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writingquestionsanswered · 2 years

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Hi! I’m only starting to learn more about writing craft concepts and trying to think through the story and characters before just jumping in as I used to do. It’s a little confusing at the moment but the question I’m thinking about now is character arc. As far as I understand the character has to have some flaw or some sort of a belief which is actually false and they should go through change by end of the story and develop as a person because that’s what makes the book interesting and it’s great! But what about characters in a series, for example, of mysteries, like Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie’s novels (Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot) and others where the main characters don’t really change throughout individual books and don’t change in the series in general (well, mostly). So what to keep in mind where you’re writing series of books like that? Can a character stay the same? Or should they work on some minor flaws each story? Sorry I this question is silly, I hope it makes sense, sorry for my English if anything’s wrong

Plot-Driven Stories, Serial Novels, and Static Arcs

There are two reasons why novel characters like Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, James Bond, and others don't change through character arcs:

1 - Because they are plot-driven stories, not character-driven stories or a combination of both.

2 - Because they are serial characters, not series characters.

Plot-Driven Stories

"As far as I understand the character has to have some flaw or some sort of a belief which is actually false and they should go through change by end of the story..."

It's important to know that's only true if you're writing a story that is character-driven or a combination of plot-driven and character-driven.

Character-driven stories are about the character's internal conflict and how that gets resolved. There aren't any mysteries to solve, evil super villains to foil, or heists to pull off. They're just stories about someone with a problem or desire, and they have to figure out how to resolve that problem or desire for themselves. That's why some level of change is important, because that change is the result of their success or failure to resolve their internal conflict.

Plot-driven stories are about an external conflict happening in the character's world. They have to solve the secret of the old clock, figure out who murdered the old vicar, or try to thwart Goldfinger once and for all. These stories are less about the character and more about what's happening to them, so while there may well be some level of character development, it's not necessary to go too deeply into internal conflict and change arcs.

Many stories these days are a combination of plot-driven and character-driven. A modern version of Nancy Drew (like the new TV show, I'd imagine) would see Nancy wrestling with her internal conflict alongside the mysteries she's trying to solve.

Serial Novels vs Book Series

Another important difference between a character like Nancy Drew and a character like, for example, Katniss Everdeen, is that books like Nancy Drew, Miss Marple, and James bond are serials rather than series. It gets confusing because we tend to refer to serials as series, but whereas in a book series like The Hunger Games, the books are united by an overarching plot, in a serial like the Nancy Drew mysteries or the Miss Marple books, the books are united by a protagonist, premise, and sometimes even a setting, but the stories are usually standalone. They're not usually connected via an overarching plot.

A finite book series allows you to map out a character's arc from the beginning of the story to the end of the story, because there's one overarching story that unites all the smaller stories. But in a serial, there's not usually an obvious end in sight. You might write ten Detective Fred Borkington novels, or you might write twenty or thirty. You can't map out a character arc for Fred if you don't know how many stories that arc will have to play out across.

Static Change Arcs

I also want to point out that even in books that are fully or partially character-driven, you can still have characters who don't have a positive or negative change arc. Some characters have static arcs, meaning that they don't change over the course of the story, but rather they maintain their convictions from the beginning of the story to the end... the conflict comes from the ways these convictions are challenged and how they struggle but succeed in holding true to them. If you wanted to bring some solid character development to your serial character, this would be the way to do it.

I hope that explains everything! ♥

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levenxa · 2 years

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1/2

References for “The Electrospectums” :))

UV, Gamma, and Infrared! All these characters belong in Orphicverse, a multiverse where different styles are presented and balance is a key factor.

(all of the character info below the cut)

Ultraviolet (DT Variant)

Nickname - Violet // UV

Personality - Slightly creepy and crazy at times. But upon first glance they come off as calm and cool. The more comfortable he is the more chaotic they get lol. They enjoy people’s company and like to be alone at the same time.

Sexuality - Bisexual // Genderless // Goes by He/They Pronouns

Height - 5’7

Clothing Style - Dark // Black, Gray and Eccentric Purple my beloveds // Horror Genre

Voice Info - Tenor

Theme Song (song that fits their vibe) - Sweet Or Sour // Masquerade // You Should See Me in A Crown // Wannabe (why mona ver)

Age - 415

Weakness - Any mention of the experiments put on them he will freeze up // Heights of course

Fear - Acrophobia // fear of heights

Weapon - Staff // Tentacles

Likes // Passions & Talents - He can play the triangle :) // He likes hanging out with his crew yet he would never admit it. // Flirting with Gamma and Empyrean >:) // Powdered Milk // Blasting Music

Dislikes - ew soy milk // Distrustful people and people who just think he's evil // I hate my friends but if you make fun of them I will kill u ^^ energy // Any kind of magic imbalance

Other - Violet comes from the same facility that Empyrean came from as mentioned before. Their name is Ultraviolet, they just go by UV. UV’s journey was very interesting because it involved looking in the darkest places to find friends. More specifically, a void. An antivoid. Where he met the god of destruction, Gamma. Sparing the details but they fought a really powerful battle that just ended with them both being too tired to stand. When UV assures him he is no threat. They talk reasonably now. Violet tells him about their numerous experiences of traveling (not about his experimental past-) and then they both come to a respective truce. UV asks whether or not Gamma wanted to join him and so he just “reluctantly” agrees and bam. // To another void Violet went. This time finding a very eccentric person. His name being Infrared. He looked lost, probably lost. Until he saw UV. Then he just lit up and started talking all about his wish to gain a friend, or for someone to magically find him. Violet saw it as a sign that maybe I should add another person to my little friend group cause this guy seems like he needs help. They eventually get called “The Electrospectums” which might sound weird at first but if ya know science then :))))) Currently they live in a rent free building that Infrared helped build along with UV’s dark magic and they all live peacefully. Till its time to kill for good >:)

Infrared (Cross)

Nickname - Fred mmm

Personality - His memory and motives are always hard to distinguish. But in all, he is very hyper and outgoing. Eccentric at best, and always wants to do the most chaotic shit. Will call you out on anything dumb you’ve done :)

Sexuality - Greysexual

Height - 6’2

Clothing Style - Vivid Colors // Black and White dashed on there as well // Neon my eyes are ded

Voice Info - Baritone

Theme Song (song that fits their vibe) - Stamp On The Ground // Thumbs // BZRK // Brooklyn Bloodpop // Any Chaotic Song

Age - 26

Weakness - No thoughts head empty // He can be slain // His fear of being alone ig

Fear - Autophobia // The fear of being alone

Weapon - Large Knife that can spawn the weirdest shit // Shapeshifter

Likes // Passions & Talents- He plays the kazoo, and is godly at it // Being hyper and shaking other people aggressively // hA gaAAaaAyyyy-

Dislikes - Being alone // Jinx makes him feel uneasy // Kill any Electrospectum members you will have someone in the shadows watching you //

Other - He started off in his regular universe till an infectious spell spread upon the world and he was affected. It was done by someone who looked like Jinx (but it wasn’t actually Jinx it was a fucked up Ink from a different timeline-) So being affected by the spell he shifted into that Ink’s form and jumped into multiple portals trying to find a place he could stay. Because his universe was just getting all fucked up due to the spell and if he stayed any longer he would lose his sanity. He eventually found a dangerous and dark white void that he stayed at for what felt like years staring at the white emptiness; trying to not make that spell take over him // eventually losing his memories and becoming a blank slate. Then UV found him and took him in. He started to gain all sorts of feelings and hyperness that he had never felt before. He just...acts all positive but could be planning something. His colors are also incredibly bright because of the spell that was cast. He does not remember anything about how his universe died, or even the fact that he was put under a spell.

Gamma (Error)

Nickname - gAmmA raaAy

Personality - Bitchy. Really mean but kinda less like a five year old ??? He can actually speak rationally and just destroys and kills for fun, he likes the adrenaline. Infrared annoys him but he kinda secretly likes UV. He hates Empyrean and Jinx though :))

Sexuality - Bisexual

Height - 6’0

Clothing Style - Why does he kinda dress like a rapper ??? // Jackets // Edgy Vibe // f you, i look cool

Voice Info - Baritone

Theme Song (song that fits their vibe) - Gambino // Hot GIrl Bummer // Make Me Wanna Die // My Demons //

Age - 28

Weakness - He’s really emotionally unstable tbh //

Fear - Claustrophobia // fear of confined or crowded spaces

Weapon - Guns & Bright Pink Strings

Likes // Passions & Talents - Likes being hot /j // He plays the electric guitar because yes // He likes to fight if that is a thing :) // Keeps some souls in his collection // His comfort home & soap operas

Dislikes - ew jinx // angy man >:( // he doesn’t like tight spaces // Doesn’t like anyone until they make a good impression on him.

Other - He just is the destroyer and lives in the anti-void. Until he decided to take something called a “power vial” which is exactly what it sounds like. It makes you stronger. He wanted to gain more power so he took one and then all sorts of things happened. His appearance changed almost completely and his color scheme is now warm. It also changed his mindset a bit, and it helped him adapt to a more mature person. He still hates most people who he thinks suck and just happens to include all of The Celestial Beings except Hiraeth. He knows Hira because Hira often visited the Anti-Void along with Jinx, she was very nice to him ^^. (They watch soap operas together on Sundays :3) He joined The Electrospectrums out of curiosity and boredom as mentioned before; and is the second braincell in the group. Emotions do get the better of him sometimes, but it all gets resolved.

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mk-wizard · 3 years

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Big Hero 6 The Series: It could have been better

Hello, friends. Today, I will be analyzing a TV series based on a movie that I fell in love with for its colourful themes, deep plot, compelling characters, great CGI and memorable messages. Before I get into it, I want to take a moment to say that I have quit doing videos. They are too big of a pain in the petunia to make and I write better than I speak, so I will stick to writing essays, reviews and more. Anyway, onto the analysis.

All I can say about Big Hero 6 the series is that it had a great concept, it presented some great ideas and tried hard to be a cartoon of the times, but it could have and should have been a lot better. The show’s downfall all centers around trying too hard to be kid friendly which makes the shame sting all the more because Big Hero 6 was already kid friendly even with its dark themes, sharp edges and intelligent writing. If anything, even the brightest kid friendly cartoons (Steven Universe, She-Ra, etc.) had those things and actually benefitted from them. By needlessly trying too hard, character development got scrapped, the edges were all smoothed out, storytelling was subpar, the humour was too silly and the executive meddling in the end produced a dismal final season. However, I don’t want this analysis to be one lengthy negative rant about how awful the series was because in its defense, awful is an unfair word. It did have potential and ideas which are worth carrying over to a reboot that I hope will be done someday in the future. Also, we should root for a reboot because Big Hero 6 would not be the first story that needs it before striking gold. Just look at how many times Spider-Man was rebooted in film before MCU found the version that worked. Anyway, I will list all the things in Big Hero 6 that could have been better in my opinion;

1- Go easy on the laughs and be more generous with the action. - I love adding comedy to my own writing because I think a good sense of humour makes everything better, but Big Hero 6 is not a stand up comedy routine. It is a superhero story where we expect action, suspense and life or death situations that are to be taken seriously first. The comedy should be for relief and with the right timing. Also, the chibi cutscenes and having characters act like fools aren’t funny. Ren and Stimpy are the exception not the standard and their way of making you laugh doesn’t fit an action series. In a show as big as Big Hero 6, real life physics and danger matters.

2- Make the villains menacing and gritty. - I admit that after having a movie villain like Yokai who was the stuff of nightmares, it is going to be a challenging act to follow, but it was obvious that the writers were trying especially with some villains who could have easily gone into some dark relatable territory. For example, Mr. Sparkles (the gentleman in the photo above) embodies social media and Internet personalities. Right off the bat, you have a long list of things which embody the dark side of that like scams, fraud, using social media to dox or harass, driving people to suicide, online predators, the Internet personalities being very depressed people in real life, and much more horrifying things. When you stop and look at it, Mr. Sparkles even looks like the Joker which hints how dark and scary he could have been if the stops were removed. The same goes for enemies like Hardlight who embodies online gaming, Liv with cloning, Obake an amoral and insane scientist, and Trina and Noodle Burger Boy (more on him later) being evil robots. Globby especially should have been painted and written in much darker colours rather being played off for laughs because he has many parallels with Clay Face. The only two villains who I can say were supposed to be campy, charming and comical were Baron Von Steamer and Supersonic Sue because they were a satire of the Adam West style villains.

The rest of them needed to be dark and threatening including Mr. Sparkles. In fact, I would love a rebooted version of Mr. Sparkles who gives me the heebie-jeebies. Going back to Noodle Burger Boy, I must confess that I was actually excited when I heard that he was going to be the main villain of the final season because I thought he was going to fulfill his master’s final wish and as a reminder, Noodle Burger Boy was based on a super robot for military purposes.

It would have been fantastic if Noodle Burger Boy was upgraded into a full military war machine with a new threatening look. For that, I think all of the villains deserve to be rebooted and have their full potential unlocked for better or for worse.

3- A show about geniuses merits genius level art quality. - I am usually forgiving towards art styles, but in the case of Big Hero 6, the oversimplified style with minimal details and lack of textures did not suit the show. The characters blend in with the background which makes them look flat and the special effects were extremely dulled down. I also know for a fact that Disney can do a lot better than this because I saw how superbly Tangled the Series was drawn.

You can see and almost feel the difference in quality, the number of layers and level of detail between the two styles. I think there was no excuse Big Hero 6 was not done in the same style and at the same level if not better as Tangled.

