#honestly that episode is such a good character study for her she’s in control she’s proper she’s bossy but she’s also so empathetic
Note
Reminds me of that split-second moment in "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser" where Scrooge says 'Nothing will happen to her!" and Beakley responds 'Her? Her who?' Launchpad then gets really sad and hesitates to follow Scrooge's orders which shocks Beakley.
Later, in the finale, when Beakley retells the story of what happened to Scrooge after Della disappeared to the boys, Webby, and Donald during the reunion party, the camera focuses on Launchpad and he starts to freak out. Once she's finished telling the story, Launchpad angrily shouts "A lot! This lady knows a lot!"
It makes me wonder what the relationship of Scrooge & LP was like before the boys came to visit and how LP came to learn the story of what happened to Della, seeing as he didn't know her and had no involvement with the Spear of Selene.
Ahh I don’t know how I missed this in my ask box, but everything about Beakley in Last Crash is such good storytelling as to the years they spent living together before the boys showed up. She’s got his number she was THERE to watch everything after it fell apart.
“I havent felt this energized since…”
She KNOWS
She KNOWS
LOOK AT HER FACE SHE WAS THERE FOR THE STORY HES ABOUT TO TELL THIS LADY KNOWS A LOT
Realizing now my reading comprehension is garbage at the moment anyway LP
I always took that moment with LP as a moment of clarity for him, like there is CLEARLY a conversation happening here that The Grown Ups are having that he doesn’t understand, and he looks around and realizes he’s one of The Grown Ups, and is put in a decision making position.
Like ^ love LP but Scrooge just made a HUGE slip up, and that boy is head. empty.
I do think it would have been interesting to have seen his take on it, but I’m realizing now in present day, his whole perspective on What Happened was completely based on what he can see. I’m not sure he ever considered what happened before, or why things are the way they are, just that This Is How It Is, you know? And the boys are here now, and so the most important thing is what’s in front of him, which is keeping them in the house. And then when Beakley lays out her “Hey, Scrooge is a person who went through something, have you considered he is still hurting, too?” it’s an awakening for him as well. I don’t think thought about it, either.
#honestly that episode is such a good character study for her she’s in control she’s proper she’s bossy but she’s also so empathetic#HES ABOUT TO TELL THE STORY OF THE WORST THING THATS EVER HAPPENED IN HIS 150 YEARS AND SHE KNOWS IT#I get really emotional thinking about how Beakley tries to defend Scrooge#they call him out on things he didn’t do and she’s like Hey that’s not how it happened-#bc she was THERE for everything in the flashbacks#ahhh#that’s her FRIEND she wants to drop kick him off the roof 6 days of the week but he’s her FRIEND
77 notes
·
View notes
Text
So I like thinking about franchises that disappointed me in some way
and after watching too many reviews I redesigned the High guardian spice characters (and thought of how the plot could work way too much)
Rose in this version isn't a complete idiot, and may not be so book smart, but she is very good in combat because she's kind of a fangirl. Like, "she studies attacks and can probably name pretty much every guardian" fangirling. While she is still kind of a dumbass, she's the one that always brings Sage down to earth whenever she gets too stressed. Although she is mostly the source of that stress. Her mom was taken by the rot, but she isn't really sure what it is, so when Thyme mentions it devastating her home she's like "!" so they can actually have something that might bring them together. She decides to take on forging and weapon enchantments so she can have a moment where she steps out of her mom's shadow to do her own thing teehee
Sage here is still kind of an ass (her sexist discourse to snap was NOT a Girlboss Moment) but here I think it would be interesting if it was something that other characters think its weird too. Like its a belief ingrained into her together with the more traditional upbringing by her family (thus her only knowing old magic) so it can be part of her character development learning how those thoughts should be changed and that not everyone thinks like that, But she still tries her best to be respectful and kind. (also, her parents sent her to the academy because new magic is VERY new, so the fact that it was being implemented in the curriculum was not widespread, specially in a small town like where she was raised in.) she's an overthinker to the core, so sometimes she needs her friends to calm her down, although sometimes that anxiety is what prepares them for something they weren't even expecting.
Parsley is honestly well written enough in the original show, so the only things I would change is that the progress with the conflict with her parents is stretched a little through episodes, and the conflict is that while her parents want her to be a blacksmith and take on the family business (and help take care of her three thousand simblings) she wishes to go out and do something for herself as a warrior, because she wanting to go to school to become a blacksmith and her parents fighting her on it because they want her to become a blacksmith is kinda dumb. also her short ass hammer feels so weird to watch in the series, so I think that a longer handle would make it a little better. also tiny irony of her weapon being taller than her.
Thyme feels like she should be written better because shes the only one that actually has any correlation to the plot, but she kind of... isn't?? I like her backstory of being ran out of the woods she lived in because the rot was devastating it and her dad staying behind to try to solve it, but I think it would be more dramatic if her dad was killed in the conflict but she doesn't know so dramatic moment when she finds something that belonged to him (maybe a little charm she made? for protection? in the way children do that stuff for their parents) and she connects the dots. Also the rot here is because the overuse of the power new magic is able to draw out without the control of old magic is taking too much energy from the earth, and woodsy areas thrive on it, thus the root like structures of the rot. The trees are basically oysters for the magic energy of the world. When its bad, they turn bad too. Also make her more of a "expresses affection through favors and actions, not words" person. She, Rose and Sage took wayy too long to become friends.
Amaryllis stays the same because she is perfect and I love her and if you disagree to talk to the wall
I personally think Snapdragon is good too but I would make him genderfluid instead. I think that the idea of Caraway THINKING he might be a trans girl but that ending up not the correct answer would reinforce his "there's always more options than you think" speech. And someone needs to point out how he's drawn to women that scream at him. Also we need a better arc with his dad instead of the raw carrot that was the canonical "his dad reinforces toxic masculinity hurr durr" thing we got (that wasn't even well made btw)
NOW TO THE SIDIES
Slime boy is now named Slime boy because of an accident he had in potions class the previous year (he's one year older than the main cast) which caused him to continuously produce a slime like substance instead of stuff like spit and sweat. It doesn't inconvenience him a lot other than him making bubbles when he speaks every now and then. He's just an assistant in the terrasphere shop, and the owners are Alloe and Anise (wow they actually do something else in the story!!) but he's mainly just a more experienced student that sometimes knows things the main cast doesn't like secret entrances and cool rooms and stuff. He's a full on bard because that was barely explored in canon and music based attacks are cool. He has the tiniest little crush on parnelle cuz I thought that would be fun
Parnelle is ENBY because I SAID SO (and cuz cal is stablished as transphobic and I like payoffs) and since whatever they're doing at the academy is never really clarified, I made them kind of an animal whisperer, like they call on animals to assist them in battle and other stuff. (Maybe then we actually get to see the trixies again after their prolongued mating dance that lead to literally nothing in episode 1) being an animal whisperer is a very rare "old magic" hability thus why they entered the academy one year earlier than expected. They sew their own clothes and are still the generally weird little guy they are in canon, except this time its explained as them preferring to communicate with animals ever since they were a child. They are still very polite and friendly tho, always happy to help.
Cal is (his full name is calamagrostis and like if I was named that I'd be an asshole too) still parnelle's cousin, but he doesn't outright bullies them. in fact, he isn't an outright bully, he just tends to look down on other people that don't follow what he believes in, which is a more traditional view on the world, kind of like sage, so I thought of him maybe being a catalyst to her being like "wow I can see why my way of thinking may be bad now, I don't want to be like him" which pushes her to grow and stuff. And I want him to grow as well, so I thought, maybe he and Snapdragon used to be friends, but recently they drifted apart and he started to kind of resent him after he came out as genderfluid, but deep down he still misses his friend, so maybe that pushes his character development. And other people saying that hes kind of a prick. idk I just really hate the trope of a bully character just being there to be the mc's punching bag instead of getting development.
In general, the lore would be (I think, I'm not the best at lore) that Guardians are generally like soldiers, but in a more captain america type of way. they're more like beacons of hope and symbols or power and peace than soldiers are, (thus rosemary knowing a bunch of them as they're usually famous) but they are still required to know combat. High Guardian Academy is known as a guarantee to become a good soldier, and a high chance to become a guardian. They VERY recently implemented new magic in the curriculum, but are experimenting with mixing its high power output with old magic's control of it, (thus why caraway knows how but why none of the students are being thaught it. It's a fairly new tecnique they'd rather get a good grasp on before teaching a bunch of children how to use it) because since they're expertly trained guardians they can tell that a terrasphere takes too much energy above what would be considered okay. They just aren't aware of how much tho, the extent of the rot is a secret held close to their chests by witch country, which is where the terraspheres come from, which has brought them tons of profit and advancements. So when someone knows about the extent, or tries to stop it, they are eliminated, (thus why thyme's dad died. People that stayed in the fairy woods and knew how bad new magic could be were all "silenced" so they could keep profiting out of it.) (Any letters or research about the rot, or from the people that knew, were burned and interfered with, thats why no one else knew about it.)
idk what else to talk about cuz this show had such little things to explore but there's so much filler that almost none of it got explored
but I think it had potential, even if I prefer to focus on character interactions and how they change eachother. Again, I'm not very good with lore. and plot.
#art#digital art#original art#high guardian spice#hgs rosemary#hgs sage#hgs parsley#hgs thyme#hgs amaryllis#hgs snapdragon#hgs slime boy#hgs parnelle#hgs cal#hgs redesign#hgs rewrite#kinda
106 notes
·
View notes
Note
Season 3 of Gossip Girl was so aggressively mediocre tbh, like people bitch a lot about season 5, but at least that had some interesting drama interspersed into the poorly written storylines! The Serenate romance arc and the Dan/Blair popular kid/loser role reversal plots were fun, and the parts of Jenny’s arc that didn’t feel like character assassination were compelling, but outside of that…
Honestly I think the biggest issue was shifting things from being a Serena-centered school drama to a Chuck-centered business drama. The Bass Industries plot ended up dominating the season, and it wasn’t even conceptually interesting. Like the writers were trying to do their own pseudo-pre-Succession thing with Chuck, but they just slapped it right in the middle of a CW teen drama without any of the scaffolding to support it. “Will Chuck live up to his dead father’s expectations? Can he build his own empire, or will he squander his legacy?? Who’s his real mom, and what does she want?!” I don’t care, I really don’t care, and I wish she had wanted an abortion so I didn’t have to sit through 22 episodes of this. What the fuck is going on with Serena and why is Nate dating a republican???
(Okay also, if I’m being completely fair, the S3 Thanksgiving episode really did deliver. And I genuinely enjoyed the Dan/Nate friendship moments sprinkled throughout, as well as the periodic Dan/Blair and Dan/Georgina hijinks whenever they popped up. But those parts of the season got way less screen time than the Chuck/Chair angst, Serena’s suddenly urgent and all-consuming daddy issues, the weirdly bad Dan/Vanessa plot, or all of the nothing they were doing with Nate. The writers consistently prioritized the least interesting storylines that season.)
Yes, exactly! S3 had pockets of interesting stuff, like S5, but it was largely so dull and yeah, it *is* cause of all the “Chuck the teenage businessman stuff” (technically his only business is The Empire in s3, he doesn’t actually take over Bass Industries until Lily tries to sell it in s4). Plus, I always find Chuck boring when he’s in romantic hero mode, so the one-two of that is soooo. Ugh.
Also like…do c/hair fans actually like where they took that relationship in season 3? Cause I feel like the whole season was just a good case study of why they’re a horrible couple. Like they start off the season already doing sex games to spice things up after three months, then Chuck gets all mad at Blair for meddling with The Empire (they even say at one point they only make a good team when they have an enemy to scheme against like??? That sounds unhealthy bro). Then there’s all of Chuck’s mommy & Uncle Jack drama, where he basically shuts Blair out. Then he trades her for a hotel and then he tries to control her dating life after they break up and then he can’t even wait an hour and has dubious consent sex with Jenny like. Their dating season is so Bad for them actually.
And I don’t even get some schadenfreude from it cause once again: it’s all so fucking boring.
