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#hilarious that this was not important to the scene at all and never mentioned again
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BAHAHAHSHHS he used the toast as a coaster i can't
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yumedoca · 4 months
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Alright, my fellow UY folks!! Since the new trailer has dropped, why don't we unpack everything they've shown us so far?
Or more specifically, what all chapters are getting adapted in the third cour (only third since they won't reveal footage for the fourth one till the third is over.)!!
Also, ignore the stupid quality since I took the pictures on my phone..
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First up is the Kurama - Ran - Rei two-parter!! Nice to see Kurama again since I was worried she would be a one time character since she didn't appear in the eye catches. However, I'm pretty sure this is going to be her last appearance since it's her final appearance in the manga (not counting cameos). It's one of the funnier Kurama chapters, so this will be great fun!!
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Next up is the 'Fantasy bubblegum' chapter!! Another one I didn't think which would be adapted since we see Ten order the key item in this chapter in the post credits of the love-love crystal ball episode. Maybe the order was delayed? Or Ten didn't use it till now? Who knows. Anyways, this is a pretty funny chapter and I'm excited to see how it turns out (Also BenOyu yuri, Let's goo!!!)
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AtaLum fans, Let's rejoice, because it looks like they're adapting "Love knows no barriers" aka the chapter where Lum gets hit with the rice cooker!!! This one is my favorite singular chapter in the series and I absolutely hated the original anime's version of this one so I hope the remake does this one justice!! I'm not sure whether the first one is from this chapter since Ataru's wearing his school uniform instead of his casuals, but maybe it's because of a few changes here and there. DavidPro, you better not disappoint me considering what the original did.
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Looks like we're going to get the chapter which introduces the Ryuunosuke's mom (Masako) saga. I'm not sure whether they'll adapt everything under this saga, but the first one seems to be there. I really like this chapter because we get a wholesome relationship between Ryu and Ataru's mom.
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THE BODYSWAP CHAPTER!!! This one comes a bit earlier from what I remember and not to mention, it's pretty hilarious (literally any chapter where Sakura has to deal with Ataru's BS is an A+ for me) so I'm super excited!!
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ASUKA, MY CHILD!! IT'S HER!! Finally one of my UY Blorbo's gets animated!! And considering the shot of her and Ton- chan, yes guys, they're keeping the incest. I've never understood why there were some who said they wouldn't adapt it but like, it's one of Asuka's main character points and the incest is clearly portrayed as wrong and unacceptable, similar to Ataru's lecherous behavior (They might still tone it down though). Anyways, I'm so excited for Asuka, I can't wait!!!
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And finally, two very beloved and very important arcs!! First, I can't believe we're getting three AtaLum stories in this cour, I mean we deserve it after being fed with only one last cour. And second, I'm pretty sure both these arcs are going to be at least a whole episode long considering how big these two are. And I have to admit, the door realm looks so pretty.. and I'm so excited for Shingo, Inaba and their arcs, can't January come already???
And that's all for it!! Other than these, there were two to three shots I couldn't exactly place which chapter they belong to, so sorry about that. And I wanted to point out that the animation looks quite fluid in some scenes as well, so it looks like DavidPro is doing great work as expected. Anyways, UY is coming back once again on January 11th and I am so ready!! THE HYPE IS REAL!!!
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sunsolii · 4 months
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Napoleon (2023) Review
I know many of you have posted your own reviews and what I'm going to talk about will cover most of what people have said but I wanna give my own perspective on the movie. As you know spoilers will be said, so if yall still haven't watch the movie go before reading.
Alright first, I would like to say the movie overall wasn't that bad nor it wasn't great. Some battle scenes were a bit confusing, Borodino was the one which I got the most confused because of how quick the scene was. One moment I was watching soldiers fight and then it was done, which I guess they wanted to get to the part of Napoleon arriving at Moscow but I digress.
During the Seige of Toulon, I was a bit confused with Napoleon's reaction throughout the whole battle. He was hyperventilating and panicking which seemed strange to me since he was always calm and collected during stressful situations, especially this battle since it was his 'debut' and was an important plan in getting Toulon back in French hands. I understand him being a little bit nervous, but he had to stay calm for the soldier's sake.
Now, lets talk about Napoleon and Josephine's relationship, oh boy, it was a mess. I did like how Naps acted a bit awkward during their first meeting since he was pretty shy and weird around the ladies in real life, but after that the whole relationship seemed too toxic than what it really was. Like the scene where Josephine returned to the chateau after Naps came back from Egypt and him yelling at her and basically telling her she was a slut, him threatening divorce because she couldn't get pregnant at the beginning of their marriage, or when Naps got angry at Josephine yet again and threw food at her, or him slapping Josephine during the divorce scene. I literally let out a gasp when that happened. That whole representation of their relationship was a freaking mess, and don't even get me started with the sex scenes! They were so weird and Naps making animals noises before doing it didn't make it better. I think the worst for me was when Naps called Josephine "little one" like don't start with that kinky shit smh. Also the part where Alexander went to visit Josephine at Malmaison was not necessary, they did develop a friendship but it was nothing more than that.
Besides all the negative things I did like a few things about the movie. For starters Napoleon's first interaction with Josephine, that was a nice touch. The lamb chop scene was hilarious and everyone including me laughed at the scene. Naps falling down the stairs after almost getting killed by the Directory and saying "oh fuck" under his breath while standing up was funny. Even the scene afterwards where Naps and Lucien were struggling to get out and keep everyone inside was funny. His facial expression he made while trying to regain himself had me dying.
What caught me by suprise was Junot being in the movie because correct me if I'm wrong but no other movie had Junot included in it, so when Naps first yelled "Junot" during the Seige of Toulon I was like 'huh? Junot? Like Jean Andoche Junot?? THE JUNOT?? I can't believe what I'm hearing!" and sure enough Junot was in the movie! Even though it was only for like 30 minutes but him being in the movie made me so happy because he is never mentioned in any form of media.
Overall it wasn't as bad as I expected. I still wished they would've added other marshals like Murat and Lannes, but I do appreciate them adding Davout since he is also someone who doesn't get mentioned in movies a lot, so props to you Scott (I guess). I did get over the historical inaccuracies pretty quick, but Wellington and Naps meeting did rub me the wrong way knowing that they never met each other in real life. Also, Ney with a moustache...why??
So that's all I wanted to say about the movie. Sorry if this was a longer post, but I wanted to write down everything before I forget. Thank you for reading!
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kissingcullens · 2 years
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Re-watching Our Flag Means Death Ep. 5: “The Best Revenge is Dressing Well,” and I really appreciate how often this Historical Fiction story makes racism and racists the butt of its humor...   First of all, I think it’s important to note that this episode was written by John Mahone, a Black TV and comedy writer, and it was directed by Fernando Frías (fun fact: the same guy who plays Alfeo de la Vaca!)   It’s SO vital to the genius of OurFlagMeansDeath that the show has Black and other creators of color behind the scenes as well as on camera.  OKAY SO... The entire Frenchie/Oluwande/Abshir subplot?? INSPIRED. BRILLIANT. Hilarious every time. And watching the episode again, I’m noticing more and more the LAYERS in the episode. We’ve got the B-plot with Frenchie and Oluwande (with the help of Abshir) executing a brilliant scheme to con these craven slave-owners for EVERY CENT they possibly can... which is amazing and pitch-perfect. The tense and meaningful references that Frenchie makes to his past are fascinating, and hopefully explored more in Season 2-  Frenchie UNDERSTANDS this world, and has lived either as a servant or a slave among people like this... and this allows him to play the game to his advantage.  He knows exactly how to trick and swindle these people using their racism and vanity and greed against them. And then we have the A-plot of Edward longing to move in these wealthy, fancy circles. The LONGING on Ed’s face when Frenchie mentions fashion and frills?? Obviously there’s the queer yearning of it all, but it’s more multi-faceted than that-- This is the first time we get to see Edward’s childhood. He marvels at a piece of silk from a wealthy estate, and he questions the inequality of the world: “Why can’t WE have things like this?” His mother replies that they must accept their place in the natural order of things: “It’s not up to us, it’s up to God. We’ll never be those kind of people.” And then we have the party. Edward succeeds for a time in “entertaining” the crowd, but he soon finds that he can’t navigate the web of artificial rules and rituals that are all meant to exclude him, and he feels small and humiliated... which is all the more disturbing for him because he shouldn’t CARE what these people think. “Do you know who I am???” --these people would wet themselves and scream for mercy if they were facing BLACKBEARD... but you FEEL how helpless he is there; dressed up in a fancy outfit, alone. He’s entered their world on their terms, and he’s suddenly powerless without his carefully-crafted persona and reputation.   Sidenote: It’s SUCH a resonant writing decision to have Sir Godfrey Thornrose be a “Master Phrenologist.” Phrenology was a vital piece in the creation of White Supremacy bent on “scientifically proving” that white Anglo-Saxons were biologically superior to every other people on earth, and sorting humans into strict categories. Phrenology was extensively used to predict “criminality” and to uphold class divisions and poverty as “natural” and biological... the natural order of things. The "Head Toucher” bit was played for laughs, but it was such an intentional piece of writing towards the themes of the episode. It’s deep!
And the episode brings it all home with a bang, with Edward rejecting this culture and these people as shallow and fickle, and a moment of vulnerability and camaraderie between him and Frenchie; “What did they do to you man??? ...Oh, they’re such DICKS about spoons!”  They win the day by exposing the rotten underbelly of these “fancy” people, causing the party to devolve into violent self-destruction. And it is Frenchie’s “us servants see EVERYTHING” and Abshir’s inside knowledge, that allow Stede to blow the lid off of the whole place in the end. And then the episode ends with Oluwande redistributing the Fancy Fucks’ money to the enslaved people on the ship, and with Abshir and co. sailing off to “sharpen the con.” Again: BRILLIANT. SHOWSTOPPING. INCREDIBLE.
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what are your expectations for the twilight reboot?
i don't know if i can envision a version of twilight that isn't cringe so i have zero expectations.
I have none either. I can make a few guesses but they could end up entirely wrong.
I believe the studio in charge of the reboot is Lionsgate Television, which among other things has co-produced shows like Mad Men, Dear White People, and several others. Notably, the parent company Lionsgate films produced the Hunger Games films.
What I'm getting at here is that this is a large subsidiary studio of a large well-established studio who has gotten their hands on a well-known IP that is primarily targeted to teenage/young women.