3- Don’t dumb down or flanderize amazing characters. - I absolutely detest it when characters are flanderized because it makes them one dimensional and grating. For example, Go Go is tough as nails and extremely calm, but she is not cold or hesitant towards helping her friends. She doesn’t require very special episodes for us to know that. If anything, the movie version of Go Go reminded me a lot of Garnet in how she deconstructed the broody character. She isn’t cold or emotionless. Just calm and mature. Another good example was how Honey Lemon was rewritten to be overly positive to the point of toxicity, naïve and oblivious with a juvenile obsession with stickers. Then you have poor Fred who was rewritten to be an incompetent fool. The spark that makes Big Hero 6 shine is that they are a team of geniuses meaning they are all intelligent. Even Fred is genius in his own way just not a scientific one. He has a vivid imagination, he is resourceful and can get himself out of tight spots. Please, don’t turn characters into dummies especially if their intelligence is a part of them. It doesn’t make them better or funnier. It ruins them.

4- Tadashi needs closure and honour. - I am all for Hiro making peace with the loss of his brother, but Tadashi is to the Big Hero 6 team what Uncle Ben was to Spider-Man. His loss was the catalyst if not the reason. He should never be forgotten. Moreover, there was never any true closure to him especially with the possibility that he may still be alive up in the air. After all, like Callaghan, his body was never found and it turned out that Callaghan was still alive.

With that said, who is to say that Tadashi was not secretly still alive and just hiding or being hidden? This is something that Disney really needed to clear up if not for the fans, then at least as a service to such an important character. Never just forget about them.

5- The format can only be episodic with a deep plots, continuity and character development. - Random episodes with a mere monster of the day is an outdated format which doesn’t fit Big Hero 6′s modern and bright setting. In seasons 1 and 2, when the episodes were plot heavy with character development, the series shined brightest. It also helped move the story along, but with the final season, plot was removed, closure was abandoned or poorly written if any was given, and characters were disallowed from growing. A good example at how plot and character development could have made this series and its characters better was the relationship between Hiro and Megan. Would it have truly survived or would they have broken up?

Would Richardson Mole have eventually lost interest in his obsession with besting and bullying Fred or would his obsession consume him compelling him to become a super villain? I do see quite a few similarities between Mole and Reverse Flash.

Then you have Karmi who is in my opinion, the biggest wild card of the bunch. She was intentionally introduced as an arrogant, prickly and unlikable yet complex character who rivaled Hiro bitterly.

Yet had a huge crush on his alter ego and as time went on, started to grow up and even form a friendship with Hiro. What would have happened further down the road with her? Would she have become a super hero herself? Or maybe even another love interest for Hiro kind of like how Black Cat is for Spider-Man?

Is Obake really gone?

What does the future hold Diana (Liv’s clone), Liv herself or the Sycorax the genetics company?

Is Alistair Krei going to become an ally to Big Hero 6 or an antagonist? There is also the issue at how little we know about the other Big Hero 6 characters other than Fred, Hiro and Baymax. What are Honey Lemon, Wasabi and Go Go’s backstories? These questions matter and while not every mystery can be solved, leaving none of them solved is lazy writing.

6- Executives, kindly stay out of the writing and any other part of the creative process. - I’m sorry, execs, but there is no nice way to say it. History itself proves that every time executives got involved in the creative process of any media, it got worse not better. Leave the writing to the creative team and the execs should only handle the legal stuff. Please. We understand that TV is a business, but writing itself is not. It is an art which you just don’t have a talent for. Let the creative people do their thing with the freedom necessary and you do your thing, deal? Deal.

7- Focus on Hiro and Baymax. - The are the main characters so keep them at the heart of the series no matter what happens around them. That is all I can say.

And that sums up all the things that could have made Big Hero 6 the series better, but this is all just my opinion. What is yours?

PS: I am well aware that the Big Hero 6 series is being retconned because a new series called Baymax is in the works as well as the long awaited sequel to the first movie. I am looking forward to both with an open mind. PPS: I also am aware that some people liked this show the way it was including the art style and I am cool with that. An analysis for art that includes cartoons is never right or wrong. It is solely based on opinion. I may have thought this series could have been better, but there are people who make arguments that it could have been worse.

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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 3 years

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Opinions on Molly Weasley????

You know, I actually don’t think I’m too far out in left field for her. Well, I might be strange in that we tend to see very polarized opinions on Molly: either she’s the greatest mother who ever mothered and the Weasleys are a perfect family or she’s an overbearing manipulative matriarch who’s secretly poisoning Harry with love potions into marrying her daughter.

Sort of like Ron, I wouldn’t say Molly’s a saint, but she’s also not one of the truly nasty characters (she’s not eating babies or feeding Harry love potions or anything). That said, she is far from the warm, generous, matriarch JKR presented her as.

First, she is overbearing . There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s just how her and Arthur’s dynamic works, but at the same time if Arthur ever did have a spine it’s been completely conditioned out of him. It’s also very telling that Ron marries the overbearing equivalent of his mother in Hermione Granger. I suspect Ron’s spine has also completely disappeared by the time we hit that delightful epilogue from canon.

As for the Weasleys, JKR sets them up to be the perfect family we can possibly (realistically) imagine. It’s huge, they all love each other and are fiercely loyal (except for Percy, the swine, we’ll get into this), they give Harry a sweater, it’s the family he wants so desperately that he marries the only available and socially acceptable option: Ginny (I could go on a rant about this for days, but guys, Harry shows way more interest in men than in women and I think 90% or Ginny’s attraction to him is that she’s a Weasley).

That said the Weasleys, and Molly herself, have major issues.

One, the money. I think JKR makes them poor to give contrast to the Malfoys. The Weasleys are nobly impoverished, they’re a wizarding family but understand more important things than money. The snobby Malfoys on the other hand have peacocks in their yard because rich people are inherently evil.

That said, most of this is because Arthur and Molly completely mismanage finances. There’s nothing wrong with having seven children, but the Weasleys clearly cannot afford to have seven children. More, we see them spend money instantly when they have it. Ron is left without a wand for a year but the second Arthur wins the lottery, rather than save the money, WE’RE GOING TO EGYPT. Even the year before, money that might have gone towards emergency situations such as: my son’s wand broke is used to take Molly, Arthur, and Ginny to Egypt. They buy tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. The Weasleys don’t have that kind of money and then they go and are extremely bitter that Lucius Malfoy does have that kind of money. Yes, I’m sure the Malfoys were always wealthier than the Weasleys, but at the same time the Weasleys are the type to buy iphones for their kids when they’re on food stamps.

I’m getting a little distracted though, back to Molly.

I’d say Molly is far more traditional than JKR ever intended for her to be. She’s progressive enough that she supports muggleborns (they should get to go to Hogwarts and be very appreciative) but she also doesn’t think they should get too far ahead of themselves (we’ll get into this). She’s a raging misogynist (we’ll get into this). She is extremely judgmental and can flip on you at the drop of a hat with the barest of evidence. She never really does anything about Harry’s situation despite having very good evidence of its realities. And despite her family’s extreme poverty, even when all the kids are in boarding school, we don’t see her try to take up a job or even take up some etsy equivalent where she can enchant shit and sell it. There’s nothing wrong with staying home to raise the kids, but at the same time, I think for Molly it’s because “this is what the wife does”.

Right, well, that actually was a lot.

Let’s start with Harry. Molly is witness to seven years of Harry’s childhood abuse and seems to take no action regarding it. Now, Fred and George are dubious sources, so them telling Molly that “hey Harry’s house had bars on his window” might not be taken seriously. Harry also is generally very private and embarrassed about his home life. That said, there are many many signs, and while Hermione practically lives at the Burrow ever since third or fourth year Harry has to spend every single summer with the Dursleys even before Voldemort’s return.

Granted, I have gone over that I don’t think child protection or even a good understanding of abuse exists in the Wizarding World. I think to wizards you’re stuck with the family you’ve got, and if your pureblood grandfather is raping you then it sucks to be you. That said, the Weasleys are such a central part of Harry’s life that I would expected them to do *something*. Instead it’s like Harry’s situation is... vaguely acknowledged but mostly ignored.

Now, the Weasleys don’t have the money for an eighth kid (though Harry’s so absurdly wealthy he could help lighten the load were he to live with them) so I don’t hold this too much against them but... I would hope that a truly good family would have noticed Harry’s situation and tried to do something about it.

Right, the judgement part. The Weasley family’s unofficial disowning of Percy was horrible. This is going to be controversial, but Percy actually made some excellent points. Dumbledore and Harry’s story about Voldemort’s resurrection does sound nuts, the guy’s been dead ten years, he isn’t Jesus. More, it comes from Harry Potter who is young, traumatized, and has generally been erratic throughout the time Percy’s known him. And parts of what he says aren’t wrong. Why do the Weasley’s worship Dumbledore and listen to everything this man says? Dumbledore does do things like recruit child soldiers from the boarding school he runs. Dumbledore’s a shady guy.

Mostly though, while Percy not believing Harry and Dumbledore is bad, I always got the feeling that a lot of the resentment and disowning was that Percy dared to do better than his father. Percy rises through the ranks quickly in the ministry, he’s extremely competent, where his father has been stuck in the same dead end joke of a job for years. Arthur even accuses Percy of having his position because Fudge is spying on Arthur. Which... no, Arthur, no. And the family just loathes him for it. They loathe him and it’s terrible.

And I’m sure Dumbledore meanwhile is just dying that they’ve forced Percy out when Percy was in the perfect position to be a spy in the Ministry. I can just picture him drinking with Snape after Molly’s told him, tears in her eyes, that Percy is cut off because he betrayed the family, wondering what kind of morons are in the Order.

Beyond Percy there’s what Molly does to Hermione in 4th year. And good god, this is also where the misogyny comes in. Rita Skeeter writes that Hermione, a fourteen-year-old girl, is a harlot and Molly not only a) believes it but b) becomes extremely judgmental of Hermione and essentially calls her a jezebel to her face. Molly, what the hell? Hermione’s life has been ruined by the tabloids for something that didn’t happen, and even if it did is nothing she should be slandered for, and Molly’s going “THAT WHORE”.

This is after Skeeter had slandered Arthur just that summer over the Quidditch World Cup incident and Molly hadn’t believed any of it for a second. So, either Hermione’s being a girl or her being an uppity muggleborn or both somehow makes this believable...

Molly’s very similar with Fleur. She doesn’t approve and I always got the feeling it was in part because Fleur is not the traditional sort of woman she’d want Bill to marry (Fleur is a working woman at Gringotts and more is elegant refined beauty rather than a girl next door who’d make a great housewife) but also because Fleur’s foreign. Bill should marry a nice, English, woman and instead he ends up with this French quarter-veela.

Had Harry done anything to offend Molly, or even if Dumbledore had simply gone “You know what, Harry’s awful, we hate him”, then I would expect he too would have been completely cut off and thrown back into the gutter where he belongs.

So, Molly sucks and is not nearly as progressive as JKR intended, but is she feeding Harry love potions to marry Ginny and make the family wealthy? No.

#ask #anon #harry potter #headcanons #molly weasley #molly's progressive up until one of her sons marries a scarlet woman

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masqueradeball · 3 years

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How about number 3? Like, tell us all about it if you want :)

Oh my gosh 🥺 thank you so much for giving me my first ask! 💖 I'm eternally grateful I get to spill all my pheels out.

3. What is my favorite Phantom tv/film adaptation?

My absolute favorite Phantom is the 1925 Lon Chaney silent film. He just embodies everything that I like about Gaston Leroux's Erik for me and he is both horrifying and pitiable. I dislike the ending but I can live with it given it's what test audiences wanted at the time. I truly love his Red Death costume. You can find it on Youtube and the Tubi app for free.

My first runner up would be Claude Raines in the 1943 because his Erique so soft and tragic in that film I cannot help but love him. This was one was my grandma's favorite 'classic monster' movies that she loved, so I have a special place in my heart for this one. I love his hair and appreciate that he was one fine silver fox before the revenge and jealousy issues set in. The opera parts are a little boring, but the costumes and the sassy diva rival to Christine are worth the watch. We get 2 handsome Raouls who end up going to dinner together at the end of the movie and a Christine who gets to bask in the limelight of her career while not choosing any suitor, which is the best possible outcome for her. Double play for the win in my book! You can watch it for free on the Peacock app.

My next runner up is a 3 way tie between Robert Englund, Gerard Butler, and Charles Dance.

I honestly enjoy all their performances because they each bring something unique to the role.

I cannot stress enough how violent the Robert Englund version is if you want to give it a go, but Erik Destler is insane, twisted, and fabulously murdertastic in this. I love the creepy, evil vibes the man gives off. Think of this film as a time travel AU of the original novel. I feel like he nailed Leroux Erik's darker, snarky personality that some people tend to forget he had and the gothic horror parts of the original novel are there. Bonus: they keep the Faust parallels like in the novel!

I'm gonna say it: I love the Charles Dance miniseries. I know it's not the best, but damn, he is so dry and sarcastic I cannot help but enjoy his performance. I want to pinch his cheeks and smother Cherik with the love his father never gave him everytime I see him. Again, this one focuses on the operas a lot, and for me it's a bit boring. But the backgrounds, settings, and props in this thing are fantastic and the costumes are wonderful too.

That leaves Gerard Butler in the 2004 movie. No he is not the world's greatest singing Phantom, but I don't care. I absolutely love his facial expressions and body language. The Phantom is an emotional, expressive dude and the Red Death costume scene is pretty good. I love how kind and sincere Emmy feels in this film and I appreciate she's not overracting and doesn't feel fake compared to some other Christines *coughSierracough* Being the film version of the ALW musical, this Phantom story focuses on the romance and Gerard excels at that. When he and Christine are singing Past the Point of no Return, I FEEL THEIR PASSION! And that's what counts more so than hitting the same notes we've all heard a million times before.

