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lilyginnyblackv2 · 2 years

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Tiger & Bunny 2 - Cour 2 - Various Thoughts Post - SPOILERS!!!

I've watched Tiger & Bunny 2 Part 2/Cour 2 and now I want to write up some posts with my thoughts on the cour. Of course, SPOILER WARNING FOR TAIBANI 2 PART 2 / COUR 2! All thoughts will be placed under a Read More.

First, I'm going to start with the smaller thoughts that I have. I want to get the more misc. thoughts up first before I forget them, I'll likely also talk about the plot stuff here, since for me the action and actual plot stuff isn't as important as the thematic and character focused elements of the series.

Then I want to talk about the handling of familial relations in this part of the cour, similar to how I talked about it in regards to cour 1.

The final post I'll get up will be my thoughts on how they handled relationships in general, and how I feel about the ending.

I'll likely also discuss where I think they could take the series if they were to continue it, though, I will say right now, that how they ended this second season makes it so that I feel they could just comfortably end it here as well. Even though I would want more. Not an endless amount of content, but just a bit more. If they never do that though, I'll be okay too.

So, no to the more misc. stuff under the Read More!

1. I love how they opened with an interview with the top duo, just like they did with cour 2 for Season 1. They also focused quite a bit on FireSky this season and I loved how we got to see more of Nathan's business. Also, I fully expect a bunch of FireSky!Secretary!AU fics after this, lmao! I loved that.

2. Seeing all of the heroes working together and using their own resources and smarts was really nice. T&B also handles exposition and explaining plans and ideas in a very interesting way. They don't explain anything mid-battle like a battle shounen would, but they don't do a complete all show, no tell approach either. They give you, the watchers, all the clues first, then set up situations where explanations need to be given to other characters within the show itself, so those who may not have figured things out on their own (for whatever reason) could be caught up at the same time as the characters.

3. The series did a great job of avoiding deus ex machina. Aurora easily could have been this. But they worked around that. That being said, I do feel that Barnaby's injury being okay after using Kotetsu's suit. It seemed like too easy of a fix, and a part of me really did want to see both Kotetsu and Barnaby retiring from being superheroes in the end and/or the idea of Barnaby dealing with a debilitating injury, since that is a very realistic scenario and could have provided some interesting commentary. But, I do also understand the direction they wanted to take the series in this regard. I'll talk more on this later.

4. I didn't really have any interest in the whole plot for this cour. The stuff with Gregory Sunshine and stuff was kinda meh for me. Like every time he was on screen, I just wanted him to be off it, lol. I *did* like his interactions with the Ouroboros lady (though, her backstory did feel a bit rushed and wasn't that well done, but it was sufficient enough for me). The way they handled his sexist actions and remarks, and kind of had the two characters in a power struggle with each other, though, was quite interesting and well done to me. We need more anime that do this to pathetic, gross, sexist pervert characters:

Like, please! It's also in these moments that you can really tell that the director is a woman this time as opposed to S1.

5. Agnes not ending up skinny by the end of the season was beautiful, I loved it! I also love how, like with S1, Agnes pulled through for the heroes at the end, but, like always, she isn't doing it because she necessarily cares about the heroes (though, I do think she does on some level), but because of how much blood, sweat, and tears she has put into HERO TV, lmao. It's honestly so refreshing to have an adult female character in an anime have this sort of personality.

6. I really liked the inclusion of these plush toys:

It reminded me of the toy bears from Season 1, though this time Kaede likes them too (she has one on her phone).

I also got teary eyed at Barnaby responding “Maybe,” when the doll asked, “Are you happy?” That may not seem like a positive answer, but for Barnaby it is. I feel that answer is what gives me hope that we might get some more T&B in the future. And I'll talk about that some more in a later post.

7. I'm so, so glad that they *finally* addressed Karina's crush on Kotetsu. I'll discuss this in far more detail later, but just, thank goodness. It was like they had to spell it out to all the dudebros out there that Kotetsu only ever saw Karina as a child that he cares about. He related himself to an uncle, so he views her like family - like a niece, and that is *never* going to change.

“I’ll be like your uncle that says, “Have fun, but bring her back before her curfew.”

8. This part of S2 really said ACAB. Especially when they have Agnes being like, "You're shitty ass apology and realization, and eventual help, doesn't negate the fact that you basically sabotaged the heroes and caused a lot more harm than good." She didn't say it quite like that, but that was what she meant, lol. I loved it.

9. I like the way they hadbRyan deal with Gregory Sunshine, since that was a personal matter for him. I also like that they didn't have Kotetsu use the drug. I was never a fan of that theory, because there was no way I could see it working with Kotetsu's personality without either a *very specific* set of situations or with him just being OOC. It also felt redundant and a bit pointless, since the drug was just to enhance preexisting powers, not magically fix them. So I am a big fan of how they had Kotetsu go into berserk mode instead and lose his powers completely that way. It just personally works better for me.

10. The stuff with LL Audun was okay. His character seemed a bit cheesy, but like that fits. He was like a mix of an actual X-men (appearance-wise) and that old school superhero cheesiness that we sometimes think of. The English dub gave him a voice that really fits an older era as well. It was a nice touch.

11. That being said, I didn't really care for how they had him come to the realization that the heroes were good and that he didn't need to punish them. It felt a bit like lazy writing, but I also think they did a good job of making it clear that this particular character wasn't all quite mentally there anymore.

12. Having Kotetsu confront the truth of Mr. Legend! YES! I have a lot to say about all of that, and it will be in my post on familial relationships in this cour.

13. There was another time skip and you can really see that in Kaede and her friend. They both look older and just the way Kaede was talking and corresponding with Kotetsu - so much growth on both of their ends. I’ll be discussing this some more in another, later post.

14. The angle of Gregory's powers being perceived as an unknown contagious disease was quite a choice and made me think of two things: COVID and AIDs (especially given the fact that Cour 2 takes place in the 80s, specifically 1981, which is the same year that the AIDs epidemic started).

15. Karina, Nathan, Pao-lin, and Lara all have a very physical and visible reaction when they hear that Gregory's powers are supposedly activated via hugging (all agree with the power being odd and they all mimic hugging themselves). None of the male characters do this. It's something I've never really seen before in an anime, but I appreciated that small touch. It's a small detail that I feel really highlights how a female perspective was directing this season.

16. Mattia with Saito killed me! lmao I feel we’ve all been in a situation like that, where you have trouble understanding someone, but you feel silly or embarrassed about that, so you just kinda nod your head and go with it. But Mattia is legit trying to answer Saito’s questions and it is a mess, haha.

17. Speaking of Mattia, I really like how they wrote the situation with him. It was really creative to have him be the “betrayer” character, but also not at the same time. Also, the way they incorporated him working with Saito afterwards was nicely done.

18. The main news channel spreading misinformation, discontent, and hatred...As an American with two parents who love a certain Faux News Channel (and watch a certain podcast - all a bunch of stuff that just spews misinformation everywhere)...That really hit close. Also, if I’m not mistaken, the news caster was Lara’s mother’s tennis rival (and ex-friend), which added an extra element to it. Especially when Lara’s mother told her that she was going to be changing (which I’m going to talk about more later) while her rival seems like she is just going to stew in a hateful way of thinking and viewing the world.

Finally, to end on a sweeter note, let’s talk about the flowers in the new ED (which is beautiful and has a gorgeous song to go with it) :

The flowers are daisies.

The General Flower Language Meanings: New Beginnings, Love, Hope, Affection, and more.

White: Purity, Innocence

Yellow: Friendship, Joy, Get Well

Pink: Gentle Admiration, Affection, Adoration

All of these meanings fit Kotetsu and Barnaby’s bond and the themes of S2 Cour 2.

That’s it for this section. I’ll have my post on familial relationships and then the buddy relationships (and other relationships - looking at you Antonio x Agnes) up later. So keep an eye out for them. Also, feel free to add your thoughts to these posts, as always, and thanks for reading all of this! <3

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annonniiiiieeeee · 1 year

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I'm sorry for the hurt, but I saw that your current favorite anime was Madoka and now I need to know.....who is Madoka and who is Homura more in your opinion?? For our turtles and gang with Leosagi.

Oh see this is all about what flavor of suffering you want.

Usagi is Homura

This can work in 2003 or rise style

Thematically Homura is the odd one out. Both in the sense that she is outside of the time line but also the group.

