#in the somewhat simplified world of a TV arc

[booasaur]

(same anon) i wud hate so much if they were just setting this up to be a "leyla is an addication" storyline cus, while we haven't seen a lot of them, they have set this up so differently than lauren's other relationships and i can't believe they'd do that so deliberately just to break them up, i did have the thought that the stress of this wud actually lead lauren back to drugs but i didn't want to linger on it too much b/c there's already so much potential conflict 1/2

i can't see them managing like three different leyren conflicts all at once, i mean for one that'd mean giving them more screen time than i believe they'd be able to get but who knows and then wow yeh now i'm def thinking about people not knowing about them.... idk leyla makes lauren SO happy and they've stressed it enough that i just don't see the pay off of them doing all this just for it to end in tragedy but i might just be hopeful, either way, s4 is gonna be a rollercoaster 2/2

sent my other two asks before i saw the rest of what your friend said and yes i agree that part of this is very lauren in the way that she is just a bit entitled and used to getting her way with certain things also just that her char (and well a lot of chars on this show) have always been a bit dramatic in nature and it's something that i very much identify w/ and love, but yeh i agree that's it seems like a 'door open' thing so it can go anywhere from here but i hope it goes our way

Haha, yeah, definitely hoping that if they were waiting to see the response, then it's been positive enough to keep with it. Surely this isn't the kind of thing you just do for a bit and then drop? Both for the very interesting character of Leyla, but also what it's been for Lauren. What's next for her? If she ends up blowing this, what exactly will future eps look like for her? Well, I suppose they could do it like the Floyd/Evie split where she accepts the end and just goes back to normal if maudlin Lauren? Which would be sad as hell! At least coming back from the addiction and accident/therapist fling were like victories of sorts. This is just...what's it saying about her?

And that's actually also what I've been thinking about, in the context of "Leyla is a new addiction" because...then what's the resolution? This attachment clearly isn't because Leyla is doing anything unhealthy here, she's not isolating Lauren or enabling her or forcing Lauren to rely on her. So are we saying Lauren just...can't be in relationships? That she should find someone she loves less than Leyla? Yes, people recovering from addiction should be careful about getting into relationships right after recovery but this is well after. What's the timeline gonna be? When's it safe for her to be in a relationship? She's growing and learning through this one, it doesn't have to be over because she hasn't learned everything yet.

You mentioned what my friend said in that other ask but I also thought @flurry-of-beaus-pop-pop's reply was a great addition too:

From the perspective of someone in the mental health field, I don't see Leyla or the relationship as being an addiction. Honestly? I think Leyla is amazing for Lauren because the issue Lauren has is that when things don't go right, she acts rashly, does things she probably shouldn't. If she bribes the dean, its not because of her relationship, but that need to have control over the situation. Again though, this is where Leyla is great for Lauren. She's the calm to Lauren's rash.

She's patient and understanding and makes Lauren take a beat and think about things instead of just going full speed ahead. Perfect example, the breakup scene. Its hard to tell where they are going to go with this storyline but it has so much potential for character growth regardless of what Lauren actually did because she's never necessarily had someone there before that was able to get her to take a breath and think and even if Leyla is pissed at her, I still think Leyla can be that for Lauren.

It can also add character development for Leyla who has struggled so much with asking for help and letting herself be taken care of. She can learn to let someone else take care of with this storyline

That basically, Leyla is the healthiest part of this and, as we discussed, as Lauren goes through this whole process, regression and then moving forward, learning more coping strategies and just how to be in an adult, loving relationship, Leyla could be an integral part of it.

#she's not the problem she's the solution #in the somewhat simplified world of a TV arc #replies #femslash related stuff #sent on 20210608 #sent on 20210609 #one of those asks was right before midnight and the other two after lol #Anonymous #new amsterdam 3x14 #new amsterdam #leyren

[shadyblazeblizzard]

Fossil Fighters Ten Year Anniversary : Reflection

 Since it’s been 10 whole years since Fossil Fighters first released in Japan, I thought I might as well express what the franchise meant to me.

When I was a kid I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I would research all the different species I could (Ankylosaurus was my favorite) and I loved anything to do with them. I especially enjoyed that old tv anime show Dinosaur King ( Which is the closest thing we have to a Fossil Fighters Anime) even if it was a 4Kids dub. Needless to say I was in love with these prehistoric beasts.

And then I just so happened to come across this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3eE7rzcfMc