Now for the versions in the 'I will eternally like this' category 😊 :

The Phantom of the Paradise from 1974. This is also a very violent and dark film so fair warning if you haven't seen it. It's a bizarre rock musical, but if you're weird like me and enjoy Rock & Rule or the Rocky Horror Picture Show, this might be a film you'd like too. I don't want to spoil it too much but the Faust/devil parallels are here too, as is various pop culture references. His teeth and mask are terrifyingly cool, and so is the electronic voice box he uses. It makes sense Daft Punk was inspired by this film. Maybe G1 Soundwave was inspired by this film too, but that's a debate for another day 😉

Next is the animated 1988 film. This one features animation on par with other 80s tv cartoons of the time. I love that they kept the Persian and the torture chamber from the novel. The Phantom's death scene is pretty damn epic. Christine is kind of a flake, but animated Leroux Erik is hilariously insane and terribly charming, especially when he calls himself a Don Juan. It's worth watching just for his antics and his dialouge.

You might not expect a Goosebumps episode to do a Phantom story any justice, but here we are: 1995, The Phantom of the Auditorium is a spooky fun take on the story and honestly, I'd like to see the full play the kids at that school are putting on cause it looks better than some of the live Phantom stage scenes I've seen. Both young boys playing the Phantom are fantastic actors and the plot twist at the end is great.

I absolutely have to give a shout out to Wishbone's Pantin at the Opera. He is the best, cutest, most adorable Raoul de Chagney ever and I will fight you if you dare talk smack about this version. I'm not even a Raoul stan by any means but like, this dog is precious and I enjoy this episode so much.

Also in the animated category and cute dog category is Scooby Doo Stage Fright made back in 2013. This movie is one of my fave Scooby Doo films (yes I own almost all of them on dvd) and there are multiple Phantoms, a reality tv show contest, and Fred and Daphne finally kiss each other! Lots and lots of hidden Phantom references in the background and lots of voice acting talent for those of us who appreciate that.

Now for the versions I intensely dislike 😏

The 1962 Herbert Lom version. UGH where to start. The sets are so small and everything looks dirty and of the wrong time period. The color in the film looks washed out. The clothes look too modern somehow (maybe it's their hairstyles?) and it bothers me. It feels low budget in a bad way and it shows. This phantom is not likeable or pitiable even though his backstory is similar to the Claude Raines version. He has no romantic interest in Christine, so it feels off. This guy is such an old a$$ piece of sh*t, he literally slaps Christine as she's singing for him for no damn reason. His paper mache mask looks like a Kindergartener's botched art class project. His personality is like somebody locked up cranky grandpa in the basement and he's PMS-ing because y'all forgot to give him his daily prune juice. This squatter's lair lacks creepiness, and his bizarre sidekick is annoying and yet somehow more interesting than the Phantom. The pervert manager trying to bang Christine aggravated me and simultaneously made me want to vomit. Raoul is the only likeable character in the whole damn movie. The Joan of Arc opera scene makes up for some of the film, but it's still terrible.

Next on my meh list is the 1983 made for tv movie starring Micheal York and Jane Seymour. Now, this one has some likeable and applaudable scenes: the various murders and general creepiness of the Phantom, and the lair scene when she wakes up in his bed and the Phantom gets all up in her face is so intense and so Leroux I absolutely love it. The rest of the film is a jumbled hot mess at best, but Jane Seymour is 🔥 and she gets some damn good sex, so hell yeah to that!

And lastly, I do not like the Royal Albert Hall 25th anniversary recording. I should preface this by saying it is Sierra I don't like. I like Ramin, I love Hadley, everyone else is wonderful but I cannot stand Sierra. She tries too hard to make Christine a Disney Princess- and that doesn't fly with me. It comes off as insincere or mocking the source material at best, and at worst it makes Christine look like an airheaded ditz. Apparently Sierra played Ariel at one point which is hilarious because of all the Disney princesses, I dislike her the most. But that's a different rant for another day.

And finally, the one I hate most of all:

The 1998 Argento film. This is the worst Phantom adaptation I've ever seen. It is a whole lotta nope for me. Between the rats, the unecessary and pointless telepathy, the r*pe scene, and the unfunny weird vibe from the murder going on in this film it's a disaster from start to finish. Honestly, it's the rats and his hair that bother me from a visual standpoint alone and it's beyond disgusting the way this a$$🤡 treats Christine. I don't like any of the characters in here and for good reason. It's not worth watching and if you do, be ready to bleach your brain afterwards.

💖 Sorry if this was a long read! Thanks again for giving me an ask and I will cherish it forver!!!! 💖

#phantom of the opera #poto film adaptations

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according-to-the-laura · 2 years

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StackedNatural Day 89: 2x11, 13x10

StackedNatural Masterpost: [x]

January 18, 2022

2x11: Playthings

Written by: Matt Witten

Directed by: Charles Beeson

Original air date: January 18, 2007

Plot Synopsis:

Sam and Dean investigate a Connecticut inn run by a single mother where mysterious deaths are taking place. They find evidence of Hoodoo, and try to figure out who is causing the chaos.

Features:

Creepy hotels, giant doll houses, they “look the type”, spooky little girls, Sam has a guilt complex, Dean makes a promise he will absolutely not be able to keep, not-so-imaginary friends,

My Thoughts:

This is one of those pre-Cas episodes that for some reason I’ve seen a bunch of times. Like when I think about seasons 1-2, I think about Playthings, Dead in the Water, and Bloody Mary. It’s good stuff! Nice to have an episode for the Samgirls to balance things out a little.

The think I love about Sam’s character, especially in the early seasons when the writers were better at doing his plotlines, is how when he’s faced with a perceived failure on his part, he tends to go all out on trying to prove to himself and others that he’s a good person, where Dean hits the self-destruct button a little more. It’s an interesting character contrast.

Also, I think Sam should get drunk and call Dean short more often. I like when he gets to be funny.

I was trying to find a post that was going around a while ago from someone who hadn’t seen a lot of Supernatural but had been working under the assumption that Dean was queer just based on the scene where Sam says people think Dean is overcompensating, but I couldn’t find it. If anyone knows which one I’m talking about let me know and I’ll link it here later.

The point is, that sure was an acting choice, huh? Sam doesn’t give a shit beyond the fact that he doesn’t want people to think he’s having sex with his brother, but Dean is a bit fixated on why people think they’re gay, and then when Sam casually throws him under the bus as siblings do, he shuts down and looks away and doesn’t respond in kind. And then in one of the scenes immediately following, he retaliates by giving Sam the more effeminate hobby of doll collecting.

Other than that, I really like the design of this old hotel, I like that the bar reminded me of The Shining, I liked the young actress playing Maggie, and I liked the accidental Scoobynatural foreshadowing (although as we’ll see, Dean is going to be way more into Fred than Daphne by then). Supernatural has a bad habit of getting absolutely everything wrong about any cultural mythology that isn’t white (and even some white cultures, too), but at least the hoodoo in this episode was used out of love for protection rather than for evil. I like that the ending is kind of sweet, that at the end of the day Maggie was a child who was acting out because she felt abandoned and alone.

Notable Lines:

“Might even run into Fred and Daphne while we're inside.”

“Of course, the most troubling question is why do these people assume we're gay?” “Well, you are kinda butch. Probably think you're overcompensating.”

“You’re bossy. And short.”

“The more people I save, the more I can change! [...] You have to watch out for me, all right? And if I ever... turn into something that I'm not… you have to kill me.”

“Yeah, what are you gonna do, poke her with a stick? Dude! You're not gonna poke her with a stick!”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 8.3

IMdB Rating: 8.4

13x10: Wayward Sisters

Written by: Robert Berens & Andrew Dabb

Directed by: Phil Sgriccia

Original air date: January 18, 2018

Plot Synopsis:

When Dean and Sam go missing Jody Mills calls Claire Novak and tells her to come home they need to find the Winchesters. As they search for Kaia the dreamcatcher who opened the rift Jody is worried about Patience's vision.

Features:

The GOOD backdoor pilot, the team comes together, if not love at first sight than something, Dreamhunter ship origins, brotherly bickering in a blue hellscape, oofta, Claire gets a flamethrower, Kaia “dies”.

My Thoughts:

GOD this backdoor pilot had so much potential, it’s criminal that it didn’t get picked up. I so badly want the girls to pick Jack up post season 15 and be like “Sam and Dean and Cas are on a hunting trip and they haven’t come home in a while” and all of them go on adventures together. Imagine it! (Yes I am open for fic recs.)

I don’t really remember Alex and how she joined the crew, but she’s so steady under pressure, it’s amazing. Add in Patience’s visions and anxiety and Claire’s fire keg, and it’s a great mix of characters. Plus, we get more exploration of Jody’s character and how her driving force is her love for her dead son and her adopted daughters.

I’m also a big Donna girl, and she is a total badass in this episode. She’s really come into her own in hunting in a big way, which is super satisfying to see.

The monsters are kind of charming in that they look like Doctor Who characters, but the giant looks ridiculous. If you don’t have the budget to do good cgi, you shouldn’t do cgi. Half the reason the earlier seasons look better is that they use practical effects more often.

I love watching Sam and Dean sit in a hellscape and bicker. It’s just very funny to me that all they did this episode was eat hot lizard and get captured.

Kaia and Claire are a great ship and I really wish we got to see them interact on screen more. It’s awesome that Claire’s queer status is going to be confirmed in reference to Kaia later, but it seems crazy to me that we never see their reunion. They hit so many good romance tropes in this episode and then it gets kind of abandoned. They showed each other their scars! They want to protect each other from danger!And hey, speaking of Kaia coming back, is there any explanation of how she survives that stab wound? It seems like it should have been extremely fatal without serious medical intervention, especially since Dark Kaia removed the impaled object which is a big no in first aid. I guess Dark Kaia could have bandaged her up before going through the portal, but she should have major damage to her internal organs.

The colour palette of the Bad Place is hysterically bad. You need to balance it a little better when the fire is practically green onscreen. Phil Sgriccia’s weird shaky-cam-fast-zoom-reality-tv style directing makes another, slightly more subdued appearance, but it’s taking down my enjoyment of him as a director significantly. Rewatch the scene where Patience comes back into the house after trying to leave and tell me that he was making good choices.

Notable Lines:

“I kill monsters. That’s who the hell I am.”

“It's Sam and Dean, they’re missing. [...] They were on a hunting trip and I haven’t heard from them in a few days.”

“This is just all way too freaky. I mean, your mom’s out burying a monster in the backyard.” “Well, §you gotta bury him somewhere.”

“If you go, I’ll go with you.”

“Donna, I cannot lose another child.”

“I’ll protect you.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.0

IMdB Rating: 8.3

In Conclusion: These episodes are a really interesting look at how much the show has developed from early to late seasons. The colour palette is worse, but I love when it allows itself to be an ensemble show.

<< Previous Day | Next Day >>

#Stackednatural #supernatural #spn #2x11 #Playthings #13x10 #Wayward Sisters #the fun thing about looking for that post about Playthings is that I accidentally found a bunch of w*incesties to block #also when i was trying to write the second half of this my dog kept putting her head on the keyboard #so sweet but so hard to type #edited to add the rating i missed somehow thank u nic for proofreading for me

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theskyexists · 3 years

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thingy DOESN’T believe that synths will kill their human creators?? thats pure bullshit. of COURSE synths will kill humans in teh future if they attain consciousness that is LIKE that of humans.

also there’s no fucking way this premise makes sense bc the military would have gotten their hands on synths the moment they became capable of holding a gun and hitting shit with accuracy and walking securely through multiple terrains. never fucking mind asimov blocks

the next episode immediately goes back into also blaming mum hahahahaa. i mean it makes sense for the kids but narratively it’s quite....interesting. though ofc matts is right and Laura should deal with whatever hurt Tom is. in fact, that explains the way she’s so....bruised

‘yeah we care about her - how can you not get that’

FINALLY. toby truly lays down the law for his father!

I LOVE old american guy giving Niska lessons in humanity! YAY for the elderly!!

I LOVE OLD AMERICAN GUY NOW!!! HE’S NISKA’S DAD NOW!!!!!!

jezus. david elster was a fucking creep (niska) and a total shithead (fred). turns out that their creator was a terrible dad. this explains much about leo also.

wow Matts you’re being a little insensitive to your mother who’s divulging a SHITLOAD of childhood trauma. but i guess that’s just relating this stuff to what she knows. ok she - oh that’s so - aw

does Matilda REALISE that Max is just like Mia???? anyway - i LOVE MAX SO MUCH AAAAGGHGHGHGHGH.

she does

I love it when Max speaks and Leo is quiet for once. just keep him knocked out!!

oh no toby now you’re going too far. i am deeply concerned that the two men in this show will radicalise into synth-killers

ALL THIS TIME I ALSO THOUGHT SHE WAS HIS GIRLFRIEND BUT SHE WAS HIS MUM : ‘’‘‘‘(((( oh Nooooooo. it was already sad and tragic but now it’s 50x times more

has this synth-policewoman fallen in love with Pete?

‘you look young generally’ OH PETE lol. that made me like you again

DOES HUSBAND ACTUALLY MAKE THE FATAL CALL??? they’re really making him a villain!!!

it IS a trap huh...

