#narrative choices

[crisshex88]

EPISODE THEORY — May Grant’s Red Era is not accidental

ok besties.

we need to talk about May.

because the 9-1-1 behind-the-scenes clip with Dana from the hair department? i did not just watch it.

i studied it.

and the moment the camera landed on Corinne Massiah, something clicked.

this isn’t random. this isn’t “she just looks pretty.” this is intentional.

let’s break it down.

1. The Charity Auction Theory

first thought: this is the rumored charity action episode. the one where the 118 members might be auctioned off for a cause.

and if you’ve been around long enough, you know episodes like that are never just filler.

they create unexpected pairings. unexpected conversations. unexpected tension.

they shift dynamics.

so yes — as an Eddie/May hopeful, i am legally required to be delusional for a second.

but even removing ships from the equation, this kind of episode is designed to disrupt the usual emotional order.

and May’s look screams disruption.

2. The Look Is a Narrative Choice

we are used to May being:

• neutral • composed • clean lines • controlled elegance

even at formal events, she stays restrained.

this?

this is different.

this is not “cute May.” this is not “Athena’s daughter”

this is a woman.

the dress is structured. it defines her silhouette. it doesn’t hide. it declares.

the neckline is intentional. the buttons are bold. the color?

red.

and red is not subtle.

red is presence. red is competition. red says: look at me.

and the hair? soft, Hollywood waves. not practical. not everyday.

this is performance.

and when a character performs visually, it usually means something is shifting internally.

3. She’s Dressing for Someone

and here’s the part that got me.

this doesn’t feel like “i dressed up because it’s a gala.”

this feels like:

i want to be seen differently.

when someone has known you forever, when they’ve boxed you into a version of yourself, the only way to change their perception is to break the visual pattern.

you show up as someone they haven’t accounted for.

and May has always been the responsible one. the supportive daughter. the emotional glue.

this look says:

i am more than that.

4. The Bigger Pattern

let’s be honest.

this season has given focus to:

• Bobby’s death and the grief ripple • Athena moving forward • Harry stepping into the firefighter role • Hen’s illness • Chimney’s captain arc • Eddie’s unresolved trauma • Buck’s emotional evolution • upcoming crossover chaos

May?

background.

we know she lives alone. we don’t know her job. we don’t know her friendships. we don’t know her romantic life.

she’s been orbiting other people’s arcs.

so what if this episode is the pivot?

what if this is the moment the show says:

we didn’t forget her.

5. Why I Don’t Think It’s Ravi

and let me say this objectively.

it’s not about personal preference.

Ravi has not been developed consistently for nine seasons. he appears, disappears, supports scenes — but he hasn’t been structurally built.

you don’t suddenly anchor a major character evolution to someone the audience hasn’t been emotionally prepared for.

if they wanted that arc, they would’ve started earlier.

this feels bigger than that.

6. The Scheduling Clue

Corinne and Elijah were supposed to film the episode of their podcast "The Aftermath Show" this week.

they postponed.

because their shooting schedule is packed.

and Corinne has openly said in the past she usually has fewer scenes.

so if suddenly she doesn’t?

that’s not random.

that’s plot movement.

Final Thought

this feels like a renaissance moment.

not just aesthetically.

narratively.

May in red isn’t just pretty. it’s symbolic.

it’s transition. it’s autonomy. it’s desire.

and maybe — finally — it’s her story.

what do you think?

is this just a gala look? or are we entering May Grant’s main character era?

[generalluxun]

Who do you think is more fitting to be “Creator’s Pet” of the show: Astruc’s virtual daughter Marinette or perfect and flawless Adrien?

Okay, before I start- I don't like the term creator's pet, it tends to suggest currying favor on the 'pet' part, and obviously Marinette or Adrien can't do that.

Perhaps 'favorite'? and let me lay some ground rules.

This is not character salt! Nothing here should be used to deride the characters. This is about the narrative woven with/around them. This is examining the external biases at play.

