever strictly denied when it's brought up...
Desuhiko has to be my least favorite of the Other Detectives/Temporary Partners. He's such a damn tool. :P
I hope they eventually give us some DLC or other side modes that let us learn more about the lost Chapter 0 detectives. They have/had so much potential to run deep. I'd be down to play a "Danganronpa S"-style side story that runs like a simplistic board game if it means we'll get more info on them.
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pepita-luna · 4 months
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Much has already been said about the Live Action adaptation, but I'm adding in my thoughts because I'm in a meeting that I don't really care at all about, and I'm on a YYH brain rot. 💖
Overall, I like it for what it is: an interesting retelling of Yuyu Hakusho. I didn't find the CGIs too distracting, the color grading feels nostalgic, the fight choreography is very on point, I immediately took to all the actors and felt that they delivered, and I could see the care in the little details like lines and sequences that they picked from the Manga and some few from the anime. The first two episodes is good and hooks you in, but the latter episodes suffered from the pacing. I'd compare it to having a 5-course meal, with the last 3 courses being fed to you in succession. And because the show was busy feeding you plot points it forgets emotional resonance. With better pacing, I think this would have been better. That said, I'd give this a 7/10.
I have other thoughts but if anyone cares, maybe it will be nice to talk about this LA or just YYH in general. 😊
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MORE SPOILER HEAVY THOUGHTS UNDER THE CUT! (will be edited as more thoughts come along) 👉🏼 💥
👉🏼 I recognize that I may be an outlier here, but I feel that by combining the first four arcs, it makes the story more cohesive. It hits on the necessary plot points to get to the climax of YYH - finding out about the corruption of the spirit world. Paced appropriately this probably would have Toguro as the red herring big bad of the show but ultimately have it all lead to Sensui.
👉🏼 And also budget. And more episodes.
👉🏼 While I was sad over not having the Dark Tournament I sat with it for awhile and realized that it's fine. If granted a few more seasons, the 3 Kings Arc can have this handled (then maybe it might not feel so empty, lol)
👉🏼 The pacing really took a lot from the emotional pay-off in the last two episodes. I want more interactions! Esp between the four. Yusuke and Kuwabara really had a good rapport. It's nice to know the actors became close with each other IRL too.
👉🏼 Keiko and Yukina interacting is so endearing to me. ❤️
👉🏼 IDC what anyone says Botan's outfit is fucking beautiful. Those piercings and peep toe boots? Amazing.
👉🏼 Although I have to say that some of the outfits (esp the ones in the Casino at Ep. 1) feel weird and make it hard to place this adaptation.
👉🏼 I love that, even though we don't get a lot of interactions between Yusuke and Keiko, the Live Action highlights gets the core of their relationship. More than just Yusuke's childhood friend and voice of reason, Keiko is his moral compass and sees him for who he is.
👉🏼 MAN MEIKO KAIJI FOR ONE EPISODE CMON. 😭 But that just tells me that this adaptation might have ultimately edited certain parts or re wrote the script to cut the train arc so early because of budgetary constraints. You can't convince me that they had Lady Snowblood only to utilize her for a short time.
👉🏼 Dat Smile Bomb Easter egg really hit me in my kokoro. 💖
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aphroditestummyrolls · 6 months
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hope its okay for me to just shoot you an ask but, oh my god, hard yes to your post about people hating the writing for sab s2. it especially irks me when i see posts claiming that inejs trauma was "erased" when there are clear choices in the writing and performance that allude to it. just because something is not stated outright does not mean it is absent from the text!! and something as massive and awful as what inej went through shouldnt be crammed into an already busy show, imo. in s2 a choice was made to focus on kaz' story because its most immediately relevant to the plot, and god knows there wasnt a lot of time. i think the writers are doing inej and her story a service by saving it for when they can do it properly. overall i think sab is a fun adaptation, and the writers (and performers, and everyone involved really) so far are doing really the most with what they are given, in the production constraints set up by netflix.
Hey hi! This ask is totally fine, thanks for sending it!
