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#( Man I haven't done an analysis in so long... feels good )
chuplayswithfire · 2 years
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Edward Teach knows who he is. i think this might be a bit controversial in the analysis perspective, because the idea of Edward teach, fractured identity, doesn't know who he is, is pretty prevalent, but i think this comes from a fundamental lack of familiarity with the experience of being non-white in white society.
what Ed struggles with is the ability to find a landing zone where he can stop code switching. sure, Ed is a social chameleon and changes things up depending on who he's with, but this is a common strategy for people of color in survival mode - managing expectations, experiences, and presentation are essential for not just surviving but thriving in a white world, and that's what we see with Ed -
he's Blackbeard the charismatic celebrity pirate when he first meets the crew because he's putting on the job. he's Jeff the Accountant when he's trying out finer things and high society. he's Blackie with Calico Jack, his oldest living tie to the past, a man who went through hell with him in their youth and a man who clearly thrives on high adrenaline high aggression masculinity. at the end of season 1, he's the Kraken for Izzy, pouring on the danger to keep a known liability at bay (Izzy has betrayed him twice, now. Izzy is a liability) and this isn't a sign of fractured identity, this is a sign of a man who has never been able to show all of himself to anyone and be accepted, and a man who knows he must be in community with others to survive.
no pirate stands alone. you're in a crew, you're a captain, you're a first mate, you're something to someone at all times. Ed can't be on his own if he wants to survive as a pirate, which is all he knows, but he also can't find peace as a pirate, because he isn't known. its not that he doesn't know who he is. he's all of these identities.
it's that it isn't until he meets Stede that he finds a place where he can show all of himself. That's why they bond so closely - they're able to connect because they have common interests. Because Stede isn't scared of Ed, and when he learns more about him he's curious, he asks questions, he shares. Ed is able to relax and share more of himself, to the point that when he panics, he shares too much. He gets nervous. That's why he wants to leave in episode 7 - he has shown too much and they haven't talked about and Ed hasn't been that vulnerable with anyone in a long time.
But then Lucius helps him see that Stede likes him, that Stede is doing this whole outing for him, that everything is good, and he's settled again. And then in episode 8, he's nervous again, because he codeswitched to hang out with Calico Jack, to enjoy some of the old bygone times, and without the context of the conversation Stede and Calico Jack had and the context of Stede's background, he's left to assume that Stede has seen that Ed isn't classy and doesn't like him anymore. So he backs off.
But he comes back, and knowing himself and what he wants is why Ed can walk away from his whole life to be with Stede. Because he knows himself and what he wants. He starts the season knowing himself and what he wants and how he feels - Ed's arc in the first season is not about finding himself but about opening up, settling into his skin, and understanding where he wants to go next. Stede's arc is coming to terms with what he's done, and then finally gaining base knowledge of himself. Stede and Ed are on totally different levels throughout the season, because Ed knows who he is. He just doesn't know how to navigate to where and who he wants to be next.
So all of this said? At the end of the finale, Ed loses sight of who he is. He regresses and falls back because it's easier to be feared than laughed at, and because Stede has broken his heart and Izzy has made it clear that no one will ever stand by all of him, so he might as well be the self that still has people.
But Stede didn't reject Ed. Stede ran for his own reasons. Which means when he comes back to Ed, when he fights his way back to Ed, he's not going to be all, oh darling I can help you sort out your identity. He'll be like oh my fearsome darling, you really are beautiful as he looks at Ed's frankly terrifying visage (or exhausted visage, who knows how long it will have been since this man took a nap) and he's going to be fully accepting of who Ed is. Because Stede knows and loves Ed for who he is. He's seen him violent. He's seen him aggressive. He's seen him vulnerable, soft, sweet, sorrowful, overjoyed. He knows Ed.
When Stede comes, he won't be fixing Ed. It's not Stede's place to fix Ed. It's Stede's job to walk beside Ed, and be at his side, (and apologize) and navigate with him the pitfalls and ups for their relationship, and continue to be the first person that Ed Teach could ever be all of himself with.
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maniacwatchestheworld · 3 months
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Several small BatFam notes
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@moss-covered-thoughts (I'm answering questions and providing information for DPxDC fans.)
lol don't worry about it! Nothing about you talking about your fic will make me feel left out! I'm just happy to help you out with your work! If anything will make me feel left out, it's the lack of rogues content and people within this fanspace underutilizing Vlad and not having much of that juicy, juicy polycule content (specifically Vlad/Jack/Maddie) that I keep coming back to Danny Phantom for. :p Speaking of, I want to be as transparent as I can with the information I'm giving out, because just like all comics fans, I'm not an expert on everything and I am very much in my own specific niche and haven't read everything out there! I'm actually not much of a Batfam fan and am much MUCH more of a rogues fan! (Specifically my hyperfixation is focused around Harvey Dent and Two-Face.) So while I do have some information about the members of the batfamily, my knowledge isn't nearly as comprehensive as someone who's deep dived into that part of the DC universe! I'll give you the information I can, and hopefully someone with more cohesive Batfam knowledge can reblog this post with extra notes to fill in the holes I have in my knowledge. >.<
Adoption Order
So I can't tell you the specific specifics of adoption specifically, but I believe that the order of each member joining the Bat Family would probably be along the lines of: Dick Grayson -> Barbara Gordon -> Jason Todd -> Tim Drake -> Cassandra Cain -> Stephanie Brown -> Damian Wayne -> Duke Thomas.
Batgirl and Duke recs
Again, I haven't read much Bat Family stuff because my primary focus is on the rogues. But I do have a handful of recs! If you're willing to watch a long-ass video instead of reading, I would actually highly recommend Linkara's retrospective on Cassandra Cain and here's the link to said video! It's very good and goes into just about every major comic appearance she was in at the time of the video first coming out (in 2019)! You will get a very good image of her character from that, I like Linkara's analysis, and by watching that video, you will definitely be able to come away from it with a number of recommendations for both Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown! (He does talk about Steph some in this video, but it's limited.)
Speaking of Stephnie I'm sorry to say that I don't really have any recommendations for Steph as I sadly have just not really happened to come across any works that have her in them in my poking around in different comics and related media. But honestly, while I can't give you any recs for Steph, maybe you should toss Linkara (@atopfourthwall) a message! He's actually a decently active Tumblr user and given that he wants to do a different retrospective on Stephanie Brown, certainly he would have things to recommend!
As for other Cass reccomendations... The only thing I have in my back pocket is Spirit World. It's not about her, it's a solo series about the brand spanking new character, Xanthe Zhou, but Cass IS a main character in it, and people seem genuinely happy with what they did with her in that story!
If you're looking for good Barbra Gordon content... Well... Personally I would recommend giving her episodes in Batman: the Animated series or the issues that include her in The Batman Adventures a look-see...? It's always a solid time with her around in B:TAS, or in the Batman Adventures! They characterize her very well in those serieses!
If you want both a Cass and a Barbra suggestion... Maybe check out No Man's Land...? Asking you to read all of the comics that were part of that saga might be a little much, but there is a novel adaptation of the No Man's Land storyline out there, and personally I listened to the reading of that novel as done by Graphic Audio and it is genuinely excellent! Like, the marketing may be tacky, but it is on the level of quality as something like an audio drama podcast or a Big Finish Audio. It just happens to be a book reading. :p But No Man's Land IS where Cass was first introduced, (also where Harley Quinn joined the comics universe fun fact!) and it has plenty of good moments from Barbara in it too!
As for Duke... Honestly, if you aren't already reading the Wayne Family Adventures, then you really ought to. >.< That series is available for free on webtoon and the first several strips have him as the main character before it becomes more of an ensemble cast thing. (And in case you were wondering it IS official DC media!) >.< I also haven't read much of Duke's stuff, and so in terms of his backlog, I really don't know what to recommend. The one story that I did happen to read that heavily featured Duke... Was "My Own Worst Enemy" (it's like volume 1 of All-Star Batman) which was... Fine...??? Like, as a Two-Face and Harvey Dent story, it was pretty bad and ablest in how it portrayed Harvey's DID. (But this isn't necessarily unusual for books that include him... SIIIIIGH!) But it was also incredibly stupid and fun, and had a lot of good forwards momentum and offered a number of interesting ideas that I don't entirely hate! So overall I find it... Fine... But as a Duke story... Honestly it's not bad as far as a Duke story can go! And the back-up story for that little arc (the Cursed Wheel) was pretty alright too! I do feel like after I read My Own Worst Enemy that I did understand Duke just a little better as a character! So while it's not good... You might find it to be decent in what you're looking for...? Because I really cannot speak on any other stories he's been in. >.<
So uh... Sorry about my whole limited perspective thing... But I do hope that you find some of this useful at least! I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors!
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wen-kexing-apologist · 3 months
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✨2023: A Summary✨
Post your most popular and/or favourite edit/gifset/analysis for each month (it’s okay to skip months!)
tagged by @dribs-and-drabbles, thank you! this was a fun review and I was interested to see how many times my favorite post and the most popular post coincided (or didn't)
January
I wasn’t writing meta
February
Most popular: Heart’s Confrontation- the scene breakdown that started it all!
Favorite(s): Heart’s Confrontation, Moonlight Chicken Sign Language Index- I really had a lot of fun figuring out the similarities and differences in American Sign Language and Modern Thai Sign Language!
March
Most popular: Best Criers in Moonlight Chicken- it's funny, short, and sweet
Favorite(s): Moonlight Chicken is for the Queers, Isn’t it Difficult to be Born Poor?- I loved writing these so much!
April
Most popular: A plea for Akk to have unrestrained summer fun
Favorite(s): Bed Friend and Reflections Part 3; Songkran, Water, and KingUea- Not to sound egotistical or anything, but I was really proud of myself for the conclusions I came up with in both of these pieces
May
Most popular: Silence- I think this was one of the only things I wrote in May
Favorite(s): Silence- THE ACTING IS JUST SO GOOD OKAY?
June
Most popular: By/For/About Queers Part 1 and Part 2- these only have the most notes because this was originally a post from @absolutebl that I added thoughts to, so most of those notes are from them
Favorite(s): Phupa and internalized homophobia Part 1 and Part 2- it was really fun getting to unpack my past assumptions about Phupa and work through those until I came out the other side with a new blorbo.
July
Most popular:  Lack of Touch in BMF
Favorite(s): Rain, BL Boys, and Reciprocity; Trans Allegory in Cupid’s Last Wish; Body Language in La Pluie, Episode 12- I especially liked Rain and Reciprocity because I think it has really shaped how I watch shows since then because I want to see if my theory holds.
August
Most popular: Only Friends, Boston, and Queer Culture
Favorite(s): Only Friends, Boston, and Queer Culture, Pause for Reflection, Part 1: Respectable Promiscuity and Only Friends- listen, I was going to write boring, academic, cited work about sex/porn as a joke, okay? I didn't expect people to actually engage with them as excitedly as they did!
September
Most popular: A Must Read- I give all credit for the success of this post to the Teen Vogue author who wrote the article and to @waitmyturtles who sent this link to me
Favorite(s): Pause for Reflection, Part 2: Only Friends, Racism, and the Commodification of Queer Asians; Poor Boy; Who is Mew Anyway?- Honestly, I had a wonderful time writing all the essays for Only Friends
October
Most popular: Best Scene in Only Friends and Why it was Sand and Nick Kissing
Favorite(s): Let’s Talk About Sex!, Why I Like BL, Physicality of Characters- the sex essay for my 69th essay was fun, and hilariously appropriate because I had recently answered the physicality question and could use it as an example
November
Most popular: Physical Touch and Hands in Last Twilight- It made me feel so warm and fuzzy that people would notice I wasn't posting about this show and want to hear from me <3
Favorite(s): IS BROTHER ANURAK THE ONE ARMED MAN?- I will never reach a higher high than when my obsession with hands finally paid off and I figured this shit out a month in advance of Part 2, I'm a motherfucking genius
December 
Most popular: Hands Touching Hands- I love throwing in complete key smash type of analysis from time to time as a treat cause I keep forcing people to read literal long-form essays all the fucking time (sorry, not sorry)
Favorite(s): Top 5 Favorite Food Moments, Best of QL 2023: Favorite Lines, Best of QL pre-2023: Favorite Lines- I love when I can cause people emotional pain, and all of these not only stabbed me in the heart but took a couple of people down with me as far as I can tell from the tags.
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It's wild to have done this, because I haven't really been keeping an eye on my stats until now. I've made almost 400 original posts this year, and increased my notes by 25,000 annually looking at 2023 compared to 2022. I have been a lonely little tumblr goblin since 2012. I came on here to read other people's smart thoughts about things I was watching and to reblog gifs, and I never really thought building community here was possible, but here I am 11 months after making my first BL analysis post with a bunch of friends I didn't know a year ago, and about 20 more lenses through which I watch my silly little gay shows.
tagging: @bengiyo, @ranchthoughts, and @rocketturtle4
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thenanamisimp · 4 months
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Danmei and MXTX novels
Would you look at that, another post that's not about anime? WILD. It is about MXTX novels though so the hyperfixations continue. I'm actually in the process of planning a very lengthy analysis of all three of her series but this is a warning, don't expect too much. I was never good at those in school plus it's been almost 7 years since I've last written something like that but I feel so passionate about her works that I really wanna try to share what I thought about the novels. Nevertheless, this isn't actually those analysis posts since those are gonna be separate and will probably be written after I re-read each series. However, since I'm actually finally fully done reading all her series - including the extra side chapters - I wanted to quickly share some of my opinions and how I feel after finishing all 18 of the books.