We must recognize that Marinette is the PoV character for the show. That is value-neutral. We can't hold screen time as evidence.

That said let's tackle Adrien being 'perfect' first. I know the show and creator use that word a lot but it is very clear in the show that ... He's not. He makes mistakes, he gets *called out* for his mistakes, he gets upset, he apologizes. He's not perfect.

So, why/how/what is the purpose of the perfect mantra in the show? It's because Adrien is a *trophy*. He was Gabriel's trophy, and now he's Marinette's. A trophy must be 'perfect', or how can it be a trophy? He makes no demands(his flirting as Cat Noir was shown as him being wrong and he corrected his behavior to be more perfect), he gives everything, he carries emotional baggage and costs nothing.

All of his perfection benefits *other people* in the narrative, not himself. Does that sound like a favorite? No it sounds like something you *give* to your favorite.

Because yes, I do believe Marinette suffers from an above-average attachment by her creator(and some fans) I say suffers from because I think it hurts her as a character. Superficially it seems to her benefit, but below the surface it's empty calories.

Marinette makes mistakes too, but they are always framed as best intentions. At the end of any disagreement she is the one in the right. Her pain is always the focus/valid one in any situation. S5 amped this up to the point I call it 'Poor Mari' when it happens. Any emotional situation must make you sympathize with Marinette first and often only. It doesn't matter what or who is involved. The entire Agreste Arc has been summed up by the emotional impact *Adrien's family being the villains and his father dying* have on *Marinette* not Adrien. Marinette gets the sympathy for someone else's crisis. How weird is that? It's not even that she did anything wrong (before the lie) but no one else seems to be allowed to experience more emotion than she does, no matter the situation.

That is a strange choice and one that hurts the narrative and her character. (As they find new/more/repeat ways to put her in emotional turmoil to keep her always center all the time)

As an example from before S5, we can look at how Luka/Kagami were handled. It's two parallel situations, handled at the same time. How they're handled gives the insight you are asking for.

Marinette's struggle is the first an foremost thing in Truth. Luka is the sweetest bean, and even when he's akumatized it is all about her pain the end and her having to break up with him. He's upset but he never blames her, never corrects her. After the breakup he is still completely supportive and always there. He works to find her happiness, even though he openly admits to still being in love with her. Marinette is handled gently and put on a pedestal.

Meanwhile, Lies focuses more on Kagami and her efforts to connect with Adrien who is pining for Ladybug( just as Marinette is pining for Adrien) She gets mad at him. She breaks up with him. She holds him accountable for his behavior. She gets over him. When she finally joins team Adrienette it is for *Marinette's* sake, not Adrien's. (MP72)

So yes, Marinette is favored heavily, beyond simply 'the main character' she is the center of this world physically and emotionally in a way that is only more noticable as time goes on.

Oh- and another easy metric: How many people have said Marinette is the best Ladybug ever vs. has anyone ever given Cat Noir the time of day except Ladybug when she felt bad about leaving him out of the loop?

[princessofghosts-posts]

ToA: The Dark Prophecy Opinion (4/4)

I should have posted this a couple of days ago but I forgot,sorry-

The last part of this serie (technically only completed 2/5 of the bigger one but shhh-) is here! Before we get to the technicalities of this book,I want to give my honest (and final) opinion of it.

The Dark Prophecy is boring,the only salvageable parts are the chapters focused on Apollo and Meg in Trophonius's cave,and a couple of moments here and there between the characters. 80% of this book is completely useless. I preferred THO more than this one,maybe it was because it was the first book ever of this serie,so new things and all,or maybe it had been a while since I read of this universe when I started ToA. Idk. I prefer this Oracle to Dodona's,but this book was extremely underwhelming. This was more of a steeping stone,that started to slowly began to get things moving,for the final battle against the Emperor than anything else really. I hope The Burning Maze will do better and be more entertaining,especially with the Labyrinth now involved.

