#furthermore did you know he is not a real dude and you are not breaking any of his fictional boundaries by drawing him naked...

[astralcities]

like i'm sorry headcanon characters however you like but you cannot be saying "astarion is canonically asexual and therefore writing porn about him is bad." we've lost the plot somewhere. "well he said he doesn't want to be thought of in terms of sex" did you know that people can both be sexual and not reduced solely to sex objects

#broadcast #astarion #bg3 #furthermore did you know he is not a real dude and you are not breaking any of his fictional boundaries by drawing him naked... #and also that characters often change over time #would it be crude of me to screenshot the tiktok this is about. Or no

[asmo-ds]

this is kind off relatable for everyone tbh. mc got pissed off when another quarantine was announced so they packed their stuff and found a way to go to the devildom on their own. none of the brothers knew that they would be staying with them, how would they react? i can imagine asmo being shocked when he sees how irritated mc's skin is because of the masks!!

There Is No Pandemic in Hell

Obey me Crack

Word Count: 2534

Summary: when the government announces the quarantine has been extended, MC decides to pack their bags and head down to Hell, but they were so desperate to leave they didn’t wait for permission and instead grabbed their bike and rode all the way to their real home.

A/N: Ok so the brothers aren’t really in this fic until like the end and its mostly MC riding their bike through the layers of Hell and almost dies like 10 times. And they fight a cult. That happens too.

“The governor has announced that we will be once again shutting down most businesses and we will be required to wear our masks no matter where we are, that includes restaurants, which will be closing due to the inability to eat with a mask on. Furthermore, we-” You turned off the television, groaning pulling on your mask before you headed to the market. You couldn’t believe that so many people had refused to wear masks and now you were forced back to square one of the world’s recovery from COVID-19.

As you walked down the aisle of the grocery store, you got lost in thought. Did demons ever get sick? Surely they wouldn’t be affected by COVID and they definitely wouldn’t be trapped inside their home for 95% of their day (unless you’re Leviathan and then you will happily do so). You realize you passed half of the aisles you had meant to go down, effectively missing half of your grocery list.

You feel your D.D.D vibrate in your pocket and rip it out wondering if you had missed your daily call with one of the brothers only to see the group chat was being talked in.

Horny Man: Heyyy anyone wanna go shopping with me?

Horny Man: Except Mammon, I’m not looking to go broke from his shopping trip

Gambling Addiction: Oi! I was gonna go with ya but now I think I’ll stay >:(

Otaku Snek: yea that was what Asmo wanted lolz

Mom: I have council business with Diavolo today.

Bookworm: You can call it a date y’know?

Mom: Satan, come to my study immediately I want to have a talk with you.

Gambling Addiction: Ha! It ain’t me in trouble for once

Otaku Snek: Anyway I can’t I have an in-person meet up with some of my teammates

Hunger: Asmo, may I come along so we can stop at Madame Screams?

Horny Man: Of course Beel ~

You silence your phone and put it in your pocket. You couldn’t stand to watch them make plans so casually. It was unfair. You wanted to go out and have fun without your mask or risking your health.

You wished you could be in the Devildom walking around breathing fresh air and not walking through eerily empty stores yelling through two masks and some plexiglass. That’s when it struck you. 

Diavolo had told you that you had a home in the Devildom and were always welcome. So why could you not just go back now? Spare yourself the acne you gain from masks and the annoyance of not being able to hang out with anybody but your reflection every day. 

You abandon your cart in your excitement, silently thanking whoever has to clean it up and apologize as you run out of the store. You make it back to your home, pulling a backpack from the depths of your closet and opening it, throwing your most needed items in, and attempting to zip the overfilled bag as you try to think of how you’d get there. 

You know that Lucifer would never allow you to come on such short notice, so you knew asking them was a no-go. You suddenly remembered someone mentioning how to get to the Devildom by foot you had to walk through the seven layers of hell and you groaned knowing it was going to be a rough journey. 

You try to figure out where the entrance to the seven layers would be, googling all sorts of demonic places where worshippers would gather. You find one that seems like a good option as it is nearby.

You get on your bike and ride to the area and start to look for any worshippers that would be willing to help you find the gate. You wander the dark woods watching carefully for raised tree roots or rocks that would cause your bike to break. 

“Stop right there !” A man in a blood-red hood calls out. “State your business.”

“Listen, dude, I know Lucifer and I wanna go see him but he can’t know yet. So tell me where the gate is,” You reply impatiently. 

“Why should I help you? You don’t even know how to open the gate! You do not deserve the help of Satan’s worshippers-” You climb off your bike putting up the kickstand and walk towards the robed stranger. You grab his collar with one fist and pull his face close to yours.

“Show. Me. The. Gate. Or so help me I’ll summon all seven lords right now and have them disembowel you and gouge your eyes out as the life leaves them. You won’t get to work for Satan as you wish for, instead, you’ll be eaten by him in the most painful torturous fashion. I have to say few words to get him here so I suggest you send me down right now, bud” You growl. The man looks as if he is about to cry and points behind him. 

“T-the cave at the end of this path. You s-should walk into it and keep following the path of torches down. There you’ll f-f-find my cult and they’ll help you out, just tell them I sent you.” The man cries out with teary eyes. You let go and take a step back, giving a sweet smile. 

“Thank you, sir! I’ll put in a good word with Satan for ya,” you wink at the man before getting on your bike, carefully continuing down the path. You were getting back to the Devildom if it killed you.

Thankfully the cave’s path was fairly smooth and you were able to ride your bike to the group the stranger had spoken of. They asked you to stop and you had a repeat of the process you took with the stranger.

“... Fine, we’ll send you down but we need a goat,”

-

The ritual was performed and you were engulfed in a dark shadowy mist. You appeared in an area clouded with a purple fog and you felt sudden drowsiness overtake you. Sloth, the closest layer to the human realm.

You smack your hands harshly to your cheeks and shake your limbs to wake yourself up. You then remember you had packed a pack of Redbull. You stopped your bike and pulled the backpack onto your lap, pulling a can out and opening it as you continue on your way. 

By the time you reach gluttony, you had downed 5 Redbulls and were sure, if you even survived the demons that eyed you hungrily in the land with red fauna and food everywhere, you’d have a heart attack when you finally get to the House of Lamentation. 

You slow your bike down a bit, knowing demons were sneaky and fast. You take off your jacket as it gets increasingly hot the lower you go. Demons lurk in shadows and eye you hungrily and you shiver. Instinctively you place a hand on your stomach as it rumbles. Gluttony.

You suddenly remember the human world snacks you had packed since you knew how badly you missed them last time you were down here. You once again pull your bag onto your lap, ripping the packaging open. The crinkle and sudden smell of food caused multiple demons to charge at you, drooling and feral looks in their eyes. You put the food in your mouth and speed off, pedaling as fast as you can to the fifth layer. 

As the sky began to turn pink you let out a sigh of relief. Until you felt a small creature

on your shoulder. You had failed to notice it when you arrived in Beel’s layer, but it was a small demon that had fallen asleep under your coat and on your shoulder in Belphegor’s area. 

“Hey there, little guy~” You coo at the creature giving it a small pet. “You wanna come back to RAD with me?” The creature nuzzles into your neck with a demonic purr. 

You were glad to at least not be alone anymore.

Entering Lust was awful as you suddenly felt hot and bothered, barely able to keep pedaling. We’re almost to Wrath, just a bit further. Ignore the horny man’s power!

The clouds in the sky begin to turn a sort of green color, making the sky look a bit like a watermelon. Too caught up in staring at the sky you suddenly hear a small caw from your shoulder opposite of the one your newest companion rested on. 

The black crow with yellow eyes stared at you tilting its head. Mammon knows I’m here you thought giving his pact mark on your collar bone a soft touch to let him know you were okay, glad it was him that knew and not another brother who was bound to tattle on you. You nodded at the bird as it fluttered its wings and flew above you.

As you paid attention to the bird and the way it kept pace with you an angry demon jumped at you, knocking you and your bike over as your small friend and the crow both made noises of surprise. 

“Hey, Kevin, it’s alright if I call you that, right sleepy head?” you looked at Kevin as he made a happy noise in response. You turn your attention back to the angry demon that had taken the form of a large feline. “Yup… this is definitely Satan’s realm,” you sigh before sprinting off in a different direction trying to get the demon off your trail. You swerve through trees for quite a bit before you are able to get back to your bike, you, Kevin and the crow taking off at high speeds, approaching the orange wetlands. 

Its so unfair I have to go through all of this, your mind wanders, they all get to have this life without this stupid journey. So stupid.

You shake your head, urging away Leviathan’s envy and continuing to pedal down the dry path that was surrounded by an orange sea for miles. You focus on the path and stare straight ahead. 

Suddenly, Mammon’s crow caws in a panic as the water splashed upward with a creature that lunges for MC who manages to swerve and avoid the attack, pedaling faster and breathing heavily. At least I don’t have to wear the stupid mask while riding my bike anymore. 

The sky gets lighter, turning yellow and the crow flies in circles above your head cawing with the excitement of being in the layer of Greed. Gold littered the grown, jewels scattered about. It was bright and you had to squint but it was beautiful. 

Suddenly you stopped, an overwhelming urge to scoop piles of gold to bring along with you. Mine, Mine, my mind raced with selfish thoughts I need all of it. 

Your eyes shimmer with the reflection of gold as you reach out fingertips brushing a shiny Grimm before Mammon’s crow bites your ear, causing you to jerk back and place your hands over the targeted appendage

Wincing you move your hand and see the blood. “What the hell asshat! Do you know how much the straps of my mask are gonna hurt to put on now, stu- oh that’s right I won’t need the mask. BUT STILL THST HURT, YOU JERK!” The crow seemed to give you attitude and you realized it probably just saved you from succumbing to the sin and being trapped in this realm forever. You start pedaling again seeing a royal blue fog ahead. 

You take a deep breath and keep going forward, trying to stay as quiet as possible, knowing any demon in Lucifer’s land would be the strongest out of any you’ve encountered thus far. 

You failed to consider the blood dripping from your earlobe attracting demons to you. Suddenly a demon tackles you, throwing your bike to the side as it pins you down, mouth watering onto your face as it stares at your bleeding ear. You scream and kick attempting to free yourself to no avail. You feel tears welling up in your eyes as sudden regret runs through you.

Why hadn’t you just asked Lucifer and waited a couple of days? Why were you so desperate to escape Corona that you literally biked to hell?

“Kevin… Crow… Thanks for coming with me,” you whimper as the demon opens its mouth wide ready to bite.

Suddenly before it can attach its mouth to you’re flesh a sword goes into its mouth and out the nape of its neck. You shiver as its blood drips onto you.

“I should’ve known why we hadn’t heard from you in weeks,” a familiar voice says as he kicks the dying demon away from your trembling body. 

You jump up and wrap your body around the torso of Lucifer, squeezing and crying. “LUCIII THAT WAS SO SCARY WHY DIDN’T YOU GET HERE SOONER” you sobbed as he took his handkerchief and wiped your tears and snot.

“Well, I wouldn’t even have known you were here if it weren’t for that idiot Mammon bursting into my office screaming about you biking your way through the layers.” He sighs and suddenly picks you up, throwing you over his shoulder as he lectures you the whole way, dragging your bike with the hand that wasn’t keeping you steady as the crow let Kevin ride on his back.

“Wait hold on did. you say weeks?” you interrupt him.

“Yes time moves slower in the seven layers than it does in any of the places you’ve been to. So you were in there for about two weeks in our time, but to you it should have felt like maybe a few hours.”

-- 

“Ya should be thanking the GREAT Mammon for finding you and sending his best crow to find ya!” Mammon scolds as you sit on the couch, head hung in shame with Asmo and Belphie at your sides. 

Lucifer had left to go speak to Diavolo on the matter of the human exchange student walking through all seven layers of hell. 

“These guys are my favorite part of my layer,” Belphie reaches to your lap and pets Kevin, “They’re really sweet, y’know, for demons.”

“MC those masks were so bad for your skin,” Asmo puts his hands on your cheeks, twisting and turning your head to get a better look at the damage. “Tonight we will dedicate to fixing that skin of yours!”

“No way! MC obviously wants to come to play the new game I got today with me!” Levi shouts.

“Nuh-uh, they owe me and gotta come with me to the casino tonight!” Mammon yells back, as all the brothers grow irritated.

“MC, would you like to watch some detective movies with me, one of my larger felines attacked you and I feel as though I owe you,” Satan puts a hand on your shoulder. 

Belphie smacks Satan’s hand away and pulls MC against him, “guys they’re exhausted can we not do this right now…”

When Belphegor goes to ask what you want to do he is met with your closed eyes and steady breathing, mouth hung slightly ajar.

“...Yea we should have expected that but I get MC first when they wake up I call dibs, you can’t go against dibs!” Asmodeus continues the argument over who gets to hang out with MC first as Belphegor lays down and falls asleep with them.

You were just really fucking happy that you didn’t have to wear your mask and you could cuddle with people for the first time since March.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me belphegor #obey me belphie #obey me luficer #obey me crack #obey me crack hc #shall we date asmodeus #obey me! shall we date? #shall we date #shall we date obey me #obey me fanfic #obey me: one master to rule them all #obey me oneshot #obey me imagines #sad obey me imagines #obey me satan imagine #satan obey me imagine

[kkyujikoo]

These are my... 2...? Maybe 50, cents about the whole "freejk" thing. I'm gonna be extremely petty and at some points a whole lot sarcastic and it's gonna be long but I had to say it. As soon as I get my computer I'm gonna make it under read more, but the app does whatever it wants, as we know.

Listen, this ain't my first fan rodeo, and not even the first fan rodeo where I've been directly or indirectly accused of being some sort of pervert or delulu. I've been in fandom spaces since I was a teen, I was shipping mlm couples when queerbaiting in TV shows was still something that was seen as the norm rather than some cheap disgusting trick. I was there when fanfic spaces saw "slash" fics as something "different" and to be tagged with a more mature rating even when they just looked at each other.

I was in BBC's Sherlock's fandom and I shipped Johnlock during the hiatus between S3 and S4, at this point I'm not even feeling it when people call me delulu or a weirdo.

So, yeah, take this with a grain of salt: as a person who has seen thousands of times fandom drama unfolding and has lived too much of it... This whole situation is so ridiculous it makes me laugh. Like, yeah, it's maddening how people will blame anyone and everyone because they don't even see their own bias and homophobia, granted, but like... It also makes me laugh for the sheer dumbassery of the reasoning behind it all?

Like... Y'all are getting mad and for what? Because it sure as hell isn't the invasion of privacy, since y'all are watching the same content we're all watching and you're paying to see it the same way everyone else is. If you don't want to "invade their privacy", you should just... Stop watching content that isn't their music videos, RUN episodes or interviews. Memories and any kind of dvd/video that shows what they're doing behind the scenes shouldn't be part of their job as musicians, and therefore we're intruding in their privacy... Or aren't we?

Or maybe it's more nuanced than that: maybe the content they release on dvd/on their official channels is part of their job as entertainers, and it's been approved, and it's a small window THEY are granting us.

You know what's the REAL invasion of privacy and what REALLY invalidates someone autonomy? When you, who maybe aren't even paying to see that content (which is something I understand, like, dude, I'm not covered in money either), DEMAND what kind of behind the scenes content you want when I swear ABSOLUTELY NO ONE has asked you. Once again: you don't like it? You think it's some huge invasion of privacy? Don't buy it. Don't interact with it. Convince your friends to do the same. For all I care, just go and petition to boycott this kind of content. I know you won't do it, because... That's the thing, isn't it? It's not the invasion of privacy that bothers these people.

Y'all aren't mad because we get into their business or else you would have gotten real mad when we were privy to REAL private moments like people crying their hearts out.

No, no. Y'all are mad because it's "shipping content" and "fanservice" which apparently bothers you because it lacks authenticity.

Pick a side, lovelies: either you DON'T want to invade their privacy, and thus all the content they release should be focused on what fans want to see, or you WANT to know how they interact TRULY in private.