This goes without saying but just in case - SPOILER WARNING for Heaven Official's Blessing, The grandmaster of demonic cultivation and The scum villain's self saving system novels.
First off, if you haven't read any of MXTX's work before, prepare for trauma and tragedy. Most of her characters are either deeply traumatised already or in the process of. I will always encourage people to read content warnings before reading her books.
Starting off with my favourite - TGCF or Tian Guan Ci Fu (aka Heaven Official's Blessing). This story means a lot to me. I got introduced to TGCF through the donghua before I even knew it was queer fiction and even with censorship, the closet is made of fucking GLASS so I had to look for the source material. Honestly it took me a while to commit to reading the whole series as I've been struggling to pick up books for years now but TGCF actually got me back into reading (I think in total it took me about 8 days to read all 8 volumes). More than just the story telling being good, I got so incredibly attached to every single character (except Jun Wu, he can eat shit - tho the fact I'm even saying this speaks volumes about how well MXTX can write characters. It takes a lot for me to hate a character this much).
Taking place in a beautiful fantasy world, we follow Xie Lian and Hua Cheng through tragic traumatic past and present and we learn of the horrible truths about the lives of immortal beings. We also see two idiots in love take their sweet ass time to confess. I love me a good slow burn full of longing and pining. I eat that shit UP every time and MXTX gave it to me with every single one of her series.
TGCF for me was a journey full of kicking my feet at fluff, second hand embarrassment (because xl I stg, what do you MEAN you were taught how to resist the advances of women but not how to resist hot men you gay lil shit the closet is made of glass) and honestly, lots of crying. The hundred stabs incident, ruoye's creation and hcg's last death made me sob and scream (no exaggeration, I was stomping around my room, crying and yelling GIVE HIM BACK RIGHT NOW).
Also, in a not so unpopular opinion (I think?), Pei Ming is my fave because 1) he's the no.1 Hualian shipper - check the whole Mt Tunglu adventure for proof and also 2) he's just a lil slut with a big heart. I could seriously talk about him forever because I went from hating him after he tried to throw the blame for the Banyue Pass incident on Xie Lian, to loving him after I realised that everything he does, he does because he is truly just a kind man who loves a good fight. He's so silly! Just a lil guy! Go Pei Ming go!
Fuck you Jun Wu. Again. (I hate him just as much as I hate Mahito. Maybe a little less. I really hate Mahito).
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Moving on to my second favourite (but honestly it's such a close one), MDZS or Mo Dao Zu Shi (The grandmaster of demonic cultivation). Take a wild guess about how I got introduced to it... Fandom of course, because very few people talk about TGCF online without mentioning MDZS so I just had to give it a chance.
The great grandmaster of demonic cultivation has been dead for a while but when he gets gifted a new body through a not so well known demonic ritual, he runs into an old acquaintance. We learn about Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's past and current world of cultivation and hear stories about messy betrayals and conspiracies. Aaaand we find out about some more trauma and tragedy because is it really an MXTX novel without it?
And talk about a rollercoaster because (and please don't hate me for this) I found Wei Wuxian annoying initially.... But it's okay now because I kin him so go figure. Tho I actually kin only his adult self, I was a very introverted and rule abiding teenager, a lil more like Lan Wangji. In any case, wwx is the same stupid chaotic bisexual that I am and he is babygurl. Yeah and what if he murdered 3000 people? It was self defense. THEY ATTACKED FIRST. Your honour, he did nothing wrong and he does not deserve to be punished!
On a serious note, MDZS explores so many themes that are personally important to me, my favourite being the power dynamics of the world. It’s truly moving that even with all the pain Wei Wuxian went through, how far in his cultivation and how powerful he got, he still couldn't protect those he loved (until Lan Wangji of course because Wangxian is perfect together and they always protect and defend each other. Wangxian my beloved). While it might be a stretch for some, it really reminded me of how powerless we are in the world. People aim to educate themselves and go on to do whatever they can to better the world in their own way and yet, it really feels like nothing’s improving sometimes. I could talk about this for hours but maybe I’ll leave that for another time and another analysis post since this is supposed to be a shorter one (lmao)
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Last but not least, RZFZX or Ren Zha Fanpai Zijiu Xitong (honestly this one I use the english name for because I can’t pronounce the chinese as much as I try - The scum villain's self saving system or Svsss). This one I actually kinda struggled with - first of all because WHY BUGS MXTX. Not much bothers me in fiction but BUGS? Too far. Heads with spider legs? Raw flesh with maggots? Blood mites? I was out (for about half an hour and then I kept reading). Please note that it's not the raw flesh that bothered me, it was the fucking maggots. I can read about graphic murder, creepy hauntings, torture and many more but as soon as there are bugs? Nope! I’m done. People have phobias and that’s mine I guess. Enough ranting about bugs!
The story follows Shen Qingqiu, the scum villain of the hit web novel Proud Immortal Demon's Way (or PIDW for short, as it's referred to in Svsss) who is actually one of the original readers - and haters - of PIDW, who transmigrates into the book in order to fix the plot holes left by the original author. With his guide “the system” he does his best to lead the male lead of PIDW, Luo Binghe, down a better path than in the original story.
Svsss employs a comedic way of storytelling, with our protagonist being omniscient, it allows for the narration to be sarcastic and poke fun at a lot of moments that are cliche or badly written, as interpreted by sqq. Honestly, this is just a personal preference but I favour the more serious storytelling way of MDZS and TGCF (give me hurt until the very end when the main characters get together and then give me comfort).
To me, Svsss is a lot harder to analyse as a lot of its themes are unfamiliar to me, especially considering I’m the furthest from having any sort of humanitarian education (I have 2 engineering degrees). Using a story within a story, MXTX is able to deliver two main overarching themes; one about abuse and its results through Luo Binghe as well as one about the relationship of author and their readers, the feeling of being trapped by the readers' opinions and wanting your story to be liked through Shang Qinghua (to be honest, I hadn’t really picked up on this one until I saw discussion about this in the fandom).
If I'm being completely honest, I don't think I grasped this series as well as the other ones and I'm finding it hard to digest lbg and sqq's relationship. I'm unsure as to what it is that's holding me back from loving them as much as Hualian and Wangxian. I do tend to prefer tropes like theirs more than the whole "had to convince him to date me" thing which is what Bingqiu's relationship seemed like to me up until the end of volume 3. It’s also why I'm glad I actually followed through and finished the extras in volume 4 (I was really tempted to stop reading once I finished volume 3 not gonna lie). I believe those to be integral to understanding sqq's feelings towards lbh and while I understand that sqq did actually love lbh from the beginning (denial is a river in egypt and the gloset is made of glass - what the fuck is with MXTX's bottoms and the damn glass closet), I struggled to see the tipping point of where he actually understood his own feelings and what was going on in his head and that he was actually in love with lbh. Which is why I think to really understand Svsss, I would seriously need to reread it.
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I also would love to eventually talk about queerness in MXTX's work because in each book, sexuality and queerness is explored and examined in so many different ways. As a queer person myself, it fascinates me as I can relate to so much of it. To be honest, I think I could write a short thesis on just this.
Honestly, while I'm very passionate about my favourite pieces of media (if you've heard me talk about any of my top 5 anime you'll understand what I mean), there hasn't been a lot of things outside JJK and MXTX's novels that have made me wanna dive deep into analysing every single detail. It genuinely makes me feel like I'm gonna implode sometimes. These 3 series have seriously reignited my love for reading. I was shown that a good book - in my opinion of course - doesn't need to avoid difficult topics. It simply needs to use them well as a means of delivering a message and a story, rather than them being included just to be included. They also reminded me that I love queer fiction and I need to read more.
I actually would really like to read Erha (or 2ha or The husky and his white cat shizun) but I've read the content warnings and I'm ~~apprehensive~~. While not a lot of things bother me, I'm not sure I want to read about that stuff (please look at the content warnings of this book, or any piece of media in that matter, especially if you have topics that easily bother or trigger you). Remember, it's our responsibility as readers/consumers to look out for ourselves first!
Please recommend any good danmei (other than MXTX) and possibly include links where they can be read! I would also highly appreciate recommendations for some good wlw fantasy fiction as I really would love to read some wlw novels - or even anime/movies/webtoons/manga. Just in desperate need of quality wlw content.
Also while I said I'd keep it short, it seems I ended up writing over 2000 words…
PS. I proofread this about 5 times and during one of them my file crashed, so if there's any mistakes or if I’m not making sense somewhere, blame my deep-fried brain, thanks
Thanks for reading my novel ramble! Enjoy reading :)
theNanamiSimp
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popculturebuffet · 8 months
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Review and Analysis: This Films What Makes Me Feel Alright
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Hello all you happy turtles! It's time to grab some pizza and party sized cool ranch doritos and pull your old high school sketchbooks out of some ancient backback in your closet, it's time to talk TMNT: Mutant Mayhem. As a massive TMNT nerd who was beyond hyped for this film coming from the powerhouses of both Point Grey Pictures and one jeff rowe, how did the film stack up? How did it spin kick on it's own? And why did they think Bebop nipple piercings were a good idea? All this and more under the cut, with FULL SPOILERS so if you haven't seen the film, you've been warned.
A New Coat of Ooze: Mutant Mayhem's story of how it came to be is oddly familiar: a massive movie company who has an iconic IP has no idea how to use said IP on it's own, and taps creators who have had some recent noticable and well loved succeses to make them a hit.
If that sounds familiar.. it really should as it was sony's creative desperation to get something spider-man centric only they would get profit from out that lead to Into the Spider verse and i'ts sequel. So it's funny and endearing to me that a film that wouldn't of gotten away with it's utterly unique and grungy art style without spider-verse.. happened for pretty much the exact same reasons.
Like with spidey, Paramount.. really didn't know what to do with TMNT for a while. And it's weird because when they first aquired the heroes in a halfshell from mirage, they had a pretty solid plan: the 2012 show, while messy as it went on, started out really promising and was a huge hit. The IDW comics prior to it were a massive hit for the company and are STILL around today, having outlasted other long term idw liscenses like transformers and having kept a consistent continuity for a decade while also leaving room for crossovers with ghostbusters, the mighty morphin power rangers, the goddamn batman and now street fighter.
So what went wrong? Simple.. they tried WAY too hard to mimic the transformers formula with their theatrical film, Ninja Turtles, not only not getting that audiences were tired of "Micheal Bay makes a weirdly sexual comedy about your childhood and it may have robots", but what really made the franchise work. The sequel from what i hear is slightly better but it just wasn't enoguh. Not helping is they quickly lost their shit on the tv front, as after the 2012 series concluded, they launched the creative, hilarious, and gorgeous Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.. which proceded to last only two seasons because it wasn't an instant hit, aka the same issue most nick shows fell into, not helped by the fact that Nick also seemed to pick up Cartoon Network's bad habit of hating action shows. We DID at least get a really good Rise film that gave the series a nice epilogue, but it's still sad it sputtered out so fast.
So Paramount turned to something they really weren't using.. their film animatoin department.
Paramount Pictures Animation is neat to look into as it had a steep rise.. then fell right off a cliff. It was a bit spottier at first, producing two of the charlie brown films, Bon Voyage Charlie Brown (And don't come back) and my beloved Race for Your Life Charlie Brown... mostly for this theme song.. okay ENTIRELY for the theme song.
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And scattered experiments like Cool World, which was so good Ralph Bakshi punched a man over what they'd done to his idea, Bebe's Kids, and Beavis and Butthead Do America.
It wasn't till the late 90's and the nick boom they really started seeing success with the rugrats movies, jimmy neutron, spongebob and even the failures like Hey Arnold and Wild Thronberries were still neat. And yes i'd like to talk about any and all of these films at some point, they made up my childhood etc etc.
Eventually they got a cushy partneriship with dreamworks, still releasing the ocasional original effort like Rango, Barnyard and TinTin (The last of which I WILL be covering next august, I simply didnt' have room in pirate month this year. Once dreamworks left.. it seemed like Paramount genuinely had no clue what to do with the animation divsion. We had things like Sherlock Gnomes or Wonder Park, and the ocasoinal spongebob movies but it's clear that with Nick constantly cutting itself off at the knees they had no idea what to do. The closest they got was the turdtastic loud house movie and the totally awesome Rise of the TMNT films on netflix, but they just had no idea what they were doing. I mean it's telling that their trying to get extra paw patrol tickets by promiting a double feature with saw X. I.. I wish that was just some stupid joke I made as it's comedy gold. Eventually they came across an idea: Stay the course in focusiong on ips they own.. but bring in someone who knows what their doing to create something truly jawdropping.
So for Mayhem Parmount brought in two proven successes. The first were producers Point Grey Pictures, helmed by friends, writing partners and permenant teenagers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Rogen has made quite the name for himself as a producer. While Point Grey started as mainly a way for Rogen to produce comedies starring himself and a pre-outing as a sex monster james franco, over time Rogen has proven to be REALLY good at making adaptations, with point grey having had a hand in both the Boys, which I haven't seen but seems to be a MASSIVE improvment over the original comics , which isn't hard but it's still nice they tried, and Invincible, one of the best superhero shows PERIOD and a fantastic adaptation that changes what needed it, moves around pieces and ultimatley creates something really special. So tapping him to adapt a big property like this was a no brainer. He even had animation experince thanks to Sony Pictures Sauage party and while this was Point Grey's first family production, it's clear it wasn't too hard for Rogen to adapt. As for their director they picked a hell of one: Jeff Rowe. For those not familar with him Rowe helmed the Mitchells vs the Machines, sony's first post spider-verse success and the film that helped codify the 2d on 3d style that spider-verse made popular and peanuts pioneered. And it was clearly just ont hes trength of word of mouth alone as Rowe went right from machines to mayhem and only got better. From interviews, the two worked really well together: Rogen was hands on but didn't make the mistakes lord did of being way TOO hands on, simply pitching neat ideas, adding to the film and clearly being heavily involved, while still letting Rowe steer the ship. Rowe in turn learned to have a good work life ballance and give his employees one, preventing the kind of nightmarish working conditions present on other flims such as, sadly, Across the Spider-Verse.