Now THIS WAS THE COOLEST COMMERCIAL EVER!! Are you telling me I could find, dig up, and REVIVE DINOSAURS WITH AWESOME NEW POWERS!?! SIGN ME THE HELL UP!! So I bought it. And I fell in love with it. I mean my god is the nostalgia deep. The world was fantastic, somewhat silly but enjoyable as a child, and even as an adult. The gameplay was great and really unique. Characters were memorable and enjoyable. It had its big, climatic moments that got your adrenaline pumping, and soothing quiet moments that made you feel what the characters were going through. And the plot, oh my god the plot. I couldn’t appreciate it when I first played. But now, reflecting on it, I love what it did. Now you might find it ridiculous that I praise the plot, but I find it unique. A strange mixture of ridiculousness combined with actual emotion and ethical issues that somehow fitted the game and didn’t feel too off. The plot was way deeper than it needed to be. It could have ended with the first half and no one would have a problem. But it didn’t. It went further. It gave us something memorable and imaginative. Not only that, but it was more complex than it needed to. It made the “villains” sympathetic. In all honesty, wouldn’t you do the same if you were in their role? And characters having to face issues that people would have trouble doing in real life. If you constantly save another character from danger, in other games they would be oblivious or give a quick thank you or so sorry. But here they address it, knowing that they burden you with their bad luck and appreciates all you do. Hell you can tell them that you hate them to their face. Again its so much deeper than it needs to be. As someone who writes I appreciate someone going the extra mile when they don’t need to. And it was even educational! All the games taught information on dinosaurs. The Vivisaurs used ( technologically engineered dinosaurs but its complicated) have hints in their designs showing of the location they were found in and even a place where you could research the real life counterparts of the Vivisaurs. Hell I was learning and I didn’t mind. My young mind ate it up and I still do to this day. The first game was amazing and holds a special place in my heart. I can’t recommend it enough. Who knew that an early DS game can give me this. 

However I soon forgot about the series and only about a year ago did I remember how much I loved the first game, so I played the sequel Champions. Now while I do love the first game more, Champions was a true sequel. It made the gameplay even greater and more complex. It had a big graphical overhaul, since the graphics were a bit simplified, but it made the most of it in the first game, and gave us a whole new cast of characters and a plot. I love the first games plot more, but this was also fantastic. It even had twists and turns I didn’t expect. The settings were more complex and imaginative. But what I really loved were the characters. Everyone has an arc. Everyone develops with the story. I fell in love with these characters because they felt real. They had real problems that they needed to overcome, and at a good pace, slowly changing throughout the story. I love it when characters develop. Face it, in any fictional story you like, you have to relate to a characters problem and watch them overcome them. And this game did it amazing. This game actually caused a paradox for me. I wanted to keep playing, I couldn’t stop. But I also didn’t want to keep playing because then I’d have less of the game to play. It’s a testament to how much I loved this game. Champions was an amazing game and I recommend it to everyone who wants to play it. Its super cheap anyway.

Unfortunately, the next game, Frontier was less than stellar. And most of the fanbase hates it. It made the shift to the 3DS, and the graphics were great! That was always a weakness of the previous games. However that’s the only thing this game has superior to its predecessors. It completely changed the gameplay, making it a lot less easier to use, and simplified in ways it shouldn’t. The plot wasn’t as complex ( I haven’t finished it yet but I heard it wasn’t). And the characters weren’t as developed. Instead of open world exploration on foot where you find randomly placed fossils and dig them up, its driving in a jeep in a couple of albeit big maps with permanent places to find fossils. And they even added racing as a mechanics ( If you think about it, this is kind of what happened to Banjo-Kazooie as well). Though I don’t hate it, I feel like it was so disappointing. A next gen Fossil Fighters game turned into something it barely resembles. Its implied this isn’t even the same universe of the first two games, and the only returning character is the freaking cleaning robot! If it was the first game in the series, I wouldn’t dislike it as much. But it ruined what was an amazing game franchise by replacing nearly everything that was great about it. But I still played it because it was Fossil Fighters. Even a lot of the lines and moments were enjoyable ( Dahlia is a treasure) The spirit was there, just not as strong as the other games. I pray that there will be a Fossil Fighters 4, and if it does happen, I pray that it will be like the second game, not this one.

I love this series to death. I love its plots, premise, gameplay, music, and practically everything about it. The fact that it is dismissed as a “Pokemon Ripoff” for having creatures you can collect and battle (another reason to hate the Pokemon fanbase, doing the same for another franchise I love, Yokai Watch, but that’s a rant for later), is something horribly, horribly wrong. This franchise inspired a lot of what I love, and what I love to create. It gave me something to treasure, something I want to harness the same spirit and give it to other, like it did to me. It has been 10 years since the series was released. 10 years for small me to watch that commercial. 10 years for me to love the game. 10 years for me to rekindle my love for it. And I thank it for that. I hope that what I wrote can connect with others who may have felt the same. And maybe give people who haven’t played it yet, the experience of someone who did love it. And hopefully they can feel it too. Thank you Fossil Fighters, for what you gave me.

#fossil fighters #nintendo #long post

[aurimeanswind]

I’m More of a Winter—Sunday Chats—1/28/18

Oddly enough, I find myself more “happy” or more at home and comfortable through the winter. It’s my favorite season, yet this one seems to not provide the same boons to excitement as the previous have. There is far less joy to be found, and that kind of sucks.

But we move on with the show.

Talking About The Week I Had

I’ve come to both hate and somewhat enjoy talking about having terrible weeks and rough times. I always, in my heart, feel I am begging for attention. And there must be some honesty in that, right? But I also feel this sense of responsibility and obligation to my internet presence that I need to keep sending those thoughts and feelings out there, and that maybe I’ll feel better when I do. And I usually do. There is always a warm and loving outcry of support when I do, and it always warms my heart, without fail.