And here's the catch: "shipping content" can be anything. Shipping existed WAAAAAYYY before the word for it was invented, same way with fanfictions. Shipping means, literally, "seeing two (or more) people interact and thinking they would make a good romantic pair". That's it. That's quite literally it. Everything else is just some nuance of the concept of shipping, but at its core, it's nearly impossible to ban all shipping content when it's a group of seven people, because they should for real go in social distancing mode to do so. Most people who have parasocial relationships tend to have "ships" whether they know it or not, because we've all, at least once, looked at a dynamic from the outside and thought "oh man they look cute together". So, even if, o dear ones, your wishes were granted... What the hell do you mean by "shipping" content? Should they just film solo clips, avoiding talking about the other members? But wouldn't that be fanservice, since it's focused on pleasing the fans? (Which, ultimately, is what fanservice MEANS, and I hate to break it to y'all but the whole concept behind entertainment and thus all the content BTS releases it's... For the fans. Like, they're not going out of their way to just meet our expectations but they're certainly doing fanservice by the mere act of releasing bonus content.)

But it's not even quite that, is it? Because no one bats an eye if it's Tae kissing Nj's cheek. I've seen no hashtag against everyone - and I mean literally every one of them - wolf whistling at Nj. It's okay to show intimacy... Because they're bandmates and it's okay to be close to someone who you see basically 24/7, I hear you. And it's also okay when people see that and gush over that closeness, because it's such a nice thing to see.

Soooooo... We've got to free JK from whom exactly? From what?

Are y'all mad cause people pointed out there's very little way a bruise that stayed for a whole ass night could be a quick bite? Because that doesn't harm jk, at most makes fun of him and jimin and their poor excuses (seriously, guys, next time consider using mosquitoes or "I was doing stuff". It'll be equally embarrassing but at least the meme will be funny), and it's literally... A fair observation. Like. It's a hickey, people are gonna make jokes about seeing a hickey and poor excuses of covering it up in the exact same way they're gonna make jokes over jimin falling out of chairs. And yeah, a hickey is AT LEAST something that happens in a sensual context. Like, I could understand "people who are extremely familiar with each other will have different body language/touch in areas where usually you wouldn't see friends touching each other", but that's not. Not a hand on the thigh. It's a hickey on the neck. I don't even know a more stereotypical placing for a hickey. But once again, are y'all mad because someone is pointing it out? Because that's not being delulu or even being a shipper, really, it's just commenting on something that was approved to be shown and discussed in something that was released BY THEM.

Are y'all mad at hybe for showing something that literally fell onto their hands? Cause like, unless someone (I'm counting on Jimin, since as we know Jungkook was busy spinning him round and round and had both his hands busy) called at hybe headquarters to say "yo bang pd substitute, is it okay if I give my friend jk here a hickey? Cause he's being really annoying rn and he has to pay", I highly doubt anyone expected Jungkook to come to rehearsal all neatly marked up. Or idk, maybe someone at hybe asked them "we need Jungkook to come in with a hickey but refuse to say it's a hickey, so that fans will feel reeeeally served." That sounds perfectly plausible too. Or a good marketing strategy.

Now, if you're a big company and your objective is to have some footage of the rehearsals for a concert, and the fandom is too good at noticing stuff for their own good, and one of your artists comes in with a very visible mark, and he and his bff bropal4lyfe come n with a story about how they were playing and a bite happened, you've got three choices: 1. Cut the artist out of aaaaalll the footage. Someone would have noticed the "bite mark" anyway, you best believe that. If you don't want anyone to notice it, you gotta cut him in most of the footage where it's visible. 2. Keep the hickey, discard the explanations. You could do that, but also it would feel a lot more unfaithful to everyone involved. Also they clearly worked their ass off to invent an explanation, come on! They truly tried to do their best inventing something that was not "it's a mosquito bite", they should get some credit! 3. Keep the bite, keep the explanation.

Notice how none of these solutions include the biting never happening because... They couldn't prevent it? The only thing they have any control over is how they're framing each "accident". And that's not an easy job.

I applaud you, people on the editing team.

So... On whom should we cast the blame now? Ah, yes, I think it's finally time for the ultimate scapegoat of this fandom: Jimin. Which is funny, cause... You know... If this were really about privacy, or being "victims" of shipping... This should be about freeing him too, you know? But obviously Jimin does it for attention, while Jungkook, poor angel that he is, doesn't even know what shipping is.

Furthermore, don't we all know how much Jimin imposes himself in Jungkook's life? To the point where he, multimillionaire man feels compelled to share a car with Jimin even if they're both late in the process. And can't you see how uncomfortable he is, draping himself over Jimin, making Jimin drap himself over him?

Oh lordy, truly such an awful eight years Jungkook spent, choosing to have vacations with someone who made him uncomfortable, spending free time with him, even having to suck his ear in public to the point you can see his saliva just because Jimin was sad :( truly an all-around bad time for Jungkook, as evidenced by alllll those times when he said Jimin was pretty, cute, and all-around knowing every little thing about Jimin. I absolutely concur, the dude would be so much more happy if jimin was not in his life.

Did that sound weird and absolutely ridiculous and a really absurd joke? Because that's what y'all sound like to me. Like. Jungkook is out there living his best life, getting hickeys and showered in affection and y'all paint him as a fucking martyr??? I'm sure he's really truly desperate that Jimin holds him in such high regards 😭😭😭 I can see him suffering whenever he starts doing his own serendipity rendition 😭😭 and when he claimed you are me, I am you as his and Jimin's only 😭😭😭 I cannot believe this poor baby 😭😭😭

I've reached a point where every time I hear this stuff I laugh because the levels of twisting reality when it comes to jikook are extraordinary, Jungkook will have a literally blissed out face and people will cry in outrage.

But coming back to my point: let's pretend you're not mad at Jimin and the possibility that jikook are dating: are y'all mad... At the hickey? Because at this point it seems like the only feasible solution. And if you are, do not worry: I'm sure Jungkook's skin was throughly healed by his boo. A kiss soothes even the worst pain, doesn't it?

#jikook #that freejk dumbassery

[the-lightning-strikes-again]

Pacific Rim (2013) and the Chance to Try Again

So I re-watched Pacific Rim (2013), per an anon’s request that I write a Pacific Rim-based Voltron AU. And I know this movie is clearly a love song to mecha genre as its ultimate goal. But in re-watching Pacific Rim in 2021, an odd moment really spoke to me. It was how badly Mako Mori struggled in her official debut in Gipsy Danger, how dangerous her triggered reaction was to other people around her, and yet how Raleigh Becket had an empathetic reaction that helped Mako get back up, resulting in her ability to reclaim her agency against a reputation as a traumatized failure.

I guess a little background to explain further, and why this meant so much to me:

So here’s this Asian woman who’s been asking for years for her chance to prove herself. She’s been told by her guardian, Marshall Stacker Pentecost, that she will fail to function in a drift setting because of her inexperience with reigning in emotions/a need for vengeance. But Mako Mori finally gets the chance to be a co-pilot, finally connects to a very real drift inside a very real jaeger…and then, oop. Becket has a negative reaction to his own memories and falls out of phase. This sets up Mori, who is unexperienced in handling this situation, to “chase the RABIT.” She has a genuinely traumatic breakdown that nearly kills her own comrades in the Shatterdome. She unintentionally activates Gipsy Danger’s weapons to protect herself from the ghosts of her own memories.

The team has to actually shut down the jaeger to protect themselves from being annihilated.

Upon shaking out of the drift, Mako Mori knows she has validated Pentecost’s fears and judgements about her. She is pretty sure she’s lost her chance to achieve her goals.

And clearly, her father figure Stacker Pentecost—who does love her and is as such overprotective—has been struggling the whole time with accepting Mori in a jaeger. The standard Toxic Masculinity figure of Chuck Hansen has a hissy fit that Mori is too inexperienced, and he actively tries to get her pushed out too, even accusing Becket of standing up for Mori only because he thinks Raleigh has romantic interest in her.

But it’s Raleigh…this very masculine dude with the somewhat over pronounced man-strut in his step lol, who does something that I really appreciated seeing.

After everything, Becket fights for Mori’s reinstatement when Mori has lost faith in herself and is trying not to break down in shame. And then he sits by her and actively tries to empathize with her about how rough a drift can be.

And Raleigh doesn’t do this because he thinks she’s pretty, or because he’s trying to take pity on Mori as some kind of male savior for her weak emotional constitution. This is the guy who is most likely to die first if Mori screws up in real-time, and this is the guy who can acknowledge that he helped set Mori into a no-win situation.

And unlike Pentecost (who initially wants to protect Mori at the cost of her own agency) and Hansen (who believes Mori is too incompetent to function above reproach), Becket knows what Mori was capable of. He believes in her 51 drops, 51 kills simulator score. He believes in her physical and intellectual capabilities based off his interactions with her, which are things that both Pentecost and Hanson immediately forget when Mori fails her first real drift and endangers people.

Becket knew what Mori could do if people just…invested in her and gave her a chance, now that she knew what drifting was like. He saw his own struggles in her and empathized with her as a human being. He takes some responsibility even over the fact that she was not simply made aware of/prepared for what she could face in that drift while also being hooked up to a weapon of mass destruction. Because as we see later in the film, once Mori knows what to expect, she can function very well as a co-pilot.

Had Raleigh not believed in her, had Pentecost tried to permanently ground her out of fearful love, and had Mako Mori herself accepted a reality where she was only a failure—the kaiju would have absolutely decimated multiple cities. Because Mori did not remain tied to her initial failure, the resistance lived to fight another day.

The more I thought about the fall and rise of Mako Mori in this 2013 film, the more I really appreciated those moments.  

Because if a woman makes a mistake and big-time screws up their debut, it’s usually a death knoll, and even more so if that woman is already living in an environment that makes her a second-class citizen to begin with. People often act like a Chuck Hansen and write her off as incompetent/dangerous, or they pull a Pentecost and assume her to be too weak/too emotional to be of use. There’s not a lot of forgiveness for a woman. Whereas, there’s generally a lot more forgiveness for a man to screw around on the goodwill that he has potential. So it’s pretty rare to see a woman mess up as Mori did, especially in an emotional, traumatized way with such potential consequences…and to see someone still fighting to reach out to her. To empathize with her. To offer her the second chance they knew she could handle.

So it hit me that when the computer in the movie asked, “Drift sequence terminated. Would you like to try again?” and no one answered, Raleigh Becket didn’t have to. Because he had already answered yes, and he had been saying yes for every second he was trying to reach Mori.

And as the movie unfolds, yeah it might be redundant that Raleigh talks to her out loud while they’re fighting. But he takes actual time to warn and prepare her for what they’re facing—because he’s been here before in the real world, and she hasn’t. He’s trying to keep her in the present and to keep himself grounded too so he personally doesn’t bog her down. And it’s in this environment that we see Mako Mori absolutely bloom into one of the best jaeger pilots the world has ever seen, not including that she’s part of the first team to ever single-handedly take down two category four kaiju in one night. And furthermore, we see a Mako Mori who doesn’t just internalize her emotions. She uses those emotions to carry on the fight and to rally Becket to another charge, even when he believes they’re out of options.

So I guess to wind down this rambling meta, I felt that this wild and fun movie contained some content that, whether intended or not, spoke to me today in a new way I hadn’t seen it as before. I thought it was pretty cool how in this movie, women can rise above a failure and try again, successfully even. The message that men can feel empathy with a woman or understand their struggles is still wildly progressive in today’s world, where it’s more acceptable for women to empathize with men than the other way around. The message that trying to understand helps everyone rise together is lit. And I didn’t really expect to be flailing over this movie and this concept in 2021, but here we are, lol.

#Pacific Rim #Mako Mori #Raleigh Becket #Stacker Pentecost #Chuck Hansen #fandoms #mechas #empathy #failure #gender dynamics #I watched to think about a Voltron AU but got caught up in how I felt Pacific Rim did some pretty cool stuff #some things that i've been craving being in fandoms where if a female character isn't perfect then she's trash #it was really refreshing to return to Pacific Rim because it canonically grapples with that concept and rejects it #it says that a triggered and traumatized woman or an angry woman is valuable #she might even be the one to help save the world #I think Mako Mori and Princess Allura would get along well #BUT ALSO PACIFIC RIM UPRISING DOES NOT EXIST #I REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MOVIE AS ANYTHING MORE THAN A TERRIBLE FANFIC #but yeah so anyway back to mecha movies and encouragement to try again even if you fail #that sometimes we can't help failing or are set up for failure #but that you can get back up #and try again #and that a failure or a trauma doesn't have to define a person's identity or capabilities #that's how this movie read to me today

[4ragon]

oh can we please hear the magatama essay??

Oh boy oh boy, let’s go

Ahem

How to Lie to the Magatama

An essay by JJsADragon

Unlocking Psyche-Locks with the Magatama is a really fun mechanic throughout the Ace Attorney series. It’s introduced in Justice for All when Pearl charges the Magatama Maya gifts to Phoenix with spiritual energy. She describes it thusly: “This is the power of the Magatama. Only you can see these "Psyche-Locks", Mr. Nick… The more someone wants to hide their secret, the more locks you will see. If it's only one, I think you can easily unlock it.” 

Basically: If someone has a secret they don’t want to share, you have to present in-game evidence and break the locks. Things get a little more complicated with the introduction of Black Psyche-Locks, but the general gist of it stays the same. Someone has a secret they don’t want to tell you, and you can unlock that secret with evidence.

This, I believe, is fundamentally wrong.

Why do I think that? Well, I always really like picking apart these mechanics, both as in-game mechanics and how they would work in the real world. In particular, I think the most interesting way to see how something works is to figure out its shortcomings. What does and doesn’t set off Apollo’s bracelet? Why doesn’t Athena notice The Phantom’s whole deal? And, more to the point, when does the Magatama straight up get things wrong?

There are several moments I want to focus on. We have seen the Magatama fail several times throughout the series. Or, to clarify, we have seen at least one time when locks should have appeared where they did not, and several times where the chains did appear and the answers uncovered were either incomplete or just straight-up incorrect.

So, let’s find out how and why the Magatama fails us. First up: 

The False Negative: Farewell, My Turnabout

Fortunately, I think this one is the easiest one to understand. The Magatama has one very clear false negative in Justice for All: Farewell, My Turnabout. Phoenix asks Matt Engarde if he murdered Juan Corrida, and he replies, “Just so we're clear, dude, I didn't kill anyone, and that includes Juan Corrida, OK?” And he’s correct. He didn’t kill anyone. He did not actively commit any murders. And on that technicality, the Magatama does not go off. He did not kill anyone, and he knows it. He believes it. He feels no residual guilt over it. His hands are clean. Hell, he seems kind of gleeful about the fact that he was ‘technically right’ when the truth comes out later.

So, why didn’t a Psyche-Lock appear? As I said, it was a technicality. He wasn’t trying to hide it from Phoenix, he just truly felt no responsibility for what happened. He felt no guilt about it. The Psyche-Locks don’t appear until Matt’s secrets come up. 

This, of course, lines up neatly with our understanding of the Magatama. This instance very clearly falls within what we know about Psyche-Locks. If you’re not trying to hide it, if you truly believe what you’re saying, it’s not a secret the Magatama will alert you to. So, what about these other instances? Do these line up as neatly in the rules of the Psyche-Locks?

The Half Truth: The Cosmic Turnabout

This one is a little strange so I’m just going to touch on this.

In day one of your investigations for The Cosmic Turnabout, you run into a conflicted Bobby Fulbright. When pressed, two Psyche-Locks appear, and unlocking them leads you to three conversations: 1) The bomb threat before the launch, 2) Why Simon Blackquill was given permission to prosecute, and 3) The mysterious Phantom.

So why do I call this a false positive? After all, he is technically hiding all these things. And yet, a lot of how this Psyche-Unlocking goes down doesn’t really make as much sense when you consider that Bobby Fulbright is The Phantom. It really doesn’t make much sense how much information he’s feeding them about the situation, unlocked Psyche-Locks or not. Especially the way he goes about the whole thing. 