For the direction of the film Rowe was a fan of the franchise as a kid, specifically the toys. He recalled a really sweet story about he and his dad spent a saturday trying to find Tokka and Rahzar and really loved the toys designs and uniquely grungy astetic. As such Rowe really didn't lean into or heavily research the rest of the franchise. Which set off my alarm bells when I read it in a review close to release: after all a LOT of bad adaptations come out of the person adapting it not giving one iota of a shit about the source material. Eventually though I realized I was .. over panicking. What jeff meant was more "I don't want to be overly reverent to the material and see what we can do on our own with the basic concept' rather than "THE TURTLES ARE GOD YOU FOOLS GODS. GODS I SAY!". There are still little nods in there and bits taken from other series; There's a mention of the turtles taking in a knicks game (something that happened in out of the shadows), April's design borrows heavily from her design from Rise while still being unique, Donnie has glasses like the bay movies, there apparently was a miyamoto usagi sticker on a notebook (thanks tv tropes for noticing), and there's a TON of refrences to the 87 continuity as it's clearly the one rowe knew best. And while I do get a LITTLE tired of that being the one continuity most creators seem to lean on the most, I don't hate it and plan to binge the whole giant thing soon I just feel there's a LOT more turtles to pull from, paticuarlly the idw comics, the nods are neat stuff like them having their belts form that series, the various obscure mutants. The Ninja Rap even shows up. Rowe and Rogen clearly love them some turtles.. they just wanted to do something new with it and I completely love and respect that. The biggest swing and the one that's paid off the most was leaning on the teenage aspect. Rowe and Rogan were baffled that no other version of the franchise had done the obvious: Have actual teens voice the turtles. There are reasons for that: For the various tv shows it's simply easier to know the va's wont' age out of the roll, and to the 2012 and rise series credits, they both still tried to make the turtles feel younger and had va's that still made them sound sorta like teens, paticuarlly rise... but it's not at all a bad concept and i'm shocked it took this long for someone to try it.
Another aspect was having the boys all record in one booth. Rogen had the idea.. but Rowe had to explain that it'd be a sound mixing nightmare.. but eventually agreed to it when they tested it out and he saw how much having the four actors playing the turtles riffed off each other and just how much material they got out of the boys adlibs. It adds a natural feeling to the boys conversations: it feels like four teens riffing who just happen to be turtles. It was indeed an audio nightmare.. but the nightmare was worth it and Rowe was greatful and apologetic to his sound crew.
The final bit was simply taking from teen movies, the film even outright has the boys watch Feris Buller's Day Off, which gives me one of my faviorite lines in the film, courtesy of Raph: "Being in high school means you can hyjack a parade whenever you want. "
There's more to get into as we go but with the film opening decently and paramount being so confident in the film pre-release they announced a two season tv show and a sequel, the future looks bright for the green machines. So now we've seen how the pizza gets made let's see how it came out
Perfectly Sketchy: Rogen and Rowe's "Teenage Energy" philosphy went into the design. Rowe wanted to find a unique look for the film, but it was a bit of a puzzler at first: There's SO many incarnations of the tmnt, which one do you pick for this? Do you go with the mirage comics, the 87 cartoon? 2003? the next mutation if you huffed some paint? In the end Rowe decided
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Instead he made a brilliant decision: if the film was going to feel teenagery, then why not have it look like the sketches teenagers make in their notebooks? It's an idea that just oozes brilliance and still fits the franchises history like a razor decked claw glove. Part of what made the early comics stand out was it's sketchy, frank miller-esque style, and the toys stood out for largely echoing that as much as you could in three dimensions at the time. So it still fit.. but did something entirley new with it. As as a result the film has a look that simply nothing else has: porportions on most things are off, the backgrounds arne't hugely detailed , did you when you were a teen?, but still pop gloriously, and the characters all have SOMETHING that would be off model anywhere else. One of the thugs in the turtles first act of vigilnate justice, for instanc,e has a weirdly crooked head with indents. It's a look that's perfectly stylitic, fits the series history, and it's a kind of weird that perfectly complintes a series that was already having our heroes fight space dinosaurs by the third issue. I especially love how the shurikens are not even yet still throw perfectly and Mikey's hey arnold head. It's a look that pops with creativity and the crew really took to playing with. It's a style that will, much like spider-verse lead to this, undoubtly lead to more unique swings and I cannot wait to see what people come up with as a result
Protecting a World that Hates and Fears Them
The film's core comes from a rather genius decision to simply pick apart a key part of the franchise... the fact Splinter keeps the boys isolated from humanity for most of their lives and encourages them to stay hidden. Now credit where it's due some continuties justify it well enough: sometimes splinters hiding from shredder, or already had a sweet rent free sewer apartment he set up for no reason, trying to find his lost son and complete his family while avoiding a mutated alley cat or simply was waiting till the boys could defend themselves. They often have a lot of enemies... but even that shouldn't mean they can't get an education or have friends. April and Casey stick by them no matter what. They should be able to at least try for a normal life or the idea of them WANTING more than hidnig all the time should really come up more. The only ones that have really tapped into this are the IDW continuity which is just now having the boys integrate post armageddong game, out of the shadows which from what i've read has a throughly intresting subplot about the boys wanting to become human and leos' resistance to the idea (which also makes him come off as a bit of a jackass honestly as it's not his choice and "We're turtles end of story" is not an excuse). We've had the turtles say move into an apartment but this is the first to just flat out ask: why CANT the boys at least try to live with humanity instead of under them? And if so why did splinter keep them apart?
It's part of what really grounds the boys in this incarnation and makes them feel so damn real. The other of course was the decision to have actual teens play them and riff off each other. We get them making unteiotnally douchey digs at each other, such as the other three mocking Leo attempting a batman voice, casually talk about how they'd like to meet drake or have brunch with tom brady, which leo no you can do better man, or do some goofy shit while april marvels at their stupidity.. and then double down when told it might make people like them less. By making the biggest attempt so far to make the turtles FEEL like teens instead of young adults, an evolution the franchise has been undergoing since the 2012 cartoon and honestly reaches it's apex here, it makes us feel for them that much more; These are just kids who simply want to be loved and accepted, like any teenager. That awkwardness, wanting to fit in, wanting to simply belong.. it's one of the most painful parts of a teen and transplanting that to the tutles wa sa brilliant move. One of the earliest scenes is what sells this the most: the boys going to see Ferris Buller's Day off.. and just wondering what it'd be like to be normal. That lost shot of them sadly returning to the sewer... looking on screen at something they only wish they could have... it's so heartbreakingly beautiful.
The reasons WHY Splitner restricts their time in the outside world and refers to humans as "the demon scum of the earth. They lust to destroy that which is diffrent than them"
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Giving Splinter a deep fear of humans is a brilliant move. It's something that really coudln't be done in most incarnations as he's been the pet of a martial arts master who treated him well, said martial arts master living in a sweet sewer apartment after being clumsily blamed for murder, got reincarnated as a rat after dying in ancient japan, a martial arts master who turned his back on his heritage because his clan let his family die, became a movie star, fucked a spider lady, had said spider lady put him in gladatorial games, then got depressed after becoming a rat but gladly adopted his sons. Here they strip that away and we're left with a splinter who was just a rat who was yelled at by other animals, shooed by humans just for trying to survivie and whose only friend was a cockroach.. who he ended up eating after humanity killed the poor guy. Finding the boys also abandoned in the sewers and covered in ooze, as oozual, not only made him into a rat man.. but also gave him the one thing he never had: a family. We also get a REALLY adorable montage set to de la soul's eye know that makes me REALLY glad the copy right hurdles around them are gone so we don't have another spider-man no way home situation because the song both slaps and has a nice soothing tone that really fits. We'll get more into the music on i'ts own later, I just really love this montage.
It also makes what follows..
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We see that Splinter GENUINELY tried to go out into the world.. and the result was humanity throwing things at him despite carrying 4 small children and said children nearly being hit by a car. It's a really unsettling sequence. While yeah everyone going "rat man" and throwing things is a bit on the nose... given how a LOT of humanity acts to LBGTIQ+ persons, People of color, diffrent religions I could go on but i'm depressed enough as is, it's not really that much of a stretch that they'd throw things at a rat just trying to show his sons the world. It reminds me a LOT of the x-men and it's honestly weird to me that the othe rbiggest mutant franchise int he world HADN'T taken a page from them sooner.
It gives the film nuance: Splinter IS objectively prejudiced, leo even says so directly, but you can see how those prejudices formed and why he's so terrified for his own kids. He's worried a world that hates and fears them will also hate and milk them.. a runner that while awkwardly phrased, I don't think Seth or Jeff have heard of the term milking before, is hilarious, especially the usual refrain of "we don't even have nipples. " He just wants them safe and happy and you can tell he really does love them. He taught them the martial arts to protect them.. and the how is also really clever and a really fun idae: instead of "I learned it from a book" Or "I happened to be owned by a ninja master" or "I was reincarnated" we instead get him teaching them.. via martial arts films, instuctional videos, and the ocasional youtube thing. I love it because it honestly makes way more sense than it should as shown in the animation: splinter watched the films, learned the movements himself and then taught the boys. It's also a nice bit of meta text as Jackie Chan himself is a practicing martial artist who makes martial arts films and did his own stunts. One of his films is apparently even in the montage. It's one of my faaviorite takes of the film.
One of my faviorite scenes is Splinter's biggest pet the dog moment: the pizzza party. Splinter brings in a bunch of pizza hut pizzas
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It's neat because it both clearly misses the point, Splinter really dosen't seem to get that simply bringing down a bunch of pizzas to have a human style prom and having kelvin captain kirk cutout won't fill the void inside. I mean I could think of a lot of uses for a chris pine cutout, i'm not saying it's a bad gift and it's sweet he's trying SO HARD to get his boys to open up and Jackie Chan just nails the dad energy on this one. It's just clear that they don't want to stay there there whole lives as safe as that is.
What brings it to it's head is one of the films more brilliant decisions. Originally, while I haven't found many specifics the film had other antagonists: Baxter Stockman was originally the boys teacher (they went to school during the course of this film in this draft) and became the fly again, while Shredder was TCRI"s heavy in earlier drafts. Both were nixed, the former likely due to abandoing the school plot and the latter for the entirely on the mark decision that it was just too much. Shredder.. is THE arch enemy to the turtles. The one constant in every universe. So it makes way more sense to save him for a sequel and let someone else take the reigns. As Rowe has teased Shredder's going to be a bit of a wakeup call: just as the boys think they have it figured out .. in comes shredder to kick their asses. Which really has happened A LOT across the franchise, with it being a regular tradition that the shredder beats the shit out of the turtles the first time they fight. Even in IDW where they do rally and turn the fight on it's head.. he still easily handles them all one on one before they rally as a team. It makes sense to save their ultimate test for a sequel while still giving them one hell of a trial by fire
Instead we got Superfly, who better fit into the fantastic racisim narritive. If the boys want to get love and acceptance by fighting for a world that hates and fears them x-men style.. it only makes sense they have a magneto on that other end.
Like Magneto Superfly has a tragic backstory behind his hatred of mankind.. Superfly was the creation of Baxter Stockman and what they did with Baxter both completely floored me.. and drove me to tears. Instead of what he is normally, either a put upon target coerced into villany who strikes back at both the turtles and those who wronged him, or a narcsitic monster who will gladly do whatever he wants and kill anyone in his way, here... Baxter is just a deeply lonely old man who just wants a family. At worst he steals from TCRI.. but given we see their a horrifying company who wants the mutants as weapons and will gladly torture teenagers for a buck, it's not hard to side with him. It's really nice ot see a heroic baxter.. and sad to see him go so quickly.
It puts Superfly's hatred in perspective: like splinter he saw just what huamanity does and how his kind is treated and grew up having to raise his younger siblings. Like Splinter he seems to really love them. And like splinter his attempt to take his siblings topside.. went horribly wrong with them being chased by an angry mob for just..c oming to a snack bar. But it's right after that we get the clear diffrence: Splinter just ran in fear and while he trained the boys ot protect themselves, he just wants a line between himself and humanity. Superfly.. wants them all to pay. He wants to mutate the world that killed his dad and drove him and his siblings into hiding. The only way they can be accepted.. is if humanity is mostly gone and what's left are enslaved.
IT's that sadistic streak that ultimately defines him as a villian: the turtles just want to be accepted, splinter just wants to be loved, the rest of the mutant "cousins" just want a home and have been indocrinated and browbeaten into thinking there isn't another way. Superfly.. wants things his way: he wants blood, he wants revenge and if anyone stands in his way no matter their age or being his family he will kill them. It's that anger inside that makes him a true monster.
And that extends to his own family. Superfly's an abusive parent to Splinters flawed but loving one: The rest of the mutants turn stone quiet when he subtly/notsubtly threatens the turtles if they happen to disagree, and during the chase not only are they all desperate to get the thing back but Wingnut in paticular gets the most telling line
Wingnut: Superfly's almost here and he's not going to be as nice about this! Leo: You're not being nice! Wingnut: He'll be less nice!!
