#her death is very heartbreaking but very cool to look at tbh

[frogmaru]

oh no.

#kanna yttd #art #kanna kizuchi #yttd #artists on tumblr #her death is very heartbreaking but very cool to look at tbh #like... very poetic??? i dunnno. it is still verry painful to watch so uh.

[bugisawesomeasf]

Yo if you have the energy for stranger things, full on Nancy wheeler character analysis please?

uhh lol wasnt expecting this tbh but uhh sure !

so i think the main thing about nancy is that shes just idk sort of selfish in a way even if she doesn’t like mean to be, she just is (and thats fine! character flaws are cool.)

like i can’t remember what episode but i know it was before barbs death she was complaining about how inconvenient will going missing is or some shit. which yknow not the best way to react to your brother’s friend going missing (yikes)

i think like barbs death is an obvious example of her being kind of selfish, but when she realizes oh shit barbs gone shes literally does everything she can to save her (also note thats when she got involved in wills whole situation)

she gets to kill the demogorgan and it feels good getting revenge for barb

but its still not enough her best friends gone but will isnt will got saved.

and idk i think thats sort of the reason why shes very distant towards mike (why do you get to keep yours and i have to lose mine?) obviously she cant be mad at will so she has to be mad at mike.

in season 2 she like very obviously does wanna be with steve because barb’s basically haunting that relationship. she cant look at steve without feeling bad about barb (not to mention she literally has meals with barb’s parents with him)

and the her and jonathan find some sketchy shit the governments doing and so nance is like maybe if i like expose this i can avenge her again and i can stop feeling guilty all the time so she does that and she feels good for awhile but its not permanent and before she knows it she feels shitty again

in season 3 she’s dealing with alot not only is she dealing with the guilt of barbs death now she’s dealing with the patriarchy (cant she catch a break)

another thing to add is how she selfishly plans to investigate the rat thing (i forgor what exactly it was) and gets herself and jonathan fired. and her whole argument with him which was genuinely so awful of her.

she has a cute little girl power moment with her mom (its weird tbh because on one hand slay feminism on the other its like girl 🤨)

and she starts investigating again then the mind flayers back and i genuinely think a part of her was like maybe if i kill it i can actually avenge barb this time.

then her and jonathan reconcile which btw she doesn’t apologize about her oliver twist comment (idk who to blame her or the writers)

but along the way mike argues with max and yknow instead of defending your brother like a normal sister, shes on maxs side. and its just heartbreaking to see honestly.

they’re literally siblings but they act like they only know each other through a mutual friend (if that makes sense) and i just know in some universe her and mike stop talking. she has a positive relationship with literally everyone in the party except her brother :(

oh and in season 4 her whole plan to kill vecna she was like hey this is the real bitch who killed her let me avenge her again so she makes a plan where she can be the one to kill him so she can be the hero it doesn’t work

(also note the fact that she doesn’t hug mike when they reunite)

idk if i did her justice with this ‘analysis’. idk my thoughts are really scattered when it comes to her also i haven’t rewatched this show in so long so

also wanted to say this i feel like the fandom has a really black and white sense of morality when it comes to the characters which is weird because whats the fun that like flaws make character’s really good also theres this added element of her being a girl and how girls are literally not allowed to be given flaws or else they’re immediately categorized as a bitch by people

#also this is a head cannon i have so ignore if you dont care but also i feel like theres also the added layer of #you got your friend back so why are you still miserable but thats purely based on vibes i got so #idk im running on 1h of sleep rn #nancy wheeler #wheeler siblings #buggss talks #byler #nancy wheeler analysis #stranger things analysis #🕰️

[itcameuponamidnightqueer]

heyo! im in ‘lets circle back to that in january’ heaven rn, have you read anything recently that you’d recommend? I might finally have time to dig into it!!

hell yeah, this is a great year to ask me this question bc i actually read things, and enjoyed almost all of them! also, a plus for me and i hope it makes a difference to you—everything i read was either written by a queer author or centered the story around queer characters. yes, this was on purpose and yes i will be continuing that in 2024, i always need more queer stories in my life

fiction: siren queen, nghi vo—my favorite book i read this year. a chinese american actress trying to make it in pre-Hays Code hollywood but also there's magical realism. the queerness here is quiet but not muted. tbh i think it could have done with, like, 50 more pages; the meat of the plot seemed to really ramp up just as the book was ending. but the writing was immersive, delicate, and thoughtful.

the once and future witches, alix harrow—three sisters in 1893 work through their own loaded history as they try to bring magic back into the world. alix harrow looks at a story and says "this isn't complete until i put some generational family trauma into it," (looking at you, starling house, also recommended) and she's so right for it. she writes sisterhood wonderfully, the tenderness and trauma of it all, weaving folklore/fairy tales throughout and giving us some bonus (emotionally) tortured sapphics. can also highly highly recommend the audiobook of this; the narrator has a wonderful holly hunter-esque voice.

the teixcalaan series, arkady martine—i read both books this year but absolutely lost my shit over a desolation called peace, which is the second one. the first one, a memory called empire, is very very good and captivating but is also so full of politicking and bureaucracy that it felt slow for basically the first half. both books deal with mahit dzmare, an ambassador of a satellite station colonized by a vast, sprawling empire, and her investigation into her predecessor's death. which is a vastly simplified summary for a deliciously intricate plot; the second book has the advantage of first contact with some creepy-ass aliens and some really cool experiments with prose, from a writing perspective.

graphic novels: saga, brian k. vaughan (writer) & fiona staples (artist)—i know, i know; saga has been around for a while and i only caught up to all the TPBs this year. basic plot: two soldiers on opposite sides of a war fall in love and try to live their damn lives, despite all of the government officials, exes, and mercenaries after them. the art is impeccable, the writing is funny, sexy, heartbreaking, authentic—i can and will read this forever.

nonfiction: something that may shock and discredit you, daniel lavery—i'm not usually one for memoirs/essay collections; i prefer biographies. but i've also loved daniel's writing since the toast, and there is so much i relate to in this expression of his transition. do i always get all of the arthurian or columbo references? are there bits of it that just sail wildly over my head? absolutely. but i also burst out laughing so many times, and there were passages that i just wanted to highlight for pages and scream, "me! it's me, right here!!"

these are my top picks of my 2023 collection! i read a bunch more books but i don't want to clog up everyone's dash so just let me know if you want more recs! always happy to share

#carments #anonymous #long post #i've already added everything alix harrow and nghi vo have written to my 2024 list

[iheartbookbran]

*shows face in shame* I watched the first episode HotD…

In my defense, my brother came to spend the week home and he wanted to watch it, so I was just roped in.

Anyways here are my thoughts, part 1:

Starting in a positive note, watching Harrenhal in all its monstrous crumbling glory was pretty exciting. I don't even remember if GoT ever managed to show it quite like that during several episodes the way it was shown here in a single scene.

But not even one of my fave castles in asoiaf could really prevent me from getting mad at seeing Sexist Grandpa Jaehaerys lmao, though it was a good call imo to have him attend the council as opposed to what happened in the book.

He also looked so resigned like “I had no choice but to disinherit my granddaughter in the most bullshit way” But the thing is, you did Jaehaerys. I hope Alysanne kicks your balls in the afterlife.

The disrespect of using Dany's name after what the GoT ending did to her. But of course HBO knows she still commands numbers.

Ok ok ok I'm over it *proceeds to rant for 45 minutes*

So no into? How disappointing because a cool intro was one of the very few redeeming qualities of that cursed OG show.

The people behind this prequel must be really confident in themselves, or be really stupid.

Really like the use of High Valyrian in this episode and kinda already love the dragonkeepers? And of course the dragons themselves. (spoilers) It's gonna be heartbreaking to see them get killed by a horde of fanatics.

Part of me doesn't want to like or get attached to Rhaenyra bc even though I'm on her side during the whole Dance conflict, her character in the book hardly does anything for me, but Young Rhaenyra feels so much like a cool combination of Dany and Arya and it's too hard for me to resist.

Also I know how her story ends which is even worse.

Milly Alcock does such a good job of selling Rhaenyra as this conflicted young girl who's intelligent and capable and yearns for freedom, but at the same time is acutely aware of the limitations society places upon her, and is hurt by the knowledge she'll never measure up enough for her father by merit of her sex alone.

I loved her one scene with her mother Aemma, how aware Rhaenyra seemed to be of how her mother is only valued as a baby factory and not as a human being. I hope they continue to explore how Rhaenyra thinks of her mother even after her death, let's not forget she includes the Arryn sigil into her own coat of arms latter in the story.

'm not really that bothered about how they turned Alicent's character into neurodivergent and a minor. Like, if everyone's getting the sympathetic fleshed out approach I don't see why she should be any different, it would hardly be entertaining otherwise. How she is now doesn't really justify any of what she does later on.

Tbh I would be more into her character if it weren't for the fact that I've seen sides of the fandom already using her as a beacon to hate on the Targaryens for shit a lot of the other great houses also do. And it's really rich to try to paint Alicent as a victim of the Targaryens as if she doesn't (spoilers) marry a Targ and becomes queen, has several dragonrider Targ children, marries said children to each other and climbs the political ladder to place her own son on the throne regardless of the consequences.

Like of course Otto is the paramount culpable of placing his young daughter in that position, and he's despicable for it, but let's not claim Adult Alicent didn't have any agency.

It's super funny to see so many people being surprised at Matt Smith being so good in the role of an overly entitled jerk prince, as if he didn't play the exact same character in the Crown.

Mind you, Daemon is still a piece of shit, and I have no interest in viewing him as sympathetic, nor do I think that's a requirement to enjoy the character. It's gonna be so funny to see him cause problems on purpose (same with Aemond).

Like… this guy literally threw an orgy to celebrate the death of a baby and then acted all surprised when word got back to his brother and he was pissed because of it. That's hysterical.

I'm really enjoying the relationship between Ser Harrold Westerling and Rhaenyra, I think it's very similar to that of Ser Barristan and Dany in the books, would've been great if GoT had shown us some of it instead of anticlimactically killing off Barristan. God, I hate Dumb and Dumber…

#hotd #fire and blood #house of the dragon #hotd spoilers #pam watches hotd

[octolingo-writes]

Fated hours boys >:) I’m gonna talk about Velrisa because I miss her and she was so cool and I’m gonna talk about her a LOT (Fated spoilers below!)