We know in hindsight that The Phantom doesn’t actually care about Simon Blackquill or solving the crime that he committed. Every display of emotion is an act. So why does he make a big show of feeling conflicted? Why does the bomb threat that he made lead him to divulging all of these worries about Simon going after the Phantom? Was him revealing this information part of his game? Since we know he was trying to cover his tracks, was he feeding us half truths for a reason? Did he want to feed us this information?

If that’s the case, that leads us to a new problem. Since the question asked was “Why Are You Being Cooperative”, why wouldn’t the fact that he was the Phantom ping the Magatama? He was being cooperative so that he could feed you information, not because he cared about any of the things he was ‘troubled’ by. So why does the Magatama only pick up on half the truth? After all, the Phantom wasn’t knowingly tricking the Magatama.

(Also if you haven’t read this comic I thought it was a super interesting theory. Not sure I ascribe to it 100% but it was a really interesting take.)

I think it’s important to note in this example that, no matter how you interpret The Phantom’s actions, all signs point to him wanting to divulge this information for one reason or another. There was an intent about it. He may not have known a thing about the Psyche-Locks, but he very clearly was baiting the protagonists with an intent. And technically, without knowing it, he was also baiting the Magatama. 

This means that, in the end, the information he actually revealed to the protagonists was not a closely guarded secret of the heart. Yes, you still needed to present evidence and draw it out of him, but I think The Phantom wanted the characters to draw it out of him. It’s not a secret that a bumbling detective was having trouble hiding, it was information that a spy wanted planted. There was intent here, no matter how you look at it. And that leads us to our third example.

The False Positive: The Stolen Turnabout

Unlike the previous two cases, this is the first time that someone has straight up lied to the Magatama. Trials and Tribulations: The Stolen Turnabout. I always get so mixed up by this case. It took me three playthroughs to finally get the hang of who was doing what where and when. And do you know why that was? It was because of one lie that Luke Atmey told us early in the investigation.

Phoenix: Detective Atmey... You were knocked unconscious by the thief, weren't you!?

Atmey: Ha ha ha! Surely you must be joking... You think that I, Luke Atmey, could be knocked unconscious so easily!?

Phoenix: This sword proves it!

Atmey: ...! Th-That's...

Phoenix: Before the theft, this sword was in the hand of the statue of Ami Fey. Furthermore... at that time, it was not bent.

Atmey: Aaah... Err...

Phoenix: ...There's only one explanation. You were struck on the head and knocked unconscious by this sword! Well, Detective!? What about it!?

Atmey: ...I'm impressed. You truly are an "Ace Attorney"...

Unlock Successful

Unlike every other instance, this is just a straight-up lie. This is not a technicality, like with Matt Engarde. This is not pieces of the truth, like The Phantom. This is just factually incorrect. Luke Atmey was not knocked unconscious by Mask☆Demasque. In fact, this not only is a lie, it’s a calculated lie. Without knowing about the Magatama or its capabilities, Luke Atmey used it to convince us that he was knocked unconscious by Mask☆Demasque at the scene of the crime to disguise the fact that he was Mask☆Demasque, which is even wilder when you realize later that even that was a lie! He was covering up a lie with another lie with another lie. It was not just a ploy to fool you into thinking he was attacked my Mask☆Demasque, it was also a part of him convincing you that he was Mask☆Demasque when he wasn’t.

So why the FUCK does the Magatama go off?!

There’s of course a meta answer. The writers weren’t thinking that hard about it. They just wanted to use the Psyche-Locks to make the story more interesting. But that’s boring. I want to go deeper.

Luke Atmey, like The Phantom later on, wanted information planted. But he couldn’t simply tell everyone he was attacked by Mask☆Demasque. After all, he knew admitting to it would put his credentials under scrutiny. So he needed someone to organically draw it out of him. Again, he wanted this information out there. Otherwise, him agreeing to Phoenix’s conclusions, hell, him setting up this scenario with the Shichishito wouldn’t make any sense. Plus, it was only behind one Psyche-Lock and led to him revealing a photo of the crime, one that he was very meticulous about taking to create an alibi.

So. What does this all mean? How are people confusing the Magatama? How are people lying? I think that the element that Pearl got wrong in her initial explanation is that the Magatama reacts to secrets that, deep down, a person wants to divulge. After all, with enough evidence, you can eventually draw all sorts of information out of a person. Some are certainly more closely guarded secrets than others, but in the end, I think the Magatama reacts to secrets that a character wants to share but is not willing to do so without that prompting. It doesn’t have to be real, it just has to be something the person is keeping secret with the intent of finding a way to plant the information.

This can even apply to Black Psyche-Locks. Unconscious secrets that are hidden even from the person hiding them? Those are deep hurts that I think drive a lot about these characters’ personalities and motivations, and I think things like that are the kinds of stuff that a character wants to confront but is unable to do so out of fear, so they push it from their minds.

Let’s look at a few more examples. In Bridge to the Turnabout, Miles demands info from Larry, and he’s able to completely circumvent the Psyche-Locks by divulging something completely irrelevant about his crush on Iris. When Miles realizes his mistake, he discovers a completely new set of Psyche-Locks. Or when Phoenix confronts “Iris” about the presence of another Iris at the crime, “Iris” (cough Dahlia cough) uses that to start planting these ideas about Iris as the original betrayer, as the one who had wronged Dahlia in the first place. I feel these are both things that the characters did want to share, despite not wanting to do it unprompted.

Anyway, uh, that’s most of what I got. Perhaps there’s a stronger answer out there for why the Magatama may react in places it shouldn’t. Maybe there’s some other hidden rule they haven’t mentioned. Or maybe it is just as simple as “The writers didn’t think that hard about it.” But hey, I think I like this interpretation better.

#ace attorney #spoilers #ace attorney spoilers #meta #j

[wehatejulietsimms]

I said there would be a part three on the WTHTD video and I decided to keep it quiet a couple days ago until my gut told me to post.

Please stick with this read as it will get deep into lore and connections

My conspiracy on the scorpion tattoo part two:

In the WDHTDANCE video

there’s two girls; one blonde and brunette.

At first, a regular person might pass it off as

“Oh, two girls in the background! MV standards.”

Sadly, no.

It’s Juliet and Angie before and after Andy found out about Scientology and their wickedness.

Let me explain and backtrack the beginning theory of the music video.

It starts with Andy walking into a hotel building with a monster holding the door for him. He walks into a dark movie theatre room that relives his past memories, AKA the AUDITING ROOM or what other people refer to as the *fake* Akashic records room. (A spiritual place that stores memories that many fake spiritual gurus love to talk about in *awakening*)

What’s with this room, you ask? Scientology is known to bring people into rooms to “clean their memories and get their stories straight.”

While Andy is watching on the screen, there’s two innocent girls, as previously mentioned before, living their best life and looking flirty at a party. Sources say Andy and Juliet met at parties/festivals back in the day with Juliets family near always, which includes her sister who was trying to become an influencer as well.

Throughout the video shot, Andy’s being watched by this monster man in the background, making sure Andy is watching attentively and he’s looking at the scenes worried in regret. Furthermore, these two girls turn into hideous morphed demonic beings at the foot of this monster.

Then shows the shot of an innocent woman drowning in water.

“Oh how don’t you drown in a rain storm”

He’s asking Juliet why she isn’t exposed from the spotlight from all the shit she’s put herself in. Hint, nobody knows who the fuck she is and Andy’s asking why karma doesn’t punish her yet. (It’s coming! It’s already been hitting her!) Why hasn’t she drowned in all the fucked up situations she’s created through the years.

During the auditing process, Andy is being purged of Juliet and the Simms family secret of darkness so he can view Juliet as an angel,

like how the women think they are the monster’s little wh*re princess (excuse my language) because they think THAT monster is in control of Andy’s wording and thoughts during the auditing process. Aka Scientology, and Juliet’s father.

I believe Andy is watching carefully around their father because they come from money as well as

Jeff is an A class narcissist himself and says “peace is everything when you can fuck everyone over!” and tries to make Andy something he’s not, which is an asshole.

We don’t have to dance, is a song toward Juliet saying I’m not going to make this relationship something it’s not up to be. I know who you truly are and it’s not something that I’m going to keep loving you toward, so we can still be in a relationship because I’m stuck with you but I’m not ever going to love you (.) like I did when I was young and naive ever again.

Record scratch (auditing) ; Steve Miller Band (the joker is one of their classics)

Tattooed necks and tattooed hands

(Facade to hide in and be the person that they want him to be, so he tries to be comfortable as much as he can. ALSO, the song THE JOKER BY STEVE MILLER BAND GOES INTO DETAIL ABOUT ALWAYS BEING IN MASKED PERSONALITIES and being seen differently by everyone, which Andy feels like)

Oh, how don't you drown in a rain storm?

(Previous statement above ⬆️)

Fresh regrets, vodka sweats

(He regrets meeting her and getting married so soon and he drowns her out with vodka getting too drunk and having night terrors)

The sun is down and we're bound to get

Exhausted and so far from the shore

(I think that line perfectly states how far they’ve tried to drive him out of his “let’s create a better world” mentality & bright eyed personality into feeling exhausted and enslaved, overall not like the inner child he once had. Fucking Juliet being an older cougar and taking advantage of Andy’s youth while his parents sold him out and Ashley was a weirdo who gained half the rights to the band, not only that but his record label’s pressure, band mates, crew, friends (which are mostly Scientologists) to always go along the dotted lines like a script, literally.) He was only 18-20! A baby! who was groomed up by old Hollywood cults for selling him a dream that left him almost dead.)

You're never gonna get it

I'm a hazard to myself

I'll break it to you easy

This is hell, this is hell

You're looking and whispering

You think I'm someone else

This is hell, yes.

Literal hell.

(The fan base used to think Andy was this confident almighty saviour because he cared about us, his young sweet heart cared about helping people and he was drowning in regret and shame from the fake industry and kinfolk behind him making him feel left out, delusional, and not belonging. He was feeling a moment of weakness in these lyrics and had to put on a facade that he was some big seductive rocker dude for financial and status sake, which in multiple interviews he feels bad about because HE HAD TO DO THAT out of survival mode and not because he wanted to! Now, today he’s seasoned and getting in control)

We don't have to talk

We don't have to dance

We don't have to smile

We don't have to make friends

It's so nice to meet you,

Let's never meet again

We don't have to talk

We don't have to dance

We don't have to dance

(This is basically an ode to meeting Juliet for the first time. Or getting into a relationship with her in the beginning. He’s writing what he now would have done instead of marrying her in 2012. Didn’t they say they both hated each other when they first met? He wanted to listen to his gut instincts and he felt deep regret in those lyrics)

Bottles smash, I raise my hand

How can you all even stand it

Why is there joy in this poison, oh

Faking smiles and confidence

Driving miles to capture this excitement

I can't take anymore, oh

(He’s asking why isn’t anyone caring about fake people including literally everyone he’s surrounded by, including us.

Why we used to not care about diving into the abuse and delusional shows everyone put out there, fake smiles and fake personas to keep fans alive and happy, which is coincidentally the most popular BVB was.

I wish Andy knew that for us, it wasn’t fake and that even though he was depressed and angry inside and still showed up for BVB army is a very selfless act, because he wasn’t forced to be nice to anyone but only put on a stage act by management.

Now he’s really shining and we get to see the person he has always been for us, a neighborly seasoned person who sings his truth and we, as BVB army fans, relate to the sad darkness and happiness overcoming it too.

He’s real and always has been, even if he’s had to hide and mask for his protection.

He gained popularity and support because he was authentically himself and showing up for him when he felt the shittiest (even when he thinks he didn’t handle it correctly with fighting and alcoholism,) still he showed up and gave everything in authenticity and pure emotion, Andy style. I think he’s come to conclusion that his stage presence is something special outside of his personality and that it’s okay to express your soul on stage even if it’s changing, he’s coming back to who he’s always been inside. I think he’s channeling it in such a badass empowered way on the IN BETWEEN tour.

Congrats Andy! That man IS a true soul warrior.

Dude was fighting predators, groomers, and multiple cults by himself and still showed up (AND bettered, healed, unlearned things about his surroundings and himself) even when he felt isolated and alone! Props to Andy!

I personally interpret the scorpion tattoo as death and not forgetting to go back to the place that he was left FOR DEAD even if he feels scared or lonely.

You’re not alone, Andy! We are here and we see you!

I’m so proud of him. He’s such a diamond in the rough. I’m proud to be a supporter and recognize what he’s done for himself and how it translates into his art.

.

[shipskicksandgiggles]

You saying you love when mcu actors also exist in the mcu made me start thinking about Robert and Tony and like hear me out.

Robert and Tony are like the same person we already know this so imagine Tony not wanting to go to meetings and stuff so sometimes he calls up Robert to go fill in for him at meetings. Robert does it and constantly jokes with the media that his greatest role as an actor is standing in for Tony Stark. They’re like so similar that sometimes it’s even hard for those close to Tony to tell the difference between them, well for everyone except Peter.

With Peter’s enhanced senses he always knows when Robert is standing in for Tony because of the differences in their heartbeats and the way they smell. No amount of cologne or acting could fool Peter and at first this frustrates Robert who asks Peter what isn’t convincing about the way he’s portraying Tony. And Peter just explains that he can actually hear the difference in their heartbeats and Tony always has the smell of motor oil clinging to him under all his fancy cologne which Robert lacks and Robert is just like so shocked by how soft Peter’s answer is. He’s spent a lot of time hanging out around the tower to observe Tony so he can properly imitate him so he knew that Peter was a good kid and really close with Tony but this instance cemented in Robert’s heart that Peter Parker is precious and should be protected at all costs. -🌸

stop wait that's literally so sweet (but also real life RDJ and Tom Holland being friends and Robert thinking 'damn this little hero reminds me of someone' pLS-)

no but deadass it's not even the Hot Tub Time Machine reference in Endgame that solidifies the existence of MCU actors in the marvel universe. it's the Manchurian Candidate because of Anthony Mackie since he was in the 2004 production which is so funny to me for no reason, and if Anthony Mackie exists that means the Hurt Locker is a thing with, yknow, Jeremy Renner

Star Wars alone existing confirms Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany, Erin Kellyman, Donald Glover, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, and Taika Waititi, not to mention ScarJo in relation to Adam Driver thanks to Marriage Story and Hayley Atwell (and presumably Dominic Cooper) since she was married to Ewan McGregor in the live action Winnie the Pooh. and honestly that list probably isn't complete but I'm laughing so hard about it (Tom Hardy and Daniel Craig both play stormtroopers btw so they're not included but it is worth noting for Venom and Chris Evan's sake)

Andy Serkis' existence would actually establish the Hobbit (with Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch) furthermore establishing BBC's Sherlock with the same two, along with other Sherlock Holmes adaptations like the one with RDJ and Jude Law

Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston did that one movie together (Kong: Skull Island I believe), and she did the Unicorn with SLJ. Chris Hemsworth was in Star Trek with Zoey Saldana and MIB with Tessa Thompson

James Spader (the voice of Ultron) was in the Office and did the "I'm the f*cking lizard king" bit that I can recite by heart and it makes me giggle every time I watch aou

earlier I mentioned Dominic Cooper (young Howard Stark) and I think it would be funny if Steve and Bucky watched Mama Mia and were like "What the Fuck is Howard doing????"

I just. superheroes getting confused with their actors is endlessly funny to me dude given time and resources I could probably come up with enough connections to break the marvel universe apart and I'd laugh the whole time it's golden

#asks #answers #🌸anon

[eldestnightwingsyndrome]

ROTD Analysis

revolution of the daleks was a real mixed bag. overall, it was really fun to watch and i enjoyed, but my media analysis brain is going into overdrive, so here are my Thoughts.

quick disclaimer, these are just my opinions and it’s okay if you disagree! feel free to let me know what you disagree with as long as you do it kindly.