I made a whole separate post about Inej’s trauma when I was doing my season 1 rewatch, I totally agree with you. In fact, not only is it masterfully indicated by Amita without words, but the writers literally spelled it out. In the FIRST EPISODE of the show. And it made sense and suited her and her trauma is in everything she does. That makes sense.
I really just don’t understand a lot of the complaints. Like, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to like it. But why are you bending over backwards to nitpick these problems, when there are plenty of things that Netflix could have actually done better?
I think the real crux of my issue with it though, is that these things getting blamed on “writing problems” are really editing and pacing problems that are ultimately Netflix problems. Folks, we just went through a longggg writers strike in which it became abundantly clear just how little control writers have and how poorly they’re treated. Why are we going after the writers for things that they are already doing, when what the show really needs is more time and care from the studio?
All that to say, I absolutely agree with you. Both about your frustrations, and especially about how you feel about the show! I think it’s super fun, perfectly cast, well written, and preserves the spirit of the books!
Thanks for stopping by! ❤️
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n3xii · 1 year
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Are you on the right path? Pick a card ☆
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The short answer is yes, your spirit guides will always help renavigate no matter where you are so that you're always on the right path. but this reading aims to give you insight about yourself as you are, where you're going and what will help you progress. If any of this resonates, feel free to top at $Sarahx2x on cashapp. It really helps me and my family
Pile one
Where are u right now
You're investing time and effort into your creative activities, such as your hobbies and things you find fun. You want to be good at what you enjoy, and you're in the place where you don't mind doing the extra work or time consuming boring actvities that it takes to get good at what you enjoy. You could be creating art, trying to get good a video game, a board game, editing, writing, literally any hobby that requires your focus and extended investment.
Blockages
You're in a period of transition. You're confronting the tyrannous thoughts and even people who previously held you back in the past. I feel like you struggled to put the time and effort into what you enjoyed in thr past especially if I was a creative activity because you listened to people who tried to tell you that you couldn't, or that it would be too hard. The biggest obstacle you're facing right now is the beliefs and projections others out on you either directly or indirectly.
What you're doing right
Any conflict or tension you cause by pursuing your passions is actually something you're doing right. It's gonna make people leave or distance themselves from you and these are people that you don't want around you anyways. Don't worry if people exit or distance themselves or unfollow you on social media. Let your passions trigger those who shouldn't be in your life anyways
Pile two
Where u are right now
You're taking charge in your romantic life and relationships. You're setting the standards, criteria and boundaries of how you want to be treated and of what you want. You're no longer compromising what you want but at the same time you're still being fair to others. You're at the place where you're only willing to put in as much effort as you receive. You want to attract someone who's gonna be mature and contribute to the connection as much as you do.
Blockages
Constantly monitoring your progress with yourself and any connection you currently have or will have is gonna induce resistance. The seeds you've planted for what you want to attract have been planted in fertile ground, you may not see the results of the boundaries yet and over evaluating where you are will make you anticipate obstacles. You're doing fine, you've utilized your power and know what you do and don't want, don't over think yourself. Don't constantly monitor whether or not your getting what you want. True results take time.
What you're doing right
Developing new streams of income or even just embarking on a path that may lead to new income is creating an energetic structure that's gonna withstand disruptions and unanticipated setbacks. If you've recently got a new job, come into some new money, or embarked on a path that will lead to income down the line, your guides are saying this is absolutely the right thing to be doing because there may be some setbacks and hits taken to your financial security in the future.