Usagi is an outsider to the turtles. They have their skills (and in rise their powers) that play off of and work together well. Usagi works well on his own or with one partner (this is not sayin he can’t work with the group usagi defiantly does and homura has timelines where she also finds a roll with in the group.

Yer with each loop with each failure he would get more focused on the change he could make rather then the relationships that are fading.

Having to watch Leo watch his family die over and over and then also having to watch Leo die would suck so much. Usagi’s determination and focus would be incredible.

In 2003 they already know each other so maybe the Leo and Usagi are close friends but not together when the whole situation gets started. Maybe Usagi tells Leo his feelings in the first time line. When everything hits the fan and Usagi is sent back in time, once again he and Leo are just friends.

With each time line he pulls further and further away from the turtles. He’s so focused on keeping them alive he can’t think of anything else. Meanwhile Leo is so confused why his friend/crush is acting so coldly towards him.

For rise you can do the same thing or you can stay really faithful to the source matter Al and have Leo and Usagi meet and fall for each other in the first timeline. This way every time it resets Leo doesn’t remember Usagi. Bunny boy is bending over backwards to keep Leo and his family alive and they don’t even know who he is.

Lot of shipping angst in both of these options

Donnie is homura

I told you it depended on the type of suffering you wanted. (2003 brotherly angst or Rise and get not only brotherly angst but also disaster twin angst)

Donnie desperately trying to save his family from their destruction over and over again and nothing is working

Usagi and Leo could still have their romance in the side but this lead to further tragedy. (Sayaka and Kyoko = ninja vs samurai values)

Maybe Donnie doesn’t realize that they were romantic in the first few time loop. (Maybe they are dating and just haven’t told any one yet or Leo really likes him but hasn’t said anything yet) the two always die together in every timeline

Until Donnie saves Leo and not Usagi, and he finds out. He finds out how much Leo cared for Usagi as he watches his brother morn and break apart at the loss.

Maybe for a while he tries to save Usagi to. But as the longer the time loop goes on, the more his values narrow.

Homura started out trying to save the others as well. But she realized it was pointless so she focused on just saving madoka. Donnie does the same thing but focuses just on his family. Outsiders become acceptable losses.

Even when those losers destroy his brothers emotionally every time (Leo loses Usagi. Raph loses Mona or Casey, etc.) but by this point Donnie can’t care. His family is alive they will get over their grief eventually.

But he can never keep them all alive.

No the main question is who will Madoka be? Who sacrifices themselves for the greater good? Who would give up their mortal life to spare those they love?

Leo. (Doesn’t matter if it’s rise or 2003 that bou is going down)

#asks #leosagi #2003 leosagi #future oneshot #disaster twins #rise leo #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rise donnie

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hostilemuppet · 13 days

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Hello, long time regem follower here, I was wondering: Since the non-human characters change their appearances when they go to the overworld, do they also use nicknames or can they just say "Hi, I'm Zircon" and everyone else is cool with it? If they use nicknames, what are they?

it depends on the character! both in terms of their personality (would they care enough to come up with a fake name to hide their real identity?) and whether their real name could pass as a human name

i think zircon still goes by zircon. it feels like itd be a name a cool faux-punk artsy chick would pick for herself, and thats the vibe she wants, she WANTS men to think she can be their manic pixie dream girl so she can pick them off easier

sunstone, she cant exactly go by sunstone if she wants to make it big online and not be laughed off as a run-of-the-mill weirdo, so she instead goes by sunny. moonstone doesnt have a "name"; he tells every girl he pursues a different name, and when sunny mentions her manager she only calls him "luna"

amber is already a human name so theyd have no problems there. aquamarine REALLY wouldnt care but i think amber and maybe cinnabar would get worried about it, so maybe they call her "marina", which she thinks is dumb. cinnabar could probably get away with being called "cinna", or maybe cindy

jade, again is already a name

sapphire i think would go by ms sapphire, with it being her surname. she would not answer when asked for her given name

bloodstone is tricky, bc she doesnt really... interact often with any humans other than isaac, but isaac would still need a name to tell people about his girlfriend, and bloodstone isnt exactly a rock you can easily get a name out of. im thinking something super on-the-nose goth, preferably vampiric sounding bc. yknow. bloodstone and isaac are vampire themed. id want it to be very thematically sound even if it wouldnt be used as much as some of the others, bc shes a very theatrical character! maybe "ambrosia" bc of her goals of immortality. itd also be really funny to just call her shiela though, since she is "australian"

alexandrite can just go by alex / alexandra, except i think the russian version of it is aleksandra? and shes "russian", so maybe itd be cute to have her spell it aleksandra

kyanite wouldnt have to worry about a name bc she already looks fucking weird enough on her own, same with corvid. dragons breath opal is already mostly just called "opal" anyway

rhodizite, they have a stage name, they are rocky rhod. serpentine and obsidian also probably have stage names but i dont know yet. maybe they can also be ice cream flavours or other desserts that reference their actual rocks

ruby and jasper are already human names. pyrite doesnt even bother with a human form (he is never shown wit it ever, he will remain the shlubby little critter forever) so he also wouldnt bother with a name, except for how the humans who discuss the rumours of him in hushed rumours know him only as "fool's gold"

the tourmalines would still just call themselves the names the nicknames they use back home: cherry banana and kiwi. maybe banana goes only by "nana"

and finally, 2ircon goes by bunny, which is the nickname isaac gave her bc he felt bad calling her numbers

#ask #regemption #i think those are all the characters that spend a significant amount of time on the surface

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tuiyla · 1 year

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Ranking Once More, With Feeling songs

Eyyyy let’s go. Separating songs that were part of a medley, for the most part. Going out to @rachelberryy!

Not part of the ranking:

The Mustard: wouldn’t feel fair or necessary to include it in the list. Still, as well executed as the rest of them and a fun La La Land feel wayyyy before La La Land actually happened.

Bunnies: I find Anya to be ridiculously delightful, including the bunny running gag and this was a shocking but funny and appreciated interruption in the middle of I’ve Got a Theory. The rock opera was a fun genre to bring in and yeah, Anya’s just cool.

The Parking Ticket: again not necessary to include in the actual ranking but a fun background (foreground) moment. Man it really reminded me that basically all of these songs have a CXG “equivalent”.

Dawn’s Ballet: fully instrumental so excluded for that reason. But eyyy, Zach Woodlee! Even if we don’t see his face. Again proving that playing around with genres and committing fully to the musical episode is fun.

14. Dawn’s Lament

Despite technically ranking last I actually really like this short song. The fact that it’s so short is the only reason it’s so low but even in just two lines of lyrics I think it sums up Dawn’s angst and, well, lament really well and makes me wish she got a full feature. It’s my understanding that Michelle Trachtenberg asked not to sing too much so that’s understandable. But yeah, I think it’s good that she had this much, especially because, as I understand, despite Dawn’s behaviour being understandable she gets a lot of shit from the fandom.

13. What You Feel (+reprise)

Nothing against Hinton Battle who of course does an amazing job but the real strength of this episode is revelations about our beloved characters, not the monster of the week song. Not that this number isn’t as fun as the rest of the episode but it simply can’t compare to main cast’s solos, duets, and group numbers. The reprise shouting out the episode title is extra fun, though.

Best part: ironically in many ways, Dawn’s parts. Particularly “see, my sister’s the Slayer”

12. Something to Sing About

I feel like a lot would consider ranking this so low criminal. And in a way I do wish it could be higher but musically, I just don’t much vibe with it. I understand and appreciate the sentiment behind it, it’s a powerful scene and includes the big revelation about Buffy having been in heaven. The backup bit is amusing and Alyson Hannigan acts her butt off in the background as the reveal is going on but I simply can’t put it higher when I know this won’t be the song I listen to the most. I much, much prefer Buffy’s other solo. It’s also just, a bit long oops.

Best part: Musically, the beginning, but thematically probably Spike’s ending verse.

11. Where Do We Go From Here

I’m not sure how to justify ranking this above the previous one. I guess I’m just a sucker for group numbers and I think it has the appropriate balance of drama and levity. It feels a bit funky that Sweet leaves and yet they sing this afterward but whatever.

Best part: Giles’ solo line: The battle's done and we kind of won

10. Coda

As you’ll see further down this list I love a good reprise and this mash-up of Buffy and Spike songs only to culminate in the first step towards their relationship, it’s really chef’s kiss. Very very brief and closes by going back to the previous song but still, a good coda.