As for the narrative choice,I don't really have much to say. Apollo is still having episodes where he remembers everything and then the next moments he forgets everything. Like I said the other times,this is the only way Riordan can pull this off,otherwise it's too easy for Apollo since he would know everything. I didn't talk about this in my review of THO,but I like how he justified this by having Apollo's mortal brain not being able to contain all the divine memories of his life. It's actually a very good explanation for this.

I want to talk about the plot armor because it bothers me a lot. I forgot to talk about it when I was reading THO (lol),and even then it was bothering me,so I take the opportunity to do so now. I hate how the plot armor works here. Apollo receives a power boost in the most convenient way possible: divine strength when he needs to fight against dangerous soldiers; light of his former divine form when he needs to do something about Commodus. What's next? The sun will be in tune with him again for a couple of seconds? I don't mind that he still has a bit of his talents with archery and music because that's fine,especially now that he needs to practice and take care of his tools and instruments.

I don't know why it bothers me so much,because PJO and HoO definitely had their moments with inexplicable plot armor moments for the various characters (especially Percy),but it was...more readable? Maybe we could find an explanation for it? Like,for example when Calypso had her powers forced out of her body by Britomartis,a literal goddess that violated her? I can understand that. But I can't stand it when it comes to Apollo. Maybe it's Zeus that gives him those boosts (hope so because it's the most reasonable theory I have,even tho it shouldn't make sense story wise),or it's his desire of protecting Meg or it ties up to the fact that she is his mistress,since it happens only when she is in dangers (the characters also acknowledge that).

When it comes to the characters and their dynamics/interactions I have a lot to say. Let's start with the main trio for this one: Apollo,Leo and Calypso.

I'll start by saying that I will do a proper post focused only on Caleo,because there is a lot I want to discuss about them. It's not like they were horrible in this,but they also weren't great either. I can kinda understand Calypso to a point,being away from the island you were trapped in for multiple millennia and starting a life in a world extremely different from what you remember must not be easy,but after that it gets to a point that her behavior towards Leo is unnecessary and uncalled for. Leo also has his fault in this but I will elaborate later–especially because there in the book,when they needed to separate from Apollo,Calypo made a speech about them that I want to analyze.

Apollo and Calypso had a lot of problems with each other,and the book fortunately acknowledged that and didn't forget about their pasts. Apollo started this book by wanting to abandon her to the blemmyae,and ended it by saying that she is a good friend that he cares about. Calypso also ended up appreciating him,despite their arguments,and tried to make sure that Apollo will always know that they were there for him–even if now they were going to be separated. It was a nice character growth from both of them.

Apollo and Leo,instead,were much more comfortable with each other since the beginning,at the end of THO. I wish we got to see more moments between them,because I liked the friendship they have going on and I love how Apollo understood Leo's view when Calypso didn't. I also liked how Apollo sometimes praised Leo's mechanical skills and how Leo tried to reassure Apollo that everything would be fine. Leo also called Apollo multiple times "ese",and I did my research on it and it meant "friend" in gang culture (Leo you want to tell us something man?). They are underrated.

Now,Meg and Apollo aren't really focus here like last time,but it was nice seeing their relationship progress. I left them last time with Meg betraying Apollo and Apollo still wanting to get her back because he cared,to have them back again together. I liked how Meg was hesitant at the start. She saved Apollo's life because he is a friend she cares about (she also probably felt guilty about what happened in Dodona),but still didn't know if it was ok trusting him after everything because she didn't think she deserved to be forgiven. And Apollo? He didn't yell,didn't get angry or anything really,he just....wanted her to feel welcomed and safe. And also started to help her by making her,little by little,accept how much poisonous Nero is to her. All the interactions and parallelisms they had in the cave? Pure agony for both of them. And I loved every second of it. I'll probably do a post only on that because the flashbacks scenes are living rent-free in my mind right now.