Specifically, they're not going to rock the boat. I expect the show to be marketed towards the audience of the books (young women/teenage girls) and not to a broader adult audience (see Mad Men).
More, given the books were so popular, they'll generally follow the plotline and try to tie into book moments they think audience members will like, but they will tone it down a lot. Much like the movies did.
Twilight will probably be kept entirely intact. We'll have the meadow, we'll have Bella nearly be crushed by a van, the blood testing in Biology, the Italian restaurant scene, the James subplot, etc.
However, details like Edward methodically planning the massacre of his biology classroom, will more than likely be dropped or else glossed over.
We're probably going to get an Edward who's palatable. He still has an aura of mysterious darkness, of course, but the audience can rest assured he's their sweet nerd and cinnamon roll and that the vampirism is just an unfortunate, if sexy, affliction.
We'll also likely get a Bella who's more talkative and takes more initiative. Not only does this address common complaints about the character, but it's very difficult to write a show where one of your main character rarely expresses herself out loud. (If you read the books, what Bella narrates versus what she says are two very different things.)
The movies addressed this in part by keeping the voice over narration for Bella with... uh... effect (I personally thought it was very poorly done and mostly hokey).
They might go the same route in the show, maybe Bella will intro each episode and outtro with a diary she writes in, "Dear Diary, today Edward stared at me, he was hot", or we'll get her voice over in pivotal scenes, or she's going to have to start talking to somebody about what she's feeling and thinking.
However, we'll probably get all the major plot points.
After Twilight, is where we might get changes.
It will probably take the film route and blame Edward's religious nature on his dad. They can't remove it, as Edward needs some reason to deny Bella becoming a vampire even when he and his family eat animals, and it can't be the spicy 'you'll probably eat humans anyway'. In the books what he said was Bella would lose her soul, Carlisle disagreed with this in a conversation with Bella. In the movies, they had Carlisle go all in as it ah--makes Edward look like the misguided product of his parents than it being him being religious himself.
Even though New Moon is hilarious in that the romantic lead disappears for an entire novel and Bella spends that novel hallucinating Edward, they're not going to drop it because of the importance of the Quileute characters as well as Jacob being the secondary love interest.
What they might try to do is spice it up and tone it down at the same time. Rather than be a complete depressed blob the entire novel, we might see Bella make significant recoveries to feed the Jacob/Bella side of the love triangle. We'll also probably spend a lot more time on the tribe both to flesh out the characters and to distract from the giant amount of nothing that happens in New Moon.
Bella may or may not hallucinate Edward. It was a large part of the novel, but it was weird, and never to be mentioned again when Eclipse happened. It's also not too fondly remembered by fans, even fans of the Edward/Bella ship. People remember the meadow and the wedding, not the time Bella rode a motorcycle with Edward saying "Don't dooooo iiiiiiiiit". It's entirely possible the producers would find it too spicy.
On the other hand, it's all we see of Edward of what could be half if not an entire season. Given he's the romantic lead that Bella ultimately ends up with, you can't have him on vacation for a fourth of the show.
So, 50/50 on Hallucination Edward.
Eclipse will probably remain mostly intact as well, as we get an exciting love triangle there, but they'll probably tone down Edward again. No longer will Edward kidnap Bella to his house, too spicy, instead he'll look sad and cuckolded as his girlfriend flirts with Jacob. The tent scene will probably be toned down quite a bit as well to remove some of Edward's more alarming statements.
Actually...
I expect all of Edward to always be toned down in every moment. I'm not sure what the hell they'll have him say, but it won't typically be what he says in the books in his more "WHOA" moments.
Now, Breaking Dawn is... interesting. On the one hand, they can squeeze a season out of it and if they're three seasons in and haven't been canceled yet then why not? On the other hand, it doesn't fit in with a typical teenage story that they want to draw people in for.
Bella's suddenly married??? And pregnant??? With a demon??? Their protagonists are out of high school, Bella's pregnant with a demon and dying, there's a war on and all these weird non-teenage people are showing up.
They could choose to end the show with the wedding. Bella and Edward get married, he promises to turn her, they ride off into the sunset.
On the other hand, there are fans who would murder them and cry tears of blood if they don't get the honeymoon/the rest of breaking dawn (even though fans simultaneously hate breaking dawn).
We could get a Breaking Dawn sans Renesmee. The Volturi instead accuse the Cullens of some crime they very clearly have not committed. Irina narks on them for a crime they didn't commit because she was secretly in love with Edward (her character having been merged with Tanya's) or else becuase she seeks revenge for Laurent and didn't act until now. Bella gets her wedding and honeymoon but has to be summoned back because shenanigans are happening again!
However, in that case, they have to figure out how to turn Bella since one of Edward's primary character traits (and one they can't really change as it would alter the entire plot) is that Edward doesn't want to turn her.) And they're going to want Edward to have to do it versus any other character, as it validates that Edward truly does wish to be with Bella forever.
There could be a subplot where Edward tries to hide Bella in the mountains when the Volturi are coming but Bella tells him, "No, Edward, this time we cannot run" despite, you know, the tent debacle weeks earlier where she said "Edward, we absolutely can run"
But again, I really don't know. I'm in the same boat as the rest of you.
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tarisilmarwen · 9 months
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Rebels Rewatch: "Stealth Strike"
In which, Character Development! and other exciting features.
I mentioned the husband loves Star Wars ships right? This is another one of his favorite episodes, he loooves the Interdictor class.
Always liked this little musical flare at the beginning, already conveys a sense of urgency and danger.
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Sato sounds so aggrieved that he has to have Ezra along, lol.
I mean from his perspective Ezra's just an overconfident plucky kid, he hasn't been around Ezra long enough to know how competent the boy is.
Love the staggered Force Theme prelude in the strings there, all broken up and disjointed. Once again Ezra is sensing impending danger.
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Still adore the kaleidoscope color effect Rebels uses to mark being forcibly ejected/yanked from hyperspace.
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Bbbyyyyyyyy. :((((
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Worried Spacefamily be worried.
Hera wisely understands that the best way to infiltrate a top-secret Imperial project is to keep the aliens off the mission lol.
Kanan is being predictably petty about having to work with Rex.
"I sent Ezra... this is the only way." Ouch. I bet Hera is feeling pretty guilty and has thought a lot about this since they learned about it, so you know she's run it through a million times in her head. Probably why Kanan acquiesces to her judgment.
I wanna know the thought process behind the Imps' decision to haul Ezra and Sato in to see Titus. Like, Sato I get, he's the obvious commander of the unit but I wanna know which trooper saw Ezra and was like, "Hmm, he seems Plot Important, I better drag him along too."
Sato still very much Not Impressed with Ezra's posturing.
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Hi Brom Titus!
It's hilarious that Ezra's sarcastically used "Jabba the Hutt" so often it's been logged as a known alias of his lololol.
The Giligan Cut between Rex complaining that he'd never wear Stormtrooper armor and Zeb bringing them unconscious troopers to steal the armor from. <3
"I thought it was the same one we used before." LOL. Okay, I gotta stop before I quote every line in this episode.
Can't help it, it's just so fun.
We cut to the shuttle mid-hyperspace and Rex and Kanan are still bickering, but even in the middle of that we get some lovely worried Papa Wolf Kanan hyperfocusing on Ezra as his priority.
I swear it was explained somewhere what the specific codes Rex gives meant but I can't for the life of me remember where now. Pretty sure one of them meant the shuttle was going to explode? Anyway...
Rex seems like he's having just a grand old time. This must feel just like the old days for him.
Lol Kallus getting excited about Ezra's capture and warning Titus "[...]do not underestimate that boy." He knows firsthand how much of a threat and nuisance Ezra can be.
A little variation on the Death Star theme here, kind of appropriate given this is a very similar-feeling kind of infiltration and rescue.
Maybe that's why I like this episode so much, has a lot of A New Hope vibes.
Subtle animation appreciation moment: Chopper's legs jerking as he rolls over the hump in the doorway.
The ANH vibes continue with this turbolift scene, which is just hilarious. From Rex not knowing which button to push to the Imperial officer snarking at our hero duo, it's just... *chef's kiss*
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They are a disaster pair and I just love them.
Cut to the troopers that are escorting Ezra to his "secure cell" and I'm sorry, I adore this whole sequence. Ezra being a little hyper-competent badass is my whole jam, okay?
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This is so clever. <3333
Ezra makes very short work of his guards, without really hurting them (something that would contrast in S3 after the whole Malachor Loss-Of-Innocence thing) and then immediately shoots his intended rescue party lololol.
I love how smoothly he moves through this whole scene. He's obviously been practicing and of course the Force operates on a principal of "the more at peace and in tune you are with yourself, the greater strength you can channel" so after his whole soul-searching in "Brothers of the Broken Horn" deal he's come to some kind of serenity within himself that lets him be just super awesome here. Love it.
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<333333
Chopper immediately rats Ezra out lol.
Kanan reluctant to split up from Ezra, aww.
Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Ezra raises his hands in aggravation when Kanan and Rex get into it again.
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Ezra finally chews the two of them out for all their bickering and takes charge of the mission and you can't even tell me he didn't make Kanan just a smidge proud, with that comment about how, "He takes after Hera sometimes." <3333
No but seriously, fandom of course loves Kanan and Ezra's whole "like my father before me" vibe but let's not forget how it was Hera who first took a shine to him, who saw potential in him, who knew that he wasn't as selfish as he pretended he was, drew out that inner spark of compulsive compassion planted by his parents and has been influencing him on the Rebellion side of things to complement Kanan's Jedi teaching.
Found Family liek woah. :)
Brom Titus looking a little less confident now that the scrawny fifteen-year-old he was specifically cautioned not to underestimate has given them the slip lol.
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*cries* He was so TINY!
Very glad Ezra learned binary, it enables hilarious conversations like this.
This is yet another music cue recycled from the Death Star sequence in A New Hope. Like I said, they're really leaning into that this episode.
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This little troll I love him so much.
Bit of the "Shenanigans" theme as Chopper rolls up.
Can I just appreciate how well Ezra rolls with blocking shots in zero gravity?
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I think Chopper enjoyed all of this a too much lol.
Remember, giving people grief is how Chopper shows affection. :)
Love how they lampshade the terrible vision quality of Stormtrooper helmets.
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Sato all ready to square up with this random trooper until he sees it's Kanan.