9. I’ll Never Tell

This is pure fun for Anya and Xander and a great performance. Harsher in hindsight, now that I’ve seen Xander leave Anya at the altar. But I keep being a sucker for Anya shenanigans in particular and this was very fun as that. I don’t care for all the lines but I appreciate all the effort that went into this number in particular.

Best part: His eyes are beady!

8. If We’re Together

It’s heartfelt and maybe a bit cheesy but hey, I love cheese and the power of love, found family and all that. It fits BtVS to have something like this, it simultaneously makes fun of the show and also emphasizes that yeah, this is the strength of the Scoobies. I also enjoy the double meaning behind Buffy’s what does it matter lines. We support our girl in her depression era.

Best part: Hey, I’ve died twice

7. I’ve Got a Theory

This is just that quintessential first group number with the lighter tone and everyone involved. It feels different enough to separate from If We’re Together and slightly ranking above it for the fun factor, including Xander’s ramble about witches. Points for being the song with the most Willow in it

Best part: Honestly, Xander’s ramble.

6. Under Your Spell

I kinda wish I could rank this higher. And it is good! It begins a new tier on our list and there’s much to appreciate. Amber Benson’s voice (even though I would prefer more chest voice but shhh okay okay) and the fairy tale vibes, and just the fact that the big love song went to the lesbian couple. The sentiment is lovely even with the darker undertone of Willow’s literal spell from the previous episode, but more on that in a bit. It feels apt to give Tara, usually a quiet and reserved ch a solo in the musical episode to express her feelings fully. I’m in awe that this was on television in 2001 and was quite shocked that they went there at the end lol. What do you know, they sure had the cojones and I appreciate that.

Best part: as cheesy as it is, the willow tree line

5. Rest in Peace

I debated putting this below Under Your Spell but I gotta appreciate the rock vibes, the angst, and the sheer over the top poetry of it. It’s really the perfect song for Spike and as much as I think the metaphors and puns are over the top, again it just fits him. Plus, I have to admit, it’s just more fun to listen to than Tara’s solo (still with love to her of course). God Spike would make such a dramatic lesbian.

Best part: If my heart could beat it would break my chest

4. Standing

Anthony Stewart Head really went for it and this song was perfect for both his voice and Giles’ character. I do think the sentiment felt a bit, hmm, off, but that’s a convo for another day. Giles’ fatherly love for Buffy is the very DNA of this series and him realizing that he has to let Buffy go, just after getting her back, hits all the right emotional places. If we had to let go of ASH, as a main cast member at least, this was as good a sendoff as we could get. Also curious that this is the only song that seems to be in just once of the characters’ head? Whatever, it’s musical logic.

Best part: the way he delivers Wish I could slay your demons

3. Under Your Spell/Standing Reprise

Ohh okay, so yeah I love an apt reprise and this mashup was incredibly powerful. Under Your Spell gains its darker meaning as Tara realizes what the audience had known and to parallel her sense of betrayal and, though it will take her another episode to truly admit, realization with Giles’ is so cool. To parallel a young woman’s queer love for her girlfriend with a middle aged man’s for his daughter figure. For both to realize, albeit for vastly different reasons, that they can’t be the ones helping their loved ones anymore. For Giles, it’s to help Buffy grow. For Tara, it’s the realization that she can’t, even inadvertently, continue enabling Willow. It’s such a cool thematic concept and executed beautifully musically, and cinematically as we see the shot of Buffy and Willow talking, ignorant the difficult decisions their loved ones are making. Well done, show.

Best part: Wish I could stay (but they can’t. and doesn’t that just break your heart?)

2. Walk Through the Fire

Here we go, the best group number of the bunch even though the other ones all have their strengths. It combines so many excellent parts. Buffy’s depression, even Going Through the Motions making a brief return. The Scoobies’ realization that yeah, they should help. Spike’s own realization that he’ll always come back to Buffy’s aid. The ‘villain’ parts. ASH once again delivering his solo bits very well, particularly the Dawn line. Beady-eyes is right, we’re needed! It combines funny and deep and heartfelt and really, that sums up the show well. Plus yeah, the small reprises.

Best part: I think this line's mostly filler. Pls, that’s too funny.

1. Going Through the Motions

Okay listen at first I was like, can I? Can I actually rank this first? But why not. What an excellent song to start us off with. A few minutes into the episode and this already had me so hyped. The composition, the flow, how fun the demons are in this, Buffy’s attitude, SMG’s voice to be honest. The fact that this is her I want song! The very first song! This is just such a fun and yet meaningful song. It’s funny how SMG turns inexplicably British in it (heaRt has an R, surely) but I don’t care, she does a great job and this song really embodies my love for season 6 Buffy. So good!

Best part: How can I repay...? Whatever. This was SO funny. The rhymes throughout the episode can be a little too simple but when they work they just work.

So that would be the list, hope I didn’t shock and upset anybody. I knew going into this that people heralded Buffy’s musical episode as not only an OG but one of the, if not the ultimate best and you know what, yeah. And if anything it really proved to me that jukebox musicals are not where it’s at - if you’re gonna do a musical, put your whole pussy into it. Write those original songs! Make them relate to the characters and reveal interesting things about them. That’s the whole point and it’s why, though the villain song was fun, others were far superior. Not that I didn’t love this series before but Once More, With Feeling well and truly cemented my love for BtVS.

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #once more with feeling #buffy ranking #buffy posting #eventually i'll do a masterpost of buffy... posts #fees apt to do this on eurovision night

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depressed-teacup-inc · 2 years

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Hey I'm back let's talk Season 5

So... first episode of season 5. I'm... holy shit man I'm not in a good enough headspace for another season.

As per usual, I'd like to start on a positive note before explaining why everything goes to shit, so let me list out some nice things in the first episode of season 5:

1. Ladybug is half-way decent to Chat Noir!

Like honestly girl, kudos that after an entire season of continuously abusing and treating Chat like shit and lying, you had the decency to let him use the bunny miraculous, can't wait for this moment to be forgotten and to go back to the status quo of still lying to Chat about the identity rule DESPITE THE FACT IT LITERALLY DOESN'T MATTER!

(Like literally Bunnyx apparenty revealed herself to her dad a while back and gave him selfoes of herself across rime what the fuck)

2. Hawkmoth chose the smart first move for having all the miraculouses, and used time travel! Like sis good job thinking ahead here a bit! Can't wait for you to proceed to be a dumbass about it (shit right this is the positive list)

3. Nathalie calling out Gabriel

This is just what it sounds like bestie, Nathalie deserves better then to be a simp, go off queen.

...OK LET'S DISCUSS WHY THIS GOES BAD REALLY BAD

LADYBUG AND HAWKMOTH ARE ABSOLUTE FUCKING IDIOTS

Like holy shit I never thought these guys could get any dumber, let's start with Ladybug.

Ok side note, even if I made it in the season 4 finale post, I despise how they let Ladybug off an entire season of abuse like this. LIKE GIRL DEADASS MAKES THE SECOND WORST POSSIBLE MISTAKE ABOUT THE MIRACULOUSES (The first would be to just hand Hawkmoth the Ladybug and Cat miraculouses) AND EVERYONE FORGIVES HER JUST LIKE THAT!!! CHAT LITERALLY JUST FORGIVES ALL THIS SHIT DESPITE HOW AWFUL SHE WAS TO HIM!

and again, I don't care how much Marinette cries about how she messed up (Here's why) BECAUSE SHE NEVER LEARNS! she never actually develops after making mistakes so her crying is like salt on open wounds.

AND THIS EPISODE! THE EPISODE MEANT TO THEMATICALLY REPRESENT LADYBUG LITERALLY GETTING SECOND CHANCES AND FIXING HER MISTAKES!!! have her do this.

Now don't get me wrong, I get freaking out or being out of it when you see that your greatest enemy deadass just collapsed on the floor, but after she made the mistake of hesitating and taking the bunny miraculous knowing it's affected by catch, INSTEAD OF TAKING ALL THE MIRACULOUSES OFF OF MONARCH (God that name) AND THEREFORE SECURING THE DOG MIRACULOUS AND BUNNY MIRACULOUS BOTH AT ONCE!!!

THIS BITCH (after crying of course because her life is hardddd) DOESNT JUST GO BACK IN TIME AND QUICKLY GET ALL THE MIRACULOUSES, NO! SHE JUST MAKES THIS WHOLE ASS CONVOLUTED PLAN TO TAKE JUST THE BUNNY MIRACULOUS USING ANOTHER VERSION OF THE DOG MIRACULOUS (BTW do kwamis exist outside of time? god time travel gives me a headache) WHICH COULD HAVE ONLY SUCCEEDED IF HAWKMOTH WOULD MAKE THE STUPIDEST CHOICE POSSIBLE BASED ON A JEWELRY BOX!!!

which brings me... To Monarch. God he was a dumbass.