Commodus was underwhelming. He had a great start,especially with Apollo's memories of him before we even got to actually meet him in the book,but everything went flat pretty fast. I know that he is the weakest of the 3 but he got presented as a whole dangerous killing machine,and then? Nothing. I think he is "all brawn no brains" of the group since his strategies weren't really great,and were all based on brute force. I enjoyed Apollo's flashback of him because it gave the opportunity to see how their relationship ("definitely more than friends but we don't know what we are yet" stage?) was,and how Commodus took Apollo's "betrayal". The dude had it coming honestly,especially with how much shit he was doing back in the day.

All the new side characters (that had a bit of screentime and lines) were great. Hemithea and Josephine (with Georgina) were the most important ones without a doubt. I liked their subplot and how they took care of the main group. W acknowledging mental health! This was the first book where I could feel that it mattered. Other than that they were flat. Hemithea backstory is given to us by Apollo while Josephine apparently was a gangster that regretted what she did. Other than that,their characters is all about Georgina. Which fair,she is literally the daughter that went insane and was captured by the bad guy. It's understandable that they worry about her (and the griffins) but their characters are just that: worrying about Georgina. Josephine is barely acknowledged at all most of the time and Hemithea's only interesting subplot was the fact that she had to give up the immortality that Apollo gifted her,and that it wasn't easy for her to do so. But it's never shown. I also have no idea where her sister is,since they went to Artemis together. Is she with the hunters? Is she dead? Somewhere else enterely?

Lityerses had a whole character arc with a final redemption and is by far the one I liked most. Starting from being a total asshole with a desire for revenge against Leo,to being a total asshole to Commodus. We need more Lityerses in this world. The other (ex) prisoners were also flat: there were two demigods (we didn't even get to know their names or their parentage); Jamie that only gave us another pantheon that we will never see again; the hunter was completely useless because the Hunters of Artemis were going to be there anyway; Sssssarah–the comic relief; and probably other people too but that were never named. Out of this group Georgina was the only one that was plot-relevant because of Trophonius's message.

Speaking of him,Trophonius is a complicated one. He deeply cares about Agamethus a lot and is still pained from what happened. He also doesn't like Apollo and tried to kill Meg,but was still civil with them (how??) and even asked Apollo to destroy his cave. His relationship with Apollo is conflicted,because of what happened but he still hopes that one day Apollo will become the dad he never was to him; while him and his brother,even in death,care a lot about each other–which is interesting for me. Trophonius himself killed Agamethus as collateral damage but Agamethus was the one that asked him,and knew it was necessary,otherwise both of them were going to die that night. And Trophonius was devastated by his death,and he was until the end,his last words to Apollo were about his brother. Their story was tragic but they still love each other ever after everything–it's really heartwarming.

Riordan needs to find something else for the Hunters of Artemis since all the times they show up,they can never stay too long because they are going after some dangerous and ancient animals. A bit of creativity no? Ok-

I don't like how the Hunters of Artemis got retconned,because at the start the girls become hunters only to "escape" from men and romance. Now it's extended to "all the romance are off-limits" and as a aroace myself that's something I don't agree with. But I'll do a separate post on them because I hate their whole "man-hating" culture and their attitudes most of the time,but first I want to get to Reyna joining them because I have a lot to say about that too,I might as well do everything together. Artemis has a cult in these books,not a group of young women that are devoted to her.

Thalia is the only exception among them. And speaking of her,I wish Riordan would use her in the main story more,instead of giving her a short cameo per story. She has a lot of potential and let's not forget that she is Zeus's daughter,not a nameless demigod. If Riordan doesn't want her to leave the hunters then it's fine,you don't have to put the hunters everywhere she goes because Thalia is capable of doing things herself–as shown in the short story with Percy and Nico. Everytimes she pulls up there is always something important going on,and her help is always fundamental (not really with Orion but it was more of a Reyna sub-plot,so she had to defeat him). Even here,she saved Apollo and then proceeded to help the Waystation resident to fight Commodus,giving them a chance since the hunters were a lot,and they needed as many people as possible to fight him and his mini-army. Thalia herself is extremely powerful too,she went toe to toe with Percy in TTC and that was when she just come back from being a tree for years. But nope,let's have her almost always excluded from everything.