23 notes
·
View notes
Text
Good Guy Akiyama (Migi & Dali Thought)
As we all know, Akiyama is a nice guy that really values his friend Hitori, the one who saved him from isolation and despair. He's also known to be a bit clingy, but I suppose that's just his way of expressing joy and affection. Here's all the times that bird boy hugged the twins in the anime.
It could be argued that Akiyama may be in love with Hitori, but that's not really important nor is it the point of this post. In fact, this post is a bit more about Dali than it is about Akiyama.
I wanted to talk about Chapter 16, which was one of the chapters that was cut by the anime. It actually contains quite a bit of important subtext (particularly about Dali) that I really wish the anime could have kept.
Here's a summary of what happened:
The twins stay home from school, apparently because they can't get any learning done in their rowdy 1-5 classroom in which their teacher has no control.
The twins hatch a plan to get their teacher to discipline the class, and get the Sonoyamas to invite her over because Hitori is being bullied. It turns out that Hitori really was being bullied, except by Akiyama who stood up for him. Because of this, Akiyama was bullied too.
The twins mock their teacher in order to anger her, but fail (*Note: Dali even does his special laugh here)
Hitori (Migi) lies to his parents and his teacher that Akiyama is bullying him, and Youko is so outraged that she spanks him. Migi runs away, and Dali gets caught up and spanked as well. Honestly, good on Youko for teaching her son not to lie about his good friend!
The twins return to school thinking their plan has failed, but in a funny twist, it turns out that the teacher actually learned Youko's secret technique, and the whole class quiets down. Happy end?
I initially thought this chapter was one of the least important, since it was one of the chapters that was cut, but I think back upon it, and I think there's a little more to be said.
I think the real reason the twins stayed home from school was because of the bullying, rather than difficulty learning. In fact, it was Dali who couldn't stand the bullying, and it is very likely that he may have felt guilty that Akiyama was being bullied too.
At first, I thought it really was because of the learning, since this is what the twins stated, and their goal was to become gifted students so they could get close to Eiji. However, I think this was just a pretext, which would make sense since Dali, the twins' leader and planner, is an excellent liar who tends to hide his feelings and intentions from the characters and even the viewer/reader. Here's my thought process:
If it really was about the studying, couldn't the twins just study at home? Or maybe asked their mother for a tutor?
As was seen in Episode 4, the twins could have just taken care all of their learning in the library, where they can't be bothered.
Because of this, the idea that they stayed home from school due to the learning problem didn't sit right with me. And then, I reread the chapter and came across these panels:
Sure, Dali may be disappointed that his plan probably failed, but I think he was sad that he had to return to being bullied, which becomes apparent once when he and Akiyama get bullied again. But more importantly, Dali seemed genuinely touched that despite the overwhelming hostility towards him, Akiyama was the only one to show him any sort of warmness and companionship, even after being bullied too. He definitely appreciated Akiyama, and at the very end he was glad to know that he wouldn't be bullied anymore once the teacher intervened with her "discipline". This was truly a display of Dali's hidden soft side.
Now, it all makes sense to me. Dali can't just admit to Migi that he hates being bullied, and insists on toughing it out because he can't show any weakness as the (parentified) big brother. That's why he came up with this roundabout strategy that would just so happen to take care of the bullying problem.
Furthermore, Dali's appreciation of Akiyama make these scenes make more sense:
In the first, Dali angrily states that Migi just suddenly opened up to Akiyama after abandoning him, and in the second, Dali hides in Akiyama's closet looking conflicted. At first, one might think that Dali's just being insecure about losing Migi, but I think that additionally, Dali wanted to open up to Akiyama too, but he just couldn't due to his anger, his lust for revenge, or because he had to maintain himself as the "strong older brother". Once the twins visited Akiyama's house in Episode 10, Dali likely felt guilty about previously deceiving Akiyama (remember the slap?) and viewing him in a negative way (remember "insolent bird beast"?) that he hid himself, until Migi convinced him that Akiyama would be sure to accept him.
From what I've seen, it seems like common opinion that Akiyama gets along better with Migi, but after reviewing this, I definitely think that Dali gets along with him just as well. After all, a common motif is that although the twins think differently, they feel the same way, so it wouldn't be surprising if they valued Akiyama to the same degree.
Man, Migi & Dali really is a treasure trove of lies and hidden messages, huh? That's one of the big reasons why I love this series so much.
7 notes
·
View notes
Text
IBO:Urdr Hunt part 17 has been fansubbed over on Youtube by @trafalgarlog (who you’ll note is now on Tumblr).
Oh, I misspoke on my post about the Soup Party side-story -- I believe we’re due one more side-story from the game, featuring McGillis and Almiria. Though given events in this episode, there is an outside chance that’ll actually be in the Urdr Hunt.
Speaking of those events, it’s only a flipping beach episode. Sort of. IN SPACE! Sadly we are not treated to Montag [swimsuit edition] but he does stick his oar in properly this time, as Katya’s past definitively catches up to her, the Afam gang do some pool-side market research, and serious questions are raised about how exactly the Seven Star family lineages work.
Hajiroboshi (Part 1, Part 2)
Departure (Part 1, Part 2)
598 (Part 1, Part 2)
Corridor of Betrayal (Part 1, Part 2)
Holder of the Ring (Part 1, Part 2)
Unexpected Encounter (Part 1, Part 2)
Venus’ Worth (Part 1, Part 2)
Brothers’ Ship (Part 1, Part 2)
Horn and Flower's Shadow (Part 1, Part 2)
As we are wont to do, we open on the bridge of the Erda II where the crew are remarking on the lack of instruction regarding the next stage of the Hunt. The ring has been dormant for a month and a half, leaving everyone at a loss for how to proceed. While Korunaru believes she would have been told if everything had been called off, they are talking about someone who can casually hand out a hundred million meria as a deposit. Dexter and Sinister point out this is chump-change next to the hundred billion prize. Perhaps it has just been written off?
On the plus side, the free time enables what is presumably a great opportunity to spend some of Wistario’s deposit: visiting a near-Earth resort colony to look into what it has to offer with a view to replicating that on Radonitsa in the future.
Or at least this is what Katya and Korunaru claim they’re doing as they have a whale of a time testing out the colony’s water-park. Range chides them on treating this as playtime when there is serious work to be done -- while seated on an inflatable, sipping a cold drink through a straw, and wearing his swimming trunks.
And yes: Range is absolutely ripped and yes, his swimming trunks match his poncho. What a guy.
Wistario is fine with everyone having a good time: they’re here to study the facilities after all. And Range is in fact fully committed to doing so, having checked out the A-plus service from the staff and established there’s a cinema and casino in easy reach, not to mention the large-scale docking port to accommodate passenger liners.
I do wonder - only partly because I love the manga - if this is meant to be one of the Avalanche colonies from IBO:Gekko. Avalanche 5 at least is indicated to be a resort and the position close to the Moon would make it an easy destination from Earth. That would also place this in Arianrhod Fleet territory, which might have a bearing on later events.
Anyway, no way is Venus able to copy a place like this given its current circumstances. Katya is amused by how much Range is throwing himself into this -- he’s even been getting details on the permit system that Gjallarhorn uses to control travel to Venus (since it’s used as a penal colony), in the hopes of finding a way to bargain for greater access. It’s kind of endearing, honestly. Range is, as ever, jumping both feet first into the challenge before him.
But enough fun: Demner has spotted some suspicious characters watching the party. It appears intrigue is afoot!
Seeing as they need to know what’s up -- it could be another Urdr Hunt rivalry in the offing -- Wistario, Korunaru and a reluctant Katya draw the spies into the open at the back of the pool buildings.
To everyone’s surprise -- through perhaps not the audience and definitely not the girl herself -- the two men are here for Katya. But with Range causing a distraction, Demner is able to sneak up behind the men and overpower them (have I mentioned that the old chap is a scarily dab hand at beating people up? It bears repeating).
Unfortunately, it turns out these two were carrying genuine Gjallarhorn IDs -- and a fully-uniformed officer arrives to raise the alarm.
Everybody Scooby-Doos it out of the water park, running into the requisite nearby alleyway. But just as Range is thinking they might be in the clear, an impressively large blonde-haired gentleman judo-throws him clean across the alley. This is Captain Londo Bron and he is here for Lady Katya.
That’s right -- Lady Katya, who a tearful Londo remarks is the spitting image of Lady Carta when she was young.
Katya, of course, point-blank refuses to leave with him. Unfortunately, with Londo’s men blocking the way back, things are looking sadly inevitable. Demner offers to handle Londo while the others escape, but Wistario won’t leave him behind.
Which is when a familiar voice speaks from a nearby hatch: down here!
The gang scramble through the open door, finding themselves in an emergency escape tunnel designed for evacuations in the event the colony is damaged. Shutters close after them, allowing them to evade Londo and the other soldiers. But who is it that came to their aid in such dire straits?
I mean, no prizes for this one. ‘Humble businessman’ Montag steps from the shadows with his best insufferable smirk, congratulating himself on the success of his spur-of-the-moment decision to help.
Range is surprised anybody would go against Gjallarhorn like this, only for McGillis to smoothly move the subject to the fact that Londo’s next move will probably be to blockade the ports. So maybe they’d all better be running along, hmm?
Katya and McGillis exchange a last look as the group hurries away from him, and he notes that she really does look like Carta . . .
(I remain delighted by the fact that Mackie’s masked stranger act continues flies purely by virtue of him never giving anyone time or space to call him out on it.)
Remarkably, the Erda II is able to safely undock and leave. Wistario speculates that Londo’s unit might fall under a separate jurisdiction and therefore not have been able to halt a departing ship. However, they’re not in the clear yet, as a Gjallarhorn Halfbeak cruiser sends out a stop signal and is promptly dwarfed by the gigantic Skipjack-class battleship emerging from behind the colony. (Err . . . small note here, I’m not actually sure what the correct equivalent for Gjallarhorn’s ships would be in modern naval terminology. I tend to default to ‘cruiser’ to describe the Halfbeaks and the Skipjacks as ‘command ships’ though I think ‘battleship’ would be correct? These things are all part-aircraft carrier anyway, so there might not be a direct analog.)
I’m pretty certain the Halfbeak is in ‘default’ colours rather than those used by the Outer Earth Orbit Regulatory Joint Fleet (oh lord, I can type that from memory now) under Carta Issue’s command, but the Skipjack has the Issue Family crest proudly displayed on the side, so there’s no question of who it is has come after Katya (she herself calls them out by name). Incidentally, this is I think the first time an animated IBO thing has really conveyed just how bloody massive the Skipjack is. It’s twice as long as a Halfbeak and about thrice as tall, so it’s little wonder Wistario and the others are struck dumb at the sight of it.
With more mobile suits than Dexter can count approaching, Katya takes imminent capture as well as you might expect and flees to the mobile suit bay with a half-formed idea of taking Hajiroboshi.
Wistario intercepts her as she’s flailing in the zero gravity and she tells him she’d rather die than be captured. He says that must mean they’re some fairly horrible people. So she’d better leave this to him. And Range, who he orders into battle: they’re going to break through Gjallarhorn’s line so the ship can escape.
Katya looks up to find Demner and Korunaru there as well, readying themselves for a fight. In the middle of everything, it’s good to have friends.
We get the stock-footage of Hajiroboshi and Asmoday launching, which is cut in a bit inelegantly since we go from Wistario and Ranger entering the ‘suit bay to them entering it again in their flight gear. Could have been finessed, I feel. But anyway, it’s fight time!
The two Gundams manage to make a dent in the force of Grazes sent after them (which are tan-coloured, something previously only seen with the Dáinsleif archer variants in Season 2; not sure if that’s significant) and thus create the required opening for the Erda II. Regrettably, that’s when Captain Londo joins the fight.
His Graze Ritter (commander’s variant) instantly obliterates Wistario’s rifle with a Giant Fuck-Off Axe. He is, it turns out, a crack pilot and not a bad tactician either, as he is able to hold the pair’s attention long enough for his troops to encircle them.
Aboard the Erda II, Demner and Katya can only watch helplessly, since turning back to assist would undo everything they’re trying to achieve. Luckily, a certain red mobile suit zips past in the opposite direction, announcing that it’s there to help . . .