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And his anxious worry over Ezra's welfare is really sweet. Sato does care, he might find Ezra bit aggravating but he's still just a kid in Sato's eyes, someone who was under his protection. (One wonders if Ezra reminds him of Mart a bit.) It's not Sato's fault he's only now learning what a precocious badass Ezra is lol.
This move of Kanan and Rex's is slick.
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Lightsaber Naruto run.
I've been told this horn cue is Rex's theme. Makes sense.
Heeeeey remember what I said about Rex's deathseeker tendencies? Yeah.
Subtle animation appreciation moment: The drifting smoke in the hallway from the firefight holy cow. Attention to detail.
"I serve the order you put into place, Captain." Ohhhhhh Imma dent his face in.
*hurts in Order 66 feels*
THEY WERE JUST TOOLS TO PALPATINE, THEY HAD A SINGLE PURPOSE AND HE JUST DISCARDED THEM ONCE IT WAS ACCOMPLISHED.
This Hitchcock Zoom with Kanan as if he's sensing Rex's pain. <33333
Character growth! <33333
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Ezra one-manning this hallway with Skill and Confidence. <33333
My gosh look how smooth and effortless this is for him. No wonder Sato was impressed.
Nice to see more classic lightsaber positions creeping into the choreography here.
Ezra being all, "OH HECK NO, THERE WILL BE NO SELF-SACRIFICING TODAY!" over the comms. He's very tired of them doing that lol.
The dolly shots this episode are tight.
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Aww Ezra still looks really worried tho.
Don't think about him remembering, "I'll take the next one." and "I'll be right behind you."
Aaaaaaaand Chopper just scored the highest body count on the show, lol. (Up until the finale anyway with the Dome explosion and the purrgil-ening.)
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My gosh this show even makes total destruction look pretty.
Yeah, getting a top-secret Interdictor prototype imploded is pretty demotion worthy ha ha.
Love how Kallus is basically perfectly fine assigning all of that chaos to Ezra in particular. XD
KANAN SALUTING REX NOT ONLY AS A SIGN OF FINALLY BURYING THE HATCHET BUT ALSO TAKING UP THE MANTLE OF SOLDIER HE WAS SO RELUCTANT TO AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON.
This is one of the best episodes of the season, no joke. It's fun, it brings the nostalgia without being kitschy, it lets Ezra and Sato have a little bit of nice interaction (underrated relationship, fanficers have let me down), it shows how Ezra's developing in combat, it finishes the whole Rex and Kanan animosity plot, and Chopper murders three whole Imperial cruisers effortlessly.
Love it.
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eddiezpaghetti · 2 months
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Hallo! Like many other people, I found you thanks to the incredible piece on why Byler IS GONNA be endgame. In your second/response post on this matter you briefly mentioned Supernatural, Teen Wolf and Sherlock, and I was wondering if you could make direct comparisons to these cases and explain how exactly they differ from Byler. If you knew about these shows while they were still airing, did you also strongly believe or at least had a bit of hope that those ships would become canon? If no, what are the main differences that make ST's pair so unique? If yes, do you believe you overlooked/assumed things back then that you now account for better? And sorry if this is an annoying or repetitive question, I imagine you've gotten a bunch of similar requests and you might want to distance yourself from the topic alr + from what little I know about those 2010s shows I can already kind of predict the answer myself thanks to your definitions of queerbaiting v queer-coding v accidental romance, so I guess this is more of an excuse so I get a chance to read another one of your masterful posts, apologies for that hehe <3
Honestly, I used those examples because they're really well-known in general, not because I'm an expert on those pieces of media. A piece of media I probably know better on a personal level that did queerbaiting isn't even a great example because it was just on such a small scale, but definitely still held true under "We're doing this simultaneously to pander to and make fun of queer people," but no one was too invested because it was with a minor character, so no one cared much, and no one really believed was going to happen. Tonally, though, it matches up with the other examples, and it's another piece of shit that came straight outta Moffat's ass. Uhh...
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Yes, that's James Corden. Not relevant. The important thing is that this is a scene that works as an example of what The Queerbaiting Tone™ feels like.
If you haven't seen Doctor Who--first of all, how did you find Tumblr, but more importantly--this character was in a whopping two episodes. Minor character, had a love interest, but his relationship with the Doctor was still remarkably, like, intimate?
The doctor's companions never joined him on the episodes he was with this character, they were roommates for a while (oh my god they were roommates), they had the whole one-sided-rivals thing (Corden's character was jealous of how the Doctor seemed to charm everyone around him while the Doctor just wanted Corden's character safe and happy), there was a goddamn scene where Corden's character got poisoned and the Doctor nursed him back to health complete with staying at his bedside and gently brushing the hair out of his eyes and all that shit... And the second episode Craig (I just remembered the character's name--shut up, it's been a while) was in happened because the Doctor was informed he was about to die and he decided Craig was someone he wanted to see just one last time.
Then the above scene happened.
And you can see that, like, it's blatantly a joke, Craig mentions he has a wife, he's such a minor character that no one actually believes he's going to romance the Doctor and run away with him, but all of the genuine moments between them still happened. This is still a character the Doctor (normally a ~mysterious~ character) chose to have a goddamn Vulcan-style mind-meld with.
And, again, this was a joke. The punchline is the idea of them being gay. Hilarious. Two men being in love. Absolutely ground-breaking humor.
Queerbaiting is just that scene, and those two episodes of Doctor Who, but with a much longer buildup to the punchline. The longer that buildup is, the more real it feels. The more effort is spent on it, the more you want to believe it's too much effort to be a joke. And the more space is spread about between them, the harder it is to remember all the little micro-jokes the big joke is made of.
And again, Byler has never had that. Stranger Things has never had that. I'd love to show every goddamn scene with a queer character or queerness mentioned in the show just to prove that it's not the same, but that's hard because it's harder to show the absence of something than the presence of something. It'd take too long. And the sincere scenes that do make up Will and Mike's love story, those are between the jokes with queerbaiting. Again, there was a scene in Doctor Who where Craig got poisoned and the Doctor stayed by his bedside and made him tea and did his work for him in the meantime so he wouldn't fall behind. But, again, that's between jokes.
Mike and Will have never developed their relationship between jokes. They're not a punchline. There's no joke here. It's only Mike desperately calling Will's name through the radio when he hears him singing. It's only Mike saying that meeting him was the best thing he's ever done. It's only Will tearfully telling Mike that he wanted to play games with him for the rest of his life. It's only Will giving Mike a veiled confession by projecting his feelings onto El. Over and over and over again, it's sincere, sincere, sincere, sincere, sincere.
Their closeness isn't funny, it's just love. And that's the difference.
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orionsangel86 · 10 months
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Subtext Glorious Subtext! A Dreamling on Netflix analysis in The Sandman - Part 6
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What love story is complete without a dramatic break up in the rain?
In the Sandman comic (and therefore also the Audible audiobook) this century starts the same way as the show, with Dream being accosted by Lushing Lou and that hilariously historically accurate yet mildly disturbing line “give us a hard ride on your cream stick”.
In the show, Hob overhears this and comes to meet Dream and to “save” him from Lou by giving her money to buy herself a drink. He apologises to Dream for her behaviour towards him.
This doesn’t happen in the comic. Dream simply walks past Lou and meets Hob where he is already sat in the tavern.
A minor change, but one that adds to the scene in a few ways:
It indicates that Hob was paying greater attention to the door waiting for Dream - in the show, he was more eager to meet him again.
It shows a level of care on Hob’s part to ensure that Dream has a comfortable visit. He overhears the run-in in the comic, but makes no effort to get involved. In the show, he takes a greater interest in ensuring Dream is not insulted or met with aggression - a follow on from his clear concern and care for Dream that was first implied in 1789. Basically, he has once again come to Dream’s defence.
He apologises for Lou’s behaviour. Which indicates that he feels a level of responsibility towards Dream and anything that may happen to him whilst he is visiting Hob.
All these minor elements add up to indicate that show!Hob at this point already sees Dream as someone to care for, defend, and feel responsible for on their visits. He has placed himself in the position of protector and companion to Dream. This is an easy interpretation to get from their dynamic in the show, as evidenced by the thousands of fanfictions on AO3 in which Hob is portrayed as rescuer, liberator, saviour, knight, or simply carer of Dream (all roles that I find difficult picturing comic!Hob taking on, because he is such a selfish hedonistic character in the comic).
The conversation in the show takes an interesting diversion from the comic, in which Dream defends Lou from Hob's joking insults about her. It shows a level of care for people that comic!Dream doesn't have (at least at this point). It also indicates an ability which I can't recall comic!Dream ever using. He reveals the tragedies of her past prompting Hob to once again ask about Dream. Where Comic!Hob is too self absorbed to even bother to ask more about Dream at this point, instead going off on tangents about other immortals he has met, Show!Hob is entirely focused on Dream. Show!Hob is persistent here, he doesn't let Dream change the subject, we can tell that by this century, he is getting fed up of being kept in the dark about the identity of his mysterious stranger, someone it is clear he is growing feelings for even without knowing his name.
When Dream once again changes the subject to talk about Lady Johanna and the task she did for him, unlike his comic counterpart, Hob is wistful and sad when he says "That might be the only thing I've learned after 500 years."
The show uses Hob's desire to know more about Dream as a repeating motif throughout their meetings, in a way the comics never did. It makes us as the audience root for Hob and want Dream to reveal who he is. This is another clever way the show is encouraging the audience to invest in their relationship. The show is telling us this is important. Watch how Dream holds back, how he refuses to reveal anything. There is a subtextual message here which encourages the audience to expect an eventual reveal, even if we do not see it. As I mentioned in part 5, Dream revealling his name to Hob has become a Chekov's gun of a kind, and Hob will get his name in the show, even if we as the audience don't see it on screen.
Hob comments that "people are always better than you think they are." and then jokes that he's not like that, that he is still the same as ever. and he winks at Dream as he says it, causing Dream to smile and state that he thinks Hob has changed. It's subtle, but the exchange shows how they have grown at ease with one another, and arguably this could be considered flirting, depending on whose watching. I quite like the change here not to bring up the slave trade again. I think the way Hob lets out that shuddered breath and talks about the mistakes he has made is enough in this version of the story. We aren't forgiving him for this. But the tone isn't right in this particular scene, which instead keeps the focus on the building buds of friendship that are clearly growing between these two extremely flawed people, before it all comes crumbling down.