SHE REVEALS HERSELF RIGHT AFTER SEX AND A DECLARATION OF LOVE. SHE’S SO CUTE AAAAA

but this was so stupid aahadhladsflajsdf. he’s much less than you think of him!!!

oh no now leo and max think it was the family that betrayed them!

why would he jump over when he could have used himself as a hostage

(had to look up whether he really dies just to be sure)

did they just expel a sister????

oh god

laura is such a pushover! what about Mia’s feelings?? she just heard that Mia had been inside Anita all along! then bring in the man that....well...it’s not rape in the moral....sense....but in the emotional sense it kinda was

she didn’t practice trigger safety??? POLICE SYNTH WOMAN?? i guess she really is a cop

i knew american dad was dead the moment Niska and he bonded. i love this series! that sounded like sarcasm but i mean that i love the characters and the story.

NOT GEORGE!!! NOT GEORGE!!!! im actually crying

ah - Fred is leo’s BIG brother

‘I was there the whole time’ OH DAMMNNN MIA!!!! balaghglabalghghagh stop

Laura and Mia are becomign real friends!!!!!!!!!!!

Matty didn’t MAKE leo show her. lol.

FRED YOU’RE NOT CLEAN!!!!! he implanted something!!!! or....is fred aligned with him after all? has he been infected somehow?

at least Mia is trying to keep things together.

they are making Joe suffer for his stupidity. not very cathartic tho

Mia desperately tryin to stitch the whole human fam back together. LOL

oh that’s poor timing. Niska you damn zealot

why does Kate keep making the wrong decisions. stupid bastard

teh opening theme is great!

DID LAURA THE LAWYER JUST GIVE UP HER PHONE?? ARE THE COPS ALLOWED TO DO THAT

Joe up for redemption!

OH SO HOBB IS ACTUALLY WORSE THAN WHAT HE SEEMED. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! MAKE THE SLAVES CONSCIOUS AND KEEP THEM SLAVES!!!!!!

kill this man now.

KILL HOB! KILL HIM!!!! NARRATIVE KILL HIM!!!! they really baited the audience with Hobb possibly being more sympathetic than it seemed. NO HE”S ACTUALLY MORE EVIL THAN YOU THINK!!!!!!!!!!

Kate’s so stupid. I hope she gets to be a hero

Pete’s up for redemption!

Come ON Kate!!!!!!!!! jezus was living the life of a simple cop and finally sleeping with the guy you love really SO BAD? they’ve had a worse life on the run than Kate

oh her name is KAREN??? lol i thought it was kate.

why would Hobb be concerned about it becoming clear that these synths have feelings and shit. wouldn’t that help with the marketing? i mean it is a risk what with Niska having killed a man

he’s letting them go entirely?? he knows he’s got Fred so he’s like - eh, ill just lean on this family first

does Karen understand the implications of Hobb having a failsafe?? will she TRULY do anything to stop suffering from proliferating - because this TRULY will cause suffering

I guess fred has been instructed not to kill himself - or reveal himself.

TOBY YOU GOTTA REALISE - Help Fred tell the rest. oh god i dont want to lose fred....wait where’s max. i didn’t see anybody carrying him around. also - wasn’t his brain falling apart?wasn’t that time-sensitive? aren’t they GRIEVING?

Lol - why would they not have made copies? They should have told him- if you bother us again we transmit to the internet immediately. they could do that easily!

Oh max can walk again

these fringes are so BRITISH AHAahaah

Karen is a total wildcard. only Pete being in danger will help though i think

Joe doing a very last Bastard Husband thing by being offended that his wife didn’t reveal her horrible childhood trauma to him as some kind of insult to HIM

AAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH JOE WHY

‘you didn’t want to hurt us’? what

‘i can’t do anything’ - uh you can bring Mia and Max back to life but you can’t free Fred??? FRED!!!!!!!!???

FUCK! the next goal in this whole series is to free FRED!!!!!!!!!!

why the fuck would Niska walk in heels

couldn’t they restore fred the same way as they’re gonna try and restore max????

why doesn’t he tell Karen about how Hobb has enslaved Fred??? hello? and wants to use the code?? this last bit is a bit strange. what convinced her?

she’s an ideological character but she was moved by emotion?

oh they canjust share - no wires or anything

Karen realised she couldn’t rely on Hobb to kill them - so she went out alone to kill them. aha.

what. that was. out of nowhere

why the fuck did she go from ultimate KILL YOU ALL to - alright then let’s do this in one second. how extremely poorly written or directed or both

what?

she wanted to be part of the fam. then she left. the laura tells leo to let her go. whY?? this last bit is so STUPID

all they need is some coloured lenses and they can fit right in. just GET SOME COLOURED LENSES LOL

i know they trust laura now but like - the program is on a harddrive in her hands - but Hobb knows she’s associated with them. WHY would you put it in her hands. They know what hobb can do with it.

isn’t leo ever gonna say soryy for leaving his adult/9yearold sister in a brothel?

sophie woke up at an opportune moment

leave an android in the corner of a USED church....THEY SHOULD BURY HIM SOMEWHERE. THAT’S BETTER THAN BEING A GODDAMN SLAVE

PETE TOOK OFF HIS GLASSES TO LOOK YOUNGER FOR KAREN AHAHAHAHA

it’s funny - the synths can’t cry but their eyes sure can glisten.....

HOBB JUST LEFT THE FAMILY ALONE AFTER THAT???? WHAT LOL. he knows what Karen is and. ok this last episode was a mess. but everything that came before was great. and the theme is also great

the character stuff in this is great. well. not this episode bc like. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ?? THAT RECONCILIATION WITH JOE WAS SO FUCKING WEIRD. HE FOCUSED ON HIMSELF AND THEN -- she didn’t want to hurt the fam? what??? what the fuck are you on about ???

anway things did not at all come together.

#my stuff #vidi #humans #should i watch on???#is season 2 any good???#this last episode does not spell a good basis

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rungalwaysheretolisten · 3 years

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Armada Review episode 9-13

I am putting the read more so that you do not have to read all of this if you do not want to. This is a review for episodes 9-13 season 1 and again, a reminder, these are my thoughts, if you don’t agree with what I have to say that fine but please respect my thought and opinions on what I think about the serious.

Okay so we at the end of this season which mean will be going into season 2 and oh boy I am hipped because that things started to fall into place and kinda where I watch the serious more. But where not here to talk about season 2 and we not here to talk about season 1 as a whole, that in another post which here is the link if you want to read the summer of my review for the whole season as a whole and what I think was good, what need to be fix and what things really made it good or bad.

Anyway, so here the review for 9-13 starting with.

season 1 episode 9 Confrontation:

Okay, so this is the episode that come back from a previous episode of which was call Carnival, and if you read my review on that episode that was the episode that was just not a good episode in my opinion. So you think I would hate this episode too. No, it not that bad and in fact it make more of a point of why that episode was pointless. So it pick up with the bullies Billy and Fred, talking about seeing the Autobots and them talking about how they might be evil or not good, and them saying some thing about them being from the future. Which just made me laugh and insert joke here:

I know I’m a nerd.

But it was mostly them talking about what happen and how no one, saw anything that day. Even thought I call bull shit on that, but still the bullies see are young main children hero heading to the Autobot base and try to follow them, before all of the kids are confuted with Cyclonus, who kidnaps the the bullies, which turn make the Autobot have to go and get them, they ask for the min cons they say no, they fight. Which end up with the other main kids and bullies getting taken hoisted by Megatron, which in turn force them to have to give up there min cons to save the kids, however Rad is able to use Laserbake to shock Megatron into drop the other kids expect himself, which then Fred, fight back with Laserbeak and even ask Megatron min con why they can’t be friends which stunts him because I guess he never thought about that? And then it end with Hotshot kick Fred out of Megatron hand saving him and having the Depections retreat. Fred and Billy are welcome into the team, even thought they are later not show in this season expect till the last of this season episode 13 Swoop.

So overall this episode has some pro and cons to it. The pros, I like that they show that this kid can get kidnap by the Depections and that even thought technically Fred and Billy are not on the Autobot team or with the other kids Optimus still calls them his kids and want to project them and the Autobots care about them too. I also thought it was interesting about Fred talking to the Megatron min con not only is that brave to do but this could have gone into a very interesting scenario, does the min con really follow Megatron because it wants too or does it do it out of fear, which you could say he does do it out of fear but he almost seem like he could have made a choose to not listen to Megatron.

Which if they had gone that route, rather then having Fred get upset and leave, I think it would have been interesting to see what Megatron does and how he act to a min con not listening or obeying him. He already wanting more power and to control the min con, to just have one not obey him, would have show us that the min con have in fact choose and even could have show what Megatron would do to a min con who didn’t listen to him. They could have even gotten dark and crush the min con and that would have made interesting impact to the serious.

However, they didn’t do that but if they had, I think it would be just amazing to see them dare to do something like that to a min con during the first season. I mean we do see him later in this season forcing a min con to wake up, but to see him kill one would just be interesting.

So the cons, this episode had too many back and for, kids are kidnap, then they are not, and then they are again. They don’t fight for every long and I feel like the other kids were a little to mean to Fred and Billy in the began when Alexia ask if they were going to join them and they laugh it off as if they are not important. I am summing they are for jokes. But honestly, I think if any character should be treat with more repeat it Fred, he always the butt of the joke about bring fat but he really has a good heart and I just feel bad that he treat so wrong. Maybe that why I somewhat like this episode but at the same time didn’t think this is one you need to see. The only reason to see it would be because you would need to know why Fred and Billy are know part of the Autobot team. Other then that it an episode you could skip.

The next episode however, oh boy here we go!!

Season 1 Episode 10 Underground:

Oh my god, this was the episode that I love the most only because of one reason and one reason only. It gave us Smokescreen!!

No, no, not that Smokescreen, that from Prime.

Yes!! This beautiful old guy that I like to call grandpa of the team and you can not tell me otherwise. That what he is to me and always will be! He is the wonderful commandment of Kup and Ratchet or any older mech from the transformers serious and I just love him so much!

But I getting off track, so this episode is about there being a min con in the city subway, the Autobot, children and Depiction are looking for the min con down in the subways. The children fine the min con on their own, are attacked by the min con that the Depiction told to search by themself because they can’t really transformer down in the subway like the Autobots can.

The children run from the min con and some mysterious robot, that they children think it might be a Depiction when it only are good old friend Smokescreen who come to save the children from the Depiction who tried to kill them to get the min con, which cause them to get buried by rocks, Cyclonus get his first min con which is somewhat strong but isn’t really that as strong as Starscream. They retried and the Autobot go to save the kids only to see there good old friend Smokesceen has project the children and has finally reunited with the Autobot after he got separated from them when they first when to come down to earth and is know part of the Autobot team!

This episode start off a bit slow but it is worth it at the end to fine out that we get a new Autobot join the team, and this is where the serious become really inserting because of reason I will later talk about in other season to come as why this become inserting and make the show really good.

For know Smokesceen off the bat, has this old man, won’t take shit from anyone, and is a really close friend to everyone, he also a very good fighter and I just love his voice, it the type of voice that sound very kick ass old man voice that you get from a lot of characters in show. It just a good voice that fix the character so well. I just loved how he fight with his hook and he just is overall a good interaction to talk about other Autobot past as well as being helpful for in the next episodes with fighting the Depiction because they are know out number with this new addition to the team. So I do recommend this episode just because it bring in a very cool and wonderful character to the mix!

The next episode is season 1 episode 11 Ruin

This episode was really interesting and began to bring up a lot of question which I loved so much!

So the Autobots get this messaged from a hologram of a girl from a ancient city that has sank along time ago. They messaged at the began is asking for help, they go down to the city and are right way having to fight the Depection while Optimus who has the children, get shot at and has to quickly bring them into the city before he leave to fight the Depection while the chidren have to go into the city because they have to look for the min con. While they are there, they fine out the truth of why their city was sank to the ground and discover a truth about how powerful the min con are especially the min cons that form the Star Saber and how dangerous it is for them to be in the wrong hands.

The Depection get one of the min con that forms the Star Saber and The city falls and get distorted and leave Carlos heart broken about not being able to save the pretty hologram girl who he was very much wanting to save her image and help her from being erased, which then Rad comforts him and tell him that he might see her again some day.

So, first I just want to point out this, I was looking at the wiki for Carlos and the first thing it has on there for an instruction to him is this:

If you having a hard time reading it, I’ll just get you to the point you to the words that is very cringe and focus on this pacific episode. “Fantasizes about holographic dead girls” no joke, that is what it say!

It blow my mind that is the instruction to Carlos in the wiki has for poor Carlos and I want to defined him on this because this is a bad instruction to a character that isn’t really that bad. First it is only one girl not girls! He not think about hologram girl all the time, just one.

Second Carlos, just is a kind and caring person who just wanted to keep her image alive. He wasn’t fantasying about her because he thought she was beautiful, even thought she is and he did like her look. I think there was more to it then just that. He wanted to save her from being erase and forgot by time. He wanted to make her last moments not so sad and painful, even if she not real and is only a hologram. Yes, this serious can be corny and silly, but Carlos, just care about her and want to saver her that it.

Other then that this episode was good, and it help bring around the idea about maybe no one should be controlling the min cons and that there might be more to the story then what the children or audience know. We can’t just assume that what the Autobot are doing better then what the Depection are doing. Yes, they wear the end and purple badges but there more to it then just that and this episode and the next one, it wonderful bring that up and make you question what they are doing.