Londo is suitably thrown by seeing the Grimgerde bearing down on him, swords drawn, and McGillis joins the fray, confidently taking charge and ordering Wistario and Range to regroup then divide Londo’s forces. With the masked man’s help, they’re able to disable everyone except the captain himself. McGillis tells the others to go on without him -- he’ll see them soon -- and engages the Ritter directly.
It’s a fierce duel but McGillis is quickly able to get the upper hand, disarming his opponent, headbutting him, and then dropping a quick bit of psychological warfare on him before peacing out: is Londo aware of Okina Uroka’s ambitions?
(Incidentally, I think this is the first time we’ve seen the Grimgerde’s visor open to expose the monocular eye inside - this feature wasn’t ever shown in IBO proper but McGillis does it here for . . . some reason. Possibly just to show-off.)
As he leaves the battlefield, Mackie reflects that Londo’s loyalty will be of use to him. He’s also intrigued to see a couple of extra Gundams knocking around (because he is a nerrrrd).
Aboard the Skipjack, the sensor operator reports the loss of the Erda II’s signal to an elderly gent with familiar eyebrows: Lord Uroka. He is not pleased with Londo’s blundering, who does not make excuses for failing to ‘protect’ Katya. But Katya herself refused to come with him . . .
Uroka is unphased. She’s too young to appreciate her position. Londo remarks that she nonetheless seems smart, to which Uroka responds by saying that while Carta was special, Katya might come close, if she learns from the right people. This will be his final duty as Issue Family patriarch.
To this end, he sends Londo out with a Halfbeak and a platoon of mobile suits. But he doesn’t seem all that impressed with the good captain, remarking in his absence that he’s more loyal dog than loyal subject.
Back on the Erda II, the subject of conversation is most assuredly: what the fuck? While nobody blames Katya for the actions of others, she has run out of room to squirm around the question of what she’s running away from. The Issue Family is currently without a heir, owing to a slight Mikazuki-induced curtailment of the bloodline. Carta Issue was going to replace the head of the family due to his being on his sickbed -- but if that sick patriarch happened to have another, illegitimate child . . . well.
Yes, Katya confirms dourly: she is the final Issue heir.
Which if nothing else raises a massive question-mark over who exactly Lord Uroka is. Up to now, all the heads of the Gjallarhorn noble houses have borne the name of their Family. Does this mean Uroka is only an Issue by marriage? But if so, how does that square with keeping the bloodline going? If Katya has a claim, it’s surely got to be via the Issue Family line. Or are the rules flexible in that regard? We’ve had no hint previously that Carta’s dad was anything less than the outright head of her house prior to his illness. His illness was severe enough to have required her to be placed under Iznario Fareed’s guardianship, sure, but you’d think a more complicated family situation would have come up before now. Or is that situation *why* Fareed could get his hooks into the matter?
Actually, while I assume this is a blind-alley for speculation to follow, we’ve no confirmation as yet that this *is* Carta’s father. Uroka looks old and sickly but he’s up and about. Could it be that this is in fact another relative who has stepped into the void left by both father and daughter?
Well, hopefully we’ll find out next time. I’m not wholly convinced how beneficial it will be to Urdr Hunt as a story to have McGillis’ political maneuvering thrown into the mix. But I am certainly intrigued by what’s going to happen here. While the obvious conclusion is that Uroka intends to use Katya to perpetuate the Issue Family, Mackie’s parting line to Londo suggests something more is going on. And we do know for certain that whatever Uroka is planning, the Issues are a spent force by the time of Season 2. We have a foregone conclusion without a clear picture on what the middle part is yet.
As for Londo Bron himself . . . well, he’s obviously a survivor of Carta’s, um, what is the masculine equivalent of an Amazon Brigade? Whatever, he’s a blonde hunk fanatically loyal to House Issue and honestly, I like where this is going. Carta’s Mackie-clone squad beautifully walks the line between joke and heartbreaking detail, so exploring what became of a remainder of them after the fact is an intriguing line to follow. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he ends up pitted against his boss before this is done.
Katya’s opinions on all this have been clear from the start: she does not want anything to do with the Issues, with her affections being squarely for her mother. This ramps that up, with her being willing to effectively leap into space rather than be dragged into her father’s schemes. Obviously we get the note of everyone rallying round to protect her, which is fine if rote. I really hope wherever this goes, she’s able to settle it on her own terms and isn’t reduced to a damsel in distress . . .
#GUNDAM#Gundam Iron-blooded Orphans#gundam ibo#g tekketsu#Tekketsu no Orphans#Iron-Blooded Orphans: Urdr Hunt#Urdr Hunt#game#app#fansub#reference#notes
9 notes
·
View notes
Text
Hey episode 5 of Ahsoka is actually, like...really good (yes I'm making my way through those show so so slowly). Like up to this point the show has been fine but this episode I actually loved. [Warning for giant nonsense ramble of my Ahsoka feelings under the cut]
I think I still need time to process what it means for my girl's wider character arc but I do think it's going in a direction I like. Ariana Greenblatt did a great job as young Ahsoka, and even though Rosario Dawson's portrayal of Ahsoka is not always my favourite I actually thought it was pretty good in this episode.
We finally see Ahsoka grapple with the trauma of being a child soldier and watching all these clones die (and I've always headcanoned Ahsoka as being much closer to the clones than other jedi, both because Anakin was as well, and because she was a 14 year old with almost no other friends). I like how how it mentioned Ahsoka not wanting to fight a war anymore (and she's felt that way for a while now; she chose to be an informant rather than a warrior in the rebellion, and yet she keeps getting pulled back into fighting) I also got some mortis arc feelings with Ahsoka's 'death' and the visions, in sort of a bookend way where this time we're looking at the same events in a retrospective sense. There were some interesting insights into Anakins character, and I think it sort of helped reconcile some of the more jarring differences between his character in the movies and in the clone wars, and showed him to be a flawed and complex character. I think it's really interesting how reframed through Ahsoka's adult eyes Clone Wars Anakin comes across to us much differently. It's always fascinating to me how clone wars era Anakin cared about people so much but also so little, and how him teaching Ahsoka that emotions weren't evil helped her a lot but at the same time his emotions certainly did lead him to become evil. (I've always thought of the difference between Anakin and Ahsoka as Anakin being passionate vs Ahsoka being compassionate; thanks to Anakin, Ahsoka has a much more healthy relationship to her emotions than a lot of other jedi did, but she was always much more open to other viewpoints than Anakin was. Anyway. I didn't want this to turn into a full on character study but too late.)
Occasionally I'll see a criticism of Ahsoka that goes like "Ahsoka is just Dave Filoni's special little oc who has to be the most important, enlightened character who's the most connected to the light side of the force", which like, I get it, but I really don't think Ahsoka being Important To The Narrative of Star Wars as a whole is a bad thing. I do see her as being more connected to the light side than most of the other force users in the series (personally I really enjoy all the light side/daughter symbolism around Ahsoka, and her place as something other than a jedi). She IS a special and important character, and her story has been leading up to this for a long time. (Not to bring it back to Anakin all the time but he was even more of a special boy prophecy important character (he was more of a prodigy than Ahsoka was), and I think it works for their stories) (in a way I think Anakin was born into a big destiny whereas Ahsoka grew into one due to both choices she made and circumstances outside of her control) (I just think comparing and contrasting the two of them is really interesting)
Anyway this is to say that after being pulled out of the water Ahsoka did a bunch of crazy light wizard shit and I enjoyed every bit of it. She honestly felt more like her old self at the end of this episode than she has any other time we've seen her in live action, so I'm really happy for her. My girl is healing.
If you read that whole thing (thanks for listening to me lol) take it with a grain of salt because like I said I'm still behind on this show 😅. I just like writing about Ahsoka.
#I was not expecting to actually like this show but I'm happy to be proven wrong#I think because I disliked ahsokas portrayal in the mandalorian#I thought it would be the same in this show#ahsoka show#ahsoka series#ahsoka spoilers#up to episode 5 at least#ahsoka tano#anakin skywalker#star wars#star wars the clone wars#long post
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Let's just continue this fun game, A8E8! This time: I am unspoiled. Completely unspoiled. The episode dropped today while I was in an oral exam and I have not listened to the VC, I have not looked at anything in the Discord. I might cry. Who knows. Let's go.
Finally! Assassinate the Pinn! (I'm just a little bit sad that John won't be part of this I think that would have been fun)
Terrible thunderstorm? Quinn joins the angry commoners and goes to save Sybilla confirmed?
I want to draw a Penny Lovejoy tracksuit now, shit
Is Sir Up trying to switch his patron because it sure sounds like that
Hang on Sybilla! Hang on Sybilla!!! Queen of my heart!!!
Hang on Nephila!!!
Everything is so far away from everything in this castle, oh noooo
There comes the thunderstorm from my darling Isadora!!
Annie has murder in her heart and I am here for it
Pinn is going to take control, 100%
SYBILLA MY LOVE YOU CAN DO IT PLEASEEEEE
Yes Penny you are saying he's doing a great job but all your compliments are backhanded
Annie has other priorities than murdering a Lovejoy for the moment
"Yes Miss Wintersummer" I am so here for everyone respecting the shit out of Annie it's what she deserves!!! My darling girl!!
"She is two-armed. Also, quite small."
"I just want to ask a question. Sir Up Ton, do you have more than 150 hitpoints?" The shocked silence after that, SAME. SAME.
She appears right there and Annie has... no healing, does she? That's horrible. That's honestly horrifying.
IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE AND SUPPORT ANNIE FUCKING WINTERSUMMER
Nephila!!! Nephila my love!!! You got this hell yeah!!!
Gus saying "Helga Hatebad" the same way Sam always does, adorable
HEAL HER!! HELGA MY LOVE YOU CAN HEAL HER!!!
SHE IS SAVED!!!
SYBILLA IS SAVED!!!!
HOLY SHIT!!!!!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
SYBILLA I HAD ALL THE HOPE AND SO LITTLE BELIEF AND HERE YOU ARE!!!!
MY LOVE MY QUEEN MY DEAREST!!! YOU ARE ALIVE AND BREATHING AND CONSCIOUS!!!
Helga you had the best turn ever I love you
I still cannot believe that Sybilla is breathing
I mean there is still so much pod left to cast for this episode but oh my god
"It's my duty as a dungeon master to let you know that's possible" translates to "please kick Penny fucking Lovejoy" to me
Nephila you gay sweetheart
Yondo runs! You are running so good!
It may be stupid but honestly I respect Isadora for wanting to do the honourable thing. And I respect her even more for knowing that it's stupid and trying to find a balance.
I don't know why but the fact that Penny turned away feels like an important character moment, just like it felt important that Isadora did not, in Arc 3. Very different scenes, but still, both feel important in a similar way.
Sybilla do not touch that sword. Do not get within six inches of that sword I beg you.
NO DO NOT TOUCH THAT SWORD AHHH
I am not sure if it's better or worse that Annie has the sword. I guess her saves are better. But oh my god I have seen the Evil!Annie fanart and I am so scared
RUN BOY RUN!!
Annie my life my love my light my dearest (how many characters am I allowed to adore per arc)
KILL THE GUARD! SAVE OUR QUEEN! HELL YES!
It makes me very scared that there is still an hour left. How is there still an hour left. Please let it be just therapy or something.
Isa just knocked her father figure unconscious 🙂 this is fine
YONDO YOU CAN DO THIS I AM ROOTING FOR YOU!
Penny is helping Helga???? A Hatebad and a Lovejoy working together???? "I hope my mother forgives me for this" is this the point where I mark the Bingo field for Hatebad and Lovejoy at least friends at the end??
How do these Nat 20s come at such convenient moments I cannot. Fucking. Believe it.
There he is, the man of the hour!
PENNY FUCKING LOVEJOY
DID YOU JUST
PENNY
DID YOU JUST AGREE TO THIS MAN'S PROPOSAL WHILE HE IS OUT OF BREATH, BATHED IN SWEAT, STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE™
Penny I adore you. I want to study you.
Yondo is adorable oh dear, I am pretty sure he deserves better but I'm glad he got what he wanted
Amazing sibling energy, as always
A better tomorrow 😭😭 I am not sure if this is meant as a reference to what Helga said but it sure feels like it and I love it
Laz and Nephila 😭😭 they are adorable. Also. Great way to not just ignore what happened between them before. I am very glad.