Prison Break

the scene where jack breaks the doctor out of prison was fun, however i feel like it was a huge missed opportunity.

yaz spent ten months looking for the doctor, what if in all her research she found torchwood? she could’ve actually teamed up with jack and gotten the doctor out of prison, she and the rest of the fam. why would this have been a better idea (in my opinion) than jack committing a bunch of crimes and somehow hiding a bunch of alien tech and breaking them out?

it allows the fam to have a real impact on the plot of the episode. the only things they really did this episode were:

bring the daleks to the doctor’s attention, which she could and would have found out on her own eventually

yaz noticed the light changing in osaka, which again, the doctor would have figured out on her own.

and ryan had an Honest conversation with the doctor. kudos to him for getting her to actually talk about her feelings.

i’m so incredibly disappointed at how these characters are being used. they almost have no agency. if they had actively contributed to the prison break, it would have fundamentally changed the course of the episode in a way that didn’t happen in the canon.

three of your main characters barely had an affect on the plot.

Nitpicking About Companion Interactions

another thing, no one asked the doctor anything about stormcage? they didn’t even consider how long she may have been there? or what she could have endured?

i understand that they were upset, they were left for ten months unsure if she was alive. they had a right to be upset! but the doctor was in prison for decades, that’s got to have a negative effect on her psyche.

it just doesn’t seem right to me that none of the fam would ask what happened to her. i’m chalking this one up to bad writing, honestly.

Rose Mention

thank god we got a rose mention

however.

correct me if i’m wrong, but when jack brought her up, there was absolutely no reaction from the doctor? not a word, not a facial expression?

my guy. i wanted an acknowledgment of her existence from 13, is that too much to ask?

i’m so so glad she was mentioned at all, but i feel like it could been better? that’s so nitpicky, i know.

The New Companion

i don’t think we need another companion.

i’m not even going to touch on the fact that he’s a middle-aged white dude, so many people have already made posts about that and they’re great, go read them.

i’m going to talk about yaz and the doctor. not about thasmin at all, but about character development and the progression of their friendship (and possibly relationship, although i personally don’t think it will happen).

yaz is such a great character. she has ambitions, a career, a personality, she’s got family! she has clear motivations and drive. she is capable of carrying a season on her own, being the only companion.

it would give a great chance to explore her character further, she would have more screen time and more interactions with the doctor.

as someone who is ambivalent to thasmin, as in, i’d like it if it happened but i wouldn’t say i ship it, they need to further their relationship.

they need more interactions bro. they make such a good team. if it wasn’t currently 12:14 am, i’d list examples. i can’t wait to go more in depth on all this shit. but you know exactly what i’m talking about, yaz is intelligent and clever and it’s clear that the two get along well.

furthermore, this show really can’t handle multiple companions right now. character development has really suffered throughout seasons 11 and 12 because they’re trying to split screen time between three companions and their storylines, the doctor and her storyline, and the monster of the week.

it’s just too much. if yaz was the sole companion for a little while, it would give the show a chance to explore her, explore the doctor’s feelings about being the timeless child and coping with what happened on gallifrey and in stormcage, and again, give the two a chance to develop a complex relationship (platonic or not).

A Bit Of Positivity

here’s a few things i enjoyed from the episode!! obviously not everything, just off the top of my head.

i love that gwen cooper was mentioned. just the little details, guys.

jack’s interaction with graham? god the little things really make this show good.

i like that hotel guy (i can’t be bothered to learn his name) was literally going to betray the human race for what? capitalism? that was funny and sad, a bit too real.

the new dalek design was really cool. it’ll be good to return to something more conventional, but it was nice to see something new! it was sleek and modern, nice to look at.

this episode, and the previous episode featuring daleks in season 12, has been great at making daleks scary again. daleks are still a force to be reckoned with even outside of their casing! they can use people as their puppets! that’s terrifying!! i love it!!!

i enjoyed the weeping angel cameo and the silence cameo.

i know everyone’s said it before but the greasy hair. disgusting, please take a shower, but w o w. it looks good.

if you actually read this far, i’m in love with you. i owe you my firstborn. please give me your thoughts, tear me shreds, agree with me, idc. i’m hoping to go more in depth on this stuff and make a video essay on it, so i’d definitely appreciate hearing from other people. i hope everything i said in this made sense, i’m so tired and i’m not proofreading, so if it’s disjointed i apologize.

#doctor who #dw #revolution of the daleks #rotd #revolution of the daleks spoilers #rotd spoilers #doctor who spoilers

[neshatriumphs]

IV. Ability and Accountability

By the time they made it back to the fortress, Simon was so weak that he was crawling. Grace walked unto the property while Lucy directed some of the other witches to carry him away. He couldn’t pass the fortress’ barrier without the proper passage, and Simon had none. “What do I do with your new pet rat?” Lucy wondered.

Grace sputtered some air through her lips and thought about where there might be space. “Well, we’ve occupied most of the backup places because of the Conductor’s attacks on the outer realms. I think that the best place for him is my solitude cottage.”

“Are… you going to be in there while he’s in there?”

“I’ll check up on him, make sure the healing process flows.”

Lucy reached for her dress to pull her attention lower. Grace kneeled to Lucy’s level to hear what she had to say. “If you give the Queen a conductor’s baby, she WILL implement a sterilization curse on all of us.”

“Lucy!” 

“Don’t think about your loins. Think about the future.”

Lucy didn’t have anything else to say. She was a junior master of animal related magic. She knew how pheromones worked and with those two, there was almost an instant trigger of Grace’s body… responding to that blond heretic. Lucy had not yet gotten the chance to assess him around the princess, but she certainly would. There was no way that she was leaving her to her own devices with him, or worst - to his devices. “Take the heretic to the princess’ cottage. Instill the highest degree of security and put him in stasis. Have two guards stationed at all times. Armed ones. He’s dangerous. I can smell it on him.” 

Lucy smelled nothing but blood whenever Simon was near. She didn’t know if that was because he had been covered in it when they first saw him or because he regularly had it on him and it had become part of his natural scent - but she knew the smell of blood very well. The smell of a massacre. Of the hunt. Had she not been as good as magic as she was, it would have been the smell of her fate. When she was 4, she flew on her first bird to escape the Conductor’s raid of her village and lost her eye in the process of trying to tame the thing long enough to convince it that she was a friend who needed help. The princess had saved her and taken her in. The princess had been moved by her bravery and her strength. When so many other raid refugees were sent to recovery camps, awaiting safe spaces to become denizens, now that their homes had been ravaged, Grace had said, “Let me keep this one.”

The Queen looked at her and figured that Grace just wanted a pet. A little orphan girl that was good enough with magic to communicate with animals, despite never having had a lesson a day in her life. “If you can give back a working eye, you can keep her as your pet.”

“Mom, she’s a witch and a survivor. Have some respect.” Grace had brought herself to Lucy’s level for the first time that day. She pulled off her glove and said, “I’m sorry for what they’ve taken from you, but I’m glad that you’re still here.” She reached out, touched Lucy’s damaged eye… and Lucy felt like her brain was on fire. She screamed an agonizing scream and Grace quickly tried to comfort her and regretted ever attempting the fix. She pulled her glove back on and collected the girl, cradled her and carried her into her room.

“You didn’t fix it, Grace!” Her mother called out, but never bothered her about Lucy again. Lucy just belonged to Grace, now. Grace had bandaged the girl up and nursed her, herself. It was the first person that she had actually physically taken care of herself, and Lucy was confident that she just always would, so she made it up in her mind that she was going to take care of her too.

.

Simon was down for three days. He tried to get up several times, but wound up feeling drained and had to sit right back down. Whenever he was resting someone would come in and do things around the room. He was awake one time, and saw Grace, blooming flowers and he could literally see the healing properties flow from their blooms in pink and purple mist form. She danced around, moving the energy of the room, inviting in the good and ushering out the bad. He clutched the fluffy, heated, weighted covers to himself and watched her eagerly, but weakly. She made a pink and purplish cloud in the room and Simon inhaled it and felt his pain subside and his body going to sleep…

By the time he was able to get up and get out, he wandered out into what appeared to be training grounds. He stumbled out, and sat on a rock, tired. "Okay, so what Lucy's going to do is summon the owls, swirl them for a windstorm and use the windstorm to collapse this wall. Ready, Lucy?"

"Yes, Grace."

"Okay. Because if you fail, you know we'll have to kill you."

"Understood, Grace!" The girl said with a smile. 

Simon was intrigued. 

That seemed a faulty way to conduct lessons, but at the same time, there were plenty of students that had he killed them during lessons, they might not have had costly failures in the field. But, if someone messed up in the field and it cost you, they died right there. That was Simon's method. The Conductor couldn't suffer mistakes. Now Grace? She put on that sweet act, but this might show him the ruthless side of Grace that he knew she had, from the stories. This might show him the beast that he believed was beneath the beauty… the indescribable beauty...

Lucy waved her arms and made a sound that sounded like an owl. Her eye began to glow and her hair blew in the wind. Grace and several witches watched as owls flew to Lucy, flying in circles around her to match her hand movements. The winds were very severe. Simon had to get his footing and hold on to the rock. But, the wall only slightly shifted and the owls flew away without it having been knocked down. Lucy frowned and folded her arms. 

Grace gave her a sympathetic smile and said, "Next time, I'm sure. Everyone take a break." The other witches rushed away, while Lucy stayed to practice. 

"When do you kill her?" Simon asked from the rock. Grace and Lucy both looked at him, then each other. He walked over and explained himself. "You said that if she failed, you'd kill her and she failed miserably."

"It was a joke," Grace said. "Do they not have those in Conductor Territories?"

"Yes, but why joke about something so crucial? The difference between getting that spell right and whatever it is she just did are life and death. It makes sense to take away life for such failures. If she isn’t powerful enough to do simply training tasks, how can you even trust her beside you when it really counts?"

"Lucy, please excuse us." Lucy walked away slowly, adjusting the hair in the back of her head as she did. Grace blinked her eyes at Simon… 

"I'm not sure exactly what made you think that I wanted or needed your input, but Lucy is a child! You don't get to talk about how miserably you think that she did and you don't get to speak about her like she's nothing just because she didn't do so well, in your eyes."

"I just think that you should be honest about your expectations and serious about your penalties."

“Well, I think you should be honest about minding your business whenever it comes to my magic. You’re alive because of it. Furthermore… You kill children? Over mistakes?”

“What? No. But… is Lucy a real child? Like… You have a real child as your bodyguard?”

“As my…” Grace laughed and held her belly as she did. “My bodyguard? Dude… Lucy isn’t my bodyguard. She’s just very cautious and trying to do her best.” She didn’t want to say more to him about who Lucy was, because that could put the girl in danger, but definitely had to clear the air about having a 7 year old bodyguard, despite the fact that Lucy was extremely advanced in magic for her age and that was one of the main reasons that she was chosen. 

“I thought it was a familiar that took on the most bizarre alternative form…”

“Familiar? You have familiars in the Conductor’s practice?” Grace asked, horrified. Simon didn’t know why her tone was so alarmed, but he laughed and shrugged his shoulders. The truth was that he was the only person that he knew of to have one, but he didn’t want to say that, considering Grace’s reaction. He wanted to see her have a genuine reaction to SOMETHING. “Familiars are explicitly bonded to natural magic. They would DIE before committing to a fake witch, so all of your familiars are either some type of horrid abomination, or enslaved souls being forced to serve at the behest of the unclean by some new unspeakable horror that the fake witches call magic.”

He glared at her. “I’ll have you know that The Cat is VERY committed to me and I haven’t ever known of her to have any complaint whatsoever, and if you’re suggesting that she’s any less of a companion than your weird little cyclops failure witch, we can fight about it right now.”

“The Cat,” Grace said, suspiciously. She remembered the paw print of a cat whenever she crumbled the curse a week ago. Surely… the same person who did that wasn’t bold or stupid enough to just come back into their territory, flashing skin and green eyes, thinking that he could… whatever he was here for. Surely… This was not the person who was attacking her people. This was a student of the Conductor, yes. But, he was just a simple student who had gotten lost and attacked, and they were mending him and sending him back, because they had no proof that he had committed anything beyond heresy, and due to the fact that there was a school that preyed upon orphans and poor children, The One had become lenient to young Conductor practitioners in Grace’s lifetime. They were allowed to experience the realms of the One and to be assimilated, to be salvaged from the Conductor’s grasp. But, if Simon was the wizard slaying her denizens, citizens, and allies…

“Yeah. The Cat,” he said. You couldn’t give a natural witch the name of a familiar, because they could call upon them and possibly utilize them for their bidding. To protect Samantha, Simon had taken to calling her “The Cat,” no matter who he was speaking to about her. The only person that he knew for sure even knew her name was Amelia.

“I’d like to meet her,” Grace told him. 

“That’s an important sign to me to keep her away from you.” 

Grace bit her lip, in thought and walked away. She might have to try to bring a witch with her that was good at assessing the story of scenes through touching the things left there. But… until then, maybe Lucy was right and this was a dangerous conductor. He certainly had a lot of runes for a lot of magic. She supposed that his age and his looks got the best of her. Because, even with wondering if he might be a horrible wizard… she still took note of the fact that he had on a crop top long sleeved hooded shirt that covered his arms but left his V and his happy trail exposed. His pants hung low on his waist, bogged down a little bit by the things on his belt, the weapons and other things he must’ve felt it necessary to carry around. And… his eyes. She stared at him, looking into them was like being washed away in deep seas of green waters, sparkling in the sun’s majesty… “When can I leave?” he asked, and it was like the waves crashed into her and splashed her out of a stupor.

“Whenever you want. But, if you need a guide, you’ll have to wait for an available escort. Otherwise, we’ve gotta activate the labyrinth. You feel ready to defend yourself against another ghom?”

He considered his options. He didn’t know if he would ever feel ready to defend himself against another ghom, and he had yet to get enough intel to bring in a raid party. Plus, he hadn’t gotten closer to her trusting him and being able to get close enough to slay her. He gave her a small, almost bashful smile and shrugged, “No… I guess not. Well, Princess. I guess for the time being, I’m all yours.” She heard a muffled whimper that she knew came from her, even though she couldn’t feel herself make that sound. His eyebrow raised. “I can help you teach your students better magic. That wall should’ve come down no problem.”

She smiled and folded her arms, “You knock it down. Using only wind.” 

He nodded his head, shoved his hands out in front of him and began to rotate his wrists. She could see the green glowing shining through is hooded shirt, and of course, the light of his green eyes. She felt the winds power up and noticed the students all watching, with only Lucy’s back being pointed towards him. Simon knocked down half of the rocks that were there making up the wall. The students clapped. Lucy stayed still. Simon looked at his hands and at the only half damaged wall. “I’m not at 100%,” he said. 

Grace gave him a sympathetic smile and said, "Next time, I'm sure.” She patted him on the back and slapped playfully at his hair, causing him to blush, then she gathered up her own winds to set the boulders back up for the next round of practice. But first, she had a lesson to teach them all about ability and accountability. Simon saw the students sitting down in front of her, in the dirt as she lectured, barefoot, in front of them and he sat down too, next to Lucy, who just gave him a look, which he returned. They did not care for each other, but they turned away at the same time to give their attention back to Grace. 

#AU Infinity Train #Infinity Train #Nesha Fanfiction #Infinity Train Fanfiction #fics #Intertwined by Nesha

[phobiadeficient]

Your work is just stunning I can’t even! I know it’s not a pairing you’ve done before, at least that IVe seen, but would you consider doing something with demo and spy? Maybe something with a focus on bottom spy?

this is another one of those ships i dont know the clever ship name for but on god the more i think about it the better it is as a concept. mr “had-to-disguise-as-tom-jones-just-to-tell-his-son-he-loves-him” bad at emotional honesty and mr “cried-on-camera-genuinely-nice-dude” emotional and honest, like dude. dude

(warnings for discussion of past manipulation)

-

The one thing about Demo that Spy was both most drawn to and most uncomfortable with was his unwavering honesty.

