Tumgik
#s1 finale friendship vibes
coolauntlilith · 10 months
Text
Every now and then I replay the first episode of VLD and I wonder why I thought it be a good show lol
#mostly just the part where Allura is assigning pilots to lions#why lol. the first five people who show up are just perfect fits?? hate it lol#i have no au plot ideas but itd have made more sense to draw out the forming of voltron. like for a longer time. like its the s1 finale#and to be traveling looking for appropriate pilots#or the s2 finale? like what if the original gang somehow stayed in contact despite not being Voltron paladins and they proved being the best#team despite not piloting immediately. i feel like a stronger plot of their forming teamwork outside of being Voltron would have also made#their friendships seem more real too lmao#like what if Lance IS Blue's pilot bit hes the only one for a long time. the other lions couldn't actually *just be* located#*but. not bit. and what if Pidge runs off in a stolen vessel to find her dad and brother. what if Shiro isnt.. so flat as a character and is#desperate to find his old team and runs off with them to help out and free others#Keith could somehow get involved with The Blades a lot sooner#and Hunk finds his footing as a leader in rebellion organization. i hate that he was just the funny guy allll the way thru#also (still not a plot bc my brain is unorganized lol) Allura doesnt die. Shiro actually gets to be gay with a husband. and we either need#to not make Lotor a villain or just go all out on making him the worst. i personally dont want him to be a villain bc it was stupid lol#also PULEEEAASE Lance is bi. Lance “I'm just getting a feel for the stick” *obsessed with his rival who doesnt even know he exists* McClain#i want to see him get over his crush on Allura within like 6 episodes and then see him making out with the mermaids then Keith when everyone#starts reuniting lol. my bicon Lance deserves to kiss mermaids like we all do and then get on when the otp lol#now im nostalgic for s1 VLD vibes. ya know. before hell lol#it really just gets worse after ... s3? everyone feels different. i usually tolerate up to about the end of s3 before i feel like its donezo#aunt posting#vld#voltron: legendary defender
5 notes · View notes
shinjisdone · 5 months
Text
To Soften a Warrior’s Heart (Vinland Saga; Thorfinn; Part 10, Finale of S1)
Tumblr media
In which you have joined Askeladd’s band…and grow closer to the Son of Thors. Though it is more difficult than anyone can could ever imagine…
[Headcanons of how it would be like to meet and crawl your way into Thorfinn’s heart (based on season 1; both platonic and romantic)]
Part 1 is here - meeting Thorfinn at the age of 14 and how he is at that age
Part 2 is here - meeting Thorfinn at the age of 16/17 + headcanons of growing closer (slightly following s1 story)
Part 3 is here - blooming friendship with Thorfinn (slightly following s1 story)
Part 4 is here - Thorfinn unwittingly opening his heart as he realizes he does not want you to die
Part 5.1 is here - sweet things Thorfinn would do for you (headcanons)
Part 5.2 is here - other sweet things Thorfinn would do for you (headcanons)
Part 6 is here - meeting Canute and becoming his guard - Thorfinn accepts your relationship and bond
Part 7 is here - Canute grieving over Ragnar and Thorkell catching up; Thorfinn leaves you alone for revenge
Part 8 is here - Thorfinn wins against Thorkell; Questioning your bond with Thorfinn
Part 9 is here - Meeting Leif and Thorfinn dueling Askeladd; Losing while Askeladd told him the truth of his constant losses
Tag list:
@luopenis , @jinsecho , @mitsureigen , @theknightssecrets
Mentions of murder, death, war, slave trade, harrasment against women and whatever awful things happened in the viking era. Only mentioned and used as examples. Mostly gender-neutral examples but female-leaning ones are there, too.]
[This part will specifically mention: Lost Thorfinn, you snapping, confrontation, crying and screaming, Thorfinn kinda losing it, depressive vibes, Thorfinn thinking about death, mentions of blood and snot, zombie Thorfinn, longing, abandonment]
It's Just Like A Burning Torch In A Storm, Like A Little Flower Blooming In A Home...
The weather has worsened as Askeladd predicted.
Even as it was past noon, the sky darkened in a warning as if it were the middle of the deadly night. Snowflakes that started out so lovely of how light they were, were now raining down like arrows and blurring the sight. You could barely see any light come from York and simply trotted after the footsteps your 'leaders' and 'liege' left behind.
You scoffed at the fear of the trails being hidden away by the upcoming storm at this pace, however. Dragging Thorfinn by his wrist would take forever until you'd find shelter.
You had told him to rest his broken arm in the sling but he let it swing with every little limp he managed after you. His good arm was just as lax and he barely let out any signs of pain of how utterly and crushingly tight you gripped his wrist as you dragged him after you. Hunched like a bell ringer, his pants and groans were as quiet as a mouse.
You bit your tongue. He barely paid any attention and just let you haul you around like a dog-
A thump. Thankfully you did not let your grip falter on him as he fell to his knees. Swallowing down a sigh, you turned around and tugged on his wrist. "C'mon. The snow is getting heavier."
Thorfinn hung his head.
"C'mon." You called out louder, tugging at him again. With a dreadfully slow pace, Thorfinn managed to lift one leg after another. After helping him up, you turned around to lead the way.
The same song all over again. The scenery did not seem to change, Askeladd and friends having vanished right under your nose. It felt like you were stranded on a place familiar yet far away. Freezing snowscapes weren't an ucommon sight and they surely were not with only Thorfinn as your company but this caving, this sharp chilliness that felt paralyzing as your heart seemed to give in the longer you dwelled here - as if this place was cursed - it was a first. It was all a first, daunting and frightening. Although, you doubted you could really pinpoint your feelings right now.
You let yourself sigh in frustration as Thorfinn fell once again. The crunching of the snow has become irritating and you snapped towards him. "Thorfinn. I know you can stand. You were running towards Askeladd just moments ago," You hoped it was 'just' moments ago, "Stand up already, don't have me haul you."
All you received was another groan. Another attempt but he kept on slipping. With a growl of your own you kneeled down to hold him under his arms. Heaving him with great effort, you almost slipped yourself as the blonde stayed limb, letting you lift him up with all your might. You felt like a mother with an grown man.
You scolded him again as he simply let himself lean on you once you were up on your feet - before pushing him away and giving him a good shake.
Still, he almsot tumbled down again.
"Thorfinn!" Yelling did not seem to effect him as well as his eyes, black and blue, narrow and swollen from the one-sided brawl, barely took in your figure. His brown eyes looked like they saw right through you, not even on eye level as he still did not walk straight, and it pissed you off.
Even breathing for air was painful, the sharp coldness of this barren, damned place wanting to cut into your lungs with each inhale as if taunting you, knowing that you rely on it now. Now, stuck in this forgotten land as the snow lies down on your shoulders. It's getting heavier and heavier, ringing in your ears as even they felt like falling off your head at any moment. They might as well. The biting wind, though gentle as it was, stealing any feeling you had in your bones.
Sniffing and swallowing your snot, you yanked at his arm again, swiftly turning around and trying to march after the fading footsteps as Thorfinn limped after.
The mere sound of crunching snapped the last strand of patience you so miraciously found within you and before the young man could completely slip again, he fell on his side instead as your fist collided with his face.
"You're a complete idiot!"
Thorfinn barely let out a sound. It made the fire within you rise.
"Askeladd was damn right! You're a moron! A godsforsaken fool! Idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot!"
You stomped your foot, akin to a child, and Thorfinn wondered why you did not let him feel your ire instead, as he gazed up at you through lidded, swollen eyes. Though he did shakily gasp as you bent down and grabbed ahold of his shirt, holding him up to your level.
"The hell do you think you're doing here?! Huh?! What the hell are you doing here?! Answer me!" You threw him to the ground just as quickly. "You have people here that want you back to a home and you are crawling back to damn Askeladd out of all people! Vile, disgusting, bastard Askeladd!"
Your pants grew louder and louder, hands on your head, as they quickly snapped from brainless inhales to a growling, longing shriek - an animal squealing in pain.
"Do you have any idea - no, 'course you don't! You're a stupid mutt! You never think, never had any brains up there, did you?!" Piles of snow were thrown left and right, partly falling on Thorfinn, on his beaten body and face. He flinched at the contact. You kept on screeching. "You always end up like this. On the ground. Like a dog!" Again, you kicked snow his way, "When you could be somewhere else, somewhere far away that isn't here!"
You snapped your arm back to a direction you believed York was, distressed glare still on your friend, "What the hell was this Leif person talking about?! Iceland?! Helga and Ylva?! They're your family, aren't they?! You have family, Thorfinn, family that is alive and well and in Iceland and they want you back! They love you, Thorfinn!" Retreating your arm, you brought your hands back to your head, pulling on your hair, pulling on the last strand of sanity this man left you. Though you desperately were scowling, you wanted to scowl, your eyes were only wide. Wide and big, distress shining in them as tears welled up in the corners. A choked sob escaped you.
"Anyone would jump up in joy hearing that their family is still alive but you didn't give a damn about what that man had to say. He said he'd wait for you. Maybe he's still there."
The screeching softened the more you talked, misty-eyed as you gazed at anything but him. Lamenting to yourself at this predicament he found himself in. Thorfinn's own eyes widened as best as they could as he managed to sit up. A breathy gasp escaped him. He's never seen you like this.
"Do you have," Sobbing, you wiped your nose, "Any idea how lucky you are to have people in this world...that want you?"