WHAT IS HE DOING THERE
LEAVE, EVIL WIZARD
YOU ARE NOT WANTED HERE
The coronation while bodies are still lying around the castle. What a glorious metaphor for the mess Sybilla inherits from her father.
This kingdom needs to take some time to heal from a great many things I feel like
Yes my love, un-ban charity!
Mixed reaction is probably the best that could happen after that
Roadtrip with Penny, I am sure Isa could not think of anything more fun
AHAHAHAHAHA OH SHIT
Hnghhh three new recurring villains established in a single arc? Pinn, Loroy, Up Ton?
LOROY GO AWAY
GO AWAY
Where is Annie, someone get Annie, please
Sybillaaaaaa please do not let yourself be pushed into a corner by the evil wizard
NO
NO NO NO
JESUS FUCK
NO
OH MY GOD
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST
NO NO NO NO NO NO
HOLY FUCKING SHIT
YOU CAN'T JUST FUCKING DO THIS
INCLUDING THE SOUL
I AM: IN FUCKING SHOCK
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN STABBED
IN THE CHEST
I AM GOING TO SCREAM
What the fuck is happening
I am going to cry
How dare he
How fucking dare he
Prime Lich Wizard I am going to personally hunt you down
If there is one thing I cannot imagine then it's Gem Lovejoy in a standard prison uniform
Where are the Hatebads
Is this the summon Hatebad dice roll?
This feels like the summon Hatebad dice roll
WHELP THERE IT IS
BERYL HATEBAD HER-FUCKING-SELF
I am so happy for Beryl, and at the same point I am honestly sorry for Penny and her siblings
Jesus fucking Christ
I am feeling so many emotions
Maevir darling you did your best, but oh dear
We were right, a fucking lich
Sybilla. My love. My darling.
THE CONTRACT COUNTS? IT'S FAIR AND TRUE???
THE NATION OF GLACERIA?
EXCUSE ME???
Oh my god
This arc
My heart
I am a changed woman
I am a broken and changed woman
Phil and Helga are very much not fine I think
Gus. Gus. I forgive you for Arc 8 just as I forgave you for Arc 6. But oh my fucking god.
I knew things were going far too well far too early into the episode.
Wiki will get updated end of next week when my last exam is finally over, promise.
Also, I am excited for a guest DM, and so much love to Gus! Take your well-deserved break!
18 notes
·
View notes
Text
She-Hulk on D+
been watching this... oh my lord, its so bad! And not even so bad its good kind of bad, just plain bad. Fucking awful.
The protagonist - Jen Walters - is just completely unlikable. She's irreverent, condescending, and a bit of a know it all. The writing is weak, and lazy and her little rant in episode 1 about how she is better at controlling her anger than Bruce is....
"Here's the thing Bruce I'm great at controlling my anger. I do it all the time. When I'm catcalled in the street. When incompetent MEN explain my own area of expertise to me. I do it, pretty much every day because if I don't, I will get called emotional or difficult or I might just literally get murdered. So I'm an expert at controlling my anger because I do it infintely more than you. So all of this feels like projecting a lot of shit onto me!" (Starts turning into She-Hulk and then changes back)
Bitch please! You're complaining about being cat called?! Your cousin was hunted like a fucking animal for over a decade of his life, with death squads coming to kill him. And you're worried about cat calling? Fuck right off and keep going till you reach the ocean!
Oh no incompetent men explain your area of expertise... well at least you have an area, your cousin, the Hulk, a world renowned and decorated physicist literally lost his career. And if men are explaining shit to you, and this happens frequently with various men doing it, then are you really that expertise in your field and are the men incompetent after all? And you think incompetent men don't explain areas of expertise to other men too? That never happens... and if it does it doesn't matter right? Only matters when it happens to a woman.
And you might get murdered?! Fucking hell that escalated quick... were the writers on drugs when they wrote this!? I hope they were, because if this is the dialogue a sober mind came up with then... oh I have no idea... She is saying about being killed to a guy that has literally been target number 1 for the US military for over a decade! And statistically far more men get murdered annually than women do. At nearly a 10 to 2 difference.
This is just unbelievable! Knowing everything the Hulk has gone through, and she says this to him!?
But she's right about one thing, and this rant is not aimed at him, its aimed at men generally, about how terrible they all are and how put upon women are, this is the writers' directors' projecting their shitty fantasises and insecurities and axes to grind onto the screen using Jen as their mouthpiece and her character is suffering for it in these first two episodes.
But yeah there are some shreds of truth to that for sure, there are some pretty awful men out there, but I think a lot of these blinkered bitter feminists forget that awful men are awful to other men and to women. Honestly though, I digress... Phase 4 (Phase Bore) is in big trouble if Marvel don't up their game and ditch all this "me too" girl power, M-She-U, general woke shit, then its fucked to put it bluntly... So far the only decent phase 4 film was Spider-Man No Way Home and they can't ride those coat tails forever...
Some of these hacks need to, and I mean this is ESSENTIAL, go and sit watch such great films as: Aliens, Supergirl (1978), Star Wars (4,5, and 6 to study princess Leia), Terminator 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and The Bionic Woman to grasp how to write a likable but flawed in some way female hero / lead. Because the current crop haven't got a fucking clue and its getting cringeworthy!
The only thing that will even remotely convince me now to tune into episode 3 is Tim Roth reprising his role as Emil Blonsky / Abomination.
"Hi! I'm Emil Blonsky, you may remember me from such films as; The Incredible Hulk, and my cameo in Shang Chi" - Said in a Troy McClure voice
13 notes
·
View notes
Note
"people i've noticed have a tendency to overcomplicate things, which outside of looking for hidden meaning where they dont actually exist [thereby 'missing the forest through the trees'], also tends to result in fans seeing shadows that dont actually exist. so instead of just taking the explanation for what it is and running from their in their analysis and deconstruction of the narrative and characters, they're working backwards from an assumption and filling in the blanks. and everyone's guilty of this to some extent, fandoms just happen to be good breeding grounds for these kinda assumptions to spin wildly out of control. hence they bring in complications in the form of knowledge on different styles of multiverse and diverging timelines despite what the text is actually saying and implying."
Honestly, it's not a fandom thing, it's common to literaly everything. As a literary student, I can tell you I face this every time. It's called the "danger of interpretation". When despite what the text say and don't say, people try to make it say what it doesn' without respecting the habitual method : 1) semantic sense 2) literal sense 3) comprehension 4) interpretation (regulated by the 3 first reading). This creates a lot of screen and complications in the studying of a book or a text of any kind as guiding the interpretation rewrite the reality of what the text says in the mind of the reader. Hence why so many high schoolers believe what their books edition of some of Baudelaire's poetry says about the story behind a poem when it actually has 0 factual evidences from the text itself and loosely relies on a certain interpretation that is made to coincide with said or said episode in the life of the writers. Or even Rousseau reading Molière's Misanthrope to be a tragedy when it's a comedy making fun of the character Rousseau thought was a tragic hero. That kind of reading maintains a fake impression that becomes the reading grind of a vast majority that nevers questions what the editorial notes might say, which is a problem as it varies between the editorial houses for the more the reader is expected to be mature, the less the editorial notes will affirms those interpretations it has, and will try to be more nuanced about this. It's the small elements that create the sense of said text and therfore guiding the interpretation in a certain way changes the sense of the original media. For example, when Hamlet says " you are a fishmonger" to Polonius in Shakespeare play, a reader anware of the double meaning will only understand the literal sense. Only if someone explain the double meaning will the reader understand that Hamlet implied something darker throught this metaphor/comparision. However, and i keep up with Hamlet, if the editor leaves notes where he assure as if it was the case that Ophelia did killed herself, than it creates a screen and changes the sense : from the ambuiguity of Ophelia having ended her life or not, the reader will become convinced she did it, despite the text trying to be ambiguous about it. It can be said the same about any editor trying to prouve that in Hamlet, there is no ambiguity on his feelings for Ophelia, some claimming it's obvious he lover her while other claimming it's obvious he wasn't, despite it being left rather ambiguous. And that's not even a literary field phenomenon. Historians have the same problem as they need to understand how to read properly the data they discovered in order to understanf what happened in the past. This recently happen again with the Netflix show " Cleopatra" where people argue whether or not was Cleopatra was black since she was a descendant of Ptolémeus, hence greek bloodline, arguing that she might have been black due to her mother being a slave. (the only moment where I would accuse them of rewriting history if they make Cleopatra boring when the woman drink a pearl diluted in vinegar) Not even the domain of science are save from this "danger of interpretation", but really nothing really is unless you rely on a literal interpretation of things.
(Sorry for this whole essay and dragging things off topic, but it surely is more interesting than let's say ? people arguing over the fictional relationship of 2 characters in a video game, which is probably a low standard version of academicians writing their own commentary of a classical and arguing over it except they do it to understand the meaning of the work, not to know if they have the permission to click on the "will you give Nel/Rafal the pact ring" button. All I can say to those who don't get it is that the sole fact they belong to this special category of S support we have since Awakening should be enough to get that in canon they aren't or at least are not supposed to if this really matters that is, but considering that Engage's main theme is supposed to be "who you are and blood relation doesn't matter to be a family", I am sure it's not just the xenologue logic that they missed but also one of the game's main theme. )
Admittedly I get enough of the deeper philosophy/textual analysis and argumentations at family dinners and get togethers, so i do tend to turn my brain off a bit when im just relaxin. But that all said, thank you for the academic response to bring this all back a bit more into perspective, I dont have much to add outside of a limp 'it happens in the visual arts as well'.
0 notes
Note
This may be a minor gripe but something that has kind of bothered me about discussions and depictions of Dan is how often people seem to forget that Dan isn't just an older evil Danny, he's a combination of Danny and Vlad's ghost sides. Like people always talk about him like Danny threw away his humanity and turned evil but that's not even true. Sure, we can say that Dan is the result of Danny's action but that's a little unfair. (1/2)
(2/2) Him cheating on a test, coincidentally putting his loved one's in a position where they could be killed, is absolutely not his fault. Letting Vlad take away his ghost powers with a strange contraption might not have been the smartest move, but we are talking about a grieving CHILD here, of course he isn't going to make the best decisions. If anything Vlad's the one to blame here, and even then, it's not like he could predict what happened
---
you aren't wrong, my friend. it really isn't entirely danny's fault and the whole 'if you cheat on a test, you'll loose everything you love' moral is confused at best. i think as fandom we find it more interesting to look at danny's potential evil and moral struggle with himself. so simplifying it to be dan is a worse case scenario of danny makes the conflict less abstract.
particularly because when it comes to self blame danny isn't going to go easy on himself just because it was excusable mistakes.
i think another talking point should be how danny is the target of the time assassination more than vlad is, even though vlad is part of the evil whole. you could argue that danny is the catalyst of his friends death and vlad inventing the claw things. but vlad invented the claw things. maybe because his human side survived and acted relatively harmless from then on? or maybe it's because the observants based on the available evidence recognized danny as more of a threat. i think that fits actually, for all vlad tried to be an evil mastermind, his achievements outside of terrorizing a teenager and theft isn't particularly impressive. danny was the one who got shit done. all his fights he finished one way or another and i could see how that would bleed into dan defeating everyone.
the real question is how to we fix this. ideally we could shape this idea so it's less confused, though i do honestly find the dynamic of half danny, half vlad interesting. if for not other reason. than two half ghosts make a whole. actually that's something else to be said about dan. his self-loathing is what led him to killing his human half, another negative aspect coming from danny.
i wonder if we could frame it like fusion, from su. obviously dan isn't stable or healthy, or based on love. he's most comparable to malichite. but with less internal debate. dan took the best and worst of both of them. danny's determination, danny's fighting ability, danny's anger, danny's sarcasm, vlad's anger, vlads lack of morals, vlads schemes, vlad's control. heck, vlads desire to rule the world. i don't think we ever got that from danny.
maybe if vlad was more involved in the fight with dan it could have been used as an opportunity to compare and contrast their characters. to go we're not so different you and i. danny gets to recognize that he has that dark potential. vlad gets to be humbled by the fact that what he wants isn't good for anyone, especially himself. and to be fair, we do see some of that humbling with future vlad, but none of that character growth is given to present vlad, so, really it's just another vehicle for danny angst. it also depends on what you want to do with vlad though. he's a fascinating character and could be given redemption under the right circumstances or be a character who has the opportunity for redemption but chooses not to be redeemed every time.