But I dunno. It’s hard. I have really bad days and I put myself in a dark place, and while I love the honesty, I don’t want to share that because it’s both personal and it looks like I am begging for good vibes to be sent. Obviously this is all counteracted by me openly expressing my frustrations here (or so my brain hopes) but it’s a difficult side to every coin. The one that’s aware of the more selfish-seeming repercussions of crying out for help, and that just so wishes to be like, not bad on your own. 

I think with my depression and fits of morbid thoughts and feelings of wanting to hurt myself, that’s always the fall back. I just want to be good without having to ask for help. The idea of, “well why can’t I just be alright on my own? Why does this have to be a thing where I have to have me picked up off the ground by my wonderful companions who’d graciously do so, but I can’t just “be” on my own?” When i say I express frustration in sharing my feelings of being depressed, I think it helps to empathize from that angle:

I’m not frustrated because I don’t want to ask for help, I’m frustrated because I was never given the opportunity to not need it.

Does that make sense?

God I hope so. In short I had a bad spell of self-hatred style depression this week, and this is me just airing it out those feelings. If it doesn’t make sense, ah don’t worry about it, but if you saw me struggling this week, that’s your bit of context.

What’s On Tap

Predominantly I’ve been playing one thing this week, and that’s been going back through The Witcher 3. That’s a great goddamn video game.

The Witcher 3

There is just something about Yennefer that... goddamn. She is just like a magnet for me. I definitely feel to her what Geralt does. It’s an attraction that goes beyond appearance. She isn’t like, the best person? either? But I just adore her. She fits the mold of a partner in so many respects, and peeling back the layers of her character are excellent.

I got to Skellige and boy that is just the best part of that game hands down.

The snow, the wintery peaks, the people of Skellige, it’s just so much better than anything you see in Velen or Novigrad I think. Not to say either of those chapters are bad, they’re excellent, but I think it just shows that Skellige is that much more interesting of an area. I think that, to some extent, derives from the fact that Velen and Novigrad are neighboring areas, and so their culture is very similar. It gets me even more excited to see Touissant, the place added in Blood and Wine, because that is also a totally separate part of that world.

Celeste

I’ve managed to put a few hours into Celeste now, where when we recorded the podcast I had only put about a half hour into it.

I worry that maybe my expectations for this game were set too high, especially with folks continually telling me how impactful it’s emotional aspects are. I’m trying to keep my expectations in check, but I will say so far the game has done some pretty interesting things.

On the gameplay level, it has the tightness of something like Towerfall, applied to very Super Meat Boy reminiscent platforming levels that are short, consumable, and challenging. It kind of reminds me that I’m not really in the mood for something that is just outwardly so challenging right now though. Like, it makes you frustrated and you’re supposed to derive enjoyment from the victory, but the levels are very long and frustrating at times, and I’m not getting the same satisfaction I got from something like Cuphead. 

That, mixed with the really interesting story bits makes me kind of just want to get to the next story beat above everything else. The constant dying and repeating of the same challenges impedes that.

Maybe most of my frustration is that each “chapter” bases itself around a different mechanic, and a lot of those have been more just annoying than anything else. One was these platforms that you can move by pressing against them while holding them, which worked, but another was ground or wall that you can’t retread once you’ve touched it once or you die, and that was just zero fun.

There is a very interesting scene where you have to calm yourself from a panic attack, and it’s very evocative, so maybe there is something too Celeste, but right now I’m more mixed than I’d like to be. Overall it definitely plays well, I’m just unsure of if I am buying everything there.

Questions

Like always, look for my tweets on Sundays with the hashtag #SundayChats in it, respond with your question, and be in the chats! Let’s do this!

I like that Ubisoft essentially did this by putting Mario in XCOM last year.

But like, what if Princess Peach was a leader in Civilization 6?

How good would that be?!

Have Mushroom Kingdom units?! Build Peach’s Castle as a World Wonder?! Having to import mushrooms from other city states to appease our great lord and savior Princess Peach?! PEACH getting NUKED by GHANDI?!

Anyway.

I feel like I can’t think of any mind bending ones, or ones that haven’t been done before, save for the Princess Peach one. Like, I’d love to see an strategy game with the Tales characters, and that already exists. I’d love to see a third person action game with Final Fantasy characters, and that kind of exists, and that’s also kind of happening with the FF7 Remake. I’d love to see Vincent from Catherine as a character in a Persona game with all adults, but that feels like a cop out. 

Link playing Baseball? in MLB the show? 

I’ll think on it and if I come up with anything good I’ll tweet it at you.

I don’t know that series sounds like its for weebs.

Nah I’m kidding, I’m glad everyone seems to be having fun with Monster Hunter World. I definitely have a bit of FOMO, but after that beta I really doubt I’d have fun with it.

Nabeshin would go Insect Glaive. Scott would get the biggest and weightiest sword. Tony you’d get whatever you’d get. You said you were trying the Bow on the latest show, so maybe that? And I’d be the cat and I’d be chilling on an inflatable tube.

Hands for feet. Duh.

I’d get like, those toe-shoes, which would basically be gloves, and then go on my merry, tree-swinging way. Like, I’d finally have my dream of being able to have four hands. Ugh. Feet for hand sounds awful because you’d still have “arms” so its not like you’d be able to four-footed run. 

Garbage.

I have no clue what this is.