LITERALLY. BITCH HAS THE CURE FOR NATHALIE/EMILIE WITHIN HIS FINGERTIPS. THE POSSIBILITY TO LITERALLY REVERSE EVERYTHING. AND THIS BITCH CHOOSES TO GO CHASE LADYBUG (and I'm just saying Ladybug, because deadass, at this point it feels like the show forgets that Chat Noir is supposed to be Monarch's enemy too, like he's so ignored even in battles) BECAUSE OF AND I'll SAY IT AGAIN. A JEWELRY BOX!!!!

The entire plot of this series could have ended right here, right now if it weren't for the world's most flimsy plot thread. And in an episode about second chances and fixing your mistakes too.

But at least Gabe gets called out for it, while Ladybug is praised saying "See! you'll figure it out you're the best!"

Also Monarch's design is dumb, and I'm disappointed they didn't have a design of just Fluff and Nooroo for Bunny girl Hawkmoth.

And with the trailers for Multiplication and Hawkmoth melting the miraculouses into rings, and the names of the episodes? I am pretty certain this season is turning into "Miraculous: Pokemon edition! collect them all!"

But hey at least Rabbit Noir and Alix were cute!

(Alix you should have kept the Barrett sweetie it suited you)

#miraculous ladybug #mlb fandom #marinette dupain cheng #chat noir #ml rants #ml season 5 #Ladybug #wow! I hate it #I'm not ready for this season #A JEWELRY BOX!!!!!!

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redpiperfox · 10 months

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Local Red Found Almost Ded Following Twice MetLife Concert: a casual debriefing :3

This is me dump processing things I would seem insane if I tried and explained to my family, the poor casual kpop enjoyers (ie my parents who listen for our sakes at limited intervals and my sister who swears left and right off girl groups).

This is my/our first kpop concert ever and !!!

Things the non-Twice fans in my family enjoyed: "How are they so high energy?! The whole time?!" "[Insert Jihyo's high notes] O.O" "Oooh the sea of light sticks are so pretty! [My mom was so enchanted by it]"

I did feel the crowd itself sort of die near the end, towards the last songs and the encore stage, but otherwise, even and especially from the back, it was such an experience singing with 50,000 people! (Their screaming during the girls speaking annoyed me at some times but!) There is Something Else when everyone belts the Cry For Me chorus, and going off on "SOOOLLEMMMMYYY" during Nayeon's stage.

The beginning third group dances were the hits, and the middle third where the live band comes out from Feel Special were so high energy-- the last third they dressed down a little, to transition to their encore outfits, and felt more personal (?)

But I'm gonna focus on the solos because 😍🥰

Dahyun: The Let it Go to Try transition? The upper angle view of her hands on the piano? The aesthetics of the piano and her dress flowing out? The vibes were i m m a c u l a t e. It was also musically and thematically in the concert, a magical sort of moment to have the ballad right then-- even if she joked about it later and how she didn't hear cheers for her name (everyone took care of that and cheered her name then hehe). Speaking of, she was *the* moodmaker, crowd-hyper, and comedian of the evening-- she spoke in english most of the time, and even when she didn't her facial expressions spoke volumes, she was so sassy XD Made me remember when I was first getting into the group, and how her personality completely won me over. She was cracking jokes, rolling with the crowd, and dancing when the crowd started barking (speaking of: what? Why? O.o)

Tzuyu: She mentioned that her stage had the inspiration of Michael Jackson and-- yeah. Her solo stage had all the confidence and joy of her Me! Melody project, and her life in dancing was so so evident. She was so confident on stage, and every comment about her having no stage presence was lost whenever she had center positions and the screens focused on her face.

Sana: The song New Rules itself has always been written in my mind as Yeji's song (thanks The Fan), but the camera opening on the floor dance completely blew expectations away. I'd seen snippets before, but the choreo was so smooth and mesmerizing, and gave a taste of what I expect from the MiSaMo debut (more on that later). The Hair Flips. Yes.

Momo: I admittedly watched very little after she took her shirt off and started pole dancing. My dad said it was like a cirque du soliel show but... I was there with my parents and it was borderline sensual for me. But! Everytime Momo took a dancebreak, everytime she centered, she commanded attention, she was such a dancer in her element, and took everything more into her powerful and sharp style.

Mina: Maam stared the camera down, and had the confidence to level politicians. She approached sassy from the sly angle, and her solo stage showed how she could command a performance and demand attention. (I did not see her twerk do not ask me I looked away XD) MiSaMo performing right after each other, I sensed a theme in their solo stages that made me think it was settling into a more mature, seductive (?), and Woman concept for their debut. They teased a bit of the choreo at the end that all but confirmed it for me-- can't wait to see :3

Chaeyoung: So cute. So so sweet. The camera starting on her bunny-- when she sat and set up her guitar, everyone chanted her name. The only other softer song, her song was like a lullaby, and really touched her identity as a writer, and moreso as a composer. There's a lot of Soul in her songs, that are skimmed over the surface with fairy wings, and it was so sweet to listen to.

Jihyo: Freaking Jihyo. Never Ever dissappointed vocally or in stage presence and her solo just-- MM. She was alone on stage and even though she was the size of an ant, she made that stage burn, I could *feel* her powerwalks, I swear, when the lights went red on her and the holographic effects surrounded her, I was staring at her figure on the stage, and felt like I could *see* every little powerful step in Nightmare. She was the next biggest crowd-hyper, and carried all the Jihyo-energy the entire time, she teased us so much XD

Jeongyeon: Oh I can't even bring all the words to express how FUN. She had fun, the Juice stage was every essence of Jeongyeon's tongue-in-cheek humor and fun spirit. I loved her stage so much, and she had everyone bopping and cheering through the song. You could tell she was enjoying herself, and you really couldn't help but enjoy it with her.

Nayeon: The first notes of Pop played and everyone was screaming, it was as loud as the most popular songs, people absolutely *screamed* Pop, and Nayeon absolutely matched that energy, she did not hold back on her solo stage. She mentioned it later on how it felt to perform her solo song-- and I think she felt the screams of everyone belting her song back to her! She also kept mentioning how hot it was whenever she spoke, sorry for the humidity XD

All in all, was such an experience!!! Even from Timbuktu Seats the energy was high and the professionalism and grandeur of the stage was not lost. I did feel like the language barrier made it hard to have a deep connection with the artists and for them to connect as personally as they would normally, with the added problem of the crowd screaming and cutting off their speeches, but it didn't take away or lower the experience one bit. It was a lot of fun, and I had a blast!

#twice world tour #metlife stadium #red's personal sitcom #the concert was Hype and my non-kpop associated parents enjoyed hehe #tldr: concert was Hype and their solos were fun and Dahyun is a crackhead XD

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ooc-miqojak · 1 year

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[ 🐱 ] does your muse have pets? did they have pets as a child? how do they feel about animals?

Well, she always wished she'd joined the Striders rather than the Knights, so yes she very much likes animals! Hilariously, I've been thinking about this lately since I came back - she adopted a calico cat and named it Bunny (because things - especially predators - are rarely what they seem) probably the first year I started playing her, and now the cat is older than Lily's own daughter, lol. But I like to imagine that Bunny has had several litters over the years, and not only is Lily's big ol' estate pleasantly covered in cats, but everybody gets one. Nobles don't just strut around, after all; one imagines that a big noble name comes with answering petitions, settling disputes, and otherwise assisting those on 'your' land - and I'm just saying that not only is she just and fair... there's a free kitten in it. (I like to think both estates have a legion of kittens - the Plaguelands estate also houses lots of shaman and druids, so I bet they accept gifts of kittens pretty readily too, or just adopt them from the many around. XD)

But she also, in one of her like 2 healthy relationships (go figure the healthiest relationships she had were with others who also loved animals, lol) - this one with a Farstrider she still regrets not getting her shit together for, shh - she was given a white hawk/the tickbird pet ICly and named her Eos (which I chose bc that's the Greek goddess of dawn, and I love naming things after goddesses/it was thematic for a Whitedawn >_>). That bird is still with her as well, and has no doubt raised some clutches over the years too. And as her character info mentions, she donates to animal shelters around SMC - her only other somewhat healthy relationship having been with a half elf paladin who worked at an animal shelter in Farstrider Square... and though they didn't work out, I like to think that out of both a love for animals, and for him, she still donates to any local animal welfare kind of place.