There is a brilliant meta with full gifsets from @mimisempai here which breaks down all of the subtle expressions as Dream and Hob have this conversation, where for a tiny moment Dream appears to relax and look almost proud of Hob for growing into a better man. They exchange gorgeous shy smiles and for a moment the scene becomes intense, as if the characters are standing on a precipice waiting for something to happen.
But then it all goes wrong. The preceding scene, and the preceding centuries, have clearly had an impact on Hob, and he views Dream as someone important, someone special to him. It is on the foolish hopes of an overt optimist that he pushes Dream beyond his comfort levels. He proposes that they are friends, he dares to make an assumption about Dream, he calls him lonely.
He is, of course, totally correct.
But Dream is not at a point yet where he is ready to hear such things. In the comic, this plays out slightly differently. Hob rambles as follows:
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But in the show, the conversation goes like this:
Dream: I think perhaps you've changed.
Hob: Well, I may have learnt a bit from my mistakes, but it doesn't seem to stop me from making them.
Dream: *Smiles proudly giving Hob some extra confidence*
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Hob: I think its you that's changed.
Dream *smile immediately drops because the thought of changing is something he is soooo not ready to accept* How so?
Hob: *Leaning in, going for it* I think I know why we still meet here century after century. It's not because you want to know if I'm ready to seek death, I don't think I'll ever seek death. By now you know that about me. So I think you're here for something else.
Dream: And what might that be?
Hob: Friendship? I think you're lonely.
Dream: You dare...
Hob: No, look, I'm not saying-
Dream: You DARE suggest one such as I might need your companionship?
Hob: *with shakey breath because this clearly means so much to him* Yes. Yes I do.
Dream: Then I shall take my leave of you and prove you wrong.
Sorry for writing out the whole transcript here but its important to see how the conversation was changed to be much more intimate and personal. In particular I find it veeeery interesting how instead of Hob saying "I've seen people, and they don't change, not in the important things." we get both Dream AND Hob stating that they believe the other HAS changed.
I know its only a minor line, but given the grander changes to the netflix show and the tone of the show in particular, this particular line change feels very intentional.
I love that as Dream goes to leave, Hob tried to move closer, to reach out to him, it indicates just how much he wants to build a connection with Dream and how much he cares, and it makes it all so much more intense than the comic.
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In the comic, its interesting that Dream focuses on the "you called me lonely" part as the main insult here. It is the show that gives bigger weight to "you dared to suggest we may be friends, therefore I am going to PROVE YOU WRONG." Which at least on a subtextual level, can be read to indicate a fear of developing feelings and forming relationships. It's also worth noting that the show removed any indication that Dream considers Hob to be "mortal" now.
Then we get to the most dramatic moment in the entire MoGF sequence. A classic romantic trope that we have all seen done countless times before in countless love stories between countless couples, and yet here it is again between Dream and Hob.
As Dream storms off, of course Hob runs out to follow him (I particularly love how in the show, Dream doesn't grab his coat or hat when he leaves like he does in the comic, which leaves it open as to what happened to them - and I love how in fanfiction its revealled that Hob kept hold of them over the years as the only items of Dream's he had along with the picture from 1689). In the show, the rain falls heavily over both of them further emphasising the heightened emotions and dramatic situation - we all love a dramatic rain soaked break up after all! :P
I brought this scene in 1889 up in this meta which is a collaborative analysis of Hob and Dream's relationship, and it is also emphasised in this meta by @academicblorbo, but it is worth mentioning again because of how much of an impact this particular change has:
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There's a big difference between a fairly nonchalant lean against the door in the comic and the visually upset, rainsoaked Hob from the show shouting out "FUCK" as he watches Dream storm off.
That final "FUCK" isn't in either comic or Audible book, because Hob in the comic/Audible book isn't nearly as bothered by Dream's leaving.
The way show!Hob is so very different from comic!Hob blows my mind once you break it down, but it is his interest, care, and concern for Dream that really speaks volumes and makes it so easy to interpret his feelings for Dream as more than just platonic.
Next up, the heartbreaking missed 1989 meeting and how the timeline change has given Dream and Hob's relationship far more romantic implications in part 7.
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mnjohn · 2 months
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Animorphs was the series that got me into reading as a kid. I wanted to read it again as an adult because I was never able to finish it when I was a kid (too hard to find all the volumes!) I have been slowly making my way through the series and recently finished "#18 The Decision". Read below for my opinions on what I have read so far but beware of spoilers.
"#1 The Invasion" - A good introduction to the series. Jake is a little bland, but I enjoy the drama of his relationship with his brother Tom.
"#2 The Visitor" - I absolutely love Rachel. She was my hero as a kid. Despite that, I also found this one to be a bit bland but I do admit that the shrew morph was pretty freaky.
"#3 The Encounter" - Explores some surprisingly dark themes. I always thought that it was a shame that Tobias and Ax have the least books, because their perspective is the most interesting. I mean, the boy IS A BIRD!
"#4 The Message" - I think that I found Cassie to be a bit boring as a child, but as an adult, I absolutely love her! She just cares about everyone and everything and is just so lovely! This book also introduces Ax, another one of my favourites!
"#5 The Predator" - I don't remember this too well, but I know that I enjoyed reading Marco's perspective. His character has some real depth. The twist was juicy. And I loved Ax's stupid silly interactions with Marco's dad.
"#6 The Capture" - Darkest book so far. Probably the best in the series. Jake's experience with the yerk is absolutely horrifying.
"#7 The Stranger" - While I enjoyed Rachel's family dynamics and her struggles, I really hate time travel plots in fiction. I suppose that it could have been worse. And at least Rachel is amazing.
"Megamorphs #1 The Andalite's Gift" - This was not very good, but it was very fun! Rachel gets amnesia, a plot straight out of a soap opera. And Marco drives a pick up truck! I enjoyed the multi-perspective book, but I thought that some of the action scenes went on too long.
"#8 The Alien" - AX! This one is my absolute favourite! This book has the perfect balance of silly humor and weightier plot. Ax's loneliness and identity struggles really resonated with me.
"#9 The Secret" - I do not remember this one too well, but I do remember that I liked the focus on ecological issues. This is the sort of book that made me really love the series as a child, because I was obsessed with animals.
"#10 The Android" - This was weird, but in a good way. Nice to meet new alien allies. The action scene towards the end was really intense!
"#11 The Forgotten" - This is the worst. My absolute least favourite. As I mentioned before, that time travel in fiction is a really bad idea. And this book this is a great example of why. The ending just made me feel like, what was the point? Why did I spend time reading this?
"#12 The Reaction" - Hilarious! There was much good humour in this one! I particulary enjoyed when Rachel accidentally morphed into an elephant and destroyed her own house! It also explored some darker aspects of humanity, with the selfishness of the teen idol. Good stuff.
"#13 The Change" - I know that some important plot things happen with Tobias, but I do not really remember this book too well. I think that I was vaguely disappointed with how the kids treated the Hork Bajir. I have the impression that they thought that the Hork Bajir were lesser creatures, which seemed very unfair to me.
"The Andalite Chronicles" - I enjoyed the first two parts, but the third got a bit too weird. Learning about Andalite culture was great, and I enjoyed Elfangor's fascination with the car and the image of an Andalite driving.
"#14 The Unknown" - This was the funniest book so far! I mean, the yerks in the horses using sticks to dial a payphone, was possibly the most beautiful imagery that this series has ever put into my brain. And the fact that the US government was guarding an old model of Andalite toilet, was the perfect cherry on top! This was probably my second favourite book so far.
"#15 The Escape" - It seems that Marco books just have the best action scenes. I don't if it is because he gets lucky with having more exciting plots, or if his narration style just suits action scenes better than the other characters do, but for some reason I found all the action in this book to be really engaging.
"#16 The Warning" - The best part about this one was the 90s computer technology. Ax was laughing at their internet speed. So was I. Also, I do not think that chat rooms ever worked like that? It seemed like the text was being shared before the person had finished typing it? But I was very small back then and never used a chatroom, so what would I know?
"#17 The Underground" - I was really surprised by the attitudes towards mental health displayed in this book. Like, I knew that things were not very good for the mentally ill when I was a kid, but I was surprised by how brutally critical these kids were! Thankfully things have changed for the better.
"#18 The Decision" - This one was pretty crazy. From the begining where Ax is terrorizing a food court, to the part where the kids get sucked into Z-space and join the Andalites fighting in Leera. A very exciting book! Ax's emotions are so complicated and this book just solidified that he is my current favourite!
So there you go. These are my opinions on the books so far. It seems that while I started reading this series because of the way it explores complex issues and the effect of war on children, the scenes that I enjoy the most are the silliest. I think that is kind of unfair on my part because the series really does a good job of exploring serious topics, but I am having heaps of fun! I hope that you enjoyed reading my opinions and I plan on sharing more as I read more books.
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fear-the-premiere · 7 months
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The Nice Guys
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Set in 70s LA, alcoholic mess of a father Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and muscle-for-hire Jackson Healy (Russel Crowe) must work together to solve the death of porn star Misty Mountains. This movie really solidified my theory that every buddy-cop movie is either a father-son passing the torch kinda deal or…homoerotic. The Nice Guys is on the side of homoerotic. Maybe not erotic. But it is gay with a side of co-parenting. The introduction to each character does a perfect job of telling you who they are. From Healy’s first punch at a real creep to March’s exit out of the bathtub fully clothed. Right from the first interaction between March and Healy, we know they’re gonna make a great team whether they like it or not. "you just gave up your client" "i made a discretionary revelation" "no you gave her up. I ask you one simple question, you gave me all the information" "I thought that's what you wanted" Shit’s hilarious The story is great as well. We start with a simple case of seemingly mistaken identity but realize there’s so much more to this case but it never becomes over complicated. And one thing I really like is how well they do that whole “mentioning something off handedly and bringing it back later” but I’m not entirely sure if it counts as Chekov’s Gun in this instance. All I know is Killer Bees are mentioned in March’s introduction scene and then again a few more times. They do it with other things that are more important to the plot too and it’s so great when you go back for to rewatch it and notice those callbacks from earlier in the movie. I love shit like that and The Nice Guys does it so well. Speaking of callbacks, co-parenting. Other than Healy and March’s hilarious banter, I love seeing the way their…”friendship” and business-partnership develop. I mean, Healy starts by punching March in the face and ending by essentially being Holly’s second (and more responsible?) dad. And it’s obvious Holly comes to trust him more too which is fuckin adorable. And even in their marketing, they did vids called COUPLES THERAPY ?! I mean…how am I not meant to read their relationship as gay dads ??? Overall, this movie was a fuckin masterpiece and absolutely deserved a sequel. Every person that I’ve shown it to has liked it without fail from my friends to my mom who doesn’t even like violence all that much which this has plenty of. In her words “that was a very silly movie but in a surprisingly fun way.” I think it’s important to know that, from the moment the credits started rolling, I opened up ao3 to look for fics. And if none of this is enough to convince anyone who hasn’t seen it to watch the movie, idfk what is.
