Miraculous Ladybug Speculations

Let's talk about Zagtoon first.

First and foremost, we are getting far more spoilers than teasers. Trailers and teasers are meant to give a sneak peek and/or give something without context to make it great, sometimes interjected with, of course, pre-reviews that rival companies take because of rivalry.

Why the Disney fanbase can't seem to take it when a Dreamworks movie had been compared? When the Disney does it themselves?

Anyway, I'm getting off-topic.

Just Zagtoon, what the fuck are you doing?

Spoilering the shit out of this will ruin the creator's vision as well as the fans' enjoyment. For all I hate about fandom in general, fandoms are excited by tidbits despite knowing that the teasers/trailers/hints they got from creators are ambiguous and without context. Just look at the Pokeani episodes where Brock and Misty returned. Hell, even now that the VLD S4/S3b now released, fans are trying to determine the context and know they might get it wrong. Hell, Pokeshippers got wrong that the hearts around Misty was from Ash's point of view; well, they did point out that Ash did not disagree alongside Lana. They, however, weren't expecting the Pokeshipping in the next episode though. I was in awe at those little moments and the implications that even with Serena's crush on Ash thing, Pokeshipping is still huge and prevalent.

But this. Giving out spoilers like they were candy is not fun pre-release. The creators won't be able to tell the story and the fans' theories will dim. It will be less enthusiastic.

Look at VLD pre-S4 release.

• Creators and VAs hint at what might be happening. In a recent interview, Kimberly Brooks, VA of Allura, said that a lot will be happening in S4. People don't know what but it's making the fans worry who think Keith would detach from the team he meant to lead or whatever theory they cook up. 
• No, I will not say a word about Jeremy Shada. 
• No, I will not be talking about anything about race, sex, gender, and LGBTQIA+ anything at all. I will comment that we cannot put a media piece like VLD on a pedestal and expect it to give us the wonders of progressiveness we need in the world. We will take whatever progress we made for race, sex, gender, and LGBT to get the respect they sorely deserve and treat it as a step in the right direction. But we cannot put VLD or YOI on a pedestal just because they emphasize something the world needed to hear. They are media pieces that we can like and respect and also dislike and hate. We cannot hate needlessly something like who are there for entertainment as well as perhaps a telling piece about our society. You can enjoy problematic media just as long as you admit to them. I mean I love the Persona series and it is stepping in the right direction for a progressive Japan, but there are still flaws. Hating on something needlessly would not do any good at all. Seriously what is with the hatedom that sprouts out when something ends? I'm not talking about the sane fans who hate it because it disappointed them or have real constructive criticism because again they are sane. And I'm not talking about the antis either although that community can be aggressive (well certain members who picked fights and made discourse just to want to be proven right rather than you know let their post say themselves...as civilly and respectful as you always need to be). I'm talking about the vocal minority that has the power to potentially make a fandom toxic just from their aggression of their harassment and believing they are right in their opinion. What is with the negativity? Constructive criticism is alright but only in the right context like Japanese feminism for Japanese media. 
• The Paladin Vlogs. People, at this point, are thinking of a pattern and think that the vlogs might say something about S4, particularly Klangst. 
• The teasers and trailers we got. They are out of context and the fans certainly know that. They still trying to guess what is happening as far they can understand. This and also the fact that S4 is actually the second half of S3, a result of splitting up seasons to get more viewership. 
• So far, we only got the confirmation of Matt's appearance alongside rebels. Personally, I can't wait to see the rebels and Romelle. 
• No, I will not talk about the leaks which I heard Keith wearing Lance's jacket. Since I don't see them anywhere except Matt and Shiro on Kimiko Glenn's Twitter (Ezor's VA), I'm guessing Dreamworks and Mir worked it out. Even Tumblr, one of the many hellsites on the Internet, has little to none of the artwork that the one person unwittingly send online. 

See, it's small and tentative. Fans are guessing and excited until the date arrives. And Godoka who knows, how long the fandom has to wait until the first half of the actual S4 is released.

There is a difference for a spoiler that has little impact on the story (for example, in VLD, Pidge is finally reuniting with her brother in S3b/S4 and I think it is allowed because I don't see it get taken down. Even a VA has on her twitter and it wasn't taken down. I think Matt will play an important role) and something that has devastating impact that would be lessened if given pre-release (just look at yourself, Zag).

Give the creators time for treatment because this is their work. You guys are in charge of PR just like Nick, Cartoon Network, and others are doing. Even when some of their shows got fucked over by these networks, at least these shows give the creators the job to troll just as much as you are able to create a trailer that does not show what the actual show does. Look at Teen Wolf, canon versus fanon/PR which feeds into fanon. Teen Wolf is essentially Twin Peaks. It's a serialized building tension a la an anime; think more Psycho-Pass or Ghost in the Shell. It's not a Buffy 2.0 or a Monster of the Week thing. Despite Davis' best efforts, he could tell as much as he could in his finale and his Sterek was still allowed.

Do you want your audience to get the best experience they have, watching the show you gotten revenue from? You will alienate the people you expect the most revenue from.

Just give Thomas Astruc the respect he deserves from you that he did from his fans. He is creating your story that is gaining you more money than you ever thought it would.

Do you want quality that the creators have the time to work out? Or would you want a movie right now? Regardless of quality? Your ML Holiday Special is horribly paced and just average. While the show itself is flawed, it wasn't this flawed.

So yeah, I knew that Alya and Chloe will get Miraculous of their own. Given how prominent they are, especially from the potential character development is quite evident. I already called it as far as I learned there were more Miraculous in the world, perhaps how Chloe and Alya's roles are. I also expect Nino to either get the Turtle or the Peacock one.

Because I know they'll be getting some kind of character development out of receiving Miraculouses (just look at our duo!), I expect some goodness, be it fast growth or just anything. Just to show that they are growing.

Now that Gabriel Agreste is not Hawkmoth (for the love of Astruc, look what you done, Zag, look what you have done!!!!), I expect great changes.

I see the great change in the story. The story dynamic and status quo will be challenged.

That is something I want. Challenge the status quo in your story and show that nothing is the same anymore. Character development galore here as well as unpredictability while making sense would be awesome. There is a reason why I love VLD S3 so much.

Who knows what will happen?

Will Marinette and Adrien have to reveal to each other? Will the new Miraculous users find each other? What will Hawkmoth do now that there are more?

Will Gabe do his best to support his son in his endeavors? What is his backstory with Mama Agreste? Could he possibly be a former Miraculous user himself? His wife has gotta be one too!

Ooo, what about Mama Agreste? I actually have a fondness for the abusive mother Mama Agreste headcanon but who knows why she left them?

It's not as concrete as I have with my previous Speculations post. Yet even the Persona series got enough. I mean I can have a Speculation post about that because Atlus doesn't advertise it to spoiler. Seriously, they made a point for those who already got their games to not spoil. They give out bits and pieces alongside with basic premise to a certain extent like the Phantom Thieves aspect. People theorized that he'll an anti-hero but in actuality, if you know Japanese portrayal of phantom thieves, they are not anti-heroes a la Punisher. Do you remember Kaitou Kid? That is how Japanese see phantom thieves.

I seriously wouldn't have a problem before Zag spoiled loads of it to the point I don't even feel the glee to speculate as much as I did in the VLD and Persona posts. Just what the fuck, Zag?

Because while there were spoilers and plot important spoilers at that, I really don't want to say anymore.

We got a least three potentially plot important elements spoiled... The rant is up there if you want to read it again. While I do expect things to not be the same anymore, I just didn't expect straight-up spoilers.

I want this season to have the quality and reach the potential it has. I know that Astruc wants to do that and I trust him to give the best story he could ever tell.

I just...don't like how Zag is promoting ML to the point of milking the franchise. Now, Disney milked their successful movies (seriously, I don't recall many Treasure Planet at Disneyland last time I went there and I love that film, not one of my top but love it enough to watch it multiple times) to the point of milking it dry. Disney had seriously let Frozen's milk run far too dry to the point people just want to move on and the stores that were stuffed full of Frozen merch did not have the merch that people want. Seriously, where are the Hans toys? You would think a villain would get his treatment like how Pete or Scar or Ursula got them. People love villains so why not give to them? Sure they might interpret differently but still let them have their merch. Dreamworks was in financial disarray so they couldn't promote Captain Underpants as much as they wanted; seriously, don't forget they bounced from distributor to distributor until NBC finally saved them from filing bankruptcy.

Just Zag, don't give out your information like Halloween candy. Learn the difference between teaser and spoiler.

Edit: ML is not perfect. The writing is hit-and-miss. The strongest point is the characters, no doubt. They are human, flawed and can learn from their mistakes. Now the show does have feminist and diversity and certainly good intentions. I never read the comics but I heard one comic is horribly racist and while Astruc was well-intentioned, the action itself in the book was not good. He didn't notice it himself and again, do I have to say this, he is still unfortunately still have society that shaped him. Do you think Rebecca Sugar and Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim dos Santos have perfect records too? The Origins booklet and VLD S304 have been criticized for its racist implications. And yeah, I am not touching that. Not the episodes and merch mind you or the justified criticism. I am not putting anything bad that said aside. Just pointing about something about purity culture.