For the gods instead,it was a surprise knowing of Styx and that she is a real goddess,she is a very interesting concept. I really want to know more about her and I hope that Apollo will meet her again,especially with his broken promise. I'm conflicted on Britomartis because she straight up violated Calypso's magic –in her own body– something extremely important and sensible for her,especially now that it was "gone" (which I don't like because Calypso shouldn't be able to get her magic back after she left her island),but if she hadn't done it,they would have died in that zoo. Maybe she could have destroyed the net herself in another way,but she also couldn't alert Zeus of her presence since he doesn't want gods to help Apollo. There was no in between (maybe).

Artemis was only mentioned but it's still nice knowing that she is trying to stem the rule a bit to help her brother,and that she also cares about him like he does for her. Leto and Zeus's conversation got my attention. I love how Apollo,Artemis and Leto are extremely close to each other and then there is Zeus. Leto begging Zeus to end Apollo's punishment put emphasis on how much she loves him and can't see him suffer. Zeus is still Zeus,but I found it interesting how he was the only one that noticed Apollo during their conversation (if he really heard him like Apollo thought),while Leto couldn't.

I don't really have anything to say about the world building,because they realistically stayed in only 3 places (in the same city btw-) in this whole book,but the addition of the Waystation to this world is nice. It's nice knowing that there are safe places out there for demigods that don't feel under CJ or CHB radars. I loved its concept and it reminded me of a safer CHB,with actual people that help you out instead of whatever the hell Chiron is doing. The Oracle of Trophonius was also very interesting,shame that the cave got destroyed in the same book it got presented,but that's fine. There is a whole new pantheon introduced in this world that I know Riordan will never use again,he is like that after all: he adds everything he wants,but never uses what he has to do something interesting with it. But nope.

This post was lowkey more about the characters than anything else-

Anyway,this is all for now. I'll wait for a bit before starting reading the third book (maybe next week or the future ones),but I do want to get into more details for some elements of this one. The next few days are going to be interesting :D

[ariainstars]

TBBT: Raj Koothrappali Was Not „Done Dirty Due to Racism“

My five cents about this topic, since I’ve come across it a few times.

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom that thrives on clichés and openly, often tactlessly pointing out other people’s quirks and failures. All kinds of groups get relentlessly teased - men, women, nerds, sexy girls, Indians, Texans, Jews, and so on. I get it that it’s not everybody’s kind of humor.

However, all of the characters undergo a huge personal growth; if you’re not sure about that, you only have to watch one of the newer episodes and then one of the episodes from Season 1 or 2.

Raj Koothrappali is the character who grows and develops most than all the others, and what’s more, he does so on his own.

He overcomes his selective mutism when he realizes that deep down, he’s convinced of being “unlovable”: an insight he finds on his own. A major problem of the nerds the show is about is their preoccupation with finding a girlfriend / lover / wife. Before and after he overcomes his mutism, Raj has more girlfriends and hook-ups than any of the other guys. He decides to stop living on his parent’s money. He moves out of the place where he lived and starts making a home of his own (none of the other guys move to another place). He finds a much better and more prestigious job. He stops straightening his hair. He chooses not to marry Anu, a woman he doesn’t have anything in common with.

Leonard, a main character, pursues Penny until they finally are married; that’s all that happens for him. She becomes pregnant, which closes the circle to their first meeting when he said that “their children would be both beautiful and intelligent”; however, that pregnancy was an accident.

Howard meets Bernadette because Penny sets the two of them up. He becomes a father, and both times it was not planned. He always lives in his mother’s house. He never gets an upgrade or a better job; Bernadette keeps teasing him about the fact that he earns less than she does.