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moldybonessmell · 3 months
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SVSSS danmei novel review post
So I had a winter break and finished reading SVSSS and here are some of my thoughts about it.
DISCLAIMER: this as an analysis post and if you might get upset over criticism of the novel, please stop reading. My intend is definitely NOT to send hate but do a review.
Disclaimer number 2: I'm a danmei fan and have read mdzs, tgcf and 2ha so I have some point of reference for comparison
Starting up with the things I LOVED about the novel:
The idea is popular, but the author made it have an interesting twist (ridiculing the genre of something you wright right at the moment is a gigachad move fr fr)
The plot is interesting and entertaining, the novel is easy to read and follow
There is a good part of humour that I enjoyed (the whole Tianlang-jun bit lol)
Characters are well-written in general (even tho I raise an eyebrow at some of them)
I absolutely adore MoShang couple. Them being a tsundere and a gremlin is very fun and I liked the extras showing the development of their relationship. The whole bit where MBJ openly says hitting a person is the way he sees flirting and SQH being oblivious that his own ideas of courting made MBJ convinced he's flirted with too is hilarious. SQH not only creating himself his perfect man but also pulling him for sure makes him a god in their world lol
Another unofficial couple I grew to like is LiuShen aka LQG and SQQ. Ngl I was oblivious to the chemistry they have - "They are such good friends!" as historians would say LOL. But after spending some time in the fandom I think I adore them a lot (esp after finishing this one extra where it's obvious LQG is convinced they are soulmates and is gay af lmao)
Now, on the other side, criticising the novel.
My problem is that the novel seems way too short?? The whole plot is to fill plot-holes but the novel itself seems to have a plenty of them:
We don't know anything about the System, why it works, who created it and for which purpose?
The fact that Binghe doesn't even know SQQ is not his real shizun?? I really expected some confrontation in the end and stuff but bro just lies to his husband till the rest of their lifes now ig?? I was really looking forward to see this and LBH thinking he's betrayed again but we never got it, not even in extras. We got a little hint when SQQ couldn't explain LBH how he knows so much about what will happen, but this seemed to just be sweepped under a rug in the end.
The novel is too short, there are so many interesting plot-lines to explore and possible scenes to write but extras only explore already existing dynamics and seem to be cut-outs / behind-the-scene stuff the author probably just decided to not put in. Half the time I was sitting there and thinking about the fact that someone definately wrote a fanfic about this or that fact
I've read other mxtx novels and tgcf, for example, felt complete to the point I didn't even read extras, as it felt like the story is whole and finished.
Another problem I have with the novel is that some very important info about characters is still hidden in extras, for example:
The fact that LBH acts like this with SQQ because SQH himself got him the idea?? I really thought bro is a cry-baby LOL (call me SQQ bc of how delusuional I am). The way SQH not only pulled his dream man but helped the story progress with LBH pulling HIS dream man is AWESOME and I wish it was in the main novel part.
Another extra-hidden part I wish wasn't hidden, is the fact that SQH was always thinking about og Shen Yuan and that's why they end up actually being friends, it feels like an important bond was kinda lost in the finished novel.
All in all, I enjoyed reading SVSSS but understand why it's not as popular as mdzs or tgcf. This is everything I got at the moment, thank you for reading!
If you have any thoughts or can explain some of the confusions I mentioned, you're welcomed to do so in comments! Just please be polite, thank you!
P.S. I firstly wrote this post to drafts right after reading the novel and edited it after finishing extras and ngl some of my thoughts have changed.
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acourtofthought · 9 months
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you are downplaying elriel scenes tho💀💀even the way you're talking about azriel saving elain says everything.
as for tt, how old is azriel again? around 500 yeah?? do you really think that a 500yr old illyrian warrior has never been in a situation where he gave his weapons to comrades? for someone who is oh so holy about context, you're forgetting that rhys mentioned to feyre that az never let anyone TOUCH tt. it's not just a matter of lending tt to someone during battle. it's so important to him that he's not let anyone before even hold the damn thing.
'But your claims that TT and his rescuing Elain equals love and feelings is pretty much disproven considering he was still in love with Mor months later on Solstice. He's not simultaneously in love with Elain.' - could you point me to these claims of mine? I don't recall me saying that🤔unless, it's your age working tricks on you...
elain reminded azriel of his mother as a servant which is why he helped her?😶how long did it take you to reach for THAT take?💀
you people are just so dramatic. you're acting like azriel locked elain away and took all her choices when all he said was that the trove has a darkness that elain shouldn't be exposed to. (to which cassian replied "and nesta should?" showing that he has similar thoughts about nesta). he expressed that he doesn't want her involved in something so dark. did he go to elain and tell her that he forbids her from going? no. and your little examples dont change the fact that rhys and cassian DO have their overprotective moments. rhys literally growled at nesta when she so much as looked at feyre wrong😂
it's actually kinda hilarious that you're sitting there accusing me of 'glorifying' elriel scenes when you're the one swooning over lucien giving elain the space she needs which is the bare minimum a decent person could do.
I also don't see where you got the idea of me trying to influence your opinion from?? it's simply discourse on social media. if you don’t want to interact then turn off your anons. (I can send you tutorials on how to do that, sweetie😘)
Oh my god, another "sweetie" 🤦😭. You really have no shame 😂. And once again trying to insult my age which further proves your immaturity.
I promise you, one day your 40 / 50 year old self look will look back at your actions and be embarrassed.
It's absolutely PATHETIC that I blocked your main account yet you are logging on to a secondary account for the sole purpose of harassing others.
Once again, you misunderstand the true spirit of discourse because snidely sending anons is not it.
You completely miss the point of what I'm saying, a common occurrence for you.
Is it possible Az has lent out weapons to other soldiers? Sure. But have we any proof that Az has ever needed to sit out of battle?
NO.
He ALWAYS has TT on him which means if Az is in battle, HE will use TT.
And what reason would Az ever have to let someone touch TT? 😂. "Hey baby, want to touch my dagger?"
Everyone in his circle is a warrior and they have their own weapons.
The only reason TT was available for someone else to use was because Mor begged him to sit out. Az was planning on flying into battle after being severely wounded which strongly suggests he doesn't sit out of battle for anything. Yet the female he loved begged him not to go so he suddenly had no need for TT. And in this storyline, there just happened to be a human recently turned Fae who had no weapon on her person.
I highly doubt there has ever been a scenario where Az was preparing to go into battle, decided to sit out, and had a random female hanging around who needed protection but in that case he refused to give it to her because he was saving that action for the female he'd someday love.
If you want to throw context in my face, I'd like to remind you letting Elain touch TT didn't mean what you think it means since he's never thought of her beyond his sexual fantasies. 🤷. You say I'm downplaying E/riel scenes whereas I'm merely explaining why those scenes all amounted to a whole lot of nothing except Az wanting a mate and using Elain as spank bank material.
Rhys growled at Nesta? THAT is what you're trying to compare to Az saying Elain shouldn't be allowed to do something dangerous? REALLY?! 😂
And Cassian said, "and Nesta should?" only in response to Az basically saying one female shouldn't be allowed to do something dangerous yet the other females don't matter.
He's not saying Nesta shouldn't be allowed to search for the Trove, he's saying no female is more exempt than any other which is basically what Az is suggesting. He's calling out Az for his idiot comment, something Amren also had to do.
And my take on Elain reminding Az of his mother is a REACH?! It's in the text!
Let’s just say it hit a little close to home. At my beat of confusion, he added, There are some scars when it comes to how his mother was treated. Many scars. His mother, who had been a servant—near-slave—when he was born. And afterward. None of us bother to wait for everyone to sit, least of all Cassian. It can strike at odd times.
I'm not sure how many more ways I can say this, in my opinion your interpretation of the text is weak and uninspired. There is no insult you can throw my way, no take on the series that is going to change my mind.
And once AGAIN, you take one sentence of a post and run with it. Lucien has never once demanded Elain make a decision on the bond. That's not all he's done for her but it is a big deal when you consider all the E/riels that claim Lucien harasses her. And the phrasing for that sentence was in regards to that fact and that he has given her space and freedom to deal with her trauma and being made before dealing with the enormity of a mating bond.
I don't know, it seems like a pretty obvious concept to me. Maybe it's just something that comes with old age 😉
You are wasting your time sending messages and this will be the last time I respond to them. My anons are open because some Elucien's and Gwynriels want to share their thoughts without becoming a target for people like you. They are not open for trolls who enjoy starting shit "anonymously" under the guise of wanting to have a "peaceful" debate. You're not fooling anyone.
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canonicallysoulmates · 11 months
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I watched the last two episodes of the season, and I have thoughts on them and on the season as a whole. I'm putting it all in one post so this is going to be long, it's also not going to be nice to the show.
I don't really care about ep 7 I mostly found it boring with the exception of Din being captured and Paz's death. Moff Gideon is a fun villain but I saw someone refer to him as a Darth Vader wannabe and now I can't unsee it so from the moment he showed up on the screen all I could think was bitch you'll never be him, you can dress like him, try to walk like him, do the whole red and black thing like him but you'll never be him. It also kinda made me want to re-watch Obi-Wan Kenobi to see the Vader scenes again.
The whole thing with IG-11. *sigh* I feel like if I had seen the episode prior to the finale airing maybe I would have found the comedy in it but since the finale has him getting fixed and basically coming back to life and it acknowledges (in a small way) that he is a sentient being I don't find it funny, I find it pointless, disrespectful to the character whose death was painted as an honorable sacrifice, and insulting to me as a viewer because it was clearly done for cheap laughs and to sell toys.