While the other mutants SEEM jazzed during the bowling alley scene, it's very clear later none of them were that enthused about the idea. Both sets are afraid to speak to their parental figure.. but the diffrence is clear in motion: the boys hide from splinter because they know he'll say no, it's a standard teenage thing and as seen with the pizza party when Splinter finds the various knick knacks they've picked up on their heroic journey, his response is to try to bring the surface to the sewer. It's awkward as hell and dosen't remotely work.. but it's still a sweet gesture and you still feel bad for him when the boys quickly leave to finish their half assed plan. Splinter ultimately wants what's best for his kids and even if he's not always right in carrying that out, I never doubted he actually loved his children.
This all brillantly comes to a head towards the end: While Splinter plans to just.. isolate the turtles after their nearly milked, the one time he seems GENUINELY angry the whole film, he still wants to save April, the one good human, who warned him the boys were in danger in the first place.
This leads to a touching bit in itself: the boys COULD fight the other mutants, their trying to do a genocide after all.. but instead the boys.. just talk them down. I mean i'm used to this kinda thing by now, most animation these days is about forgivness, but it still works: earlier when meeting each other the turtles gladly bonded with their cousins, who i'll talk about in more detail later: Mondo and Mikey were both chill, raph finally found some people who liked to hit stuff, presumibly while blasting Limp Bisikit, it was really sweet. THeir relutance to stop them added a nice dimension to things: they UNDOUBTLY want to stop superfly's plan.. but they genuinely like their cousins and see them as good people in a bad situation. Likewise the cousins are utterly destraught at the fight afterwords and miss the turtles. These are simply at the end of the day teens 20 somethings and whatever scumbug is who just wanted to not be chased iwth torches.
So it's utterly heartwarming when the turtles and splinter simply offer their home. They may not have humanity.. but they'd have each other. It's also YET ANOTHER idea that seems obvious in retrospect but most turtle series never really thought of: why.. can't other mutants stay with them? They usually order suplies and stuff descretley anyway or in this case take them out of nescsity, if they can afford pizza for 5 people reguarly, why NOT let other smove in. I mean I get it meta wise, you dont' want to overcrowd things. But it's a nice thought i'm glad gets realized: that the boys aren't alone and now have a whole new family to lean on.
And of course Superfly can't take that. To him there's only one way to go: never stop making them pay. I'll also say I like just how poweful superfly is: he's got strength inunerablity, and super smarts, which I thought was a nice touch. I assumed he woudln't have baxter's intellegence and I'm glad to be wrong. He's only stopped and only then breifly by sheer numbers.
What follows is a LITTLE on the nose, with superfly just.... saying outight he and splinter aren't so diffrent, down to both having said "You'll be safe if you just LISTEN TO ME".
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That part.. dosen't quite work for me. What does work is the animation on splinter during the struggle between everyone else and superfly.. the dawning realization of what he is as Superfly states the obvious and his determination as soon as Superfly says "the diffrence is i'm not a punk". Superfly just wants to get revenge on a world that hates and fears him.. Splinter just wants his sons to be happy. And he finally realizes that even if there's a lot of risk involved, they DESERVE to live out there with everyone else. There is something better than hiding or murder.
I also like how Superfly.. drops the pretense: once his plans done he just goes on a massive kaiju attack: I also like how fucking horrific his form is: the whale part's a bit goofy at first.. but then you see how much STRENGTH that gives him as he destroys it. Even if we get the ocasional joke (I didn't need that horse is gold), for the finale Superfly is just a nightmarish, imposing threat that threatnes to run our heroes lives and also maybe end them. The glee he takes in crushing the boys alive... it's fucking terrifying.
I also love the bit of the boys panning... seeing all the destruction.. and seeing the media blame them too. Their trying to HELP people.. and get blamed. I'd suggest moving to krakoa but a lo tof shit has went down and living with one old man full of fear and regret is what started this whole caper. And the boys.. fight on anyway because it's the right thing to do. Despite all the hate... someone has to stop superfly. And in doing so.. April makes sure they get the glory and praise they deserve anyway.
Finally I love splinter's turnaround right before the final fight... where he admits he was wrong.. but hasn't FULLY turned around on humans. He's simply realized he can't let his baggage with humanity weigh down his sons. And it pays off brilliantly during the time square fight, as when Splinter is downed.. someone helps him up. And what I love is that while it COULD just be someone who saw April's newscast clearing the turtles and other mutants.. it's left ambgious. As far as we know it was just a nice guy and gal helping an old man up regardless of if he was a giant rat or not. It dosen't paper over all the films flaws with the rat man mob scene but it does help quite a bit.
The film brillantly tackles prejudice and I like how unlike most films.. there's no easy answers. Our boys have to do something big and loud to get accepted and it's not guaranteed to shield them, as seen with the stingers. THey find friends , activites and get what they want.. but it's likely not the end.. but that's okay. The important thing is for the first time the turtles are out of the shadows and into the sun. And it suits them. Seriously this last twist was brilliant and i'm shocked it took a tmnt this long to just.. let them be public since 87, and since media has evolved, it means when we get to the series we can actually explore what that means: how will they adapt? will everyone accept them? will april realize Leo is into her and it wasn't just a friend thing? there's a lot of questions I can't wait to be answered.
Change is Constant
I didn't have a good segway so.. CHARACTERS! MY WHEELHOUSE. LET'S GO.
Starting with the boys, their more of a package deal here. They still have unique deisgns, takes on the cores of their personalities, all you'd expect from a good tmnt adaptation.
What changes it up a bit is the recording together: while most sets of turtles have great chemistry, this one.. really feels like their brothers thanks to the shared recording: they talk over one another, dunk on each other and goof around. This has always been a thing, and part of the franchises charm, but how they do it here feels more real, helped by the fact they clearly took some adlibs in. Both the BTS bit where they try to comfort Donnie only to both mangle the lyrics and writhe in pain and the bit with the new york accents both sound like the boys just started riffing on the prompt given, didn't stop and they rolled with it because it was comedy gold. It also means a LOT more pop culture refrences.. but it works. It dosen't feel like too much
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Admitely I don't know how current the refrences are to ACTUAL teens, but they work well enough and don't feel like their horribly date the film. Plus it'd be.. weird to have a turtles work that didn't reflect it's era in some way, as all 4 cartoons and most films and comics reflect their time either in writing or in the general vibe.
The downside to this is the turtles indvidual personalities, while present.. get kinda underplayed. Leo and Raph make it out fine enough: After the radience that was Rise Leo and ben schwartz being at his peak slacker doofus (while also still being badass), we're back to Leo being Teachers Pet. But thankfully like the 2012 film they play with it: like that Leo his brother's don't really respect him as a leader, but rather than the usual raph snarling at him like wolverine, here it's more just their his brothers, they woudln't respect him anyway and benig their dad's mouthpiece just makes them ignore him harder. He's the dutiful son but he's simply outnumbered. Raph dosen't get a ton of spotlight, but gets enough to be a fun little murder baby and probably my faviorite of the 4. Instead of the usual brooding loner, sometimes ultra violent sometimes just sassy, often both, here he's more an obnoxious older brother who picks on leo the most, is happy to do dangerous stunts and badly needs therapy. He's essentially Reese from malcom in the middle as a ninja turtle. He still loves his brothers and loves a good scrap, but he's got some issues to adress.
Mikey and Donnie likewise aren't bad but kinda one note: Mikey gets it the worst: he's a bit goofy.. but since they ALL are this incarnation it dosen't stand out as much. He gets some nice bits and one hell of a impariment shot, but not much else.
Donnie fairs better, but suffers from the unintended consequences of a good choice. As part of grounding things a bit, Donnie isn't a super genius. He's just a snarky little otaku who does really like tech, but on the resonable level of a teenage boy. As a result he dosen't get as much to do as most donnies as he's not hotwiring shit as often or making super lasers. It works for me, it's intresting to have a donnie whose just a normal kid who happens to be really nerdy, but it means plotwise he dosen't have as much to do as Raph as the ringleader to the boys mischief or Leo as the leader of the band during hero stuff. I get why: they only had a hundred minutes and it's remarkable they crammed as much in as they did, but it's something I really hope the series can course correct. I don't mind the boys riffing and hope it continues, but I also hope we get them more as their own people too.
As a final note I love Leo's crush on April. IT feels like a better realized version of the Donnie one from 2012. Instead of waffling over wether april notices or just dosen't want to turn him down which..
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And then having it go from cute to "spiraling obessive dickhole", here April notices something's weird, but is clearly more intrested in the "giant talking turtles who can help my rep" thing and thus dosen't really pry. It only REALLY crosses into that at the end when he transparently asks her out.. and she waits till prom to ask "wait this is a friend thing right". But that could be nerves or her being just as scared of her feelings as he is with his. It also helps that while he's intrested in april romantically the two do bond: out of the four he' sthe most empathetic at her barf reputation, priortizes her not out of his crush but because she asked for their help and later works with her at her club. It's still somethign the series could work on, but for "a way to both mine jokes and get leo to go against his dad's wise council" it works fine. It's better than "how dare you ruin my ship you bastards" and "Mikey stop being a sex creep. "
So moving on to April herself, I mostly like this version. She's the third time this franchise has gone with a teen april and the third to have her POC. I've liked the turn to teen april as instead of being a big sister to the turtles, and essentially another authority figure when they already have their dad, she's on their level and it opens up fresh possiblities. Mayhem is the first with this take on april to have her be a reporter again, and it's honestly nice to see that work at a school level, having her TRIED to be on their equivleant of channel one.. and end up puking. And i'm not a barf joke man but walking back into the theater after a bathroom break to see her ralphing to "UnwritteN" may be one of my faviorite cinema moments of 2023, up there with walking back into Barbie to find she and ken now had cowboy outfits they'd apparently stolen.
I also love how it gives her a personal stake: she just wants to be loved same as the turtles and like them realizes this isn't WHY to do this. She also provides a nicely needed straight man to the goofier brothers without being reduced to the old sterotype of "Joy killing female foil. ", something her fellow teen aprils and most aprils in general have thankfully achieved. April is just a person and reacts with annoyance to the boys because their going on a 4 minute tangent saying new york sterotypes while mike does a rumpshaker.
We do have to unpack that mostly though and that comes from April being kind of a dick at time's. She's pressuery when the boys are undercover with SUperfly's gang.. even though she can HEAR what their saying.. and thus hear that he's clearly indocrinated the others and that the boys may not want to harm THEM. I get her not wanting Superfly to succeed, his plan is fucking horrible, but even for a teen it's weird she dosen't see the nuance. She can also be a bhit short with them, though the latter I acknolwedge in hindsight as being like the boys: she's a teenager and teens aren't perfect. This is still a great april and continues Ayo's streak this year of great voice acting roles.
The other mutants are great. I was worried: While the cast for them is fucking stacked and Seth called in a lot of his rolodex to fill it out, and himself as credit where it's due he tends to show up in shit he produces and bring his absolute best rather than showing up because he can, i've seen plenty of films fall flat because they tried to add too many characters from the source. Just this year I felt one of the biggest issues with Transformers; Rise of the Beasts is that they tried to jam so many autobots and maximals in, a total of 10 but didn't bother to give any of them but optimus, bee and mirage an actual character.
Here while the characters are one note, they have charming designs and work more as a unit like the boys, but are still friendly and likeable enough that your fond of them like the turtles and happy when they join the family. The breakout is easily natasha dimoscu's wingnut. I already loved wingnut, but this is easily the best verison: she's cheery kind and gets some great subtle jokes, the wifi one is fucking great as is her swiping Donni'es akira voices. All of them are pretty charming though. The only one to not really feel like a character is Hannibal frog, a sad waste of hannibal burgess, but everyone else gets something fun to do: Bebop and Rocksteady are rageholic morons who then get a sweet character arc as they realize their rage is because Superfly ENCOURAGED them to be constantly angry, and it's fun to see a version of them that's genuinely heroic. Not so fun is Bebop's pierced nipples.
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I am genuinely baffled by this design choice. I don't doubt Bebop would get pierced nips, it' sin character. But why Seth thought anyone would want to see that, why he made HIS CHARACTER HAVE THEM, OR WHY HE MAKES IT SO PROMINENT will be a question that will haunt me for years to come. Or until we get creators commentary to explain why he hates viewers eyes. For the record I have nothing against nipple piercings, I just question why anyone thought giving them to Bebop was a good idea. OR their so large or
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I also like Scumbug and i'm happy to see Splinter in his first relationship where his partner hasn't died horribly or put him in gladiator games. I did not need to see them make out with clone high level tounge. I"ll let this discord conversation with my good friend @kammieceleek handle the heavy lifting.
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I mean their a cute couple but please, NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN. NEVER AGAIN NEVER
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Anyways capping us off we have TCRI, who are decent enough. I like remaking them as this sort of paramilitary goon squad that shows the worst of humanity. Cynthia herself.. is fucking great. I like that to anyone familiar with Krang, it's DAMN obvious who she either is, or is a stand in for, with the name, apperance and Maya Rudolph somehow doing the Pat Fraley krang voice and tics while also doing a thick german accent. She's a brillaint combo of over the top hammy.. and an utterly sadstic monster, shocking the boys just for speaking, not carring that they don't really belong to her, and willing to kill them just to get her super weapons. She's what a remade krang should be: still over the top.. but also dead seriously terrifying. My only complaint is she's a bit OBVIOUS as a sequel hook. Like Rowe was really banking on that sequel and i'm never a fan of when films do this when they don't KNOW this story will continue. It is clearly, with the film slowly picking up more and more money and more than enough in merch, but he coudln't of known that.
