by questioning the qualifications of succession (gender in rhaenyra's case and lineage in jace's) it puts his claim to the throne in jeopardy, regardless of what rhaenyra's wishes are or what oaths are made before she dies.

I want to start off by saying this is a no hate post. I feel like I understand both sides and I don't blame either anymore. There's just a side to this that it feels like I haven't seen a lot of people mentioning, which is religious trauma and the journey through deconstruction, specifically the step right before you admit to yourself that you no longer believe.

For me personally, there was this phase where I was completely disillusioned with the people part of religion but still convinced there was something worthwhile at the core of what I had spent a lifetime being taught to believe. And I think that's where Aziraphale is. He has fully accepted that there are bad angels. And they're making things bad for everyone around them. But he still thinks Heaven is good. He says it several different ways when he's speaking to Crowley at the end.

And I GET that. Because admitting that this thing that has been his compass, his belief system, a core part of who he is back to the beginning of time and even before could be flawed... that's a terrible thing to come to terms with.

If he accepts that Heaven isn't infallibly righteous, that the system hurts more than it helps, it means every time he proclaimed himself to be on the side of right and good, he now knows he was wrong. It means every time he drew a line in the sand and pushed Crowley to the other side of it, even if he didn't really mean it, he still never had a leg to stand on. And that is a very, very hard reckoning to process.

When he's stood for so long on the supposedly unshakable faith and the belief that he's serving a higher, deserving purpose, admitting to himself that he might have been wrong, that he built his sense of self up on something that he's struggling to believe now, that fucking hurts.

I think Aziraphale came back into that bookshop knowing that they were in danger, but he also had this bright, shining hope. His relationship with Crowley has been rigidly defined by sides for so long. From Aziraphale's perspective, it's been angels and demons; from Crowley's it's been us and them if he can only manage to convince Aziraphale about the us part. But now they have an opportunity to go to Heaven on the same side. And Crowley, he's crafty. He's clever. He's chaotic and brilliant, and he has never once failed to show up when Aziraphale needed him. If they're both on the same side again, the main obstacle that has stood between them, the fact that Crowley might be destroyed if they're together-Aziraphale expresses that fear over and over and over again, it's suddenly gone. And together, they can fix what's wrong in Heaven. They can make it the glorious, perfect thing it was always meant to be.

It must have felt amazing for Aziraphale. In those few moment it took to cross the street. The danger was still very real, but the possibilities of what they could accomplish together were endless.

i saw the show twice in Chicago and like. wow. i saw the show once on broadway beforehand and i think i genuinely might like tour better. put the pitchforks down (jk). i say this because I think I like this overall cast and their takes/chemistry together more? like i have individuals on broadway that i adore and who knock it out of the park, but this one felt more.. cohesive with the book to me

ok now for some more specific stuff. putting under the cut because it gets long

First, I had known it through memes back when it was first coming out. I thought the style looked like something I'd be interested in so I was like, "yeah I'll check it out" then promptly forgot about it. Then it kinda started resurfacing again with fanfics so I was like, "now I really gotta watch it."

I knew it'd be bloody and I knew it was superheroes.

Still wasn't prepared for it.

Anyways, I loved it. The small details really had me, like the demon detective causing the rooms he was in to be really cold, Debbie's clothes drawn more flowy when she starts to relax, or how Mark was drawn more tired as the series went on. I also loved how characters with brief appearances in the beginning were always brought back later, like "Hey I remember you."

I also liked how it started pretty basic, like the original guardians all seemed to be copies of already well known heros (Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Batman, etc.) So you kinda expect the same type of heroic story to unfold. But then BAM! You got a whole bunch of bloodshed and betrayal from the get-go. We're not in Kansas anymore Smallville

Which let me talk about the blood for a minute. There is. So. Much. Blood. Like I feel like I saw Mark in more red than he ever was in blue, my God. And the title screen changes? First season of getting splattered with blood, more and more of it till fully covered? I loved that detail. Plus how all the other title changes afterwards looked, one of them being the screen cracking and crumbling until a new colored title was left, I feel like it really fit with the show like how Mark's world, and he himself, was changing, becoming gruesome or broken or just different. Loved the title screens. Plus how, at first, no one said the name "Invincible" just cutting to the title screen. That was fun.