that fits him and makes him both a more pathetic and despicable villain. it's hard to pity someone who ignores the opportunities to heal and grow.
as for danny, he becomes far more aware of the consequences his actions, especially his selfish and cruel ones can have. because that potential was always there. he has a history of abusing his powers. perhaps for this specific incident him abusing his powers can be something less understandable than almost cheating on a test that he couldn't study for through no fault of his own. (maybe i just have flexible morals?). maybe it could be something more character relevant, like he did something particularly vlad like, maybe he set up a prank at the nasty burger to get dash but it set off the explosion that killed his family. or maybe he did something particularly cruel and manipulative. there are better catalysts than a test. either way he recognized that he should never go that far again and strive to avoid being actively cruel.
he also has the opportunity to recognize that vlad does have a human half, even the one he's fighting everyday. he can face some conflict in it's not entirely clear what trait belongs to vlad and what trait belongs to him. he can empathize with vlad and he can recognize that situations aren't always in black in white. those who fly the highest, fall the hardest, after all.
it can be a growing experience. and while making it solely a danny goes bad and learns not to do evil kind of story. maybe we could cut vlad from the equation and just have danny face himself, full evil refection. i think exploring both vlad and danny through this fusion is far more interesting. especially because we can build on what's revealed about vlad in these episodes, in later ones. danny sees a future where vlad chills and that maybe his vlad could get their. later he see vlads past and what he lost to become who he is.
and then there's vlads turning point episodes. i don't know when motherly instinct took place but maddie fully recognizing he's a bastard and rejection him, was a turning point for his sanity, and danny helped it along. then we have danny rejecting him repeatedly, then we the clone episode, which we can all agree was a desperate move on his part, that danny once again thwarted. and we can all agree that this was the cannon turning point for his character where he stopped fighting for a family and started trying to be danny's villain. in that episode, i think danny could potentially pity vlad enough to try and reach out. he's not going to justify what vlad did and he's not going to apologize for stopping him. he went too far. he hurt danny and dani, he crossed a moral line that can't be justified even with his desperation. but if he changes...
he lost this time but if he changes, maybe they'll reach the point where they're ready to accept him.
i think the same thing could be said about his relationship with jack and maddie. if he changes, if he reaches out. if acts like less of a crazy fruitloop, his friends would be there for him. jack is still trying to be there for him, even if he's being oblivious about vlad's faults. vlads the one driving wedges into his relationships and pushing everyone away.
and that's so freaking human and understandable.it would be such a cool thing to explore with his character.
i could also see a potential arc where after valerie finds out vlad and masters are the same person she tries to get close to him, both to sus out how evil he is and to understand him as a halfa. afterall danny got her to acknowledge dani as human enough, the same would apply to vlad/plasmius, right? only he's a bad person and the more she uncovers about vlad masters the man, the more she realizes it's not the ghost half that's evil. but this is a double edged sword because, vlad is getting attached to her and encouraging her to be more evil. he's encouraging her to go darker and darker in her fight against ghosts and her fight specifically against phantom. to the point where she finally draws the line and says, i'm not doing that! boom exploring the moral ambiguity of her character and getting her to take a hard stance on her morals, because there's a line too far for her.
and boom a further breakdown of vlads character because he finally had someone outside the fentons to redeem him. she could have helped pull him out of the hole he'd been digging himself into. she wanted to help him. he got attached to her, but he and his bad decisions decided to dig himself deeper instead. so once again he's 'abandoned and betrayed'.
from that point, i think it'd be time for him to finally face jack head on. not through manipulative schemes. not through veiled threats and insults. but the full confrontation of 'i always hated you. you ruined my life. you're the reason i lost everything'. which is really just his own self loathing speaking. and jack... empathetic jack can see that vlad desperately wants help. and jack would offer it to him. jack would try to hug it out and apologize and give vlad the love and friendship vlad's been fighting to steal this whole time.
and vlad would reject it.
he'd probably lash out a jack and go into a full breakdown/world destroying attack. could finally put the stolen crown to use and try declaring himself king and embracing his megalomaniac thing and actually be a threat this time. and THAT would be our series finally. everyone teaming up to fight 'king vlad'. danny probably finding out that he's technically king because he beat pariah dark but the matter being a bit confused because he had help. val and danny trying to find the ring of rage or at least find someone who can make one. secrets are out. i imagine vlad, upon revealing himself to jack would out danny to make danny as sad and alone as him. except nope, his family still loves him and val has had the character development to come around to him. (she's still gonna punch danny for lying for so long.) the ghosts will come and help because no one wants another tyrannical kind and vlads obviously off his rocker.
ah, the could have beens
anyway, i didn't mean for this to become a full vlad character analysis and rewrite when we were supposed to be talking about dan, but hey, i'm a simple creature. i like good writing, and i have to rewrite things myself, so be it. - Hestia
200 notes
·
View notes
Text
Adding onto this post right here, I have some additions, mainly in terms of how this mindset affected how Danny first interacted with Jazz. To reiterate that whole post, I theorize that Danny’s parents raised him to equate good grades to intelligence, and due to his recent plummet since the accident, he thinks he’s not smart.
How That Affected His Relationship With Jazz
In the beginning of the series, we see that him and his sister have a greater rift. They obviously do care for each other, but he views her more as obnoxious or a know-it-all. On her part, she kind of sees him as a naive little brother who obviously needs her more informed guidance.
There’s honestly some grade A character development that takes place with both of them, but let’s start with Jazz. She initially cannot handle being wrong, and although she cares for Danny, she shows this more through means that make her come off as arrogant. Which like honestly, can’t even blame her for. It wouldn’t surprise me if she got hit with a case of gifted child syndrome later.
When Danny really starts to hit a tough spot is when she finally realizes this is something completely out of her control. She doesn’t know what’s wrong, just that it’s bad. Once she does find out what it is, she still has no clue what to do. This is new territory for her, but the previous episodes already taught her to deal with not knowing everything, so she’s at least better equipped now.
The entire reason I think she even struggled with that in the first place is because, well, coming from the same household as her brother, she was affected by this mentality too. It’s expected of her to always be intellectually ahead.
Then on Danny’s behalf, I think he may have developed some resentment towards his sister because she’s more academically inclined, and he always takes the brunt of the sibling comparisons. He’s pretty often sarcastic towards her in S01, and while it’s common for siblings to be little shits to each other, his quips are usually along the same lines of him poking fun at her for being a know-it-all. Simultaneously, he also places a lot of importance in how his sister views him. So while he may feel that slight resentment, a bigger part of him honestly does look up to and respect her. When Spectra lied to him claiming Jazz said he was a loser, it hurt him more than anything else up to that point. Because here’s the pride of their family, someone he views as the best, saying he won’t amount to anything.
Here’s just some quotes/scenes from canon to show a bit of this earlier (and sometimes still occurring) tension:
Jazz: “C’mon, we used to talk all the time!” Danny: “Yeah, when I was eight and you weren’t a fink!” (So around here maybe was when the distance started)
Jazz: “Still mad?” Danny: “Wow, you are the smart one!”
Danny’s despondent expression when Jazz is announced as the student who got the highest score in the history of the C.A.T.
Danny at Jazz: “Okay, I get it! You’re brilliant and I’m stupid, and I’ll never be able to get as high a score as you.”
Jazz often talks down to him without intending to. Such as when he really was making an effort to study in the ultimate enemy, and she was kind of calling him out on every wrong answer. It’s done with good intentions but y’know.
There’s definitely a lot of growth that happens and makes this issue appear less often. Besides her finding out his secret, giving him more space, and backing him up, there’s one major difference that changes the game later on. That is, after she officially joins Team Phantom, there’s finally something he feels confident about.
In terms of ghost hunting, this is his territory now. His existence as a half-ghost already ensures he has an advantage, and as mentioned before, he’s extremely good at handling the mental gymnastics he has to pull in this profession. He also makes an effort to talk to the ghosts, map out the GZ, and store information. So it’s something he learned with a lot of personal experience and research. While Jazz is the know-all on academics, he’s the go-to for anything ghost.
She has the leverage at home and school, but on the battlefield, he really is a pro. He finally has something that he can feel proud of and confident about. The problem isn’t automatically solved, and we do still see the occasional inferiority complex show up, but it’s getting there. Wish we could’ve had an actual sit down where they both discussed their respective experiences.
Jazz and Danny’s relationship is honestly one of the best in the show. Like they really do prove in the end that they will protect each other, and he even starts to feel safer around his sister than his own parents. But honestly, really taking a step back and seeing the progression of it, they had lot’s of ups and downs. It’s complex in its own right.
This is a long ass post, but I’m really having fun elaborating on this topic. Will have one more to wrap up this little trilogy lmao.
129 notes
·
View notes
Note
You mentioned your opinion of jester changed a lot throughout campaign 2. Do you mind explaining how and why that happened?
Not at all!
I think I put this thought about Jester in my tags on my post about Orym being the “wet blanket” archetype. It’s my opinion that every D&D party needs if not a wet blanket per se, a pragmatic person who is willing to bring up the difficult or dull perspective; and they need a doer, a person who drives the story forward in a believable way. I love doers, and Jester’s story is that of becoming one.
I’m not a big fan of chaos. It doesn’t mean I dislike chaotically aligned characters or that I dislike wacky shenanigans but sometimes they can feel really artificial and forced, in a “uh don’t you have shit to do?” kind of way, especially in a not-explicitly-comedy show like CR; a lot of memes online about D&D leave me, a DM and a die-hard “doer” both in D&D and IRL, absolutely cold because it’s like no actually I don’t want to court chaos, I want to let the dice lay out the chaos for me. I want a good plan that goes awry because of weird rolls, not a plan that was always designed to be ridiculous.
So, unsurprisingly, early Jester, who was very much about chaos for its own sake (even if her reasons for that were valid), who was very sheltered and pampered, very innocently inconsiderate of people around her, and who had a fairly vague goal in mind, was less interesting to me than the more pragmatic Caleb, Fjord, and Beau, or the more clearly goal-oriented Nott, even though everyone in the party engaged in some degree of chaos. By the end, though, Jester was one of the people pushing the party forward and that was a huge factor (as was the incredibly well-acted portrayal of how she got there).
I think the first step towards me liking her more was the first job the group did for the Gentleman in Siff Duthar’s study; that was the point where I feel the Nein truly gelled as a party such that even if there were members I wasn’t as invested in, I still cared about them in the context of the group. For Jester, specifically, after that, it was also her facade slowly crumbling over time. I think her actions caring for the drunk group in Hupperdook and her relationship with Kiri were a strong start, and then obviously the aftermath of the Iron Shepherds affected her - and for that matter Fjord - very deeply. Both of their slow, weird, messy breakdowns over the entire pirates arc, in Jester’s case punctuated by The Gentleman’s dismissal of her, culminating in the aftermath of the dragon fight, pushed her a little more to the forefront in my mind.
I don’t have strong thoughts on the Xhorhas arc (an arc I honestly need to revisit) but Jester’s response to Yasha being taken and her quiet internal growth, her tentative forays into letting the mask slip and expressing negative emotions, and her deliberate attempts to act more mature all made me like her much more throughout the entire Angel of Irons arc, even though one could argue she still was pretty chaotic (see: the downtime in Rexxentrum episode).
The post-hiatus arcs, though, are what made her one of my favorites by the end. I loved her during the entire Artagan reveal/Rumblecusp arc, in which she had to grapple with leadership and immense responsibility. Jester was defined throughout the campaign by a deep love for and loyalty towards her friends, but as a result even her starring moments were often as support (something something utility casters); the cupcake moment was ultimately for Veth. With Rumblecusp she had to deal with betrayal (she never saw Yasha’s departure in that light, even though it was a valid reading) and external expectations far harsher than those of the Nein or her mother, and even the much smaller but still very real experience of having someone just dislike her for no good reason. I know some people dislike the Rumblecusp arc but in many ways I see it as one of the strongest arcs of the show, particularly in terms of character moments and even more particularly for Jester’s character development.