I just want to comment there is a difference between constructive criticism - subpar writing, writing that has unfortunate implications for example - and purity culture. There is not such thing as a perfect work. I love FMA, both manga and 2003 anime, and I know there are problems. Perhaps this is a Tumblr self-righteous no-boundaries bubble spreading to the point that fandom is being confused. Canon is not fanon. Fanon and Canon get along like oil and water. Purity culture - the expectation that things must be untainted and perfect although such thing is impossible and futile - is toxic. Saying things must be perfect meant that creators have to be perfect themselves...unless the fandom they're in was so tainted that purity culture is outnumbered. Seriously for all the SPN fandom is known for, antis and purity culture barely exist there. I never been so grateful to see a fandom continuing to be fandom space in one of the worst fandoms I seen. You know what, fandoms go be depraved and explore possiblities that these people, well-intentioned, was stupid to force on fandom space. They are not fighting the real fight when they should be protesting on the streets or do anything that is beneficial to the actual movement. Representation is necessary but not for the sake of purity.

Good intentions does not translate to good actions.

There is not such thing as a flawless work. Criticism is a healthy way for both creator and consumer.

Do not confuse human actions and flaws as something needed for purity.

Purity culture is toxic and should never exist. We're living in neo-Victorian era in Tumblr right now with worthless crusades against fandom-based. There is a difference between thinking that fetishing same-sex couples are a thing among queers too and not taking consideration of all ends of the argument.

Someone, please make videos of VLD with PR themes, specifically PRIS. I have seen videos with trying with MMPR and PRLR but none with PRIS. Come on, In Space fits perfectly. Use MMPR or SPD for the Paladins of old. If the rebels appear, use hmmm.... Lost Galaxy.

What Do I Find In My Ships?

I feel I have to post this first. The current trends in fandom are not good, to say the least. I just have to let these words out before I explode.

I know fandom is not a good place to be in. For all the words that say community and love with genuine criticism, then there is a minority that can gain popular circulation (like the Shakespeare authorship 'question') who is all out attacking everyone or well...just look down below. 

I know not all fans are like this but this needed to be said. 

I have seen the current shipping fandom...rather trapped in a bubble. I've been observing fandoms for over a decade now (I'm 22 turning 23 in several months from now). Shipping has always been a part of fandom since its conception. Seriously, the Holmes/Watson and Spirk are one of the oldest slash pairings out there.

However, the current trend is that "as presented in canon, this couple is the epitome of a healthy relationship".

...While there are people who certainly ships in that direction, people ship in many different ways like possibly seeing the change in the character, just wanting to have sex, domestic, alternate universe, and all sorts of reasons.

Shipping is subjective and should never be used as some kind of weapon. I hate shipping wars and ship hate with a passion. Stay in your lane and don't care about what others think about. I'm pretty sure the Shaladin pairings are in no way interacting with the fandom to a substantial degree, given the hostility. Shipping wars and ship hate is bloody stupid. There is no shipping in peace in the current day of fandom. Instead, these guys seemed to think that other people shipping problematic and/or nonexistent shipping should never ship it to the point of ship-shaming. I...just...don't...get...this... I understand that you want people to be more aware of the problems in the said ship like abuse or any another fuck-up but to the point of refusing other people to ship is utterly ridiculous. I don't hate on Bella X Edward shippers just because they love it. If they love it, cool. Just be respectful.

And it doesn't hate that even simple age difference with measly two, three, four is now considered pedophile. Do you see how broad people seem to take it despite in previous years this is nothing? Do you know what a pedophile entailed? The Otayuri shippers seemed to live in shame along with most SU ships while the May X Steven shippers are out and free. Even Wishfulshipping, where people seemed to argue about the ages of Iris and Cilan, are free. It seemed that in most fandoms outside of Pokemon, everyone seemed to prioritize age over chemistry. Instead, ya know...letting other people ship freely and peacefully without stupid discourse about this and that. Shipping is different from the actual canon material; you don't need canon to ship. In the present day shipping fandom though, it seemed like canon is basically the need to be. *Snorts* When people can ship something like Lance and Matt who so far never met in the show yet, I can't see why canon is basically the stickler when shipping is basically subjective and you guys can do anything in shipping because shipping is supposed to be fun.

Not this toxic waste.

There is something different between canon (something that is shown almost all over the world in different forms of media) and fanon (something that is through the internet, whether or not people can find through piles and piles of posts, articles, meta, etc that includes many sub-fandoms and trash. Even now, I still can't find a post I wanted to reblog on my post since I first saw it in high school). Otayuri is fanon and people are allowed to ship it just as much as people are allowed to not ship Solangelo, a canon ship. I still shipped Tokka even though the ATLA regarded that as a fanon couple. People are allowed to like Zutara. People are allowed to ship Shallura regardless of what other people have to say. Age is utterly meaningless in the shipping domain.

Nobody can police what people can and cannot ship. I honestly don't care about Wincest or Hidashi or Elsanna because I see why people would ship them. I don't even read fanfiction about these ships and I think that people are going overboard just trying to destroy the ships. Look if it was something like showing incest in canon is one thing (hell, Code Geass has subtext and ship teasing between siblings like Lelouch and Euphemia for example) but in fanon, where fans create and interpret what they want (either taken too far because of shipping wars/ship hate/pressuring other people to ship it too/harassment/lots of other bad stuff or simply wanting to have fun like creating ships for people in canon who met briefly or never met before in canon), it's suddenly a blight on the fandom... Even Code Geass is pretty laid-back on shipping the siblings and I don't see them trying to destroy the shippers or anyone who dared to ship them.

There is something called crack ships, ya know. Or crossover ships. It's like people seem to think that they have the power over a fandom when most people won't be swayed. It's a waste of time, trying to dissuade people from not shipping something. Despite efforts from anti-shippers against the ships I mentioned before, the ships are still strong, just not vocal and it's not because the antis are winning because it seemed like the antis are fighting to get their word out when people just don't care about shipping or because they interpret it differently. Shipping is by and large subjective and meant to be fun. Not serious business to the point of being policed.

If you hate the ship, avoid it. You have an all-out vent on something that remained in your lane. You are allowed to criticize it. You, however, are not allowed to harm other people who shipped a pairing you don't enjoy.

Shipping is not activism. Shipping is a niche in fandom, a subsection. It doesn't hurt nobody because people interpret differently and doesn't have the power to make it so. Yes, TV/movies/etc have the power to create representation that the world desperately needed and does have the power to hurt when writing does not do it justice. Shipping is entirely fandom-based. And I won't start getting into diverse media where people with different experiences consumed diverse media differently. Shipping does not mean that the person supported pedophilia or any of those -isms that starting to lose meaning by the way the internet kept throwing them around. I even threw away the Mary Sue/Gary Stu trope because the internet have been throwing them so much those words lost meaning.

The current fandom of shipping is stupid and the trends are not positive. Instead, it would likely push people away from pairing the couple or associating with the fandom in any positive way.

If fandom is supposed an all-around community of similar interests, then some people take too far.

Don't get me started on those who hate on characters who get character development when the show had shown character development and development in general from other characters. The current trends in fandom are bloody stupid because most people can't seem to think unless their fave is in the spotlight. It's like the current generation is full of entitled assholes who think their opinion is the best and cannot look at something critically because their favorite or it became a series that focused on one character is not given the spotlight despite evidence to the contrary. It is utterly disingenuous to the other characters who have been given development and just as much screen-time devoted to them alone.

I have problems with fandoms for a long time; I could rant about it for hours or make another post altogether. If you wish to enter a fandom, please tread carefully. Not all fandoms will have niceties though because even Pokemon have their toxic fandom, however small.

The clip displays one of my favorite ships, Suzaku X Lelouch. I have a special fondness for best friends turned enemies trope as well as the royalty and knight dynamic, the latter of which I love extensively. Like really bad.

One of my top tropes for a favorite couple of mine is the surprise. Not the surprise that you think of like a couple that is total opposites in different ways. The surprise I'm talking about is that they surprise each other.

I always love that detail so much that if a couple shows this at some point, they are either immediately higher on my radar or would make me board a ship with provisions to last an eternity. The pairings below are self-explanatory.

• Viktor Nikiforov X Katsuki Yuuri
• Sherlock Holmes X John Watson - of any reiterations, especially that of Canon. I utterly refuse to have the Mary Russell for one (If there is one thing Sherlock is now good for, is that the show is better than that series, aside from the incredible acting and chemistry from Ben and Freeman...seriously I think that's why the show is so popular is because of their leads' acting chops in awful storytelling) and I corrected in my head at least the many problems of Sherlock and the many other adaptations.
• Suzaku Kururugi X Lelouch Lamperouge/vi Britannia 
• Miyuki Kazuya X Sawamura Eijun 
• Richard X Asbel 
• Barney X Robin 
• Kotetsu X Barnaby 
• Marinette X Adrien 
• Ash/Satoshi X Misty/Kasumi 
• May/Haruka X Drew/Shuu 
• Sakura X Syaoran 
• Stiles Stilinski X Derek Hale 
• Mogami Kyoko X Ren Tsuruga/Kuon Hizuri 
• Heiwajima Shizuo X Orihara Izaya 
• Yuuri Shibuya X Wolfram von Bielefeld - The surprising part would come from Wolfram, to be honest. I always liked how Wolfram, despite the odds against his favor of having a good marriage, 
• Yuzuru Shino X Seryou Youji of BL manga Seven Days 

And these are just the many couples I ship happily, very much so. Notably that Suzaku X Lelouch and Richard X Asbel are similar enough for me to ship it hard. I saw platonic Suzaku X Nunnally (I really don't get them as a couple at all; I saw more of their interactions as less love-interest and more brother-sister) and the romantic Suzaku X Euphie (which I do like just as much as I like Lelouch X Shirley which is good. I don't hate either couple though because I have a higher opinion on that two couple than say Asbel X Cheria...which I don't ship at all. I have a hard time seeing Cheribel nothing more as a one-sided 'romance' when I know that Tales have done better with their romantic subplots...like Veigue and Claire & Luke X Tear & hell even Asch X Natalia).