With that said in the next episode Season 1 episode 12 Prehistory

In this episode Rad start question the Autobot about why they need the min cons. He ask why they can’t just stop fighting and why do the Autobot get to make the choose and not the min cons. Which then Optimus Prime, start talking about the history of their war, about foreshadowing a big mystery about the min cons that they just came out of the blue and that they where very strong and where stared to be use by the Depections and other to fight in the war. He talk about sending them away, and later in the show, they another signal for a min con which is most like the Star Saber that has been foreshadowing for some time again and they go to get it off of an amusement park that as a volcano that is active and is going off. The Depection and Autobot start fight, the children hide with the autobot min cons, until the see the min con in the volcano and the min cons that are working with the Autobot finally start help and make the Rad see that the min cons do in fact have a choose to fight with the Autobot or not.

After a while they are able to get the min con and finally are able to convents the children to keep believing in them and trusting what they are doing is right.

This episode brought a lot of question and also made me think about things. On one hand, yes what the Autobot are doing is right, they trying to save the min cons from going into the wrong hands, but also at the same time the problem raise with them want to use them to project them, and yes, the min cons that are working with the Autobots do want to help but it does set up a lot of question if what they are doing is right and if when everything is over, will thing be change or will they turn on the min cons.

It really make you think with both of these episode together about if the Autobots are really good or not, and why they are still fight for so long before the min cons came into being, they say the Deceptions were righting to gain power, but because I have read mtmte and other comics it make me think that maybe Optimus is somewhat make the story a bit more different then it really is, honestly I think the Depections want to be treat equality and the Autbots didn’t want that again we don’t get the side of the story from the Depections and even if we did we wouldn’t be sure if we could turn Megatron to tell the story correctly or not, maybe Starscream would but it bring up a question about trust in story and what other say. This episode is really intresting and I love to know what you think, do you think Optimus might have been elaborating the story a bit or do you think he was being honest?

Finally we get to the last episode of the season and the one of most turning point of the serious.

Season 1 episode 13 Swoop

In this episode the Depection figure out a way to brake into the base and try to steal the two min cons that make the Star Saber, the Autobot try to project them with there base, meanwhile Fred and Billy get caught up in all of this when there being show around which cause the Autobots to lower there defeats because they have to project the kids from getting hurt, the other Alexia, Carros and Rad go to save Fred and Billy from getting hurt and are even able to trick Cyclonus in a very claver way. Which then the Autobot have to face off with each Depection to get them either trap, hurt or even both, to keep them from getting the min cons.

However, Megatron is able to make them form into the Star Saber but luckily Hotshot is able to not only use the min cons but also us it to damaged Megatron a little bit before he retires and the Autobot know have the powerful Star saber which is given to Hotshot to use to fight the Depections. Megatron scream that he will get them next time you know team rocket style and that is the end of the season!!

So with this episode how did I feel well.

It was okay! It wasn’t as good as the other once before it, but for the finally, it was a good episode to end on. It show the Autbots how they would handle if the Depections did brake into their base. How each one use there strangest and teamwork to keep everyone safe. Even the kids thought of a great idea that was very good way to get ride one of the Depections. Optimus and Megatron had a good fight and I thought it was great that Optimus didn’t get the Star Saber and Hotshot was the one to use it because he was able to use his skill and the in encouraging of the kids to fight Megatron. I also thought it was so cool to see Megatron antler be cut off like that showing how strong that sword is and how embarrassing that has to be get his ass kick not by Optimus but by young Hotshot. So overall this is a good episode to end the serious and wrap up everything nice for the most part and really hypes you up for the next season.

So, I do recommend this episodes the biggest one I think not to miss are the episode 10-13 just because they bring the whole serious together and it just a lot of fun. The animation is good in this episode too, even thought there are some funny moment with the animation but mostly there really well draw and the music is good too. Overall yeah, I say go watch this episode sometime soon because there worth watch them and I had a lot of fun rewatching this episode. It brought me back to my childhood and why I love Transformers so much.

#rung mun is talking again #Review on Transformers Armada by Rung mun #Transfomers Armada #Optimus #Hotshot #Red Altert #Min cons #Starscream #Megatron #smokescreen #Cyclonus #Demolisher

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scoobydoominuscoobydoo · 4 years

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Why do you hate Scooby Doo Mystery Inc so much?

Hate is a pretty big word that I really don’t like to throw around that often because to me it implies zero redeeming qualities and that it never should have existed. I don’t think the Scooby world would be better off if MI never existed because despite it’s flaws there was a pretty huge following for it in the beginning. It did something that wasn’t all that common for CN shows at the time and that was trying to take a more serious and heavy-handed approach to the Scooby gang’s lives. It also brought back the concept of an overarching story line that was pretty well done before it go so convoluted (the last Scooby show to do that was 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo and that was back in the 80′s). It showed that the standard Scooby formula actually worked really well with this sort of set up.

It also is the best looking show and I really do mean that. The art-style is appealing to the eye and the color pallet was shooting for this whole neon noir that worked really well. The directing and camera work is set up like a teen slasher movie and it meshes nicely with the vibe the show is going for. The designs for the monsters are also pretty memorable from the first season and look great. Like I can remember most of the episodes from the first season simply because of the set pieces and monster designs (the episode where they end up in a house underground is one of my favorites aesthetically).

This was also the first series with Matthew Lillard as Shaggy since the 2002 and 2004 live-action films and he does a great job for sure. The performances from the whole cast are good as a whole (not exactly off brand for them).

There’s the episode “Night Terrors” that got like 11 year old me shipping Shaphne in the first place.

So there are definitely some things I respect from MI and I wouldn’t say that I hate the show. I think strongly dislike suits my feelings more.

Despite the fact that it did a lot for Scooby it also messed a lot of it up (this is coming from someone who watched it several times all the way through). The story got too complicated and there were a lot of unresolved plots and character actions that didn’t make sense.

I think the worst crime it commits - and the one that my animosity is directed at - is that it’s characterization was the worst out of all the shows. It tries to sell the gang as the town outcasts who only have each other but most of the time I can’t buy that they’re close friends because of all the times they just stop talking to each other. It really feels like they hang out with each other on accident and would really be with literally anyone else. Most of the first season just feels like Daph is there because Fred is there and she wants Fred to jump her so.

The gang’s relationship is a key element of every Scooby show and if you leave the impression that they aren’t that close than you’ve got five characters acting independently that sometimes solve mysteries together.

Not to mention how badly the gang themselves are written.

I’ll start with Shaggy because he’s my guy and his treatment in MI makes me sad. Overall, I think he’s the most “in character” out of everyone but that still isn’t saying much. A lot of his development is through either Scooby or Velma and the Velma development was handled as poorly as possible. I know this show came out during a period where putting the guy on the receiving end of an abusive relationship was funny but that doesn’t make it okay. It’s played for laughs but even when I was little I didn’t think Shag being in a controlling relationship was amusing. When he breaks up with Velma (for a completely valid reason that doesn’t even mention her abuse of him) he’s painted as the bad guy and it’s brought up for the rest of the show. That effectively ruined his connection with the rest of the gang and now he’s more or less just there. He doesn’t get any emotional heart-to-hearts or scenes showing his relationship with the gang (the most he gets is with Daphne ironically).

Most of the conflicts he alone faces are connected to Scooby or food and I feel like they could have explored so much more with him. Especially since that was the whole selling point of the show to begin with. The consistent fact that Shag is the glue that holds the gang together isn’t an element in this show either. I figured they might explore his obviously neglectful parents who still don’t seem too attached to the having a kid thing. But that didn’t happen and any outstanding Shaggy moments in the show aren’t as deep as the show promises.

Daphne easily gets it the worst. Her whole character is like completely dependent on Fred’s current attitude of her. Which is a shame because the show has these undertones of implying that Daphne is this eccentric, dorky, rich girl and I have no problem with that but nothing is done with it. Literally all of her characterization comes from Fred and any major development with her also comes from Fred. Season one her is pining for his affections relentlessly to the point that is seems kinda ridiculous. Even when they try and have Daphne “give up” on him she doesn’t even really do that. She’s just more inward about her feelings. I can’t even think of anything else to say about her because everything about her is just “SHE IS INTO FRED” in big red letters all over the story. I will mention that she is kinda sexualized in this show but it isn’t all that extreme. It’s not exactly illegal for a sixteen year old girl to wear bikinis (that she wears to get Fred’s attention of course). She did pull the teenager wearing lingire way before Riverdale did so props I guess (not really I still don’t understand the point).

It’s disappointing because Daphne is such a charming and lovable character in every show she’s in. Yet in MI she’s blown down to Fred’s arm candy and even when they promise to give her a character beyond that they really don’t. She falls back into the same relationship dynamic with him despite the supposed character growth.

MI Velma is given the backwards character arc of being the victim in an emotionally detached relationship. And it always confuses me because it’s obvious she had no interest in who Shaggy is because she wanted nothing to do with his life and kept trying to change him. Ironically she was trying to turn him into her arm candy and somehow convinced herself that he was the bad guy for not wanting to be that. The show wants you to feel bad for her because a boy chose a dog over her - but that isn’t even what happens! He states that he really isn’t ready for the kind of relationship Velma wants with him and that is painted as him choosing his dog. She holds that over him and Scooby’s heads for the rest of the show and I still don’t feel bad for her because she literally tried to force him to get rid of his dialogue quirk through physical harm. And he felt bad about it until the end of the episode????

When she isn’t abusing one of her best friends she’s usually talking down to all three of them because she’s perfectly aware that she’s smarter than them. Yet she’s the one who gets the most interesting story. Working for Mr. E and having an obvious lesbian relationship with Marcie are like actual things that progressed her character. Neither Shag or Daph get this treatment and they don’t even get any character development to begin with. But every time I finish the show I stay at the same conclusion that I don’t like her all that much. Her redeeming quality could be her brutal sarcasm but that’s a character quirk that doesn’t fix who she is.

Oh Fred, dear little Fred. The one with the actual character arc that remains consistent. His character just got regulated to the dude-bro of your dreams with a trap/ascot obsession??? It’s pretty jarring to watch because Fred from the older shows is like this sweet guy who tries to play the mature one in the group. And then MI took that and threw it away so they could turn him into Captain Oblivious who only notices his feelings for Daphne when she expresses even the smallest bit of disinterest in him (how many relationships have I seen like that irl? Too many). There’s also the unspoken rule that all Fraphne development happens through jealousy (it’s been that way since Zombie Island and is still a regular thing).

The thing is, there’s so much I could say about Fred yet not really all that much. He gets the most story and arguably the most screen-time. He prioritizes so many things over Daphne’s feelings for him and when they’re dating Daph states that she feels like one of his traps because he’s so controlling. He breaks her heart like it’s no big deal but then we’re supposed to believe he still loves Daph enough to actually stalk her?? The more I think about it the more shocked I get.

Actually, the more I talk about this show the more shocked I get. Mystery Incorporated has always been held to a higher regard as the best Scooby show. But that’s coming from the crowd that didn’t watch everything Scooby-Doo had to offer.

Aside from the great art and animation, the integration of a greater evil happening behind the scenes, and probably the best score as well, MI’s flaws outweigh all of the good things it brings to the table. I try to give it another chance and I am always disappointed because nothing is accomplished or done with the characters and that’s what I was promised. An overarching plot suggests character development and progression but we don’t get that. Instead we get the butchering of a cast of characters we love and a bogus ending that makes zero sense in the context of anything.

TLDR; MI sucks but I would still watch it everyday for the rest of my life if it meant I never had to watch Scoob! again.

#ask minus scooby #mod ninja #talking about mi just gets me disappointed #because shows with potential that was wasted bums me out #clearly the people working on this have talent #yet it doesn't amount to anything

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plum-pudding-and-honey · 3 years

Text

THE TIME WAR

The Starship of Theseus - 4.5/5 : What the hell? So that was confusing but in a good way. And that feels exactly like the Time War should be so kudos for that. I'm curious about Sheena-Emma-Louise, I wonder if we'll hear more from her (in an alternate timeline kind of way - i don't know?). I'm just not very convinced by the trolls, I don't understand how/where they exist but they're not really important so that's ok. I don't have an opinion yet on Bliss but she seems to be kind of a badass which you would really need to be in the Time War so good for her.

Echoes of War - 4/5 : god Time Lords don't muck about : I felt really bad for those little monkey guys. My dislike of Ollistra is greater than ever. Dal was interesting, his struggle felt real and the way Bliss has to take charge although she really has no idea what she's doing was also interesting. Also I'm loving Rupa, she's so sweet, but her husband feels very clingy. There were maybe too many characters to keep tracks on but the Time War vibe here is also very well done.

The Conscript - 5/5 : Sass!Eight at his finest, bless him. And now I really want a range at the Academy with the Doctor being an unsufferable trouble maker. I'm having trouble deciding if I like Tamasan or not, Ollistra is definitely on my black list (although I love the way she talks, it's creepy). The two recruits (whose names I've already forgotten) were interesting : both idealistic and eager in very different ways which get them both killed : what is the right thing to do then? I liked that grey area there.

One Life - 2.5/5 : Noooo! I hate when people turn out to be weapons, it's like with River Song. I mean I really liked Quarren and they could have still made him a Time Lord in disguise because I really liked that bit and how it echoes what will happen to the Doctor in the future. But I don't know he could have been a very important general or a scientist or whatever but NOT a weapon that can rewrite history because that's just way too much. So I'm very disappointed. Also I got distracted several times during the episode without it preventing me from understanding what was happening so that's generally not a good sign. And the temporal changed in the Starship of Theseus weren't due to Quarren, it was still the Time War and they still happened, right? I'm a bit confused now

The Lords of Terror - 3/5 : I don't really understand Bliss' reaction - if I'd been her, I would have been PISSED. I mean she's obviously upset but compared to what the Time Lords did to her and her world, it seemed a bit underwhelming. Anyway, this episode had a nice vibe to it and the twist that the villains here are not the Daleks but the Time Lords was well handled. I'm disappointed with the protector : she could have been a great antagonist or an allie when she finds out what the Time Lords plan to do but she's just stupid (I mean sure, the Time Lords are not good guys but thinking that the Daleks could actually help? Really?)