Genuinely though, without Vel the Fated never would’ve been able to stay together—her demeanor and how she’s a peacemaker is the ONLY reason the Fated did half the stuff they did

Not to mention her status as healer is what kept them alive (except for Sylnan and even then she feels terrible about it)

I also feel so bad for her because she goes through a lot throughout the campaign, but because it’s not as upfront and because Wheatie is a quiet role player (which I’m not saying is a bad thing, how respectful he is is actually one of the main reasons I like Vel so much) than like the trauma Br’aad and Sylnan experience it kinda gets glossed over

Like, her whole purpose is to help people move on when they die, or to stop people from dying if it’s not their time, and there were multiple instances where she has to do this and it’s actually really sad. My mind goes right to Michael, the ghost boy Vel helped who hadn’t even realized he was dead. Velrisa had to explain to a child that he was dead, which is just the most depressing thing ever, and she did it in such a kind and sweet way. And, of course, Sylnan! Sylnan dies and Vel knows it’s not right and he wasn’t mean to and she can’t do anything about it. Br’aad literally begs her to save his life and she has to look him in the eyes and say she can’t do anything. With how empathetic she is, that can’t possibly have been easy. (And I realize that it was definitely the most difficult for Br’aad of course, but I’m just talking about Vel here).

Also, it is no secret that the Fated are sooooo traumatized. These poor boys. And Vel is often someone who helps them! While there aren’t a lot of upfront moments, I believe that Vel has definitely talked with them about the things they’ve gone through. We know for a fact she’s close to Taxi, and her and Br’aad share a lot of very sweet moments in arc 2 (when she dies with the Beholder, when she accidentally kills Claire, after Br’aad’s hallucinations with that spider drink). She’s basically their therapist.

But, and this is one of the main things I wish was done differently, Vel goes through a lot in the Queen Mira arc that isn’t really touched on. I get why they couldn’t deal with it, there were only like two episodes after Mira before arc 2 ended, but still. She gets kidnapped to be used for her blood (and her Tiefling status is something other characters have been distrustful of before), and during her escape she almost dies and spends like three days freezing to death in a cave with no idea if her friends are coming to get her or not. Like, that can’t have been easy. I personally think she developed claustrophobia after that experience. And right after, when they’re fighting Mira, Vel is already injured and she gets knocked out, which is bad enough, but when she wakes up, Ander is dying.

And with Ander, he and Vel are very close. Ander loved Vel so much that he gave up his autonomy in order to save her life when she was a child (a child!) and she doesn’t even know until he’s literally dying in front of her. They have a whole just heartbreaking conversation about it (I almost cried it was so sad). And I don’t think they have a real conversation after he gets revived! We just kinda move on to how Mountain killed his mother and how they have to kill Ungaro—which of course is important, but I just love Vel so much and I wish we could’ve spent more time helping Vel with the fact that she was almost killed and frozen to death and that her uncle died. This poor girl

Okay so I have just straight up rambled about Velrisa for like a lot of words but she’s just,,, she’s so cool and I miss her dearly and I think she deserved an episode to not be the therapist and to see a therapist instead tbh

Thanks to anyone who stuck around! I’d love to hear your thoughts on what I said, I know I was kinda all over the place but I did my best :)

#jrwi #jrwishow #jrwi velrisa #octo posts #jrwi fated

[yutaleks]

Dear Aleks 💌,

Mouse just got to chapter 200 so here's an update!

1.At first Higuruma's curse thingy looked like something straight out of persona and it was pretty cool but then it got too scary and mouse didn't like it that much anymore, there's something about scary drawings that just don't sit right with mouse. But Higurumas domain was actually really interesting, Mouse would totally watch a mini series that was just about his domain. It could kinda be like Death Parade but Lawyer stuff lol

2. Hakari's technique is so confusing, Mouse's brain hurts 😩 Mouse likes him as a character but it's hard to keep up and understand a the rules. Although he's not the only one, most of the new techniques and domains have been so confusing 😅

3. Small panda is so cute! Mouse sometimes forgets panda isn't an actual panda. The story with his brother and sister and the ball was heartbreaking. Mouse hopes nothing bad happens to panda.

4. "How's that zenin able to just go through the barriers?" "That's because she's become" "become what" "a monster" MOUSE IS QUIVERING

5. Was NOT expecting Naoya to be a curse! The sumo scenes were great mouse love Miyo and Daido, they're great side characters. Also don't know how mouse feels about Noritoshis new look, the outfit is good but the hair is meeehhhhh

Love, 🐁

Higuruma’s curse thing IS scary I hate looking at it >.< probably one of the more horror elements of jjk (there are very few but this judgeman freaks me out LOL) I do really like his CT!! It will pop up again!

Hikari’s technique…no don’t understand it tbh. But you’re right once we get to culling games many of the techniques are confusing. Also I’m never gonna let it go that the chemical reaction that Gege used for kashimo’s technique was thermodynamically incorrect/unfavorable and would not occur 😭 but whatever……………….

Panda is pretty much out of commission. The backstory was sad for sure ☹️

Maki is sooooo cool like every time they talk about her in the manga she’s just super powerful and scary !! I can’t wait to see her animated in season three 😭

Im not that surprised that Naoya became a curse, he was so bitter ya know LOL. But I wish we had more time with him somehow ☹️ I feel like we didn’t get enough time with Naoya haha

Also I agree with u I don’t really like noritoshi’s new haircut ☹️ but I don’t think he likes it either LMAOO there was a panel where apparently he got it cut too short by accident 😭 I hope he will grow it back his bangs were so iconiqué 💔

#ϟ asking aleksandria #🐁 anon #jjk spoilers

[musclesandhammering]

Supernatural Opinions That’ll Have Me Burned At The Stake Pt 1.

• John Winchester is more sympathetic than Dean.

• Literally every single angel in the series (except maybe Ishim) had 100% justifiable and understandable motives, and none of them were genuinely evil.

• The demons deserved 97% more sympathy than they got (yes, all of them) because they were literally tortured into being the way they are.

• The hunters on the show are the real villains. The supernatural creatures were just existing as they instinctually should have.

• There was absolutely no reason to bring Mary back at all, and they 100% only did it to provide Dean specifically with more personal Angst. Because everything’s about Dean.

• They did Bela so so dirty and there was no reason at all that 432 other boring ass characters got storyline after storyline and resurrection after resurrection when she didn’t even get mentioned post-death #1.

• Anything to do with Ben/Lisa/Dean was legit just the most boring thing I’ve ever seen, like I literally skipped past those parts cause I cared 0% about any of that.

• Claire was cool at first but they put everything into making her a mini-Dean and she ended up being a whiny annoying rude trying-too-hard-to-look-badass mess (surprise surprise).

• Alex was way more likeable and interesting than Claire, she should’ve gotten the lead storyline in that arc.

• The whole Claire/Kaia thing was nice from a representation standpoint I guess but there was zero chemistry and only like 2 scenes of lead-up and the entire time I was just thinking “what in the hell are they supposedly falling in love for, this feels so forced” lmao.

• Metatron was my fav even before his big redemptive scene, I stanned one petty weirdo full-stop all the way through his dicking around with Cas and everything, y’all simply do not have Taste.

• Same with Amara. Loved her even when she wanted to destroy the known universe. Stanned her. Supported her, even. And also she had an incredibly heartbreaking and sympathetic and dynamic storyline, but some of y’all couldn’t see the substance in her cause you were too busy being pissed that she flirted with your trash monster (Dean).

• I’m very sorry, but Charlie was annoying as all shit.

• Not only did Dean abuse Cas, but Dean abused Sam literally throughout the entire show, from the very first scene.

• Speaking of Sam, he’s probably the most caring, kind, empathetic, genuinely good person on the entire show. He’s an actual cinnamon roll, and every single person that holds him even 1% accountable for the leaving for college thing, or the demon blood thing, or the not looking for Dean in purgatory thing… y’all can eat my shorts.

• Cas was better friends with Sam than he ever was with Dean. They have more of a profound bond too. He was ordered to rescue Dean from Hell and had an army of other angels with him, but he chose to rescue Sam and went in completely alone. If that’s not more profound idk what is.

• I like Balthazar better than Gabriel, fight me on it.

• Hannah and Cas were actually hella cute together. And so were Cas and Meg.

• The Winchesters did not deserve Crowley. They also didn’t deserve Rowena.

• Sam and Dean aren’t actually heroes at all tbh because 75% of all the major apocalyptic problems that have happened on the show was literally their fault. And they almost never solved said problems themselves. They coerced supernatural beings into doing it for them.

• I liked the angels way better in season 4, when they were terrifying mythical beings of eldritch proportions that even the demons were scared of. Held more gravity, I think.

• After Bobby was killed off, the whole vibe of the show kinda fell apart. Like the team/family feeling was just never quite there after that, and it sorta killed it for me tbh.

• Chuck being a mega douche wasn’t the mind blowing plot twist they thought it was. Like that was predictable. It would’ve been more meta and more unsettling and more profound if, instead of being a raging narcissist, he had been portrayed as they described him in season 4/5- an actual father/creator that was jaded with his creation. He still could’ve been absent and all, just not a total heartless jerk.

• I didn’t even watch half of seasons 7-8 like wow that was not interesting in the slightest.

• Season 2 was also dull as hell, but it gets bonus points for the gritty midwestern horror aesthetic. 10/10 immaculate vibes.

• Anything past season 10 I just picked out the Cas episodes to watch and I didn’t even really love those :/.

• I don’t like how the storylines started getting too big for their britches around season 11 or so. Like purgatory and heaven and hell and the apocalypse, ok sure. But alternate dimensions? Heavenly extinction? God’s literal sister? Babe you’re just a cute lil country show from the CW go back to drunks killing vampires.

• This whole series actually started being trash less than halfway through, and the only reason it stayed on so long was because die-hard fans were invested enough to subject themselves to mental and emotional torture week after week just to stay loyal to their old favourite show.

#spn wank #anti supernatural #anti spn #anti dean winchester #cas #unpopular opinion #spn unpopular opinions #unpopular spn Opinions #spn meta #kinda not rly

[omegas-spaghettios]

NO WAY HOME SPOILER DISCUSSION

I'm not lying to you: major spoilers!

I loved this film. I'm going again tomorrow but I just need to talk about it. I'll make future posts about themes and shit but for now I wanna talk about characters.

Happy/Flash/Betty/Old Supporting Cast: They were good, not really new on anything, but i really liked them before anyway! Just, these characters and the teachers and such, they aren't the main takeaways and I don't wanna spend much time with them tbh.

Mysterio: I'm glad he wasn't still alive or pulled from other universes, as people theorized. He is better dead, it works with the themes of the trilogy about murder and death to have him be dead. He was fantastic in FFH, I'm glad we didn't use him too much and left room for this movie's rather huge cast.