*Does a quick google*

So Like, I am only loosely familiar with Big Brother, and I hate reality TV (I know Jazz, I’m sorry) but this seems like, totally boring! No big names at all. The entertainment weekly article I read showing the contestants for this upcoming one were recognized by their recent “Dancing with the Stars” placements, and that’s just fucking depressing.

But yeah, I like the idea of celebrities that don’t know they hate each other slowly learning that they do, in fact, hate each other all for your viewing pleasure, sure, if you’re into that sort of thing. But at least throw like, Liam Neeson in there to choke somebody or something.

Oh man there is so much I’d love to see Rocksteady do. They’ve definitely become a favorite developer of mine, even if i have a tenuous love-hate relationship with Batman Arkham Knight. 

I mean they are almost definitely working on something Batman. I feel like we don’t end this year without knowing exactly what they are making, or without it releasing. I think Justice League/Batman Beyond would be cool, but I just worry that they aren’t going that route.

I want them to break away from Batman. I think they’ve earned enough clout to do their own thing, and that’d be the thing I’m most excited about, but it may ultimately just be another Arkham game.

I’d probably kill myself right away tbh.

I know that’s a little morbid haha, but I’m definitely not making it. I have really bad asthma, so assuming we are getting “infected” “running” zombies I am boned. I’ve also never fired a gun before, nor do I really have any interest in doing so. I’m also a pacifist and hate the idea of hurting other living things, dead or not. I’d also not want to be a hindrance to me loved ones who are stronger than me and can live on. And boy it’d be a fucking bummer to just watch humans kill humans over food and water and guns and stuff. I just don’t want to been that world (which is kind of our world, I know, yes).

And knowing my luck I’d be patient zero, so there’s also that.

First, I want to say:

fuck Captain Jack Sparrow.

That being said.

I want Sly Cooper’s ancestor who was also a Pirate, Henriette Cooper.

Hell, I’d probably just want Sly Cooper too.

And maybe Captain Kidd, but like, cool Lady Captain Kidd from AC Black Flag.

And Nato Johnston, who is real.

Jurge Cruz is into some deep web shit with his crypto-mining operation.

It’s messed up.

And very impressive.

That’s a really good question. I want to say yes, because I think that’d be cool, but I don’t know of any Arc System Works game that’s made it big there. There probably (definitely) is one? But I just don’t know it. Maybe Guilty Gear. 

I’d say no because I think the way the controls work in FighterZ is just too simplified. I don’t know what the skill threshold for that game is, but who knows, maybe it’s possible. God wouldn’t that be rad?

This is a tough question. I saw this and I think, at least partially, thats what my opening thoughts bit was about. I don’t really think there is, and I don’t think that is such a bad thing, right?

Like that doesn’t make you any less of a friend, and this goes for everyone to anyone they know with mental illness. If you’re there, supportive, and send the good vibes and are understanding of their issues, you're doing it right. I think it’s people that just lack empathy or say “why aren’t you just happy?” that are the ones super fucking up.

I’d say just empathize with the fact that sometimes all you can do is send support, and that’s totally enough. So don’t sweat it.

Christ.

Joel’s Ears from The Last of Us because apparently that mother fucker can just hear through walls. 

And maybe.... uhhh... The lady from The Sexy Brutale who can hear codes being typed in on keypads from the room over? That’s lit.

Goddamn my arms would just be horrifying tendrils though. Imagine if this combined with my feet that are hands and I’m just a four-eared two-handed monster crawling around listening with my big stalk-ears?!

God help us for this image will never leave my brain.

Ah so you play the Wraith eh?? Well that’s good to know. Time to get my STRATS ready. Of course you’d play the most broken monster though.

And probably never but I’m keeping the dream going.

Evolve was good you guys.

9.0/10, Irrational Passions.

I REVIEWED IT.

http://irrationalpassions.com/evolve-review/

That’s it! That’s the show and the whole kitten-caboodle. 

It’s been a long week but keep things on the up and up. We’re about to move into February and I’m about to launch a cool new show and IP is working on some cool stuff to look forward to. So get hype!

oh and please keep it on the real.

(this gif of Danny laughing on Table Flip just miraculously popped up on my gif search and it’s a gift to you, me, and the GG gods, so enjoy)

#video games #gaming #the witcher 3 #celeste #questions #sunday #sunday chats

[voxwrote]

GoT Season 5 Review (from ages ago)

Alright, it's taken me a little while to do but below is my somewhat garbled review of Game of Thrones season 5.

Keep in mind that there are spoilers for both Game of Thrones season 5 and all of the Ice and Fire Series up to the current book (A Dance With Dragons Part 2). It's long and boring but some of you might like it!

So after finishing Season 5 of Game of Thrones I thought I’d share my opinion as someone who watched the show up to season 4 then read all the books. I’ll split this up into plotlines and focus on each one separately and obviously feel free to tell me if you think I’m completely wrong.

Overall I found the season was pretty disappointing, it wasn’t necessarily bad from a critical standpoint but it took a while to hit its stride and while I appreciate that they have to tighten the narrative and drop certain plot lines it felt like some of the stories in this series were totally unnecessary and some scenes seemed to be inserted purely for shock value.