Planet of the Ogrons - 5/5 : Two minutes after she appeared and I was already in love with the Twelve. And I love the way she tells the Doctor off, as well as her previous selves, she's great! Also loved the Ogron!Doctor and all the little references (WHO AM I??? - Fred - "A tear, Bliss?" - "I don't wanna go"), I'm happy he's well and I hope we'll see more of him.

In the Garden of Death - 3/5 : There's something that bothers me with this episode. What were the daleks looking for? I have the impression that either I missed something or there was something missing, I don't know. The amnesia was a good idea, in the Twelve's case at least (it's very old with Eight at this point) and in how her other selves took advantage of it. I'm also quite intrigued with the ending and what is supposed to be inside of her : is it just inherent to this regeneration or was it there all along? And like, you know, what is it?

Jonah - 4.5/5 : I'm not gonna lie there, for a minute, I thought that Eight was amesiac AGAIN and I was about to be pissed. So I quite liked this episode - the submarine atmosphere, the search for a mysterious force, the dalek threat, the Doctor still refusing to be a soldier and refusing to make difficult decisions and the way it echoes with NOTD. I also liked the mystery about the Twelve and I hope we'll get to see her again.

State of Bliss - 5/5 : Bliss sends me huge Clara vibes. But like, if Clara had been written decently. It was nice to get to know more about her and about how she ended up on the Theseus but just like most of Eight's companions, her life and her timeline are completely fucked up. Also she's canonically bi or pan and I think we should be talking more about this : she's the third canonically bi companion with Fitz and Liv, so big kudos for that.

The Famished Lands 4/5 : i'm starting again this range after a long pause and this was a nice episode, not too complicated and which still explores the consequences of the time war. And this is horryfying! But I like that Eight tries to help and I'm liking Bliss more and more. But I really don't like the end and the Time Lords' plans for the Doctor.

Fugitive in Time - 3.5/5 : The Helixara and Shonath's story was interesting (another proof of the Time Lords' assholery) and I liked that she chose not to trust the Daleks despite everything that the Time Lords did to her and it makes Tamasan's treason even harder even if it wasn't surprising in the slightest. Shonath was clever but I could have done with less whining to be honest. And Eight is at his best and it kinda scares me for the next episode

The War Valeyard - 4/5 : Huh what? Sooo I'm not really into the Valeyard but I couldn't help but feel bad for this version (and he's as sassy as Eight, I mean : "Halt! Do not move" "I know what halt means" Ok, yeah I kinda love him now) This episode was a bit hard to follow but I can't wait to get the fourth boxset now.

Palindrome - 4.5/5 : So this was something huge. You have to feel at least some sympathy for alternate!Davros and his wife (while also calling him an idiot). I absolutely LOVE the construction of this episode, the palindrome, I love the tragedy of it, because of course you know this isn't gonna end well, and yeah, this is also slightly terrifying. Only thing that bugged me a bit was the second part felt a bit long sometimes

Dreadshade - 3/5 : That was a bit disappointing. I was looking forward to seeing the Twelve and the General again but it all felt a bit ... underwhelming. Still it was interesting to see the aftermath of the War Valeyard from Gallifrey's point of view

Restoration of the Daleks - 3.5/5 : the Daleks are at war with each other - again, which turns out be to rather good news for the Doctor. On the other hand, the Time Lords are not complete bastards for once (that sounds fake but ok), I mean even Tamasan is nice (and I'm still waiting for Eight to snap at her for what she did to Shonath but whatever). It just all feels a bit anticlimactic somehow. And God we don't need Rasmus hitting on Bliss thank you very much (I really hope she won't do like Leela and choose to stay on Gallifrey after what the Time Lords did to her planet). As for the end reveal ... I thought it was Emma, which would have been super interesting and new, while secretly hoping it would be Lucie (because I'm still not over it, ok?) and dreading it would be River. So I wasn't AT ALL expecting this ("after all he's family" --> I might have screamed internally 'NOOOOOO IT'S ALEEEEEX' at this point). So I suppose we'll have another Time War boxset? Or maybe they'll tie this up in the Susan boxset (which would annoy me to be honest)

Overall opinion : I have to admit I really wasn't on board at first. Maybe because I find the Time War way too complicated (and the ridiculous number of TW ranges with BF is CRAZY people, no way I'm keeping up with all this) but I really warmed up with this range and I'm glad I gave it a shot (several shots actually). I like the atmosphere of it in the first boxset, I like the grey areas : Daleks are pure evil, there's no doubts about that, but the Time Lords are not all good or all bad (which we already knew) and I like how it is addressed here. I've also warmed up a lot to Bliss and her complicated timeline and, yeah, I would definitely listen to more episodes with her.

#doctor who #eight #eighth doctor #bliss #the time war #davros #the twelve

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izzy-b-hands · 3 years

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Good Company

Inspired by a conversation today on the DL Server about how cute the pictures are of Roger when he’s in the middle of reading (and is interrupted for the taking of said picture.) Also written for my DL Server Bingo Card prompt: Good Company (also the title of this fic Because I Can lol.)

Synopsis: Poly!Queen. Roger just wants to read. Like that’s it, for real. He just wants to read his book, in peace, until he’s done with it. That should be really easy, in theory. However, after adding in three clingy boyfriends, things get more...interesting.

My love to all who read/like/reblog!

“Can I help you with something?”

“No,” John smiled. “How are you?”

Roger fought back a sigh. “Good. Enjoying my book. Or I was, at least.”

“That’s good; I’m happy for you,” John said, still laying directly over Roger’s lap, on top of his book and hands.

Roger nodded. “Thank you.”

John nodded back, and for a moment, they were trapped like that, in mutual politeness.

“Are you going to get up, so I can keep reading?”

“Can I stay by you?” John looked up at him with the strongest puppy dog eyes, his long hair draped over the pages.

“If you get off of my book, yes, you may,” Roger said, sighing as he leaned back onto the bed, book back up to his face as John snuggled close to his right side. “Something going on, for all of this to be happening?”

“I can’t just want to be near you?” John asked softly, and immediately Roger kicked himself for being harsh.

“Of course you can,” he muttered, and shifted an arm around John’s shoulders, the book held in his free hand.

It was peaceful for a good hour, and John was happily half-asleep against him when Brian stumbled in, and dropped onto the bed over his legs.

“I’m in here,” Roger whined.

“I know,” Brian mumbled, his mind obviously elsewhere.

“You alright?” John asked.

Brian shrugged. “Are any of us, really?”

Roger shared a look with John. This was a bright, flashing sign of Brian being far too deep into his own mind, his own worries. It didn’t happen all the time, but when it did, it could overwhelm him easily.

“Well, I’m enjoying my book,” Roger replied. “And John’s company. So I’m alright. How about you, Deaky?”

John nodded. “I’m comfortable, probably going to nap. Can’t really ask for more, can I?”

Brian sighed deeply in response.

“In the interest of making you feel better,” Roger offered. “And also because you are making my legs go numb-”

“I’m not that heavy,” Brian’s smile was small, but it was there, at least.

“Yeah, and my legs aren’t that strong,” Roger joked. “I’ve got a free side, if you want to join us.”

He had already been warm with John by him, but he was now extra warm with the addition of Brian.

It was also harder to read. Brian hadn’t just moved up to rest by him, but had wrapped an arm around Roger’s waist, pressing his face into Roger’s side and nuzzling him like some sort of baby animal. He didn’t begrudge Brian’s trying to hide from the world in his side (who didn’t want to hide every now and again?)

But it was making it a chore to continue his book, for sure.

However, this had been his only goal for the Sunday: to finish his book. He wasn’t going to give up now.

“What’re you reading?” Brian asked.

“You’re right by the front cover, you can read,” Roger said as he tried to continue to read.

“Maybe he’s forgotten how,” John giggled.

“Maybe I have,” Brian laughed. “What then, Rog?”

“Then I guess you don’t find out what I’m reading,” Roger replied. “Both of you hush.”

“We’re only talking to you,” John said. “We like hearing you talk.”

Brian nodded and readjusted to sit up more, so his head and cloud of hair was rested on Roger’s left shoulder. “You could read aloud.”

“I’m nearly done with the book!”

“We can guess the bits we’ve missed,” John said.

“Yeah, context clues should be enough,” Brian added.

“You two are doing this on purpose,” Roger said, refusing to take his eyes off the current page. He wasn’t getting anything out of it, unable to glean any meaning while two of his sweet but frustrating boyfriends were nearly literally in his face wanting his attention. “Don’t make me kick you out of the bed.”

“You would never,” John teased.

Before Roger could reply, Freddie stomped in, kicked off his shoes, and climbed onto the bed. He settled squarely in Roger’s lap, his head bumping up Roger’s left hand and nearly knocking the book from it. He could barely manage it, but attempted to wrap his arms around Roger’s waist.

“Hi,” Roger said slowly.

“You know what I hate?” Freddie muttered bitterly.

“No, but I bet you’re about to tell us,” Roger replied.

Freddie peeked around the sides of Roger’s book as if just noticing Brian and John for the first time. “Right. So, all I wanted to do was shop for a bit. Window shop, if I couldn’t find anything I needed, then groceries...”

A few minutes later, Freddie’s tale of being chased round the shops by two kind but slightly overzealous new Queen fans (who managed to steal the scarf he’d been wearing) was complete, and Roger could understand why he was upset now.

“Vintage, wasn’t it?”

Freddie nodded against him, and sighed miserably. “Don’t get me wrong. It made them happy, and that’s lovely to see, but I would have much rather autographed something for them!”

“I’m sorry, Fred,” Brian said gently. “I’m sure they didn’t mean any harm, but that’s no excuse for what they did.”

John nodded. “Lovely to have fans. Less lovely when they literally want a piece of you, apparently.”

Freddie grumbled, and pressed his face against Roger’s thigh. “I didn’t even manage to get the groceries I had planned to pick up, I was so upset. Came straight home instead.”

“We hadn’t made up a list for that yet, what exactly were you planning on getting?” Brian giggled.

“I know what we keep in the pantry,” Freddie replied. “I can remember things, unlike some people in this flat.”

“You lose your keys a few times, and suddenly you’re evil,” Brian said. “We’ve found them each time; it isn’t like they were lost forever!”

“Stop,” Roger interrupted. “No fighting while you lot are cuddling me. If you want to fight, you’ve got to leave. I’m finishing this fucking book if it is the last thing I ever do.”

“What are you reading?” Freddie asked.

“Oh my fucking god,” Roger muttered, but he had moved his right arm from around John’s shoulder so he could let that hand play with Freddie’s hair instead.

“We already asked; he won’t say,” John said. “And we’d look, but we’ve both forgotten how to read and Rog here has no sympathy for it.”

“None,” Brian said, voice heavy with faux-sadness.

“Tragic,” Freddie laughed. “Shall I look, since I’m down here?”

“I love you all,” Roger said slowly. He had yet to turn another page, he had damn near forgotten all what he had read prior to John joining him, and at this rate, the book would not be finished for another three days. “So I say this with love: shut the fuck up, or please go away. I want to read my book. I want to cuddle with all of you. But I need the cuddling to be quiet, if I’m also to read. Okay?”

A beat of silence, then a soft chorus of ‘okay’ from the lads.

“Thank you,” he said it gently; he didn’t want them hurt, he truly just wanted to be able to focus on the book.

And it seemed to work. John settled again at his right, and after a bit was snoring lightly.

Brian again nuzzled into his side. Roger swore he could hear the wheels still turning in Brian’s head, but he seemed actively less sad and more cozy if nothing else.

Freddie joined John in napping, his breath warm even through the material of Roger’s jeans, his head comfortably using Roger’s thigh as a pillow.

For another fifteen minutes, progress was made. The book was a good one, and he pondered rereading it aloud if John and Brian had actually been serious about wanting to be read to.

It was at minute twenty it all went sour.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he muttered mostly to himself. “Utter bullshit!”

The rest of his book had been horribly misprinted. Words printed over others, at awkward angles, some bleeding together as to be unreadable. Altogether, it was impossible to decipher without hurting his eyes.

“Don’t like the way the story is going?” Brian asked sweetly.

“Um...yeah. Might not bother with the rest of it,” Roger sighed.

Brian’s hand reached up to take the book from him, and tossed it gently to the floor. “You make up the rest then, and tell us. Tell us the way it should be going.”

“Seriously?”

Freddie, groggy as all hell, looked up with half-open eyes and nodded. “You did a good job with the last one. You could do it again.”

The ‘last one’ had been a small sci-fi paperback that in Roger’s mind wasn’t even worth the cheap paper it was printed on, and he had enjoyed essentially rewriting most of the story, saying it aloud to the lads each night before bed, making little notes to himself on a pad of paper so he wouldn’t forget certain bits of it.

John yawned, nodded, and tried to snuggle even closer to him.

“Alright. So, we’re on Mercury, right?”

“No, I’m on you,” Freddie giggled.

“Funny,” Roger smirked. “Anyway. We’re on Mercury, and instead of killing off the only decent character that author managed to write, we’re going to keep him alive-”

“I like it already,” John said. “Good thing, being alive and not dead.”

“I think this character would agree,” Roger said.

“Most people would, probably,” Brian added.