JJJ: Only character I have more negative than positives about. I know he isn't the same as Raimi's, but he had so little presence and it was sad to me? In the ending when they showed him talking about Spider-Man's identity, I kinda got shocked cause wow, he really was in the movie and I forgot. Simmons' JJJ has been the best comedic character out of ANY Spider-Man film and it made me kinda sad to realize his return left so little impact.

MJ: Not a whole lot to say, she was really cool and really supportive, it was heartbreaking to see her forget Peter. She is very solid and enjoyable, just not any intricate thoughts, what can I tell you, she was awesome and that's all I need to say.

May: I called her death with my friends, just wanted to add that. But she really got her dues here, the previous movies pretty much reduced her to hot aunt and I'm so happy she took a much more central role. She pushed Peter to be better than he was, to really own up to his power by taking responsibility, and I'm so happy for it. Her death was heartbreaking, but my goodness, she was better here than in any of her other MCU appearances.

I also love how, even right before she died, she demanded that Peter saved her killer. THAT'S the Parker way, just, UGH.

Ned: I liked that he showed a knack for wizardry and, while not the biggest loss by the end of the movie, it makes me sad that the climax ensured he wouldn't be able to pursue his talents, you know? A layer of tragedy to an already tragic ending, but it made him very happy. I'm glad that in his final days with Spider-Man (for now), he finally got to stop living the superhero life through Peter and got a bit for himself.

Eddie/Matt: Very faithful proper introductions into the MCU. I know this Matt technically isn't the Netflix one but I still was FLOORED when he appeared. Catching the brick, the glasses, it was him. Eddie was a mess, confused, looked like shit, they truly knew what we loved about him. Very faithful cameos that enhanced the overall multiverse feel without being overpowering. Also, the Symbiote tease is incredible. Peter has a huge darkness in him now, the Symbiote can really prey on that. I'm excited yet fearful for their futures together.

Wong: Wong got his due and it made me so happy. He deserves to be Sorcerer Supreme and I'm very happy that he is, at least for now. I also like that the trailer was misleading and that Wong in the movie was more sympathetic. He knew how dangerous it was to make the spell work, but he didn't condemn it like in the trailer, and it added a great deal of empathy for him as he acknowledged that yes, it's dangerous, but this kid is suffering and he has done so much, they can try and give some back.

Strange: This is not a Sinister Six film by any means, but Strange does make six antagonists, and he certainly is an antagonist. He is in character, this is him. He's a bit meaner than the Avengers appearances yeah (but look at how different Steve is from TFA to The Avengers, crossovers stretch characters), but he is not ooc. With full knowledge, he let Tony die for a greater good, I totally buy that he would not care for these 5 villains lives. And I think his arrogance and bite does come from being demoted, that probably wounded his pride. He was harsh, but in the end he said "those who love and care for you, we won't remember you". He said "we". He cares for Peter, despite his, uh, more extreme reactions.

Lizard: Got a design upgrade, a slight one, but he did. He looked more reptilian and less live action Goomba, his voice wasn't as deep, and overall I was satisfied with the few moments he got. I have a real soft spot for Curt Conners in TASM 1, and while I knew he wouldn't get as much attention, what they did do felt faithful and loving all the same, and I was happy.

Sandman: His redesign was interesting, it helped him stand out. His constant sandy form did help keep the scenes from being "a bunch of guys in weird clothes standing next to a guy with octopus arms", it kept the scenes of them all together feeling more otherworldly. I also love that he worked with Peter on the spot, very faithful to his redemption. Idk why he went villain again and I'll look for it tomorrow, but yeah. Also sidenote, I'm glad that the lines about "them all dying to Spider-Man" was cut, it was inaccurate for 2 of the 5 villains and I'm glad it got a bit more nuance than they all died.

Electro: He was certainly much better than he was in TASM 2. I'm really glad that they brought Jaimi back and let him play a version of the character he liked more, it shows respect for the old movies BY changing them. They honor what the actor wanted and I think that shows so much more love for Spider-Man and the team behind the Amazing films, they allow them to improve on things they didn't like rather than stick strictly to the past. I loved his presence, he felt like a cougar ready to pounce at any moment.

Doc Ock: He was reduced to laughing stock a lot but I think it fits. Otto is an incredibly prideful man, so him being so thoroughly disarmed by a 17 year old boy (and laughed at by him and his friends) would certainly make him indignant. Either way, he has many stand out scenes. His introduction was incredibly tense, particularly when he started pulling the helicopter into Peter, trying to shred him. Alfred Molina was so damn good when Otto was cured. You could see the disbelief, the shock, then suddenly the relief and joy, it was incredibly beautiful. I also am very glad he got to build a relationship with Norman, something they didn't get to in their own trilogy. His rescue of Peter 2 and 3 as well as his discussion with Peter 2 was incredible as well. Overall a very faithful adaptation.

Norman/Goblin: Tied for my favorite character, he was just raw. Willem Dafoe is the most stand out performance, he was incredible in this film. Also fun fact, Willem only came back on the condition that he did all of his own stunts. This 66 year old man was doing the stunts of the main villain of one of the biggest superhero films of all time, just, wow. Norman was so kindly and I felt for him, his fear, his confusion. The way he nearly cried when he mentioned that his son no longer existed, I just, it hurt. I know he showed more kindness and love in this than in Spider-Man 1, but you really appreciate what you have once it's gone, and that makes you appreciate what you do have. His relationship with May was also adorable.

Well, until it wasn't.

Goblin is mortifying, easily a top 3 MCU villain and a STRONG contender for the best, idk I haven't thought too hard about it. He brought something out of Peter that we haven't seen. Even before he killed May, Goblin made Peter fight so much more brutally, their fight in the apartment complex is chilling. Goblin cackling as Peter beat him down was so damn terrifying. I also loved how Willem portrayed Norman/Goblin leading up to Goblin taking control. Every mention of Goblin made Norman seem a bit more off, especially on my second watch it created such Dread, seeing Goblin come slowly, piece by piece.

I'll save most of the discussion of his fight with Peter on the Shield in Peter's section, but Goblin did that. Goblin brought our Peter, the MCU hero most against killing, to absolute blood lust, and that alone makes him a monster.

Peter 3/Andrew: The second character tied for my favorite (one of three). Andrew legitametly was so good in this. I am astounded that he was honestly more cool to see show up than Tobey, his introduction was so much better.

Let's take a sidenote real quick: I don't like TASM 2. I loved Andrew in the first one. He didn't quite know how to explain his genius, he lacked some tact with time, he had anger issues, but he did everything he could in the end to do right by his uncle and the world. His Spider-Man was initially so mean and aggressive but you can see it mellow out as he comes to better terms with Ben's death. He was incredible and definetly not too cool. Yeah, he was hot and skateboards, but he was so bad at interacting with his classmates that I can see why he was bullied, but he was so smart and kind that I can see why he grabbed Gwen's eye. TASM 2 ruined that. There are multiple instances in fights where he fucks around needlessly and people die. In the opening fight with Rhino, he gets on the truck and messes around for half a minute before jumping off to help people. If he had just stopped Rhino instead of goofing off less people would have died, as right after he jumped off Rhino plowed through an intersection, undoubtedly killing the occupants of the cars he hits. I also hate how he refused to help Harry because of potential consequence, Peter saves everyone he can, even his villains. Speaking of, he straight up murdered Electro and no one cared. He also just stalks Gwen? Gwen's death was very well done, but I can't stand Peter in that movie otherwise. I don't mind Peter being in the wrong, but the movie never makes any attempt to paint these things as wrong or mistakes, and that is what really irks me.

In NWH they refine both interpretations very well. He is clunky and weird and anxious, even more so than the other two, but he's so endearing and you can tell that he has more confidence despite not quite nailing interaction with other people yet. He has the failings of TASM 2, but this time they are shown as wrong. He mentions not pulling his punches anymore. Now, that doesn't exclusively mean killing, but if a guy who can throw cars is going all out on a regular crook, well, 1 + 1 = 2. But it works for this movie! His guilt, his regret, he hates what he has become. He wants to stop Tom's Peter from becoming what he did, and he is reminded of what Spider-Man is himself.

I also love him catching MJ. I don't view it as a redemption, really, it isn't. Gwen is still dead, the people he killed are still dead. But it shows that he's back on the horse. He learned and he is genuinely trying to save someone he views to be his younger brother and his loved ones. It was a catch of love for his younger brother, not of redemption for himself. And the way he cries, it's painful to remember, but he's guarding his brother's loved ones. I just, I love Andrew in this film so much. He also saves Electro in this film and shows a genuine want to be his friend, his true friend, which again, shows his growth from the dark path he went down.

Peter 2/Tobey: He was really cool to see! He had mad Youth Pastor vibes and I loved his interactions with his villains, especially how he saves Norman. I'm going to keep his section brief because God this is long, but I adored him.

Peter 1/Tom, who I will call Peter: the third favorite in the three way tie. His arc is incredible. I love how sinister his final confrontation is with Goblin, how brutal it is. It's chilling that when Tobey stopped him he didn't immediately stop pushing, he kept going for a bit, he was trying to go through Tobey, he was willing to kill him to get to Goblin, if even for a moment. But he doesn't. I have a post here if you want to hear my extended thoughts on Peter and his arc in the MCU about murder.

His final decision is strangely optimistic. He is hurt deeply that no one remembers him, but he isn't crushed. He seems almost optimistic about the future. MJ and Ned are in MIT and he is happy for them. He is in no rush to get back to where he was with them, he seems content to give it time. He also seems happy to be in his own apartment finally. He is a young man ready to keep going with life, despite all of his losses, and that is also core to Peter Parker, how he keeps going despite the hell he goes through.

I also love two of his new suits. The inside out look was just to sell toys, but the other two? Amazing. I love that the upgraded suit was really just a gold piece of armor over his FFH suit. I love that it is a symbol of what he stands for, Ock gave it to him as a gift for curing him. I also love his final swing suit. It's homemade so it looks cheaper which I love, but I also love how he designed it to look more like the other two Peters' suits.