So with that we just have one bit of buisness to wrap up
Yo Jeff Drop the Verse
The soundtrack for this flim is liquid gold. It's so good to my ears and full of such nice cuts. Guardians cemented my love of needle drops in film in tv: If you can pull it off well do it. And this film does it so damn good. The film skews to hip hop, likely due to wanting a "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" vibe, which really does fit teendom well. I will admit it's also pretty explicit here and there, so kids may be disapointed to find they can't stream these songs, but it's still a stacked selectoin
So before I break it down track by track, something I regret failing to do with spider-verse as like this reveiw it was massively behind, I whipped up a playlist as Parmount's own leaves out several tracks. While I get the what's going on bit being left out as that bit is a good suprise why it has'nt been added weeks out from the film I don't know. You can find it here
Ante Up is a song i've heard maybe once or two here, but is a perfect gag for the opening grocery run, while still showing off just what our boys can do.. even if their doing it for some party sized cool ranch doritos. Which is still a great reward.
Danke Scheon shows up in the clip of feris buller. This dosen't really count but I do think the film is a perfect fit, since John Hughes was an inspiration for this film, and it's an idealized version of the freedom the boys desperately want. Not a John Hughes film I was ever a huge fan of, but it works and that "You can hyjack parades whenever you want" joke is so damn good.
Now we come to a track I wasn't familiar with but is easily my faviorite now: Eye Know. I"m glad more films are using De La Soul's music, mostly because it makes ME want to know them better as I haven't heard much and even after really enjoying three is the number, thanks to the weird rights limbo it wasn't avaliable to stream ad nauseum when No Way Home came out. Thankfully just a few short months ago, the whole De La Soul catalogue is up. This song is a really gentle, really fun love song with one heck of a chorus, and it nicely meshes with Splitner raising his adorable little children. It's one of my faviorite scenes of the movie.
The next track is another perfect selection but for something more hilarious and badass: While Push It To the Limit verges on a parody of training montage music it works for one where we find out the turtles and splinter learned ninjitsu from movies,, instructional tapes and whatever they could scrounge up. HOw their learning is awesomely rediculous, so it needs backing that's cheestastic.
Love is an Illusion by Ronnie Walker was nice for Leo falling for APril. It's a really crisp, dreamy love song so it fits.
Okay look i'ts only there for a second, but I can't tell you how much I love Ninja Rap making a cameo on this soundtrack. The soundtrack is cheesy good and one of the more iconic ninja turtle songs for a reason. It's not as good as say Pizza Power or the various awesome theme songs, but it's goofy fun that fit the film it was in. It's also one of Vanilla Ice's better songs, though that isn't huge compettion especially since he made a weird as fuck sequel I still can't comprehend that was also compeltely ninja turtle free for some reason.
Cavern By LIquid Liquid is fun, a nice chill beat to meet turtles to.
Dance by ESG is already a fun song and fits the boys going full blast on their plan well. THat's.. about it. THankfully I have more for unwritten. I'm not a fan of Vomit humor most of the time unless you have a paticuarlly inspired twist like say. a mad scientest making everyone in the room vomit at a bar as a thought experiment leading to an image like this
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That's just beautiful. But i'm just not a gross out guy, so this gag working for me was a lot... setting the most embarassing moment of April's life to FUCKING UNWRITTEN, a song I heard 998 times over the course of the 2000's as every fucking movie and tv show overused the hell out of this throughly mid song, it was transedeant. First and only good use of unwritten. Well done.
Now we come to what's easily the best musical bit of the movie. And it has some steep competition from Eye Know and another song we all know is coming, but the No Diggity Scene is just one of those sequences that once you see it you know "This shit is iconic". This is a scene that's now etched in tmnt lore and for damn good reason. It's also a brilliant way to get up to the chain to superfly and have a few weeks of sluthing and our heroes getting better pass as our heroes easily blaze through some goons and those shots of EACH turtle getting to burst in and lead the assault?
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And look I admit this montage hits a sweet spot that was also started by guardians: setting an action montage to music that somehow fits despite having no right to. In this case a mellow smooth as hell jam perfectly complmenting some frantic action. So fucking smooth.
Wake Up in the Sky grew on me as let's face it, a song that has bruno mars saying fly a dozen times nad saying he's super fly works. I just don't like it a lot because trap is'nt something that fits me musically. I prefer more intricate beats or at least a really solid one thorugh the whole thing. The more relaxed beatwork here isn't for me, but I can't deny it fits Superfly's big debut well.
Fitting me much better is the use of Shimmy Shimmy Yay for the bowling scene. It's fucking great, a song that's never not awesome and that's also a bit low key while being way more my speed.
The use of BOTH major versions of What's Up? .. is an easy close second for best use of music int he film and one of the most brilliant masterstrokes. And this all comes to Seth Rogen. When the chase scene wasn't quite working, he suggested the slackcircus version of he man. It's also awsome in that the song's themes of isolation PERFECTLY fit what the mutants are going through. So not only did they manage to stick one of the best meme songs in human history in a feature film.. but they did so with it being ENTIRELY relevant. The switch from the 4 non blondes version to slackcircus is fucking genius and the song adds nice manic energy. It'll also hopefully give this song a rightful ressurgence as the heman cover is , while hilarious, also GENUINELY good. The original ain't too shabby either.
The boys version of butter is hilarious and got me to listen to the original which is alright. Mr. Lonely isn't a bad song, and perfectly fits Splinter's mope session.
Finally we have can I kcik it, an objectively awesome song. It fit the trailer perfectly and it fits our ending as our heroes are finally allowed to mingle with the surface adn get their happy ending beauitfully. A beautiful ending to a beautiful film.
So overall mutant mayhem is fucking awesome. If you haven't seen it after all this go see it, support the hard workers who made this film possible by supporting the ongoing strike and thanks for reading.
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khaleesiofalicante · 2 months
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I've been obsessed with On Brûlera, since you wrote it (also the title. excuse me?!?!? I want to cry every time I hear that song😭) and I'm having mavid feels, so yes, I am going to rant about it😌
Them reclaiming what they lost all those years is so heartbreaking in a beautiful way. From the "small" things like Max supporting David while he anxiously waits for his book release, David being there for Max after a long day of work, to the big ones like moving to France, making it a home, something they wanted more than anything else. Having a home together, but not being able to have it for so long. Slowly but surely reclaiming the things they missed🥹
He doesn’t know why his parents call him ‘difficult’ because his priorities have always been simple. David. David. David. I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite quotes of Max about David, for the simple truth in it. That's all he wants. Something he never gets tired of, something he gets over and over and it's not enough because he always wants more. Kinda reminds me of Rafael saying that if there was something Max couldn't be trusted with, was David, because there was nothing he wouldn't do for David.
To Max. This one is for you too. Everything I do is, and always will be, for you. And also the parallel of David holy shit. David, being someone who loves so much. Being described over and over as someone who loves love, who craves it, who gives it not in a loud way, but in an overwhelming way. He never gets tired of looking for love and giving it away. He is described as obsessed, as greedy for more. He lives for it and will gladly spend his life doing everything in the name of it.
And Max and David find each other. Max, eternally craving love, liking when someone likes him, but when someone loves him? When someone is obsessed with him? That is something he lives for. And he gives the same. He loves loudly, in a brilliant, big way. And David has so much love to give too. He's someone who thought for so long he would die without giving all the love he had inside to someone, thinking all of him would scare people away. Finding someone who takes everything he has, and still wants more of him. Both creating a love that consumes them completely to the point of doing everything in their power to be together, just to have the honor of loving each other.
But leaving that aside, I am so scared for Other Max holy shit... He wants to know what turned this man into this sad, lonely, bitter person. YEAH I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW TOO
I could’ve been him if I didn’t get my happy ending.
///
It’s not pity you feel for the man. It’s grief. You mourn all the things he lost, and you mourn all the things he could’ve been.
I created 5 different theories in my mind with just this and I'm not sure I like any of them 😭. Terrified for the next few months, thank you very much :)
He kisses his lips and his nose and his cheeks and his jaw and his eyelids and the corner of his mouth.
He kisses every inch of David’s face until it remembers his lips and welcomes him home again.
///
“Because I’m going to kiss every inch of your back,” Max smiled against his skin, peppering soft kisses along David’s spine. “And when I’m done, you’ll only remember my lips.”
I haven't stop thinking about these two lines and I never will💙💙💙
This story is just so beautiful, just like Max and David's love, it also consumes my thoughts 🥺
THIS SONG. THIS FUCKING SONG.
This song and the across the stars theme from Star Wars ends up in every single mavid fic (the angsty ones hehe) because it's SO SO SO THEM.
I have found another perfect song (it fits David so so well) but I am going to gatekeep it until rwrb au drops because it's perfect for a chapter and I want the angst to hit right hehe.
And I looooooooved this analysis and it's made me EMOTIONAL. It's so consuming. Like you said. That's the right word for it. Consuming.
I love these codependent clusterfucks my goodness.
PS - gonna channel ALL this energy into the rwrb au. it's gonna be my fave mavid fic BYE.
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A Non-Exhaustive Deep Dive Into the Character of Ricki Tarr in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' - PART ONE
Now anyone who's had the (mis)fortune to converse with me recently will know of my newest hyperfixation - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. In the course of about two weeks, I have finished the book, watched the movie, and watched the BBC TV series from 1979. Anyone who's continued to converse with me will also know that my absolute favourite character in this IP is none other than Ricki Tarr. I love that bitch from Penang. I knew he'd be my favourite the second I read his name.
Those familiar with the IP will also know that he might be one of the most maligned characters in the whole plotline. No one seems to like him. Not his boss, not Smiley, maybe all the women who keep ending up with him, but not anyone within the world of the Circus. I think this is grossly unfair. Not only does he play a huge role in the plot... occurring in the first place, but he seems genuinely competent. His sins cannot be worse than those committed by, say, James Bond, to name another spy with woman and impulse problems.
In this (MULTI-PART) essay, I will be exploring the character of Ricki Tarr, as depicted in the book, by Hywel Bennett in the 1979 TV show, and by Tom Hardy in the 2011 film. Think of this as a sort of explanation of the character. Of course, this is mostly just my own opinion and bias, but I still hope you enjoy this deep dive/high-school-english-literature-essay/video-essay-in-much-more-boring-text-form. Obviously, spoilers abound, so don't click 'Keep reading' if you haven't read the book yet or if you care particularly much about accidentally having plot points revealed to you.
Ricki Tarr: In Defense of Ricki Tarr
The character of Ricki Tarr is one who spends Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy defending himself (indeed, he's probably done so his whole life). While this may to some degree obviously be because he is being interrogated by Smiley, Guillam, and Lacon for most of his appearances, I would argue that he is also written to be particularly defensive of his position. In the book, Le Carre writes: "'She was good company,' he insisted, as if arguing against a trend," His use of language such as "insisted" and "arguing against a trend" establish early on that, even if it is not explicitly written that Smiley et al would disagree with Tarr, that the latter expects disagreement, and has taken the tone of argument and defense instead of neutrality. The content of his argument, that of Irina being "good company", is also relevant here. Tarr is said to have many wives in the book, as well as both being said to flirt and actively shown to at least feign romantic interest in many women, so Smiley et al would likely consider Tarr's interest in Irina and his desire to bring her to the Circus as another example of his womanizing, rather than genuine love or even using her for professional purposes. Ricki's defensiveness of himself is also evident in Le Carre's descriptions of him, such as in the quotes "'Fact, Mr Smiley. Fact,' he declared, with the defencelessness of a man longing to be believed" and "he said with another flash of that false confessiveness". Words like "defencelessness" and "longing" show just how desperate Tarr is to support his point, and how unable he actually is to do so in the face of interrogation. We get a sense that he might almost be used to having to conduct himself in this manner, that this isn't just a one-off incident requiring absolution, but a pattern of behavior and ways that he is treated by authority. The usage of the phrase "false confessiveness" is interesting; on the surface it seems to paint a picture of Tarr's bad character and dodginess as a person, which is certainly how Smiley and Guillam see him. But one does wonder if that character analysis by them is true, or whether they are seeing only what they want to see. Personally, I feel like it's a bit of both.
Tarr's necessity of defending himself is also seen in the movie. In it, he seems much more passive and compliant, one could say a softer character perhaps. I will speak more on that later. Tarr, played by Tom Hardy, says to Smiley: "I know what I am to the Circus, I'm one of the Scalphunters, someone you can hand your dirty little jobs to," In this, Tarr acknowledges his comparatively lowly standing, almost denegrating himself a bit. I feel that he could be doing this before anyone can accuse him of going beyond his pay grade in his actions with Irina, making it clear that he understands his role and his standing in life, so those points can't be used against him. By knowing that he has to present himself as such, he continues to prove my point that he is used to defending himself and his actions.
Another aspect of Tarr's self-defence is snark, being almost cheeky, almost disrespectful. This is evident throughout the story, and can be seen as a character trait. In all 3 adaptations, we can find Tarr referring to George Smiley and Peter Guillam as "Mr Smiley" and "Mr Guillam". Given the way Rick Tarr is characterized, it's almost certain that he is giving them attitude using exaggerated politeness and making himself seem subservient and almost childlike, which juxtaposes his personality. But perhaps this politeness is also a defense. Tarr can't have been rude, can he? He's even addressed them properly!