Admittedly, when I used to ship, I think it would be cute for them to get together. I still do but it's more domestic now.

Notably, the ships I love have chemistry. Cheribel has so little chemistry and doesn't help that the F arc forced them together in ways that make me uncomfortable. On the other hand, Wolfram X Yuuri has chemistry due to the screentime they have including Wolfie's tsundere-ness.

While chemistry is certainly a factor, what I do want is a perfectly good couple I can go on board with. Yes, even with the most problematic unhealthiest of couples.

Now that would go against how I would go about with Cheribel. People can ship what they like; they don't need canon for it. All they need is their interpretation and that would go along merrily. I saw ship-shaming for problematic pairings like Emma X Hook from Once Upon a Time or Wincest. I rarely ever ship now. Seriously, the only couple I shipped strongly in VLD is Klance while everything else like Shallura (though I do love it) is pretty much okay or just don't care. When I was in the Tales of Zestiria domain, I'm pretty sure I only shipped Mikleo X Sorey just as strong while everything else is okay. When I got back to the ATLA fandom, pretty sure that I shipped Tokka strongly while having a liking towards Zuki while okay in everything else, even Zutara which I deemed just okay. In the BNHA fandom, I'm pretty sure I shipped TodoDeku while having a liking for JiroMomo and everything else is just okay like BakuShima. I'm actually crossing into the Lego Elves: Secrets of Elvendale one day ago so who knows what I ship there.

I do ship Barney X Robin after all. The pair individually is a fuck-up but they understand each other. The two of them can be unhealthy together. Unlike Ted X Jeannette which is unhealthy for a whole different reason altogether, this pairing has so much potential rather than Ted X Robin which is an all-out Nice Guy syndrome.

This is just an observation but Tales have been changing up the dynamics of the stories. Vesperia has an older man as a protagonist (not the first, though; Veigue) and the main girl and boy didn't have a romance despite them meeting first. Graces would be the first unrequited love between the main protagonist and supposedly main girl but that failed spectacularly since they forced the two together anyway. Even then, the main heroine is Sophie rather than Cheria. Xillia has two POV to pick, one of which is a woman but there are no childhood romances between Leia and Jude. Milla fits more of the Hero of Tales series type rather than Jude. Jude uses his fists in battle rather than swords although SeneSene had already done that. Xillia 2 has a silent protagonist for the first time ever in a mothership title and the main girl would be the love interest...except that love interest died and the real main girl was the little girl. In fact, it might be the first time the hero of a Tales title died. Zestiria would have Alisha be the main girl but the main girl turned out to be Rose or Lailah. In fact, there is no set heroine in Zestiria at all but there is a childhood friend that hit the same notes or the first girl meets boy meeting through Mikleo and Sorey. Berseria has a female protagonist and no romances at all with a team full of antiheroes (usually Tales has a few antiheroes per game and per party...and yes that includes traitors ).

Mini-Review: Death Note 2017

So it came out. That thumbnail for this video seemed to show Light meet Ryuk for the first time...and it's hilarious. Just watch that scene in its context rather than the context you thought it would be...

Now the film is still whitewashing, not to the extent of Ghost in the Shell 2017. The film doesn't exactly justify the setting update and change to America. America has totally different ideals. It could potentially discuss the racism, social system, and much more that had become prevalent in the American society including white privilege. It could even discuss the American ideas of terrorism, domestic and international. Instead, well... style over substance.

Let's go into the good stuff first.

Aesthetically, it's macabre. While Death Note is a dark shounen and played with the common tropes, it is well-known for its over-the-top dark noir style. It has a lot of styles and I do appreciate that. I mean I still appreciate the style and cinematography of the anime...to the point, it's very funny. There is stuff in the anime that I found unintentionally funny. Yes, it has great cinematography and one of the few things I can praise.

I will give credit that it's ambitious and that the team behind this film are fans. They are trying so hard but failed to. While I don't consider myself a huge fan of DN, I am those who want to see the film for its goods and bads. I want to like this film; instead, I just considered it boring and tedious to sit through; the characters are dull and uninspired and the plot is all over the place and glossed over. When I said I was looking at my phone halfway in, I do mean I was already looking up Klance fan fiction. I want to call it good but it failed to entice me with its messy writing. The film genuinely does want to tell a good story but it failed as an adaptation and on its own merits. The Japanese films, where even the Light there can be either depicted as good (heck there is one that showed Light as a Misa fanboy...ironically, I didn't hate the show and just considered it fine and mediocre) or just plain horrible a person (the films). Why does those Japanese produced films and show managed to do what this film misses?

Design-wise, Ryuk looked utterly amazing. Think of the CGI Ryuk in the Japanese live-action and compared it to this. Ryuk looked so real. The acting for Ryuk is good enough and compared to the other actors and actresses, he's Meryl Streep. Both he and L's actor are freaking Meryl Streep in comparison to the other actors.

The unintentionally funny moments are the best parts honestly. They are trying so hard to make Light and Misa look and act badass without any kind of writing to back them up. Not when the first scene Light was so funny when he met Ryuk for the first time; it's hilarious when he screamed so loud that I thought anybody could hear him. Not to mention he certainly got detention... Just throw them in obviously evil clothing and try to make them as bad as they were in the original. It's funny because they aren't doing anything at all. These characters are sloppy to hell and back. The over-the-top gory deaths and the musical choices give me the tickles to think about because it didn't fit the tone of the darker and edgier; it's just more narmier.

Now for the negatives...

Look I understand the point of an adaptation but the film doesn't. The film was more like time-crunching as much as the mythos as possible rather than give the story and characters more time to flesh out. When they do flesh it out, it's either exposition without anything to back it up prior to that (like the bully thing but they pushed the bully archetype so hard that the fact that Light is now the outcast like in any high school dramas.). A bully is a bully and they don't seem to understand why people bully. The people in this universe really are stupid enough to take seriously.

The movie is just hilarious to watch. On the downside, it's dull for me to turn to my phone and keep barely half an ear and eye.

The writing did not seem to get Death Note's themes at all. The basic literary functions like foils are barely there (if they were there, then I would notice the contrast but these guys almost blended together) and movies move contrivances to contrivances like no tomorrow. It's like the director just made a checklist for the script. There's no unreliable narrator here to justify any of these. Seriously, the closest thing to foils in this film was Misa and Light. L was more of an irritation to Light than an actual threat. It doesn't feel like the cat-and-mouse chase that DN has at all. L is too good and Light is too stupid. The other characters are beyond help or stupid. I was laughing-crying when Light and Misa outright discussed the MacGuffin in the open. I would understand that you want to paint the world as apathetic but people with brains will worry when you want to kill people.

The setting update is less used, unfortunately. I thought from the trailer, they will go deep on the issues that America has from terrorism to the justice system to racism in that system. But not really... It didn't even go into that. It's like it's trying to reach a general audience that included kids but trying also to not make it too dark. Ironic when the original Death Note is unafraid to speak their minds about the then current issues and the human nature.

The setting is just a backdrop and just there. It's hey, we're America! We have nothing to do about this. They tried to explain Kira's nickname but it's glossed over and stupid. Why involve Japan? That meant that Light would have to know the Japanese high school system and the possible activities. And it implied that Light didn't even try to do that because the scene afterward pretty stated that the Japanese connection did not bother when there is the internet to worry about. How about letting the idea that the name Killer is going around but the Japanese Kira began to make way because it sounded cooler?

I thought they would use the internet to their advantage that the influence of Kira was far more extending. Fansites and discourse are galore on the Internet; barely even showing social media did not help the story one bit. Why would Misa's counterpart think to use a forum for more murders? Are you stupid? And as it turns out, these guys were, in fact, real criminals. I just...wow... Instead, the worship of Kira was glossed over in a montage. They could have developed it more. We see less of the Kira worship than even the character development.

Humor doesn't seem to mesh well. The original Death Note does have humorous scenes and integrated into the story like the infamous handcuffed scene. The film is trying so hard for humor than the unintentionally funny moments like I really can't take seriously the deaths or Watari's singing at all. Nolan did his humor well in his dialogue. Even the show I am currently watching, Voltron Legendary Defender, have transformed their childish humor into a much better-integrated one without lowering the values of the characters of those who got little to none development. This film's humor didn't establish as well as one would hope, especially since the tone tried so hard to be an adult and failing to be an adult.

The actors have so little to work with in terms of the script. Most of the time, I felt they were going through the motions and time-crunching out as much mythos as possible. Motivations aren't clear and jumbled. I find it hard to sympathize or understand the characters, no matter how I disagree with their method. Now Death Note, manga and anime and live action, are flawed and it isn't one of my top anime. I enjoyed the motivations and the deep characterization especially Light. Y'know that I found Light to be sympathetic because I can see his circumstances that led him to where he is.

This Light doesn't seem to know which direction he is going. The writing wants to make him sympathetic but the poor writing made him look like a sadist without any real thought of why he's a sadist (again gore over substance) or the pre-Light's sanity slippage or a whiny teen or the clever Light that I know of. Doing other people's homework doesn't exactly show that the guy is smart. You guys can make a genius, Y'all. They seemed to take Light's bending of the rules in the original from the very start rather than start out small like Light did. Why didn't they start with the heart attacks? It's simple and normal. The contrivances of his first victim, Kenny's death, was so hilarious I can't stop laughing; I just can't take it seriously at all. Hell, they don't seem to understand why Light jumped off the deep end. They want him sympathetic but he's so dull and clumsily written that the acting doesn't help matters at all.