The breathy gasp morphed into sharp inhales, greedily gulping in the painful air as Thorfinn kept staring and staring at you, wide-eyed and afraid. He barely could breath.
"You could be there...but you're not. So answer me when I ask you what the hell you are doing here."
Something...something he reckoned to be akin to ringing wormed its way in his ears alongside your sobs. He saw you hiding your eyes as tears fell down your face - but he wasn't sure, the heavy snow and his lidded eyes made it difficult to truly see you. Thorfinn was not certain if he stooped this low that he had begun seeing things.
Tilting his head down to the snow - his neck couldn't find any strength anymore - he startled at the face his father's dagger reflected. Swollen and broken...dark and bruised, blood and snot oozing out of his bent nose with one of his eye hardly visible and of course, barely able to see with it anyway. Maybe it wasn't the trick of the weather but just his swollen face.
He had seen this face time and time again.
It whined and fussed whenever he looked at it, leaving him no choice but to see its pain and its borderline stupidity. The blood coated on the blade as it cut the guards.
The broken arm that almost earned worse by Thorkell's duel.
The stomach that churned whenever he trotted away like a corpse out of sheer hunger. Looking for anything he could gnaw between his teeth.
The hand that held the torch to the woman's demise. The hair she groomed was soaked in blood later, he recalled.
All that gruesome work...all the murders and the guts on the floor, the stolen goods and impaled heads...all those errands.
It was all this ugly face that he sees.
He sucked in air only to let them out in a wail. He wailed and wailed, louder and louder, his voice cracking as his tongue was tied and not able to form any words. He stared at you as you kept on sobbing.
Thorfinn's scream pierced through the heavy snow and the deafening silence. The cold, the snow, the dark, thunderous sky was nothing compared to this might, to this pathetic pain. It was louder than anything else you'd ever heard, both from the people you've killed and their pleas for mercy, and from the amount of grief he so sparingly shared with you, here and there.
Wiping your tears, you grimaced. Even through this wail that teared your heart apart, you could not help but think back on Askeladd. Oh, how wretched he'd feel this sight would be.
It hurt even more that you'd even agree.
It's Just Like A Lighthouse In Your Hands, Like A Little Flag Flapping In The Sands...
Misty-eyed, you looked down on the mutt wreathing in the snow. In his beaten state he could no longer look down at his dagger, could not form any words of remorse, imploration or grief. It was animalistic braying, as Askeladd described, howling at a moon that won't ever rise. You observed for some more, drying your face completely before falling onto your knees before Thorfinn.
His brown eyes struggled to follow your movements but that did not bother you. Watching him twitch and turn, you scooted closer and opened your arms. Arms that felt to heavy to share any burden.
Your limbs were slow, so woefully slow and heavy as they wrapped around his hunched body. Even as you gently and gingerly pressed him against you, Thorfinn continued to cry out, seeming to not have even noticed your gesture. He seemed to only gulp back for air when the side of his head was pressed against your chest.
This cringing feeling only grew worse at the rapid speed of his heart pounding against you. It was akin a bird's panicked flappings as it tried to misguidedly escape the cage it's been put in. However, you still tried to focus on the lightening aspects. How his gasps ceased and he himself tried to take deep breaths. Your hand found the crown of his head, stroking his grimy hair.
Thorfinn jumped. These calm breaths of yours tickled his head, leaving him shuddering. Gazing into the empty, barren snowscape he pondered if - maybe if, as long as he's not mistaken - you had ever done something so comforting to him before. He thought of it to be comforting at least. The familiarity of it all left him stumped as well as equally frightened. He did not know what to make of it.
Were you always like this? You have never...embraced him like this before. Was it because of him? Did he put a distance between you? Were you hesitant, perhaps reluctant to offer him soothing solace such as this? Thorfinn did not know and he did not remember.
Letting out a confused groan, he ever so tediously turned his head and gazed up to you. Chin resting on your chest as he looked up at you like an intriguied animal.
You cringed slightly at the face before you. No longer stroking his hair, you grabbed a fistful of snow and gently rubbed it against his dark blue cheek. Thorfinn did not resist but only let out a soft croak of pain. Still, his eyes never left you. "I'm sorry. I made the bruise worse." You spoke under your breath. The snow dissolved and fell apart, leaving only your reddened palm to cup and carress his face. You hoped it would soothe the injury.
Wordlessly, you continued to graze the bruises on his face with your cold hand in an attempt to lighten the pain. The blonde, as beaten and silent as he was, fluttered his eyes close whenever your fingers touched the swollen lumps nearby. He'd croak and sigh at the lightest of touches, leaning on you on his knees and face tilted up to look at you. Wiping the blood under his nose caused him to sneeze and you ripped a handful of your cloak off, offering for him to sneeze into it.
"One more time. The blood might dry and clump up your nose." He did so as told, clumps of snot and blood pulled out of his nostrills. He sniffed, inhaling the air. You threw the blood-soaked cloth away. Wiping your hand, your brought it back up to press his head against you, hesitant, but deciding to squeeze him ever so gently. Your face grimaced but you did not want to let him know.
It was almost on command. How he let his head turn around again, his ear leaning against your chest to listen to your heartbeat. His own pounded against his chest, calmly yet alone. Lonely and longingly. Aside from it, he was empty. So, so empty he would have loved nothing more than to just lean against you and sleep. Sleep forever.
"...C'mon, Thorfinn. Let's get ourselves somewhere warm." Obeying your command once again, he looked back up at you with big eyes, before lifitng himself up. You tucked a few loose strands of unruly hair behind his ears before slinging the good arm around your shoulder, with your face close to one another, you marched back to York.
A Floating Moon...You Still Croon?
He still leaned against you, that fool.
It nearly made you smile how he almost snuggled. Yet it was just as pathetic. Pathetic and ironic like the sun that decided to bless you the moment you found York again. The snow below you all but melted away by its rays and left nothing but filthy, grimy roads. You prefered it over the slippery ice.
The town was rather crowded. Carts filled with many goods pulled by healthy, decorated horses and men with respectable blades passed by. The meeting is soon to begin, you believed.
Still, it only made you more hesitant to ask for any help. Anyone you turn to could be some high and mighty ruler of a region or worse, their vessels and guards. The many swinging scabbards at their hips did not ease your anxiety.
The side of the road it was. Better behind some stables in the shadows and out of the sight of the many servants. Thorfinn looked worse for wear and a youngling like you would definitely not be welcomed with open arms. Oh, how awfully right you were.
With another person's weight on your side, you accidentaly bumped into another. Praying they'd simply scoff or ignore you, you immediately bowed your head and apologized once they argued with you.
"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you're doing? Bumping into me, eh? Causing an accident only to rob me from my goods, eh? I know that trick." One approached while you stepped back with Thorfinn in tow, head hanging low. You shake your head, trying to explain that it was indeed a mere accident-
"Don't pull that on me. Look at you, beaten and cold. You two must be poor beggars. C'mere, we know what to do with lot like you." As soon as you were cornered and one pulled his arm back for a punch, Thorfinn snapped his arm forward and shoved the man out of the way. He shrieked, alerting the others. "Hey, now-!" The second one grabbed your shoulder, however, he was swiftly kicked off, legs sweeped under his and falling into the manure below. Thorfinn let out something of an scoff despite his unreadable gaze.
Just as your friend was ready to bash the third man out of the trio, you made a run for it. There was no time to scold Thorfinn - you couldn't afford to earn the anger of some ruler's servant!
A mere barn was found and you snuck Thorfinn to the back behind a few bundles of hay. That certainly was close...but you didn't have the strength to berate him any more.
Instead, you tended to him some more, the best that you could as beggars. The man wasn't nearly wrong. Even now Thorfinn only let out a few hums at each action and touch, nodding meekly at each of your words. It was pitiful and equally heartbreaking.
Only to you though, it seemed.
You gently placed your hand to his forehead and sighed in relieve when not detecting a fever. It didn't appear that he had any symptoms either.
The blonde just leaned into your touch, tired.
You tucked a few unruly locks away. "I have to fetch something...I'll be right back." You snapped up only to be tugged down abruptly. Widened eyes looked down to find Thorfinn grabbing your wrist, stopping you and pulling you down. His swollen lips parted for air and eyes were still unreadable. Lying a hand on his, you tried to offer a smile, "I'll be right back, it won't take long. Just stay here and don't move from your spot."
The grip on your wrist was tight enough that you had to shake it off and leave before he could jump after you.
You missed the way his hand reached for your vanishing figure.
The port was even busier, making your heart race.
It was a mystery to you how you managed to find the short, unassuming man within the crowd of bellowing merchants and sailing boats but there he was, staring at you with wide, big eyes. He blinked a few times; Not quite certain if he should even be speaking to you - with that glare you were offering him.
"I don't know any details," You began, "But I have a request. I'll do what it takes for you to accept it." The man let out a nervous, brief chortle before taking a step forward. His hand scratched the back of his neck. The best he could was bear a crooked grin. "Now, hold on, little one. You, ah," He hesitated, blinked and took a breath, "I saw you with Thorfinn the other day. You are a friend of his, no?"
The man did not miss the way you avoided his gaze.
"And you are a relative of his, right? Uncle...Leif, it was?"
The merchant laughed and his nervous tone quickly shifted to a carefree one. It startled you yet that did not stop him from explaining his situation.
That was all nice and dandy...but you did not have time to listen to old tales.
"Listen, I know where he is. I'll take you to him but for that...you have to take him back to Iceland."