In the TV show, Tarr introduces his story by saying: "'Well, I guess I'd better make my pitch. I've got a story to tell you. It's all about spies. And if it's true, which I think it is, you boys are going to need a whole new organization,'" This is both a compelling introduction to the plotline, but also serves very well to characterize Tarr and to show the way he diminishes things in the way he speaks in order to contrast them with the seriousness of the matter. He talks about a "pitch", as though he were a salesman, trying to sell his story to Smiley et al. This can be seen as a defense in the way that he's trying to make the matter seem much less serious, maybe for his own emotionality but also maybe to juxtapose that with the content of the story, so that Smiley and his associates can be more fully convinced of how important it is. The usage of words like "story" and "you boys" also make the matter seem trivial, fictional, but to the characters it is of course real. This is both a nod to Tarr's cheeky characterization, but also diminishing the respectable Circus men by demoting them to the status of "boys" who are listening to a "story". This might also be an example of fourth-wall breaking by Le Carre.
In the book, Le Carre writes the following exchange: "'Common-law marriage,' Guillam said drily. 'Unofficial but permanent.' 'There's a lot that are the other way round these days,' said Tarr with a sharp grin at no one, least of all at Smiley, and Guillam shot him another foul look." This can be seen as an example of Ricki's impulsivity and social inappropriateness, especially in the eyes of people in Smiley, Guillam, and Lacon's social class. Reading this, I also thought it was an attempt by Tarr to equalize the power imbalance between the men who are deciding his fate and himself, by making a crass joke at the expense of perhaps the most powerful.
Tarr is also seen to be defensive though his cheek around other characters. For example, to the man who has been guarding him in the safe house: "He gave the door a playful tap. 'Come on, darling, it's me. Ricki,'" When he could easily be harmed or given up to the Circus at someone more powerful's decision, and in fact the guard is very well-trained and possibly stronger and more experienced in combat than him, he still acts jovially and calls the guard a pet name, one that could maybe be considered insultingly feminine in the time period that Tinker Tailor Solider Spy was written. This could make him seem both friendly and light-hearted, or using such techniques as a double bluff to defend himself against anyone who might wish to use his true emotional state to undermine him.
While Ricki Tarr is spoken about and portrayed as someone cavalier who does not have very strict morals or care very much about other people, and while that may be true to some extent, I also feel that he uses not caring as a defense mechanism. This might be evident to other characters as well, as the guard in charge of him in the safe house says, in relation to Tarr's wife and daughter, "I think he's shut them out of his mind in view of the emotional side," This might be an example of Tarr using the psychological defense mechanisms of repression or suppression, where one unconsciously blocks unwanted thoughts or impulses. He is also shown to unsuccessfully attempt to care less (this time about Irina) in the film, where he tells Smiley "she wasn't even my type," however in this portrayal he is unable to control his emotions as he is visibly emotional to the point of tears.
His actions speak just as loud as his words in this regard. In the television portrayal, Hywel Bennett slouches in the chair as he is telling the story of Irina, only sitting more upright when making a impassioned point or when reading her diary. And in the film, Tom Hardy is shown reclining on a couch smoking. He is clearly acting casually, like it's not that serious to him, like formality isn't something that matters to him in this situation, even around his superiors.
One can also interpret Ricki Tarr's violence against Smiley as a last defense of himself, the only way he can think of, the only way he knows. Smiley is calmly suggesting that he might have abandoned his wife and daughter in order to save himself, deliberately triggering Tarr into the emotional instability and impulsivity that he is known for in the Circus. Tarr might have been aware of this, but still unable to restrain himself from feeling anger. And as someone who has probably been spoken about time and time again as a unrepentant womanizer, someone who always goes too far, someone uncaring, uninhibited, this would be yet another thorn in his side. One can imagine that being spoken about so often in such negative terms, with little regard for what you perceive as your successes, would wear you down and make you very defensive about your own character. And as such, when he could bear it no more, Tarr attacked Smiley. This usage of violence could also be an echo of Ricki Tarr's upbringing, as I will further elaborate in a future installment.
This brings Part One of this essay of an unhinged length to a close. In future installments, I will address the topics of Ricki Tarr as a so-called "bad boy", his emotions, and compare and contrast the portrayals of this character in both the television show and the film. I hope you enjoyed it. I promise I wrote this in a completely healthy mental state, just in one of special interest/hyperfixation
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piratefalls · 3 months
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20 Questions for Fic Writers Game
i wasn't directly tagged but i have put off the open tag from @ejunkiet long enough and i'm also bored, so since i'm sure a ton of people have already done this i won't tag anyone, but if you do it i want to see it!
1 - How many works do you have on AO3?
an even 40.
2 - What's your total AO3 word count?
just shy of 170k, which absolutely blows my mind because it doesn't seem like that's possible.
3 - What fandoms do you write for?
previously hawaii five-0 and teen wolf, but i'm currently attempting to write for red, white and royal blue.
4 - What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
all are teen wolf except one, but in order: (Waiting) Until the Sky Falls Down on Me; Today and Every Day; I'm Gonna Give All My Secrets Away; Man, Interrupted; and it's my (pants) party and i'll cry if i want to. this gives a pretty comprehensive idea of what i'm about lol.
5 - Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
i'm usually very good about it but they used to build up and i get anxious thinking about responding to all of them lol. but i love responding to them when i can!
6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
i don't really do angsty endings? i just went back and checked every ending and if it's not entirely happy it's at least hopeful lmao. i don't think it's in me to do angsty endings.
7 -What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
i've got a lot of happy endings but i'm gonna have to go with The Comedy (Is That It's Serious) because that fic was really just me dealing with my mom having and then beating cancer and that kind of feels like the happiest ending.
8 - Do you get hate on fics?
i never gotten hate, but i did get someone telling me to make changes now that we knew what happened in canon (i speculated about sibling names) and it was just a weird thing to suggest.
9 - Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
i have, but it's not my most favorite thing to do? i have to be in a very specific mood and it has to be necessary. i don't think i can write pwp lol. i don't think i've written smut that wasn't some form of connection/expression of love.
10 - Do you write crossovers?
i don't. i do enjoy a good crossover though!
11 - Have you ever had a fic stolen?
one was posted to goodreads during that whole fiasco and i had it taken down, but man did the comments on that hurt lol. i don't write because i think i'm particularly good at it, i do it for fun. so yeah that kind of sucked but occasionally i was like "yeah that's fair lol"
12 - Have you ever had a fic translated?
not to my knowledge, but i'd love it!
13 - Have you ever co-written a fic before?
i haven't! i'd love to someday. i think i do my best when i can collaborate/bounce ideas off someone.
14 - What's your all time favorite ship?
i mean in terms of bookmarks, 1000% sterek. firstprince is very much up there. kastle is my all time favorite het ship and i'll never forgive the fact that we didn't get them outright confessing their feelings. never. mcdanno is there too. (i made a lot of friends from the mcdanno fandom.) once upon a time i'd have said destiel but that fandom really tainted that for me.
15 - What's a WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?
hahahahahaha i talk about this one on a semi-regular basis, but i have like 13k of a post-series Person of Interest fic that i'm probably never gonna finish but it's got some really good shit in it. i've thought about reworking it to make it an au for another fandom but it's so deeply reese and finch that i'd have to rewrite every piece of dialogue. and it would require people having seen the show because it won't make any damn sense without it. (i'd consider sharing it though.)
16 - What are your writing strengths?
introspection and character analysis, for sure. i love just kind of flaying a character open and digging into their thoughts and feelings and what motivates them. the most fun. also writing really off the wall shit. it hasn't failed me yet lol.
17 - What are your writing weaknesses?
any kind of worldbuilding. i also don't think i'm particularly good at smut but i'm also not using cringe euphemisms (the worst one i've ever read was "chocolate star" and i'll let you imagine what that was describing, if i have to know it so do you) so i'll say my smut is at least passable lol.
18 - Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
i mean, it's fine? i don't really think about it much except when i have to go all the way down to the notes section to figure out what's being said and then jump back to where i left off. whatever happened to doing that thing where you hover over the phrase and the translation pops up above it?
19 - First fandom you wrote for?
first fandom i ever published for was teen wolf. first attempt at anything was criminal minds. it didn't go well.
20 - Favorite fic you've written?
so going back to 16, the things i had the most fun writing were, for introspection, definitely Written in the Scars on Our Hearts (about all the ways a person can be touched either physically or emotionally), and for off the wall, Got Your Body On My Mind (I Want It Bad) because that venn diagram joke is some of my best work. the comments section was so great lol.
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honeyssweetened · 3 months
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Sometimes I think about how difficult it is to find a potentially romantic companion in this day and age, at my age, with all the financial, economical, health, and capitalist strain and drain
I think about how the last time I clicked with a guy was back in college, kindhearted Kodi. Every day was delicious tension, the "will they, won't they" that permeated the art class room but which we were both oblivious to until a fellow classmate pointed it out. We always talked for hours about things that had depth: history cultures, film analysis, mythology, human history and biology. Sometimes I miss him.
Before him was Hayden, the flirt. Politics history was his thing but not mine, but we met where history and the fun of conspiracy theories collided. He was fun and watching documentaries with him was just as fun as regular movies. Traveling and experiencing new things, and trying new things, brought us joy. I haven't spoken to him in years but I hope he's doing well and is still a good person.
There were others, too. There are those whose names I remember (Brandon, Trevor) and those whom I don't (the boy whom I met at a house party and had a week-long fling with before he left the country).
Why is it so hard to find someone you can click with? Most guys I meet today are bland, porn brained, a bum, and/or have no substance. I go to cocktail bars and they're either extremely boring guys in tech with oversized egos and are obnoxious. Finding a single, sane, childless man at an art event is like a unicorn so I don't even try anymore. I go to historic locations or seaside places and they're all either superficial or immature, still clinging to childish thinking and teenage translations of relationships.
Almost always, always he opens his mouth and ruins it for himself by saying something misogynistic, racist, fetishing Black women, turns out to be religious, or that he views women and women's choices as something for solely men to dictate.
I don't want to be with someone who sees me as lesser, who siphons my joy and makes me feel confined. I want someone who I can learn with and who enjoys knowledge too. I want someone to build an enjoyable and fun life with, someone who's trustworthy, and not someone I'll be fearing in the back of my mind that he'll rape and/or murder me one day. I want to be with a person and someone who sees me as a person too, not a closeted monster nor a man child.
But more so, why is all this seems to be easier said than done?
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glamorousruins · 2 years
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𝔄𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔠𝔦𝔭𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔡 𝔓𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔡𝔦𝔰𝔢 - 𝔍𝔞𝔪𝔦𝔩 𝔙𝔦𝔭𝔢𝔯
Summary: When allowed to wander, the mind can create the most beautiful of tomorrows. In these delusions, one can desire as freely as they wish; yearn as desperately as they're able to. Anything can, and will, become as you demand it. Paradise becomes a mere thought away. And in Jamil's paradise, he finally gets what he deserves.
Jamil Viper | Kalim Al-Asim | One-shot
TW: Depictions and brief mentions of betrayal, bullying, and alienation are portrayed.
Notes: Kinda a character analysis moment! I really wanted to write the build-up of repressed emotions that led Jamil to where he was in chapter 4. So here it is!
Word Count: 1.8 K
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Jamil had always known he was a hypocrite.
Always quick to bow and serve yet scowl when backs are turned. He was two-faced, a liar, a deceiver. None could say they ever truly interacted with the true version of himself. Each disguise of his was meticulously crafted for each and every situation. Ever shifting and changing, Jamil utilized each mask to protect the most important one of all. Though he liked to argue that rather than hypocrisy it was him simply indulging in the delicate art of concealment.
An intelligent man such as he knows better than to blatantly expose one's true intent for all to see. What good would it do for his plans if he were to shed light on what he had been working on?
It was common sense, really.
You see, one's true intentions are their biggest weakness. It's what motivates one to do the things that they do. To have such a fragile, vulnerable thing be exposed in the open for annihilation is simply no good.
Could you really blame him for becoming a master of hiding his intentions? Would you allow him to have this simple, small thing just this once?
Why he had quite the constricting upbringing after all. He had learned to bite his tongue before he learned to walk. He learned to always remain two steps behind, never daring to take a step forward. Always held back, Jamil learned quickly the life he was destined to have. A life he could not change until the day he dies.
It was so tiring, watching the days pass him by while the cycle repeats over and over again. Forced to entertain the ignorant while betraying his own desires yet again. Forced to fail and remain with the unworthy that surrounded him.
Forced to be everything less than he could be. Then he should be.
Oh, how this resentment grew and festered within. There was so little he could claim as his own without someone else copying or trying to one-up him as if they haven't done so already. Especially when it came to a certain heir, Jamil found himself swirling with bitterness inside.
He had a family. So did Kalim. He had a sister. So did Kalim, many of them in fact. He had a passion for dancing. So did Kalim.
He had a whole list of things stripped from him, it's a list he had worked on since long ago. And as much as he'd love to indulge you in this, he understands the importance of timing. Time is of the essence, and in this hourglass of a school, the sands will soon run out.
Yet, for the first time in his life, he finally is the one holding the hourglass. Watching as the only thing that ever held him back in life drowns in the ever-sinking sand pool below him. Amused he is as he shakes the hourglass, watching the sand dunes capture and engulf the helpless.
Oh, how wonderful it felt to be the one in control.
Control. Power. Both are thrilling and liberating feelings that are intoxicatingly addictive. The more he dabbled and caressed them, the more he yearned for their entirety. Their sweet promises of fulfillment encourage him to continue on, to go further than he planned; to accomplish the impossible.