The character of Bo-Katan has grown on me this season, probably not as much as the writers wish she would though, but as I mentioned in a separate post I have not seen the show from which she comes, which I believe is The Clone Wars, but I have read enough posts from those who have to be looking at her scenes in this episode and thinking what absolute bullshit. I can't imagine how frustrating those scenes were for those of y'all who watch that show and know her history cause if I was annoyed y'all must have been foaming at the mouth.
The whole thing with Din pledging himself to her- who was in charge of that? Come here I just wanna talk. That scene had me judging my own mother because she liked it, so just know that if you liked that scene I will judge you. I won't hold it against you but I will judge you. It is hilarious though that he was all "I serve you, Lady Kryze. Your song is not yet written. I will serve you until it is." then in the very next episode when she's once again giving her song a spin and could arguably really use his support because she no longer has the Darksaber which was the only reason some of these people followed her in the first place he completely forgot about it, I love that for him.
Din about the Darksaber: "I only know of this weapon what you taught me. To be honest, it means nothing to me or my people."
Paz, and TBOBF: 👁️👄👁️ am I a fucking joke to you?
Wtf is he talking about??? Did Favroni not watch TBOBF? Do they not know what happened on that show? Because at a difference from them, I remember that show, the Armorer is the one who told Din the legend of the Darksaber. She even asked him before she did what he knew of it and if he understood its significance and he told her he was told it was Darksaber and that who wielded it could lead all of Mandalore. Even Gideon, in the s2 finale, provided him with info about the Darksaber because he's the one who pointed out to him that Bo-Katan had to win the thing in combat otherwise she'd be a pretender to the throne. So, "I only know of this weapon what you taught me." is a lie.
And clearly, it meant something to him otherwise he wouldn't have fought Paz over it, tried to learn how to wield it, and would have just handed it over to Bo-Katan after she saved him from the thing, and to say it means nothing to his people is the biggest lie of all because it meant something to Paz. It was a weapon that belonged to his ancestors, he wanted it back in his clan, it was important to him, it meant something to him and he is one of Din's people so to say the Darksaber doesn't mean anything to his people is disrespectful to the character of Paz Vizsla.
The attempted gaslighting and retconning going on this season is outstanding.
And it continues with the whole "He didn't learn that from me." YES HE DID WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I get they no longer want him to be the main character but are they allergic to letting him take even a little bit of credit.
Honestly, my main emotion during this episode was probably annoyance, it's so badly written. Some of the bad writing though like I have to laugh at it like Bo-Katan's very unenthusiastic hit on the glass when Din gets captured go girl give us nothing, you could have used the Darksaber and at least tried to help him.
Paz's death feels so unfair, and so pointless, and so unnecessary. He did not have to die, he deserved better than a death done just to make an episode feel big and force the viewer into some emotion. And he certainly deserved better than to have his sacrifice and death be so completely ignored in the very next episode as if it hadn't meant anything.
Continuing on to the season, possibly series, finale there is an improvement. I did like this more than ep 7, if I look at it by itself I think it was a decent ep, and if I turn my brain off I can even bump it up to good but it's still not good enough to make up for this crappy season or to make it worth it, and if I look at it within the context of the season it does feel like some of the moments are unearned and if anything it actually makes the season feel pointless. If this is the conclusion that was going to be reached and nothing that was set up was actually going to be properly explored then they should have skipped this season and gone straight to the movie. Also, because this season was so bad I do have to ask myself whether this episode was actually good or if it just seems that way because the bar was so low. If I'm gonna be honest with myself it is in part because the bar was so low.
I will give it to this episode it gave me my favorite scenes from this season and that is every scene where Din fought. I'm so glad the writers remembered that he is a badass, I greatly enjoyed those scenes, they're my favorite from the episode, they're my favorite from the season- I was cheering him on enjoying every second. I had missed this character so fucking much, I don't know who that guy was the previous 7 episodes but this is the Din Djarin I know and love. That being said has his cape always been flame resistant?
I also liked that little moment of Grogu (yes, I'm still gonna refer to him as Grogu deal with it) staying back to save him, that was sweet, as well as him creating a force shield to protect him, and Bo-Katan, from the fire. I'll admit that was a decent callback to the first season, and I'm glad that the writers remembered he has the Force because my main thought in that scene of him "fighting" the Praetorian Guards was USE THE FORCE (and I know we saw him use it a bit once Din jumped into the fight) I can only assume the special effects budget for this season was cut or they didn't have time so all they could do was throw the puppet around.
I can understand why some fans are happy about the Darksaber being destroyed, yes ownership of it shouldn't decide who leads Mandalore but this was still a historical artifact with deep cultural meaning to Mandalore, its people, and its history. If it was to be destroyed it should have been done by the Mandalorians, and it really should not have been that easy to do. Personally, I would have preferred it to not have been destroyed. Also, add the Darksaber to the tally of things that were rendered pointless.
Y'all need to stop joking around about Moff Gideon coming back to life in s4, you're gonna give them ideas
I fail to see why Ragnar had a second ceremony when the first one worked well enough that he was already wearing the helmet. I can only guess that the writers thought this would be a clever callback to the season premiere, it wasn't, or that they needed some ceremony to be happening there so they could do the whole adoption thing but if that's what they wanted that would have been a perfect opportunity to do something in Paz's honor or at the very least mentioned him. Yes, I will forever be angry that they killed this character off and his death was not acknowledged, that we never got to see Din's reaction to finding out he has lost one of the last people of his covert, somebody who was his brother, or Ragnar's reaction to losing another parent at such a young age. It's like the characters this season are not allowed to feel, there's always a point they have to hit, a line to deliver and there's no room for natural emotion like there was in the previous two.
I'm about to get myself canceled with the next thing I'm about to say, I felt nothing during the adoption scene. That was already his son, and I get this is "making it official" but it doesn't feel earned, it doesn't have genuine emotion or feel like a natural conclusion it just....happened. And I think it feels that way, not just because as others have pointed out Din and Grogu were reunited in another show, but because this season we haven't seen that father-son bond or the exploration of that relationship and how they feel being reunited. We started to in the first two episodes and then like everything else the writers ignored it. This scene would have had a lot more weight and impact if Din and Grogu hadn't reunited before the season but also if the season had shown us the bond that exists between them and explored Din's feelings at having his child back in his life- we never even got to see his reaction at Grogu getting his second piece of Mandalorian armor.
The name thing, like I said in a separate post I think Din Grogu sounds dumb and silly but the way I choose to interpret it is as Grogu being given his dad's first name and Grogu becoming his second or last name. And if I think of it that way, I still don't like the sound of it but it does make it nicer, it gives it a nice meaning. So, that's how I'm looking at it, Din is still his first name and now it's also Grogu's! He's named after his dad.
The Mythosaur was truly the MVP of this season. He slept, unbothered, through all of it I'm so jealous, I wish I could have done the same.
Ultimately, my feelings at the end of this season is that I'm glad it's over. This felt very much like a series finale, I like the way that Din and Grogu's story ended I think it's very nice which is why, as I've said, I don't want a 4th season. I'm good with things ending here because- I know fans have the hope that the way things ended are a sign that a fourth season would go back to focusing on Din and Grogu but to me this season has shown that these writers don't care, they don't care about the things they set up and they don't care about Din as a main character anymore, so I don't have a reason to believe another season wouldn't ruin things unless it comes with new showrunners.
If there is another season, depending on what it's about I'll probably watch it but not like I did with this one, I'm not prioritizing it, I'm not watching it week to week or waking up early for it. I'll wait for the whole season to drop, read all the spoilers, and then watch it. Because when it comes to this show I'm remembering the saying, fool me one shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
I learned my lesson. If this gets another season I'm not holding any hopes, or expectations for it to be any good.
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someseriousthot · 1 year
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Madoka Magica: Rebellion - A Soapbox
Madoka Magica: Rebellion has to be THE most watched movie I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched it at least 30+ times by this point over the past 6 years, and I’m still noticing some little things here and there the animators included in the movie that I didn’t see on a previous viewing.
But for all of my viewings, whenever I see people commenting on why the movie sucked, why the anime sucked, why the anime’s ending sucked, why the movie’s ending sucked, or why all of them were good, I’ve yet to see someone with this take, and I feel like as a result a lot of folks are missing an extremely important Thing™ that directly lead into the ending of the anime and the reason why the Rebellion story turned out the way it did.
This is going to be filled to the BRIM with spoilers for the movie and the 12-episode series, so if you haven’t watched it I highly highly recommend you do, even if you found the ending of the anime dissatisfying. I was one of those people (the ending felt like it fell super flat for me, and I heard at the time it split the fandom 50/50) and I was so glad I watched it, it’s one of my favorite pieces of cinema ever and I recommend it to everyone I talk to when I mention Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
(I watched a vid about a guy’s blind reaction to the movie and it was hilarious but the comments had me FUMING because I kept seeing the SAME takes over and over and I GET! Where they’re coming from with their theories! But at the same time I feel like it’s missing a HUGE, VERY ESSENTIAL PIECE THAT WAS IN THE ANIME! Hence the soapbox moment)
TL;DR at the very, very bottom
A quick refresher on what happened at the end of the series:
- It’s revealed that because Homura kept rewinding time, a bunch of threads of Fate have tied themselves to Madoka as a result, and because of this, every time Madoka makes a contract, she becomes the world’s most powerful Magical Girl before turning into the world’s most evil Witch.
- Homura has created a noose for herself with those very same threads of Fate, because if she fails to save Madoka she’ll either reset the timeline again or turn into a Witch herself.
- Madoka uses her wish to become a “concept” that purifies Magical Girls before they can become Witches, ascending to a higher existence and essentially becoming a God as a result, disappearing from the world and everyone’s memories save for Homura.
- Homura decides to carry on for Madoka’s sake, trying to protect the world that she sacrificed herself for in honor of her memory, but at the very last second we see a strange scene in the final episode post-credits...?
Sound familiar? Familiar enough? Good. Now, before I go into what happened in Rebellion, I want to tackle an elephant in the room that’s going to be extremely important for what takes place in Madoka Magica: Rebellion, as it’s this Very Important Thing™ that serves as the catalyst for the entire movie.
Point 1: What was that ending?? (aka The Final Timeline)
A lot of folks were really dissatisfied with Madoka essentially disappearing from reality/becoming a God because it felt like it came WAY out of left field. Why didn’t Homura just reset again? Why did Madoka have to disappear like that? Why didn’t she just wish that magical girls weren’t a thing, or that the Incubators never came to Earth?