It’s a shame because I was actually very keen to see a show that was different to the books, I thought that it would be interesting to see how they took it in a different direction and would be good to see the characters handled by a different writer but I ended up just feeling a bit let down by it all. Below I’ve pinpointed what I feel are some of the high points of the series (because there were some still truly great moments that kept me watching) and some of the lesser points.

Dorne/Jaime

For me this was the most disappointing story of the series for me. In the books the Dorne plotline follows a kingsguard (Ser Arys Oakheart) who has been assigned to look after Myrcella during her time in Dorne. Over time he has fallen in love with Prince Doran’s daughter Arianne Martell and has broken his vows, he agrees to aid in a plot to smuggle Myrcella back to King’s Landing in a plot to put her into power over her brother. The plot is discovered and ends in tragedy with Arys being killed and Myrcella being maimed.

It’s a strong plotline with great characters but I would have totally understood if they cut the plot. It’s fairly inconsequential and would weigh down the TV series with the introduction of yet more characters.

Jaime’s plot in the books sends him to the Riverlands, sent away by a bitter Cersei who berates him and shuns him for letting Tyrion kill their father. He travels with the mute headsman Ilyn Payne and trains his left handed sword fighting with him at night while confessing all of his incest and past crimes (theorizing that Payne won’t be able to tell anyone on account of not having a tongue).

As Jaime travels through a land that’s still ruined from the terror of the War of the Five Kings he comes to realise that while he’s had the big picture he’s never taken a moment to think how all the fighting affects those who have little to nothing. It’s a humbling experience for Jaime and the pinnacle comes at the point where Cersei sends a letter asking Jaime to be his champion, he simply burns the letter and breaks the chains of the toxic hold Cersei has on him.

In the TV show Jaime’s character seems to have had a back step in character development, I feel during his time with Brienne he really flourished and started to realise that the world was something much different than he expected it to be, his name meant nothing and that was a huge wakeup call and he sees that you have to be more than just your last name. In this series they’ve just put two popular characters together on a comedy road trip and then lazily tacked political intrigue that in the end has no real impact on the story as a whole (at least from what we’ve seen so far). I felt almost cheated during the ending to that plotline as that could have been time focused on other characters, following Jaime’s book plot or including one of the plot lines that’s been cut such as the Ironborn plot.

It was refreshing to see Bronn again as he pretty much disappears from the books after Tyrion’s trial and isn’t mentioned again, Jerome Flynn really brings something to the character on the screen and he’s enjoyable to watch but I feel his character was really the only saving grace in this plotline. Doran was played very well too but he was sadly reduced to an exposition bit part.

TL;DR – Dorne seemed to be a filler arc which while beautifully filmed and well-acted seemed to fall short of the rest of the series in terms of character development and driving the overall plot. Screen time could have been better invested.

The Wall/Jon

This was a very mixed bag; it had some amazing scenes such as the Hardhome battle and some predictable and unnecessary scenes like Sam getting beaten up by his fellow brothers of The Night’s Watch.

I really enjoyed the scene where Jon is elected as the 998th Lord Commander and when he beheads Janos Slynt it really felt like they took the scenes from the book and put their own spin on them but in a positive way. It built tension nicely and overall this season I feel like Jon’s arc has been pretty consistent. Hardhome (a scene which hasn’t happened in the books but was planned to take place before Jon’s demise) was honestly a stunning set piece and I think probably the highlight of series. Tormund’s confrontation with the Lord of Bones was great and a fantastic example of one of the positive departures from the books, the mood of the scene was so tense it got to almost unbearable levels and I think the screenwriters, actors and the director really portrayed the bitterness of the wildlings but also their desperation and need to survive. The wights were portrayed in a good way, I’m really glad the main focus was on makeup rather than CGI and the scene where they try to tear down the gate and the reveal of the wight children was genuinely scary, It was one of those scenes that reminded me of Oberyn’s fight against The Mountain, it managed to make me feel a huge range of emotions in one scene. When Jon began to fight it was pretty thrilling and the cinematography really pushed this angle.

I enjoyed Jon’s fight with the White Walker even though it had a bit of an 80’s action movie feel to it I felt it kept within the scene enough. It was also good to see a little more of The Night’s King again but wasn’t too keen on his look, the CGI felt a little heavy handed to me.

Samwell’s part in the series felt redundant, in the books he travels to Oldtown with Maester Aemon and Gilly and I felt they could have done that this season instead of showing unnecessary scenes such as Sam being beaten up, frankly that scene did nothing except remind us that Ghost was there, Sam stood up to the men who were trying to rape Gilly but in the end he was reduced to being broken and battered. We know Sam has courage; this has been evidenced in previous series.

I will say that I extremely enjoyed Aemon’s funeral even though he dies on the boat to Oldtown in the books, it was very emotional and I thought the actor who played Sam really nailed that speech and though it was sad to see Aemon go, he was one of my favourite characters I felt this was a fitting end and was handled very well but again this could have taken place on the trip to Oldtown as it does in the books.

Jon’s return to the wall was really well handled; the scene where Alliser Thorne pauses just for a moment before letting him and the Wildling refugees in was great. I like the actor who plays Thorne a lot; he brings a bit of a human edge to the character that’s not really present in the books but I feel the screenwriters really went overdrive in making him a top notch knobhead.