#spider man no way home spoilers #no way home spoilers #spider-man #peter parker #mysterio #quinten beck #j jonah jameson #ned leeds #michelle jones #may parker #wong #stephen strange #doctor strange #matt murdock #daredevil #eddie Brock #venom #lizard #curt connors #sandman #flint marko #green goblin #norman osborn #doctor octopus #doc ock #otto octavius #tobey maguire #andrew garfield #peter 2 #peter 3

[zeephyre]

EXPLAINING MY THOUGHT PROCESS BEHIND SONGS IN MY ANGSTY GOJO SATORU PLAYLIST

(because I'm bored and why not)

Disclaimer: like more than half of these songs are by Mitski, and like most of them have SatoSugu undertones

JJK MANGA SPOILERS BELOW

Liquid Smooth - Mitski

The lines that stuck out most to me in this song are: "I'm liquid smooth, come touch me too, and feel my skin is plump and full of life, I'm in my prime, I'm liquid smooth, come touch me too, I'm my highest peak, I'm ripe, about to fall, capture me," and basically i just get like flashbacks to THIS specific manga panel after he really does reach his highest peak 😭😭

There's something so cool but also deeply tragic about this moment, like he was obviously a little messed up in the head, and this song just makes me feel what i imagine he did in that moment. kind of manic, kind of tragic.

A Pearl - Mitski

The song really just reminds me of Satoru's perspective on the whole situation with Suguru. For all of it, I like to imagine he's filling the void that Suguru left after the KFC breakup with other people and he's failing miserably. The lines that stick out most "It's just that I fell in love with a war, and nobody told me it ended, and it left a pearl in my head and i roll it around every night just to watch it glow." I think it best fits this manga panel where Satoru watches Suguru leave.

Crack Baby - Mitski

Another song that reminds me of the KFC breakup. It really just makes me think of the above manga panel again because of the lines "Crack baby, you don't know what you want, but you know that you had it once, and you know that you want it back." Another manga panel that fits this song is this one tbh:

I Want You - Mitski

Not to bring up the KFC breakup a million times, but it is so iconic, and I will bring it up again. The lines, "I want you, I hold one card, that I can't use, but I want you," reminds me of just the implication that Satoru couldn't do the one thing he should have to stop Suguru, but he was still left behind, and years later he HAD to kill Suguru anyway.

Outro: Tear - BTS

This entire song is literally just about the SatoSugu breakup. The lyrics are powerful and deeply sad, describing painful heartbreak and separation, and if you don't know the meaning behind it, I suggest looking up the English translations. There's no one line or anything that sticks out more than the rest, just reading the whole thing reminded me so much of Gojo and Getou.

Francis Forever - Mitski

This song, in my head, takes place after Suguru's death. Just the idea that every day, Satoru carries the memory of him with him wherever he goes and just feels this intense longing for something he knows he won't ever get back. My favourite lines are, "On sunny days I go out walking, I end up on a tree-lined street, I look up at the gaps of sunlight, I miss you more than anything," and "I don't need the world to see that I've been the best I can be, but I don't think I could stand to be where you don't see me."

Why Didn't You Stop Me? - Mitski

I feel like this one is very self explanatory, especially just the title. It's just so perfect for the KFC breakup??? I really don't understand how Mitski managed to make a song so fitting for them, but most of her songs are really just SatoSugu vibes all around. The first verse is just the Suguru in Satoru's head asking him why he let him leave. One specific line, however, makes me think of Satoru seeing Kenjaku possessing Suguru's body and that's, "I look for a picture of you to keep in my pocket, but I can't seem to find one where you look how I remember, painted over,"

I really love this moment because it really shows something so... powerful in how much Satoru knows Suguru and nothing could ever trick him when it comes to him. Very gay. 10/10.

My Ordinary Life - The Living Tombstone

People like to throw around the words God Complex when it comes to Gojo Satoru, but while I do think Gojo is a godly figure both canonically and symbolically, it's important to remember he's still human, even if he's The Strongest. This song just makes me think of how reverred Gojo is in the Jujutsu World, how little people even know about him, and how much is expected of him. He's more like a product than a person to these people. I just think he's a very lonely man and everyone is too busy either idolizing or hating him to notice. The lines, "Can you heal me? Have I gained too much? When you become untouchable, you're unable to touch," are REALLY accurate to how I think Satoru feels. Like, he's literally untouchable, but we see that he likes to let his guard down for just to allow a few people to touch him, whether it's Yuuji and Nobara giving him a hug, or someone "playfully" hitting him. Anyways, I love Satoru Gojo and I want only happiness for him.

I Bet On Losing Dogs - Mitski

Specifically the lines, "Will you let me, baby, lose on losing dogs. I know they're losing and I'll pay for my place by the ring where I'll be looking in their eyes when they're down," make me think of Suguru's death scene, when everything is done and Satoru is left with a corpse.

Always Forever - Cults

I just like to think of Satoru and Suguru, the Strongest, best friends and inseperable. Before any of the bullshit, before Toji, before Suguru left and before Satoru had to eventually kill him. Just the idea of Satoru finding someone he wanted to share the top with, someone he saw as his equal, however true that may have been.

Arms Tonite - Mother Mother

If you haven't listened to this song, just go do it now and you will understand why it HAD to be in the playlist. When I listen to it, I just imagine Satoru holding a dying Suguru in his arms and as Suguru dies, this song just starts playing. Seriously, this ENTIRE song just sounds like Suguru talking to Satoru. Also these lyrics, "I try to escape afterlife. I try hard to get back inside your arms alive," just SCREAM this panel

What A Time - Julia Michaels

This just gives me vibes of Satoru, after Suguru leave, reminiscing on the old days when they used to be in love, promising to be together forever... maybe not strictly canon, but we all know they did that.

Freaks - Surf Curse

This song just feels like Suguru's perspective. The trauma of everything that went down changed him severely, and it feels like the transition from the Suguru who wanted to protect the weak to the Suguru who wanted to kill every non sorcerer.

Money - The Drums

This doesn't connect with anything specific in canon, but in my brain I like to see little imaginary snapshots of cute SatoSugu moments before everything went to shit. I blame tiktok tbh.

Geyser - Mitski

Just. "You're my number one, you're the one I want." ??? Are you kidding me??? THAT'S LITERALLY THIS PANEL.

Honestly, Geyser makes me think of just a desperate Satoru trying to find a way to make Suguru stay and failing miserably.

Deepest Cut - Get Scared

KFC breakup, but Suguru's perspective. The whole song speaks for itself, but I really like this part because it feels like rubbing salt into the gaping wound :) "I'm the deepest cut, I'm the deepest wound, I'm the deepest lie you ever told, I'm the hardest part, I'm the blackest heart, I'm the darkest night that's way too cold. I'm leaving, I'm leaving now, I'm leaving, I'm the one that's always leaving you," and that last line really just makes me think of Suguru's death scene again, along with, "Please don't forgive me, I can't forgive myself."

Dance With The Dead - Get Scared

Just. Shibuya Arc. Seriously, listen to the song.

Misunfortunate - Get Scared

I know canonically Satoru doesn't like alcohol and he can't hold his liquor, but I have a headcanon that for a while after Suguru's death, he drank a lot more than was healthy. He'd drown out the emotions he didn't want to deal with by getting intoxicated. These lines really show that, I think, "Give up on love, I'm trustless. Give up on trust, I'm loveless and now it's time to let you go."

Built for Blame - Get Scared

I really like this song as a sort of insight into the way Satoru deals with everything that Suguru did. He blames himself, not just for being unable to stop him, but for failing to protect him from the pain he was feeling. Just take a look at the lyrics and you'll see what I mean. But, my favourites are definitely, "Eyes can only see what they want when they're open minded to the thought of getting hurt again beaten to the bone with the thought of all your worst events," because it gives me Shibuya vibes, when Satoru sees Fake Suguru.

Badly Broken - Get Scared

Post KFC breakup. Just Satoru reeling from Suguru's decision to leave him behind. The lyrics are all pretty fitting.

Okay, I did like 20 songs, but the whole playlist is like 80 songs long, and I'm lowkey tired, so maybe I'll do this rest another time. Let me know if this was at all interesting.

#jujustu kaisen #jjk #gojo satoru #geto suguru #satoru gojo #satoru x suguru #satosugu #suguru geto #jjk manga #spoilers #gojo's past arc #hidden inventory arc #shibuya arc #stsg #Spotify #mitski

[uivellyn]

omg nina i was cleaning and had some thoughts... could you see arwen having a different fate than what tolkien had for her? if so what kind? although she chose a mortal life she lived well over 100 years so how long do you think she would have lived? + are there any characters you can see her interacting with, be prior to or following aragorn?

okay so jo you have just awoken a whole spiel within me, thank you for this I have many thoughts about Arwen!!!!! here we go, I'll try and organize them as best I can!!!!!!

a different fate . . . . being the granddaughter of Galadriel, great-granddaughter of tuor, a descendant of Turgon through idril and Tolkien has her die in the woods of heartbreak? GETS ME EVERY TIME. dying of heartbreak is a thing that can happen to elves they can fade but personally, i feel she carries on without aragorn for the sake of her children. her daughters??? unnamed? a crime. i honestly think she’d adore her children and even when they’re grown would see aragorn in their eyes and smiles and even actions as most parents tend to! i want to see her teaching her children swordplay and elvish tales and tales of men and insight to rituals and hobbies and lessons they both teach their children . . . i want her daughters named after her mother and perhaps grandmother! IDK I'm just very soft about Arwen maintaining roots in subtle ways as she gives up immortality but not the memories of those who love(d) her, as Aragorn comes to realize despite being raised by elves, he's MORTAL and comes to accept that I like to think they can't quite shed the ways in which they were raised ??? I'm just soft about her singly elvish lullabies to her children and then repeating them to her on her death bed. I want her to pass in a room full of love and support of family, children && grandchildren alike!! that's how I gaslight myself into thinking she died surrounded by children and mortal friends she'd made along the way. honestly, I have many thoughts about how long I think she COULD live but I like to think she grows old much slower than one would think as I personally just like the thought of Arwen seeing multiple generations of kings and queens past but that's just me. i get so sad thinking about how Elrond and celebrian will never meet their grandchildren SOB. thinking about her brothers who had to give her up as well. just sometimes i get so sad thinking about arwen sometimes man,,,,,,

on people I'd like to see her interact more with . . .i think about Arwen growing up with two twin brothers and the mischief they would get into and I also think about Arwen learning her sword skills from Glorfindel late lord of Gondolin and balrog slayer and I just EXHALE because whilst they live in a homely haven I feel Arwen's energy levels and need to move and learn,,,,, but you know. (i want someone to compare Arwen's eldritch Luthien beauty to that of Galadriel and I personally hc Arwen is an unsettling beauty as Luthien and elves of the first age were sometimes described if that makes sense, odd hair things, penetrating gazes, she got a heart of gold but damn is her presence not unsettling and thrumming with old power.) I think I’d love to have seen Arwen and Eowyn speak more, if Arwen had gone to helm's deep(ALSO WANNA TALK ABOUT HOW THE SCENE OF ARWEN SHOWING UP TO HELMS DEEP TO FIGHT WAS CUT FROM THE MOVIE ILL NEVER FORGIVE THEM FOR THAT) I ponder on the events that would have taken place. there are more ways than one to be fierce and hold hope and fight for your dream but damn would i have loved to see Arwen kick severe and major ass, i wonder what her cool sick armor would have looked like but you know! It is my bi brain thinking about Eowyn's deep admiration and love for Arwen's will and freedom, her drive to be with the man she loves and to fight for middle earth and tbh in my head, I can see her having feelings for arwen > aragorn but hey I mean she has two hands lol. and who could blame her. not me. plus they have much in common and I feel their convos would be full of questions and laughter and emotion. i would like to see the power of Arwen's song and sword in action though on the real. i’d also love to have seen an expansion on the friendship between Arwen and Legolas seeing as I’m sure they crossed paths and I think their friendship would be so amazing to flush out I have many thoughts about that as well.