The best part is, no one would ever know what had led to the becoming of the Al-Asim heir. No one. Why, how could anyone ever suspect the quiet servant of the heir? Ever present, caring, and doting; Jamil had been nothing but considerate and helpful as he'd always been. As he'd been born to do.
He'd watch with concern, shouting for the students to reconsider, to have mercy on the soon-to-be ex-dorm leader! Please! He's done no wrong, right? Oh, look at how he cries! Won't you have pity on him?
Helplessly, he'll watch his master get overthrown by his very own people, discarded, and left for dead. Oh, how he'd weep for his return. This... this is madness! Can't you see his good-heartedness? Without Kalim's sunlight ruling the dorm, how will they prevail?
Is Scarabia to fall?
To crumble to ruin without law and order?
What will become of them?
Oh goodness! How could they ever possibly carry on-
Hm?
Oh. Do you wish for him to take over the position? The smart, handsome, and ever-helpful vice dorm leader who has always had your back? Who had coordinated everything you've ever known? The never wavering or faltering figure who backed your little coup from the sidelines?
Well...
He supposes he could do that... he does know what the dorm leader's responsibilities consist of. And he has been basically running this place since Kalim's reign... He supposes he could take a crack at it...
And that's how easily the pieces would fall into place. Cast out and overshadowed, Jamil greatly anticipated the day that Kalim would be shunned within his own dorm. The students treat Kalim less than Jamil had been treated long ago, seeing him as less than his birth title demands. Sweet, sweet vengeance would come in the form of Kalim's downfall. He'd smile in the face of his master's teary face, listening to the choked sobs of betrayal, fear, and hurt.
He'd console him, patting his back, whispering sweet deceits of comfort. Maybe you should go back home. Don't you know how much your family misses you? What about your siblings? Or perhaps, you simply need a new start. Everyone knows about what happened to you, it's all they talk about. How about RSA? Maybe they don't know about what happened, you could start all over again. That would be good, wouldn't it? A new place where you aren't stared down or whispered about in the halls. You could meet so many new people, Kalim. You don't have that many options left, so it wouldn't hurt to give transferring a try, right?
He'd be right there at the gates of NRC, watching as Kalim is walked out with all of his many belongings. The gentle breeze delicately caressing Jamil's face, signaling the beginning of a new chapter.
He'd watch Kalim tearfully look back at him, fear and loneliness already evident in his eyes.
He'd see the way his eyes would plead for Jamil to run after him, just as he had done so countless times.
Kalim's hand would reach out shakily, begging him to take it. Join him- they can go together.
They can start all over again together.
They can have their happy ending. Just like they deserve.
Just as Jamil promised.
And Jamil would smile at him.
An apathetic type of smile that just reeks of achieved vengeance.
It would all come together so beautifully. He wouldn't be able to come with Kalim, for Jamil was admitted before Kalim and now takes on the role of dorm leader. The dorm had already been in a frenzy since the coup, would they be able to handle another leader disappearing? Kalim's family would be in an uproar, for how dare their son be overthrown?! They'd take a personal offense and transfer him regardless, deeming NRC unfit for their heir of a son.
And Jamil would be left behind to his own devices.
Just as he always wanted.
He can feel it now. He'd rise up the ranks so quickly that the teachers are stunned. This average student... suddenly becoming one of the most prominent students in NRC? He'd become more competitive in everything he does, especially in basketball. Quick and agile like a serpent, he dominates the court and scores basket after basket.
He'd be vocal and ever-present in the dorm meetings. Pushing for what he wants and never compromising. He would shape his dorm into his personal playground. At his beck and call, his students would scramble to adhere to his voice.
If he so much demanded it, the students would dance like fools. He'd stuff their faces full of crackers, and he would crackle at the way they choke and sputter. He'd make them bow down and feed him fruits. He'd make them fan him off as he basks within the sun that he now claimed as his.
Adorned in the finest of jewels and gold, he'd sit above them all on his throne. Grinning at his perfect paradise where he decides what is true and what is false. He'd become persuasive, dominating, and drunk off the power.
His perfect paradise would finally come to fruition.
Life would be as it should be. As it was destined to be.
"Jamil?"
Dazed eyes blink back into focus. The illusion of paradise dissipates from his mind.
"Aha, Jamil! I was worried for a second there, you zoned out. You don't usually do that- are you feeling ill? Don't worry, Jamil! I can have one of the family doctors come to check you out!"
Loud. Annoying. Overbearing.
Jamil is quick to realize what he had been doing. Ah. That's right. He and Kalim had just finished "studying" at the library and it was time to head back.
"No need. I'm alright," he answers dismissively, gently nudging Kalim forward so that they can continue walking.
"Ehh?? But- are you sure? What if you're coming down with something?! How about I make some soup for you? That'll cheer you up, Jamil!"
Their voices echo and float throughout the empty hallways as they make the trek back to their dorm.
It's almost pitiful to watch.
A loud, joyous heart pouring warmth onto a loved one. The unwavering sun glows brightly, laughing as he sparks life into the dark and gloomy hallways. So misplaced he is.
And the silent, stoic serpent who basks within the darkness listens dutifully. He slithers precisely, following behind his unsuspecting prey. He's as calculated as ever.
His eyes watch the fool bounce forward, Kalim's eyes are closed as he grins so widely. Jamil watches him thoughtlessly giggle and yell in joy as he soon moves on to the next topic; Jamil's sudden "illness" is long gone from his mind.
He feels it coiling inside, that same hatred slowly becoming something more violent pooling on the inside.
He can feel it trying to strike out. To sink its fangs on the fool before him.
The temptation is nearly too strong.
Kalim lets out a little startled gasp, turning to look at Jamil with wide eyes.
The now present hand on the heir's shoulder tightens its grip ever so slightly before the vice dorm leader speaks.
"Come along, Kalim. It's time for dinner."
"Ahaha you're right! The time must've slipped my mind!"
They bound forward together, master and servant with the promise of a hearty meal.
Kalim smiles gleefully, unaware that Jamil is now exactly two steps before him, leading him to the dorm.
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Hi! Hope you're doing okay. What is your opinion on Ozpin and his relationships, especially with Qrow? Do you think there's a chance of reconciliation between the two of them in the next Volume? Of so, how would that happen? Can you do an analysis on Ozpin like you did on Ironwood, or is that focus only reserved for your fave? Do you think Qrow was right that meeting Ozpin was the worst luck he ever had, and if so or not, why? How do you think those two would progress onward? How come you haven't done the other analyses list on Ironwood you noted to yourself? Sleep on time!
I’m doing well,all things considered. 
As for Ozpin’s relationship with Qrow and others well this may require meta and fourth dimensional thinking that I believe people should consider and factor into understanding Ozpin and by extension the Ozma soul and all of Ozpin’s predecessors. Even though the body and soul is a new host, the Ozma soul(s) that merged with them are not and carry over past memories and feelings of their past life. Because of that its a safe bet to say that everyone that the man with two souls has ever befriended and encountered they will eventually outlive and never see again. Causing great grief and heartache.
Even though reincarnation is different it is in a way a form of immortality and because of that the Ozma soul has outlived and is still going to outlive everyone he has ever met and befriended. Which will one day include (assuming the Salem conflict is resolved) the main characters of RWBY and their children and so on and so forth. So if I were to honestly say anything about the dynamic of any of Ozpin’s relationships, at best their just professional work relationships that are unified by a common cause to which he gives proper credit and respect to but nothing more and nothing less.
As for reconciliation between Qrow and Ozpin in the next volume it depends on whether or not Team RWBY specifically Yang and Ruby make it back to remnant before Qrow gets to Vacuo because last time we saw Qrow he was panicking about whether or not they made it out of Atlas before it crashed. So if Qrow gets to Vacuo before RWBY return, Qrow’s going to be under the impression that they are dead and most likely is going to hold Oz accountable but this time it may be a bit worse than the fall out of V6
I’ve been planning an Ozpin analysis for a long time but at the moment the next big analysis series that I’ve worked on was on Ruby but i’ll get there. Side note I wouldn’t say Ironwood was my favorite and the only reason why he was my first analysis was because of the discord and hatred this character brought to the fandom and I felt that I should try my best to attempt to provide a fair and honest argument and analysis of his character to at least minimize all the ignorant and misplaced blame that most of the toxic people in the fandom favor if it means that Ironwood was justified and should have been the main character based on meaningless facts ad opinions.
No if anything Oz was the best thing that could have ever happened to a person like him and even though I like Qrow it should be said that this guy seeks validation and acknowledgement more than anything and just by saying that he himself just admitted that wouldn’t have done anything good if it meant that it was all for nothing. To put it in perspective, imagine if Qrow found this out around the time of Summer’s disappearance and before he saves Yang and Ruby from Beowolves? If that were the case theres a very good chance that Qrow wouldn’t have save Yang and Ruby and would have likely let them die seeing it as pointless.
Again depending on whether or not RWBY return from Tatoonie their relationship going forward would just be professional Ozpin’s not his friend he’s a guide and right now his priority is Salem, not helping Qrow with his self esteem issues
As for why I haven’t done any other analysis or theory posts like I did for Ironwood or the ones that I said I would do, It’s just simply that life got in the way as when I wrote the Ironwood analysis series the pandemic more or less gave me time to focus and write it out and since then I got into med school had a death in the family enduring through family grief and lost that followed finding out that several of my neighbors are bad people helping my parents and siblings with the house and school failing the original course I went to med school for and then switching to another program. The house that my grandmother, my aunt, and cousins were living in caught fire and I had to help with that, and got covid soon after, enduring fires and flooding on the highway that I take to school, helping an old friend and her baby get away from her abusive family and currently right now as I write this I have about two weeks of school left before finals for the last term for this program so my priorities are more or less focused on this as I’m this close to graduating. Also I’m studying to be a Polysomnographic Technician so my sleep schedule is more or less warped and I’m mostly supposed to be awake all night for the clinical internships for this career.
Sorry for the delay but here is my response to your questions.
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bunycube · 2 years
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Hello!! i just saw your answers :') sorry it took some time!
aaaa i keep hearing lots of good stuff about Lamento but I'd have to find somewhere to download it tho I'm bad at installing games like that ,_, i did it for re:connect and it was a pain and took forever to figure out lol
i haven't played slow damage either! but i heard about the english release which is nice 👀
i only played TnC, sweet pool and dmmd .. it's funny because i never heard of any of those games before the beginning of this year :') i also prefer Sweet pool to TnC , just the whole general vibe i don't really know how to explain why tho x)
while i do love Tetsuo, Youji is alright too but for unknow reasons Zenya has stolen my heart :"))) and it's funny because i was expecting Makoto to be maybe the only "sweet" ending or something LOL it ended up being the most unhinged lmao i would have liked more than 1 ending option with Zenya and Makoto too ~
as for TnC Nano is my absolute favorite! i was also suprised with Motomi when i did his route i really fell in love with it too
currently listening to the sweet pool OST on repeat :')
rambled a lil so putting my answer under the cut!
OH HI HI HIIIII dony even worry abt it! man lamento is a pain to download i could only figure it out after looking at a youtube tutorial u have to dl all this extra stuff for it too its 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 but it was worth it for me!!! such a beautiful game, tho its so long.
WERE STILL WAITING FOR THAT ENGLISH TRANSLATION LMAOOOOO IM DYING OVERNEHRE I CANT DO THIS ANYMROE I WANNA PLAY OT SO BAD!!!;÷^#^@^$^#&
hehe i only got to know abt the other chiral games late in last year...b4 that i only knew dmmd 😭 tho im glad i found out its been keepint me going since then nsbfdbsb
oh same same same i cant rly explain what i love so much abt sweet pools overall setting and atmosphere its so quiet and kinda peaceful but also a lil ominous? it always feels like smth bad is goinf to happen, which it does. i guess...but yeah theres always that feeling of "something is happening" in the air even in ordinary scenes, and it feels kinda nostalgic..the setting..idk. i love the lgihting and stuff in it too and the muted colours hmm yes.
ill be honest i didnt like tetsuo for a rlyyy long time. i still feel he has a bit of a cardboard box personality but he has his moments, and i dont hate him or anything..youji is very close 2 me tho im very fond of him.hes liek a friend to me, idk why tho..and same!!!! zenya is ky fav char i liked him from his first appearance!!&$^@ he seemed like such an entertaining n interesting personality?#,%,# and thd mroe i got to know abt him the more itneresting hsi char got..
ik zenya has done many bad things and it disgusted me also, but overall i still thought he was pretty well written n hes definitelyyy my favourite chsr hes jsut so interestimg i could write a whole analysis on him i think..i should..tho i never want zenya n youji to interact they should be kept entire cities apart imo in fact zenya himself should jsut move away farrr away drom his dad and all thid bs i think.
plsss there r no sweet endings in sweet pool 😭😭😭😭 tho just for my own happiness i like to imagien a universe where youji n makoto actually get to rebuild their relationship post hospital scene, anf they all hang out like they had planned...CRIES....
hmm abt tnc id say rin is my fav i loveeee his personality his design (NOT HIS POST TIME SKIP DESIGN THAT OUTFIT IS UGLYYYY) !! i liked nano in routes that werent his, but his route left such a bad taste in my mouth i cant bring myself to enjoy him anymore 😢 he still looks very comfy cozy tho, which i appreciate! i knew id love motomi from the start bc hes a dilf character (which is My Type) and i heard hes really kind n sweet so i lovedddd him! i love akira also <3 and i unfortunstely kinda like gunji too im sorry im SORRYYYY HES TERRIBLE HE WAS JEUT RLY ENTERTAINING tho his ending was obv painful to sit through. im sorry !!!&#^$ and i lvoe akiractoo so much more than i expected? hes a good kid <33
IM RAMBLING TOO MUCH ILL SHUTCUP NOW SBFBSB TY FORNTHE ASKKK
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tojikai · 2 years
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This chapter may very well be the one that has upset me the most. I had to put my phone down 3 times out of rage and frustration. This is absolutely unbelievable. I have so many words for Gojo that I don't think Tumblr would allow me to express with the limited word count. (I would also like to note that I wrote this as I reading)
I've finally realized what's making me so upset they only care about themselves. They don't actually care about y/n and her feelings. I've noticed that especially since Gojo said how he hopes y/n would wake up so he can apologize 🙄. They keep trying to distance themselves from the actual issue at hand while inserting themselves into the situation. How are you going to keep telling yourselves that you aren't guilty when you are both the cause of what's happening right now? How do neither of you see that what you've done is wrong? Gojo couldn't keep it in his pants and Rie didn't say no or refuse that kiss while knowing that Gojo was in a relationship. And I love how Gojo somehow finds ways to make what happened not Rie's fault when it is. I mean, closure really? Who wants closure from your ex's new girlfriend? What force moved her to think that she was doing something? Honey expel it it's a demon. She's either really dense or a conniving little hussy. Because no kind person in their right mind would ever do anything like what Rie has done. The best thing that either of them could've done from the very beginning was exit from y/n's life.