Leif could not deny that your request intriguided him. After all, just like Thorfinn you seemed to be a viking despite being his friend. He never had a viking ask him for a favour.
"I'll do whatever it takes to get him there. I'll personally drag him to your boat if I must, beat him black and blue and throw him into it." Again, Leif waved his hands and hoped his awkward laughter would ease the tension...and make you realize how dramatic your solutions were. It was not neccessary, he'd say, all that was needed was a good talk and listening to each other. To follow one's heart...and he's sure Thorfinn would choose the right answer.
That was enough for you to consider it a deal. Hurrying the older man, you were suddenly stopped as he tapped your shoulder. "I wanted to thank you, young one."
Raising a brow, it only made Leif grin.
"Thank you for being a friend to Thorfinn. He used to be such a sweet and hopeful kid...but now, he'd been through hell. I don't know all of the details but I am certain his life would have been more miserable if it weren't for you. Thank you for always staying by his side."
He continued to speak. You listened attentively, your eyes widened and fearing to tear up yet again at these kind words of this kind man.
Thorfinn could count himself lucky to have people who love him.
Listen To Me, Cleave Your Way Again, Again...
The floor was cold but thank the gods not as cold as the snow outside.
Lonely droplets of water fell down one after another and another and another; Like a melody to the puddle below. Thorfinn would have liked to thank to be alone right now. Alone and with not another soul as his company, as the trio of men chased after him and handed him over to the town's guards. With no resistance, he let himself be thrown into the dungeon.
But he could not find any gratitude in his empty heart to any gods right now.
You weren't back. You said you would be but when he looked up to the shadows hovering over him, he was met with three disgusting grins and not your smile. Bitter, bewitching, bland - it did not matter, he just needed to see your smile again.
You...held him. As if he deserved it.
You deserve to be looked for right now but he could not find any strength nor vigor to get up and escape, as easily as he was capable of it. All his head was filled of where questions on your whereabouts as his heart yearned for your presence.
A guard called out to him, speaking of an visitor. His first thought was you and how you returned to him. As best as he could, he crooked his neck and uttered your name.
Yet you weren't back still. There, sitting on the ground with the brightest smile he could muster was the man who used to tell him stories as a child. He prepared himself before he spoke. "Thorfinn. I've been told of an rowdy beggar being locked up. My gut feeling told me that might have been you, my boy."
Thorfinn sighed in disappointment and laid back down.
Leif licked his lips, taking a deep breath. "...You told me how you suffered for the past eleven years since we lost you, Thorfinn. You spoke of how I wouldn't understand, and I might not, and how...you couldn't find any peace within you as long as that man was still alive."
"...That...has nothing to do with you."
Nevertheless, the man persisted, believing it to be of concern to him. The fighting, the wars, the pain - and of how he swore it to himself to bring an end to it all by bringing him home.
A home filled with warmth and people. Of stories, some true and some silly, of food and water. Of no fear for your life and your future. A place where there was love.
"I swore an oath, you know? To myself and to Thors...that I would bring you back to Iceland. Bringing you back home where you belong, Thorfinn. That is the honor I want to uphold and the least I owe to Thors."
At the utter of his father's name, Thorfinn found the fortitude to sit up. Leif's grin was even more radiant than he remembered as a child. "So, Thorfinn...let us go back home. To Iceland!"
"Home...?"
Home...how tempting that word was. How it rolled off his tongue like stenching poison.
Home...after all this time? Why? Why would he, why should he?
Could he even?
"My boy, you said it yourself!" Leif scooted closer, his grin rivaling the sun, his eyes shining like a jewel. "So we can go to Vinland!"
Thorfinn could barely catch his breath, his empty chest that barely could hold his caving heart now rising. Rising, as he remembered the tale of old times.
A land far in the west, beyond the ocean...a land so warm and fruitful and so far away that no slave drives nor wars could reach it...
"Thors wished to go there, too...and I am sure - no, certain! Certain that if he was still alve, he would have loved nothing more than to travel to Vinland!"
Thorfinn hung his head. Was he...even allowed to hear such things, let alone do them? Take action?
"Home...and Vinland..."
Not being able to hold off his quivering smile, Leif dusted himself off as he got up on his feet. He walked slightly to the end of the bars. "And if you allowed it too, Thorfinn...I invited another companion to join us."
Now standing near the end, Leif opened his palm. Squinting his eyes, Thorfinn made out an hesitant, shaking hand peeking out from behind the wall and gingerly taking Leif's own outstretching one. He gladly wrapped his fingers around it, while the other shyly wrapped theirs around him, after a good while.
Following him, behind the wall your figure appeared - and the young blonde wasted no time to jump to his knees. You turned to him, looking down with a bittersweet smile. Thank the gods, he could see your smile that he so wished for.
Voice shaking with disbelief he called out your name.
"You gave me an heart attack."
My, did you tell him of how he did give you an heart attack when you returned to the spot with Leif and found him to be gone. Of how you told the man that he must be arrested and locked up, like the idiot that he was, and that he'd best be bribed free. Leif took the initiative and kindly asked you to wait.
Grey eyes glanced between the two of you and Leif let out a sigh of relieve, his hands on his hips. Even in this odd, ridicilous and hopeful situation that you wanted nothing more than to put your faith into, you approached the bars and looked down at your friend with the sweetest smile you could muster.
"After all this...could you take me to Vinland?"
Listen To Me, Sail Away Again, Again...A Misty Moon
I'm Missing You...
For the first time since today, you could feel the breeze.
No longer was it biting or howling but simply soothing.
This road, dirty and muddy and the chants of the people going their merry way felt like a dream.
Stepping inside Leif's humble, little boat felt like a dream.
The mention of other possibly kind merchants joining as Thorfinn held your hand - it was wonderful. Once he was out, he embraced you tight, not saying a word. He worsened his broken arm with the never-ending squeeze he gave you and definitely smeared snot and blood on your neck when he buried his head in there, but you did not dare to complain. Your arms wrapped around his body, silently grateful to have him back.
In this mess that you were and the mess that you are, you felt like the luckiest person alive. You, bewtiched by the bliss, did not complain as Thorfinn let go of your hand.
He was as quiet as a mouse, anyway. You let him ponder, you let him pout to himself. But what you could not let happen was him vanishing once again.
As he did on that snowy hill to fight Thorkell.
"Thorfinn!" Yours and Leif's scream aligning with a bird's shriek. The man just got this little boy back and now you were running off as well, searching for him. He thought he finally found Vinland. Finally could honor his own oath and quench this sadness in his heart.
It was all for nothing.
The searching, the bribing, the empty promises on his behalf...your fighting, your murders, tending his wounds and holding him in your heart. All for nothing.
Yells echoed within the meeting hall. You caught a glimpse of brown and yellow make a sharp turn for it. "Thorfinn!" Yet as men tried to flee the hall, you only struggled to get inside, hearing Thorfinn's screams for Askeladd.
He seemed to have gotten in as his figure vanished from your sight and you hardly could hear him. The yelling and screaming ceased - what had happened in there?
"Thorfinn! Thorfinn, come back! Please!"
Not a reply, not a bellow of utter agony either. It was only you, screeching out his name, screeching out to be let go as the many servants and guards dragged you out. Pulling on your cloak, pulling on your hair, your arms, your face.
"Thorfinn!"
You could not see beyond the crowd. It was eerie to not hear anything from him. Now you wished he hadn't been so quiet.
"...What...? You, are dying? You...?"
The men reckoned you to be a beggar, wondering what you are doing here. Breaking into the king's meeting.
"...Don't be so foolish...and stop this nonsense. I give you my life...but...what will you do with your life...after you've taken mine...?"
Your screaming only convinced them of your madness. A mere, hysterical beggar breaking into the king's murder.
"Thorfinn!"
"...Will you take your friend with you...? Or will you do as I did to Björn...you should go, Thorfinn. Go far, far away from here. Somewhere that isn't here..."
You shall be taken away. Hysterical but maybe useful.
"Damn it, come back! Go back to Iceland, Thorfinn! GO BACK TO ICELAND!"
Iceland is not a fruitful or promising land...you shall be useful somewhere else. Somewhere that isn't here.
"...Go, Son of Thors...become a true warrior..."
Do Good, To Be Good...Do Good, To Be Good...You're Not Alone...
For the first time today, you felt the agony that dwelled within your heart, boiling there, wating for this moment.
The faces of the people, the mud of the road pressed into your face, the cuffs on your hands. It was a true nightmare.
Ripped away from the second Thorfinn let go of your hand and did not return to you. You still missed his silhouette. It was gone the moment you were hauled out of the place and thrown into the sea.
Thorfinn did not even answer your cires.
No one would now to a slave.
170 notes · View notes
thursdayinspace · 1 month
Text
Mulder in "Little Green Men" (s2ep1). He's so lonely. What's interesting to me is the contrast to Mulder from the pilot and Mulder here. We got an idea in the pilot of how lonely he must be, but he had been on his own for a while and that was his default. Seeing him at the beginning of s2 is heartbreaking. At the begining of s1 he was so used to being alone. But now . . . Of course the fact that the x files have been closed is getting to him, but it also becomes so obvious how much he has come to rely and depend on having Scully around, on working with someone. With her.