#also if i remember right she gave her necklace to frodo & her place on the boat to valinor………… #……..i would like to you to think about how elrond has to take the passage with frodo instead of his daughter. MMMMMM PAIN. #*arwen #*answered #*lord of the rings meta #jo i have so many thoughts about arwen #kind thoughtful brave sweet smart stubborn powerful humble warm arwen undomiel #@rieia

[vaguely-concerned]

putting the rest of my 'island of assassins' reactions in one post to spare people's dashes lol honestly watch this one it rules

- ms. ellen island of assassins my beloved ;_________; best 'girl of the installment' by miles and miles, she's so cool

- the crew: go to a terrifying death island full of remorseless murderers and deadly poisons

jigen, eternally my delight and my joy: brings a fucking umbrella with him fsakdfhasdkjlfh

they're doing such a hilarious thing in this one where in the visual design he's presented at his most actually scary/intimidating, but in everything he's actually doing he's adorable. cooking for goemon! giving good life advice even to people who're trying real hard to stab him! letting bomber down gently but in a very 'believe in yourself man' way! I love him

-

such good zenigata content in this one considering he spends most of it cooped up in bed with his lil twink assistant (sadly not like that, no, tho honestly I think that would be good for him at some point actually)

- may we also speak for a moment about the fact that someone shot zenigata and it instantly made lupin go '...welp gotta go to the ends of the earth to fucking end the entire career of whoever did this' aww look he does care about ol' pops

-

simultaneously cracking up and going d'aaaw buddy ;___; at bomber's palpable heartbreak in this scene... jigen almost shot him in the head and he instantly fell in love huh fhdsakfhasd sorry bro he's an extremely taken man (I love bomber he's a fun character)

(also I must be imagining this but this special really does feel laden in Subtext in so many ways somehow lmao)

-

WELL UH THIS HITS A BIT DIFFERENT CONSIDERING WHAT JIGEN USED TO DO FOR A LIVING HUH (that's all jigen's dialogue btw, the evil henchman's answer is just like 'nah I like killing tbh*shrug*' between frame 1 and 2)

also, listen... I know I am an incorrigible jigenfucker but add this scene with the fact that at the end of the movie he's the one who gets why lupin did this and why it all mattered even when they didn't get anything out of it in the end and the lyrics of the end credits song taken together..... Themes tm in my brain man I want to write a goddamn fic about this haha

GOEMON IN WITH THE RESCUE, MPV of this battle as far as I'm concerned

- goemon and fujiko were kind of just... there and little bit of comic relief in this one but that hug was so cute haha (...I kind of ship it at this point I think they'd be much better for each other than fujiko and lupin are lol)

- bomber noooooo D: the way he smiled when he saw jigen was honestly worried for him tho Y______Y I guess going out on a big fucking boom would be how he'd want to go

- holy shit this one has a genuinely good plot twist!!! good plot? in MY lupin iii media? apparently it sometimes happens hahaha

like I said this one does have some basic bitch 90s anime style problems but if you look past that there's so much excellent stuff here. doesn't feel quite like a normal lupin story but I don't think it's to its detriment really

(there's one incredibly weird gross scene with fujiko near the start but like... isn't there always *sigh*)

- okay this fight scene between lupin and his psycho ex kicks ass actually, I guess this is where half the budget went lol

- again ellen is so good. rest in peace queen you deserved the world :'( (also her interactions with lupin were so sweet and much more geared towards a genuine friendship, which makes lupin so much more likable to watch too)

#lupin iii #island of assassins #an unexpected banger I'd say!

[isagrimorie]

[initial reactions] Doctor Who - Revolution of the Daleks

TLDR: I liked it! But I do have some nitpicks. But bottom line, I liked it! Especially the exit! 

Apologies going in, if it’s rambling and incoherent.

First off, I’m going to get my criticisms out of the way:

- They really need to hire these two people:

a) Sensitivity readers

b) They need to have people of color in charge of casting. Andy Pryor has done a great job casting people but. Since they opened up casting more actors of color to be more diverse... most people in guest roles die. So it ends up being Not A Great Look.

It’s the kind of breezy: We’re hiring more actors of color without really considering the optics of it. Colorblind casting in this way shouldn’t be colorblind. More diversity behind the scenes is needed, especially in casting.

Colorblind casting isn’t representation. Execs have to consider how it looks that a black man is helping create ‘Security Drones’ for the government.

c) I get why Jack Robertson lived, and I’m actually okay with it because I know Chibbs is going somewhere and he’s interconnecting Specials to be their own kind of continuity, so next Special or series we will have Robertson appearing. But I can’t believe the Doctor believed Robertson. Unless she’s really learned from not interfering with politics, but man I wish there’s more vindication to that. I do have a sense of where this is going though, more on that later.  

d) I wish they’d gone harder with the Dalek = Police thing.

e) I really kind of wish the Doctor escaped on her own.

And now for my thoughts and the happy!

RYAN! I LOVE RYAN. I LOVE RYAN BEING EMOTIONALLY MATURE AND PUSHING BACK ON THE DOCTOR. It felt... earned that they do and, Ryan’s always been the more hesitant of the three and the more grounded. I love that it’s Ryan that the Doctor confided in, I’ve always felt like Ryan was the one Thirteen connected to the most after Grace died. And I love his development, ever since Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos Ryan is the first to quote the Doctor back to herself from the guns rule and now here to ‘New can be scary’, reminding the Doctor of her own words.

But also, I love that Ryan felt more connected to Earth, with his friends. Yaz was always the one who looks to the horizon. I like that Ryan pushed back on the smokescreen the Doctor tried to put up. Ryan was tired of the smokescreen. He had 10 months to work on his feelings about it and realized... he liked being home.

I wish we saw more what they were doing at home, like what Chibnall wrote for the Ponds in Power of Three. I did see this was his arc he was building to.

I liked that Graham was torn but eventually his loyalties are with Ryan.

I honestly think the fam thought the Doctor was just gone for a week, her time.

Also: FINALLY A COMPANION EXIT WHERE THEY’RE THE ONES WHO WALK AWAY. And because it’s time.

NO MORE TRAPPED IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE OR DYING OR BEING CONVERTED PLEASE. Anyway, that is why I was vindicated because I was getting pretty antsy at all the twitter posts almost gleeful at the thought of companion death.

Nope. No more please. No more world ending, universe ending, heartbreaking ends. I want a Jo Grant walk away, and that is what happened. (Er, I hope we don’t get a Tegan leaving from Yaz, though. Sad and disillusioned walk away).

Yaz. Oh, dear, Yaz, who seems to have tossed her career away running after the Doctor’s shining star. I loved her conversation with Jack, he was a nice contrast and sounding board. Also, Jack was much kinder to the Doctor because they didn’t miss each other, the Doctor (according to RTD’s retcon) deliberately left Jack on Satellite Five.

Yaz is willing to run and jump without looking because of the Doctor and I love that we got her feelings about this.

And, of course, the Doctor. The moment Ryan said she missed 10 months, I felt she knew the clock was ticking on her ‘fam’. She’s trying to be good to them and do right by them.

(The Doctor knows Ryan’s ready to leave, she knew it. She’s trying to be in denial about it. But she knows).

It’s a small detail but when she processed the ‘ten months’ bit, she quickly looked to Ryan. Because if it’s one of the subtext things around is that she wanted to be a better father to Ryan than his real dad. But she still skipped out on him unknowingly.

The way he just brushed it off, because the worst part is. Ryan is used to it.

It’s sad that the Doctor opening up to the fam was brought on after a decades’ long solitary, and probably a promise to be better. But, she calculated wrong, or the TARDIS deliberately chose to go to that time. Whatever the case, just when she’s opening up to them is when Ryan decided his time with the Doctor was at an end.

God, the moment when Thirteen said: “Mostly... angry.”

I felt this. hard.

I think it was @ssaalexblake​ who mentioned that Thirteen acknowledging she’s angry might help with all of Thirteen’s repressed anger issues. And I think these are baby steps towards that.

She’s actually been so angry for so long, but she kept pushing it down. Like I said, Thirteen, in a way, reminds me of Raylan Givens of Justified. People think he’s mild mannered, but as his ex-wife amicably opined, Raylan was the angriest man she knew.

And I feel this for this Doctor but at least, now she’s addressing it. The first step in fixing a problem, is identifying the problem.

This was made in 2019. Thirteen being in a repeating lockdown felt very 2020 to me. The things that made me go: Oof, was the Harry Potter thing, the Doctor’s always loved HP. Unfortunately it’s post-2020 hindsight where we go: whoof.

I love Thirteen still mouthing off and being obnoxious towards other Doctor Who baddies. The Weeping Angel thing is cool and so are the Silents. BUT ALSO THE DOCTOR CALLED THE P’TING TINY! AND SHE TRIED TO EAT THE PRISON BARS. 

And then, of course, being more obnoxious with the Daleks. It’s pretty clear the difference in rawness of the Doctor’s feelings for the Daleks and the Cybermen. The Daleks’s an old ember. Her feelings for them are ice cold. A purity of feeling. The Daleks are evil and she has no compunction on killing them, the Cybermen? More personal and a raw nerve.

She’s willing to be cold towards the Daleks. 

I really like that Yaz has more skin in the game, and she knows what she can lose now. And after her talking with Jack, after seeing his perspective on it, and from his words knows that sometimes the Doctor just disappears from people’s lives.

And I love the pushback:

Skewered.

But true because she is trying to stay still and be with the fam and not leave them. But the unfortunate truth is, the Doctor does run away, and the Doctor does leave people behind and a lot of the times, the Doctor doesn’t come back because they’re an emotional coward.