If you remember the anime, then you know that:
- Resetting the timeline again would have just added more Fate to Madoka, which would have exacerbated the problem without solving it (which is why Homura began to despair when she realized she couldn’t stop the cycle she was currently trapped in).
- Because of the nature of Madoka’s wish, she couldn’t do that just as a normal Magical Girl; she had to be able to reach every Magical Girl that was falling into despair and risking the destruction of their Soul Gem (and becoming a Witch). Unfeasible for a measly human body, or even the body of a single Magical Girl.
- During her discussions with Kyubey, it specifically says that Magical Girls were the sparking factor for a lot of humanity’s development and creating the society that Madoka lives in today. If the Incubators never came to Earth, then we would all still be naked living in caves.
NOW: Up until this point, the timeline has been playing out like every other that Homura has lived through thus far. The month starts over, she goes back to school and meets Madoka for the “first time”, she tries to warn her not to make a contract with a creature promising a miracle in exchange, she starts preparing for Walpurgisnacht while trying to keep an eye on her. If she can’t beat Walpurgisnacht, or she fails in keeping Madoka from making a contract with Kyubey, she resets the timeline.
And things play out normally! She was hoping to prevent Sayaka from making a contract with Kyubey, considering she knows what’s going to eventually happen to her, and Madoka losing her closest friend (that she knows of) at the time is tragic, but that’s not Homura’s priority. Losing Kyoko was tragic (especially since she was trying to save Sayaka somehow), but that was another calculated loss. She manages to prevent Madoka from making a contract with Kyubey (with a couple extremely close calls) until the end of the month, and then it’s the showdown with Walpurgisnacht, and past experiences have her pulling out all the stops to finally defeat her this time.
Unbeknownst to her, Kyubey has been having these little meetings with Madoka, where he reveals that she has an insane amount of Fate attached to her, despite her being just a normal school girl. In their next meeting he tells her that once she makes the contract, she’ll be the most powerful Magical Girl ever, before becoming the most powerful Witch ever. And in a later meeting, he reveals the reasons why Magical Girls fall into despair (with disturbing visuals), the reasons why Incubators came to Earth, and the purpose of Magical Girls dying to release energy into the universe. It’s also because of these meetings that Madoka decides to use her wish to help save Magical Girls before they become Witches, so their wishes (and their hopes and dreams) wouldn’t have been in vain.
So, right when Homura is about to succumb to despair and turn into a Witch, Madoka intervenes and promises her that all of her sacrifices, all of those timelines she spent trying to protect her, won’t be in vain, and she makes her wish and disappears forever.
Sound familiar? Frustratingly familiar? Good, because there’s something I want you to think about before we proceed to the movie:
At what point did Homura find out about these little meetings between Kyubey and Madoka?
She’s been way too focused on preparing for Walpurgisnacht to know about their little clandestine meetings. Not to mention that this is the first and only timeline that these discussions even happen. Kyubey even comments on this in the first couple episodes, that he’s never encountered a Magical Girl with so much potential before. He’s twigged onto it early on, and that rouses his suspicions, even moreso every time Homura kills him or interrupts before Madoka can make a contract with him, and it comes to a head when he finds out about her time magic. (Remember, Homura is NOT from this timeline, and so Kyubey doesn’t remember ever making a contract with her.)
Kyubey has never revealed the secret about Magical Girls to Madoka in any other timeline. In fact it’s because of Mami’s (unintentional) death that spurs Sayaka into making a contract with him (despite Mami’s trying to warn her not to), then Madoka throwing away her Soul Gem that it eventually comes to light, and it’s following Sayaka's (and Kyoko’s) death that he reveals the rest of it. Things never played out like this in previous timelines either.
Now, onto the movie, but keep this plot point in mind. This is going to be really important later.
Point Two: The Flower Field Scene (aka The Turning Point)
Midway through the movie, we get to the infamous flower field scene between Homura and Madoka. Homura’s already realized something weird is going on and has been trying to figure out who’s created the labyrinth they’re all trapped in, and now that she and Madoka have time alone she’s able to come clean about a lot of stuff that’s been weighing on her in the past three years. Namely her “bad dream” that Madoka disappeared and she was the only person that remembered her, that she began doubting her memories and thought she was someone she just made up, etc.
Madoka then tells her that she would never go somewhere so far away that she couldn’t see any of them again.
“I would never want to go somewhere I could never see anyone again. Even if there were no other choice, I know I’d never have the courage to do something like that.”
And Homura has a horrible moment of realization.
“Right...that’s right.”
Those are your honest feelings. And yet, I...how could I have made such a stupid mistake?
I shouldn’t have allowed that to happen. That no matter what I would’ve had to do, I should have stopped you back then.
This scene comes back to haunt her later in the movie, as well as DIRECTLY influencing her actions all the way up to the ending. However, I feel like a lot of misinformation has been happening that’s colored the reason why the movie went the direction it did.
A lot of people think that Homura realized that Madoka essentially martyred herself to save all Magical Girls from despair, feeling that she was forced into that decision on behalf of others. But we know that’s not the case, she entered into that contract willingly and was content with her fate, even if it meant everyone would forget her. Even her own family.
That Madoka seemed like she was happy doing this, but with what Madoka’s saying she thinks those are her “honest feelings” and that she should have stopped her from going through with it. That Madoka’s ultimate fate was her fault instead of a conscious decision Madoka made on her own.
Homura then spends the rest of the movie angry with herself for allowing it to happen and then trying to figure out how to reverse it.
Point Three: God and Demon (aka What was that ending?? 2: Electric Boogaloo)
Homura’s turning into a Demon in the end of the movie and splitting the mortal girl Madoka from the Law of the Cycle seems to be a really big point of contention for fans as to the reason why she did that. From the comments I’ve seen:
- Some folks think that Homura “knew” she was going to turn into a Demon if Madoka and the others saved her while in the labyrinth, and was wanting to destroy herself before that happened
- Some folks think that Homura was dishonoring Madoka’s wish by separating her, exercising her will over Madoka’s, which is completely unfair and disrespectful to what Madoka wanted
- Some folks think that Homura was planning on separating the mortal version of herself from the Law of the Cycle the whole time, or at LEAST after Kyubey revealed the truth about the Isolation Field and the experiment
- Some folks thinks it was because Homura missed/loved (or was obsessed with) Madoka so much she couldn’t bear to be apart from her any longer and that’s why she tore a piece of her away (to “keep”, as evidenced by the spool of pink thread - the records of Madoka before she ceased to exist - literally becoming the basis for Homura’s new Soul Gem)
But overall a lot of folks were probably confused (and rightly shocked) at the events that took place at the end of the movie, and were trying to figure out the justification behind it.
Now, I’ll ask you again: At what point did Homura find out about these little meetings between Kyubey and Madoka?
The answer: She never did. Therefore she is missing a very massive and crucial piece of context for the decisions Madoka made.
Remember, these discussions never happened in any other timeline. Homura found out the truth about Soul Gems and Witches long before anyone else did, but with the reactions they garnered in previous timelines she felt no reason to try to hammer it home with folks because they’d either be in denial or snap.
Another thing: Kyubey and Sayaka both said mentioned alterations with Madoka’s memories - Kyubey with wiping (or supposedly wiping) the memories of everyone that came into Homura’s labyrinth, and Sayaka saying that she and Bebe were “holding onto them” while the Incubators were focused on her so they could move about freely under their noses without their realizing.
Neither of them could have realized the ramifications this would cause with the famous flower field scene between Homura and Madoka, because not only does Homura not know that Madoka knew this whole time about what was happening and why, but that she thinks what Madoka’s saying (about never wanting to go somewhere she couldn’t see everyone again, that she’d never have the courage to do something like that, that she wouldn’t want to do that even if there were no other choice) are her honest feelings. And Madoka has none of her memories that helped her make that decision to do all those things. Homura takes her at her word because she has absolutely no evidence to the contrary.
So when she’s presented a chance at the end of the movie to undo that decision? To undo the damage done to Madoka and to give her that second chance of living a “normal” life that Madoka herself said she wanted?
It was inevitable. I couldn’t see the movie ending any other way, and I’ll explain why.
Point Four: Breaking down the arguments (aka that Pepe Silvia conspiracy meme from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)
1. The idea that Homura “knew” she was going to turn into a Demon if Madoka and the others saved her/was planning on turning into a Demon (somehow) the whole time
I don’t think this was the case at all. Homura was pretty damned determined to die during that whole fight scene. In her Despair Zone™ she was even about to put a bullet in her skull to kill herself before Madoka reached her, since her plan for the others to kill her fell through. She was so intent on it because she wanted to prevent the Incubators from reaching Madoka through her, which would have rendered everything the two of them went through for nothing.
If anything, being forced to relive Madoka’s deaths over and over in her own private Despair Zone™, AND Madoka coming to save her herself, is what probably influenced that part, which I will get into.
2. The idea that Homura purposefully, intentionally went against Madoka’s wish
Again, Homura was missing several very big and extremely important pieces of context that lead to what happened. Would she have still made that decision knowing? Who knows.
3. The idea that Homura was obsessed/”loved” Madoka so much that she undermined her wish
This might have some part in what happened, but I don’t think it’s the biggest player in this.
Again, it’s been three whole years since Madoka disappeared and Homura was left with only memories of her and the timelines she went through. During the flower field scene, she said she was starting to doubt her own mind, wondering if she had made all of it up. Then during the final battle, Homura was stuck reliving all the times she failed to save/protect Madoka over and over. Reminding her of the pain and sorrow she went through trying to change her fate. That those emotions were real, that those things happened, that she went through hell and back for her.
That whole thing with Homura saying she just wanted to see Madoka one more time? Betraying her “wish” (Madoka warned her not to be alone/go anywhere by herself, and if you remember the post-credits scene from the anime, that was PROBABLY how the Incubators got ahold of her), not caring what she would become as a result (which I think she meant turning into a Witch, NOT a Demon, or at least not yet) as long as Madoka was at her side?
And then the two of them team up, bolstered by the innate power Madoka has as the Law of the Cycle to destroy the Incubator’s trap and free her? Showing Homura that there was a way the two of them could be together without risking Madoka’s secret?
Homura saw a chance to fix her “mistake.”
She wasn’t scared, after becoming a witch she accepted whatever was going to happen to her.
And she wasn’t going to hesitate anymore.