Their meeting in the parking garage -- he feels like he has lost his purpose, even doubts his memories and his experiences, he feels like everything they've been through hasn't been worth it because they've accomplished nothing. We don't know how or if he would have managed to surface from that eventually on his own. Most likely he would have. But it might have taken him a long time. It's Scully who doesn't let him give up: "During your time with the X-Files, you've seen so much." / "Even if George Hale only saw elves in his mind, the telescope still got built. Don't give up. And next time we meet out in the open." (Which becomes a recurring theme over the years, all the way up to the revival. But that would deserve its own post.) (The way she touches his hair before she leaves though. <3)
What kills me in this episode is Mulder recording his tape for Scully in Puerto Rico: "Deep Throat said "Trust no one." And that's hard, Scully, suspecting everyone, everything. It wears you down. You even begin to doubt what you know is the truth. Before, I could only trust myself. Now, I can only trust you, and they've taken you away from me." I mean, compare that to pilot Mulder? Not trusting anyone was what he did. That was Mulder. He may or may not have been showing off a little bit for Scully, but he seemed to have made quite a home for himself in his lone wolf existence (out of necessity). He can't do that anymore. He needs something to hold onto. And he had that in his partnership with Scully.
Also. THEY'VE TAKEN YOU AWAY FROM ME. Can we take a second to appreciate what that means? He knows she would not have chosen to leave. He believes that. He trusts her absolutely. She's become a lifeline for him. Put that together with his quote from the end of the episode: "I may not have the X-Files, Scully, but I still have my work. And I’ve still got you. And I still have myself." The order of those statements seems important: He thought he had lost his purpose in the beginning of this episode. He wasn't even sure whether or not he still believed in it. Now he has motivation again.
And he has Scully. She stuck around, not just because of the work. When he was at his lowest, she arranged secret meetings for them, told him not to give up, even followed him all the way to Puerto Rico. He doesn't believe she'd have chosen to leave if the x files hadn't been closed, but I don't think he was sure she'd stick around forever without a reason. But she's relentless in her loyalty and friendship -- a trait he recognizes because it's one they share. He will never choose to leave her, and is allowing himself to trust that she's still there because she wants to be.
Finally, he's also got himself. Among all the things he'd lost at the beginning of the episode, the biggest loss was himself. But he was mourning everything except that. Those "good riddance @ former me" vibes were strong at the beginning of the episode -- and of course they were a form of grief. But it almost feels like he wanted to punish himself, blame himself for everything that went wrong. (That is also something we keep seeing. The show has amazing continuity with things like that. Things get to him. He takes failure really hard. He's not gentle with himself.) So this is the culmination of the previous two points: he has his purpose back, and he has someone who cares about him, who has his back, someone he loves (and I am going to use that term here even if it's debatable how aware they are of their feelings at this point; there are so many forms of love, and I think it's not up to debate that they love each other in some way, possibly even a way they may not even know about yet).
It's such a strong episode for him, and I love all the ways it mirrors the pilot and contrasts the Mulder from back then with the Mulder a year later. So much has happened, and neither he nor Scully are the same people they were, and that's life. It's so well done.
63 notes · View notes
bloggingboutburgers · 9 months
Note
AHHH NO I was wrecked by the ending of Good Omens S2 in the same way!!! I was so disappointed when they kissed--I feel like that did turn their relationship into a garden variety romance when what they'd had up until then felt so unique and queer and not-explicitly-romantic but a friendship so deep and affectionate that a lot of third parties (including members of the audience) read it as romantic. I'm sad that the S2 finale sets them up as "in love" in a more traditional way, especially if that means that S3 is going to be the final nails in the coffin of the big ace/aro/QPR vibes they had all through S1 and most of S2.
Mhm, I see what you mean TwT Although I must admit I didn't really think of it as ace or aro or queerplatonic either personally, my own beef with it is that... Personally I felt that relationship shouldn't be defined in just one word or a couple of them, since it was so freaking unique and beyond what is humanly possible. Two eternal beings coexisting as the only proper certainty of each other on Earth and learning from each other's very different morals in order to each form an identity of their own? Now that's original and compelling character dynamics if I ever knew any! And I liked that it made me want to ponder on the psychological, moral and philosophical implications of it and that it could encourage the audience to do the same. But I guess with that obligatory kiss scene now all of that invitation to pondering is toast, not that many fans took it to begin with anyway because romance is all there ever is in this world I guess but... Bleeeeeehhhhhhh
129 notes · View notes
Just experienced such an unusual burst of BBC Merlin fan energy, and after having spent a good portion of my night surrounding myself with young royals content, I can safely ask why more people don’t talk about how Merthur walked so Wilmon could run??? Also. The knights. The knights are stupid and funny and chaotic lil shits, and thinking about them gives me Forest Ridge named first years (literally just Henry, Walter, and Alex) vibes. Blonde royal with dark-haired “commoner” best friends to lovers speed run (I don’t care that I remain delusional over a decade after the Merlin finale was released, they were SOULMATES, two sides of the same coin and all that idc), the queer-magic metaphor in Merlin and how Wille is queer (unlabeled) and Arthur was literally BORN of magic. As in, there is never any confirmation as to whether Arthur could have a talent for learning magic, but being born of it sounds pretty innate to me (something something unlabeled-uncertainty Wille???). And then Simon and Merlin knowing exactly who they are from the moment we meet them (Simon is out to anyone who cares enough to know, Merlin was born with his magic and has used it throughout his childhood). The “commoner” boyfriends being constantly overlooked or disparaged for their lack of status, but their royals (eventually) get to the point where they couldn’t care less about status. Arthur talking about dragging Merlin away to live on a farm away from the royal life —> Wille telling Simon in s2 that he’d give August the crown so they can be together. The royals having a really shit parent who doesn’t want to accept them or change to the country/kingdom. Sad one, but the “commoner” boyfriends sorta losing themselves in the other guy (Merlin losing his innocence so completely because of how much he puts into protecting Arthur vs Simon being Wille’s ONLY support for most of s1 and the only one Wille feels he can really talk to, prior to his and Felice’s friendship developing). Meta one, but the royals’ character development being a goddamn rollercoaster at times, but they’re getting there.
You can’t say that these two shows aren’t so perfectly aligned with each other in so many ways. The queer-magic metaphor alone goes so crazy!!! I love the conversations about heartstopper and rwrb in connection to young royals but give our OG queer-coded royals some time in the spotlight too, it’s super fun!!!
39 notes · View notes
comicaurora · 2 years
Note
Do you know of any other good cartoons, especially if they don't end on a cliffhanger?
Is it my birthday already?
ReBoot (s1-3)
Tumblr media
You've already all heard my pitch for this, but TLDR it's set inside a computer, the heroes defend the integrity of their home system by battling viruses, playing games and defeating The User, a godlike being outside their comprehension (aka us). Evolves from episodic pop-culture referential humor into an incredibly immersive and fraught character drama unpacking the nature of heroism, family, growing up and losing who you used to be vs growing up and not losing yourself, and what it means to become a monster to defeat a monster. A series technically canceled that ends on the mother of all cliffhangers, but the season that was canceled was the bonus season they weren't expecting to get anyway, and also it sucks. Watch the first three seasons instead, they form a cohesive overarching narrative and end incredibly satisfyingly.
Batman Beyond
Tumblr media
50 years after Batman: The Animated Series, hooligan with a heart of gold Terry McGinnis becomes the new Batman, quippier, capeless and a bit more irresponsible than the old one, guided by an old and reluctantly retired Bruce Wayne. Basically "what if Batman were Spider-Man", but somehow really good. Like most DC cartoons from that era, ends with a loose "and the adventure continues" vibe. Highly episodic, a couple two-parters sprinkled in there for flavor. Also has a few follow-up comic series, some of which are even good! As a corollary, the other DC cartoons in this zone are also good - Justice League, Batman: The Animated Series, etc.
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
Tumblr media
The best version of The Avengers. A team of colorful superheroes slowly assemble over the course of the first half of the first season, fighting a very large rogue's gallery and occasionally each other. Contains the best version of Thor ever written and an astoundingly good portrayal of Captain America, but the entire core cast are well-written and have solid interpersonal dynamics - half the fun of each episode is just seeing what unique friendships every random subset of The Avengers have with each other. Having recently rewatched some of it I can say I actually think the first season is the best it gets, and the second season struggles in places - a few episodes become full-on idiot plots to facilitate certain plotlines (Hulk vs Red Hulk being the worst offender) but the second season has a nice conclusive finale and a few bright spots of characterization. Captain America's writing is rock-solid all the way through, which it needs to be to make the Secret Invasion plotline work. The first season is incredibly good.
Transformers: Prime
Tumblr media
Robots in disguise etc etc, a crack team of autobots live in hiding on Earth fighting decepticons and occasionally ferrying their three human friends to school. Good team dynamics, a fantastic portrayal of Optimus Prime as a rock-solid paragon hero, a team dad and a millennia-old warrior of incredible skill who is very, very tired. Great versions of Megatron and Starscream, lots of other fun secondary characters. Three seasons, portrays a very slow war very well - ground is gained and lost from episode to episode, big battles feature every single asset the heroes have managed to scrape together in previous arcs, etc. Also portrays how fucking terrifying it would be to be a squishy human child underfoot during a giant robot fight. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is in the first five minutes of the show until he gets killed for being too expensive. The 3D animation takes a little getting used to, and I say that as someone who genuinely likes how ReBoot looks.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Tumblr media
preaching to the choir with this one here on tumblr.hell, but this show slaps. A reboot of the 80s cartoon, but the kind of reboot that's basically the story someone would make up when playing with the original's officially licensed action figures. Loyal horde soldier Adora learns to her shock that she's actually on the bad guy side (and also can transform into a magical warrior with a fancy sword) and immediately defects to team good guy, which is seen as the ultimate betrayal by her best friend/repressed childhood crush Catra, who doubles down on the bad-guy thing super hard for four seasons. Characters written with a surprising amount of emotional depth who often react to things more realistically than one might expect - frustration, lingering anger, calling people out for mistreating them, etc. Shouldn't be a high bar, and yet so many shows just use characters as emotionless props incapable of advocating for themselves ever.