As for Jon’s demise, I think it could have been done better. In the books someone enrages the giant and everything turns to chaos, in this chaos Jon gets stabbed. Jon receives a taunting letter from Ramsay and relinquishes his position whilst also asking wildlings and black brothers to fight with him, while stabbing might be a bit extreme I think it provides a bit more of a solid motive than “we don’t like wildlings”.

TL;DR – A very mixed story this season, Hardhome was the high point of this story and probably one of the big high points of the series. Samwell should have departed for Oldtown earlier but I did like that Aemon’s funeral took place on the wall, it added gravity to the scene.

King’s Landing/Cersei

Looking back over the series I think Cersei’s story arc was changed quite heavily but not in a way that affected the plot too much, a lot of the scheme to frame Margaery was simplified and I felt it worked for the TV show, you still got the same impact and the end result was the same, Cersei was the victim of her own heavy handed attempt at playing the game. She’s no stranger to botching attempts at politics but now she does not have Tywin to bail her out of trouble, Lena Headey gives another really accurate and interesting performance of Cersei.

My biggest problem with this story was the Faith Militant. In the TV series they seem to be depicted as people using the faith as an excuse for violence, even if this isn’t the case they aren’t as zealous as this in the book and seem to be genuinely devout and trying to protect those who cannot protect themselves. High Sparrow was on point though and portrayed with fantastic underlying malice by Johnathan Pryce, he really brought out the element of being completely devout while casting doubt into my mind as to whether his intentions were wholly good.

I was disappointed to see Kevan Lannister reduced to such a small part, he’s such an integral part of Cersei’s conscience and is a really interesting character. He came off as cold and arrogant in the show just like Tywin whereas in the books he is supposed to be the antithesis of his brother, a kind hearted man who while still understands the importance of self-image laments that he must keep to it over the love of his brother’s children and his own child (Lancel). Qyburn continues to be a favourite of mine, he’s portrayed so well.

Overall though I thought this was a solid part of the series and while some good characters have been removed and the plot has been simplified I think it still worked well, the screenwriters really emphasised how vulnerable Cersei is without the support of her father and when her name means nothing.

TL;DR – Strong plot and was well acted by all involved, some characters are missing and the plot has been watered down for TV but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The Faith Militant are a bit too violent for my liking compared to their book counterparts. Very hyped to see Frankenstein’s Mountain fight.

Braavos/Arya

Maisie Williams continues to shine as Arya Stark, really enjoyed her story in this and it was pretty similar throughout the series up until the last few episodes which I felt muddled her story unnecessarily but I can see why they did it.

It was good to see they have brought back Jaqen H’gar, really enjoyed the way he played the character in the earlier seasons and I felt it made things a bit easier for the viewer not having to bring in new characters to get attached to. The books spend a lot more time going into Arya’s training and putting her in various different situations, this isn’t possible in the TV show with only two series left to go.

I didn’t like that Arya got her vengeance with Meryn Trant. It was certainly very gratifying to watch but I feel like it detracted from Arya’s quest to become more than a revenge fuelled orphan, in the books she’s also turned blind but it’s part of her training rather than a punishment. The other thing is that Trant never visits Braavos in the books so we don’t see the much darker side of him, I feel like the screenwriters put too much emphasis on Trant being a terrible person but I think it would have worked better if it was less clear, perhaps making us question how ‘just’ Arya’s quest is. In the books Meryn Trant is a guard who simply takes a bit too much pleasure in following orders, he’s a nasty piece of work but he’s not as terrible as he is in the show.

TL;DR – Great acting, good to see some changes made but the Meryn Trant plot line toward the end detracted from the experience.

Mereen/Daenerys

I feel like Daenerys’ story sort of pushed through the motions, until the end of this season I felt she was actually more of a supporting character which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. We got to see the romance between Grey Worm and Missandei blossom which doesn’t happen in the book and I really enjoy the chemistry that those two actors seem to have.

I was very disappointed by Ser Barristan Selmy’s death, I felt it was unnecessary and that whole scene didn’t make sense. How did an elite fighting force get decimated by untrained rebels?

In the books Barristan is alive; running the city after Daenerys flew away on Drogon. I understand that his death is to make way for Tyrion Lannister performing a similar role (in the book he hasn’t met Daenerys yet, him and Jorah are currently outside the city walls). Quentyn Martell was also removed from the plot line, I can understand this though as it is pretty much a non-consequential plotline (a young prince from Dorne attempts to wed Daenerys and ends up getting burned by dragons when trying to prove his worth).

It was also a shame to see the Aegon plotline removed, again I can understand it being removed but in a sense I feel that its omission has served as a spoiler for the book. Does its removal mean that Aegon’s claim and conquest are ultimately unimportant? It will be a shame if so, I particularly like Aegon and his mentor Jon Connington.

TL;DR – It’s a shame they’ve removed great characters with great actors, the focus on the secondary players of Mereen was a welcome change this season.

Winterfell/Stannis

Stannis the Mannis, honestly I thought Stephen Dillane did such a good job bringing life to such a supposedly ‘lifeless’ character, It’s a shame his plot has been completely changed (or has it been simply moved forward? Again I fear that the books have been spoiled by the TV show’s need to cut out plot points). The burning of Shireen felt cheap and inserted simply for shock value, especially since we had a touching moment when Stannis said he would never send his daughter away and the normally stone faced Stannis shared a hug with his daughter, then he proceeds to burn her (his one heir no less, so even from a political/tactical standpoint it’s a stupid move).