I'm also seeing that this pile has been reevaluating their core beliefs. There'd been a reversal of all that you've worked for and a new path is opening for you because of it. This path will be very successful. A dramatic turn of events has been induced and this is gonna have a revolutionary impact on your success in life overall. You will enjoy the work and fullfiment this change has. It may appear as a setback at first but it will actually help you enjoy fortune and completetion, sometimes the "setbacks" we endure are actually necessary changes that we needed to address in order to get on the path to success we needed. Yes you are on the right path, just be receptive to the destabilizing changes happening to your life or core beliefs
Pile three
Where you are
I see you're trying to think and act with your head about situation regarding a reltionship or connection. You're trying to step into your power and understand what you need to do from a place of clairty and rationality. You don't want your feelings interfering with your power, it feels like you worry that if you approach this situation with strong emotions you'll relinquish your power to this person. I see you trying to be brave and stand up for yourself, and you worry that if you get too into your emotions you'll act irrationally and you're right. You may end up stepping down from your position and giving up your power, this other person may think they can manipulate your emotions if you let your feelings control you. Likewise, you may say or do something you regret down the line if you let your emotions take control. People who chose this pile are confronting their partners with something, and this will be different for everyone. But you need to be brave and in your power. You may feel a sense of guilt for doing this. You have no reason to feel guilty for doing what's right for you. If you let your feelings guide your action you may act out of a place of pity, hurt or anger instead of honesty.
Blockages
Conflict. There's alot of enegry inteference here, a sense of competition. You may feel that you have to compete for your place in this relationship and that there's other people who can take your place. This may not even be true, but overall you're trying to take the lead and make the change that needs to happen without lettinf your emotions talk you out of it or the emotions of someone else making you feel bad. Others feel that they have to fight to have their truth heard. Whether that be confrotning them or seperating from them, it doesnt matter. Your biggest blockage is acting in hurtful or apathetic ways. Using your head over your heart doesn't mean ignoring the feelings of yourself and your person. It's ok to be aware of what your feeling and espeically aware of what your person is feeling, but don't let that control how you act or interfere with completing your ultimate goal. Be aware, and be present. Communicate what you need to say and keep it moving. Don't be intimidated or talked down. Don't be manipulated by trickery, don't let it get to your head. If you let emotions take the lead you may be disillusioned or misguided.
What you're doing right
Staying faithful to your purpose. Harnessing the strength of your will and character is what you're doing right, being disciplined and loyal to your intentions is gonna help you do what you need to do. This pile doesn't want to be mistreated or put last and you especially don't want your emotions talking you out of taking necessary action. Keep doing this, your doing ir right
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chdarling · 1 year
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Hi CH, thank you so much for your wonderful story! I really love it!
I do want to express my experience as a reader and mention that while James was portrayed beautifully in the first book, I feel that in the recent chapters in this current book he's missing so much light, prankful energy and the leadership he's meant to posses. he's not playful anymore, quite broody and kind of boring. I think his relationship with Florence is literally killing his vibe and I cannot see why he hangs on to her or even like her romantically enough to date her for so long... she's been a good friend to Lily, and she's nice overall (really no hate to her, just realization she's not it for him) but she's so vanilla-boring in every aspect almost, and James is Aries, the element of fire, he needs intellectual and a strong spirited girl to stimulate his brain and attraction (well, in my pov anyway). I just don't get it and I think she doesn't even make him that happy, it really feels like convenience and playing couple after all, they just don't really click.
I know you're a brilliant writer, and so far your world building and plot are beautiful, so I'm not complaining and I'm sure you've put a lot of thought on the way you shape the plot and story. It is just an "I miss James" rant and while I'm at it, will we have more pranks and some good old Marauders scenes coming still?
Thank you again for the lovely story. Love to you.
I mean…James is going through a lot. He’s facing the inevitability of his dad dying, he’s confronting his own shitty behavior and flinching as he takes an honest look in the mirror. He’s trudging through the misery of teen romance and coping with the particularly painful heartache of unrequited love. Not to mention that he’s coming of age in the shadow of violence and the incessant creep of fascism. He’s 17! I think he gets to be a little broody sometimes. 🫠
One note though, with regards to James dating Florence for “so long”…they really haven’t been haha. They started dating mid January, and it’s like…barely April TLE time. I realize this misconception is almost certainly a result of it taking me so long to finish TLE2 and, frankly, some overall larger pacing issues that come from me writing chapter to chapter, rather than all at once and editing — both of which are reasons why I’ve decided that after TLE2 I am never writing-as-I-go again lol. But yeah, it’s not that long of a relationship. And they’re already very clearly on the rocks. 🙃
Anyway. Yeah, James is different from TLE1. And he’ll be different in TLE3. So goes the character growth!
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