Castlevania
Tumblr media
Dracula's wife is killed by the church and he sets out to exterminate all of humanity in retribution. He's opposed by three heroes of varying levels of heroism - his half-vampire son Alucard, the speaker magician Sypha, and Trevor Belmont, last son of the family of monster-hunters who dedicated their entire existence to fighting Dracula. Animation is absolutely gorgeous but very not kid-friendly. Ends on a completely satisfying and happy note, which is shocking considering the tone of the show leading up to it.
Hilda
Tumblr media
A very, very cozy and adorable urban fantasy slice-of-life story about Hilda, a little girl from the wilderness who moves to the big city with her mother after their house is accidentally crushed by a giant. Features a lot of scandinavian folklore. Got two seasons and a movie that wraps everything up pretty solidly. Absolutely incredible aesthetic with occasional moments of abject horror, just how I like it.
Dishonorable mentions, aka shows I watched but can't 100% recommend because of Grievances I Will Enumerate:
Centaurworld
Tumblr media
A warhorse from a war-torn world falls through a portal and gets isekai'd into a brightly-colored magical bubblegum dimension where everyone is a boggle-eyed magical centaur. First season has incredible musical numbers, like broadway level stuff, and it's got some appealing nightmare fuel, but the problem I keep running into is the silly elements are so over-the-top that they undercut the serious parts in a big way. Also, the appeal of a cohesive found family narrative is pretty seriously undercut when the entire found family is composed of joke characters that don't experience plausible emotional investment in their circumstances and don't act like people. The thing is, this isn't a mistake, this is very deliberate on the part of the show and it's doing what it's doing incredibly intentionally - I just don't think I like it.
Dota: Dragon's Blood
Tumblr media
A dragon-slaying warrior gets whammied with a dragon curse that sometimes turns him into a monster, and also about a million other things happen. Not finished yet, so I can't guarantee it won't end on a cliffhanger. Based on a game series I'm unfamiliar with, and unfortunately, unlike Arcane (which I would whole-heartedly recommend, it just currently left off on a cliffhanger) it doesn't really seem to know how to stand on its own without the game lore. It jumps around a lot between a huge number of characters, and a lot of the time it's not clear why we're watching what we're watching. I do like the parts of it I've seen! I just haven't been able to stick with it because it feels so scattered.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Tumblr media
An anime based in the universe of Cyberpunk 2077, which is in turn basically just Shadowrun with none of the interesting fantasy elements. A gritty and unpleasant universe where everyone is a jerk, everyone is very narratively disposable and only bad things happen. Seems to have nothing an audience is supposed to get invested in - it gives us a colorful squad of found-family types but covers the entire friend-making in a dialogue-free montage and then kills all of them in like two episodes, it gives us a romance but undercuts it with a timeskip covering the actual getting-together part, it seems to have a theme about how believing you're special is bad but it also demonstrates at several points that the hero actually is kinda special, it has an extremely solid anticapitalist theme but because it's a cyberpunk dystopia nightmare there's nothing any of the main characters can actually do about any of it, etc. I watched it all in one go and the whole thing slid out of my head right after. Also this is a niche complaint but the use of futuristic cyberpunk slang nonstop in the dialogue might really grate on you. The animation is very nice, though.
Tales of Arcadia (Trollhunters, 3 Below, Wizards)
Tumblr media
Urban fantasy series made in large part by Guillermo Del Toro, featuring a whole bunch of characters doing assorted fun things - some chosen by magical artifacts, some alien royalty on the run from a civil war, one the apparently-immortal apprentice of Merlin, etc. I whole-heartedly recommend all three of these shows! I do not recommend the grand finale movie, which feels like it was written by someone who read the script notes for the previous shows and nothing else. Ends with a timeline reset that completely undoes the entire timeline of the series. Because it ends with a retcon, the movie feels comfortable killing characters pointlessly and letting our heroes act totally out of character whenever convenient. A bafflingly terrible ending for a series I otherwise really, really liked.
319 notes · View notes
abigail-nicole · 2 months
Text
DS9 Watch Notes
“Star Trek Deep Space 9: What if the Nazis ran a shopping mall but now they're gone and you have to be in charge of the mall” - my spouse
Season One
I grew up watching Star Trek my entire life. Even like Discovery and Enterprise which no one but my mom liked I’m pretty sure
but somehow my parents, white christian conservatives, didn’t watch DS9……hmmmm
anyway I finally in 2024 started DS9, and we start with an intense hot mess in opposition to every other well-ordered utopian Star Trek
DS9’s instant cast of marginalized characters, a chaotically destroyed space station, Sisko hating Picard??? strong writing choices
“When governments fall, people like me are lined up and shot” -Quark
“Never trust ale from a god-fearing people” - Quark
So DS9 came out in 93-99 … vs 87-94 for TNG, then 95-01 for Voyager. And TNG got all the star trek money because DS9 sure didn’t. Man these special effects are bad
Cool that Sisko and Dax, neither of whom are Bajoran, get to go on a Bajoran spiritual journey. Not weird colonial appropriation vibes at all
Tumblr really wants me to ship garak & bashir and quark & odo…. fine
Julian so excited Garak came and talked to him he went and told all his friends, who all think he’s annoying with no coping skills
I knew Julian was autistic bc tumblr but I wasn’t prepared for how much he’s exactly as annoying as a second year medical student
ACAB includes Odo
You could absolutely do something interesting with the ferengi, because a culture that puts an explicit price on everything and doesn’t believe in the implicit value of things is a great way to do social critique of what a culture implicitly and explicitly values. Too bad Star Trek never does this
For how much there’s Gender in this show, don’t think S1 of DS9 passes the Bechdel test
The best part of DS9 is when the holodeck fantasies come to life and Bashir’s sexy submissive version of Jadzia Dax meets real Dax and she smirks and goes “I understand, I was a young man once”
Odo defines himself in relationship to Quark. what is a cop without his criminal. he wakes up & thinks “what is Quark doing right now.” girl love yourself
I’m really enjoying the cardassians. Aliens on Star Trek tend to be one note. Vulcans love logic, Klingons love honor and battle…. Cardassians are just humans. Plus the cardassians get to be played by good actors and have complex character arcs
The way half the characters say “bazhoran” and “bay-zhor” and half (incl Kira, but not all Bajorans) say Bajor and Bajoran
Jake & Nog friendship is the future liberals (me) want
11 notes · View notes
calyxthenerd · 6 months
Text
So I’m gonna rate and rank songs from all three seasons of Violetta (in groups of three, one from each season) based on categories I made up in my head because I’m bored
Starting by Vilu’s main solo song in each season:
1st place is Soy Mi Mejor Momento for season two and it gets an 8/10 because it’s inspiring, has a good melody and I always loved the lyrics, but for me the performance could’ve been a little better
2nd goes to En Mi Mundo solely because I dislike it less than the other one, 5/10 and it only gets points because of the nostalgia I feel whenever I listen to it
And 3rd Underneath it All, now, objectively it is a good song, but I give it a 3/10 because of all the hatred I feel for the Roxy plot
Next up is Leon’s Solo song in each season:
1st is obviously the best song in s1, Voy Por Ti 9.7/10, showstopping, incredible, only lost a little because of his outrageous haircut that pisses me off to this day
2nd goes to Entre Dos Mundos, great song, love the vocals, very energetic, 7/10 because it didn’t really get a performance so I can’t rate everything
3rd is Amor en el Aire, now, is it cute? Yes, but it’s plain, shallow and frankly it hardly scratches the surface of his songwriting potential 2/10
Moving on to Leonletta joint compositions/dream songs:
1st is Nuestro Camino, because everything is perfect, from the dream performance, to the lyrics, the melody, amazing, 9.5/10, because of Leon’s atrocious suit
2nd we have Podemos because it’s probably amongst the three favorite songs for like, half the fandom (including me) and it has some of the best performances from the two of them and probably the best romantic lyrics in the whole show (the Karaoke scene and specially the one in Madrid) 10/10
And 3rd is Abrazame Y Veras, and I hate to put it in the last place, but it doesn’t stand a change against the other two, but it is a great song, (one of the few that saves s3 from being an absolute trainwreck) 8/10
Coming next is the friendship songs:
1st is Junto a Ti, cute, love the vibes, awesome rhythm, great lyrics, 10/10, best one
2nd is A mi Lado, and it kind of opposes the vibe of Junto a Ti which is kind of a more fresh vibe that comes with the experience of finding a new great friend, A mi Lado shows how much they’ve grown and their bond has grown with them and they’re preparing for the reality of not being able to see each other all the time am I projecting because of what’s going on in my life? Maybe, leave me alone and so I love how it shows how they’ve grown 8/10 because it could use a better melody
3rd is Codigo Amistad, my least favorite song in the show, now, it sounds kinda cute but also really gives off misogynistic vibes so I give it a 1/10 because at least is an upbeat song you can dance to, so a point for that
Now onto the band’s songs
1st - Ven Con Nosotros, the choreography is great, energetic and really bouncy, the lyrics are awesome and full of I m p l i c a t i o n s (iykyk) and the performance is definitely their best one, 9/10 because it took me weeks to understand Diego’s part in the rap
2nd - Are You Ready For The Ride? is a good song, but it’s too messy and kinda all over the place, also the lyrics are plain, 6/10
3rd - Every Season 3 Song, they’re generic and boring and kinda sound like Every 1D Song, frankly after Diego left to be with his Dad on Art Rebel it all went down the drain, 4/10 because at least they’re catchy
And Lastly the Beginning/End of season group song combos:
1st place goes to Hoy Somos Mas for Beginning and Crecimos Juntos for Ending
2nd place goes to the Ven y Canta*/Ser Mejor combo
And finally, 3rd place goes to En Gira and Esto No Puede Terminar since they’re both lame
*The song I chose since S1 doesn’t start with a group song
Honorable Mentions:
From Violeta’s solos we have Descubri, an amazing song, one of s3’s saving graces that I forgot until I went to check the playlist with all the songs
From the friendship songs we have Encender Nuestra Luz, and I love it, because we see Naty singing more
From the band’s songs we have Tu Foto De Verano and Cuando Me Voy, the first one is good but I’m sick of it since it was constantly stuck in my head before I even rewatched it so yeah, and the second one is probably my favorite one of theirs, but the recorded version doesn’t have Diego’s vocals which I really don’t like
From the group songs we have Tienes El Talento, On Beat, Euforia, Friends Till The End, Es mi Pasion and Llamame, are any of them in the beginning/end a season? No, but I love them so there’s that
And now a list of random songs that don’t fit into any particular category but I feel should be included because I love them:
Habla Si Puedes
Te Esperare
Como Quieres
Algo Se Enciende
Luz, Camara, Accion
Si Es Por Amor
Ser Quien Soy
Quiero
Aprendi a Decir Adios
Mas Que Dos
20 notes · View notes
nitw · 2 years
Text
did you guys know that i really, REALLY love both of the pilot episodes for mp100 seasons 1 and 2 because theyre fucking perfect. i'm gonna talk about them. shut up
S1E1:
literally the first thing you see is a distorted mob fighting evil spirits in a wasteland while his bgm plays. no dialogue, no context, no explanations; just batshit visuals and music to make sure you're awake for what's to come
introduces reigen in the funniest ways possible and immediately gets you familiar with his Vibe, yet leaves you with even more questions like "is this the main character? am i supposed to root for this asshole????"