The thing about Thirteen is she’s probably the longest of the Doctors to not disappoint her companions. She’s always managed to stop bad guys and always been there for them.  It’s an impressive track record for the Doctor. She’s built herself up in their eyes as someone they can rely on, and then she failed them by not getting back to them in time.

It’s not her fault, and none of them know how long it’s been for the Doctor, by the way she’s asked them I feel like they think she’s only been gone for a week.

Honestly, I’m impressed how the Doctor didn’t make it about her -- being in prison for longer than they thought. She’s looking at it from their point of view, because she already knows what big leaps in time would affect her friends.

TBH Revolution of the Daleks felt like shades of Last Christmas in that the Doctor regretted missing out time with her companion/s. In Last Christmas, the Doctor got his time back with Clara, in RotD, time passed.

Back to the Doctor and the Daleks tho.

This reminded of Twelve’s: “You are monsters. That is the role you seem determined to play. So it seems I must play mine. The Man that stops the Monsters.”

(Look, Chibnall’s Moffat references aren’t as sledgehammer, but he does reference a lot of Moffat’s things.).

Except with Thirteen, I’m actually more terrified. Jodie does this thing where her eyes goes black and she kind of disappears into herself, this is what happened here. This promise isn’t actually good IMO.

This is not a comforting face. This is a ‘I’m gonna kill a whole boatload of Daleks face and I’m not sorry, in fact I might enjoy doing that’ face.

(And, a brief aside to Robertson, I feel like the Specials have their own kind of special ‘movie’ continuity and more of his story will play out in the Specials, where hopefully he will get his comeuppance because, to me, I feel that’s where it’s going. This is more groundwork laying.

I don’t like it when the Doctor interferes with Human affairs, especially government -- because look what happened with Harriet Jones and how the Doctor broke the Golden Age. Also, I don’t want real world leaders to exist in the Whoverse because I want them to have a completely different track from us. So. Yeah, New Year’s Specials have their ongoing storyline. I’m actually not mad about it, and I enjoy Mr. Big’s performance. He’s a sleezeball. A sleezeball that knows more now. (He isn’t T rump but he isn’t better either). At least I find him enjoyable and not outright offensive. I’m okay seeing him again for the next Specials. I hope next time he does get his comeuppance.)

Now, the goodbyes:

 The HUG.

We’ve been waiting for the Doctor to be more physically affectionate with the fam, and it took the Doctor being locked down for decades (maybe?), and Ryan and Graham leaving for her to hug them. And we’re all right, Thirteen gives great hugs.

The feeling Thirteen’s been running away from is here, sadness. It’s good that Yaz decided to stay other wise... she’s just going to run headlong into forgetting her problems, Doctor Style.

And again, learning and re-learning things: ‘It’s okay to be sad.’

Oh, Thirteen.

(Before Twelve, I don’t think I was this sympathetic to the Doctor -- no wait, I was with Nine. Ten and Eleven tested my patience but it’s with Twelve and Thirteen where I’m 100% invested in the Doctor.

I also love that they’re kind of soft touching the Timeless Child thing, and as someone on twitter mentioned, this feels like an examination of an adoption story. The Doctor is going to search for their identity, their home).

I honestly wish Jack stayed in the TARDIS with Thirteen and Yaz. Jack’s a great balance, especially pushing back at the Doctor and her tactics. Her NUCLEAR tactics. I am glad that the Doctor’s still a dick to Jack, not much of an asshole as they were when the Doctor was Ten but still a dick.

Also, one thing I really love about Barrowman is that when he’s in Doctor Who, he knows it’s not his show and he doesn’t showboat, and the man can showboat. 

I’d rather Jack than random guy that I didn’t even know was gonna happen until very late.

Anyway, TLDR to all this: I enjoyed this very much! Still a lot to be parsed through in things that needs to be parsed through as I mentioned, but on the whole? I loved it.

#doctor who #doctor who spoilers #thirteenth doctor #yasmin khan #ryan sinclair #graham o'brien #jack harkness #revolution of the daleks #initial reactions #long post #rambling and incoherent

[its-chelisey-stuff]

I watched “Imitation” and it was surprising (... okay, I loved it!)

Full disclosure: If you haven’t the slightest interest in kpop, not even in the drama or juicy gossip that produces, this won’t be your thing. I know it’s not a drama for everyone. Stop reading. Just know that OTP (and most characters) had a happy ending but there was a bunch of drama to achieve it. Typical. And a death may or may not have been in the mix.  

Well well well... I'm pleasantly surprised, that's the perfect three word review for this drama. It would seem that when those little projects that come out of nowhere and you have no expectations about, turn out to be even a little big good, they made the strongest impression. And this drama is up there in my top 3 of favorite dramas of the year, it has my heart.

Yes, it was about kpop idols and 90% of the cast was made of idols (even one from the very first kpop gen hahaha), yet the acting was decent (and from some, truly great), yes sometimes it got a bit cheesy and silly and yes, there was a ton of drama concerning fans, reporters, dating scandals and bad and greedy CEOs of entertainment agencies BUT it was also sweet, really romantic, funny, lively, full of music (I'm OBSESSED with the last OST which was sung by the whole cast, it makes me FEEL things) and dancing, it had lots friendship and found family AND at times, it was heartbreakingly tragic.

I think this drama tried to tell the audience two important lessons, worthy of mention: the first, work hard for your dreams, don't give up on them but also, you never know what opportunities might come your way that could end up changing your direction and perhaps make you chase something that you never thought you would, so persevere, breathe and hang in there just a bit more; the second, one that we all know if you have a little bit of sense and even if you are mildly informed about the k entertainment which is that idols are just people(most of them teens when they debut some not even 18) who want to and deserve to have a pretty f-ing normal life, so f-ing let them! the consequences of putting these youngsters over a pedestal are catastrophic and there are real life, heartbreaking, examples of this.

Main characters

Ryok: the Golden Boy of kpop, from the most popular boy group, also a an actor (a decent one? Idk they never said). Perfect in every single aspect, except when he is nice to girls who aren't his fans, then they will crucify him. SUPER clumsy whenever his crush is nearby and does something he finds cute, otherwise super cool and chill. Also great at pining for his crush. A romantic, which means he chose the worst career path. My favorite character.

Maha: A bright and optimistic girl with a strong might of perseverance in going after her dreams. Loves dancing. Very sweet and very tiny. Despite appearances, she's not a pushover or weak FL. And that's why I loved her.

Yujin: Second ML by the book. Became an idol because he was pursuing FL (who in turn was pursuing ML). The only reason why I never hated him is because he was a great friend, knew he wasn't doing anything healthy and decided to end his one sided love and opened his eyes. Two words: Character development *chef's kiss*

LaRiMa: A soloist. A Queen. At the start, it looked like she was the typical and mean second FL. But she wasn't, and I adored her for that. She had a heart of gold. She deserved the world, and she knew that so she made decisions accordingly (a Queen chases no one, least of all a man!) lol best character in the drama and my second favorite character (sorry Maha!)

Also starring: The members of SHAX (the leader, SF9′s Hwiyoung, the maknae from Ateez and the funny guy who spoke random english) the group of Golden Boy. Tea Party members (bffs with FL, Riah and HyunJi), Maha’s group. Sparkling members (the very angry and frustrated leader and two members of Ateez whose names I don’t know), second ML group. AND in the longest and most important cameo (ala Go Kyung Pyo in My roommate is a Gumiho) SF9′s Chani, a former member of SHAX, who disappeared into thin air one day.

The story

On paper it doesn't sound like anything groundbreaking (and tbh it really wasn't lol): a story about idols who willingly chose their career path, trained for years while underage, got treated like products by ugly men in suits and realized it kinda sucked, especially when you don't become a hit group and have to protect your personal life like it's a dirty secret that could damage your image and maybe end your career this is why I said it’s not a show for everyone. But this drama is what Dream High 2 (2012) wanted to be and never could in the aspect of actually making you feel something for these idols and the situations they were facing while loving the musical side of the show and making it all believable.

Even if it's not exactly about teens in high school sort of thing, it does give you the same hopeful and uplifting feeling of a coming of age story, especially because the characters are still youngsters trying to be happy and realize their dreams for the future.

You can just stop reading here if you want to go watch the drama with no spoilers. And if I haven’t convinced you despite not being appalled by kpop themed dramas, then I guess you should keep reading lol or trust in my taste and judgement when I say the story is worth it (but to be fair the first two eps are a bit slow).

The romance (super spoilery!)

At the core, this show was a love story. What started the plot is the fact that main couple reunite in the same work field as idols, and they actually met and befriended each other years ago; so being older and able to spent more time together brings them closer to finally accept and give into their feelings, but soon enough their relationship becomes a ticking bomb threatening their careers and then this big mystery of how and why SF9' Chani disappeared and abandoned the group becomes really important in the last third of the drama

Because once upon a time, Chani had a gf but she was still a trainee so once their love was exposed (the truth of who exposed him is devastating) and their respective companies threatened them, it all becomes too much too fast and with seemingly no other way out, the girl makes a terrible decision, that ends up changing the lives of most of the characters.

I’m sure this is from a bts but their chemistry was really good and sweet. Also, height difference to die for!!

Yet, there is a happy ending for main couple but it's only achieved after certain people learn from their mistakes and support Ryok and Maha, which makes it clear that no matter how in love and willing you are to face adversities for and with your loved one, you still need a support system (and maybe the right people in a position of power) because sometimes two against the world isn't as romantic as it sounds, but sad and lonely.

And the main reason why I loved this is because of the way the show drew a parallel between the two most important couples in the story and tells the audience “had it been even a year before, under different circumstances and less luck, had they had no friends and no people to support them, main couple would’ve ended in the same tragic way” and I think that is a haunting realization. That also makes you appreciate things.

*cries* they were adorable

The bad (spoilers!)

I do wish this drama would’ve elaborated on some bits that were really worth diving into, or that it would’ve shown how some things came intro fruition instead of just skipping it and showing rigth away the outcome of conversations that were never had or reunions never shown. It is clear to me that they wanted to make the drama longer and could have told a better story had it been a 16 ep show. 

Basically yes, the main story, main romance and side couples' arcs got resolved but ugh a list of plot holes:

Why was LaRiMa so obsessed with Ryok for half the drama? The minute the girl knew he was dating someone he truly liked, she gave up right away, so I gotta believe the only reason she didn’t quit on him before, is because he did gave her a reason to hold onto him. Perphaps they dated before? Or maybe they like each other at one point? I can only do fanfiction in my head to explain this.