Growing up... well, if trolls hadn't snatched up her father while he was on patrol, there likely would have been a lot more animals in her life! She vaguely remembers him working with hawks, but he went missing when she was still young and Lily ended up being raised by her spinster aunt, her father's acerbic sister, who cared very little for wildlife of any kind, and was regularly stressed about this young girl ruining her noble finery mucking about in the woods like her father.

#thanks for asking!#animals #look if she could ask one favor of the bronze #it would probably be to go back in time and join the Farstriders and not the Knights #hindsight is 20/20

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sneakydraws · 3 years

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Well, here it is - a lengthy explanation of each card in my mdzs major arcana deck and what I meant to convey/what i would have changed in retrospect/what alternatives i considered! It’s a bit messy and my typing style is lazy but hopefully it will be an interesting read to some of you :)

And so you don’t say I didn’t warn you - jiang cheng’s section (11 justice) is absurdly long lmao

0 the fool I elaborated on this in the post itself but yeah basically jin ling is kind of representative of all the damage and trauma caused by the past, and there’s a kind of danger there of him falling victim to the same vices as the older characters and repeating the same mistakes and perpetuating the cycle of war and misery (the cycle that we already see with how the jin sect became the new wen sect, and later with how jgy became the new wwx) and he has a lot of room to grow! He grows so much over the course of the novel, comes to realise the complexities of the past and gets a harsh life lesson in how nothing is as black and white as it seems. But ill save talking about his progress for the end, for now whats important is that he has room to grow and also a dog. I don’t really have a justification for the sun, i mostly just thought it looked sick? It made its way to the next card as well, where it makes a bit more sense, but then i realised it was a dumb motif to include 1 the magician I still very much like wwx for the role, and that illustration would have probably had him raising a corpse on his left and pointing threateningly to the sun on his right. I considered including the table as well, with some mdzs relevant items replacing the card suits. Anyway, like i said wwx got a few cards to himself already so i went with the alternative wq design, since i think she fits the card as well. Both she and wwx are highly skilled people, extremely driven once they set their mind to something. The card to me symbolises the creative mind as well as a general drive for action, which fits them both - wwx was famously a prolific inventor, and wq came up with a previously unheard of surgery, after all. This card strays pretty far from the rider-waite deck design, largely because i was still figuring out how i wanted to approach this series, but you can still see the influence. 2 the high priestess I was actually going to skip this card at first because I couldn’t think of a fitting character, but once i considered a qings character post death, it all fit pretty well. She was already a highly intuitive person in life, and in sharing her memories with wwx she is, in a way, relaying a kind of secret knowledge. Anyway she’s one of my fav characters so im glad i got a chance to include her. The coffins could be interpreted to be xxc and sl or xxc and xy 3 the empress Theres other mother figures in mdzs who got to be mothers for a longer time, but jyl definitely embodies the positive aspects of this card the best. She’s nurturing, kind, emotionally supportive, she already mothered wwx and jc quite a bit when she was young. Plus i liked that the rw card had both water and flowers, making an easy lotus connection. In retrospect the stars look kind of out of place and i should have replaced them with something more relevant... Also, i should have had her hold a lotus seed pod instead of a flower, haha 4 the emperor Like i said I considered jc for the role but hoching bullied me into admitting that nmj was better… they’re both more of an inverted emperor than an upright one but then again theres hardly any character in mdzs who would fit upright emperor so. Jgs was also considered but he’s even uglier than nmj so i couldn’t bear to draw him 5 the hierophant It was pointed out to me that lqr would have fit this card better and the truth if that statement haunts me to this day. Unfortunately I have no space in my brain for lqr so lxc got the role instead. My main reason was his role during the wen destruction of gusu lan, when he ran away with the contents of the library - this is why there’s bookshelves behind him. The keys, take, from the rider-waite deck, are meant to represent the gusu pendants that allow you to enter 6 the lovers Im sure many people would have chosen wangxian here but I uhh don’t really care abt wangxian personally? And also their love story is so convoluted that jyl and jzx seem idyllic by comparison lol. Also i didnt really have an idea for who to put in the angel’s place for wangxian… mme jin certainly did not get these two together in the end but undeniably she and mme yu did initially give them a chance to fall for each other so. Thats something i guess. Anyway the trees became their sects’ flowers and the mountain became the burial grounds - an omen of their tragic fate, basically 7 the chariot There might have been other characters who fit this card better but i couldn’t really think of another card for lwj and i thought it would be weird to not include him… anyway i don’t really care for current timeline lwj BUT i do like that he was clearly influenced by wwx to walk his own path in life based on his moral convictions rather than follow his sect’s rules blindly. The chariot is to me a card of self control, self determination and focused action, so it seemed fitting. The composition felt kind of empty without the actual chariot so i padded it out with the guqin, the cloud recess in the bg (it doesn’t look great but i tried to replicate the drama design….) and the bunnies which conveniently fit the colour scheme of the sphinxes in the rider-waite design 8 strength Like i said before, my interpretation of this card is more… morally ambiguous than the quote unquote official meaning, so i thought about manipulative or duplicitous characters more than kind characters whose strength is expressed through gentleness (though i did consider jyl briefly for the latter interpretation). As such, i considered both jgy and nhs, but ended up going with jgy largely because i couldn’t pass up the opportunity to put the nie sect’s beast as the lion. 9 the hermit My thoughts immediately went to bssr lol. It may be an overly literal interpretation but whatever, i like it just fine. And i like that i managed to echo the rider-waite silhouette in the mountain and the tree (and even in bssr herself) 10 wheel of fortune God i love the parallels between these 2… this card to me is about how you cant trust your current situation, good or bad, to last forever, and these 2 embody that perfectly imo. Wwx went from son of a well off servant and a powerful cultivator, to street rat orphan, to adopted son of sect leader jiang, to double orphan, to MIA, to terrifying but admired warrior, to terrifying and despised traitor, to dead, to, at the very end, suddenly respected and trusted again. The dishonesty and cheapness of whatever the public’s current opinion of him is is portrayed beautifully as far as im concerned. And jgy of course claws his way up to power only to instantaneously become public enemy number one, to the point that he’s probably blamed for stuff there’s no reason to believe he had a hand in. Wei wuxian’s silent astonishment at how quickly the cultivation world turns against jgy and towards him again is a delicious moment of thematic resonance. 11 justice I settled on this card for jc after he got booted from the emperor seat but i do think it fits, in a somewhat convoluted way. I turned both the sword and the scales into visual representations of the golden core transfer (can you tell im obsessed with it). According to biddy tarot, the justice card is partly about searching for the truth, and the scene where jc finds out about the transfer is of course a big deal. I was also very influenced by the reversed meaning again - which is about being reluctant or unwilling to face or accept the consequences of your actions. I feel on an intuitive level that this fits jc but I’m not sure how well i can explain it - it’s something about how he’s a little too comfortable scapegoating wwx for things that were also, if much less so, influenced by his actions, and also something about the way he keeps wwx at an arm’s length emotionally but still leans on him and accepts his support when he really needs it, and somewhat hypocritically expects wwx to put the needs of him and the jiang sect before the needs of others. And also something about the core exchange is the consequence and proof of wwx’s deep - terrifyingly deep, even - love and care for him, which is something jc doesn’t seem to let himself acknowledge. Maybe even something about how you could argue that the way all of the jiangs acted around wwx - jfm’s favouritism that left him with the feeling of a debt he needs to repay, mme yus insistence that he be a servant more than a brother to jc, prepared to give his life for jc, and jc’s own unwillingness - or inability, he was a child after all - to clearly acknowledge wwx as an equal to himself, enabling wwx’s self sacrificial and protective tendencies - that all of this was what caused wwx’s complete and unquestioning willingness to do whatever it took to protect jc, and therefore paved the way to the golden core transfer. And i don’t mean this to be scapegoating jc - especially considering how young he was when this all went down, it wouldn’t be fair to expect this level of emotional perceptiveness, awareness and maturity of him - but i think adult jc has to grapple with the fact that the chain of cause and effect was not as simple as wwx fucking everyone’s lives up to be a martyr, and that both jc and his parents had a role in that story as well. I don’t even necessarily think this is something that jc only realised in the current timeline - i think it’s something he felt on some level this whole time, and it probably led to a lot of