Character development is something I strongly love in media. This is why I prefer the new formation in VLD because I want to see these characters embrace their full potential and grow as people. The character development in this film was so minimal and I could hardly see where any of these characters going because there are so predictable or unpredictable in Light's case. Normally, unpredictability is a thing I embraced but not so much here when it's clumsy writing.

Look, this Light was basically a dream come true for those who see Light as this martyr despite his piles of bodies. Never ever forget the bodies, buddy. Light was brought down by his perceived cleverness rather than the toxicity of the Death Note. The Death Note seemed to exacerbate the flaws of the holder and this movie does not do it justice. Every character is far too dull and uninspired. It's like the Death Note MacGuffin was dropped in a high school drama.

Misa is the one I have no freaking clue why she wants to do what she does. We know she's a bad girl but there's no motivation. She's just evil to prod Light in the direction. There's literally nothing to her character. There's no stalker or killer of her parents here, folks. Just evil. Forget her own cleverness in the original, just...evil without any rhyme or reason for her evilness. She's even duller than cardboard; she's not Lady Macbeth to no extent. I can sympathize with Lady Macbeth; I can't sympathize with Mia. I don't even feel an inkling of sympathy or why should I care about her? There is a difference when I can sympathize with a guy like Zarkon and Haggar who have the potential of tragedy and someone who is just evil for evil's sake.

The Misa and Light's relationship did not help. I can see why Light is interested in her but not so much Misa. Is Misa drawn to his bad boy look? Outcast? Why is she attracted to him before the Death Note mess?

The morality play doesn't play much. It's not the ideologies that clashed, just cargo lugging in the water. I don't feel any of the gray morality that Death Note is known for. Light is possibly the least evil...or stupid. Misa, as I mentioned before, was so evil that I don't bother her. She certainly has agency but I don't see the point of her relationship with Light at all. They're just together with no rhyme or reason. L was now suddenly so stupid and flying off the rails from the original L that I felt nothing for the guy but sympathy for the actor that he has to go through the motions.

The other characters didn't help at all. Sometimes these guys are just there just for the fact that they are from the original series and have any importance to the plot. Their motivations are just as clueless as the main protagonists. Soichirou seemed to be debating back and forth when the original series' Soichiro was the noblest of them all. His motivations are unclear? Look we get that in the original that Soichiro didn't believe Light is Kira and died believing that. But here? Sometimes, the acting of the Soichiro didn't get through and all I got was a debating father who knew his son is the murderer.

The film could use foils but it's awful to see they aren't even using the basic literarily techniques. They tried to do that with Light and L but failed miserably. I was laughing mad when I realized they aren't doing anything with the relationship. I'm not an L X Light shipper at all but I pretty much prefer whatever shipping that fans churned out than this mess of a relationship.

The relationship between L and Light is horribly wrecked. I always loved the mind games in the original series. This relationship is just awful overall. L is more of an irritation for Light than an equal. Instead of ideologies and foils, the diner mind battle seemed less like that and more a mess of miscommunication because L is too good and Light is too stupid. The two are foils and in this adaptation, they're not even foils. The potential of another layer of foil is right there but they don't even take it. Instead, they ignored it and just doing stupid stuff that I want to drink.

L... Ya think they would grasp the potential of having a black detective against a white son of a detective? Nope.

Overall, the film is dull. There is much potential if they could just see it. Instead, the prioritizing of style over substance is evident. Exposition over showing the events. If they were showing anything, it's not coherent. It's just stupid drama upon stupid drama.

So I heard that the creators of the original Death Note approved of the film? More power to you two! The Captain Underpants movie actually showed why the books are so memorable in the first place with the many things I recognize from the books. I recognize the spirit and themes of the books just as much I did with the HTTYD films. This film didn't have the spirit of the original series; the only spirit thing they got was the bare minimum of the plot in an American setting.

Personally, I don't see the point of the film at all with the lack of motivations and lack of development. It was all over the place.

It's better off as a live-action original series. I am still waiting to see the Percy Jackson and the Olympians as a Netflix original. If Lego Elves and Series of Unfortunate Events got it, then so can PJO!

Honestly, I have to indulge myself in VLD and PJO afterward because the storytelling there is coherent. Character development is always a thing for me, negative and positive.

Look at the character development and interactions! Fandom, let them develop to their fullest potential! We do not want stagnating characters; we need well-rounded and dynamic characters. Don't designate common traits just because people said so, just because it's easier! Allow character flaws!! Look at what is shown versus the telling. Show, don't tell is something you need to learn.

Now, look at this Pokeani news~!

Holy mother of Arceus!

Wedding Headcanons

Notice that before the ceremony, the grooms served tea to their family. That's a Chinese wedding tradition that my cousin also have at her wedding. 

I've been kind of obsessed with weddings lately. While I fully support the idea of same-sex marriage, I honestly prefer the pomp and circumstance rather than knowing the actual marriage part. I know what marriage entailed and at this point in my life, I have no plans to get married. While I don't mind dating, I have no current desires to marry. I think one of my cousins is going to be a bride sometime in the future, considering we actually met the guy at a family gathering and family gatherings are a huge thing. And even then, that might not actually go through with a wedding-thus-marriage.

I'm just going off pair-by-pair, I supposed. I'll add when I think of a pairing.

Note that these probably include non-canon couples especially if/when canon debunk it.

Klance: I will update this as the series go on. 

Please note that this concerns potential thoughts of the future seasons and yes, this takes consideration of the major character development and probably some major plot developments.

• Lance prepared one of those big marriage proposals (like fireworks) but it was Keith who proposed first...spontaneously because he thinks it is natural. Lance still proposed anyway.
• Technically, it's a destination wedding but it's actually a wedding with a local involved. 
• Both Lance and Keith planned the wedding; mostly Lance but Keith still input something or put his foot down when ideas are too ridiculous (like a huge wheel or an artist). The overall atmosphere was semi-formal. 
• Wedding rings were engraved heartbeat rings. 
• The theme is the relationship, the progression and thereof. The color scheme is red, blue, and black. Lance is making sure it's not looking like Fourth of July. The flowers are red. The bridesmaid dresses are blue while holding the red flowers. The groomsmen wore black suits with the mismatched blue/red tie/bow depending on the groom's side. 
• The cake is wildly different (a four tier separated with each tier almost touching each other) and Hunk needs to take consideration of the temperature and the venue (outdoor beach open-top tent wedding in Varadero Beach). Instead of being stacked on top of each other, Hunk decided to make a 'staircase', leading to the apex of the relationship. The topper is basically a specially made figurine with the couple in their Paladin armor. While the wedding colors are there (red, black, blue), there are also purple and orange. The cake showed the progression of the relationship through colors. The first tier has an orange frosted line at the very bottom that slowly climbed into blue; it's blueberry filling. The second tier still has a shade of blue but grows into the red; this cake is red velvet with strawberry. The third tier was a red and blue in an almost watercolor fashion; this tier is strawberry and blueberry. The last tier is blue and red turning purple with the frosted line as chocolate black; this is chocolate. The couple fed each other a slice of the third tier. Each cake was connected by chocolate sculptures of the Lions they piloted painted with edible. 
• His moms and little brother helped with the cake as well. Hunk was stuffed with Best Man duties, the chef of the reception dinner, and now cake duty. 
• Alien guests stayed in the castle-ship while there is a hotel specifically for the human guests. Lance's family stayed either in their own house or the family house. The grooms stayed separately before the day of the wedding. 
• Before the ceremony, they did Japanese wedding traditions; the sake ceremony for example. Shiro personally bought the sake in his trip to Japan to meet with relatives. 
• Private Ceremony is at Varadero beach with close friends and family, held in the afternoon. 
• Vows are incredibly sappy, especially from Keith's end who rather than sprout out flowery vows, he bluntly stated the truth of how much Lance meant to him and Lance in his life. 
• Reception is also at the beach with an open-top tent, with hanging chandeliers. The newlyweds wanted the guests to enjoy the stars. They also invited Shay, Kolivan, and other aliens they befriended. 
• Shiro's Keith's Best Man and Hunk is Lance's. Allura is also one of Lance's wedding party alongside his siblings. I fell in love with the Allance/Allurance dynamic in S3 and hoped that it continued. Pidge and Axca are part of Keith's wedding party alongside Lance's other siblings. His nieces are the flower girls and nephews are the ring-bearers. 
• Lance's parents walked him down the aisle while Shiro walked Keith. I am making Shiro walk down Keith because I don't know at this time would Keith let his parents walk him down. 
• Hunk and Lance's family who even has the culinary talent was in charge of the reception dinner. Hunk wanted to make the cake so badly; Lance and Keith knew that he'll make the perfect cake anyway and after trying on flavors that he wanted to add to each tier. 
• A mix of Japanese and Cuban culture into the mix; this is an interracial couple after all. Since this is a western wedding, they still chose to implement certain Japanese wedding customs. This is also part of the reception's dinner as well. Yes, there's an open bar that also has an alien bartender who mixed drinks for the aliens or any human willing to try. Thankfully, the bartender is also ethical so he will make drinks for the adults or the drinks acceptable after getting quite a discussion with the grooms and wedding party. 
• Shiro and Hunk gave embarrassing Best Man speeches although it's still heartwarming. 
• Lance wanted a big wedding that he went all out with. There were monograms on napkins/programs/guestbook/etc, practical wedding favors that he knows for certain the guests will use (notepad), and so much more. The color scheme was black, red, and blue. There are other wedding traditions such as the first dance, bouquet toss 2x (one was tossed to Shay and the other to Allura), unity ceremony. Hunk was blushing all the way through. Tables designation were actually places important to the pair; the seating chart was mostly pictured with the names listed below. The main table is actually Team Voltron in general with the grooms' chairs having their respective color ribbons (Keith has a red/black) and Lance has blue/red with the red tying them together... Now that I realized that, it's almost like the red string of fate.
• The grooms have two speeches. One as a thank you and the other was a toast to their parents or family figures. This does not include Team Voltron though. 
• There's crowd games as well as games involving the grooms. There's even a game involving the grooms to kiss at the reception. Shiro, Pidge, and Matt tried to abuse it in a way that didn't look too suspicious. 
• There are wedding videos and photos from the hired photographers, one of which was short and the other was long. There is one similar to the Tiff and Case Wedding Video, showing the important parts. 
• Coran wanted to wed the couple so he actually went to get a license to marry them. 