In the book Stannis burns men who have resorted to cannibalism because of their dwindling supplies, he does this as a sacrifice/punishment/intimidation tactic to discourage others from doing it. It’s been mentioned to me that George R.R. Martin has said the Shireen being burnt is going to happen in the books but seeing as Melisandre, Shireen and her mother are at Castle Black I would assume that this will be done without Stannis’ consent.

Davos is my favourite character in the series and in the books. He’s one of the few characters I can really get invested in and know that he has a consistent moral compass, it was nice to see more of him in the series (he disappears for a while in the books after Stannis sends him to gain the trust of the Northern Lords).

When Melisandre arrives back at The Wall and tells Davos Shireen died the look on his face was harder to watch than any of the gore or acts of violence I’ve seen in the TV series so far, he genuinely looked heartbroken. My eyes got pretty sweaty during that scene.

Replacing Jeyne Poole (a character who is dressed up to look like Arya Stark in order for the Boltons to conduct a sham marriage) with Sansa was a smart move in terms of tying plots together but ultimately this plotline detracted from Sansa’s arc a lot. In the books she is continually developing as a political player in the Vale, putting her in the hands of Ramsay Bolton just took that developing independence and cunning wit and made her the vulnerable girl she was under Joffrey’s torment. I feel that the only thing gained from this plotline was Theon’s redemption.

Worth an honourable mention are Brienne and Podrick who have essentially done nothing this season. I think this removal was a shame because we get to see the two characters wander through the war torn riverlands and interact with some of those affected by the war, it’s a great storyline that shows Brienne letting her guard down to those who are affected most only to have that trust ripped away from her again by bandits.

TL;DR – Stannis seemed to take an inexplicable dive in intelligence and morals simply for shock value, Sansa got set back to square one, Brienne did pretty much nothing (except kill Stannis in a one minute segment) and Davos made this face which haunts me at night:

http://imgur.com/mRGFj3M

Conclusion

I know there are some characters I haven’t mentioned here but I’m only really mentioning the ones I noticed the most or felt most strongly about. I’m still going to watch the show; I’m not deterred by one off season when we’ve already had 4 absolutely fantastic ones. It is worth noting though that David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will not be attending the Game of Thrones panel at this year’s Comic-Con as they have done every previous year, I suppose they have anticipated that there would be some backlash from fans and I appreciate that they don’t really want to spend an hour justifying why they made changes to the book but it would be good to hear their philosophy behind some of the major changes, perhaps this would make it easier for fans to understand why the changes have been made rather than just a general “we cut it because we didn’t have enough time”. The creative decisions behind changing/cutting each plotline would have been both interesting and would have helped me appreciated the changes more I feel.

If you haven’t read the books, you definitely should. They’re extremely well written and I’m glad I read them after I started watching the show as it gave me a deeper understanding of the characters I’d already come to enjoy on screen for example Jon Snow’s chapters are more interesting than his TV arc because a lot of his emotion and the thoughts behind his actions are internalised.

If you read this far, thanks very much for reading the whole thing!

Here’s a picture of Jorah the Explorer’s new rap album.

http://i.imgur.com/6ILUVYQ.jpg

[shenmeizhuang-blog]

current standing + ramblings

*I wanted to do a more official, “pretty” post but currently it’s a bit...inconvenient to fully use Tumblr. So, here goes:

The Advisors Alliance (大军师司马懿之军师联盟): I do have some catching up to do, as I’m currently only 22 episodes into the 42-ep Season 1, which just completed its run a few days ago. Admittedly, I’m slightly apprehensive as I’ve read complaints that the latter part of the show becomes a bit...illogical, but time will tell. 

Where I am currently, warlord/king of Wei Kingdom (despite the current “emperor” of Eastern Han still existing) Cao Cao is about to die; with the earlier eps essentially covering protagonist Sima Yi as he assists unfavored son Cao Pi to gain the position of Crown Prince and faces adversary Yang Xiu, the deaths of the recent characters mark a pretty obvious shifting point; while the earlier eps had that whole Nirvana in Fire vibe that came with an advisor placing an unfavored son on the throne (although frankly, I ship just about everything EXCEPT Sima Yi and Cao Pi), as well as Yang Xiu and Cao Cao’s dominating presences that assisted in holding the show together, the latter eps risk being somewhat messy. 

The first episode was somewhat of a challenge to complete, with me having to even reference a dictionary multiple times, but eventually it becomes not that hard. Additionally, I find this show freaking ADORABLE -- there are just so many brief breaks of humor, heartwarming domesticity, and the ridiculously shippy romance between Cao Pi and Guo Zhao. Easily the best thing about this show is simply the cinematography and execution, so even if events become messy/illogical (though this is a considerably smart show), this is an amazing show to dunk my eyes into simply for the pretty. 

Admittedly, I know next to nothing about Three Kingdoms history, except like the super super basic, so I can’t really comment on historical accuracy (the show does utilize historical events such as battles or someone’s ascension for time skips though). I KNOW that apparently Hua Too died way later than in the show, etc., but frankly I would rather see a well thought-out story than a dry retelling of history. 