“Are you lot going to commentate on everything I make up to keep the story going?” Roger laughed.

“At least until we fall asleep again,” Freddie mumbled, his face already back down on Roger’s thigh, a hand near his nose, the thumb rubbing at the denim of Roger’s jeans.

“Delightful,” Roger sighed, happily this time. “You can let me know if you want something changed as I go then. Now: we’re on Mercury, and we’re saying fuck the protagonist, because he’s more boring than peeling wallpaper. But this side character we’ve brought back to life, he’s worth something. Before we go forward, let me jump back some and tell you why...”

---

“Aww,” Freddie smiled as he carefully got off the bed, to stand by John and Brian. “How long do you think he’s been asleep?”

“No idea,” Brian admitted. “I was sleeping hard; I feel terrible I missed most of his story.”

John nodded as he reached for the blanket on the end of the bed, and tossed it over Roger’s legs. “I don’t think I heard anything past the first three minutes. But I liked where he was going with it!”

“Maybe when he wakes up he can tell us more,” Freddie said. “If he remembers any of it.”

As they crept out of the room, Brian leaned down to pick up the book, only to wince at the state of the last few chapters. “Here’s why he was so upset. Had nothing to do with the story at all!”

“Remember the title; we’ll go pick up a new copy while he’s out,” Freddie whispered. “And get dinner, since I didn’t get groceries.”

“We could go get the groceries instead,” Brian noted.

“Could, but what’s easier to carry round a bookshop? Bags of groceries or at most two bags of takeaway?” Freddie asked.

They shut the bedroom door, and Roger cracked his eyes open. He’d been asleep, but only lightly. He hadn’t wanted to sleep too deeply, to risk moving and knocking Brian and John, or jostling Freddie.

Now he could crawl under the blanket though, and enjoy a nap. He’d earned it, he figured. For being a sweet boyfriend, and all that.

And when they got back, after dinner, he was going to secret himself away in a corner, and he was finishing that fucking book.

#text post #LeeH writes #queen band fic

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i-am-vpelno · 3 years

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JUSTICE LEAGUE SNYDER CUT SPOILERS!!!

So, due to the nature of this film my opinions are going to be all over the place and admittedly biased. I am a huge Justice League fan, I hate Zack Snyder, I hated the original Justice League by Snyder and Whedon and I’m not the biggest fan of Batman or Superman.

The Editing:

I’m kind of between the acknowledgment that this was Frankensteined together and wasn’t meant to be released and the fact that Snyder was given like 70 million to make this movie so what’s up? Let’s start with the negatives. This movie could’ve been waaay shorter by editing out SO MANY unnecessary scenes and slow mo. I can distinctly remember several scenes where I felt awkward just waiting for a character to hurry the fuck up and get where they’re going. This is especially prevalent with the Flash as almost every scene with him is in slow mo despite him being a speedster??? Then there are just “walking scenes” where it was just so so so uncomfortable and pointless watching the characters walk from point A to point B with nothing else interesting going on in the scene. There are strange scenes that don’t really add anything or lead anywhere like the Icelandic lady smelling Arthur’s shirt????? And Steppenwolf getting “permission” from Desaad to interrogate the scientists even though we knew he was going to do that already. A lot of these extra scenes interrupt the pacing as well which is a shame because I think the time would be less daunting if you cut them. I think the worst part though was the soundtrack. They only play Wonder Woman’s theme once in the beginning but then every time an Amazon is on screen they start playing this “lamenting tune” over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again!!! If it’s not the same exact clip from the same exact song I will genuinely be surprised. A lot of it just doesn’t fit the film, I definitely prefer Icky Thump to whatever Snyder had Arthur drinking to.

I didn’t mind Snyder’s color palette this time as I feel like the colors are punched up just a bit. I am so glad they chose to change the entire scenery for the final fight, it was so much more pleasing to look at. Albeit it was dark so...not much visibility lol but it’s understandable. I caught myself catching chills from the suspense and the emotional scenes in this. The emotional heart of this film is definitely there! I love the fight scenes!!! Other than some awkward moments with Batman and the Flash they were amazing!!!! Everyone looks great but I think the cgi shines the most here. I can actually see the parademons clearly now and I like their design. Steppenwolf had the biggest improvement, he was kinda blurry before but he looks great and I LOVE how they chose to show off the armor and his anatomy throughout the film. For this film specifically, I enjoyed the “Part One” things because it fit well in explaining part of Snyder’s vision AND was useful when I needed to take a break from the film. I kind of enjoyed the lack of a wide screen. Like Evangelion, I got the sense that there was more happening around the characters off screen and it greatly added to the mood. One of my favorite scenes is the Barry saves “Iris” (I don’t know if that’s actually Iris West.) This is one of the only times I thought Ezra Miller’s Flash was not only charming, funny and had a neat interpretation of his abilities but this is probably the best use of the weird music and slow mo in the film. I thought it was really cute.

The Story:

By far the biggest improvement upon the original, the added context is not only done well but probably the most interesting part of the film. Though not without its own issues, it adds much needed context, stakes and characterization that wasn’t available in the original. I could summarize that “everything makes sense now” but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We learn so much about Darkseid, his followers and his purpose. The whole “science so advanced it’s like magic” thing was so interesting!!! Cyborg finally has a really well done and AMAZING origin story here!!! I love how Cyborg talking to Superman’s ship and the Mother boxes is used to explain the Injustice future and how dangerous the Mother Boxes really are. It’s really hard to put it into more words than I already have!

There are still a lot of issues but they’re not too big, just pacing and preference things. For instance we didn’t need the first scenes with Lois getting coffee but we did need the ones with her and Martha. However it’s not Martha, so what’s the point? We don’t know the Martian like that yet and we have no context showing that he knows Lois is “the key.” The Flash tends to over explain his abilities at awkward points but that’s an issue I’ll expand on later. The entire “Diana explains Darkseid to Bruce” scene is good but goes on far too long and we didn’t need to see them make the boxes even though it was cool. I hated the Injustice epilogue and the intro to the Martian. We didn’t need to see the entire “break into the lab” scene or the entire convo about bringing back Superman, some of that could’ve been cut. I don’t like how they handled Black Suit Superman. From my own knowledge and reading I know that the context for the black suit is that Superman was weakened and not killed so he wears the black suit to gain his power from the sun slowly, more or less. However it’s just a fashion choice here as Supes only lost his memory. Also, no matter how hard they try this movie is not funny. Besides the jokes we’ve already seen, very few hit and I can’t even remember them. I didn’t laugh once.

The Characters:

I wanna jump into it with how bad the Flash is here. Like I said, him saving “Iris” was pretty damn good but everything around that is awkward, bumbling and forced. My biggest issue is that I’m biased towards the CW’s Flash, who is my preferred live action Flash and I completely disagree with how they’ve treated the Flash’s origin and his father. The best part of the Flash is that he’s kind of like Spider-Man in that he’s super smart and strong but lives humbly and spends most of his time helping his community. And like Spider-Man he has great quips but is easily weakened by his arrogance. This Flash is barely above a hobo and only shows the faintest hints of competence. How did he even get his suit???? Did he steal the parts to make it??? The guy who plays his father is so close to being perfect actually, if they could stop him from sounding like a high frat boy. Seriously there’s “My dad is my best friend” and then there’s “I smoke up with my mom’s sperm donor Fred.” I didn’t even like him in the original however I ever so slightly prefer him to this.

Let me tell you I’m not one to get sincerely mad over a movie, it’s all calm critique over here. However, what they did to my man Martian Manhunter is mildly infuriating. Like I said, him being Martha completely ruins that scene and makes no sense in this film. Why doesn’t he help the justice league???? His formal introduction is so blah and lacks the punch that his character deserves. I was hoping he’d get his own movie or at least something similar to Cyborg in this film. So sad!

Cyborg is obviously the star of this film AS IT SHOULD BE. Again, I’m biased but from my reading and watching of the Mother Box story from the comics, ALWAYS had Cyborg heavily involved somehow because it’s connected to his origin. But goddamn does Ray Fisher absolutely shine and I’m glad Snyder saw that in him too. The depth they go into Cyborg’s origin was great and so entertaining to watch. Hands down consistently the best part of the movie. And he was funny!

I’m going to put Batman and Wonder Woman together because I ship them but also because my critique is fairly similar. I was absolutely shocked by both of them, Diana being faithfully more brutal and Batman being to a point off color by being so soft and hopeful. BUT I ADORED BOTH. There is a balance that many people misunderstand when writing these two characters. They both have the capacity for cold calculation but have big hearts and care a lot about saving people. I hope to see more of this characterization from them. Also, we love to see Alfred being the smart capable father we know he is. I do wish they kept the thing about Bruce confronting Diana about being hung up on Steve because it’s annoying and needs to be addressed.

Superman is boring again here, but it’s the way Snyder writes him so I’m not sure what else I can say. I just don’t like how inhuman Superman seems despite his upbringing. Aqua man was shockingly boring as well. I though he was giving a decent performance, being the laid back, giggly badass from the first film.

I think Steppenwolf was amazing, a few weird flops here and there but a compelling performance that really let us get to know him! Desaad was surprisingly intriguing, mostly due to the vocal performance. Eh Darkseid was definitely different. I was missing his almost regal authority, I always thought of him as an evil emperor and I was a little sad that he didn’t act more like it. Even the Harley Quinn show captured his well founded self righteousness.

The Dreams and Epilogue:

Here’s the thing, I already know this stuff was added for sequel bating but I’d like to address some questions and concerns that I still have. I still prefer Arrow’s Deathstroke to this one, but we’ll see. Jesse Eisenburg simply doesn’t fit as Lex Luthor, even that trick he pulled was poorly done. I wonder if Lex’s body guards are Amazon’s like in the comics. Jared Leto continues to try way too hard as the Joker but actually has some intriguing lines here. Kind of alludes even more that he’s a Robin turned crazy or something. Is this leading to Injustice or APOKOLIPS War?

Anyway, it was a good film! I recommend it!

#justice league Snyder cut #justice league #dceu #Snyder cut #justice league spoilers

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multimetaverse · 4 years

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Riverdale 4x17 Recap

Finally the VHS tapes are back

Obviously Hiram isn’t going to die and his unnamed tv medical condition will be cured one way or the other but is he skipping out on doctor’s appointments because he thinks there’s nothing they can do for him or because he’s not actually ill and he knows it?

Wouldn’t Jughead’s Stonewall credits just transfer over?

Is no one on this show going to question why Charles is always working alone or why he’s always so willing to involve his teenage half siblings in his FBI work?

Mr. Honey saying that Hedwig would be more appropriate for a pre-Nazi Berlin was the funniest thing he’s ever been

Fred’s guitar!

Casey Cott said in an interview with Decider tonight that he acts as though Fangs and Kevin are somewhere between friends and boyfriends but he doesn’t actually know what they really are. Sounds like useful information for RAS to give his actors! For me this is the first ep I’ve actually seen Fangs be a good love interest for Kevin so I’m okay with Kangs though I still have my clown shoes on hoping for a Koose endgame

RAS revealed that it was actually the CW who asked him when he’d be introducing the Archies into the show. It’s nice to see them though obviously their being introduced now because the core 4 need some nice moments before everything blows up

Casey Cott is killing it ,why has Riverdale been wasting him all this time? The creator of Hedwig actually reached out to Riverdale and asked if he could help out with the musical ep and Kevin’s wig is from the movie which is cool

Casey revealed that the Karchie kiss was improvised and it shows in KJ’s reaction. It went a lot better for Archie then when Joaquin kissed him

Mr. Honey may be a stick in the mud but at least he waited until after Kevin was done performing to pull the plug

Sleepover is random but fun. I guess this is Kevin’s ‘arc’? Getting over his Farm past. I really appreciate seeing Betty and Kevin actually being friends

Sly little Twin Peaks nod with that slice of pie Cheryl slid to Mr. Honey, a nice little teaser for the Lynchian ep next week

Only Cheryl would think singing a song called Sugar Daddy to her principal is a good idea and that’s why she’s the best

Mr. Honey saying toodles was the second funniest thing he’s ever said

I keep waiting for Mr. Honey to be exposed as a pedophile or drug dealer or cult member or murderer like every other educator on this show but looks like he may just be what he seems? Just a normal straight laced principal

No surprise that it’s Hiram driving the wedge between Varchie, despite all the evil he’s done Veronica is still his heir. Though if I was Archie I’d probably be bringing up all the times Hiram tried to have him killed

Jughead is at an 11 all through his song

Is Kevin popular enough to get so many people to rally to his cause?

That Luke Perry flashback is gutting

Also that’s a retcon, it was Archie looking at Veronica that got him over his stage fright. Archie as an unreliable narrator or the writers trying to undercut Varchie?

Origins of Love is a bop

A long last we come to the Barchie. A kiss which will live in infamy

Better do your homework kids or you’ll get cucked

My god, the hands on the windows. This dream dance sequence intercut with their actual slow dance from the pilot is really bringing out the emotional big guns trying to sell Barchie to the audience. As an aside I think Archie’s hair has never been as nice as it was in the pilot

(Ed Sullivan voice): Ladies and Gentlemen, the Archies!