About his emotions, about his past, about his likes and dislikes, about his insecurities and weaknesses—he couldn’t imagine someone more effectively teeing themselves up to be manipulated by someone like him. If he was hired to get information or money or blackmail or anything at all out of Demo, he would consider it the easiest job he’d ever done.

But... some part of him, for the first time in years, felt wrong about that. About even simple manipulations, like being dramatic and acting more offended than he really was to get Demo to drop uncomfortable questions, like redirecting his attention whenever he seemed to be nosing too far into what Spy considered to be his own business and nobody else’s. It felt wrong. And instead, when in an idle chat about their immigration to America, when Demo asked whether he’d managed to get a permanent stay visa and whether his real name was even on it, he outright said that he wasn’t entirely comfortable talking about the process he’d taken to first live in the United States.

And Demo had shrugged and said that was fair and had smoothly changed topics, and that was that. He didn’t ask again.

Infuriating, was the word. It was infuriating how honest he was. It was infuriating how much Spy wanted to return that honesty.

And usually when people opened up to him and he started to feel like he was being impolite for not sharing in return, he would tell them lies, one of three well-crafted well-rehearsed stories he had for his own past that would make the other person feel sufficiently trusted and valued, sometimes since Spy knew he might never feel entirely right sharing details like that and he did want the illusion of connection. But even something as small as that felt wrong. And he huffed about it, told Demo after a story one day that he felt bad for not talking more about himself, and Demo had laughed, had shrugged it off so very easily, said he didn’t tell Spy things as a transaction, he told Spy things because he thought Spy might like knowing those things. Said he would be okay if Spy never told him anything, as long as he knew he was allowed to talk or stay silent at his own discretion, and that Demo wouldn’t judge him.

So completely infuriating.

And the progression from friendly co-workers to friends to good friends to a different sort of friends had brought up a series of similarly infuriating discussions. Mostly Demo trying to get various assurances that Spy didn’t feel at all rushed into anything, that really it was alright if he wasn’t comfortable with pushing forward. And he asked two and three and four times, starting all the way down at holding hands and chaste little kisses, and admitted that mostly he was worried because he couldn’t be entirely certain when Spy was being truthful with him and when he was just gritting his teeth.

Demo admitted, in one of those earlier discussions, that he felt he couldn’t tell when Spy was irritated with him at all. Because he rambled on at Spy so often, and still hadn’t figured out how to tell when Spy got bored of him.

And Spy wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him hard and shout that he was never bored of Demo, that Demo was a bottomless well of stories and ideas and culture and opinions and questions that he knew he couldn’t get through if he spent the next hundred years with him but he would enjoy every last moment of trying, even the parts that Demo considered to be so ugly and unlovable, and even more the few glimmering parts that he could dig out and reflect back at Demo to show him that he did have things about himself that he should be proud of.

But the words locked in his throat alongside just about every other word he ever wanted to say to him and instead he’d just smiled and promised to be better at telling Demo if he ever did anything wrong, and assured him that the vast majority of the time his grand theatrical bouts of complaining weren’t legitimate annoyance, he just enjoyed being dramatic from time to time. And all those other words stayed locked in his throat, even as Demo laughed and kissed him heartily on the cheek. And he was so angry with himself, because he didn’t know when he’d started locking those sorts of words away in the very first place, and furthermore he didn’t know how to find the key.

Demo found it for him. Of course he did. How could he not? He’d unlocked all sorts of other things Spy thought he’d never manage again.

And he gave Spy thousands of chances to back out, and another hundred every time they reached those quiet, gentle moments, limbs tangling together against Spy’s satin bedsheets. And despite all of Demo’s fretting, Spy never once felt threatened by the muscle that boxed him in on at least two sides, feeling more safe than anything else.

And Demo was sweet enough to ask every time whether Spy wanted to top, even though the answer was always a pretty confident no. And he was always almost too careful with prep, using it as part of the foreplay as much as anything else, and that was beyond lovely. And he liked to face Spy, liked to kiss and nip just below his jaw, liked to capture his lips for idle moments, taking his time in a way that made Spy fall apart entirely.

And that was the only time he’d found that he could manage honesty, whispered between them every time their lips parted to get air back. He found it there and clung to it, clung to the meager courage he discovered under the weight of pleasure, found himself saying all sorts of things he could never bear when clothed (literally in fabric and metaphorically in the carefully-crafted persona that he couldn’t seem to shed until the moment of raw vulnerability that Demo could bring him to, making love in near-darkness).

That was when he could whisper to Demo how much he loved him. How good Demo made him feel. How happy he was. How perfect everything felt, there, together alone, close. To never stop, to never go.

And he didn’t know how to tell him that he meant it, outside of their bedroom, outside of the moment. Because as soon as the moment was over and the afterglow was fading (always far too fast for his liking), the words were locked away again behind his cyanide teeth and silver tongue. And he knew Demo’s insecurities would feed off of that, would try and convince him that Spy was just running his mouth in the heat of the moment, and he hated that he couldn’t reassure him by continuing to say those things. To say he loved him. To ask Demo to never go.

He instead tried to find that moment sooner, when Demo was peeling his layers away and laving yet another mark against his collarbone where nobody else would see it. He tried to murmur affirmations then, choked on compliments following bearded kisses to the cheek or temple, found himself hesitating between acts of affection.

And one day he did break. Did find himself borderline sobbing, all at once, body wracked with tremors. And in an instant Demo pulled out and away, set to comforting him, trying to soothe him, trying to make right whatever was wrong, and that was when Spy managed it. Managed to spill all that he wanted to say. That this act of vulnerability had never felt vulnerable before, that this show of trust had only ever been for show with practically everyone else he’d ever slept with, that for his entire life he’d been making love to people and now finally he found someone he loved, that Demo was the first person in so long who he wanted to be honest with but he didn’t know how.

Demo had listened. Attentively, carefully, concern etched into his face all the while, an open book, practically annotated and with references, in a way that scared him so much because he knew he might not ever be able to reciprocate that honesty on any level and that idea, for the first time, legitimately hurt him. And Demo had gently, picking his words so very carefully, assured him that it was okay. That they would take things as slowly as Spy needed. That he could start by answering a question.

And Demo had kissed him, gently on either cheek just below his eyes, and asked him how he felt.

Better, he answered hesitantly if honestly, there in the wake of spilling his most horrible secrets. Drained.

And Demo had kissed him all over his face then, thanked him for being honest, told him he was so very incredibly brave, telling him all of that, and then being willing to try to continue being brave. And that had gotten to Spy again, gotten him back into those tremors, because Demo was honest. He meant it. Believed it. He really did think Spy was brave.

And god, maybe if Demo believed it, just maybe, it could be true.

#//demospy #//tenderness

[chibivesicle]

Golden Kamuy chapters 231 & 232.

Hey all, here is my belated and likely as little bit shorter than normal summary.  I’m taking the weekend off from dealing with work related stuff but I’m still off dealing with the constantly changing situation here. We start off with Inkarmat about to give birth with the assistance of Osoma’s mother and huci.  I wondered why Osoma’s mom doesn’t have a name but if I recall all of the Ainu names in the manga have to not belong to a living person (I think from an interview with Noda) to be respectful, so I’m guessing it is trickier than normal to keep coming up with appropriate and proper names for the Ainu characters.  This might be a good work around for the time being for Noda. 

And the title page for the chapere tells us that is is birth and that Huci is the most seasoned midwife possible and that she was also Asirpa’s midwife.  The title page also has the quote that “Purpose is handed down from heaven.” sticking with the central theme of the manga included in each volume of the manga.

The title page also makes it almost look like Huci is blessing someone perhaps linked to Asirpa.  Tanigaki then being the dude that he is decides to leave Inkarmat in their hands as he uses this as an excuse to slip away and find Tsukishima.

In a way this is both in and out of character for him.  It is in character for him to run away from emotional moments and duties but it is out of character for him to steal Sugimoto’s tagline that he’s immortal.

Inkarmat is clearly the smarter of the couple, he first off tells him to NOT fight or attempt to fight Tsukishima and then she flat out calls his bluff telling him that he’s not immortal and that he should run away by himself.  She likely observed Tsukishima enough during her time at the hospital that she knew he wouldn’t give up and that if they want to be safe Tanigaki should draw him away. 

It really doesn’t matter as soon as he leaves the house, he gets his ass handed to him by Tsukishima.  He’s pushed back into the house and Tsukishima approaches everyone.  Tanigaki again repeats similar actions in regards to what happened to him with Ogata as he sees it to be his job to protect who ever is there e.g. Huci and Osoma, now Huci, Osoma’s mom, Inkarmat. . . .

Tanigaki perplexes me - he’s one of the cast members who is more than willing to throw himself in the line of fire to protect women and children, but he’s also the most likely to run from his responsibilities.  Why is he a hypocrite?  There must be something more to this . . . I’m just still not sure what it is.

Tsukishima simply and in a deadpan fashion tells him that he’s been making the “wrong” choice for a long time now. 

He distances himself from Huci and Inkarmat by referring to them as “this woman” and “that old lady” and that it is because of their influence over him he did not come back to the 27th.  This makes a lot of sense from Tsukishima to be so weird about things.  He has no fiancee to return home to and to family.  He sees that he has no choice but to return to the 27th as it is all that he has.

Just as things are about to escalate Koito rushes in on horseback.  He’s still wearing his yukuta from the hospital but threw on his boots and officer’s coat.  Tsukishima doesn’t even look at Koito as he asks if Koito followed him to see if they would escape.  And Koito firmly tells him that he can’t see what good would come from killing Tanigaki and Inkarmat.  He points out that Tanigaki isn’t their only way to find Asirpa and that they should let them run away.

And here Koito is being incredibly logical and reasonable!  They don’t need to reply on Tanigaki.  Yes, Tsurumi sent him to find Asirpa but Koito is seeing the bigger picture, one that Tsukishima currently can’t see.  Koito tries to reason with him that making a threat that you can’t follow through on is meaningless. Tsukishima then finally turns and threatens Koito with his pistol while keeping the rifle focused on Tanigaki and Inkarmat.  He makes it clear that his threat to Koito from Karafuto is real.  The zoom in on Tsukishima with his veins bulging out, the extreme stress lines under his eyes the chaotic screentone.  He creepily asks which side the 2 lt. is on and follows it up with the fact that he learned he was used by Tsurumi that he now has joined the traitors.

The final panel shows an equally stressed out Koito where we can see a very distinct frown and stress lines as well as a rather messy screentone behind him.  I really see that Koito is concerned but he seems more in control that I’ve seen from him.  There is something about how he’s drawn here - I can’t quite put my finger on it but he seems more mature and determined.  And I know that Koito can be a pretty determined guy but - but he’s different.

The next page then seals the deal for me.  A full page Koito giving Sergent Tsukishima an order!  Koito tells him to lower his weapon as it is an order!  Koito has finally decided to take charge as he should as a second lieutenant.   Time and time before we’ve seem him defer to Tsukishima and now he finally takes command.

He follows up with the fact that he’s going to watch both Tsukishima and Tsurumi to the very end [of this hunt for the gold].

Bam!  Oh man, I have been waiting so long for Koito to take the initiative and use the potential leadership skills that he’s been keeping dormant.  This is just such a satisfying page and turn of events.

The shock on Tsukishima’s face really brings it home.  The little second lieutenant has finally grown up and he’s actually thought things through.  I love the half light dark shading on Tsukishima’s face as he turns to look to Koito.

Furthermore, Koito uses Tsukishima’s own words to support his argument and where he stands in regards to Tsurumi.  What has changed is that Koito will now be using his own judgement to analyze what Tsurumi is doing and not following orders blindly.  I know this is a translation into english, but using the concept of justice gives Koito’s thought process more backing.  He’s showing that he is a just and fair man, not someone who blindly follows orders and he is worried about how if he does something unjust he’ll have feelings of guilt and regret.

Therefore, Koito is letting us know how he intends to lead men, something he was sent to Karafuto to learn and I think he learned part of his beliefs during the Karafuto trip.

The next page is quite sad, Tsukishima admits that he has nothing to live for, so all he can do is his job - his job for Tsurumi that makes him unredeemable.  He’s seen and caused so much death that Tsukishima doesn’t care anymore - he’s the empty shell of the man he once was and Koito tells him, his mentor that it isn’t true.  Koito’s figured out that Tsukishima must have thrown away something so massive that becoming the inflexible right hand man of Tsurumi was all that he could do.  Tsukishima is so many different emotions as Koito hits the nail on the head.  His lips are puckered implying he’s biting them or holding something in as we can barely see his eyes.

Tsukishima finally shows us the face of his fiancee, smiling at him as her hair blows in the wind.  He’s finally facing what he misses the most and his largest regret.  He appears to tremble as he says Inkarmat’s name.

A completely broken and defeated [by himself] Tsukishima begins to ask her if “that girl is she. . .” and Inkarmat starts to move to give him an answer.

However, her fortune telling is interrupted by a contraction.

Tsukishima has given up - his barriers have been broken and he’s just a man who hurts and is in pain.

Osoma’s mom then is able to interrupt their conversation of sorts and orders all the boys to do her bidding to assist with the birth.  The chapter then returns to Ainu culture 101, as elements of birthing are covered as they collect items that are used in childbirth.  Koito, Tanigaki and Tsukishima are pretty much whipped into shape as they assist in all sorts of things, collecting straw, babysitting, collecting mugwort etc etc.

I personally saw this as a few pages of the tough men all being put in their place and dealing with the bigger picture - the fact that Inkarmat needs their help to give birth and that it is more important than any of their own self-imposed problems.  I think the three of them standing outside of the house really get the point across.  Tanigaki can’t look at either Koito and Tsukishima.

It really doesn’t matter since Tsukishima just had his own break down as he sits lost in his own thoughts while Koito stands firm with the lighting and viper’s child.

Inkarmat then safely delivers the child and the chapter ends.  I think it really caps things off that the “miracle” of birth supersedes all of the shit these guys have been dealing with.

Chapter 232 continues where we left off with Inkarmat and Tanigaki.  Of course now that Inkarmat has safely delivered their child, it is time for the - you guessed it - penis jokes!

Tanigaki gets all teary as he tells Inkarmat that she was great.  His eyes are teary and sparkly as he thinks that the stump of the umbilical cord is a large penis - Tanigaki dick joke number 4,368 (ok, I jest).  This then allows him to realize that he’s got a daughter as he becomes a complete teary mess.

His blushing and tears confuse me - I can’t tell if he is proud or disappointed of the fact that she’s well a girl.  Sometimes, I just can’t get a handle on Noda’s sense of humor - but I think he’s disappointed . . . since the vast majority of east Asian men would want a son.  But then Tanigaki isn’t 100% normal.  I’m totally over contemplating this and I lack the cultural context to really get it.

Koito and Tsukishima confront the man from the 27th who was supposed to be watching out for Asirpa.  Catching him re-handed and clearly hungover Koito is able to scare him into shape telling him to get his “shit together” and to report things are normal pretending like he’s doing the man a favor (and the dumb nobody interprets as such). 

Osoma sees Tanigaki, seems surprised but then quickly returns to playing with another kid.  She has moved on from her “crush” on him and Tanigaki seems a bit hurt as she moves along.  Tanigaki needs to realize he doesn’t need a relationship with a child like Osoma, he’s got his own daughter now and Inkarmat to be with!  Yeah dude, I get it, but time to be a real dad, not a fun uncle type.

At the same time Tsukishima asks Koito about his behaviour on Karafuto before they met up with Tsurumi again.  Tsukishima asks him if he was “faking it” which Koito pretty much confirms with his statement that Tsukishima is “free to interpret it . . . -  pausing - whichever way you like”.  

As Koito says this we see another new facial expression from him, one of calm and again more maturity.  Koito likely wasn’t comfortable or proud of what he did, but he was smart enough to know what to do - to con Tsukishima so to speak.  Being a bit deceptive likely goes against Koito’s own feelings - I think it gets him closer to say someone like Ogata, a man who he always thought was running a long game con, but may feel a bit differently about him since Ogata told him the truth.