As for the Nation-tans, if the country they represent ever have same-sex marriage, they will take it gladly. Both Alfred and Arthur married in every state that has same-sex marriage available before the Supreme Court's decision where they then married in the remaining states. If one of the countries still banned gay marriage, then they'll marry in their significant other's country if they have it. If either didn't have it, they'll wait. Knowing the Nation-tans' petty grudges, I don't think they'll want to marry in other countries. The show may look like it pushes xenophobia when really these guys can only spend time with each other because of their lifespan and they don't really hate each other as they proclaimed, judging by the comics. I'm by this headcanon.

Voltron Legendary Defender Speculations

I might make this a new section in the blog like Speculations or something like that. I am more straightforward and up to the point.

Anyways, if anyone has seen that edit I made in my previous Voltron post, you would know that I really like this season and found it satisfying. Sure that are moments that could be put in there; for example, Keith giving the Red Bayard to Lance or Lance talking to the Red Lion before taking flight.

Anyone know that VLD takes elements from GoLion and the original Voltron to make a whole new narrative. Characters were redefined and new narratives are made. It's clear that the creators did see the originals and made their version with love. It's different from Teen Titans Go! and the Powerpuff Girls reboot. I mean those shows I mentioned were legit awful. There is a difference between making a well-written show (Teen Titans, Batman: The Animated Series) that respects the source material while making it their own and making a show that disrespects the source material (PPG reboot and TTG).

VLD is the former of the two and how glad I am for that. Sure there are storytelling issues like characters not getting enough focus or relegated to comic relief (shows do need levity while making sure that the seriousness of the situation is not downplayed; My Hero Academia does this well and VLD does humor well) and characters' relationships less shown and more implied even with all the filler, not focusing on the more important parts such as character interactions but it's still better than the other reboots I mentioned.

Anyway, let's get started.

The show is going to make their own story. Zarkon and Haggar are totally different from their counterparts. Lotor and his generals are different, considering his ladies are competent fighters in their own right. How about the originals of originals of Paladins? The creators even stated that they wanted to explore more of the paladins of old.

Considering that we are going to get Clone Shiro similarly like what happened in Young Justice, then you know that it's a play with the myth. Hell, it might be possible that Clone Shiro would actually be killed off because you know the original show supposed to have Sven and his equally doomed twin. The shows love Mythology Gags; for example, the latest season shows the original team in their suits with mismatched lions. Yes, Keith originally piloted the Black Lion in red armor, Lance the Red in blue armor, and Allura the Blue in pink armor. Not to mention, the first episode paid tribute to the dens the lions were hiding in as well as the world named Arus (another name for Altea in Voltron) and well the scar that Shiro has on his face, marking the same place where his counterpart was killed in Golion.

About the survivability of these characters, people are theorizing that Lance will likely die in the future likely as a result of proving himself. It would be a dark path for Lance and I could see that path happening but not so much death. Near-death experiences or nearly fatally wounded because a death makes little sense to his character arc. Taking drastic actions would be something that Lance would do probably in the future. Please think of a character development and how it should go. VLD might not have a lot of death on par with the original series but at least it has to make actual sense in terms of character development as well as the plot. I mean Shiro suffered from PTSD and would make little sense for him to die. How about defying the mentor occupational hazard and let the mentor live? My Hero Academia's All Might was foreseen to die a violent death but the narrative stated over and over again that All Might would defy it and will live. Why not subvert tropes and play with them? An execution of tropes is not bad considering that the superhero frenzy still plays up the original tropes, even anime based on homages.

These VLD staff made it clear it's between the barometer of ATLA and LOK. Netflix was hands-off as opposed to Nick. It's still a lighthearted show but they are still willing to go into dark areas. They even expressed happiness about exploring controversial issues that Nick wouldn't allow. Considering that Team Avatar and the New Team Avatar survived the entire series with rough edges and underwent massive trouble to get their happy ending, I can see that these characters need to earn their right for a happy ending after going through a death-defying epic war.

As for romance, there could still be potential. We still don't know which couple would be the endgame. There's still Kallura, the one couple that has been a fixture of the series since the eighties. GoLion seemed to prefer the different route altogether, making it ambiguous whether or not Fala ended up with anyone and suggested that she could end with other guys on the team preferably. However, this series is its own beast; it could take inspiration from the original series and GoLion to make it their own. Shiro is now the leader, Pidge is now a girl, the freaking Holts, the Quintessence. I don't hate the ship personally; y'all could ship it all you want. If they wanted a Kallura romance, they could at least draw it out with Keith being part Galra as a starting point and as of now, a romance would be forced especially how the story structured. We could still get romantic notions then and there like hints of interactions that Sterek did (there were lots of lines that pretty much stated that Stiles and Derek interacted outside of Scott's view) but none suggested that not even the Keith is Galra line. You could make the case when Keith went to Allura after Lotor stole the comet yet there's nothing romantic about that. I mean most relationships in VLD are underdeveloped (but the show is progressing even in the split-seasons) but the couple just doesn't feel right. Then there's Klance. This ship has potential to go from a rivalry-to-lovers ship and better yet, interracial gay. This show is different and has the potential to befit the progressivism that the world sorely needed. They could make it progressive and not go into something heteronormative. If the writers seriously wanted LGBT representation or at least explore controversial topics like sexuality, they have to make it central or draw the eye to it.

Look, I like Klance and more cautious if the writers ever chose to go down this route. Netflix might be a totally different ground to play opposed to telly but would they go the Korrasami route? The slow-build romance route? With slightly overt hints? Okay, people would love a canon couple there already in the show like Steven Universe and Glee did with theirs. There are shows out there that wanted a slow build romance on par of Scully and Mulder; there's Sterek, another mm couple that has that slow build that Jeff Davis desperately wanted to tell. It's really hard to get one's hopes up because shows are almost always hetero-normative while those who shipped same-sex couples rarely have that chance. I don't want to immediately say that Klance is canon now because it's lending too many expectations when the likelihood of the story already written, just that the writers needed to write it all out. Six seasons are enough to develop relationships, character development, plot threads, and avoid the pitfalls they had were previously criticized for. They have six seasons in total before Netflix decided to split up seasons a la Teen Wolf; I am just calling it S3b, okay. For all we know, these interactions might as well pave the way to a lasting friendship. Don't place too many expectations on the creators. The last thing we need is a repeat of Sherlock S3 where the show undoubtedly made the possibility of a romantic Johnlock null and void, leaving a heavily disgruntled LGBT fanbase.

I'm not asking anyone to ship Klance at all; you can have them as friends or brothers for all I care. I don't particularly care about those who don't ship USUK when I do ship USUK; I certainly don't care about FRUK romantically. I am trying to be logical about this. There is a difference between a couple I ship versus a potentially romantic canonical pairing. Think of the narrative and outside factors. Hetalia is a work that while I do have pairings I like, there could be a gigantic world orgy and I would care less.

I mean I am not a person to go for a rivals-to-lovers shipper at all. I shipped Contestshipping, Appealshipping, and Hinata X Kageyama but never will like RinHaru, Palletshipping and Comashipping. I have no freaking clue why I like certain rivals-to-lovers ships and my mind process to pick and choose which rivals to ships are strange. There is a difference between knowing that there is no way the couple I shipped would ever be canon and a couple that has the potential to be canon. I know that Contestshipping is the closest thing that is to an official canon couple by the narrative but I know that Appealshipping would never come to fruition in canon. This is all based entirely on narrative as well as outside factors. For example, did you know that Moreid from Criminal Minds was originally supposed to be a slow build canon romance but stomped out by executives in favor for a romance that went nowhere? Moreid did have factors earlier in their narrative before Davis was forced to forgo it. It's clear he really wanted a slow build romance between two men; one sexually abused older man named Derek with a younger and smarter man with parental issues. He is really close to it with Sterek in Teen Wolf.

The creators are major supporters of the LGBT and equality. There are potential there and Dreamworks had been vocally supportive. Gobber has confirmed homosexual after all. There is very few bisexual representation in the world. Even asexuality is more represented than this. Admittedly, there wasn't an array of the entire spectrum of LGBT representation. Fanfiction like Dalton has such an array while Glee struggled so hard and failed miserably. The latter was horribly biphobic when the show was supposedly about LGBT and openly accepting. And the writers didn't even try to hide their biphobia.