But I’m also hypocritical, and find that the show wants to emphasize Sima Yi/ everyone’s connections a bit TOO much -- like, what is the point of having to make Guo Zhao related to the Sima family? I ship her with Cao Pi a lot, but so many times it feels like she’s there to assist in saving someone in the Sima family (’tis a time where people’s lives are endangered essentially every 30 seconds). Additionally, since my cousin was watching this on TV, I saw a scene far far later where Zhen Fu 被打入冷宫 and she needed assistance or something and she freaking asked for Sima Yi. Because, of course, EVERYTHING comes back to him. 

Acting-wise, everyone is quite solid, and very surprisingly I actually recognize a lot of the actors, which makes for a very nice viewing experience. (Admittedly Li Chen feels...like Li Chen rather than Cao Pi, though the mustache I think actually helps diminish that a bit. Wang Jinsong’s portrayal of Xun You blew me away, though I’m slightly irritated by the fact that he (among 崔尚书 and other characters) essentially served as sacrifices -- some of the more minor characters tend to serve purposes to push forward the plot or give some advice rather than actually be characters. (Although they do an amazing job portraying this show’s antagonists so far). 

I really do like Yu Hewei as Cao Cao, even if people say he’s essentially channeling Chen Jianbin’s performance in San Guo (which I DIDN’T see). Personally, I can’t shake away the image of Chen Jianbin as Emperor Yongzheng (in Zhen Huan), so if I watch 3K 2010 for whatever reason it’s all going to very peculiar for me.

But, overall: I like it! I love its dramatics, humor, and cuteness rather than find it off-putting, and no matter what’s stored for the future, I will still fondly look back upon the earlier episodes at least. 

Love Lost in Times (醉玲珑): Despite the more peculiar-looking hairstyles, surprisingly one of the biggest perks to this show is the gorgeous cinematography and directing. Everything is just so very pretty -- EVEN compared to The Advisors Alliance, making this a really nice show to just relax my brain with. This is a weekly show (the horror), airing only two days a week, so with me not completely invested yet but still enjoying, I’m not biting my nails and praying for new episodes/for Thursday to come yet can more easily stay on schedule. 

Located in the kingdom of Western Wei, which interestingly is the location of a whole lot of currently airing shows (even AA technically takes place in Wei, though in a much different context), this is a world where the royal family struck a deal with a clan of witches/sorcerers (although I’ve only seen a total of two magical males in the witch clan’s realm hehe). This entire high fantasy/alternate realms is a pretty unique concept, and nicely melds with simple palace politics. But despite all the wonder and pretty, it’s very clear that the main point is the star-crossed (literally, with Qingchen being this 阴星 who is actually fated to meet 阳星) love between our leads. So far the pacing is very nice, and four episodes in, there’s already a very clear set-up . . . that is, leading up to Qingchen resetting the universe, Yuan Ling forgetting like everything, and everything angsty all starting over again. 

Admittedly, if not for the unique high fantasy concept the entire royal-political arc would be very generic. And like...why Fourth Prince AGAIN? LOL. (People say that the original novel is essentially a rehash of BBJX, especially since the original saw our protagonist time traveling from the modern day, but the romance and political events at least in the drama feel WAY TOO DIRECT and simplified for me to even make a slight association. Also, the main point of BBJX is like the freaking time travel aspect . . . erm anyway, I could rant forever about BBJX so I won’t.)

Despite the quick and refreshing pace, the one thing I find difficult is shipping the OTP, and they’re getting married despite all odds like next episode. Because, already? 

My favorite thing about this show, prettiness aside, is actually this show’s main antagonist, the seventh prince Yuan Zhan -- 1) Xu Hai Qiao but 2) unlike the other Evil^TM characters, he feels like the most complex and multifaceted character compared to everyone else (including, and especially our likable but so far typical leads, though I do also enjoy seeing Yuan Ling’s stubbornness and resourcefulness that would’ve resolved all the issues of most star-crossed romances), and is, Yuan Ling aside, someone I would entrust as a ruler. He’s sly and definitely some parts morally dark, but I enjoy seeing his ambition, the facade he creates, as well as his own perspective the justifies his own actions. He isn’t inherently evil or anything, just has a different 立场 and different motives than our leads. It’s just that his headpiece looks like either a cake or a flowerpot XD. 

Acting: both Shi Shi and William Chan are mediocre, though I think nicely compliment each other in prettiness and mediocrity, but side characters such as Liu Yijun as the horrid and corrupt Emperor, Han Dong as Qingchen’s shifu, Han Xue, Xu Hai Qiao as Yuan Zhan, Zhang He as 9th all delivered solid performances. 

It’s still a largely simplistic show that’s largely about the romance (*coughs* the title), but if well-done I’m always here for the angst. Overall, given that I didn’t really anticipate this show or have that many expectations, it’s a good show so far. Okay and randomly the opening theme sounds rather off-putting -- I would suggest skipping over that. 

#the advisors alliance #大军师司马懿之军师联盟 #军师联盟 #lost love in times #drunken exquisiteness #醉玲珑 #cdrama #ramblings #word vomit