whoops here comes a little boy! whoops he's extremely powerful! and doesn't that music sound familiar??
"THIS IS SHIGEO KAGEYAMA, ALSO KNOWN AS MOB- ... THE PROTAGONIST OF THIS STORY" incredible.
in contrast to All That we then see mob and reigen's ridiculous dynamic, followed by mob's daily life at school. whatever expectations you had about either of these characters 9 minutes ago were wrong (OR WERE THEY????)
now that you know the duo and their main characteristics a little better it's time to really watch them in action. the haunted tunnel does such a good job of showing what mob and reigen actually do at work, how they play off on each other's quirks, setting the tone for the overall supernatural plot, and of course the animation is just gorgeous too
ESTABLISHES THAT REIGEN ACTUALLY DOES LOOK OUT FOR MOB, AND WORRIES FOR HIS SAFETY, EVEN WHEN HE (REALISTICALLY) DOESN'T NEED TO. i can't stress how important this is to show from the beginning, i've seen so many people gloss over that detail and continue to act like he doesn't care about him?? wtf
ALSO ESTABLISHES MOB'S UNCONDITIONAL KINDNESS AND FORGIVENESS. very good
that final scene of mob just.. staring at a group of teens hanging out and talking together while he waits for reigen at the station, who then takes him out for ramen. it adds even more to the genuinity of their friendship, but also hints at mob's struggle to connect with others and figure out what to do in his spare time. all of that, that single episode is just like, the whole show. this is all you need to know
S2E1:
same old reigen with his same old schemes, but it's a nice detail that he didn't wamt to take money from the poor farmer guy and instead asked for a cut of his harvest (who said he doesn't even do fieldwork for a living anyway). reigen's refusal to accept unfair payment comes up a lot in this show and i think that's neat
same(?) old(?) mob goes "shishou for the love of god i have a life outside of this job yknow"
when the wriggle spirit captures reigen first and threatens to kill him if mob persists, mob actually lets his guard down. 1) he learned from last time 2) possibly foreshadowing how mob will be the one to save reigen in more ways than one this season
mob realizes that the spirit isn't directly possessing the plants, but rather sending out a signal that forces them to obey it, which is technically still a form of "control". COUGH minegishi COUGH COUGH toichiro
also mob basically learns plant magic! ~this action will have consequences~
🅱️ROCCOLI
lots of arcs that started in s1 are immediately continued! ichi and the psycho helmet cult, shinji stepping down from the student council, ritsu supporting his brother, etc. and just seeing how many friends mob has now that want him to succeed is amazing
the fact that mob even agrees to ichi's plan about the election and takes it so seriously is proof of how much more determined/confident he's become
mob gets asked out for the first time in his life, and even though it turns out he rejected emi, he's so cool about everything and still wants to hang out and get to know her - early s1 mob probably couldn't have handled it this well
"do you even have feelings, or your own opinions?" "i decided to consider my feelings more" THOSE ARE THE MAGIC WORDS FOR SEASON 2'S OVERALL THEMES AND PLOT BABEY!!!!
the floating paper scene. i don't even need to say anything just take it in
OHO? TSUBOMI? SCHEMING? LURKING? could this be the beginning of the rumored "character depth" i've heard so much about???
n e way. season 3 soon. explodes
225 notes · View notes
cranberrymoons · 9 months
Note
#also DO NOT get me started on something something steve+carol were besties first and tommy was their shared boyfriend#i am a starol mean girl frenemies-to-enemies truther
Hi, I'm definitely here to get you started on that because 👀👀👀👀
🗣️🗣️🗣️
steve and carol becoming best friends in kindergarten because their moms are in a rich lady playgroup circle where they take the kids to each other's houses and let them run around and be feral while they sit on the back deck drinking wine and gossiping about the husband of whichever other rich lady didn't show up that week
they never ever fight until carol gets an easy bake oven for christmas one year and won't let steve use it because it's for GIRLS and it's not fair that he would be allowed to play with it if she's not allowed to play with his hot wheel cars (she is allowed to play with his hot wheel cars but has just never asked). this introduces a weird one-upsmanship/hostility into their friendship that continues to fester through their middle school years until they get older and start liking BOYS
at which point tommy (just moved to town at the start of high school) shoulders his way in between them after meeting steve at baseball practice. carol hates him at first because he's trying to take over their lunch table with his dumb jokes and his dumb face and his dumb stupid freckles and it's not fair that he wants to be friends with steve because steve is HER friend
and steve DOES NOT want anyone tipping the balance of his weird hostile friendship with carol any more than it already is, but he likes that tommy has clearly identified him as The Leader in the school's social hierarchy and has latched onto him because of the attention it brings
and ever since they were like... ten, steve and carol have been caught in one of those weird bantery feedback loops where they say the most out of pocket rude shit to each other and call it playful teasing, but it's actually just them being openly mean to each other and not realizing it. tommy picks up on their vibe and runs away with it, which only makes them worse
none of them have the words or social awareness to realize that they all have crushes on each other, but by the time S1 starts and tommy and carol are dating, the vibe has become so toxic between the three of them that nancy coming in and dating steve is the thing that actually upsets the balance that steve was afraid would happen when tommy moved to town, except by now he's so sick of bickering with carol and listening to tommy loudly be an asshole that he actively WANTS the balance to be upset
he starts dating nancy even though (and partially because) he knows it will blow up their friendship. "carol for once in your life, shut your damn mouth" is him finally snapping after years of sniping back and forth at each other 😭
27 notes · View notes
curiositycryptid · 3 months
Text
Why I Think These Characters Are AroAce
Ok, I might include other characters in this one that I didn’t in my last posts since idk who should be in the friend group of aroaces cause it can’t have too many peeps.
Heather - When I saw how she clearly didn’t like anyone in s1-2 my first thought was aroace. She played with many peoples romantic feeling so obviously she didn’t care that much for relationships, I still think her and Alejandro can date but I still stand by my thought of her being aroace too.
Dj - well uhhhh, this one is mostly vibes, he didn’t really have a love interest either and seems to be one to care more for friendships than romantic relationships. Either way, he’s definitely ace.
Trent - Someone said on another post their reasons for thinking Trent was either aro or gay and I completely agree, I don’t know what post it was so if anyone knows please say so I can credit them! They said his love for Gwen seemed the cliche kinda thing like he thought that’s how he should feel. Also I don’t believe in love at first sight so it’s kinda odd to me how fast their relationship went.
Justin - The only person this man loves is himself. Prove me wrong /j (ok in all seriousness he just kinda has those vibes)
Courtney - She seems the type who cares more about her work than love. Yes, she did date Duncan, but perhaps that was because she thought she could ‘fix him’ like in the movies? Rather similar to Trent’s situation of following what he sees on television.
Cody - His crush on Gwen looked more like an obsession to me, it kinda looked like he cared more about ‘having a hot goth gf’ so he could boast or sum instead of him actually liking her that way. Yes ik this is a stretch but I’m just saying some small ideas.
Bridgette - uhhhhhh idk. I just think she seems kinda aroace? I don’t think I need a proper reason anyway so.
Noah - once again, no love interest until ridonculous race which I still haven’t watched yet so he still doesn’t seem the live guy to me since I haven’t seen him behave that way yet.