feelings of guilt - but the suibian reveal definitely puts it in sharp focus, and i think he’s now better equipped to handle this introspection than he was as a recently orphaned, traumatised teenager, lol. ANYWAY the window with the fabric is both a nod to the rider-waite design and a reference to the destruction of lanling - i actually did some basic ass research for this, and it seems that in ancient china fabric would indeed be hanged in a window if the normally used paper was damaged. The design of the window, as well as the very idea to use it to imply the reconstruction of lanling, was taken from this great piece of jc angst by my pal moroll1! Oh yeah also the covered window kind of works as a denial of forgiveness for jc because it’s like a halo but covered up... Also I completely forgot to put a blindfold over his eyes which would be perfectttt because blind justice and the core exchange......... ok moving on 12 the hanged man I always have issues with this card because i cant find a satisfactory summary of what it’s really about. Best i can tell it symbolises a need to hit pause, surrender or let go of something… ive also seen it tied to sacrifice? So mo xuanyu doesn’t fit perfectly, but sacrifice is definitely there in a surface level reading kind of way, and the idea that you have to surrender or let go in order to achieve your goal does fit the whole deal of getting revenge but giving up your life in exchange and not being there to see it 13 death This is probably one of my favourite cards, definitely not because I have huge issues with change or anything…. I see this card as signalling the necessity of change or putting an end to something / leaving something in the past in order to start anew? At first i considered putting past wwx, mxy and current wwx here as a kind of transformation and one cycle flowing into the next... But firstly, I’d already used mxy in the very previous card, so putting him in again would feel like overkill, and secondly, the longer I thought about it the less convinced I was that this would even fit with the card’s meaning? Because coming back from the dead doesn’t like... trigger an internal transformation within wwx or anything? Anyway, fun fact: the design I ended up going with was actually originally intended for judgement! I thought I was being very clever with the whole “figure plays an instrument and the dead rise” parallel, but apparently I’d just completely forgotten that the judgement card had a completely different composition... Truly I was boo boo the fool... But yeah anyway at the end of the day I figured the design would kind of work for death as well, with Wen Ning and the theme of transformation, (since in his case coming back as a fierce corpse does actually mark a certain transformation in behaviour) and Wei Wuxian’s protection of the Wen people essentially signifying an attempt to break the cycle of oppression if that makes any sense? Like, wwx is trying to revolutionise the way the world works a bit, if you catch my drift 14 temperance The centrist card! Again this is probably going off track from the “official” interpretation, but to me this card has a certain “don’t commit fully; do everything in moderation; don’t take either side” flavour to it that i personally find infuriating irl and that i very much assign to lxc. It’s entirely possible that I’m misinterpreting his character because i didn’t really pay him (and the 3zun in general) much mind while reading, but hell, I’m allowed to pick favourites and choose who i want to interpret deeply vs shallowly. Again, i wish id chosen lqr for hierophant because its so annoying for a character i don’t care about to get two cards…. But oh well 15 the devil My alternative idea for this was jgy as the devil and lxc plus nmj as the figures, but since all three had been featured already (multiple times, even!) i figured I’d go with xy instead, especially since he’s among my faves lol. I think the devil signifies something along the lines of unhealthy attachment, obsession or addiction, which isn’t 100% accurate in the case of xxc and a-qing, but if i stretch it a bit to cover toxic relationships in general, and especially manipulation or negative influence, i don’t think it’s half bad. My main struggle here was to choose who amongst the xxc/sl/aq trio to choose for the human figures. 16 the tower Arguably jin zixuans death and the following massacre of nightless city were the final and most direct reason for the siege of burial mounds, and the tiger seal is good shorthand for wwx’s loss of control over his powers, which led to the deaths of jzx and jyl. When reimagining major arcana i like to feature some kind of building in this card (spoilers for a possible future project but in my rose of versailles major arcana set the tower is bastille) and even if it’s not a tower, the image of wwx looming over the gathered crowd from atop a rooftop is so good i couldn’t resist 17 the star Struggled with this one - considered both jin ling and lsz for it, as symbolising a hope for the future, but that was kind of covered by the world so it wouldn’t make sense to include here as well... As usual when I struggle with interpreting a card (as opposed to understanding it but struggling with matching a character to it, like with death or moon) I went to biddy tarot and read all the details about its meaning. What i got was that this card signifies an incoming period of introspection and inner peace following a time of turmoil, as well as a general moving on into a new, better phase of one’s life or finding new meaning and purpose. The figure also suggests someone vulnerable, but possessing a keen sense of intuition as well as a good degree of practicality and common sense. Given all those, I settled for mianmian because IM LOVE HER..... I also kind of see her as a prelude to the “just one person is enough” theme present in tgcf!! And i think her decision to abandon her sect because she saw the toxicity and corruption in it is a very inspiring action - even if it didn’t make a large visible impact, i think the appearance of her and her idyllic family at the very end of the novel - paralleling and mirroring wangxian - implies that at the end of the day, it was a meaningful one 18 the moon Another card i ALWAYS fuxking struggle with - this time less because i can’t grasp its meaning and more because I can never find a character that fits it well. I usually get fixated on the “dreams and subconscious” part, but if i lean more on the “disguise, deceit, anxiety and fear” part, i eventually figured the whole yi city arc wouldn’t be a bad fit. I say the entire arc because it really does encompass all those themes if you include both the past and the present - xue yang’s disguise, his tricks with the villagers, a-qing’s lies and even xxc’s reluctance to talk about his past as well as xue yang pretending to be xxc all fit the disguise and deceit angle, and the general mystery and creepiness of the current timeline yi city work well with the anxiety and fear - the mist, the slow uncovering of the past, even a-qing being revealed to be an ally after scaring the shit out of the protags. I definitely struggled with including all the elements and characters, and even moreso with making them vaguely fit the rider-waite composition, but i think it ended up okay ish. OH and i completely forgot to draw mist swirling around them :( 19 the sun I was considering mianmian’s family for this one, but since I used her for star, I ended up with wwx and his parents instead. Once again I’m reinterpreting the card a bit - normally I think it symbolises incoming times of pure happiness and abundance, as well as a connection with the inner child, but I gave it more of a nostalgic or sentimental twist - wwx looking back at the brief glimpse of his happy childhood. 20 judgement another card that i struggle to interpret a bit... Here i actually used the tgcf tarot zine as a reference! In it judgement is summarised as “rebirth, following duty, absolution” SO i figured that nhs, mxy and wwx all together would fit pretty neatly... wwx achieving (public) absolution through clearing his own name after being reborn, and nhs sort of calling on wwx to expose jgy’s crimes... It’s a bit messy but not bad I think! 21 the world This ties very closely to my read on mdzs as a story - which is that it’s, at the end of the day, largely about cycles, and about how hard it is to break them, but how we gotta keep trying and have hope anyway. Or maybe more precisely, that the people directly involved with and influenced by the trauma of the past might not be able to get over said trauma and that the hope for healing from it will be shouldered by the new generation. Or something like that… Basically what i mean is that jc and wwx and lwj and lxc and nhs and jgy and all these people who were in the thick of the sunshot campaign and the siege are so profoundly affected by it that it genuinely feels by the end of the story like there is little hope for them to ever truly overcome that trauma and build a better future without repeating the same old mistakes - but there is a glimmer of hope in the new generation, specifically in jl and lsz. And it’s a bit paradoxical, because they have also been directly impacted by the past tragedies - lsz having his entire clan wiped out after wwx failed to protect them, jl losing both his parents to wwx’s mistakes - but despite that loss, and despite coming from arguably the two opposing sides of the past conflicts, they are both, in the end, capable of moving past that tragedy, of recognising the complicated nature of those conflicts (jl’s moment of clarity at the end is both heartbreaking and hopeful) and forging friendships between clans in the process. I honestly think that the extra where jl is struggling to assert his authority as sect leader, to treat his subjects well and to cooperate with other sects in a truly amicable way is the single hopeful ending note for the larger themes of the novel - it allows us to imagine that maybe these kids can learn from the mistakes of their elders rather than getting sucked in by resentment at those mistakes, and actually build a brighter future for the cultivation world. And sidenote, this is also why i have a soft spot for jin ling and lan sizhui as a ship... speaking of which their poses were directly referenced from the lovers card ehehe

Looking back, I’d like to add some symbol of jin ling’s trauma so that it mirrors baby wen yuan in the tree stump... maybe his father’s sword?