Then comes the final part of the story - Eiselcross, the interlude back in the Empire/Nicodranas/The Plane of Fire, and Aeor. That whole experience is something of a meat grinder for everyone, and the clerics in particular are the ones who I think have the strongest sense of the stakes (Aeor is one of my favorite Caduceus arcs as well for that reason). Jester moves into that role of the doer that she first explored in Rumblecusp - but this time it’s not for the god she has been friends with her entire life, it’s for the fate of the world.
There’s a reason why there’s a throughline in Jester and Fjord’s conversations from very early on about just going away somewhere quiet, as the stakes grow higher and the story gets darker (starting with the conversation on the Mistake shortly after their kidnapping and Molly’s death, continuing through their conversation at the Kiln just after Yasha falls under control, and then in Eiselcross after Jester enters the circle and a little more in the Blooming Grove before their final return to Aeor). Jester always wanted to see the world, but she learns it’s much harsher than she expected, and I loved seeing her come to terms with that and trying to change it rather than trying to avoid it. In the lead-up to the final fight with Lucien, she’s dealing with something she does not expect to survive it but she not only does it anyway but is one of the people pushing the others forward. While the idea of self-sacrifice isn’t a particularly original one in D&D, for Jester specifically to go from where she started to that position is an incredible yet wholly believable journey.
#for bonus points ask me why jester and essek are great narrative foils#critical role#jester lavorre#my other hot takes related to this is that the bailinghams both are the best at showing subtle char change over time by a mile#which isn't a slight on anyone else - more an acknowledgment of a different way of portraying character change#also tbh taliesin is up there which also explains my percy opinions#so maybe not a mile. but like. a kilometer.
60 notes
·
View notes
Text
ladrien fic recs!
there are SO MANY amazing ladrien fics i cant possibly cover them all but here are a few!
(all the ratings used are ao3 ratings)
((this is a very long post!))
FLUFF
Of Ivy and Sunlight by cyanise [ T, 1509 words, 1/1 ]
When Adrien takes to wandering the streets of Paris in ungodly hours, Ladybug has no choice but to keep an eye on him. Still, things are bound to get a little out of hand between two overloaded teenagers with a lot of love and not enough self-control.
a lovely post-chat blanc fic :’) it has a great flow and is just soft and so sweet and it’s just perfect. gosh i cannot really say more other than read it!!! also almost all of their other stuff is also ladrien so do check it out!
This can't be happening by PlaPla [ T, 6,467 words, 1/2 ]
Ladybug is unsure whether accompanying Adrien to a gala as his not-date is the best or worst thing that has ever happened to her. But when their table mates turn out to be none other than her long time friends Alya and Nino and with Adrien acting weirder and weirder she finds herself with bigger worries than an unrequited crush.
a djwifi/ladrien double date? hit me up! i love identity shenanigans, ball dancing, ladrien, and djwifi and this is a perfect mix for me. i know it’s incomplete but it doesn’t end in a cliff-hanger really, the part 2 is just a promise of more so it doesn’t feel incomplete! PlaPla also has a short oneshot of ladrien going for a motorcycle ride.
Falling again by emsylcatac [ M, 4,506 words, 2 Works ]
They had been dancing around each other for a while now, and while fifteen year old Adrien would have been ecstatic at the idea of dating Ladybug in secret, twenty-two year old Adrien knew better. But Ladybug wasn’t making it easy. It was like… she, too, was falling for him. And that surprisingly enough, she didn’t mind.
* * *
Or Adrien trying (and failing) to keep things professional between him and Ladybug when the two of them partner up for a mission. Older AU
things are a little steamy~ here (don’t worry, it’s only implied it’s very mild and closer to a T rating than the M) but it’s a great mature take on their dynamics! emsy has more ladrien one-shots in her collection of one-shots!
i'd love to go on a date with you by sae_what [ G, 6,480 words, 1/1 ]
Once it had been falsely announced throughout Paris that Adrien and Ladybug are in a relationship, Ladybug pays him a visit to turn him down gently.
Only, she doesn’t. And instead, she has a formal dinner date. With Adrien. At 8 pm. Tonight.
LADYBUG IN A SUIT!! aaaaaaaaaaaaaa. okay but for real it’s so sweet and also??? they are on a date!!! a rooftop date!! (too man exclamation marks oops)
Always Welcome by chatonne-rousse [ T, 1,683 words, 1/1 ]
Ladybug knows that Adrien's window is always open for her to swing by and stop in, whether for video games or a chat or, like tonight, for soft kisses and sweet nothings.
He loves these visits. His girlfriend is always welcome. Always. (Especially for kisses.)
Written for Ladrien June, day 8: bluebell eyes.
established relationship, pre-reveal ladrien. there is something very home-y about this fic and it’s all about the comfort and quiet that i adore about it!
Five Times Gabriel Agreste Caught Ladybug in His Son’s Bedroom (and the One Time He Caught Chat Noir) by agrestenoir [ T, 1,923 words, 1/1]
Gabriel Agreste keeps finding Ladybug in his son's bedroom. As a super villain and father, this will not stand.
this crack fic is... honestly so hilarious. it’s all through gabrie-i-am-trying-to-parent-and-failing-a-lot-agreste’s POV so it is so much ridiculous!
an uncurtain discovery by Missnoodles [ T, 4,684 words, 1/1 ]
When he returns from school on Wednesday afternoon, Adrien discovers the darkness in his own home. He struggles to come to terms with it. To his utter mortification and delight, Ladybug is nearby to rescue him.
(He does not discover that his father is supervillain. That will happen on a different Wednesday.)
Adrien is being a cat and gets tangled in the curtains on his window and it’s utterly ridiculous. all the bug and the cat tendencies make it funnier and adrien’s inner monologue is just a cherry on top!
secret valentine by a_miiraculer [ T, 12,245 words, 1/1 ]
this is the moment that we will come alive
brace yourself for love
sweet love, secret love
If Adrien had known that getting himself stuck in a tree would end like this, he would've gotten himself stuck sooner.
A drabble series.
i just,,,, don’t have words for how much i love it! it’s ridiculous, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s whole-some and just ladrien. the writer also has a M rated multi-chapter ladrien kissing (no the M is very much real here) and a heroic adrien and ladybug one-shot too!
Those Benevolent Stars by peachcitt [ G, 23,696 words, 3/3 ]
“Will you come back?”
She looked up at the deep blue sky, as if she could somehow find the answer there. “I shouldn’t,” she said, shaking her head and looking back at him. But the stars were still there, caught in her eyes, and Adrien persisted.
“But will you?”
or
adrien meets his soulmate, a thief who calls herself ladybug. he falls for her, but she seems determined to maintain a space between them.
oh my god this au.... just no words!! it’s poetry and it’s tender and it’s about the yearning and just!!! perfect :’). Her current ongoing ladrien june fic is also akin to this (and the fic i linked before it) so do check it out too! (literally check out all of their works it’s so beautiful)
Flowers on the Window Sill by LNC [ G, 2,144 words, 1/1 ]
The first time Ladybug saw him, really saw him, the universe stopped.
this fic feels like poetry and it’s so lovely. LNC is always short and direct but it always hits right in the feels while also being hilarious. Her other ladrien works are just as good and i highly recommend going through them because it fulfills all of the ladrien needs (along with Reiaji)
whatever a sun will always sing is you by komorebirei [ T, 32,980 words, 37/37 ]
“I didn't think you'd actually... do anything," Adrien admitted, cheeks prickling with warmth. "I-I mean, I never expected... I didn't know you watched my interviews.” That definitely wasn’t how he'd imagined confessing to Ladybug.
“Of course I do!” Ladybug squeaked. “Uhh, that is…” She looked down at her hands, nervously turning her yo-yo over, over and over. “Maybe you’re not the only one with a crush.”
(After an unexpected confession, Ladybug and Adrien start dating in secret. A progressive character- and relationship-study quilted from drabbles, with the intention of digging treasure out of the cove that is Ladrien. Written using kashimalin-fanfiction's kiss writing prompts from Tumblr.)
it does such an excellent job at exploring this dynamic along with the characters. it’s such a sweet fic, each chapter short and fun!
ANGST
whose woods these are (I think I know.) by Reiaji [ T, 105,000 words, 25/25 ]
Four years after his future turns to cinders, Adrien is a servant in the house he was meant to inherit. Disowned by his father and abused by his stepmother, his days are filled with drudgery until he meets a masked huntress in the forest behind his father's chateau.
As his friendship with Ladybug turns to first love, he dreams of a future spent at her side.
Then, on the eve of the Princess's masquerade, he meets his guardian—and is granted a wish.
[Ladrien Cinderella AU]
Warnings: Child abuse, Graphic depiction of violence
this is absolutely gorgeous. it has so many troupes and so many amazing character arc and great build up and everything just flows so well. it left me in awe for weeks and i just. want to experience reading it for the first time again. look at this gorgeous art inspired by this! {and you have to read leonard bernstein too because LETTERS and LADRIEN and YEARNING}
i would do it again (oh, a thousand times) by bugabisous [ T, 2,266 words, 1/1 ]
Knowing you can bring someone back doesn’t mean you’re free of the pain of seeing them disappear before your eyes. He can’t imagine he’ll be able to look at her directly without replaying every horrifying moment when he felt her slip away in a puff of smoke.
When it happens once again, he already knows he’ll be trying again. He just can’t give up.
it expands on adrien’s feelings in the episode desperada (my beloved <3) and it is just ouch. such great angst, such great potential. the kind of tragedy that it offers is unusual for ml (it gets only rivaled by chat blanc tbh). to rival this angst bugabisous also has a fluffy one-shot :)
when the world gets too heavy (put it on my back) by Taliax [ T, 4,720 words, 1/1 ]
Chat Noir isn't allowed to cry over his father. But even when he's just Adrien, Ladybug won't abandon him.
Hawkmoth reveal hurt/comfort + Ladrien
the plagg and adrien bond written is just perfect, and oh this hits right in the feels :’) it hurts all in the right way. tali also has so many other ladrien works in all genres too
By Your Side by omniousunflower [ T, 4,361 words, 1/1 ]
(Angry and alone, Adrien waits on top of the Eiffel Tower for his lady.)
“So, how did my kitty get stranded up here?” Ladybug asks.
Groaning, Adrien pulls his knees toward his chest and presses his face against them. “Because he’s stupid and impulsive.”
“Chasing pigeons, then?”
“No.” Shame burns in Adrien’s veins, white-hot now that Ladybug is here to witness his stupidity. “I threw my Miraculous, and Plagg wouldn’t get it for me.”
post-hawkmoth defeat, and adrien is not doing well at all. i am cheating because it is post reveal, pre relationship but it’s still ladrien. this fic is a roller coater of emotions, starting from a slightly crack scenario to a cute, awkward, hopeful ending. More Than You Know is another of sunny’s angsty ladrien work!
Breaking The Rules (AKA The Ladrien Fistfight) by ThisKwamiNeeds_aNap [ T, 8,714 words, 1/1 ]
Marinette may or may not be dying, but she’s still going to do her best to fix every single problem in the world. She’s not expecting Adrien to be the one who tries to stop her.
(Takes place immediately after Kwami Buster)
Warnings: panic attack, broken bones, PTSD. please read the tags!
*slaps this fic* this fic can fit in so much angst. it just?? left me in PAIN oof. it says ‘ladrien fistfight’ on the lid but nooo there is marinette is just having a freak out and it’s all so much??!! and it’s not just marinette there is adrien too and chloe and alya and- wow it’s amazing. love it so much it fills up my angst needs :’)
so that’s it for now! my personal commentary isn’t impressive nor does it do justice to the fic but i still hope you read a few of these!! happy reading!!
#ladren#fic rec#ml fic rec#miraculous ladybug#i know i dont do the fics justice but. oh well#lovesquare#ladrien#obviously check out the writers other workd too but this is ladrien so i am trying to give it a bit more emphasis#also i am so sorry i couldnt include more lesser known writers but unfortunatley they dont have ladrien uRGH anyway maybe sometime later!#i spend a lot of time on thi n got lazy so plz be considerate#also add recs if u want even self-promo is cool duh
123 notes
·
View notes
Text
My thoughts on Seabound!!! 🌊🌊🌊 (1/4)
SPOILERS ALERT!!!