I'm getting off topic but yes there might be Klance as an official couple in the show with the probability of getting together at the end of the series or something. For all VLD is relatively faithful to the original series, it is still its own work. Let me tell you that the creators might go the Golion direction with Kallura being strictly platonic friends where the Allura counterpart have a much better narrative choices with the other Paladins. Remember that Kallura has been the Official Couple in every other incarnation but Golion. The writers, if they choose to do, could ultimately pick Kallura as their endgame just as their predecessors choose to do...with the exception of GoLion because surprisingly the love life of Princess Fala was ambiguous and seemed to push to the Paladins instead, especially Lance/Isamu. She actually kissed him on the cheek.

You guys can still ship Kallura if the writers chose the canon route of having an LGBT relationship between two major characters of the same sex like Klance. It's no different from what slash fans have to go through because comparatively, people who shipped same-sex couples never have the same hope it will ever come true that het shippers have. Look at Korrasami, PJO's Nico X Will and Steven Universe in comparison to Naruto or Tales of Graces. It's not an obligation for you to ship the most popular couple or the canon couple. In the HTTYD fandom, there are people who preferred to ship Hiccup with Heather or Camicazi instead of Astrid. In the Doctor Who fandom, you don't need to ship Rose with the Ninth or Tenth Doctor. In the FMA fandom, you don't need to ship Ed with Winry; you could still ship Elricest or Al X Winry all you want. You don't need to jump onto ship AlMei or RoyAi. In the Tiger and Bunny fandom, you don't need to ship Kotetsu X Barnaby. In Steven Universe, you don't need to ship Ruby X Sapphire or Rose Quartz X Greg. In the Pokeani fandom, you don't need to ship Contestshipping or Pokeshipping at all; you guys could still ship Orangeshipping or Comashipping. In Glee, you don't have to ship Klaine or Brittana. In the Hetalia fandom, you don't need to ship GerIta or SpaMano. In Supernatural, you don't have to ship Destiel or Wincest. You don't even have the obligation to ship either. There are people out there who either are rational about canonical ships based on canon hints or simply don't ship at all. I am heading to the latter direction for awhile now, even in the Pokeani where there are so many couples I could choose from. You could see Ash and his travel companions as best friends for life just as much as you can poly ship FACE, the Nordics, the Allies, and the Axis from Hetalia. Had I made my point clear by now? Or you want more? I shipped Shallura regardless because seriously one does not need canon to enjoy shipping. Nobody is asking you to. It's your choice. 

However, actors aren't that privy to the creative writing process. They were the script after all and interpret it with direction; if the creators chose to reveal spoilers to them that only they should keep so to adjust performance, then the actors are privy only in the minimal sense. They aren't in the writing room with the storyboards here, people. Alan Rickman, may he rest in peace, knew that Snape was in love with Lily. Actors can take the material in the script and make do with it. The MCU scripts have a lot of details that the actors worked with a lot. Zack Synder, I offer my condolences, didn't have much to offer in his movies to his actors. Even the worst actors would find little to work with in his scripts. Actors can try like Amy Adams and Henry Cavill so much... They can certainly try just like Keith is trying to be a leader and he is nicely developing into that. Actors can be privy when they can be such as making complaints about their characters. Benedict Cumberbatch did throw his friend, Steven Moffat, under the bus when he revealed that Moffat wanted a Gary Stu rather than a flawed character. The cast of PR Megaforce complained the writers only to be ignored. Sometimes some suggestions from actors would do a lot of good to a story, for the better or worse. They are privy to the story if they actually watched it and coupled with reading the script. Seriously why you think that Cumberbatch and the cast of Megaforce complained about their character in the first place?

I'm digressing again.

Just I am trying to think logically. For example, I don't think Lance would die literally; figuratively perhaps regarding his insecurities and the old goofball Lance into a mature soldier. Remember, die does not have to mean dead physically and make little sense for Lance to die narratively. Drastic actions yes and near-death experiences yes but surely not actual death. That will hurt the character development they would undergo. The show is raising stakes and likely going dark as it continued.

Why would Jeremy Shada spoil something major as death? I understand shipping because it is something that is prevalent to every fandom imaginable. He is allowed to love Klance just as much as everyone else is allowed to ship whatever two people they prefer. I don't trust creator's word much at all unless there is a consistent truth to what they are telling. J.K Rowling and George R.R. Martin trolled the audience just as much as Jeff Davis, Steven Moffat, Tetsuya Nomura, and Eiichirou Oda. As a result, I rarely ever see PR and prefer to watch the show and judge the creators' behavior if it is consistent with their show. I'm digressing but seriously for a professional actor, you would think that Shada would not reveal a major plot twist. And he had major roles before this. Is he excited for the info he was privy to and teasing the audience with it? He could've been more subtle than this. He's spelling out to everyone if anything he said is true to some extent.

I also have to say that the staff of VLD is tight-lipped of major spoilers and have an NDA contract. I mean did you see how almost all the leaks of S4 have been taken off the web although there are still remnants like Pidge and Matt kicking a** and seeing Matt and Shiro together in the same place. That contract is something so pivotal that there will be massive consequences for Shada if he revealed something as massively plot twist as Lance dying. Unless Lance dying is not as much as a plot twist at all and is something else altogether. Even his love and shipping of Klance is something that is no doubt actors can still partake in. Seriously, in a lot of fandoms, you could see actor shipping certain characters together like Martin Freeman with Johnlock and almost the entire cast of Teen Wolf with Sterek. Additionally, the creators wanted to explore something controversial things such as sexuality and LGBT and they were really vague about it. Please keep in mind of that actor and the staff of VLD is under the contract of an NDA. Hell, I don't think they ever deny or confirm Klance at all unlike how they denied Shaladin. They can confirm as vaguely as they want to be as long as they don't spoil something majorly plotty such as the Shiro we met in S3 is a clone; they can reveal that Lance has a spanning character arc and plot details that were thrown out like Shiro in the Space Mall episode was meant to park the castle spaceship with hilarious results. Even Jeremy Shada's infamous "space ranger partners" is vague enough to take either way. Admittedly, given his history about Klance, it's romantic in his terms.

Also, the Paladins would have to swing back to Earth sometime in the future either in the fifth or sixth season. Characters outright noted certain Garrison members so the Garrison must be important to the plot in some fashion.

I wonder if we are going to see the Paladins reunite with their families who have the misfortune, knowing their children are basically out in space, soldiers in an ongoing war, mature in a way they would not prefer. Honestly, their family would prefer to see them grow up, find someone, have a family, find a job that befitted their talents or interests, and just pay the bills? Growing up into adults without them seeing would be heartbreaking.

As for character development-wise, I'm pretty sure we are going to keep the current generation of Paladins as it is now permanently. I don't think it will be a simple transition though because of the multiple factors involved. It would be great for character development. I don't see Matt and Shiro becoming a Paladin again; rebels sure but not an actual Paladin. I don't think it would do much for character development if Shiro regained his status as the Black Lion pilot. It would be harmful to the much-needed character development for everyone else. Just look at how Clone Shiro returned to join and show that it is not good. It wouldn't do any good when the Real Shiro returned next season. I am always about the potential of a character/story so I am happy to see the growth and embracing themselves in their new roles. So yeah it had been a berserk button that they should return back to their original spots at the beginning of the show; look, I can see them return to their original spots for awhile but for how long is what I am asking here. I am always one that looks for character development so to know these guys' character development, it would not be a good option. Hell, we might even see Shiro temporarily take over the Blue Lion as a mythology gag that he was the original Blue Lion pilot before Allura took over. I think Shiro would be fine, stepping down, in the end, wanting his friends to be great.

Now consider these:

1. There will be six seasons in total, 78 episodes. We are currently in S3a and will be watching S3b in October. We're halfway through the series...not narratively but episode-wise. It might be S4 as it says but it's not really S4. 
1. So any discourse of Lance and Hunk not getting their character development is overblown. There is time. Jeremy Shada and Tyler Labine expressed satisfaction for their characters' arcs and role in the plot. Tyler Labine pointed out the obvious for goodness' sake. Any discourse about characters getting development when others didn't is stupid beyond capacity. Use your common sense, you stupid fandom! I am talking about the insane people in the fandom, rabid in their hatred towards the characters who get development, just because their fave didn't get the attention. Why don't you people just trust the showrunners and watch the whole thing? Understand there are six seasons in total? That the actors aren't complaining? 
1. I don't hear the complaints from actors because it's the actors who complain just as much as the fans, if not more. They are privy to the script thus the writing process. Considering S2 have been considered unsatisfactory, why aren't the actors complaining? The PR Megaforce Rangers' actors complained. You hear stories when actors did not like their characters or found them lacking because it wasn't written well or there are little character flaws. Instead, the VA's seemed pretty fine to the point that Jeremy Shada and Bex Taylor-Klaus seemed to tease spoiler-ific lines or details. They aren't complaining; in fact, they seemed pleased with their characters.
2. I watch the show/movie/whatever first before looking at the creators' words to know their intent. There is authorial intent versus the validity of multiple interpretation(s). I love Shakespeare for more than just the beautiful language. People have been judging what the creators say - which I remind you is vague teasing - and make that the final decision despite the show might contradict that view. Watch the damn show, you stupid fandom and don't make judgments so easily based on vague teasing. This stupid VLD fandom...
1. I would recommend people who want to enter fandoms to tread carefully. There are fandoms who are great (Pokeani, PJO) and those who aren't so great (VLD, SPN). I still feel like I am stepping on eggshells for having an unpopular and/or sane reaction to something the fandom blows out of proportion. 
1. Seriously, something as trivial as hair suddenly became a discourse sign in the VLD fandom. Let people have their headcanons and don't post yourself high up on a pedestal just because you have a different opinion. Headcanons are specifically don't contract canon so you are allowed tochoose and make up your own as long as it doesn't contradict canon. I headcanon Suyin as Tokka's daughter and you don't see me hate on people just not having the same headcanon as me. 
2. I want fandoms to calm down and use their common sense to not get caught up in their headcanons and fantasies. They can't seem to identify the difference between reality and fiction at all. The Pokeani fandom is quite laid-back, even with M20. Yes, there was debates and backlash but overall, the Pokeani fandom just lived with it. We are currently in happy mode with the return of Misty and Brock. 
2. Anything that came to mind like underdeveloped relationships or minimal detail on family/background will come in comic book form or in the show itself. Just wait. 
3. I want everyone (within reason of canon) to be happy. If it means the implications (Lotor will eventually take over the Galra empire and dismissed the claims on the worlds and with Allura, Team Voltron, the rebels, Voltron alliance, etc to maintain universal peace) and potential plot twists (Garrison is on with the Galra), then they have to earn their happy ending. EVERYONE. I see the writers and the showrunners would want these guys to earn their right for a happy ending.
1. Besides, this show is its own entity. If the show seriously aimed for diversity and representation, they should go for it. Even if older fans would be dissatisfied for shipping reasons (for example, the official couple could be Klance rather than Kallura) or something that didn't stay true to the original, the story can stand on its own. 
1. Yes, there is admitted flaws. The comedy can be childish/not well-integrated, certain characters don't get much spotlight when other shows like ATLA did theirs well, certain characters' value sometimes lowered for cheap humor, choppiness, probably deleted/missing scenes. The show is not ATLA but it's not Korra either. 
2. The writers and creators already made the story. They are the ones in charge, not us. 
1. We are in our fandom, sometimes cruel, sometimes dumb, sometimes civil. We can create whatever we want and that includes the most debauched. If you are unsatisfied with the story or characters, go to your computer and write up your fanfiction. 
2. I am not touching any discourse with a ten-foot pole, including the assumption that the cast could be interpreted as white. At least I am good to navigate my way through fandom's discourse, criticism, sub-fandoms and anti-fandom. 
3. Shipping is subjective. If you ship Shaladin, more power to you! If you hate Shaladin, more power to you! I found shipping wars and the way people try to police shipping awful. There is no obligation to ship canon and non-canon ships. One do not need canon to enjoy shipping. 

S3 is unpredictable so don't think those theories people throw around will be easy. Just keep in mind that there are multiple things that potentially hurt what you personally theorized. That does not make me in the right. There are too many factors involved to consider as well as consequences:

• Shiro and Zarkon are foils. We can even go as far that Shiro represented Zarkon when he was a gentle ruler. Black was their connection and we still don't know what Shiro would want. The bond with Black was such a focal point that we don't know what either Shiro or Zarkon will want now.
• Zarkon and Haggar's plans for the future. Now that Zarkon is awake, what will he do now that his connection with Black is cut? What will he want now? Now that we know that the couple has been consumed by Quintessence and thusly have their memory restored. Although Zarkon still has his old memories. Are they going to pronounce that the old Zarkon and Honerva is dead? 
• Lotor's own plans with his own Psycho Ranger Voltron. We still don't have a clue what he wants. He certainly trusts and respects his generals that we will know they will pilot the Dark Voltron.
• There's the probability that this guy might join Voltron and the rebels. We still don't know much about him but we can glean from what we were given. 
• Matt Holt and the rebels. What do the rebels think of the Voltron Coalition? What will Matt say about all this? His impact on the events? There's also the possibility that some of the rebels might potentially be descendants of the Altean escapees from their planet's destruction. Given how we kept seeing the possibility that Allura and Coran weren't the last Alteans in-canon, this could be awesome. That meant that all this time, the Alteans were kept on the down-low and likely been hearing of Voltron and Princess Allura. 
• Matt Holt's character arc. We have a couple lines on him so we can gauge his character. What will he impact on Pidge, just how changed he is? Did his eyesight healed? Because I would love that. 
• Where the fuck is Sam Holt? What is his importance?
• The potential of Garrison's involvement. Lance, Pidge, and Hunk noted Garrison officers after all in the prologue.
• Keith and Lance's developing relationship (with a surprising potential for romance if the writers chose to go down that route). Whether or not their romance would be an incidental part of their intertwining character arcs like Korrasami's, we also have to say that Keith is depending on Lance a lot. 
• The point was co-leadership. The pair must balance things out, coupled with the team allowing more brainstorming for ideas. Shiro would be so proud for his team to reach the potential he saw. 
• Keith's character arc. Do not forget that he is chosen by Black and have shown the potential to be the leader in his own goddamn right. Keith might be reluctant about his role as the team leader that thrust upon him but he is growing and does not ignore that just because Shiro is the better leader. Shiro is not a perfect leader. 
• Additionally, he was supposed to find his family. There were theories thrown around that Keith is alien...almost completely (Altean is another part that people threw around so that would mean he would be part Galra and part Altean) with a small part of human. Then we got the idea that Axca, my lady, is his half/twin sister. We barely got anything on his background. Unlike Pidge who is actively and have clues, Keith have no clue where to look.
• Lance's character arc. The creators will be spanning it across the seasons so...
• Hunk's character arc. Hunk hasn't been central to the series since S1. Yes, he's markedly confident in Shiro's absence. Is he going to be a well-rounded character a la Toph or Asami? Or he's going to get major character development considering we are seeing Lance here? He still hasn't let go of his scaredy-cat ways; while he grew a spine, he still hasn't fully enveloped himself in his potential just yet. 
• Pidge's character arc. We know we are finding her family and so far, we are meeting Matt in S3b. We also see more of her character development in S2 so I hope to see more to offer.
• Lance or Shiro potentially dying the future. We can say that something will happen to Lance due to his insecurities. Shiro though.... yeah there could still be red flags of a death in the future among the team.
• The Quintessence role of the matter. We know that the Galra Empire been gathering them but we don't know for sure what will do now.
• Keith finding his family. There's also the theories that Acxa is his sister, half or twin. We might even see his parents into the plot.
• Allura's character arc coupled with her bond with Blue. We don't know her stance on Lance or Keith potentially stepping down. However, Lance believed he is second best to everyone. I don't think Allura got that much character development when Shiro was around as leader; she certainly kicks a** and have an active role to play and she did have character development, just not as much as one would think. She certainly has her agency and the team knows best not to challenge her. She's the wild card of Team Voltron. 
• Whose lion is which? It will bite the team in the a$$ in future seasons. That is an issue, especially raised by Lance, the one who felt unnecessary and left behind by the talented people on board, feeling average. 
• Again I do think we will see the original formation in the future but for long I have no clue. 
• The new formation was definitely intended, not just because it's an adaptation/reboot, because of the hints that were given minimally in the previous two seasons and the character development. The writers made an explanation for the switches as well as the different color coordination. The previous formation was far too comfortable and did not allow those comfortable to stretch their wings. I am only talking about Keith, Lance, Shiro, and Allura here. Hunk and Pidge are doing fine and stretched their legs well with Yellow and Green. You guys can criticize that the reinstatement of the new formation may be wobbly or weak or just has deeply personal reasons for preferring other characters as the Black Paladin. You don't have to require to like it but please for the love of Alfor, it's not your vision. Like the non-Korrasami shippers, you are allowed to have your own opinions. Again, this is not your work. Just like Steven Universe was created for everyone instead of the SJWs parading it as their work when it's not theirs to own. 
• I do think we will see Lance briefly take over the Black Lion. Allura, not so much because she seemed indifferent when she sat inside the cockpit. Look at the difference between her reaction to Black, Red, and Blue. People seemed to think Allura should be the Black Lion pilot when there is stuff she could do be a more effective leader in the future like treating others as equals rather than expect to be followed. I want strong female characters but I also want well-rounded characters with faults. Let people have flaws, fandom. Just imagine her meeting Romelle if the latter ever appeared as the rebel leader. I really want to see Romelle appear as a rebel leader. 
• We might even see Shiro take over Blue when Allura is needed elsewhere. I'm pretty sure he will be fine, stepping down. Shiro wants his friends and family to reach their potential and if it means that stepping down, then it's fine. 
• The lions themselves. We still don't know their mindset but certainly their realistic outlook. They choose their paladins, not us. Hell, we don't even see much of their bond with the Paladin with the exception of Shiro and Black but even then that is notable because Black doesn't get to choose and still connected to Zarkon so Shiro was forced to bond with Black. Alfor outright stated they too are evolving so don't think it will be that easy for the original formation to come back or it's a soulmate thing. Remember there is only one case of Paladins before this and this is new territory for the current generation of Paladins. The lions are sentient and possess their own consciousness but certainly not as human as people depict it as. Even the aliens regarded them with awe, not just the humans. 
• The clone of Shiro. What will he do now? Will he die or will Shiro die? Considering that both Takashi and Ryou died... 
• Slav. He's an utter genius so he must have a role to play. He outright complained about the castle's tech and modified the teladov that it definitely saved the lives of Team Voltron and the surviving members of BOM. Heck, we don't even know where he is as of S3. These creators who previously worked on ATLA and LOK would at least make these characters they introduced come back in some way, whether as a callback, running gag, cameo, or an important role to play.
• Other potential characters from the original series have yet to make an appearance. Princess Romelle and Merla, for example, has not yet to make an appearance. The show has the potential to be even more diverse than it already is. 
• If they have the chance to make a canon interracial LGBT relationship, then they should grab it, not just for the revolutionary factor but also for the fact they could tell an honest-to-god LBGT romance in a kids show, telling kids that 'look at these paladins who saved the universe and they are in love with someone of the same sex. It's okay to love someone of the same sex'. When they took the chance to make Pidge a girl, then they gave female representation furthered with Allura and Shay; we just need more female representation though. 