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #tarot

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we-are-the-amb · 4 years

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Although I already spoke about animal symbolism within TLB in a thread on my main account, I have been meaning to give it it’s own post for a while. It should be noted that I do not believe that everything I am about to point out was a deliberate directorial choice. A lot of this, I think is pure coincidence, or me simply looking too deeply into something that may not even be there. That said, it is something I enjoy talking about, so I shall.

What my observations boil down to, is the idea that a number of characters in TLB are symbolically comparable to certain animals, in a way that fits the film, thematically. These characters are Sam Emerson, the Lost Boys, themselves, and Edgar and Alan Frog. Sam is comparable to a rabbit. The Lost Boys are comparable to cats, specifically wild cats. Edgar and Alan are comparable to domesticated dogs. I shall try to explain.

Let’s start with Sam, as he is the prey animal between two predators. I believe that the animal symbolism in this film can been seen in three layers: appearances, actions and thematic significance. So, let us look first at Sam’s appearance.

Sam, with the exception of Laddie, is the smallest and slightest character in the film. His baggy clothes emphasis this fact. He has large, bright eyes and a petite nose, and there is a little baby fat on his face that rounds his cheeks. His teeth are not large, but he frequently grins, or holds his mouth open, in a manner that reminds one the way a small creature’s lip lifts, when they sniff at the air. His ears are narrow and ever so slightly pointed. One gets the impression that his hair is naturally curly, like Michael’s, but the way he has cropped it gives it a fluffy appearance, a little like a rabbit’s pelt.

Sam is also shown to exhibit bunny-like behaviours and traits, throughout the film. He is seen sniffing curiously at various things. He smells the windex, before handing it to his Grandpa, wrinkling his nose afterward in a distinctly animalistic way. In a deleted scene, he also burns a leaf from Grandpa’s cannabis plant and sniffs it. Sam is the most energetic member of his family. He often eager to get out of the house and he is a fast mover. Twice, he is seen bolting around the house at great speed, running from Michael. They are playing in the first instance, but this foreshadows Michael becoming a predator and Sam running from him out of fright. When Sam fearfully runs from Michael the second time, he closes both of the doors that open into his room, rather like a rabbit blocking the entrances to it’s warren. Before this, when Sam is nearly attacked by a bloodthirsty Michael, he is singing along to his radio. On the female verse, he begins to sing in a high pitched, “girlish” voice, which sounds rather like the squeal of a rabbit in danger. This is emphasised by Nanook beginning to growl at Michael’s approach. When Sam is scared, he goes to sleep in his mother’s bed. Young rabbits do cuddle up to their mothers when they sleep, for safety and warmth.

Sam also shows the most discomfort towards his Grandpa’s taxidermy. The taxidermy that Grandpa gives to Sam as gifts, are all rather small and mostly furry animals. Sam does not like looking at them and hides them all in his cupboard. In one scene, he wakes to see a stuffed owl looking down at him and he screams. Owls are birds of prey and have been known to grab rabbits. This happens immediately before the vampiric Michael and Star appear in Sam’s bedroom.

Sam being comparable to a rabbit is very in keeping with his role in the story. Sam is arguably the most vulnerable character in the whole film. Not only is he the smallest and weakest of the Emersons, who are under direct threat from the vampire clan, but he seems to be almost irrelevant to them. Rabbits are common game for hunters, but being so small, ubiquitous and earthbound, there is never said to be any pride in shooting one. When the Lost Boys visit the Emersons’ home, David makes it clear that he wants Michael alive and with them, but he makes no mention of Sam at all. This implies that the boys did not care too much about losing Sam, making it seem that Dwayne’s attempts to kill him were no mistake. Max does not threaten to turn Sam, in order to bring Lucy to his side, but threatens to kill him. He holds him as if he intends to snap his neck, a method usually employed in the slaughter of small animals. Sam claws at him and squirms in his grasp.

For all of Sam’s apparent vulnerability, however, he also mirrors the rabbit in his temper and determination. Though Sam is fairly level headed, he has quite a hot temper. He swats at Michael for putting his hands in his face. He frequently berates Michael for his stupidity, and the Frogs for their insensitivity. Though he is afraid of the vampires, he is very prepared to face them for his family. He manages to kill Dwayne on his own, and he attacks Max, although it was undoubtedly hopeless for him to have done so. Sam would seem to be the easiest target for the Lost Boys, but he was never without his strengths. Like a rabbit, he could put up a vicious fight.

Let us move on to Sam’s predators. The animal symbolism surrounding the Lost Boys is probably the most obvious. Even before we seen their vampiric forms, they are hinted at, subliminally in their clothes and hair. First of all, there is the prowling leopard on the sleeve of Dwayne’s jacket, as well as the fragmented leopard on Marko’s. Note, in both cases, they bared fangs and the clawed feet.

All of the vampires, including Star and Laddie, have wild hair. Paul, in particular, has his hair backcombed into a blond mane, which lends to his already lion-like appearance. Note his long face, close set eyes and sleek, straight nose. What is implied on the surface is revealed in full, when we see the yellow eyes, fangs and claws.

The heavy metal and punk influences (bohemian as well, in Star’s case) in their styles, tie in nicely with the cat motif. Each of these subcultures, in one way or another, point to an anti-establishment stance, as well as representation of personal freedom. Cats, especial wild ones, are notorious for being difficult, or nearly impossible to tame. Indeed, the only person that the Lost Boys seem willing to submit to is Max. They even defy him, however, when they storm the Emerson house without his say so, thwarting the plans he had for the family. Their defiance against Max came out in small ways, throughout the film, reminiscent of how a domestic big cats will surprise their owners by biting, or batting them.

Even when they are not out to feed, the boys can often be heard shrieking and yowling. This is with the exception of Star, who’s voice is soft, like a purr. Being able to fly, they can jump to, or from great heights and land on their feet. When Star leaps two floors up into Sam’s room, she does so noiselessly. The smug smiles they give to their victims conjure the word “tomcat”. @vympirestake pointed out to me, that they also have a tendency to circle their prey. At the beginning of the film, David walks around the girl on the carousel, as if sizing her up, or trapping her. The boys walk a circuit around the counter at the video store, at which Max is standing (see acts of defiance). In a deleted scene, they ride their bikes in circles around Lucy, frightening her and hinting at the danger she is in. Even their underground home is circular, as if for this purpose and they dance around Michael after he drinks from the blood bottle.

Here is where I was able to tie this symbolism up nicely. Let’s look at the Lost Boy’s opponents:

Edgar and Alan are the domesticated dogs, to the Lost Boys’ wild cats. Edgar in particular, bares a physical resemblance to Sam’s dog, Nanook. He has small, dark, searching eyes, a rounded nose and fluffy hair. Alan has weary eyes, but a pointed stare and his expression is usually slack. This gives him the look of a bloodhound. Their military attire gives the opposite implications of the alternative styles of the Lost Boys. Men go into the military to receive training and live by a strict set of rules, not unlike the training of a working dog. Dogs are also frequently used by the military for the purpose of tracking and attacking, which Edgar and Alan, as vampire hunters, do. Edgar and Alan, themselves, do seem to live by a strict moral code, from which they are reluctant to deviate. Although, prior to the events of the film, they had never killed a vampire, they were prepared and it was clear that they had practiced. Trained themselves for it. Their hair is longer than they would be permitted to have it in the army, lending that fluffy look. However, their hair is smoother and neater than that of any of the Lost Boys, implying brushing, which adds to the domesticated look. Alan is never without his dog tags and Edgar is always wearing a woven choker, which resembles a collar. Nanook also wears a collar.:

The Frogs exhibit a myriad of dog-like qualities. Edgar in particular has a deep, rough voice, which sounds a lot like a growl. When he shouts, he sounds like he is barking. This is especially noticeable just before they enter the vampire caves, and Edgar gives Michael a warning. Sam tells him “Chill out, Edgar.” You may recall Sam saying “Cool it, Nanook.” at the beginning of the film, when Nanook becomes agitated and makes a noise. Both of the Frog boys can also frequently be seen baring their teeth at the vampires, as a dog might at a fellow predator. While making their way in and out of the caves, both of the Frogs and Sam are forced to crawl on all fours through tunnels. They can all smell the stench of the vampires, but the camera focuses in on Edgar as he sniffs the air. He is the one who identifies the smell, too, likening him to a sniffer dog.