Finally Nya's season! Our queen, our water goddess, our amazing girl gets what she deserves! 😍😍😍
What I know about the season beforehand is that Nya's powers apparently are getting problematic for some reasons? Which is a pretty common topic in other shows but it's a first in Ninjago, usually the elemental powers don't have focus and I LOVE that we now get to see stuff like that 💕💕💕
I know there should be Wojira involved, trusting The Island to deliver that little foreshadowing at the end of the episode 🤷♀️ Also Maya is back... MAYA IS FINALLY BACK AFTER SEVEN SEASONS YES!!! 😭😭😭
I have nothing else to say, I have no idea what this will bring, hopefully something as good as Master of the Mountain! 🖤
Alright, here we go!
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Warning reader, I might be fangirling to an extreme because I love mah girl Nya and I've been wanting Kai and Nya's parents to be back ever since Hands of Time ended. So yeah... screaming alert 😅
At this point I don't doubt that the intro is great, we reached such a level of animation and we got The Fold 😍😍 Love the marine vibe and how it's similar to The Island, because it's a great intro 👌
NOW I like the writing! Maybe they rushed the dialogue's quality for The Island to get here? It's just fun and in character, maybe it's just me but I'm enjoying it a lot for now
How many episodes are in this? Wiki says ten, then I checked again and it's sixteen like with Master of Mountain... eh, it looks good so far so it's fine whatever happens 🤷♀️
A BIG SPLASH
Oohhh, new villain! One that uses... flames... huh, does she know there's literally a master of fire in the ninja team? Eh whatever she looks cute, give it up for Miss Demeanor!! 👏👏
Wait... OMG IS THAT ERIN MATTHEWS??? WE GOT MACY!! ❤❤❤
Whoa, we're finding out where did the order of the vengestone from season 13 come from?? YAS! CONTINUITY!
Yep, there it is, Nya lost control... her attacks look so cool 😍
Lol that kid trying to be a nindroid and Zane being offended 😂😂 Sorry hun, you're that popular
Aaahhh, thank you Ninjago! You gave me back Nya the perfectionist 😂 I was worried her reaction to her powers wasn't going to be in character but it looks fair so far. Brings me back to Possession, my favorite season 💙💙💙
WE GOT BACK THE FACT THAT SHE CAN MAKE IT RAIN!!! YAS!!! I might be easy to please but I love these details 🤩
🤯🤯🤯 Okay they are definitely going somewhere this time and I LOVE IT, because wow. WOW. Are we actually addressing the forever questioned fact that wind and water weren't elements that Chen needed at the Tournament? Are we giving a reason for them to exist outside the main set of elements and the elemental masters?? Duuuude, season 15 don't let me stop you, keep going 😍
Mm, so water and wind are connected to Wojira (now I see the connection with the special). Are we setting the ground for a new master of wind? 😏😏 It's risky going for a Morro replacement but it's a super intriguing idea! Oooor Edgy Boy TM might come back? WHO KNOWS I'M CURIOUS ANYWAY 🤩
Love how it is universal knowledge that Nya is super indipendent 👌
YES YES FINALLY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MAYA!!! 😍😍😍 Is it too much hoping into a Ray cameo as well?? Pleaaaase? Also addressing Krux after so many seasons, this feels exciting!! 😊
This is what I'm talking about, training, fighting scenes, show me everything that water goddess can do! 🌊🌊🌊
Aaahhh, Nya flexing her mightiness through anger, just to remind us that she is the descendant of a water master as much as of a fire master 😅
YES YES YES YES IT'S HAPPENING FINALLY AFTER SEVEN SEASON THE FIRE WATER PARENTS ARE FINALLY BACK!!! 🔥🌊🔥🌊🔥🌊 I'M SO HAPPY I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG!!! 😭
RAY IS THERE TOO HECK YES!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 I shouldn't get this excited at only the first episode... WHO CARES RAY IS BAAAAACK!!! ❤❤❤
Omg Maya is definitely different from what I expected, turns out Kai's enthusiasm came from her 😂
Oh look at my flame babe 😍
He's so happy his parents are here, he's a total family man ❤❤❤
Nya is maaaaad... 😅
THERE SHE IS
WELCOME BACK JILLIAN I MISSED YOU 💚💚💚 Would it be too much having a "Your voice sounds familiar" moment with Maya and Lloyd? 😂
I'm so stoked for this! I want all the interactions I've missed for all of this time, asap!! HECK yes!! 😍😍😍😍
Oh, are we looking over the Miss Demeanor, vengestone situation? Mm... for now at least... WHO CARES FIRE WATER PARENTS!! 🔥🌊🔥🌊🔥🌊
THE CALL OF THE DEEP
Imma just slow clap for The Fold because this is another amazing intro, one of those things in this show that stays awesome no matter what happens 👍👍
So Maya gave Nya her discipline and perfectionism, but not the passion behind it 😂 I like this, it's not your conventional master of water, although I'd say it's different from the impression she gave me back in HoT. Maybe this is how she is when she's not trapped for fifty years? 😅😅
Is it too much asking for Kai and Ray bonding while the water women get the work done? 😅😅
Is this the sequel of Green Eggs and Ham?
Green Pancakes and Ham? 😂
Oh it's seaweed nevermind... at breakfast? I'm all for sushi rolls but this is a little 😅 Although since Maya missed their childhood she probably never cooked meals for them... how did I get myself sad 😢
Whoa, Maya is a strict teacher! I got flashbacks from my first and only dance lesson, teachers nitpicking every single pose, uuurrrggg I feel ya waterlily 😡
Again, not a fan of Misako, but coming from her the whole speech about wanting to be there for her child makes a lot of sense
Yes. YES.
YEEEEESSSS KAI AND RAY FAMILY BONDING THIS IS EVERYTHING I'VE EVER WANTED I'M GETTING ALL OF MY WISHES GRANTED FOR THIS ONE ❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤🔥❤
AND MY FLAME BABE IS SO GLAD HE GOT HIS PARENTS!!! 😭😭😭
Lol with Kai's new hair they look even more related 🤣
Ray also sounds so happy he gets to have his moment with his son 😢 I feel so blessed in this moment 👍
Also this scene makes a lot of sense. Nya grew up to be indipendent, one that succeed in most of stuff without problems, she built her life without any help and doesn't look for it. Kai grew up more insecure, he got some walls up but loves to take care of others and be taken care of. With a childhood lost he looks forward to a bit of softness ❤❤
Did Maya make real bacon for that sandwich? Do I smell some favoritism? 😅 Or maybe she really wants Nya to get onto the water mind setting idk 🤷♀️
Little tiny complain, why isn't Jay doing the fixing? Did he give up mechanics completely? It feels like we haven't seen him do tech stuff in so long, I miss techy boy in action 😞
And no, having to check on the bathroom doesn't count 😅
Aww robot date 💜🤍💜🤍
AAAHH ROBOT DISASTER 😱😱😱 ZANE DANG IT YOU WERE DOING SO GOOD NOT TRYING TO DIE IN THE LAST TWO SEASONS!!
Oh that was weird, weird magic purple wave thingie?
I DID NOT ASK FOR A SEASON WITH A BEST GIRL AT THE EXPENCE OF ANOTHER BEST GIRL PIX DON'T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME 😱😱😱😱😱
"Well this is troubling." I love this samurai so freaking much 💜💜💜
GUYS THIS IS ONLY THE SECOND EPISODE, I'M A LITTLE SCARED NOW 😢
Okay Nya admitting that something's wrong looking so apologetic, girl you don't need to do that you already own my heart 😭
Alright, I'm guessing this is Wojira's power or something, and they will have to go down below and find out why... just throwing this in, maybe Maya did something? Because she wanted to finally be with her family and needed an excuse? JUST A THEORY WITH NO BASE I REALLY HOPE I'M WRONG!!!
Okay, two episodes and I'm BEYOND engaged, let's keep it up! 😍
UNSINKABLE
Getting an idea how this episode might end already 😂😂
Look, I love best girl Pixal, but I'm kinda sad that she seems to be the only one tinkering at this point. Like, I saw Nya fix little stuff, while Jay dropped engineering altogether, I miss my engineers team 😭
Aww, the guys didn't want to crush Pixal's dream of an unsinkable boat 💜 But honestly yeah, I agree with Cole, this might end badly 😅😅
Thank goodness
I was worried they forgot about Jaya ❤💙❤💙 Jay is such a cutie omg
Nya: Mm, going on a potentially dangerous mission with unstable powers in the heart of my element or... mom's tofu pancakes... *yeets herself over the ship*
I'm making too many screenshots of the Smith family... WHO CARES THEY ARE BACK AND THEY ALL LOOK SO GOOD!!! 😍😍😍😍
Aww Ray wants to play with his son and his friends so CUTE ❤❤❤ Still can't believe they play Prime Empire after everything that went down 😂😂
Whoa whoa whoa, Kai and Cole are sitting this one out? That's actually interesting, I'm pretty sure I saw Cole's scuba suit in the sets though so I didn't expect it... lol it's actually kinda fair that the two that used to be afraid of water aren't going 😂😂
Bet Kai is happy to stay behind because he gets to spend time with his dad 😭
Also studying the fire elementals?? Uhm, yes please?? TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT MY FLAME BABE!!! 😍😍😍😍
I'm sure this one scene...
... made so many lavashippers happy ❤🖤❤🖤 Cole you got Ray's blessing
Ninja team acting cool while Jay is being Jay, it's how it always goes, it's the entire show's description and I absolutely love it 😂 That wink though 💙
PIRATE ZANE IS BACK 😂😂😂 Haven't seen him since Possession, and this time he's not even malfunctioning 👌 Pixal is so done with his dorky boyfriend 😝
Of course Jay already has a ghost butler theory going on 😂
OF COURSE IT'S MAYA 😂😂
To be honest muffins would sold me too 😅 Not sure if she will make them out of tofu again though...
It's actually really interesting that we still haven't met the actual enemies, it does build up excitment! Very curious about these squid guys 👍
Well what do you know, the Unsinkable sank. Who would have thought?
... yeah same, sorry Pix 😅
FIVE THOUSANDS FATHOMS DOWN
Aaaahhh, Nya fixing stuff! That's more like it!! 😍😍
Oww, that one speech, I've been waiting for so long for that! Maya just wants to catch up with her daughter and it's not her fault she was separated from her children, but Nya did everything on her own with Kai. Only fair she isn't seeking for her help right now... still sad 😢
Pff, with this ninja team there's not a moment of privacy 😂😂
Maya cleaning his future son-in-law's laundry what the HECK 😂😂😂 To be fair Jay has a bit of a history of having to change underwears during sea travels 😝
Zane was attached to a battery? When?... are you talking about that one scene in Prime Empire? Cause that's not really a flashback I wanna ha- whoops never mind got the flashback 😱
Maya looks more calm now, I think she's trying to act more reasonable and she's got good points 👍 I know people were a little weirded out by how more cheerful she looks in comparison to Hands of Time, but I think she gets the most serious and rational when time needs. That's actually fascinating of her 🤔
CALLING OUT AN ATTEMPTED MURDER
THIS GIRL IS TOO GORGEOUS MY HEART CAN'T TAKE IT 🤩🤩🤩 Like my gosh that smirk, what the heck Pix 💜💜💜
Okay but Jay looking at Nya until the doors are completely closed?? CAN YOU FEEL MY JAYA HEART BEATING?? ❤💙❤💙
Whoa green gas I thought this was Nya's season 😂
MAYA WHY ARE YOU SAYING THIS STUFF YOU'RE SCARING ME 😱😱😱 I SWEAR LEGO IF YOU BROUGHT BACK WATER MOM JUST TO KILL HER OFF I'M GONNA SUE YOU 😭😭😭
I really REALLY like the atmosphere of the entrante of the temple! Super sealike and ancient! 🌊🌊🌊
Maya: off we go, into the spooky old temple! (Why does it feel like something Kai would say? 😂)
Oh gee, someone sleeping in the deep, who could that be? Coff Wojira coff
Whoa the jellyfishes look pretty lifelike!