Well looks like the voyeur knows that Jughead is watching. That was well done creepiness on the writers part

Casey Cott was the MVP of the ep and I feel bad that his stellar performance will be overshadowed by the ship drama. Casey said that the tickle story line is coming back which makes it sound like this was the high water mark of Kevin’s story this season

I’ve thought since the pilot that Barchie would ultimately be endgame so long as the show wasn’t suddenly cancelled. Now I don’t think they’ll actually be together this season or even when S5 picks up after the likely time jump but I do think they’re being set up to be the final endgame since it looks like RAS will probably get the 6 seasons he wanted and has ‘’planned for’’. I think that Varchie and Bughead stay together while Barchie at the very least emotionally cheats before the voyeur reveals the tape of the Barchie kiss and that reveal sinks the ships and shatters the core 4

I feel that 4x17 will come to be seen as a turning point in that the show will never be as ‘good’ or at least as entertaining as it has been up to this point. This was one of the most disastrous ways that they could have set up Barchie and the damage done to relationships and characters would be nearly impossible for even a better show with better writers to fix. It would have been very easy to at least sink Varchie and Bughead should have broken up after their parents started dating and certainly after it was revealed that they share a half sibling

However, with the writers looking at doing a 6 year time jump after S4 eventually ends I can see the logic in using a cheating scandal to scatter the core 4. It falls flat though in that we really haven’t seen very much of the core 4 in quite a long time. Hell Jughead was at a different school almost all this season. It wouldn’t surprise me if we actually see a lot more core 4 scenes in the next few eps in a way to hurriedly build them up so that their partings will be more painful. The time jump is another disaster in the making; very few shows can pull off a time jump of more than a few months

Next ep should be interesting with the Barchie hand holding on the bed, the David Lynch homages, and hopefully more voyeur stuff. We already know Charles is shady and in league with Chic so it wouldn’t be shocking if he’s involved somehow. See you in a couple weeks Riverdalers

#Riverdale #Barchie #Bughead #Varchie #Betty Cooper #Archie Andrews #Jughead Jones #Veronica Lodge #Kevin Keller #Hiram Lodge #riverdale recaps

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aurorawest · 4 years

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ten faves

Rules: name ten favorite characters from ten different things (tv, movies, books, etc.).

Thank you for the tag @thegirlwholied!

Loki (Thor, The Avengers, general MCU)

I mean...obviously, right? He’s got it all. A sympathetic villain with a tragic backstory, a snarky, sarcastic sense of humor, The Smart One, but also, complete and utter trash fire, emotional wreck; just wants to be loved. His redemption arc hits me right in the feels and I’m here for the disaster of a relationship that he has with his big brother. His angst and dramatics make him an utter joy to watch and write about. V pretty, too; makes me wonder if I am in fact just a little bisexual.

King Candy (Wreck-It Ralph)

YMMV but another villain with a sympathetic backstory. The way he turns on a dime from goofy and fun to kind of straight-up murderous is great. Another one where there’s a rich trove of angst and pain to explore in fic. Alan Tudyk’s spot-on Ed Wynn imitation made me fall in love with this guy before three words had left his mouth the first time I saw Wreck-It Ralph.

Stephen Strange (Doctor Strange, general MCU, yes I’m cheating because this is 2 MCU characters)

Okay, so my soft spot for Strange admittedly came about because I ship him with Loki, but I’ve come to love him in his own right. He’s a smartass and a jerk—plus magic! How can I not like a guy who has all the terrible qualities I love in a character, but who dies over and over and over again to save humanity? And in a weird twist, I vastly prefer Benedict Cumberbatch’s American accent to his actual English accent.

George Weasley (Harry Potter)

Though I came to be a huge Snape fan later, my first loves in Harry Potter were the Weasley twins. And George is the one I keep coming back to. Who doesn’t love the Weasley twins, right? But I appreciate kinder, gentler George, and imagining his life after Fred’s death has resulted in thousands and thousands of words of fanfiction.

Weyoun (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

We stan one Vorta clone who presided over a genocide, got his neck snapped by Worf, eats pizza with chopsticks, and had to put up with both Dukat and Damar. Another villain for the list here. Weyoun (and the Vorta in general) are fascinating and it’s a crime that we never got to learn that much about them. The DS9 writers seemed to think we all wanted to know more about the Jem’Hadar, but I just wanted more of these weird, purple-eyed gremlins. Weyoun trying to appreciate art despite his lack of aesthetics? A+ moment from a guest star in a series that was full of them (both A+ moments and guest stars).

Megavolt (Darkwing Duck)

Ah Megavolt, the character that I’ve loved since 1991. He’s crazy! He’s definitely committed murder (he’s been sent to the electric chair multiple times)! And yet there’s something kind of sad about Megavolt; high school bullies turned into who he is, his memory problems are...a hindrance. He’s not all bad either—he has a friend group and sometimes he even works with Darkwing Duck.

Vinny Santorini (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

(with bonus Audrey Ramirez, because I’m not going to lie to you, it was hard to choose between the two of them)

Vinny is the snarkiest on this team of looters and he blows stuff up, so how can I not love him? Atlantis does its best to give us character development for its ensemble cast but it can only give us the broad strokes (its runtime is only 96 minutes. 96 minutes!), but it’s hard not to see Vinny as someone who uses sarcasm and humor to cover up a pretty big heart. In a way, a character with a minor redemptive arc, since the team betrays Milo.

Benjamin Linus (Lost)

The first thing you need to know about Ben is that he spent the majority of Lost looking beat up, which is a really attractive quality in a character. Ben is another one of those villains with a sympathetic past and a redemption arc—though unlike many of the villains I love, he actually survived! So he’s an exception to redemption=death. I loved Ben, I think, from the moment he hypothetically detailed how, if he were an evil Other, he would have tricked Sayid, Ana Lucia, and Charlie and lured them to their deaths, and then looked up at Locke and asked with that dead-eyed stare over his cereal, “Got any milk?” He was the one character who continued to get interesting on Lost as the rest of the show was falling apart.

Telemain (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles)

So I couldn’t find a photo of the back cover of Calling on Dragons, which actually features an illustration of Telemain, so you’ll all have to trust me that he’s My Type. His description from the Enchanted Forest Chronicles wiki:

Blue eyes, dark hair, and neatly trimmed beard and mustache

Plus he wears knee-high black boots and a giant, useless belt with a bunch of stuff hanging off it? Might I point you to another wizard on my favorite characters list. Telemain is a know-it-all wizard who doesn’t understand how to talk to others like a normal person. He’s very smart, fiercely solitary, and very snarky. Hm.

Éowyn (The Lord of the Rings)

How can you not love her? The absolute shit this woman has been through. Her parents are dead. Her brother is banished. Her cousin is killed. And her uncle looks like a ghoul and is going crazier by the day, all while she’s got freaking Grima Wormtongue undressing her with his eyes at every opportunity. I love Éowyn because she’s basically in the process of having a constant meltdown but dammit, she’s going to keep it together because what else can she do? And I mean, obviously, “I am no man.”

I’ll tag...ummm @iamanartichoke, @mareebird, and @thelightofthingshopedfor but no pressure! And anyone else who wants to do this definitely should! Consider yourself tagged, I’m always interested to know what characters other people like!

#meme #loki #stephen strange #ben linus #weyoun #megavolt #king candy #long post

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jasonfry · 4 years

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With baseball quickly approaching (for who knows how long), time for a pandemic installment of Classic Movies Everyone’s Seen But Me!

Summertime (1955)

David Lean works small (for him) in terms of both running time and vistas. He does a wonderful job with Venice, making the city practically a character in its own right -- and as someone who knows Venice well and loves it, I only caught Lean cheating on the geography a couple of times.

The real star isn’t the setting but Katherine Hepburn. Hepburn plays Jane Hudson, a middle-aged secretary from Akron, Ohio, who claims to have given up on romance. She hasn’t, of course, but it appears as if romance has given up on her -- Jane is a third wheel for the movie’s other couples and feels left out of even men on the make’s appraisals, spending the early part of the movie bonding with a street kid and the widow who runs her pensione. I’d write that it’s the kind of part that wasn’t written for actresses in the 1950s, but it’s the kind of part that isn’t written for actresses today. Hepburn inhabits the character beautifully, letting you see Jane’s hesitation and heartbreak in piercing scenes that sometimes rely entirely on body language, and Lean gives her the space to work, even when it’s an uncomfortable experience. A near-flawless performance.

The love story feels a little slight at first, but the ambiguity about what you should feel is intriguing. (Apparently this was even more the case in The Time of the Cuckoo, the play upon which Summertime was based.) Extra points for the Code-evading shot that tells us two characters have consummated their relationship. It’s only slightly subtler than the famous conclusion of North by Northwest.

Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

Claude Rains has a marvelous time as the title character, an unruffled bureaucrat in charge of the afterlife who has to fix the case of a boxer taken up to Heaven a bit too soon. (The film was remade in the 70s with Warren Beatty and called Heaven Can Wait, the name used in its first incarnation as a play.) Rains is terrific, but the rest of the movie is pretty forgettable: Robert Montgomery is genial but not particularly memorable as prizefighter Joe Pendleton, and the plot logic breaks down completely in the endgame.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Another Rains vehicle, in he stars as the evil Prince John, scheming brother of Richard the Lionhearted and foe of Robin Hood, played (of course) by Errol Flynn. Rains somehow retains his dignity despite a horrific wig and some astonishing costumes -- there’s one black and silver getup whose shoes have to be seen to be believed.

But all the characters are wearing ridiculous things all the time, shown off via the movie’s thoroughly saturated palette. There are men-at-arms in purple and pink motley, the merry men’s green tights, Flynn’s honest-to-goodness bedazzled emerald top, a lady-in-waiting’s Fancy Shriner fez, and we haven’t even discussed the get-ups Olivia de Havilland sports. The costume designer whizzes past All Too Much before the first reel’s over and just keeps going. And the dialogue keeps up with the costumes. Robin Hood may be the campiest movie I’ve ever seen -- it makes The Birdcage look like Shoah.

Flynn is capable with a sword and performs his stunts with swashes properly buckling, but man oh man could he not act. He has two basic expressions: fighting and making merry, and looks a little lost when the story requires him to investigate whether a situation requires choosing between the two.

Fortunately that doesn’t happen too often, and you’ll have fun anyway. This is the template for about a billion adventure stories made since then, and it’s entertaining even when you’re not elbowing the other person on the couch to point out what was waiting in Claude Rains’s dressing room this time. Think of it as a live-action cartoon and enjoy the ride.

Love in the Afternoon (1957)

Audrey Hepburn is the innocent, cello-playing daughter of a Paris private investigator (Maurice Chevalier) who interferes with her father’s work by preventing an American playboy (Gary Cooper) from getting shot by a jealous husband, then pretends to outdo the playboy at his own no-consequences game.

The story is light and amusing, with Chevalier ably serving as the fulcrum who helps it turn into something poignant and more interesting at the end. (The voiceover as coda, by the way, was added for Code reasons.) And Billy Wilder (co-writing and directing) guides the ship with a light, skilled hand -- the scenes between Cooper’s Frank Flanagan and his hired band are particularly fun.

There’s a fatal flaw, though: While Hepburn has never been more luminous, Cooper is too old to be the leading man. Wilder knew this, using soft focus and dim lighting in an effort to be kind that just calls attention to the movie’s fatal flaw. Moreover, Flanagan’s neither particularly interesting nor pleasant, so you never believe Hepburn’s Ariane would actually be interested in him. (He’s rich, granted, but she doesn’t seem to care about that.)

Directors kept doing this to Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s: Three years earlier, Wilder stuck her with a half-rotted Humphrey Bogart in Sabrina; in 1957 she also had to put up with a mummified Fred Astaire in Funny Face. Beyond the fact that it’s creepy, it doesn’t work for those stories.

I’m going to look on the bright side: Hepburn deserves even more adulation than she gets, since she rises above her AARP romantic leads to carry all three pictures.

The 39 Steps (1935)

A clever early Hitchcock I found intriguing because you can see the visible language of film evolving before your eyes. Some scenes look utterly modern, with intriguing camera angles and blocking, but they’re right next to oddly static compositions, or scenes filled with cuts that cross the line for no apparent reason. But there’s also a justifiably famous transition shot from a cleaning woman’s horrified discovery to a train whistle, a tricky perspective change from inside a car, and some other nice surprises.

The movie is a prototype Hitchcock thriller, with a plot that carries you along provided you don’t ask too many questions. (Or any questions, really.) But the movie hits its stride surprisingly late, coming into focus once Robert Donat’s Richard Hannay winds up manacled to Madeleine Carroll’s Pamela. Hang around that long and you’ll be well entertained.

McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)

This one made my list because it was an inspiration for Solo, a Star Wars spinoff movie I think deserved a better reception and suspect will be viewed more fondly in time. Yep, that’s Warren Beatty’s fur coat that Alden Ehrenreich wears, and the bar Beatty visits in the town of Presbyterian Church is a dead ringer for the one where Han and Lando Calrissian meet over cards.

So that was fun. As for the rest, after my usual post-movie reading, I get what Robert Altman was going for. This is an anti-Western that relentlessly inverts the genre’s tropes, with the climactic gunfight happening not in the center of town before all eyes, but scarcely noticed as the townspeople rush to put out a fire.

But I found that more interesting to read about than to watch. I was never invested in Beatty’s McCabe or Julie Christie’s Mrs. Miller, finding them less memorable than a young visitor who runs afoul of trouble (Keith Carradine) or the lead bounty hunter sent after McCabe (Hugh Millais, exuding genial menace).

Still, the movie has a powerful sense of place, I keep finding myself thinking about it, and lots of people whose opinions I respect consider it a classic. So perhaps I’ll revisit this one someday. But for now, my conclusion is that I’m missing whatever gene you need to appreciate chilly, airless Hollywood art-house movies of the 1970s -- a movement, ironically, that screeched to a halt when Jaws and Star Wars introduced the era of the summer blockbuster.

#movies

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