Sheldon develops a theory of his own which finally earns him his long-awaited Nobel prize. He gets married. He moves out from the place he used to live in with Leonard, to live only across the hall.

For good measure: Stuart. His comic book shop finally becomes successful due to an online review. He meets Denise because he employed her. He moves in with her at her suggestion.

Not only does Raj come much further than the other guys, most of the changes in his life are not coincidences, decisions made for him by other people or things he does together with others, but actual choices.

It’s true that in the end he is the only one of the bunch who is single, but I believe that it was the best wrap-up for his character.

Anu's relationship with Raj had been arranged by both their parents; she made him an offer of marriage herself. Raj only had to relent to her and their families and everything would have seemed all right. But although knowing her helped him grow for a while, he wasn’t in love with her, and quite rightly Howard, who knows him better than anyone else, pointed it out to him.

Raj is a hopeless romantic; he would have to meet a romantic girl and have a romantic love story with her, and that wouldn’t be fitting for a sitcom.

Penny’s development similarly was criticized because “she wanted to be an actress”. That was kind of the point. Penny matured enough to realize that she’s not good at acting, so she trained and made efforts to make career elsewhere, this time with success.

Choosing to stay single requires a lot of courage, in particular if all of your friends are married or paired up. Realizing that it’s better to be alone, respectively to wait until you meet someone who is actually the right person, is a sign of maturity, not of failure.

I can’t see any racism or misogyny in all of this; quite the contrary. Letting go of something that’s wrong for you is not the same as giving up a dream.

Therefore, I'm perfectly fine with how this show ended.

[brucenorris007]

“Silver doesn’t choose when he time travels.”

This is... a baffling decision to me. I mean, from a narrative standpoint.

Sure, he gets thrown around and put in Situations because reasons, haha, whatever, but...

I was under the impression that a major draw of these characters, these adolescent animals was the sheer degree of agency they have in their lives.

The only reason Vanilla and Vector haven’t literally adopted every single one of them (independently or jointly) is that the cast is so capable and self-sufficient already that people sometimes forget how young they are; so capable that even when they lack agency, they figure out a way to make agency for themselves.

And yet, Silver, the guy who suffers from tunnel vision arguably even more than Metal Sonic is just... at the mercy of some unnamed god’s whims?

That Silver the hedgehog? The Determinator whose philosophy for dealing with his enemies is equivalent to the fucking sentry turrets from the Portal series; IT’S ON SIGHT.

THAT Silver???

I get that some interesting stories and moments in this franchise are owed to Sonic and/or friends being dropped into Situations, but there’s usually a face responsible for dropping them.

Maybe there’s going to be some big reveal that ties into lore or something.

Right now it’s just... baffling.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

What do you think about Combustion man/sparky sparky boom man? Was he actually relevant or necessary for the book 3 plot? Was it even in character for Zuko to hire an assassin to go after avatar & co?

How much time you got? In short, I HATE with a fiery, burning passion everything about him.

Oh, did you ask why? I’m gonna tell you anyways…

Me, rubbing my hands before Book 3: I’m really looking forward to Book: Fire. I can’t wait to see something about the government and the politics of the Fire Nation, like we did with the others. And the fire siblings. Their relationship is so fascinating and full of contradictions, I love it. And the dangerous ladies. Can we get into that particular hot-mess? This should be good. 

Bryke: That’s boring. You know what would be cool? A guy that can make explosions with his forehead. I even have just the character-design.

Me: But the entire character makes no sense. He has no name, no background. He’s so powerful that the master-of-three elements Avatar, the greatest earthbender and a bloodbending waterbender can’t somehow deal with him? They even have a boomerang-and-space-sword-wielding plan-making genius? All you have to do is get behind the guy’s back…

Bryke: I know. Third-eye Explosions! Boom! Boom! That’s totally LIT!