HERE HE COMES
WELCOME BACK GILES!!! ONCE AGAIN ON A LEGO SHOW I MISSED YOU SO MUCH YOU AND YOUR GODLIKE VOICE!!! 😍😍😍😍 Gosh he's a villain but he's got Clay's voice, how can I even try to hate him?? 😅
Alright, knocking down my water girls, that is pretty hateful material... BUT CLAAAYYY 💙💙💙
So they need the two amulets to wake up Wojira? Isn't one on the island? Fire dad and son coming to the rescue? WHO KNOWS BUT I'M ENJOYING THIS A LOT SO FAR KEEP GOING SEABOUND 😍😍😍
#ninjago#ninjago season 15#ninjago spoilers#ninjago seabound#ninjago nya#nya smith#ninjago kai#kai smith#ninjago jay#jay walker#ninjago cole#cole brookstone#ninjago zane#zane julien#ninjago pixal#pixal borg#ninjago maya#maya smith#ninjago ray#ray smith#spoilers#wojira#ninjago misako
111 notes
·
View notes
Note
The latest episode was pretty bad, but it gave us SO much Brania wise. The way Brainy had an unbuttoned shirt while in his natural state and that little hug at the end made me so happy. I have been smiling for hours. That pancake scene is going to live rent-free in my mind. Also, Jesse Rath looked hot as hell and I will stand by that statement forever.
I honestly didn't think the episode was bad, although that might be because I was focusing more on Nia's side of the story than anyone else's. 😅
The Brainia content this episode was absolutely top notch and I am so glad that pancake scene was what I was hoping it to be!! I understand that the show is incredibly fast paced, but domestic scenes like these are what I live and breathe, so seeing Brainy in civilian clothes, the two of them hanging out together in their apartment, Brainy being there for Nia when she gets home and already having his arms held out for her before she's even close enough to hold 🥺🥺 now that is the content I want to see!!
But also I have to - no I need to - talk about how amazing Nia was in this episode. Not only did she show incredible power in terms of her abilities, she showed it in the way she dealt with Maeve as well. I was on the edge of my seat when Nia called Maeve out for putting the world at stake for the selfish desire of wanting the Dreamer powers for herself. Nicole's performance was just *chef's kiss*. Her anger and hurt was practically palpable, I could talk about it for hours on end.
My favourite moment, though, had to be when Nia tells Maeve that she won't forgive her. I feel like in superhero shows, especially ones like Supergirl, the expectation of a truly 'good' character is to find it in their heart to forgive the wrongdoer for anything and everything... which I have always found to be total bullshit to be perfectly honest.
Forgiveness isn't something you should ever expect from the people you've hurt, especially in Maeve's case where she did very little to prove herself as someone who deserved forgiveness. At the end of the day, though, if you have hurt someone, you are not nor will you ever be in control of their feelings or their decision to forgive. Forgiveness is given more-so for the person who has been hurt's benefit, and in a lot of cases, that day may never come. The only forgiveness the one at fault can control is their own, and I hope what Nia told Maeve stuck enough that she won't feel willing to give herself that forgiveness yet. She didn't just hurt Nia with her words, she abandoned her, she left her to grieve her mother's passing alone and to add salt to the wound, she even took all the dream analysis books she'd studied so that Nia couldn't even hope to know where to start in terms of studying the material herself.
Nia proved herself as one of the most powerful superheros on the show this episode, not in the abilities she displayed as the Dreamer, but in her words. She gave Maeve a second chance without forgiving her, without letting her forget everything she'd done to hurt her. She showed incredible emotional strength and honestly, I am just in awe of her.
#supergirl#brainia#nia nal#brainiac 5#my asks#not writing#brainy-nia#I genuinely had to think back because I kinda forgot what else was going on in the episode#but although there were a few flimsy moments i'm interested in what kara leaving catco means exactly#especially with so few episodes left now
13 notes
·
View notes
Text
Earthbound: Ludwig’s Story
Characters: Germany, Prussia
Context:
Hundreds of years after the fall of Earth, mankind is slowly starting to return. Some people have a stronger urge to return than others, confused by fragments of memories from a life already lived.
Arthur’s story can be found here.
Matthew’s story can be found here.
Gabriel’s story can be found here.
---------------------------------------------
Ludwig is six, and is sick again. The doctors don't know what's wrong with him; they know what's causing it at least but they have no idea why. He can't keep food down and every time he tries to stand the world pitches and swims and he can't keep his balance so he never manages to stay up for long before he bonelessly falls to the floor, where he feels no better.
It's the gravity, the doctors say, for some reason he's affected by the gravity. The artificial gravity that he's known all his life; it's as if he's just climbed aboard and his body suffers from relapses where it just can't acclimatise. Where it suddenly realises that something's not quite right and rebels against him for a week or so. This his family already knows, but his mother isn't satisfied with such a lacklustre answer so she takes him to a different doctor every time he suffers another attack just in case one of them is even marginally more competent than the last. These 'episodes', as his mother likes to call them, don't happen all that often, but he seems to have one every ten months or so and they are regular enough to annoy his mother to no end. Ludwig doesn't really know if she's annoyed that no one can fix him or with him himself, Gilbert won't say and normally his big brother talks to pretend that he knows something so his silence worries Ludwig the most.
Mother is a very important person with a very important job: she's a governor of the space station upon which they live and it is very important that Ludwig remembers this. So, when he's laying in bed clutching at his belly and desperately clenching his eyes shut to minimise the swaying, his friends at school think that he is away for a special training academy. Because can you just imagine, the governor of a space station's son being space sick?
His father doesn't like to call it that because he thinks it's degrading so his mother doesn't, when she thinks Ludwig can't hear, anyway, but Ludwig knows that's what the kids at school would say so he happily keeps mum because it's easier than lying. They don't talk to him much besides, they find him too cold and distant but that's because he's so scared of disgracing his mother further that he can't quite relax fully.
When Ludwig is thirteen his mother, after exhausting all doctors aboard their large floating colony, finally accepts that it's unlikely that this small problem of his is going to go away. Her way of dealing with it is to pretend that it just doesn't happen; during an attack Ludwig is sent to his room where he stays painfully alone with only his books for company whilst she busies herself with her new campaigns. She's running for director now, aiming as high as she can go and there's no room for weak, feeble Ludwig all the way up there.
His brother tries his best to keep him entertained and happy during these times, but Gilbert is healthy, strong, smart; he's everything that Ludwig should also be able to grow up to be and their parents have sent him off to expensive schools which means that he's more often away from home than not. Sometimes Ludwig wonders if they've sent him away because they want Gilbert to be the all around best he can be, or if it's to distance him as much as they can from Ludwig. It's almost as if they're worried that Ludwig will taint him, or that maybe Gilbert will grow too attached to him and distract himself from what's really important. That Ludwig will anchor him down.
At five years older it's highly unlikely that Ludwig will be the one doing the influencing, but his brother, despite hardly seeing each other and such a large age difference, does seem to genuinely care for him. During one particular attack, when Ludwig is eighteen, Gilbert is home from university; it is almost Christmas and his family are preparing to travel to where his grandparents live on the other side of the space station, where they'll spend the holiday. Of course, it is now that his body decides to betray him.
He, his parents, and his brother are gathered around the large dining room table finishing off dinner. It is tense. Mostly it is Gilbert who talks because despite their mother's cool demeanour and their father's lack of interest he seems to always have something to say to fill the silence and speaks easily. Even with the response he gets, or lack of it, he seems honestly unperturbed and remains cheerful, somehow managing to both eat and speak without seeming impolite. As much as he loves his brother, Ludwig is also supremely jealous.
He stares at his fork, contemplating which point in the evening would be best to ask if he could slip away, when his body decides for him. His stomach swoops, his ears pop and the table tilts alarmingly. He clenches the edge in panic to remain upright and the noise alerts his mother, who looks up from her dessert in irritation.
'Ludwig, we are going away tomorrow.'
'M- mother-'
His mother sighs and looks at his father, who sharply stares back. 'Dear?'
His father grunts and spears another forkful of fruit pie. 'They're expecting him to come.'
'But the photographers-'
'What do you want me to do, Hilda?'
Meanwhile, Ludwig has still not been dismissed and cannot now seem to find the words to ask for permission himself without spewing all over the fancy silverware. He doubts that that will make the situation better, somehow. Gilbert notices and stands, attracting his parents' attention.
'I'll take Luddy to his room.'
'Darling...' their mother tries to say something, but it's what she's trying not to say that comes across the loudest.
Gilbert ignores her and walks around the table, slowly helping Ludwig to his feet, then away from the table and swiftly towards a bathroom. They make it just in time. Gilbert pats him comfortingly on the back and rubs soothing circles into his shoulders until he's finished, then hands him a glass of water.
'So, they're still arseholes, huh?'
Ludwig snaps his head up in horror, but this is a bad idea because the image of Gilbert swims before him and he has to shut his eyes.
'Don't call them that.' He finally manages, weakly.
Gilbert tuts. 'What the fuck did they feed you with in order to churn your personality out.'
Ludwig lays his head on the cool tiles of the floor and groans inwardly at how nice the feeling is. 'They're not arseholes.'
'Yeah, and my name's Shirley.'
Ludwig cracks open an eye, but Gilbert's not joking. He is, for once, deadly serious. 'How'd you put up with them Lud?'
Ludwig shrugs and gives a small shake of his head. 'They're our parents, Gil. They still care for me. Besides, I'm not exactly making it easy for them.'
Gilbert looks disgusted. 'You're their fucking son, arsehole. They're supposed to take care of you. They ain't even doing that right are they?' Gilbert runs a hand through his shock of white hair and bits his bottom lip whilst he shakes his head. 'Look at how they treat you versus me.'
'Yes, but I'm not exactly-'
'But nothing!' Gilbert raises his voice slightly and swallows. When he speaks again, he's much quieter, back under control. 'Have they got you in a university programme yet?'
Ludwig's silence is answer enough and Gilbert sighs deeply before brushing back Ludwig's sweaty fringe. 'There's nothing wrong with you Lud.' His brother sounds so very sad. 'Fuck, there's nothing wrong with you at all. They know full well that if they put you on a planet rather than this floating heap of rust that you'll probably be alright. And have they? Have they fuck.'
Ludwig wants to argue against him, wants to say something to stand up for himself if not for their parents but his eyes are suddenly burning and his throat is choked up. He knew a long time ago that his parents had given up on him, but to hear it from someone else hurts more sharply than anything he tells himself.
There's an odd companionable silence for a while; Ludwig lays still with his face against the floor and his brother's hand carding through his hair so he almost misses what Gilbert says next.
'I was gonna wait till Boxing Day, but I've got us tickets for Earth.'
Ludwig tenses and holds his breath. Gilbert continues. 'I was gonna wake you up on the 26th and take you away with me, but I want to tell you now instead, cause you look like shit. We're gonna get out of here Luddy; I've always wanted to take you to a planet and what better one is there than the original, huh?'
'You, I- you can't- what about your studies? The internship you've got?' Ludwig manages to stammer out, opening his eyes.
Gilbert brushes his concerns aside. 'I never liked medicine, really. I've always wanted to go to a planet, so I'm mega up for it.'
Ludwig knows he should say no, knows that he shouldn't take up the offer. He'd be denying his brother so much, he'd be exactly what their parents worried he'd be because he'll only drag Gilbert down and down and down like a heavy lead weight and ruin all of his chances at a good life.
But Ludwig wants to be selfish. He reaches out and clasps onto Gilbert's hand, squeezing it tightly. 'Gil...'
Gilbert flashes him a grin and winks. 'I know, right? How awesome am I?'
---------------------------
AN:
I’ve been a very busy bee recently and haven’t been able to write anything, so in lieu of something new, have something old.
This is from my fic Earthbound, which I’m embarassingly fond of. It’s made up of several different stories and Ludwig and Gilbert’s is the one that I’m the most happy with after all these years.
Hope you enjoyed!
#aph germany#hws germany#hws prussia#aph prussia#hetalia#Hetalia Earthbound AU#my writing#I'll give it that epilogue one day i swear it
11 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
galaksisindeuzayli
Selin
madamegixxysticks
Random Plush Online
abstinenceforyou-blog
Amor, paz e calmaria
swnbhd
love like this
jay-kwellyn
My Name Is Jackie