Gwen - I didn’t include her in my last post but still. Once again, like Trent, it was love at first sight. Which doesn’t make sense to me, it may just be that I’m aroace but I still know how love works and it’s not like that.
Also (IMPORTANT) I’m not saying you can’t enjoy any of these peeps having relationships because aroace people can still date, I’m just stating possible reasons they may be aroace, I’m not saying that Gwen and Trent didn’t actually love eachother or anything like that (for any of them) , I’m just saying maybe at first they viewed it that way because of amatonormativity but eventually really did fall in love? Anyway I’m finally done jeez I don’t think anyone is even gonna be bothered to read all this lol.
16 notes · View notes
stevie-petey · 4 months
Note
hiiiiiii m! read s2 ep2 and i LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!!! <3 i actually am so relieved that steve reader friend divorce era is over......idk why but friendship breakups make me sadder than actual romantic breakups, partly because friendships themselves are so selfless and sort of by design the least selfish, or self interested you can be, with the benefit just being "we get to hang out!". i'm fascinated that steve forgave her so quickly as well, maybe because he's in a vulnerable spot right now (???), but i really did enjoy that reader was willing to make amends instead of sort of just digging an emotional hole for herself and exaccerbating the problem. i'm excited to see if she'll be as proactive down the line when things get more serious between them.
the way you handle nancy is interesting. i'm glad you don't shy away from reader being jealous of nancy and the attention of johnathan and steve and being pretty and rich, which omg, can drive full grown adults crazy, so why wouldn't a teen girl feel it, but also see nancy as like a full person? i also really appreciate your/reader's willingness to see both sides of the conflict, at least so far. a lot of people, from what i've seen, seem to view that night as a very traumatic night for steve where he got his heart broken, and that's true! it is! but it's also a night where nancy got blackout drunk from survivor's guilt that everyone around her told her to ignore in favour of just forgetting everything she experienced. that would make anyone upset! she probably does feel like her relationship is bs if it's main priority is not allowing her best friend's parents to find peace and move on! anyways, what i'm saying is that it's nice to have a realistic yet emotionally mature main character, and one who is so because they themselves are emotional and very in tune and self aware of them and others, instead of for just like, the plot vaguely, or because of modern sensibilities, no it's just an established and consistent part of her character, which is hard to do and it's so cool that you do it so well near constantly!
but i really was cheesing a lot like it just felt like a classic early 2000s CW show which is the high i'm constantly chasing. one tree hill season 1 episode i think 13 college party was very much the vibe i was getting. i should have been wearing cheetah print and leather and listening to the strokes as my friends convinced me that local basketball player was really the only guy who ~gets~ me. "i'll be" by edwin mccain plays in the background as we make eyecontact from across the room. you set the vibe, is what i'm trying to say.
billy was weirdo and creep and i'm happy he was acknowledged as such!!! not kidding when he came up to the reader i was also uncomfortable and it just had that very deeply horrible frat guy energy that makes every person subjected to it feel very objectified, and i think it's even more interesting that this is, from what i remember, one of the first time someone's shown outright interest in her, so i can imagine that that makes it even worse. i also sort of like the set up of johnathan defending her and steve holding him back, feels very much a great physical example of their position so far, with both johnathan playing a larger role in her life, as well as maybe signalling that johnathan's role as her protector, friend, confidant, all that is now passing onto steve's "hands", as steve's quite literally holding him. idk if that's too much i just had fun! and steve's final thoughts. my god. what an oblivious young man. the immediate jealousy and awe he feels.....his willingness to forgive....her promise to him as he confesses........both very moving and also amazed he hasn't realised his own feelings yet and excited that it will take him longer to do so. them making the promise together especially was so good, and such a good parallel to the one she and johnathan made in s1, and i'm excited to see if steve and r are able to uphold it better than johnathan was and how it'll serve to highlight the differences in their relationship.
very lengthy so my apologies, have a nice day and looking forward to ur next chapter!
hi angel !!
u touched on something SO BIG and i loooove discussing it: steve forgave reader so easily. and YES it was a bit ??? but later itll make sense. overall weve seen that steve just so genuinely trusts readers intentions with him, he never doubts her honesty and hes been pulled towards her since day 1, so of course he immediately was like “oh yeah we can be bffs again <3”. HOWEVER ,,,, this will play a huuuge role later (next chapter i believe). we’ll get more insight and steves vulnerability that night also def helped
and nancy !!! yes !!! i had to rewatch her scene with steve in the library a million times and i just felt horrible for them both. they want to help each other, and as ive said before about jonathan and reader, steve and nancy take care of people in opposite ways and it makes them clash. nancy wants to be proactive, steve wants to be more on the down low and tend to those he has already. hes accepted and moved on, nancy has moved on but hasnt accepted.
and as for the jonathan n steve scene i originally had jonathan holding steve back, but honestly it didnt feel right. jonathan, as much as he sucks sometimes, will ALWAYS be the first to defend y/n. every time he will. steve will too, but jonathan has that spot rn and hed rather die than let her get hurt </3
as for billy ,,,, so incredibly excited to flesh out his dynamic with reader. it wont be romantic in the slightest, but reader will have some insight into billys homelife due to max, and u bet she’ll use it against billy.
and im SO HAPPY the party scene felt real <333 thank u for the lovely asks i adore dissecting my chapters with yall its my <3333
7 notes · View notes
capinejghafa · 1 year
Note
what did you think of them putting soc/ck moments into s2?
I mean, at first I was a little confused because we just genuinely didn't know how much of the soc duology we were getting this season.
Kaz - I think as soon as I realized about 7 minutes in that they were getting the Pekka storyline I was onboard. I love Kaz, a lot (I know very surprising, we are all shocked). And for whatever reason, every time I'm reminded of his backstory, I become an instant Kaz defender... it's happened the same way after I read the first book.
So from that perspective I enjoyed it. I know some people thought it was "too fast" but the general problem with that statement is we were introduced to that conflicted back in 1.01/1.02. So, even if we as book fans wanted to be mad it... it was already a problem that Kaz was going to have to deal with whenever he got back to Ketterdam. What I'm saying is extremely unpopular, I know. But that conflict had to resolve itself as a result of the events in s1.
Inej - I think the very minute Amita said/accidentally spoiled her ending I knew vaguely that this was going to take something from CK's ending... I think days prior to the premiere I was like if they split up the crows, I'm gonna be so mad because we literally just, you know, got 5 of the 6. They come as a set... at least until the end of the duology lol So, Inej's plot is something I keep coming back to... I have some unpopular opinions because I do think the writers have hinted at what happens since 1.07... and I personally don't think Inej is as open with her struggles as people want her to be? So, I loved that Inej is learning slowly about herself.... exactly like she does in the books.
Matthias and Jesper - There were things the show elevated, specifically on Matthias and Jesper. The problem with Matthias in the books is that we never actually get to see his struggles (we do get to read about his final fight, but just the general vibe of his everyday life? Nope.). Actually, I love the fact that we got to see this man struggle because Matthias needed the reality of what prison life does. I do love Matthias lmfaooo but I do have to remember that he was a druskelle and all the internal bigotry that comes with that. And I loved that Jesper embraced his gifts quickly... because we don't get to see that in the books ever (not even in ROW). We got to see him and his mom (or a version of his mom). That scene ended. me.
Wylan - I have no notes for Wylan because I fucking love Wy. But his story is slightly different from the books so we might get to see more??? *cross fingers*
Nina - Tbh Nina's arc was the one I was most worried about? Because I didn't know what elements from the books they were gonna use. And actually one thing I will say... maybe unpopular? But Kaz and Nina's friendship in the books was a bit hit or miss for me? So to have them have mutual respect and just generally vibe well? Like I loved that change so much. I don't know why but this fandom treats them like they legit hate each other, so it was nice to see them just chatting like regular normal people. If that makes sense.
(Also, don't hate me... but I do think Nina ended up having stronger bond with Kaz than with Inej? And that was strangely unexpected lol)
Also, this is me thing, but I went in with shockingly low expectations for this season. Like I was like this is fanfiction, I call the sab writers unironically sab fanfiction writers. They know what fan service looked like and went with it. Did I love the overall product? No, but I did have a lot of fun watching.
35 notes · View notes
kitkatt0430 · 1 year
Note
Unpopular/Popular Opinion: Cisco and Kamilla should have stayed on the Flash and Kamilla should have been given more screentime
strongly agree | agree | neutral | disagree | strongly disagree
So real world, I think Carlos made the best choice for himself leaving the show. The writing was starting to go pretty strongly downhill in large part due to a showrunner who favors his OCs over the existing cast and would make promises about upcoming story arcs that were only true if you kind of tilted your head and squinted. He's done pretty well for himself since, having been in Gaslit and Up Here and getting to stretch his acting chops with characters different from Cisco. It doesn't look like Victoria's gotten quite as much acting work since leaving the Flash, but hopefully she landed on her feet after leaving the Flash too. I'd certainly love to see her in something again sometime.
But setting the real world aside, for the show losing Cisco and Kamilla was definitely a bad choice. Cisco was the heart of Team Flash. He was the one who, repeatedly, held the team together when things got hard. He connected the most easily with everyone else on the team and he had a history with Barry, Iris, Caitlin, and Frost that can't be replaced. Kamilla, in turn, was the first real friend Iris had been allowed by the writers since Linda Park. Iris is friends with Cisco, yes, but he's Barry's friend first and foremost. And the show has repeatedly squandered Iris & Caitlin and Iris & Frost. Despite calling itself out on that very problem. Kamilla was Iris' friend and equal and it was nice watching them both hang out and work together.