Koito then becomes more serious as he tells Tsukishima what he’s thinking.  He doesn’t think that Tsurumi’s personal goals would be to sacrifice his men for his own wealth or power.  He hints at the fact that Tsurumi would be motivated by a goal that is not so simple so to speak.  He then asks Tsukishima it he has any idea - at first Tsukishima wonders if he lacks a “true goal” but then he realizes something.

As he has been Tsurumi’s right hand man, there is a flashback where he noticed that Tsurumi had someone’s finger bones when he’s been alone in his office.

He asks Koito if he’s seen the finger bones and Koito asks whose bones?  Tsukishima then determines that maybe it is something else and he drops the idea.

As the topic drops off, Koito instead tries to cheer up Tsukishima and inspire him to follow him as a commanding officer.  And that they should follow the more typical military mindset.  Again the chapter returns to awkward Koito humor where he tries to modifiy his picture of Tsukishima with a half Koito face with Tsurumi to inspire Tsukishima.

With these post-birth events, I’ll now turn to this chapters title page here.  This is a transition/summary title page.  All the different groups are shown with their overall intentions.  Tsukishima and Koito are looking for Asirpa for Tsurumi.  Tanigaki and Inkarmat don’t have a direction implying they are leaving the immediate action.  Sugimoto, Shiraishi and Asirpa are after the pirate, while even though Vasily in their group, he’s out for Ogata.  Hijikata’s group is both looking for Asirpa and the Jack the ripper convict and Kikuta and Usami are also looking for him.

It is all one giant ball of confusion [cue love and rockets] but highlights so clearly that Vasily is not a part of team Sugimoto.  I think Noda really wants to make it clear that Sugimoto’s game plan of the enemy of my enemy is my friend is likely going to backfire.  Really he should just put out and ad “Russian snow leopard seeks Japanese lynx for kitty sniper games.”

The more I look at this page the more mis-matched teams I see, Kikuta and Usami has a fragile feel - likely more than just general dislike but true distrust.  Ogata is back on team Hijikata but only out of convenience and the rest of his group is also a mess with Ariko caught between him and Tsurumi. Such a major theme of the groups in this manga is how so many aren’t actually good - they just serve a purpose for the short term but ultimately are playing different long games.

Now back to the chapter - 1 week later Tanigaki and Inkarmat leave the kotan with their daughter.  Koito orders them to head south and to avoid running into any men from the 27th.  Tanigaki is back to wearing Ainu garb to likely blend in and not draw as much attention back to traveling with Inkarmat. 

As they are about to leave, Inkarmat offers to answer Tsukishima’s question about his fiancee, but now thinking more clearly he tells her that there is no need.  All this tells us, the reader is that he’s come to some sort of peace and understanding with his actions.  This is good, but we still don’t know what he has found his calm with in regards to his questions about her fate. 

As they ride off after waving goodbye to Huci, Tanigaki very shakily says how he feels about Huci and his connection with her.  That he was saved by her again and that he’s always receiving her help, but his statement implies that he thinks he has never helped her back.

Inkarmat looks up at him softly, she’s blushing a little and there is a sparkle in her eye as she seems to think about what he’s said.  Does Inkarmat think that Tanigaki saved her?  That he doesn’t see his actions when he does help others?  That he’s too hung up on owing Huci?  I think here we see that Inkarmat is the more mature one again and that she will likely support him despite the fact that he really likes to make a mess of things even though he thinks his intentions are the best.  I wonder since Tanigaki is just such a manly man that Noda wants him to be juxtaposed with strong women?  Just throwing that out there.

The action then shifts to Sapporo with Kikuta and Usami on the search for our Jack the ripper convict.  It is clear there is tension between these two men as Kikuta tells Usami to not do anything rash and that it is their job to just scout out the killer.  As he’s demonstrated that he’s a clever one, he immediately wants them to change clothes to blend in with the civilians as they suspect that Hijikata’s entire group will be there and it would not be a fight that they could win.  The more I hear from Kikuta the more of a similar vibe he gives off like Ogata.  He thinks things through and is not impulsive or emotional when it comes to performing his duty.

As Kikuta and Usami walk right by Kirawus and Kadokura, the unlucky former prison guard officer finds a small coin on the ground blocking him from Usami’s line of sight.  Usami then wonders if he did hear Kadokura . . . . but immediately writes it off as Usami is certain that Kadokura died in Abashiri.

Kirawus then comments that it must be a lucky day for Kadokura which is actually the truth.  We all know that if Usami actually spotted him he’d immediately go after him and try to kill him again.

This missed connection ups the tension that their small scouting party will indeed cross paths with Hijikata’s and the convict.

Not only that but it is clear that Ogata is thinking in a very similar fashion to that of Kikuta.  Ogata knows that the killer will go to the red light district and the police will also be looking into the case.  Add onto that the fact that soldiers from his former division would be also there for “fun” likely means Tsurumi isn’t far behind.

Ogata then asks Hijikata if “you guys” dress up as peddlers again.  This is interesting since when Hijikata did dress like that, it was when Shiraishi was captured by the 27th and and when Kiro was in the group while he was with Sugimoto, Asirpa and Ushiyama.  I get the feeling that Ogata is making it very clear that he is not a part of Hijikata’s group while also teasing him a bit. 

I’m personally dying for more Ogata action in these recent chapters, but I have to just accept this page.  At least it is a good bang for your buck page as Ogata says a lot in those 3 speech bubbles.

What will be interesting is the fact that Kikuta and Ogata are thinking the same thing - as we know that they were both “Russian” kidnappers for Tsurumi in 1902 and realize they need to look for the convict discreetly. 

But what I really think is the most important is that Ogata is making it abundantly clear that he’s only doing what serves his goal currently and that he is doing his own thing and that he’s confident enough to flat out tell Hijikata.  He’s not one of his underlings, he’s not afraid of him, that he’s got his own thing to do.  He’s also likely even more suspicious of Ariko knowing him and how Tsurumi operates.

The action then jumps to Asirpa, Sugimoto and Shiraishi in the Sorachi river valley.

They are doing some recon trying to find any people looking for gold dust and with unusual tattoos.  Shiraishi is looking at the viewer - or maybe Vasily?  I do find it interesting that Vasily is not in the picture.  Or interesting is not the right word - I think is is important that again he’s not a part of their group unless Shiraishi is relying information to him?

The random Ainu man confirms that such a man has been seen and Sugimoto has his immediate murder eyes/scarf combo.  Meanwhile Asirpa looks on at him rather coldly.

Sugimoto is more than ready to skin Boutarou and I just get the feeling that she’s ready to accept it as part and parcel of working with Sugimoto.  . . .

The next page is a full page of Boutarou riding a horse holding a revolver looking dashing and sexy.  it is clear he’s going to be both a charming and formidable convict.

Yet, this information is not the man who is being discussed.  Instead, we are back to the idea of a peddler - that sells candy in a town.  The last two pages have a very bizarre looking peddler who says that he’s selling candy.  He looks like he’s giving candy to a kid but instead give him coal.  The man is wearing a toque, has braided hair and a cloth over his face has he is laughing at the disappointed boy.

He then leads the disappointed boy off into the woods away from the mining town telling him he knows things much better than candy.  And the chapter ends with the creepy man in a toque leading the boy out of town.  Yay!  Now we have another creepy man who isn’t our Jack the ripper nor our sexy Boutarou the pirate!  Where is this going?

Overall, the second half of this chapter is a catch up/set up chapter.  We know were everyone is and where they are going and who is going to encounter who in a matter of time.

Here are the most important parts of these two chapters.

1.) Tanigaki and Inkamat are out of the game for the time being.  Yes, they are running off into hiding and for the time being they are out of the hunt.  I suspect they will get involved again but not in the immediate future.  I still have a gut feeling that Ogata will have to save Tanigaki - likely from Tsurumi.

2.) Showdown in Sapporo.  Usami’s eagerness will likely clash with some of Hijikata’s group.   Ogata and Kikuta are calling the same shots - will they meet and talk vs just shoot at each other?  I have a feeling that these two groups will shift in the quest for the serial killer.

3.) Pirate hunting and a crazy peddler.  Sugimoto and Asirpa are closing in on Boutarou.  Is he independent of the crazy peddler or are they related?  We know that he has men working for him that are somewhere.  I’d guess he would start to build his faction to get involved in the group.  I suspect that Vasily will cause some sort of issues, he’s no closer to finding Ogata who is in Sapporo.

4.) Tsurumi’s true motivations are revealed.  The finger bones pretty much are the dead giveaway for Tsurumi’s motivations.  They are linked to the death of Fina and Olga when he was a spy in Russia.  As soon as everyone saw the finger bones, pretty much everyone I know went back to chapter 179.  After Tsurumi held Olga he wrapped and laid her on Fina, who is missing a right pinky finger.   And he then burnt down the photo studio as he leads town.

What is more interesting is how Tsurumi feels about this.  I see several different possibilities.

i.) Tsurumi is guilty that it is his fault, he sent them away but they came back worried about him.

ii.) Tsurumi blames Wilk, Kiro and Sofia for what happened even though he assisted them.

iii.) Tsurumi blames the much larger system - the imperial Japanese government and a likely person who sold out his cover (someone in the 1st?) and Tsarist Russia making the partisans due to their poor treatment of the ethnic minorities in the far east.

Or is it all of these?  I think we will need to see a bit more of his actions to get a good idea of what is driving him at heart.

5.) Koito finally grows up as a leader.  Koito handles the Tanigaki-Tsukishima situation excellently.  I really liked this part, he’s showing that he is not just some blind follower of Tsurumi and as it has been implied is an intelligent guy who has his own moral compass.  He’s taking the time to think critically of things.  Really hoping for him to talk to Ogata again.

That’s all I have for now. 

#golden kamuy #golden kamuy meta #sugimoto saichi #asirpa #Shiraishi Yoshitake #vasily #tsukishima hajime #koito otonoshin #tanigaki genjirou #inkarmat #huci #tsurumi tokushirou #Usami Tokishige #warrant officer kikuta #kadokura #kirawus #hijikata toshizo #ogata hyakunosuke

[mspbandj]

More on The Mandalorian Season 2 and Why its so Frustrating and Also Why Lucas Film Should Just Hire Me as a Writer Goddman it coz this is My Blog and I have Feelings™

Okay so again, this pertains to the finale of The Mandalorian Season 2 so............ spoiler warning.

Lets talk about Dins face

I feel like that final scene, when [redacted] came in and took Grogu away to train as a Real Jedi rang really hollow. It didnt feel rushed so much, but it just felt really anticlimactic. We all knew it was coming (sure we didn’t know for sure it would be [redacted] but we knew someone was going to come get Grogu) but even with that knowledge, they had real potential to make the scene super emotional and touching, which the final cut just didn’t really have and heres why.

Most of the emotion was supposed to come from Din taking off his helmet to let Grogu see his face. Baby Yoda had never seen his Adopted Dads face before, and this moment was set up to be a really touching moment of connection and vulnerability. But it was dampened by the fact that we had already seen his face, multiple times, and in detail. We the audience. And because of that, we couldn’t relate to what Grogu must have been feeling in that moment. 

Like, for Grogu, that must have been such a Big Deal yk? He’s spent so much time with this man, they’d been through so much together at this point, but he hadn’t even seen his face because of the very strict Mando Creed that Din had been raised under (the cult or not cult thing is a discussion for another time btw.) So this must have been huge for him. For Din to finally make the decision that Grogu was more important than his Creed... thats a huge thing!

But! For us, the audience, Din removing is helmet was old news by now. He’d taken it off twice before (in Season 1 with the droid, and then in Season 2 at the Imperial Stronghold (dont even get me STARTED on that craptastic episode)) so we didn’t have that sense of anticipation or importance. We were very much treated like we werent in that moment with them, and I find that hugely underwhelming.

So here’s how I think it should have gone, because that moment could have been set up perfectly all throughout the series.

Din very much could have taken his helmet off the first time, with the Droid. The whole arc there was about What Makes a Life, and Are Droids Counted as Living Things right? The Mando cult Creed dictates that no other living being can see the face of a Mandalorian (with very very few exceptions, and with death being preferable to being exposed.) And the argument in that moment is that the Droid is a machine and not technically a living thing, even tho it acts and behaves like a living thing, and is capable of the same “emotion” as a human. In the end, the Helmet comes off, and we are left to make up our own minds about whether this is a violation of the Creed or not - that was my take away.

But by allowing us, the audience, to see Dins face also calls into question our own place in the Mandalorian Universe. Are we Living Beings here? Apparently not, according to this we’re not a part of the scene at all, which is a decision I disagree with because, as I said above, it dampens the emotional potential of the entire show. Allowing us to be an exception to the Strict Mandalorian cult Creed limits the use and/or very purpose of the Creed at all.

How I believe that scene should have gone is more like this:

The Is a Droid Alive philosophy is discussed, and as they talk it becomes urgently apparent that the only way to save Din is to take the helmet off and allow the Droid to attend to Dins wounds. We see a close up shot, as we did, of the Helmet being raised, with a cut away at the crucial reveal moment - denying the audience a view of Dins face. The next shot is of the Helmet being laid down beside them, which informs us that Dins face is now definitely fully exposed, but we are not allowed to see it, which confirms our place in the Mandalorian Universe, and gives the sense that we are very much there with them in that moment.

Cut in some extreme close ups of a hair line, a patch of cheek, some disinfectant being administered, with further voice overs of the discussion, and we’re golden. The scene takes on a much more intimate feel, with a heightened sense of anticipation. We get a tease of Will We Ever See Dins Face, and are left with the question of What Will it Take to Make Him Cast Aside His Creed, which is raised in light of the knowledge that a Droid does not count, but we the audience do. We ponder this for a moment and then the next time we see The Mandalorian, hes restored to full armour, and we’re reminded that this is The Goddamn Mandalorian motherfuckers, and hes here to Fuck Shit Up with his Little Green Gremlin Child.

As for the Imperial Terminal WELL

This was a very good opportunity for a second removal, and I definitely think that part was a good choice however the execution of the scene was poor as shit.

Having Din change out of his armour was a good start, it showed us that he was Serious about finding Grogu, and that he was willing to bend the rules and push the boundaries of his Creed without technically breaking it. This was discussed pretty well in the script, so it was a strong start.

Now, again, I dont disagree with the decision to have Din remove the helmet at the terminal in order to complete the face scan and access the information he needed - in fact I agree with that part entirely. Again, is shows us how far Din is willing to go to get Grogu back, and it’s a solid recall to the What Would it Take to Have Din Cast Aside His Creed question from Season 1. Furthermore, it really drives home the fact that Din will get Grogu back at any cost. Its exciting, and emotional, and drives his character development.

So heres how I think it should have gone:

Mayfield makes his attempt, sees his former superior, and turns back. Tells Din that no, it wont work, he cant do it, just as the scene originally goes. Din says no, fuck that, I havent come this far to turn back now, Ill go do it. Mayfield says lol good luck, the terminal needs a face scan for access so have fun with that, Din hesitates, and then very deliberately makes the choice to go - this is all pretty much in the scene.

Where it differs is after the failed face scan when Din still has the helmet on. The Countdown starts, Din hesitates, clearly torn between his Creed and Grogu, and we leave him there. Next shot is of Mayfield in the doorway when he looks over and sees the back of Dins head. We see this too, and we know that holy shit the madman actually did it. Hes *exposed* and his body language tells us he knows this. Maybe throw in an extreme close up of a drop of sweat on his chin, give us a lil glimpse of his bottom lip even, more than we got the first time he took his helmet off, but still not the full thing. Really get that anticipation going, you know?

As soon as Din gets the info, and the officer dude comes over to investigate, we get a half shot of Din turning while simultaneously stuffing his helmet back on his head, and the scene continues as it did. Maybe we see the same section of chin and neck in the process, maybe we dont, but the helmet is firmly back in its place, and so are we. I strongly feel like these events would have ramped up the emotion of the scene and, like i said above, the anticipation. We got closer this time! When will be the next time? Third times the charm right, so we can conclude that the next time he takes his helmet off will be The Big Moment™ so whats it gonna take???