Me: it also doesn’t really make sense for Zuko’s character. He immediately regretted his betrayal of Iroh and is very conflicted all the way home. He seems pretty bummed by his meeting with dear dad and that nothing is like he imagined it would be. And anyways, we saw him being compassionate and never really having the stomach for killing and violence. And he’s super-obsessed with honor. HONOR. HONOOOOOR! Hiring an assassin just seems kind of out of character. 

Bryke: Can’t hear you. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Me: And how does Zuko know this guy anyways? He just goes around the palace asking for assassin-recommendations? Or are you telling me, he always knew about him and could have just hired him way back in Book 1 instead of running around?

Bryke: It’s a kid show. Nobody will ask these questions. They’ll be too amazed with the EXPLOSIONS. And Zuko is DARK now and EDGY. Don’t you get the chiiiillz?

Me: Wouldn’t it make sense for Zuko to try to investigate himself every strange incident instead? I know… he could snoop around finding reports and getting more worried. If you want a cool design, make him the Blue Spirit again. That was great. He could maybe even beg an assignment investigating that factory Katara destroyed. I think it would be pretty cool if he realized immediately what had happened, and would be forced to cover it up, so Ozai doesn’t realize the Avatar is alive. And this way he could even meet Fire Nation commoners and see that the war didn’t particularly serve them well either. I mean if you plan to make him Fire Lord at the end of the series, wouldn’t it be meaningful for him to see the Fire Nation in its stark reality?

Bryke: Don’t worry. We got this. Zuko will be conflicted. He’ll brood. Even his hair will brood. It will be proper emo-length. And he’ll go to a beach party. Don’t you want to see a Fire Nation teenage beach party? It looks exactly like an American teenage beach party except everyone wears red. And there will be fire. E-X-P-L-O-S-I-O-N-S. BAAAM. That’s edgy.

Me:  But once Zuko realizes that he wants to be good and join the Avatar wouldn’t he just call off the entire assignment? It’s pretty anti-climatic.

Bryke: (*evil whisper) You cannot un-hire Sparky-Sparky-Boom Man.

Me: Why not? That makes no sense whatsoever. And you are not calling him that?

Bryke: Sure we are. It’s funny. Or maybe Combustion Man? Hmm, both are very cool. Anyways, then Zuko will swing in and Boom-Boom Man will almost kill him. BOOM-BOOM-EXPLOOOOOOOSIONS!!!!!

Me: Why would he want to kill Zuko? Isn’t Zuko paying him?

Bryke: Why are you nitpicking here? Combustion Man is not very smart. He just goes BOOM. The kids will love it. It’s fun action.

Me: Uhhm, OK. But if Boom Boom man is so dumb, how did he manage to come up with that whole trap for Katara and Toph in The Runaway?

Bryke: That was like six episodes ago? Who remembers that shit anymore? I know, we can add more booms and Sokka with his boomerang and the guy self-explodes. Boom Man is BOOM-eranged to death. It’s hilarious? Get it?

Me: Well… At least he’s dead. Let’s never ever mention him. Let’s forget he ever existed.  I’m so psyched about Zuko finally joining the Gaang. I waited 52 episodes for this….I’m not gonna let friggin’ Sparky-Sparky-BOOM-man ruin it. 

FIVE YEARS LATER…

Bryke: Hmmmm. Need some cool villains for this season. I know, I know!!!!… do you remember the best one we had? That guy with the exploding head???? I must have that drawing on the computer somewhere….

Me: No. No. that’s not your best villain. Remember Azula? She was great, smart, funny, chilling, tragic, great firebending, lots of booms. Or if you want someone with less high- profile, how about Long Feng, or Zhao or Hama?

Bryke: But do any of them have exploding heads???? No. You see? Sparky-Sparky-Boom-man, but this time we’ll make it a WOMAN. That’s originial. That’s representation. That’s progressive.

Me: Didn’t we say, we’ll never talk about this entire assassin-plot again? It was after all so OOC for Zuko.