When Rie finds out that Gojo has been lying to her imma start laughing. I genuinely could care less about them and their relationship. Every mention of them doing anything "romantic" just aggravates me. Rie you got together with a man who has the emotional intelligence of a horny middle schooler who apparently couldn't get over a crush from high school and you really thought he was going to be loyal? Y'all got together because of him cheating. Like fr? How'd you think this was going to turn out?
I can't wait until y/n knows that he cheated. (Wait a minute because I finally got to the end. I cannot wait for this next chapter. Gojo is really in it now.) Because it's either going to be her breaking point or the thing that allows her to move on with her life. Now I understand why Suguru and Shoko haven't said anything to y/n about it because they think Gojo told her. I hope they finally cut him out of their lives too when they find out that he hasn't told y/n. Genuinely don't understand why they keep forgiving him. I honestly would've cut him outta my life if I knew he was cheating on my friend. But to each his own I guess.
Y/n deserves the whole universe. She has never had a hostile thought towards the two of them. Instead of blaming the people at fault she somehow thinks that she's the problem. I mean she's lying in a hospital bed apologizing. Y'ALL SHE'S APOLOGIZING. She's a better person then I'll ever be that's for sure because I would have definitely knocked Gojo out by now.
Keep up the good work. I have never been this emotionally invested in a long fic for a while. Make sure to drink water, get some sleep, and to not overexert yourself.
oooohhh wow i really like this analysis, it's so well put together :0 i like your take about gojo and rie's relationship and how it all happened between them :> also your analysis of yn's character is so on point. like , that's literally her🥺 she doesn't think anything bad about or against them. she's simply selfless, just trying to get by on her own :'(( this is such an interesting read !! Thank you so much !! I'm glad that you're enjoying it and please take care of yourself too ~
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t-eyla · 2 years
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8 and 13 for the fanfic ask?
8) How often do people catch onto your little details?
I can't actually say! People sometimes notice stuff I want them to notice and sometimes they don't xD There's always things in my fic that people don't notice, but I could write two pages of meta on most sentences in any of my fics, so … people not noticing everything is very normal! With longfic, I also used to only post it when I was done writing, and at that point, the reactions don't feel as immediate anymore, because I wrote the stuff I'm posting weeks, sometimes months ago.
Honestly, most of the time I'm just curious to see what people DO notice. It's kind of like determining a cat's favorite food, you put out a bunch of stuff and see which bowl the cat goes for xD So if a reader notices detail 1 but not detail 2, I don't feel sad about detail 2 going ignored, I just file detail 1 away as something that caught people's attention.
I do sometimes fret about people not noticing plot stuff when they don't comment on it -- in my current fic, for example, because it's a case fic, I'm doing a lot of dropping hints between the lines (because straight up exposition just isn't very interesting to read or write) and then, when nobody comments on something I thought was hinting at kind of a big thing, I'm like BUT DID YOU NOTICE IT??? But then, people will catch on when the detail becomes a plot point, so even noticing that stuff isn't essential.
In conclusion, I guess the answer is "sometimes"!
Do you have a favorite character to write for?
Overall? That would be "the crossest man in Scotland" Jamie MacDonald (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZLkvzJGfJA). Warning for lots of offensive language and offensive everything in that clip, also really badly rendered video. Writing Jamie is entertaining and satisfying and just the right level of challenging. I haven't done it in a long time because the heart wants what the heart wants and I fell out of that fandom, but I do sometimes wistfully think back to being able to open a Word doc and just write a flood of Jamie MacDonald obscenities.
In DMBJ, it's a toss-up between Pangzi and Xiaoge. Pangzi is easy to write because he's fairly normal, he processes things in a narartive-friendly way, and he's got some spice to his mental commentary so it's easy to keep the narrative voice interesting. Xiaoge is less narartive-friendly, but I love writing him because the way his brain works is very soothing. He's very good at dismissing things he deems unimportant, so you spend very little time on irrelevant tangents and there's little deliberation or what-ifs or questioning of priorities. His POV is clean and pragmatic and very detailed -- he's a great observer and will produce endless paragraphs of introspective analysis on stuff, so when that's needed, his point of view is incredibly useful. (Unlike Wu Xie, who is the exact opposite of that; he'll spend six paragraphs thinking about architecture while having a gun to his head, sob.) I guess Pangzi is my go-to when I'm trying to move things along, and I go for Xiaoge when I need to zoom in on all the details and look at things up close. Wu Xie I use when I want the reader to feel confused and distrustful of the narrator xD.
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miwtual · 2 years
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(Damn this wasn't meant to be this long, bestie I'm sorry I just have so many thoughts on this-also all these quotes are from memory so they might be off)
Jsjsjsjs it can be sexual but for me I meant it more as in Erik's mind has been through so much. He literally states he's Frankensteins monster and we see how Emma takes away his control, his choice. Something that he values so much seeing as he was forced to submit to Schmidt when he was a child.
Then he meets another telepath but this one asks permission before going into his mind. (With the exception of when they first meet where Charles is trying to save his life) This one brings forward a happy memory that he had of his mother, one that he himself couldn't recall before. He, who believes himself to only be good at one thing-anger, is told that there's more to him. That even while he may not believe it-this man who can see everything he's even done or ever experienced-Charles looks him in eyes and tells him that there's more to him than just that pain.
The way that Charles used his telepathy as a way to motivate Erik. To let him see himself in the way that he (charles) sees him. We see this when Erik is once again attempting to life the submarine and hes tells him "remember the point between rage and serenity". The fact that in the second movie the only time he goes into Erik's mind is when he absolutely has to. When he feels like he's left with no other choice but to stop Erik.
Even when he does this he immediately let's him go and then there's the whole "they'll kill me" and Charles looks at him and tell him he knows. Erik knows that Charles could've stopped him but he didn't. He literally had complete control over Erik, but he let's him go. Once again proving that Erik can trust him.
THE SCENE IN APOCALYPSE WHERE HES LIKE "YOUR A TELEPATH CHARLES YOU COULD MAKE ME DO ANYTHING YOU WANT" AND CHARLES IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT HESITATION RESPOND WITH "I COULD, BUT I WON'T"
Literally I will never be over that interaction. The way Erik was both testing Charles and at the same time he knew what Charles' response would be because deep down he knows Charles. The way he smiles when he hears his reply and the soft "goodbye charles" when he leaves.
I'll be honest I haven't watched dark Phoenix but I saw your gifset the one where Erik is putting his helmet back on after finding Jean and letting Charles access his mind so that he also knows. The amount of trust that he is displaying through such a small option.
He is relinquishing control for a moment, fully relying on the fact that Charles will never (would never) take away his autonomy because Charles knows "everything" about him. Knows what he went through as a child. Knows that Erik probably had little control and understand what it means to Erik to hand this over to someone else.
So when he takes off the helmet, this is a huge moment. He is personally removing the only item that keeps Charles out of his mind. And unlike in days of future past, this time its his choice. He takes it off knowing full well that there's always the possibility of Charles never letting him put the helmet back on. Of making sure Erik can never be hidden from him. But of course they've been through so much. Charles has seen Erik in ways others never have and never will. He understand him at his fundamentals and in a way so does Erik.
this is actually a super interesting analysis, nice anon!!
however i will say, as someone that HAS seen dark phoenix, erik wasn't willingly let charles look into his mind. it just happened to be that charles was looking for erik (because erik was the only one who knew where jean went at that point) just before he put on the helmet, so he was able to read his mind. still, tho, everything else u wrote here makes so much sense!!
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yramesoruniverse · 2 years
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I absolutely love your posts and analysis and look forward to reading them when I see them on my dash. What do you think the major emotional beats of 5b are going to be?
Thank you. That's very sweet of you to say. Here's some long-ass rambling thoughts about 5B for your Thursday.
I'll start by saying this. While I think I'm pretty good at sussing out the emotional beats — usually because 911 telegraphs them very loudly! — I don't try to predict when things will unfold. 911 plays the looooong game and my general advice is have fun with spec but don't lock yourself into a timeline of events.
While I'm confident in the big picture — Buck and Eddie's story is a Love Story about mutual healing — I have no idea when things will unfold or where the love story will be at the end of 5x18. But It's going to be SO MUCH FUN to be surprised and delighted watching it unfold!
Here's my guesses for emotional beats in 5B:
Continuing to play out the Athena-Eddie-Maddie trauma-healing parallels. These characters with similar relationships to their trauma: intensely focused on their family, especially their children, over themselves and their own needs (Maddie did this with Buck, and now Jee). Not asking for help or letting themselves be "taken care of." Sometimes to the point of making bad choices, coming to the exact wrong conclusions.
I'm expecting Maddie and Eddie's healing to be at the center of 5B. Maddie has fought like hell to survive and build a life for herself, but she's had a hard time with allowing herself to heal. And while she's done work around Doug, she hasn't even scratched the surface of her childhood trauma. I expect Chim's story to be focused on his family, Maddie and Jee, and a little of Albert.
And Eddie, well. This whole season is about Eddie. Excavating the depths of his trauma is long, hard work that takes time, so I have no idea where he'll be in that journey at the end of 5x18. Eddie is in the middle of a major, existential crisis and I'm expecting more pain. But, ultimately some kind of catharsis that moves Eddie to choose healing for himself. Also? They didn't have heterosexuality give Eddie a literal panic attack for nothing. And they didn't have Eddie break up with Ana in the gayest way possible for nothing. So something is happening on the Queer Awakening front. Maybe baby steps, but something. I feel confident he'll be back at the 118 in 5B, but I'm guessing towards the end of the season.
Athena is so (wonderfully) complicated. Her mental health remains very much an open question, and I'm curious when and how they'll come back to it. Because they absolutely will.
I don't like what the tea leaves look like for Bobby. We know nothing about his upcoming story, and he didn't have much going on in 5A. There have been some ominous signs pointing to a relapse, that I just don't want to think about too much. But Athena's trauma, her insane downward spiral with Jeffrey, the way she reluctantly went to therapy for Harry, but clearly was not remotely interested in working on her own healing at all. This visibly affected Bobby and we haven't dealt with that at all. I'm guess it comes to a head for him in 5B.
Big things for May! S4 -> 5A have been about May (unlike her mother *ahem*) doing serious work on herself and her healing. Finding her competence and confidence, really stepping into her own. And of course there's the May Day of it all. I'm expecting May gets to step into the hero spotlight and it's gonna be awesome.
Buck. Mystery Man Buck. Buck spent the entirety of 5A in a trauma response. He's still very much in the middle of it, along with Eddie. I expect he'll continue to spiral until he hits the breaking point of his own catharsis. I don't know what it will be, but it's coming. I do expect this in 5B, because Buck is utterly miserable and he can't last much longer in this state. Eddie has conditioned himself for repression (which is devastating!), but Buck is just not built for that. Buck's true feelings are coming out (heh) whether he likes it or not. Oh, and he's gonna break up with his girlfriend, on his own terms.
And of course, there's Buck and Eddie and the Buckley Diaz Family. They're gonna deal with their growing Shared Trauma Pile, one way or another. I expect the distance of Eddie being away from the 118 to make things worse, before they get better. They're careening to catharsis together. Where the Love Story will be by the end of 118? No earthly idea. These boys have so much healing to do, before we even get to the existential life change that entering into a romantic relationship will bring. I trust the love story will continue to progress, and I expect Buck to make a symbolic return to the Diaz home and the Diaz boys (we haven't seen him inside Eddie's house since Eddie was in the hospital). That's about all I'll deign to predict for 5B! I will say that I bet whatever ideas we have about what Buddie "going canon" might look like are going to be turned on their head. I expect them to surprise the hell out of us.
For all of them? I expect the extended firefam to all be reunited, happy and healing, together. Season 5 has taken the theme of disconnection and reunion — that 911 has used over and over and over again — and played it out over a longer time horizon. I expect 5B to end on a joyful note, with the 118 fully intact.
(I have no idea about Hen, but I hope we get something!)
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