Why was the angry leader of Sparkling such a bitter bitch? How did he end up in another company?

I wanted to see SF9′s Chani reunion with his ex-members from SHAX.  It NEEDED to happen. At least they showed Chani with Ryok (which was really emotional) but arrgh.

Also, Chani deserved a kneeling apology from SHAX leader, I mean, come on!!

If everyone knew about Maha and Ryeok at some point, they needed to use that. You can’t just have a bomb like that in your drama and not use it. Is a principle of storytelling. You can’t just have the thing that your main characters fear the most, in your hands, and do nothing about it. But I guess it was not done because of lack of time.

Also, they never showed how they announced their relationship. Instagram post? Company statement? An exclusive to Dispatch? And how did the fans took it?? Answers, drama! Damn it!!

Final thoughts

Despite its many flaws, I loved it. It had heart. It seemed low budget and even more so due to the fact that it was done in the middle of the pandemic and a big part of kpop are the fans and concerts, you know what makes it all the more big and shinier. But the drama people and the actors put effort into it, and you could tell (and the fact that there were also original songs and choreographies made for this drama amazes me, and that they chose to promote the drama by having some of these fake groups perform on actual music shows). So there you go, I wholeheartedly recommend it.

Before I finish, let me just say that the actor who played Ryok is a REVELATION in my eyes.This boy needs to stay in dramaland and get more main roles (and after some research I’m happy to say that he is thriving!!). Also, he has great timing for comedy. The actress who played Maha elevated the quality of every scene she was in. (Not for nothing she was God in DAYS). Jiyeon (LaRiMa) was excellent. It really showed at times that she’s not only an experienced idol but also an experienced actress. The contrast with most of the cast was noticeable, sadly. The drama wouldn’t have been the same without these three.

Also, watch AND listen to the last OST sung by the whole cast here. Beautiful song that just makes you cry if you’ve seen the drama.

#imitation #lee jun young #jung jiso #jiyeon #jeong yunho #kbs imitation #kdrama #kdrama review #i wanted to tag all actors but omg that's a nightmare #they're too many

[firehananas]

Chapter 159th to the end

Hmm ‘got much more mixed feelings about the end

I wonder if the mangaka is a huge gamer because the characters tend to always compare the situation with video games. I honestly find it a bit annoying - like, I don’t mind the gamer character to think like that, but almost everyone have a thought like this at one point. 

I have the feeling the whole Rika’s brainwashing was forced. Of course I wanted the two brothers to fight (Cain/Abel drama + Yuri setting as Seth yumyum) but it would had been better if Rika was the big villain the whole time/was really corrupted by Aikawa’s ideology.

That being said, I appreciated a little more Rika in the last half. I admit, he manages to do cool tricks.

Lowkey ship Sniper/White Feather for drama reason

Kuon’s death made me tear a bit - it was really heartbreaking </3

Too bad she doesn’t stay dead tho. It minimized the whole intensity of that scene and it feels too easy for the party afterward. Paradoxically, I liked the interactions she had with Yuri and Yuka.

Knowing there is a sequel, will they try to created a new body for her? Could be interesting. But I heard it was with new characters, so I don’t think I’ll read it. I was already reading it only mostly for Sniper Mask, so if I can’t get a shot of his riffle’s cannon, I’m not interested anymore.

I was honestly a bit nervous at the idea Kuon stayed in the head of Yuka - Ordinary quickly questioned this and pointed out very well my thoughts. It seems she doesn’t have to stay in his head and somehow body surfed with other God Candidates, but it still upset me for them all.

I thought Kuon was baby. She is. But she isn’t. Yet she is. However she isn’t. Actually- 

(She is definitely less innocent she appears to be, as I expected, but much darker than I visualized it)

Disappointed Aikawa was just sitting there while Yuka and Rika fight. Like, I was excepting he asked Volleyball Mask to bring him some popcorns at one point.

I really need someone to make an animatic of the brothers fight with “the plagues” from The Prince of Egypt. It matchs it so well 😔

Oh look, Yukio becomes super strong! Is he a Closer to God now? Oh no wait, it’s a literal deus ex-machina!

If High Rise Invasion gets a second season, it means we will be able to admire the divine butt of Yuka at the very least twice.

The codes were interesting on paper, but I wished they foreshadowed it sooner. Making Kuon said “oh yeah, I just remember it now” every times is a bit cheap.

Makoto brothers really shined in this part. It was really refreshing to see them working together.

Does anyone have an idea of what Tenma means? I couldn’t found anything about this...

I don’t think it was a good idea to introduced Juo for the last arc. He was out of place. Aikawa was to the point to succeeded to become a god, was much more threatening and it was less thrilling to follow Rika&co fighting him. If the whole scenario happened before, it would have been more smooth in my opinion.

Tbh, I didn’t even get why Yuri wanted to save Juo at the end...  

Administrator was f*cked up, but I couldn’t bring myself to hate him. His fate is just too awful and I understand he became so mad and drunk of power.

Praise Yuka for speaking the truth to the Supervisor. Wish he go further, calling him out that they succeeded thanks to their teamwork and not because they act in a "man is a wolf to man” way. Please, even bacterias understand the concept of helping the less strong to survive.

I need to pin up in my bedroom the page where Yuka said “you’re amazing” as a motivation quote.

Broke: Yuka is daddy. Woke: Yuka is a dad. Heck, he even lampshades it himself.

Did Prophet die?? He wasn’t show to be dead but he isn’t in the epilogue either...

My boy Yoshida didn’t deserved to die, especially not this way. That was dirty.

The whole betrayal of the dad is never addressed??? Where is the drama??? And the reunion of the Kusakabe didn’t move me at all. Do I am really suppose to care for a woman who tortured people with an obvious pleasure and turned my man Yuka and other countless people into puppets? Sorry but no.

Saito never becomes strong, halas. I’m not even sure if she showed up in the epilogue. It seems the author didn’t know what to do with her. She isn’t the only one in that case...

I understand why people complained the ending to be rushed. While it’s good to see Yuri alive, the whole family complete and angels stopping killing people, no god has been created (since somehow Yuri isn’t a complete god for now?), dimensions will maybe fused and insured chaos... yet the last thing the protagonist is seen doing is going to eat with her girlfriend. For a survival game genre, it’s hard to swallow — pun no intended. It’s way too cheesy after all the horrors they lived AND the threats incoming.

CONCLUSION

Yuka is definitely the best. What a husbando material.

Concept is very interesting but messy in execution at the end

Rarely boring, gorgeous art

Wished Yuka/Yuri/Rika worked more together and tried to bond as a family. It’s one of the most prominent theme of the manga, it’s too bad it mostly works as Yuri > Rika < Yuka and not all the three. (I don’t count when Yuka worked as Sniper Mask under Yuri since they didn’t know they were related.)

WISHED YURI/MAYUKO TO BE MORE OFFICIAL ARGHHHHH

Aikawa was a good villain, so was the administrator. Too bad they died so quickly. Juo could have been interesting too if he didn’t showed this late.

Wasted opportunity with Yayoi, she could have been an amazing villain.

It’s really too bad Yoshida didn’t manage to “really” meet one of the Makoto. I really think they could have influenced him positively. 

...Maybe too many characters...? It’s hard to judge since there is a need to have so much (otherwise nothing would happen) but it’s difficult to find them all flesh out. And if the reader don’t care, the whole drama and horror are much less impactful. 

I’m not sure how I feel towards Kuon now. I still like her, but I need to zoom off to understand better her character.

I’ll say it again: Yoshida didn’t deserved this fate :c

Ending rushed up, probably to prepare for the sequel but it’s still very brutal and cheesy, leaving a bitter taste as a farewell.

#high rise invasion spoiler #hana talks

[stilesxeveryone]

The Rewatch, pt4

Feel free to message or comment any of your own thoughts/opinions!

Season 2, episode 7

All adults in the vicinity crossing their arms as soon as Stiles opens his mouth to say something stupid 

“No stiles!” Rip all of his Stiles privileges 

I have to assume that kanima!Jackson assaulted Allison because Matt is into her, which is a whole new level of creepy because oh god that means Matt can control the kanima more than just “hey kill that guy”, like this suggests it sort of takes on Matt’s emotions and shit

Stiles knows Jackson’s birthday

Uhhhh missed the rest of the episode because I was drawing, whoops

Just Peter traumatising Lydia, it’s fine

Season 2, episode 8

I always love Stiles and his father interacting tbh, they very much know how to deal with each other’s bullshit a lot of the time and I appreciate it. Seeing them work on a case together is wonderful

Again, this scene between Stiles and his dad about him losing his sheriff position is actually heartbreaking, goddamn 

Ah, the first hints of Scott/Isaac 

Reminder that Jackson is canonically queer

Also yesssssssssss magic Stiles! That’s my boyyyyyy! I need to write witch Stiles again

Stiles being pack mum will continue to always be one of my favourite tropes and this is just reminding me that I want to rewrite my 10 chapter fic about human alpha Stiles

Deaton saying the teenagers are “more capable than you think” is a goddamn terrible take, they need so much help. Like yeah they can get out of this alive, but your job as emissary/mentor/adult/whatever is to help reduce their trauma

Season 2, episode 9

I feel like the only time I ever really see Lydia’s trauma mentioned in fics is like in passing about why she hates Peter, but maybe I just don’t read enough fics about Lydia

Also I don’t mean this in a weird way, but I really like the sound of Lydia’s scream. Sometimes shows just use bad screams and it’s a tragedy, but the scream they use for Lydia is brilliant 

“Doesn’t being a part of your pack mean no more secrets” I can’t tell if that’s Scott being hypocritical or manipulative but wow

Even though I don’t like Allison’s mother, it still breaks my heart to see her try to talk to Allison before she takes her own life, and Allison doesn’t know so she just brushes her off

Stiles kept in touch with the drag queens which is actually amazing information 

Again! Stiles and his father! Making me cry! I mean this time it’s a hallucination but goddamn 

Chris was killing his wife, I was thinking about how strong his forearms looked

I’m really interested to know how in the world Peter knew that Lydia was immune/a banshee, and that she’d be able to bring him back

Season 2, episode 10

Someone needs to explain this part to me. Like I literally don’t understand the order of events of Matt and the kanima bonding and Isaac’s dad dying. Like did Jackson kill him before they bonded, and if so why didn’t he bond with Isaac instead? Or did he somehow bond with Matt before killing Isaac’s dad, even though this flashback clearly shows them bonding after the fact?