Bryke:

X

Me: 

[sometimesrosy]

Hey. Just wanted to say wouldn't it have been great if we had some one on one interactions between Lxa and Bellamy in Season 3. Some sort of debate on any new policy or any sort of conversation. They both rarely ever had any talk. I wouldn't say it was a missed opportunity but i would have loved to see that.

There were some minor interactions between Lxa and Bellamy. All of them had Clarke involved.

The scene where Lxa is about to torture and execute Raven for attempted poisoning (now that I think of it, Raven totally would have done it if she thought she could get away with it, but she wouldn’t have used poison, she would have blown someone up, lol, actually wait, she TRIED to kill lxa when she gave Clarke that knife and told her to kill lxa. holy cow, she WAS guilty of of trying to assassinate Lxa how could I have missed that?) Clarke barged into the execution saying the poison was on the cup on the in the drink, but it was Bellamy who figured out it was Gustus, because he was trying to protect Lxa. That’s the first time Bellamy came to Lxa’s notice.

Although Bellamy’s first observation of lxa was at Finn’s execution. That was at a distance. And also had Clarke in the middle of it.

Then their next interaction was in s3 at the summit when Bellamy breaks in, we find out that MW has been destroyed and Bellamy asks Clarke to come home to her people. Lxa interrupts their conversation and says she needs to stay. Bellamy and Lxa never talk directly, but they talk through Clarke and she decides to stay. 

Bellamy and Lxa also talk ABOUT each other to Clarke. While B was in the mountain, Lxa was ALWAYS bringing him up, how Clarke had to save him by blowing up TonDC, how Clarke trusted him, how Clarke cared for him, on and on, so jealous. I remain convinced that part of why she sold Clarke out was because Clarke turned her down when she hit on her and immediately started praising bellamy. Jealousy. And Bellamy talks about Lxa in Hakeldama, and there is jealousy THERE, too, about Clarke choosing Lxa over him. The trigger for him putting the handcuffs on her is when she says “I know we can fix this,” probably meaning her and him, but he took it to mean her and lxa, as she meant it earlier in the conversation. Jealousy, jealousy, which neither would admit and Clarke probably missed, because she’s not really thinking about romance in s2? And in s3, she thinks Bellamy hates her, so he couldn’t possibly love her.

I don’t really know if I think bellamy and lxa SHOULD have interacted more. If lxa was one of the heroes, maybe, but I believe she was an antagonist... not only for the sky crew, but also for Clarke personally. Lxa kept Clarke from saving and returning to her people. That was her goal, and Lxa kept making it harder. Which makes her an antagonist.

Having Bellamy and Lxa have an amicable relationship would mean that Lxa was not an obstacle to Clarke’s goals, because Bellamy REPRESENTED her people, where she belonged. And here she was afraid of being a part of her people, of committing to staying with them, and wanting to run away. Lxa in s2 gives her the ability to run away from all the things she loves and substitute her life for something different, exotic and less painful. It didn’t turn out that way, but Lxa offered her the fantasy of a life that was not painful, that was luxurious and safe. It’s all an illusion.

I don’t think that having Bellamy and Lxa have conversations and shared screen time is a missed opportunity, because doing that would have changed the entire story, Clarke wouldn’t have felt torn between them, there would be no one or the other choice. It would have been an ACTUAL love triangle instead of Clarke’s symbolic choice of her own people or to run away into a fantasy. It also would have meant that the grounders and sky crew COULD work together and be allies, and POOF, there goes the storyline for the next couple hundred years.

Having B and L be friendly would have made this a different story, would have made CL less fraught and problematic and BC less angsty. Having B and L heightened the tension, narrative, political and romantic.

B and L friendship would have made it a nice family drama. Or maybe a political or royal drama. idk.

[howifeltabouthim]

That's not true. I did meet both Laura and my ex-husband in graduate school, but they weren't dating. That would be a better story. I am often thinking of the better story because the actual story is so often boring.

Miranda Popkey, from Topics of Conversation