NOT TO MENTION what do you guys think would have happened had Homura not done that?
What if Homura had allowed Madoka to whisk her away, joining the Law of the Cycle?
What if she hadn’t turned into a Demon and imprisoned the Incubators, using them to hold all the curses of humanity?
The reason this happened at all was because, right before the end credits, Homura was telling Kyubey about what happened in previous timelines. The Incubators had three years to plan this for when Homura was ready to be taken by The Cycle. (A fact that Homura is deeply frustrated with during the whole reveal scene when Kyubey starts monologuing)
What would have stopped the Incubators from doing this with another Magical Girl? Now knowing that the Law of the Cycle is more than one entity/aspect, what’s to stop them from trying to create another, more cunning trap for next time? Chipping away at the Law of the Cycle’s power a little at a time until they do eventually completely conquer it? How many Magical Girls would be sacrificed to this end? They created the Isolation Field for Homura, they could probably come up with something smarter for next time. And if it were any other Magical Girl do you really think they’d have the willpower she had not to call upon Madoka to save her?
Homura saw what she thought was a happy ending and, if fate wasn’t going to give it to her, she was going to bend reality and force it.
This also sets up the scene for the fourth movie because: 1) Homura can't sustain this reality forever. Once all the Curses are gone, or if she decides to destroy this universe, there's probably going to be a final battle somewhere, which will involve all of the other Magical Girls and their ultimate fate, especially since Sayaka alone remembers the truth (and Madoka was so close to remembering as well). 2) With the Incubators otherwise out of commission, this also means that there's going to probably be a finite number of Magical Girls now. With no Incubators there to grant wishes, for all the girls that fall into despair, that means others won't be there to take their place. Does that mean Madoka's Godhood (and therefore Homura's Demonhood) will become finite? Will the curses of humanity begin to overrun reality? Will reality reset itself and all the magical girls up to this point will have history rewritten to where their contracts, and therefore their adventures as magical girls, never happen?
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Thanks for letting me get on my soapbox for a bit. If you have a chance to see the movie, I highly recommend it if for the fight scenes if not the story. The soundtrack is super nice too.
TL;DR: Homura didn’t know Madoka was told The Secret about Magical Girls and Witches™ by Kyubey in the timeline during the anime, so during the flower field scene she thought Madoka’s words were her honest feelings (when they weren’t). Then when being stuck in her own head after turning into a Witch she was forced to relive all of Madoka’s deaths over countless timelines over and over, which also served as a reminder why she went through all those timelines (because she loved Madoka) which is why she turned into a Demon in the end and forced a “happy ending”, not out of obsession or to ruin Madoka’s wish but because that’s what she thought she wanted.
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Jaune when he arrives: visibly tired, breathing hard, disoriented and vocalizing his questions.
Ruby: just fuckin gets up and walks i guess
More episode reactions under the cut because I can't be bothered to make separate posts.
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I hate this so much. Your entire kingdom is gone, you've just left yet another place in ashes, and you're now getting the hots for Jaune because he's 20-or-however-many years older? Right after Jaune is tearing up at their reunion?
Tonal consistency, writers. Learn it.
Also, they make such a big deal about how they "got everyone out safely." Uh...
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No?
Ruby: "What good is saving anybody if Salem just destroys the world anyway?
Yang: "That's how Ironwood thought. You don't mean that."
Hilarious that they're still throwing Ironwood under the bus. Also, Yang, that doesn't refute Ironwood's line of thinking at all. Every time, literally every time Ruby questions herself or her groups' actions, someone reassures her that they can stay the course. That's not character development, that's stagnation in a fancy hat!
Blake and Yang's little bridge show...literally just shimmy along the ropes, they didn't look frayed at all. Blake, you have a bladed weapon with a long ribbon attached that you have used as a grapple point before. Yang, you've used your gauntlets to launch yourself.
"I just don't get how the story is both real and not" This just in: Ruby seemingly does not understand the concepts of lying, omission, and misremembering.
Why does Jaune's dialogue remind me of the Exo Stranger from Destiny 1? "We don't have time for this" > "I don't have time to explain why I don't have time to explain." Just fuckin say what you need to say dude. Also, why is Jaune on such a hair trigger?
I do like the twist of the tree/cat being antagonists. That's neat.
I'm glad they finally confirmed Bees, even if the scene itself was very janky (those two kissing is more important than figuring out how to get and save the world? okay). I love when characters just tell each other what they like about each other rather than us as the audience being able to see that appreciation over time /s. Yang's "you've never been intimidated by me" -> smash cut to back in the village auction when that was absolutely not the case.
It's been painful watching them write those two in a seemingly never-ending mating dance. Maybe now there will actually be room for them to have interactions with characters besides each other.
Ruby's almost panic attack when seeing her weapon was interesting. Are they treating CR like the mantle of responsibility? I.e., if Ruby takes it, she's gotta bear the weight again? I want them to do more with that. We keep getting right on the cusp of Ruby's full-on breakdown but never actually tipping over.
Odd that Neo wasn't mentioned at all.
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chidoroki · 8 months
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182 Days of TPN - Day 123
Chapter 123: "An Important Choice"
Yesterday I mentioned that if I was reading the manga around the time the previous ch was released that I would be so eager for Ray's answer, but I would've never imagined him to be so blunt and admitting his uncertainty like this. It's hilarious to me now of course but I wonder if I would've been let down initially if I had patiently waited a whole week just to hear him be like "eh, I dunno."
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I'm always so harsh on Norman's plan and how it'll result it wiping out all the demons when I forget that the promise Emma has in mind will essentially have the same effect.. oops. With all the children raised in farms crossing over to the human world with no more traveling between worlds, the demons would've just degenerated on their own. Although, would that really knock them out? Surely they can eat other things aside from humans to stay alive right? They would just revert back to a more wild state of mind. I dunno. No need to wonder about it too hard with evil blood ex machina.
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Ray throws me through a total loop with his honesty, like yeah he's typically the one who has no issue telling the truth to others, but it's done in such comedic and unexpected ways during this chapter that I can't help but love him more because of it.
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Thank you anime for being faithful with the above mentioned panels.
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Poor Emma is completely caught off guard by his answers too. She was expecting Ray to give her some clarity as usual and yet he's giving us a whole lot of nothing. In his defense though, it is quite the troublesome problem to find a reasonable solution to that would please Emma's standards. Both sub & dub are fun in this little bit too, especially with Ray's "nopes." (I'm adding the scene here again, for funsies.)
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To this day I still believe Emma listened to his advice a bit too well here and that's how she was able to keep her emotions and the consequences of the reward so well hidden whenever it was brought up after the new promise was made and when it was time to cross over to the human world.
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I'm fairy certain I brought this up last chapter (I dunno, it's been a long day when I'm actually writing this out and I'm lazy to check myself), but I still love the dark shadows that Ray has during half of this conversation. It's kinda ironic because it's not like he's trying to lead Emma to make some grave mistake or persuade her into choosing something she's not 100% okay with; he's genuinely trying to help her make the right choice, so despite shadows typically being used to show ill intent, evil or make us suspicious about something or someone, it couldn't be farther from the truth here and I kinda like it.
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Naturally I love that he even admits to knowing her so well, and yet despite Emma's no-violence-please-only-happiness wish requiring more brain power to figure out they could even accomplish both sides coexisting, he still wants to help find a solution for her to ease the burden in her heart and mind. And I love that about him. I love many things about Ray. Is it obvious yet?
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His has own opinion but respects hers so much more and that fills me with many soft feelings. Also, YES! The head pat! Still kinda sad the anime left it out but I still love their version of this scene very much.
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Bro the fire and determination came back into her eyes instantly.
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At this point of the anime train-wreck, I'll take any moment that resembles the manga, even with simple actions like this.
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Anime missed this small, surprised Emma though and that's a bummer for me personally. She's cute.
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I know Emma's ideals and doubts made her hesitate in voicing her refusal of Norman's plan the day before, but I also wanna believe another part of it wasn't because it was concerning Norman, but because her entire family was in the room at the time and they all seemed to be thrilled with the idea, so she opted to stay quiet to not ruin the mood. And I gotta say, I prefer that second panel of Ray in manga as well. He just looks real good there.
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Anime gets a win for the way Ray looks at her here though. I have a love-dislike relationship with the adaption if you couldn't already tell. It's amusing to witness.
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Ray's had one too many parents lie to him, so thankfully the demon parents are spared from being added to that list.
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Oh honey, do I have some great news for you!
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The way Emma gets so excited over him considering her plan is so precious! And Ray better play the lotto when he gets to the human world because that one in a billion chance eventually becomes a reality.
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And yet regardless of the incredibly low chances and all the dangers that may come along with going against the annihilation, he still chooses to put his trust into Emma for her and their demon parents. He's amazing. He deserves many head pats.
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With all the RE focus during this chapter, I often forget these three show up towards the very end. My bad.
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Such a proper introduction. What lovely adult raised them so wonderfully, hm? And yes I appreciate that the anime remembered to include Barbara's little slip up and Vincent correcting her as well.
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Let the interrogation begin! Ray has already resigned to his fate. Another detail I tend to forget is Cislo's piercings. I wonder why that's so uncommon with the kids. Probably because they've been living att the farms for the majority of their lives, but I definitely feel like a handful of them would at least enjoy having earrings now that their sorta kinda free. (I fully support the idea of the fullscore trio getting a matching set.)
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Favorite panel/moment:
With how much I rambled on, you can imagine just how much I enjoy this entire chapter. I could literally pick out almost any panel and declare it my favorite, but OF COURSE these lines of Ray's live rent free in my head. Even the light banter at the end to close out the balcony scene is adorable. He just has so much trust, faith and respect for Emma that I honestly will never get over it. Everyone deserves someone who supports you in life to such a great extent!!
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The biggest change of this scene is obviously the location but I can never be mad about that when I absolutely LOVE how it allowed us to get this beautiful sunrise!
"Here we have our girl lost within her own mind and feeling completely alone due to her ideals, then BAM! Ray listens to her concerns, lends his assistance by thinking through a different course of action that would ease her wavering heart and restores some of her usual optimistic attitude. My boy literally helps our girl out of the dark and shined light on her mood/plan and that’s absolute perfection." - me freaking out during s2ep6.
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It was such a genius addition and I will always get super emotional whenever I watch this scene back, like how perfectly poetic could you possibly get??
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