Lets skip to that moment now.

The Final Scene. The Big Reveal. The Reunion, and the Parting of Ways.

Imagine the series went the way I just described. Imagine that in this Final Scene of Season 2, you, personally, had not seen Dins face. You’ve watched this Mandalorian trek and fight and blast his way through the Universe, been there in the room when hes been at this most badass and his most vulnerable. You’ve come so so so close to seeing his face, of seeing him break the Creed he’s clung to for two whole seasons, but you never have. Not yet. And now you’re watching him reunite with Grogu, Baby Yoda, The Kid. The one thing in the entire Universe that Din cares most for. Its a touching and emotional scene, after the fight, after the reveal of [redacted] after it becomes clear that This Is The End.

And then... he reaches up.... is he going to??? is he going to????? HE IS!

He lifts his helmet. Theres no danger, theres no threat, theres no pressure or incentive. This is completely his choice. This is Din, The Mandalorian, raised under the Mandalorian cult Creed, choosing to reveal his face, not only to Grogu, but to everyone in the room, including you.

How much more personal is that? More intimate, more emotional. We get to experience the moment that Grogu, who we all love and care for, is experiencing. We get to feel like we’re in the room. Everyone in that room knows how Strict the Creed is. Sure, the other Mandos dont live by it, but they know what it means to Din, so even they know the sheer significance of this act.

As it is, we the audience dont get to experience this on the same level. We have to think about it after the fact, after we’ve calmed down from the hype. We’ve already seen Dins face, many times, so we dont get that same intimacy. And its a real, real shame.

#mandalorain spoilers #mando #mando spoilers #sigh #how things Should Have Been #my thoughts #alternative ending #im so disappointed #its such a shame #personal #clown on my post you will be blockethed #and dont even get me STARTED on the Ball from the Razor Crest #could you IMAGINE #din unmasked has his moment and puts grogu down and lil grogu trots off #and then after R2 and Grogu talk or whatever #they turn to leave #and din shouts WAIT #and Grogu turns back #and din fucki #he fucking... #holds out the ball and offers it to Grogu #and grogu uses the force to take it from him #just like he did those others times #and thats what tells us its all going to be okay #i am EMOTION #why cant anyone WRTIE #im cry now

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Episode 2: Annihilator

Here we go again. My thoughts with approximate time stamps for episode 2.

SPOILERS AHEAD

0:45 - I really wonder how he sanitizes that mouthguard. I mean he spits it onto the floor a lot. Also - being able to watch Tom Payne workout is a gift. 

1:15 - I feel you my dude. Rip up that affirmation. Some of them are more triggering than helpful. Also - he takes so many pills. :( 

1:46 - Why didn’t Gil ever have kids of his own??!? He’s SOOO good with them and this world needs more GOOD parents. 

2:25 - Poor Malcolm. Between his nightmares and his overbearing (but well-meaning) mother - he never gets a break. He somehow manages to look both exasperated and resigned in this scene. 

2:55 - The way Malcolm’s eyes light up at the mention of a murder is mildly concerning. 

3:04 - What was Malcolm writing here?!? Why was his note pad out?

3:30 - Shaky hand. :( 

3:50 - Bro you totally just sold yourself out. Mom definitely knows you’ve been seeing your dad now. 

5:08 - “Sometimes it’s just a tragedy to be endured.” I’ll be honest. This line resonates with me. Chills.

5:30 - “City boy.” First of all - love the nickname. It’s adorable. Secondly, I want the whole history of that nickname. Seriously - when did it start and why? 

6:00 - Gil’s relationship with Malcolm is truly a thing of wonder. He somehow manages to be kind, professional, and lighthearted with Malcolm while simultaneously exuding an air of concern. Plus there’s usually this look in Gil’s eyes when Malcolm tells Gil he’s fine. It’s a look that says “I can smell your lies kid but I’ll grill you about them later.”

6:15 - “Oh HELL no.” JT makes me smile almost every time he’s on screen. Also - Malcolm’s smile in this scene is hella manic. It’s very concerning.

7:35 - This interaction between Malcolm and Edrisa is very uncomfortable. The awkwardness of their early interactions is why I can never ship Maldrisa. It feels too much like a teenage girl crushing on her high school math teacher. It’s borderline creepy.

8:47 - Seriously? If he was too close to the body a minute ago he’s definitely too close right now. Also - the wires sewn into that man’s mouth are horrifying. 

9:40 - Dude. Why are you picking up an unknown phone call in the middle of a work meeting?!? If it’s not a family member (who knows you’re at work) do not pick up. If it’s important they’ll leave a message. 

9:47 - Better question is “How did you get my number?”. 

10:00 - The best part of this scene is how Gil looks at Malcolm while Malcolm is on the phone. The concern there is palpable.

10:07 - *sigh* that hand shake. Martin makes him so upset. 

10:20 - Martin always makes everything about him. It’s infuriating. Fathers shouldn’t do that. Especially when they’re talking to their children.

11:15 - That. Is. So. Screwed Up. 

11:50 - That’s not reassuring Malcolm. “They’re very poisonous.”

12:15 - This is why I have a hard time getting behind the “Malcolm is also a killer/he helped his Dad kill people” theories that some fans have. Look at how he treats Edrisa. Watch how concerned he looks. His eyes. You can’t fake that level of sincerity.

13:50 - JT has really nice arms. Like dang. Those are fine. 

14:28 - I’m sorry but last episode you flipped at the FBI board because your Dad is a sociopath not a psychopath....now he is a psychopath? Furthermore, you will never refer to him as a sociopath again (as of April 7/2020) so why was he a sociopath in the pilot!?!?

14:40 - Malcolm uses humour as a defence mechanism. Something about that makes me really sad. 

15:30 - Gil knows and Gil is concerned. I love this. 

15:50 - Mr.David needs a raise. I love how this scene really shows the second side of Martin though. The angry killer. The one who loses control.

17:00 - Dang. Liam’s kind of cute. 

17:30 - Very blunt Bright. Maybe not the best approach to break the news. But I get that you were trying to catch him off guard and see his reaction.

19:30 - Liam’s not that cute anymore. Don’t throw poisonous snakes at someone man. That’s not cool.

19:50 - So apparently there’s something wrong with me because watching Malcolm suffer from that snake bite warmed my cold, dead heart. I am a whump whore. 

20:50 - Poor Malcolm. He’s so disoriented. :(

21:35 - Gil. You don’t just have a guy in the ER. You have a son in the ER.

22:40 - The sibling interaction here is everything. It’s authentic. It’s sweet. It’s how real siblings who have been through trauma together act. I love everything about this scene. 

25:10 - This conversation is so interesting to me. Martin doesn’t deny that he did something to Malcolm. But he does deny drugging his son. Which really makes you wonder what happened to Malcolm as a kid. Because from Malcolm’s memories/flashbacks Martin did drug him. What else did Martin do to him? 

26:30 - Martin will say anything to keep Malcolm in the room with him. He’s desperate for company. Really makes you wonder how much of the truth we hear from Martin. How much of what he says is just fodder that Martin thinks will prolong a conversation?

26:40 - No. No. This I won’t believe. Martin didn’t love his children or his wife. If he did he wouldn’t still purposely be causing them emotional turmoil. 

28:20 - Gil’s concern for Malcolm just multiplied by about a million. Holy crap. So did mine. Malcolm looks positively manic here. I want to give him a hug.

29:00 - “You know that.” That line breaks my heart. It implies that Gil and Malcolm have had conversations about how hard it is for Malcolm to make and maintain friendships. 

29:07 - JT gives Malcolm a look here. You can tell that he cares about Bright. And he is so annoyed that Bright wormed his way into his heart.

30:30 - My mom has this theory that people should be forced to get a licence before having kids (to get this licence you must go through training and pass a psych eval). At this very moment I agree. Men like this dude shouldn’t be allowed to have children. 

32:00 - Why isn’t JT in this scene? Where did he go?

32:40 - STOP STANDING AROUND. GO HELP THOSE CHILDREN.

34:00 - Another reason I believe Malcolm isn’t a killer. Look at his face when that little girl regains consciousness. Just look. That is relief. The way he interacts with the kid indicates that he likes kids. That he’s good with kids. .....also side note Dani hugging that little girl is precious <3 

35:00 - The Gil and Malcolm sit down I wanted the WHOLE episode. Gil’s face. Malcolm’s honesty. My heart is full. 

36:30 - Malcolm really can’t seem to take care of himself. Yikes. Don’t drink if you’re on meds buddy. Also the little shoulder rub that Gil gives Malcolm fuels my soul. 

37:30 - “Don’t make it weird.” I don’t think she can buddy. She’s already watching you strap yourself into the bed. 

37:40 - Malcolm’s explanation for his restraints + his panicked assurance that he has had sex + his soft spoken question to Dani (”Is this the craziest thing you’ve ever seen?”) is so freaking perfect. You can see how desperately he wants Dani to like him (friend or more, you choose I’m not having that debate) and you can also see that Dani isn’t judging him for his coping mechanisms. It’s the kind of friendship we all deserve.

39:10 - I think that Malcolm’s flashback/memory/dream here is important. It shows us that a) Martin was manipulating everyone, even his wife and b) although Jessica can be brusque, overbearing, and a little cold she genuinely cares about and loves her son. 

.....this got really long. Yikes. I thought I was restraining myself too. I honestly could’ve gone into a LOT more detail but I was trying to be brief (which clearly didn’t work). 

Anyways, I’ll try to post some more of these over the weekend but it’s Easter so I make no promises (hahaha not that anyone is waiting eagerly for these posts)

If you read any of this - thanks and I’m sorry for the rambling, poor grammar, and statements of the obvious.  

#prodigal son #jess-rewatches-prodigal #malcolm bright #ainsley whitly #jessica whitly #martin whitly #gil arroyo #jt tarmel #edrisa tanaka #dani powell #i love this show #whump #rewatch #spoilers #annihilator #1x2 #s1

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

When you like a certain anime/manga, and you like the main character of that anime/manga, but they have certain personality traits that they blow out of proportion in concerning ways that kind of ruin half of each chapter/episode.

Basically:

MC is a feminist “strong woman” and can do a lot of cool shit. She’s actually strong and can fight, is hard-working, honest, supports her friends no matter what, and follows some unnecessary duty to financially support her family despite it not being her fucking job. She is pretty cool in that regard. A role model.

MC is also a man-hater to the nth degree. Enough to where she attacks male students of her school for doing things she coddles the females students for doing. Enough to just be disrespectful to any male she comes across whether she knows them or not. 

One dude rejects a random girl’s confession and MC yells at him for either not accepting or not rejecting her more kindly(Japan kinda has this whole pressuring thing about kokuhaku and how you should react and speak etc...). It isn’t his fault that a 15 year old girl is apparently devastated that a guy she doesn’t know doesn’t want to date her, but he gets verbally abused over her running off to cry like a fucking baby. Like many other girls did apparently.

Furthermore, she enforces school rules that don’t exist, but only on the boys. Goes on some kind of feminist rant at least once a chapter/episode. Is only a pleasant character when around other women. Kind of deserves all the boys hating her when she’s so nasty to them save for one and only because they’re on the Student Council together.

And on the side, all other female characters are kind of relegated to ‘weak’ and ‘useless’ status, relying on MC to do everything for them, and solve their problems, and they end up with no real character development of their own.

I want to enjoy this thing I enjoyed so much years ago, but at this point in time I find myself eye-rolling and having to take frequent breaks to do breathing exercises because I’m so annoyed.

[ununniliad]

TV Review: Mrs. Columbo

If you're the kind of person who likes TV shows about detectives, you may know that, in the well-known detective series Columbo, the title character's wife is often mentioned but never seen. And if you're the kind of person who pokes at interesting bits of media history, you may know that at one point, the network attempted to make a spinoff about said wife, without approval or input from anyone involved in the original show, and that it failed hard, going thru four different titles before being cancelled.

Now, that's already a lot. But Mrs. Columbo is simultaneously a better show, a worse show, and a weirder show than all that implies.

For one thing, it's really three different shows. (With four different titles; from my research, "Mrs. Columbo" and "Kate Columbo" seem to have both been used for the first season, maybe in different markets? and "Kate the Detective" and "Kate Loves a Mystery" for the second season, but also there's a version of the second season titles with "Mrs. Columbo" - possibly from syndication?? Network TV politics are weird.)

The first show takes up the five episodes of the first season. Kate Columbo is a housewife married to an always-offscreen policeman. But she's got lots of energy and lots of brainpower, and keeping up with the house and her daughter just isn't enough. So she pushes her way onto the reporting staff of a newspaper that's mostly ads, and thru sheer pluck, ends up solving murders!

The format of Columbo-the-show is a reverse whodunit; we see the setup and execution of the murder, and then the focus stays mostly on the murderer as Columbo pieces together the mystery, the jaws of the law slowly grinding shut around them. It's really interesting - but it takes a long time for all the detail work and cat-and-mouse banter to pay off, with your average Columbo episode being an hour and a half long. The first version of Mrs. Columbo tries for a similar format, but other than the pilot, the episodes are half as long, making things feel rushed even tho it takes forty-five minutes to get there. And, to be fair, these are all plots that could've very much worked in that longer format, to the point where I have to wonder if they were filmed that way and then cut down when the network changed its plans.

But the bigger problem is casting. Now, don't get me wrong, Kate Mulgrew is a delight and I will watch her in anything - she's easily the best thing about this whole experience. But in 1979, she was twenty-three years old, and Peter Falk was fifty-two. Furthermore, she has an eight-year-old daughter, implying some extremely uncomfortable things about when exactly this whole marriage started. Now, we can assume the character is older than the actor, but it still feels very weird.

Plus, there are a lot of dudes who are condescending towards her, in a way that's supposed to show her badassery by rising above it, but really ends up feeling like all professional women need to justify their existence. And she ends up in peril way more than a comparable male character, and there's a weird emphasis on her as a housewife-reporter-detective Doing It All, and... yeah, a lot of weird little sexist aspects.

Now, all those problems admitted. These episodes are still, on the whole, interesting. The narrative has sympathy for all the murderers to some degree (except for the uncomfortable queer serial murderer in the pilot), and Kate is the kind of character who can express that while still calling them out on their bad behavior. I feel like the best episode is the second, where Kate's old mentor and inspiration murders someone on the spur of the moment to conceal a decades-old failure, and acts genuinely human in the way he sloppily covers it up. This could have found its footing and become a show that actually worked.

However... In the second season, they revamped the show dramatically. She's now Kate Callahan, divorcee, working more seriously for a more "real" newspaper, and often butting heads with the local cops as she chases her leads. And it's... awful?

This has all the problems of your standard cop show, with all of the sympathy for those who Break The Law vanishing and being replaced by a thin veneer of slime. But it's also horrifyingly sexist, all the small unpleasant elements of the previous show ramped up to deeply uncomfortable levels. There's a recurring cop character who's always undermining and undercutting her, even when she's already been proven to be right, who is also, somehow, a love interest. She's in peril in every episode, her reactions amped up to the point where I genuinely worry for her mental health after all this trauma. And most of these episodes involve some other female character who's treated terribly by the narrative for her choices. Plus, judgment ladled out towards sex workers and the mentally ill alike!

This lasts for five episodes, and even such a short stretch was really hard to get thru. Thankfully, the last three episodes are the best of the bunch, way better than I expected after all of that.

And the thing is, it's not another whole-hog revamp, just a change in how it's written. The cop-love-interest is still snarky, but in a friendly way, and genuinely supports her among his fellow detectives. The barely-mentioned divorce gets brought back up and fleshed out, revealing that it was a personality incompatibility and that they're still friends. The format goes back to the Columbo-esque how'd-they-do-it, but re-jiggered to fit in the time slot, with a focus on Kate figuring it out. And best of all, the murders and murderers themselves become incisive takes on real social problems. The best is episode 6, where a candidate for Congress murders an old partner in crime, and ends up shouting at the end about how much less her life was worth than his.