Please someone give me an explanation 

“Scott I trust” that is such a sad line

Hhhhhhh wish people would stop manipulating Allison, and can we get some better communication over here please!

Okay Stiles’ dad shouting Scott’s name first when he hears a gunshot kinda hurts guys

I do appreciate that this show doesn’t half ass their villain character motivations. Sometimes I see villains and I have literally no idea why they do what they do, but not this guy

Okay clearly this show enjoys killing their villains in the same way twice, like they burned Peter twice, and now they’re drowning Matt twice

Season 2, episode 11

Stiles (Dylan O’Brien) is so pretty (and clearly this cameraman knew it)

Isaac coming into the vet clinic like a lost pup is really adorable, and him crying after taking the dog’s pain away 🥺

Peter you manipulative son of a bitch, stop looking so good

Oh boy Allison going off the rails and hunting Erica and Boyd, I wish she’d go feral in the other direction and shoot Gerard

Stiles winning the game, and having this amazing moment and having something to be proud of, and then immediately getting kidnapped is kinda fucked up and I appreciate it

Season 2, episode 12

As always, give me pack mum Stiles or give me death

And as always, Stiles never shutting his mouth during interrogations and fights is my favourite thing to see. Also would be into a Stargent or Stallison fic where one of them realises Stiles is down in the basement and they step in

Why does Stiles look so good with that blood on his face

And that no one! No one knows! That Gerard beat Stiles up! As far as we see, he doesn’t tell anyone about it!!!

I honestly appreciate that Chris goes to the side of the werewolves before Allison does, I think it’s very fun and cool

And here it is, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Scott using Derek to kill Gerard. He’s just so uncaring about the fact that he lied to everyone about what was happening, planned to violate Derek’s autonomy and had planned to murder Gerard, like it’s so weird to see him so nonchalant about it 

Erica and Boyd just can’t catch a break

I think there are definitely parts of this season that I enjoy more than the first, and parts I enjoy less. I love the characters they introduce (Isaac, Erica and Boyd) and I love the exploration of Allison’s character, and Stiles’ relationship with his dad. I hate Gerard (which is a good thing), and god bless Chris coming round to the winning side (even though technically he went through this same thing last season, of realising his family member must be stopped before his daughter gets hurt).

I do wish the ending was different, and that Scott went about defeating Gerard in a different way. Or at least for him to show any empathy? He just feels so callous and uncaring as he uses Derek and as Gerard dies and I don’t know if it’s bad acting or bad writing or maybe even my misunderstanding of his character, but I feel like that just doesn’t fit him. 

Also maybe this is just me, but I kinda wish that Matt wasn’t major stalking Allison. It feels a little like an unnecessary cherry on top, or maybe I’m just not thinking hard enough about what it added to the season.

#the rewatch #alex rewatches teen wolf #teen wolf

[margoshansons]

N+A=J, Azor Ahai, and Dawn

Look, before you go and crucify me for presenting and actually believing this theory, just hear me out. I’m not here to convince you or bash on your theory, so please don’t do that with mine.

These are just my opinions and while proof for R+L is stronger and is probably what will happen in the books, I do think that people are missing out on the awesome potential for N+A.

This is not an attempt to prove it. There are people with more dedication and more time on their hands who have tried. I’m only here to discuss why I like this theory from a narrative standpoint better than R+L=J

TLDR: Jon is Azor Ahai and making him a Dayne gives him access to Dawn, cool warg magic, and the potential to be the Sword of the Morning, which I think is pretty sick.

So let’s go!

1. Jon Snow’s Narrative Arc 

Jon Snow is arguably the main character of ASOIAF, with Bran and Daenerys joining him as other main protagonists of the series. And it’s no secret why. 

All three have very distinct, very important relationships to Magic. 

Daenerys has her dragons, Bran is the Three-Eyed Crow, and Jon Snow’s whole storyline is about preparing for the next Long Night. The war against the Others.

It’s been that way since the beginning. We get small bits and pieces of it here and there but once Othar attacks Mormont it’s finally revealed to us and Jon that there are bigger things beyond the wall than wildlings. And we know that this is a complete surprise to Mormont and the other men of the Night’s Watch. 

We also know that there is little written about the Others in Westeros at all, seeing as Sam isn’t able to find much on them when he travels to the Citadel. 

This leads to the Great Ranging which leads to the Battle of the Fist of the First Men, which leads to the mutiny, which leads to Jon betraying the wildings which leads to the Battle at the Wall, which eventually gets him elected Lord Commander.

My point being, Jon’s storyline at this point has been spent 100% in the North surrounded by magic. There is no indication of him going south, no indication of politics beyond strategy and Stannis, no indication of him doing anything except planning for a battle against the Others and trying to save as many people as possible. 

IN FACT! The reason he gets shanked is because he momentarily forgets his duty and puts the same people he promised to save in danger. 

Up until Jon gets the pink letter, he never thinks about going south, but then “Arya” is in trouble and he puts NW and wildling men at risk. That is why he gets stabbed, that’s why they say “For the Watch”

Because in doing so he not only forgets his vows, but also the cause the men had pledged themselves to. 

Now, all of this next bit is speculation based on what I personally think is going to happen and why I think Jon being Ashara’s son makes for a better narrative. 

We know several plot points need to be resolved regarding Jon. I personally think he warged in Ghost, and then Melisandre will give him the last kiss as a priestess of r’hllor, which resurrects him like Beric Dondarrion.

Now, interesting thing here. The last kiss is a common funeral rite for the religion of the R’hllor and there’s another name for it as well.

The last kiss is a rite practiced by the red priests of R'hllor. When a follower of the Lord of Light dies, priests fill their mouths with fire and breathe flame into the deceased, as they believe that fire cleanses and is a bright gift. Harwin and Thoros of the brotherhood without banners refer to it as the kiss of life. (Wiki of Ice and Fire)

So, a kiss of life that is related to fire, that’s interesting. You know what else is interesting? 

The exact circumstances of Jon’s death. It’s very different than what happened in the show. The show scene was quoted as being “a bad guy killing a good guy” while the books made it much more morally grey. 

The most interesting part of Jon’s death, however, is Bowen Marsh sticking the dagger in Jon. He’s not only the first person to deal a mortal blow, but GRRM describes in detail how much Marsh is weeping, and how tragic this end really is. 

Hmmmm, is it just me or is this starting to sound familar?

Flames, saltwater, wow this is really starting to remind me of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it....

*stares into the camera like I’m on the office*

He’s being set up to be reborn amidst salt and smoke!

And now we get to my main part of the theory (took us long enough) but before that happens I need to make one thing very clear. 

The Prince that Was Promised and Azor Ahai are NOT the same person. 

Yes, Melisandre refers to them interchangeably, but no offense, she’s wrong...like a lot. 

And while we know that Rhaegar knew about TPTWP, it was highly unlikely he knew about the Others, because as stated above, there is little to no information about them in Westeros and they haven’t been seen since the Long Night. So I really don’t have any idea why Rhaegar would think his son was destined to destroy beings that didn’t exist. 

He got the details of TPTWP from Valyrian scrolls, and based on the info we have, Valyrians never interacted with the Others.

Azor Ahai on the other hand, is prophecized to directly battle with “the Great Other” which Mel connects to the Others (although this isn’t confirmed). On top of this, here are the two prophecies of Azor Ahai and TPTWP

TPTWP

born of Aerys and Rhaella’s line

born of salt and smoke

prophecised by a bleeding star

has a song of ice and fire

“the dragon must have three heads”

will deliver the world from darkness

will wake dragons from stone

Obviously this is exclusive to Targaryens, and Rhaegar was even thought to be the Prince that was Promised, but I think this applies to Daenerys or Aegon more than Jon even with R+L.

Especially considering Rhaegar used the song of ice and fire line on Aegon before even thinking of Lyanna. 

Azor Ahai:

will show up after a long summer

born or reborn amidst salt and smoke

born or reborn after “stars bleed” and “the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world”

will draw forth a burning sword named Lightbringer

will ultimately fight against the Great Other

There’s no mention of dragons, songs, or anything else that most people use to interchange the two. Now the reason I bring this up is because if Jon turns out to be the son of Ned and Ashara, then he not only has a claim to Winterfell through Robb’s will, but he also can claim Dawn, the Dayne’s ancestral sword. 

Dawn is a unique sword in the fact that its not made of Valyrian Steel but it’s just as sharp. It’s blade is described as “pale milkglass” and it’s a two-handed greatsword wielded by the Sword of the Morning. It was forged from the heart of a falling star and is the entire origin for House Dayne. It’s even said to glow.

The intesting thing about it? Only a Dayne can wield it. 

It’s not passed down from father to son like most Valyrian Steel swords, but is instead given to the knight most worthy of possessing it. 

GRRM has always emphasized the importance of Swords, especially Valyrian Steel swords. But I think what’s so interesting about Dawn is that we get its history in the very first book, and Arthur and Ashara Dayne are some of the only named Dornish characters we get from that time period.

(Also, just a fun fact, George has said that if he could wield a sword it would be Dawn, so do with that what you will)

I think that Dawn is Lightbringer, and the fact that George hasn’t given much information about the Daynes (a relatively minor house) when asked, makes me think that they play a much bigger part in the endgame than we think.

They have ties to the First Men, which means they were around during the first Long Night and the Battle for the Dawn. This also means that they potentially have the same warging abilities the Starks do, which would only be heightened if they were joined. 

(I have so many theories on the First Men and magic, but that would take longer to get into than this.)

So, if Jon were to be the son of Ned and Ashara, then he could become the Sword of the Morning, which provides interesting imagery when you place it next to “The Long Night”.

It also would create one of my favorite parallels. Ned Stark heads to Starfall to return Dawn to Ashara after killing her brother, The Sword of the Morning. Jon Snow/Stark heads to Starfall to claim Dawn after being declared the Sword of the Morning and Ashara’s son.

Tbh, I just love this theory because magic! And heartbreaking parallels. 

In conclusion, ASOIAF is messy and complicated and won’t be solved with a perfect parentage reveal. I think this one is interesting and while I think R+L=J will be what’s revealed (tbh I don’t mind it as long as they don’t romanticize it), I think there’s just as great a story if Jon really is the bastard of Ned and Ashara Dayne.

Please be kind, I am only a lady who likes cool theories with way too much time on her hands.

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #a song of ice and fire #jon snow meta #valyrianscrolls #jon snow #ned x ashara #*mine #house stark #house dayne #asoiaf speculation #{I just really needed to get this off my chest} #{please don't yell at me} #{also it's four am and I am very tired so please excuse errors} #{again please be kind} #{I just love magic okay?}