I liked Mark's relationships too, like they felt real which I'm not usually a fan of (the drama of it). But he worked through it so well, so did the people he was with (his mom, Eve, Amber, William). They were all oddly sweet and understanding and I thought it was nice to see. Even his bad relationships were pretty real feeling (with Cecil, his dad, the other heroes). Those moments when they were focused on made me think "Mark's really sweet" and "Mark is a good guy" in both the personal and heroic sense.

Which is a perfect detail to have me thinking through the story because that's essentially what he's struggling through. Wanting to be the good guy, do the right thing, help/save everyone. But not always being able to because there's to many things to do, too many people to save. Having to wonder if being a full and true good guy is the right thing. Being slowly broken down by that worry, by the people starting to blame you for one wrong thing over looking at the multitude of good.

And later in the show making his brother Oliver be the voice in his head to cause him to doubt the straight path even more. Having Oliver, such a small and young kid so blatantly okay with killing and encouraging Mark to do it as well? That was such a good detail. Cause, maybe Oliver is full alien and the mindset might be different, but you don't expect that from a child. And since he's his brother, Mark would slowly become more inclined to listen. He'll have to decide what he's okay with, what type of hero he wants to be. You hope for the best, cause you know he's good, but want to see what breaks him, if he can pull himself out of it.

It was nice to see Mark drop out of college too, then see him needing to still live with his mom for afterwards. That's sounds weird but I mean it's nice since there are a lot of people who do the same, which further helps build a connection to him. It was nice to see how different characters felt toward college too, like Mark had bad grades, yes cause superhero stuff, but people go through that and go despite it. And his main reason for going wasn't cause it's something he was pushed towards, it was for his girlfriend which is also a relatable motivator for some people. Amber just always wanted to go, William's motives seemed like a mix between Mark and Amber's (going just cause and for his to be boyfriend). Then there's Eve who didn't want to go, which a lot of people don't, but then decided it was better if she did, and some people change their minds the same way.

I also loved how multiple different types of a family could be portrayed. Eve with parents she wants to get away from, Rex with no family, many heroes only being seen for their experimental value, and Mark with the perfect family. Mark who goes from the ideal setting to being broken, fighting between parents then between parent and kid. I thought it was a unique detail. More ways for an audience to relate.

And the fighting between parent and kid?

I kinda wish that Omni-man was a full on bad guy cause it'd be interesting. But there are plenty of other straight bad guys for that, and then it'd leave the story at a bit of a stand still, kinda make Omni-man irrelevant. But that part's not too important.

Getting to see him be the perfect father and husband at first? Then see him for the first time hint that he may be hiding something when he (what we learn is the first ever time) punched Mark for training? Hearing how Mark felt about it then seeing the two hug and make up? It was sweet. You root for things to say nice and perfect, hope they'll work things out.

Then that doesn't happen. There's hiding and snooping, lies and manipulation. The dropping of a persona. Admission of it all, of what the true intent was the whole time, saying your family basically didn't matter? That your wife was a pet?

And father and son fight.

And it is grotesque and bloody, unforgiving and angry. Millions of civilians caught in the battle, Mark feeling at fault for it. I felt so hurt watching it, just thinking "how could you do that to your kid?" Then hearing a battered and bruised, barely breathing Mark say "I'd still have you, Dad." Seeing how much he still loves him despite all of this? My soul is in pain.

And Omni-man just vanishes without a word.

Very sad and beautiful.

And his mom needing to point out how much she did for Mark, how unappreciated her work went by others and herself? A very real situation. Having a kid so in awe by a parent who is out there working, or something similar, but not really caring too much about the one at home? Starting to break down once realizing it, having to do things by yourself officially despite technically having always done it. Also sad and heart wrenching

Two sides to the same coin

But not just Mark got the scenes to pull at your heartstrings. There was a few scenes of kinda unimportant people too, where they'd just talk about their situations but say how much they love where they're at despite it. Some scenes there weren't even words, but you could tell everything through the music and animation. I just feel like they did a good job making you think about the normalcy while bringing in the super stuff.

The show is just good at bringing up the realities of what a hero can face, the hardships, the pain, the worry and doubt, which really makes me love it

For all it's seriousness and heavy topics though, the show was still funny. And the voice actors did a great job with the dialogue as well. There were lines not expected from heroes, but are from normal people, which they are under the masks.

I think that's all I have to say for know