But it's too little, too late, and the show ends unceremoniously. Honestly, I feel like, if they had dropped the explicit Columbo tie-in, this show could've worked really well - take the formula and tweak it like the last few episodes did, keep the basic premise of a nosy everyday woman with a powerful mind, and you have a female-lead detective show coming way before Murder She Wrote. As it is, it's a testament to how much less entertainment executives know about storytelling than they think they do, and a weird little precursor to Kate Mulgrew's later successes.

#Reviews #Other Reviews #Live Action #Mrs Columbo

[thisgirlhastales]

Simon and Baz Carrying On, like Wayward Sons ...

I’m here to write more about Wayward Son because @apostrophe-philosophy got me thinking with the wonderful additions made to my first lengthy post about it :)

Honestly, I’m loving the book more upon reflection, though I still have my same issues with it. I think the initial shock of the cliff-hanger had to die down for me (though, again, still have some things that irked me about said cliff-hanger). I’ve got more ranting to do, so, ah, here we go again, and warnings for spoilers beneath the cut!

Apologies for any repetition but this is mostly a ramble with less organization than my previous semi-essay post, and a little more in-depth on the characters, I think.

Carry On, as @apostrophe-philosophy stated so wonderfully, is a book that shook up all those tropes we know and love (when they’re executed well) of the Chosen One narrative, and I was so very pleased that Wayward Son kept that going — in fact, were Carry On the typical Chosen One type story, we would never have gotten a sequel because all’s well that ends well, right? (See: HP Epilogue).

But Wayward Son didn’t feel like a sequel to me, so much as … letting the cameras roll after the movie is over? (Er, assuming the characters are real people, so forgive my crap analogy.) We see how very broken these people are despite (or because of) their victory. We see that there are years of healing ahead of them, assuming they can even come to terms with all the things they’ve done and seen. It’s very much a life goes on and on story; as in, life doesn’t stop after a narrative goal or milestone are achieved. It just goes. On. Without needing permission. It is relentless.

And it doesn’t care if you can’t keep up.

Which is what I believe is happening to Simon, Baz, and Penny (and Agatha, to an extent, though she really feels like she has her shit together way more than the others do, and who’d a thunk?).

Simon Snow, Former Chosen One, Saviour of Watford and Conqueror (?) of the Insidious Humdrum, Now Retired and Mage-Less

Ooof, let’s start with the guy whom the series is named after, because oh Simon. My dude, your problems are as vast and deep as an ocean, and I feel like you never really learned how to swim properly ‘cause your mentor/father-figure (who was your actual father, and won’t that be an agonizing reveal?) really messed you up by nearly drowning you repeatedly. Metaphorically. Or literally?

Simon Snow was neglected in many ways as an orphan child growing up, moved around and ignored, until he met the Mage. Then he gets a huge destiny shoved upon him, and he’s taught how to fight with a sword and with magic, although, ah, the latter he really sucks at because for all his immense power, he lacks control. Many, many near-death experiences later, and he’s finally hit a point where everything he came to know as his reality crumbles beneath him because the Big Evil he’s fighting is a piece of himself (nice bit of trope subversion), and he has to figure out what the hell to do with it … Oh, right, fill in that hole and give up all his magic, the thing that saved him. And incidentally, the way this happens is that he witnesses the death of one of his closest friends/older mentor figures, and the Mage is the one who did it. Furthermore, the Mage refuses to accept reality, i.e. that Simon needs to give up the power, not give it to someone else (him). Penny and Simon inadvertently kill him … And it hurts me when, after Simon begs Stop hurting me! as a magic spell, that Penny has to tell Simon that the reason the Mage died is because the magic dealt the final judgement — the only way the Mage would be able to stop hurting Simon is if he were dead.

Simon is gonna have to contemplate that crap for a while … But we don’t see too much of it in Wayward Son because Simon is a disaster (but “still so lovely” as Baz says) who won’t think too hard about why he’s such a disaster — he’ll just torment himself over it, and thus break all our hearts (and Baz’s) …

As @apostrophe-philosophy delightfully stated, what seems like a happy ending “can very well feel empty when your mental state is in fucking shambles.” And, yeah. I think Simon’s lost magic and resulting lack of direction in life are part of why he’s so depressed and feeling “worthless” now (although, he is not worthless). The other reasons are all the myriad ways in which his childhood did not prepare him for life, and in fact, damaged him in several ways (thanks for nothing, Mage). It’s all hitting at once. I’m sorry, Simon.

What we do see in Wayward Son is that he still reflects on the Mage somewhat fondly. He can never forget everything he was taught, particularly when he still uses it to keep himself and his friends alive. He switches back into soldier mode so easily (Baz notices, realizes what Simon’s life must have been like while the Mage had him under his thumb). Simon in the United States is a Simon who plunges headfirst into adventure and the unexpected and the good fight, but not into anything that involves speaking to Baz and/or Penny. Good grief, please, Simon.

I was okay with other aspects of his journey being hinted at — curious and excited to see how it all plays out. @apostrophe-philosophy, you mentioned that water spirit recognizing him? So interested to see where that goes! The fact that Simon impacted magic all the way around the world? Does this mean he touched every corner of the globe with his explosions? With the Insidious Humdrum? How many more creatures know of him? Is he kinda part dragon now? He “gave back more” than he took? What? How? What?!

All of that is left for another book, and I’m cool with that. Less cool with other things being left hanging …

Simon is loved so profoundly by Baz and Penny, but that alone cannot fix him — it can keep him afloat at times, but those underlying issues are not going away because he has an awesome boyfriend and best friend. It is so damn gratifying to read a magical adventure tale that actually acknowledges this. I don’t mind my fluff when I can get it, but Carry On wasn’t about that life, and it would’ve felt disingenuous if Wayward Son was … but it wasn’t, so yes.

I agree with you, @apostrophe-philosophy, when you say that Wayward Son feels more mature. It’s not just that these characters are now “growing up” and trying to figure themselves out — it’s that they’re all such huge damn messes (love it), and that they’re mad at themselves (and sometimes each other) for not having their shit together. Mostly they’re angry at themselves and despairing of each other. And if that ain’t adult life, y’all … Geez.

“Yes, Carry On was full of life and magic. Wayward Son is, in the words of the humdrum, what’s left when you are done.” Well said, honey!

Ah, there are so many ways that Simon broke me — when he talks about how easy it is to kiss Baz, but being kissed  “suffocates” him? It felt like he couldn’t stand the loss of control again — it’s allowing something to happen to you, it’s revealing in ways you can’t control, which is the story of his entire life. When he and Baz are kissing in the aftermath of battle, when Simon feels the most like himself, when he doesn’t care and he’s just overjoyed to be awesome and alive and with Baz — he’s all over his boyfriend and loving both sides of that intimacy (that he initiates). But when that isn’t the case, when he’s back in that negative headspace, back to depression and anxiety and all the consequences that the Mage wrought … He needs control, and kissing is easier than being kissed. Easier than allowing yet another thing happen to him, being vulnerable and seen in his vulernability, particularly with Baz, who knows him and can see past his defences.

(The great irony, of course, is that Baz actually can’t see what’s going on with Simon. It’s entirely in Simon’s head, holy crap, boys, fucking talk to each other.)

That part where Penny thinks about Simon: “I don’t really care if you feel crazy—because crazy isn’t dead.” That part where Simon has to compromise his Mage-taught morals to fight with vampires against other vampires and he has to keep rationalizing why being in love with Baz is okay, and the proper ways to rescue people because that’s all he did as a child soldier in the Mage’s army, and as Baz has said about the Mage — may he rest in pain for so thoroughly fucking with Simon’s head when he was a child and in awe of him and just … gah. Fuck you, Davy.

Simon being ready to die, to live to the last second as the saviour because that’s all he thinks he’s good for — taking one more enemy down for his friends, for Baz … Damn it, Simon. I know he sucks at words, he’s admitted as much himself, but wow, any words would do, Simon. Any.

I live for aftermath, and watching Simon (not) deal is giving me all the feels. He really believes he’s less now that his purpose is fulfilled since he has no magic. And since he has/is less, he feels he should “set Baz free” and all that. He only feels like himself when he’s being a sword-fighting badass, rescuing people, being a soldier (again, fuck you, Davy) — and yeah, he is very skilled, even incredible at that, but that’s not why Baz and Penny love him. Simon, oh Simon. If you would just open your mouth and start talking about all of this, the world of good it would do you …

But, hey, you know who else stressed me out?

Tyrannus Basilton “Baz” Grimm Pitch, Fail Vampire (Except When Kicking Ass), Powerful Pitch Sorcerer, General Posh Representative of UK Mages

Baz, my crappy vampire, my brilliant pyro-mage. You need help as badly as your boyfriend does. Baz’s arc kills me in a different way than Simon’s — everything Simon is dealing with is somewhat expected, and I understand it well. I get what his issues are, and the ways he is (but more often, isn’t, so very much is not) coping with them (and definitely not actually healing from them).

Baz? Oooh man. There were the things I expected — being on the outside, watching Simon slowly go to pieces, feeling completely helpless and lost, not knowing what Simon wants or needs, and that includes whether Simon wants or needs him anymore …

And yes, dealing with striking out on his own, in defiance of his family and all other magical society expectations, which puts him on a rather solitary path (apart from the world he knew — at least he has Simon and Penny, Messes Though They Are).

But the other aspects of himself — as in, his vampire nature and how that plays on his mind? He was suicidal in Carry On because he believed that’s what his mother would have wanted, that the vampires in the UK were so low and beneath him, and he was a Pitch, so how could those pathetic creatures like Nicodemus also be him? I was hoping we would get into all of that that here … and man. Oh man.

How devastating was it to find out that Baz is actually physically unhealthy because he doesn’t feed properly? Because he had no one to teach him how to eat without killing or turning someone? How to eat non-blood food without his fangs showing? When Lamb didn’t quite believe that Baz was twenty, like, legit, he’s twenty, he’s a baby vampire … How small is the world of mages back in the UK? Baz wasn’t even allowed access to the Internet. Good grief, this guy is smart as a whip, but he knows almost nothing and it shows, but it wasn’t until he met the American vampires that it felt painful. I just want him to learn all the things. Simon wants that for him (albeit for reasons that amount to you’re better off without me), and it’s just … Give Baz some true vampire knowledge. Let him feed without killing or turning. Please, cut this boy some slack.

My heart broke to see all the ways Baz was just … missing vital parts of himself. It was killing me to watch him hungrily take in everything Lamb was telling him … He needs something or someone to inform him (who isn’t a raging douchebag like Lamb). There must be some half-decent vampire somewhere who can help. I feel like we’re in for a conflict with his Aunt Fiona, since she’s been vampire hunting this entire while … So, you know, more pain on the way.

I’m sure I’m not the first to say this, but I truly believe we have hints that Baz is more than just vampire or mage. The fact that he aged from when he was bitten, the fact that he can use magic (Nicodemus couldn’t, and we have it confirmed that vampires can’t) … Pretty sure there’s something going on there. He’s a hybrid? He’s a new species entirely? He’s something that NewBlood wants so badly, but they can’t get because it can’t be recreated in a lab?

Baz needs his own long, long period of coming to terms, and then doing something about all those things boiling beneath his skin, because, my dude, you are more than you realize, and that’s not just the vampire stuff I’m referring to, Baz. More than his family’s expectations. More than his magical world. More than Simon’s boyfriend.

Penelope Bunce also gave me feels — “I was never invincible. I was just in the vicinity.” Again, @apostrophe-philosophy, you nailed the issues surrounding her so well: “But Penelope A-Plan-And-Backup-For-Everything Bunce? Hitting the literal end of her rope? Letting us see that she’s perhaps the biggest fraud, who doesn’t know how to fake it till she makes it once her belief in her own abilities has started to waver, because she had never known failure before and is now confronted by it on so many fronts?” Much like you, I am totally on board for her coming into her own, learning from her failures and becoming that much capable and hopefully healthier as a result.

And Agatha Wellbelove, oh, Agatha, realizing that she is magic. That she can’t run from herself, but she can learn — I loved every cynical bit of her in this, but she still had the capacity to realize that she could do something, and she did something, and it was awe-inspiring. It was coated in regret, in self-flagellation of the highest order, and every belief that it would all end in flames, but she did it. Bless her for becoming the saviour of that day.

So we Carry On, Wayward Sons, But There’s No Sign of Peace Yet For When You’re Done?

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again: I still feel like the lack of partial resolution to any of the emotional/psychological arcs drives me up the wall.

That being said, upon re-reading a few of my favourite passages/chapters, and re-reading the last quarter of the book … I will say that there’s a touch more resolution than I realized. Particularly for Simon

“It’s time for me to stop pretending that I’m some sort of superhero. I was that—I really was—but I’m not anymore. I don’t belong in the same world as sorcerers and vampires. That’s not my story … I think I’d rather get a job. Earn something for myself. Pay my own rent. It feels good to think about. It feels like—shit, I’m crying. It feels awful, but it feels clean.”

There’s a mess in that realization as well, but there’s also some clarity. No, Simon is not a superhero — nice, good! Also, he can belong with vampires and sorcerers, maybe, (Shepard is proof), but he doesn’t need to be the be-all-end-all hero/soldier of everyone around him, so there’s that realization at least.

But then it gets cut off shortly after (like, a couple of pages), so … I’m sighing big time here.

Baz gets even more heaped onto his shoulders. But I feel like for all he knows that he’s lacking significant knowledge on half of his identity, i.e. being a vampire, he knows that he doesn’t want to be either like NewBlood or like Lamb’s people. So. There’s that.

Penny gets brought low at the start and is … pretty much still there by the end, though saving Agatha is a plus one in her healing column, maybe? But everything else is just … there. It’s a shorter book — there was room to have one or two conversations? About one or two of these many issues? I’m not even saying those conversations had to go well — but at least informing the characters on a few of the problems that we, as the reader, can so clearly see? The plot was interesting, but sometimes it did feel a bit like a contrivance to keep the emotional arcs in suspension. Because they spent so many days on the road together, nights in motels, they were basically almost never apart for a significant amount of time and not once, until the end, did they try to talk out their shit in a real way.

Again, l love this book. I love so many things. I’m cool with cliff-hangers. But I feel like I needed at least partial resolution on a couple of things — a cliff-hanger after we got Simon acknowledging some parts of his issues and speaking them out loud to Baz? Or vice versa? Because they would be able to see each other’s problems more clearly — the misunderstandings might have continued, but along a different vein? Because, the thing is, acknowledging the problems is a thing, yes, but the healing from them part is the bigger, longer, more painful thing, and I feel like it’s just … so much to cover, and I would’ve liked a better grip on that healing process before the next book?

The third book may endear this second book to me further, but as of right now, it doesn’t quite stand alone for me. It feels a tad unfinished. Again, love so many moments in here, love the characters, including our new disaster friend, Shepard, but the book just feels like it cuts off far too abruptly.

But, to quote again from @apostrophe-philosophy: “I really just want a cast of characters who have actual fucking problems they can’t fix with love and friendship alone and to watch them get what they deserve by claiming it of their own accord. Not because it falls into their hands.”

I want that too, so badly. And I think we’re getting it — we definitely got a piece of that, a solid beginning of that in Wayward Son, and I am so, so hoping we get even more (way, way more) in the next book! (Books?)

Whew. And that is where I am stopping! That might be the end of my meta rope for this novel. Man, I love this book, and if anyone made it through this massive post, you’re amazing. Again, many thanks to @apostrophe-philosophy for adding onto to my previous essay with a beautiful and beautifully worded series of thoughts! *hugs* :)

#wayward son #wayward son spoilers #simon snow #tyrannus basilton grimm pitch #snowbaz #penelope bunce #agatha wellbelove #carry on #rainbow rowell #rants and ramblings