Without Cisco, Barry's isolated from the rest of Team Flash (except Caitlin, but they were never as close as he was with Cisco and, whoops, now she's dead) because he's their boss. And Iris is isolated from Khione, Cecile, and Allegra because her relationships with those three never really get any real development.
Having more focus time on Kamilla would have been great. To see her friendship with Iris develop further - the struggle with being best friends while also boss and employee would have been an interesting point to focus on. Contrast that with Cisco and Barry's relationship. I could see Kamilla talking to Cisco about it and trying to figure out how to balance it all.
But also showing more development of Kamilla and Caitlin's friendship and that leading to Iris and Caitlin finally spending more time together and getting to know each other better. (Let Iris have lady friends, please let her have lady friends.)
Cisco mentoring Chester would have been interesting to see more of (or any of) too. S1 had Cisco as the prodigious student, S2 and S3 saw Cisco coming into his own and growing beyond needing a mentor, and S4 and S5 placed Cisco as having gained the confidence to consider himself an expert in his fields of science and an experienced hero in his own right - not a sidekick. So developing on that, having him pass on what he's learned and take pride in being a mentor - working through lingering issues about Eobard in the process, perhaps - would have been an interesting arc to take for both him and Chester.
Unfortunately I don't know that the show runners really knew what to do with Cisco as his powers developed. Comics Vibe was incredibly powerful and nerfing Cisco on the show was definitely a mistake, the lead up to which made it seem like Cisco was being written out then in S5 and certainly made Carlos' eventual decision to leave two seasons later unsurprising. So I think we lost out on a lot of interesting story arcs for Cisco and for Kamilla because of the decision to take away Cisco's powers.
23 notes · View notes
noahtally-famous · 6 months
Text
td 2023 s2 ep1 spoilers below the cut
(okay so I have not finished s1 but I know the general gist of what happens through mutuals posts and just the td tag lmaoo. maybe later I will actually sit down and watch the whole thing, but that time is not now.)
moving onto my thoughts of s2...
AHHHHHHHH idk how else to explain it but I absolutely LOVED the episode, and honestly I have a feeling I'll love this season, simply bc everyone is so great!!
heck even ripper and chase were tolerable, like, there weren't any fart jokes or anything, it was great!
MKULIA SWEEP???? HELL FREAKING YEAH idc if it's a friendship/alliance, I'm living in my world where they're toxic yuri
Caleb getting some much-needed character development??? I'm SO here for it, and the stuff mentioned during the episode def fits the kinda vibe I have going for him, so that's even better!! (potential caleb & emma friendship??? they can bond over kittens and of caleb being emotionally mature)
also his reactions to the team choosing was gold, I can't wait to see what A-Game he's gonna bring. I'm hoping he doesn't become a version of justin--I just want him to want to be a useful teammate and person for his team/friends/competitors and want to win as well. no overly crazy 'tda justin' villanry pls?? (I mean, I won't be averse to it if it does end up happening, but it'd be cool if things changed up this time around)
CHEMMA BROKE UP THANK FRICKING GOD, our prayers have been answered!! please please PLEASE have them stay broken up
raj & wayne on the same team again!! I was not expecting that tbh, but I'm curious to see where this goes
rajbow is so adorable, like bowie not even letting chris finish before he immediately picks raj first for his team is so 🥹
ngl chase is still a dumbass but now that chemma is out of the way, I mean it affectionately, I can't bring myself to hate any of the characters and that trend isn't going to stop here. that moment when he ran at granny hatchet and bowie was like "I don't believe it, I think he's gonna make it" like that scene was insane
damien is amazing as always, no words need to be said. manifesting a final two involving him
NICHELLE. FUCKING NICHELLE. GOD I CANNOT ARTICULATE HOW MUCH I ADORE HER HERE!! saving the best for last goddammit, I love her so so so so much, omfg the way she slayed the challenge, pls I'm so hyped for her character development this season, I can't wait for the other contestants to eat their words abt her
axel trying to 'be nice' ("i'm a work in progress" yes you are but you're doing amazing) but acting like an ass to ripper is something I live for. "I'm not following you, we're running in the same direction!" LMAOOOO
the fact that priya doesn't hold any resentment toward her parents still irks me, but I still love her character and I'm excited to see what's in store for her
GRANNY HATCHET SLAYED, 'NUFF SAID
I'm still hoping for some axelle content, but I'm more than happy with the mkulia servings we got
I'm lowkey interested in scary girl's change of character. I feel like this wont be the last we see of her--will she be like an amy and swim back to the island to enact revenge? or will she be like ezekiel and live on the island in secret? or will she be a secret third thing? I sure as heck don't know but I can't wait to find out!! her parting words def seem ominous enough to imply something
speaking of, scary girl's change of character and when she talked abt how she became "normal" everyone's reactions were sending me lmaooo
bowie going "you're never right" to chase but is the one to choose chase on his team, like yes dude frrr that frenemy whiplash was wack lmaoo I love it
same with bowie choosing julia, like yes we love to see two manipulative competitive strategists banding together
on a different note, I wonder what will come of bowie and emma's friendship from s1 and how that broke apart. maybe they could rekindle it in s2? hmmm
zee and their suitcase of sodas 😭
"she's an animal" OKAY MK TONE IT DOWN (pls don't, actually pls continue doing it) YOU'RE NOT HELPING MY MKULIA CASE HERE
millie being priya's first pick >>>
"what strategy? you just stop and run, it's not rocket surgery" 😭 I used to dislike ripper, but if he continues on like this, that opinion will def change. it's only been the first episode and I already don't dislike him anymore so-
MORE MKULIA P L E A S E IM HOPING
chris is still 'tdi chris' aka the b e s t chris imo, and I'm here for it!! also chef and chris's dynamic is still spot-on
in conclusion, im so very excited for what this season will bring!! in case you didn't realize, I LOVED the first episode!
19 notes · View notes
Text
(ooc: get to know me, turn edition!)
stole this from @cabbxges-and-kings lol :3
Favourite Season: it’s a tie between s2 and s3 for me lol. imo s2 and s3 are the two best seasons in terms of plot, but i can never pick a favorite! i associate s2 with romance and a happier, more upbeat vibe (it’s the season of jpeg and annlett!!) and s3 with high-stakes drama and a tenser, slightly more angsty vibe, and BOTH ARE SO GOOD. 
Least Favourite: oof...... i have to say s4. i have a soft spot for s1 because it’s obviously what got me hooked on the show, and i love rewatching it and getting reintroduced to all the characters. s4 feels a little bit rushed (which, to be fair, is because we were robbed of a s5!!) and andre is gone, which automatically makes me like it less LDFKHJDKS... but i do love the peggy and abigail team-up and abe’s weird redcoat arc is fun, so it gets points for that. 
Favourite character(s): john andre is my little meow meow blorbo and i am his number one fan LDFNJD <3. i have so many others that i love, but apart from andre, i probably relate the most to peggy and anna (though for some reason i struggle to write anna sometimes lol). i could literally talk all day about why i like andre, but i actually did a post about that somewhere else on this blog HAHA. 
Least Favourite Character: ugh it’s GOT to be benedict arnold. sorry to any arnold fans/fans of the real historical figure, but the way he’s portrayed in the show is so gross and seriously gives me the ick lol. nothing is worse to me than a man who plows over other people’s boundaries and thinks he’s entitled to everything ever, which is exactly what arnold is lol. i USED to really not like richard, but tbh i think he’s a really intriguing character who adds a lot to the show (even if much of it is just as an obstacle to abe’s plans LOL, he’s a really interesting representation of a certain brand of loyalist). oh, and i also have an issue with robert rogers for randomly going after andre (why?? >:( ) but he’s funny, so he gets a pass lol. 
Favourite Romantic Relationship: you know i’m the number one jpeg stan. they’re just the best! andre and peggy just check off every single one of my (highly specific, picky af) ship requisites: vaguely austen-esque ballroom meet-cute, witty banter, kinda hate each other at first but only bc they’re the same person, can finally stop performing around each other, GET RANDOMLY QUAKER MARRIED, barbie and ken vibes, Tragic Lovers, the fucking braid...... need i go on? i love them. 
Favourite Friendship: ooh... ben and caleb are great, ofc, but also, peggy and abigail!! and for a slightly more niche one, i love robert townsend and rivington’s dynamic HAHA. (omg and robert and ANDRE... idk if they count as “friends,” but their scenes together in s3 are the funniest thing ever to me.) 
Favourite Episode: objectively, in terms of its impact on me and its cinematographic quality? s3e10. but i bawled when i first watched it, so uhhhh, omg this is TOUGH, but maybe s2e4 or s2e6? s2e4 has the Garden Scene with jpeg that i go insane over (one day i’ll write a full meta post about why) and s2e6 is andre’s stupid flute solo and i just love seeing them happy together lol. BUT ALSO, s3e6 (thanksgiving) is so fucking funny and i also adore that one. 
Least Favourite Episode: ugh sorry washington stans, but valley forge/s2e7 lol. i don’t like how it’s ONLY focused on washington and most of the other characters are absent. i would eat that shit up if they did an andre-centric ep like that, but i just don’t care enough about gwash sodfjhjdks. 
Favourite Iconic Quote: “don’t presume you know what it is to be me,” obviously! 
20 notes · View notes