Remember what Lance said to Blue: We don't always get what we want. I think that will be a theme from here on in VLD. This is the creator's vision, not ours. We can have our headcanons and beliefs in theories all we want. Just keep in mind predictions does not always mean right. I prefer the Klance co-leadership over Shiro's leadership narratively. Again, don't think it's an easy transition.

A thing of note: S3 showed that Shiro was their security blanket so the team rather stagnate; almost everyone goes to Shiro for advice or protection because he's their idol/older brother/leader. Yeah, as much as I love Shiro, he's stifling the potential of the team as the Black Paladin. Everyone is dependent on him rather than using their own talents; if they were using their own talents, it's for stuff they are used to like fixing stuff around the castle or remaining the jokester; while we can make the comment that Shiro praised Lance at Beta Traz, it's really hard to say whether or not he knew about Lance's insecurities. I don't think I see Hunk more confident in his abilities than S3. All the characters stepped up in the advent of Shiro's disappearance and I saw that as a good one.

I have criticism for S3 and I still find it satisfying since S1. For example, there is just not much focus on Hunk. Hunk as a character has grown a spine but still scared overall; we could have given him screen time by allowing him to interact with the new leader, Keith. He's perfectly peaceful with himself but he needs to be braver I suppose. We see the focus on how smart he is with alien technology. He and Pidge loved the alien technology they see in their travels. Both Pidge and Hunk were relegated to the comic in this season. We will see Pidge undergo some character development next season, judging by the S4 leaks about Matt. Matt Holt who can fight against the aliens when a year and several months he would have died.

It's really hard to critique an ongoing work. There is a reason why I prefer to watch even the worst pieces of media to the very end so I can properly critique it. Creators may or may not listen to constructive criticism or is well-aware but choose to go either their own pace or just ignore the constructive criticism. Just look at Steven Moffat who does not listen to constructive criticism. The VLD creators listened to their critics and tried to fix it or explain the details.

I'm not expecting a masterpiece like ATLA or Kung Fu Panda. I know it's flawed. Look I am a diehard FMA and Hetalia fan, but I understand and admit their flaws. VLD have the potential and I want it to do well.

Also, Sven's entire existence and his comment about a space hospital is perfection. I was laughing so hard. If anyone is doubting that the creators don't watch Golion or the original Voltron, then Sven would be the most obvious clue.

Also, Voltron fandom, let Shaladin fans have their fun. Shipping is meant to be fun and should not cause this much serious business; that is a major issue in every fandom that shipping is taken way too seriously than it should. If it makes you uncomfortable, then avoid it. I certainly don't care about any Shaladin ship that you guys seemed to push as pedophilia when it's non-existent. Ya don't seem to know the term pedophile at all; now, it's just all rampart hate and just stupidity. Ironically, the fandom I have been in for a long ass time, the Pokemon fandom, actually doesn't care about who you ship because there are far too many ships not just in the anime but also in games and manga. No chance is happening in the show and you should already know that just as much as those who shipped Shaladin. What you are doing is toxic to a fandom, not allowing people to just ship. You can make them aware of the problems the ship presented but don't think you are righteous enough for a fandom that you somehow have power over. You can be anti-whatever you like but you must have an understanding and respect to those who like the ship/media in the first place. Look at me, I don't like Frozen and I don't hate seeing my friends adore the film, even when my brother blasted some of the songs one day. There is a difference between nonexistent ships in canon (because Shaladin would never come true in canon in no reality; Klance, Kallura or Shallura have better chances than Sheith or Shklance any day. However, there's also no romances at all) and a problematic canon ship (for example, Twilight series' Bella X Edward and Frozen's Anna X Kristoff).

Remember you don't even need canon to enjoy shipping. Let people have their fucking fun. It is not fun for disrespecting others just for possessing a preference for something else. Don't dictate what people cannot ship. Be respectful. I do not like Wincest at all and support Destiel while others would see it the other way around. I know Destiel would never be canon as well as Wincest. Do you see me throwing me a fit whenever I see Wincest is just as popular as Destiel? Do you see me hating Wincest shippers just for possessing a different opinion? You do not decide what others cannot ship.

Please note that the tarot card selection is only based on the VLD counterparts. This is subject to change due to character development. Those here that have minimal character development are subject to change.

Character - Tarot

Shiro - Fool -> Death

Keith - Chariot -> Fool

Lance - Magician -> Chariot

Pidge - Hermit

Hunk - Empress

Allura - Priestess

Coran - Hierophant

Zarkon - Death/Emperor/Tower

Lotor - Tower/Emperor

Haggar/Honerva - Wheel of Fortune

Alfor - Hanged Man

Matt - Justice

Mini-Review: Beauty and the Beast 2017

I do like the film a lot. There is a lot of enjoyment you can get this film such as the musical numbers and the performances of actors.

But then there is stuff that is left unexplained or ambiguous or really should be left like the original. Then there's the cinematography.

But let's get to the good part first before I express my confusion. I know there is a novelization but I am taking it from the film only.

The first thing I noticed was the fast pacing. It went along just as much as the original film's pacing.

The romance is much better handled. The Beast still gave Belle the library (and the love the adorable squealing Belle let out after he left) and they have a snowball fight. They have shown a connection through their likes but I wasn't sure if the Beast knew her inventive mind though. Now that I thought of her inventive mind, wouldn't Belle's scientific mind questioned the fact they are alive; well she certainly freaked out but grew to accepted their existence once she puts together they got cursed. Digressing again,

Belle here experienced little character development...which makes sense though. I mean at the beginning she hasn't shown any flaws that she needs to get over. As a character, she isn't a Mary Sue but does stay true for what she is; she didn't get the village's anti-intellectualism and Stay in the Kitchen tendencies. She is an inventor, perhaps a bit of a romantic given she likes Romeo and Juliet (given what the Beast expresses, either the writers fail to see that it's a tragedy or they just went with the misled view of the play which is pretty much universal; it's hard to tell to be honest....why couldn't her favorite Shakespeare play be Midsummer's Night Dream? I mean that's my favorite play of Shakespeare and always so magical to even watch it. Could even go into more analysis there, movie? I know this is a movie for all ages but seriously wouldn't mind a little intellectual talk about themes? Motifs? Metatalk?).

It's still the Beast's story though. I wish it was the Belle and the Beast's story, not just romantically but also character development-wise as well. Belle obviously wasn't perfect personality-wise; she's a strong female heroine and did that job well. I want to see more of her inventiveness than just her kindness and strong-will. I want to see her flaws.

I want to see more that Beast was a victim of circumstances and perhaps even grief that he allowed his father to consume him.

If the story's Aesop is "learning when you're wrong", then Belle also have to learn that lesson. Not just the Enchantress.

So much potential, character-wise in the main protagonists.

For what the film is now, it's okay in the character development department. I felt too much like a frame-by-frame adaptation...except much better executed. They got rid of the plot-holes but I feel overall that as an expanded adaptation, it did well. Not so much when there were potential there.

The musical numbers visually were great. Even though the cinematography didn't do as great justice as it did; for example, the Belle number has several close-up shots of Emma or sometimes group shots of people staring at Belle? I couldn't see because the shots were lining towards the walking Belle. There were times CGI of the castle doesn't do it justice like the Evermore number particularly towards the end where the camera backs away to have Emma leave the gates. It looks unnatural. They could've made it look like Cinderella 2015's set pieces at least, unreal but look real.

Any references from the fairytales or the Jean Cocteau version makes me starry-eyed. The rose request is something I always love to see just as I love the fact Cinderella asked for a tree branch in the 2015 film. The arm torches and the Beast's design are still amazing to see just as much as seeing the Cocteau and the later remake.

While I know in the original film in that stained glass prologue shows the prince as either a teenager or an adult, I thought it should have been left the prince a kid and show the passing of time much better around.

What I am going on about is the passing of time. Now we don't know how long it has been passed since Belle and Maurice moved into town. In my headcanon, they have lived there for about over two years. It was mentioned when Maurice was to leave for the market I think that he traveled before to buy for years. In a deleted scene, Belle revealed that she and Maurice moved into town 12 years ago. On that note, I really like the fact they are lifting the rose request from the fairytale that he had traveled the route before.

It makes it even more difficult to comprehend the time passing when we know of the ages. Had time been literally frozen in the castle's sphere? Or it had been passed just as much time in the outside world? The latter I go behind because it wouldn't make sense otherwise in the former. The Beast has mentioned he hasn't danced in years. In the prolog, we can clearly see him as an adult at what age?

I wonder if Belle and Maurice have been village-hopping until they settle into the village near the castle. I mean we don't know how long they have been there. Belle mentioned the village is small and she met all the boys already in town. We got that part of the lyrics of Belle that they 'came' to the village but how long they have been there is the question.

Given that the plague is going around in Paris, placing it around the Black Death era. Then there are the pompadours that they have in the beginning