The relationship between Sam and the Frogs feels very reminiscent of that between a boy and his dogs. Where the Lost Boys were pursuing and luring Michael into their pack, the Frogs seem to examine Sam, before traipsing around after him, wanting his attention. For such headstrong kids, they are surprisingly obedient when it comes to Sam. They respond well to certain phrases and buzzwords. Sam’s use of “Truth, Justice and the American Way” seems to convince them to go along with his ideas, similar to how “sit” or “fetch” elicits positive responses from trained dogs. When Sam tells Edgar to chill out, he immediately responds with “Yeah.” and lowers his voice. In a deleted scene, Alan draws his stake upon first meeting Michael and Sam forces him to put it away, in a manner that looks like trying to pull a stick from a dog’s mouth. The Frogs also obey the command not to hurt Star, or Laddie, right up until Sam is not present. Their trying to kill Star and Laddie while Sam is gone, feels a lot like a pair of mutts chewing up the sofa while their master is out.

Edgar and Alan’s protective nature is possibly what likens them most to dogs (particularly Nanook) and puts them in opposition to the cat-like vampires. They selected a small, somewhat delicate looking kid out of the crowd and tried twice to warn him about the vampires of Santa Carla. When they stand beside Sam, just before the dinner scene, they look a lot like guard dogs. They are silent and they stare very hard at Lucy and Max. This is reminiscent of Nanook coming to Sam’s side, after thwarting Michael’s attempted attack on him. This parallel occurs again later, when we see Nanook standing over Lucy during the dinner scene, as if putting a barrier between her and Max. Later, we see Edgar stand at Lucy’s side with a raised stake, trying to warn Max off her in the climax. Alan, similarly, is standing more or less in front of Sam during that scene. Lucy and Sam are placed between the Frogs, as if between two guard dogs. The Frogs fuss somewhat over Sam during the final battle, patting him and asking him if he is okay, as a dog would nudge at his owner with his nose in a display of concern.

At first you may think that the idea of two dogs protecting a rabbit does not sound quite right. I believe, however, that it does fit with the themes of the film rather well. Consider the fact that the original screenplay was heavily inspired by “Peter Pan”, a fantasy story. The fairytale element of anthropomorphic animals, as well as beasts coming to love and protect smaller creatures then seems more appropriate, especially considering the young ages of the Awesome Monster Bashers. Indeed, the concept is already present in the actions of Nanook, as he bravely and unflinchingly protects his young master and his friends. One could also argue a somewhat biblical flavour to this as well, which ties into the very act of vampire hunting. Faith in the power of God against evil is essential in the elimination of vampires, as evidenced in the use of crosses, crucifixes and holy water. Holy water in particular is used during the final battle. You may recall this line from the book of Isaiah:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 6 KJV

Though no rabbit is mentioned here, the image of predator and prey living together is asserted. This goes on and the next verse is also of interest:

“And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Isaiah 7 KJV

I must note here, the many mentions of big cats and of carnivorous animals feeding on vegetation, as opposed to their fellow beasts. Remember that Star, Laddie and Michael (to an extent) all willingly chose to join the vampire clan (as far as we can tell) but also chose to leave it, seeing the wrongness of killing people to eat. The line about the leopard and the kid, also leaps out, as it does make me think of Dwayne and Laddie. This may be a huge and confusing reach, but it would seem to fit with the symbolism I have been describing, as well as the Frogs’ assurance that seeing the truth about vampires and monsters will lead to a safer world.

To take a less divine and fantastic look at the idea of dogs protecting a rabbit, we could consider that the Frogs are more comparable to puppies, than fully grown dogs. The clumsy and boisterous behaviour of the Frogs, as well as their fear and vulnerability during the battle, does give them a more puppy-like feel. The fact that the only other characters Nanook defends, besides Sam, are also children assert s Nanook as a protector of the young and weak. As the Frogs are comparable to Nanook and he proves more effective than them, it gives the impression that they are rookies with a lot to learn. Pups who are introduced to prey animals at a young age can sometimes grow to be friends with them, and develop a desire to protect them.

One last small and amusing comparison to cats and dogs, is the mutual dislike of being wet. Though the wetness we are talking about comes courtesy of vampire blood and lethal holy water, the vehement reactions of both the Frogs and the Lost Boys in response to being drenched is very animalistic.

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truthisgoldenau · 4 years

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IT'S PRIDE MONTH

for a moment there I accidentally had Pierce's photo under Marian's name oop

Time to officially confirm some AU canon LGBT stuff! Each character is their own pride flag but I'll add in other stuff that's canon in universe plus some bonus stuff at the bottom.

First up is Freddy Fazbear Jr! Gay all the way.

He's definitely the "move I'm gay" type

Was honestly super freaked out to tell his dad but went with the bold approach of bringing home his first boyfriend and blatantly announcing their relationship as such as a challenge and was honestly surprised his dad wasn't bothered by it

He was around 13 at the time and so the twins and Fred were still in touch with Maddie's parents and brother. All three were incredibly supportive (and still would be)

He absolutely had a crush on Bonnie Burnette even though he had never talked to him. Since the twins and Bonnie went to the same high school he knew of Bonnie, thought he was a dreamboat, but because Bonnie was somehow in with the popular kids (it was the money 100%) Freddy didn't even bother

Frankie Fazbear! My ace son! (The ears are wrong blame the app lol)

Honestly doesn't even know he's ace until much later

He's had crushes before but he's never been in a relationship (part of it is the attempt to communicate since he's mute sort of stops him)

He wasn't even sure it was worth mentioning to his dad so Fred never knew

This boy can hold so much love in his heart but he's not a very physical person that's all

Fred Fazbear Sr! YES. HE'S BI.

Only Maddie even knew he was bi. That he knew of. Some people probably figured it out with his over the top always on personality.

Fred was constantly sure that Pierce picked up on it particularly after the Christmas mistletoe fiasco but if Pierce gave a shit he never said anything.

Frankly it was amazing that more people didn't pick up on it. He was over the top about everything until a point.

While he didn't overreact to his son very blatantly announcing he had a boyfriend, he was very proud of him. It was a very Fazbear family way to come out. Even though he got so distant, he was always proud of his boys.

Bonnie Burnette! Also bi!

Being constantly surrounded by the popular crowd and always being the sort of stand out with purple hair and stupid purple bunny ears didn't do much to make Bonnie feel like he could even tell anyone he was bi.

Really the only reason he was even in the popular crowd was he was rich.

It made him less of a target for bullies at least cause the jocks wouldn't stand for anyone messing with him.

Knew Frankie from math class and honestly wished he could have talked to the quiet kid with bear ears as an alternative to the entirety of the popular group

Sort of in the background of the AU story very quietly develops a crush on Freddy and then thinks "oh God I like the troublemaker NO"

Chandler Cicily! Lesbian!

Would absolutely describe her sexuality as "girls"

She's starting to discover it during the AU (even if it's not a topic that comes up but that's why there's this post about stuff lmao).

She's the baby of the group since she's 16 when the story starts and relationships aren't important to her yet

But the crew still support her when later she's like "maybe I just wanna bake things for a cute girl and let her put flowers in my hair is that too much to ask" (Marian always chimes in with "mood")

Marian Mengele! An absolute bi icon!

Listen, her one goal in life may be to find her lost childhood friend, but that doesn't mean she's solely interested in this one Irish redhead

That said she's definitely only dated redheads

She's not afraid to be open about her orientation. It doesn't bother her. She's seen as weird already what can it hurt.

That said she falls for Finn so goddamn fast when she finds him that she questions herself and then is like "no wait I'm definitely not straight"

She's very upfront with Finn about it. There's no reason to hide this from him (or anyone) and if they're a thing she wants him to know.

Finn being the wonderful human being still loves her and it doesn't bother him. Why should it? He's just happy to be with someone who loves him.

Chetana might be Chandler's fake big sister but Marian is like fake mama when it comes to Chandler finally coming out.

God bless Finn for being the kind of person to sit and let Marian braid his hair with flowers because that's one of Marian's favorite things to do when her partner has longer hair and Finn's never really bothered with keeping his hair short THESE TWO ARE ICONIC I love them

Pierce Graves! A shitty pansexual icon

First off he absolutely knew that Fred wasn't 100% straight he had no idea how it wasn't immediately obvious to everyone

That said Pierce literally did not give a shit who knew about his sexuality

As shitty as his whole personality was he could turn on the charm easily

His parents definitely knew but he was already a punk ass rebellious teen at the time so they have him the "be careful, don't get anyone pregnant" talk and worried from afar. If it bothered them, Pierce never knew because they made sure that he could still count on them (even though at the time Pierce didn't really talk to them much about anything)

Fred absolutely knew though I mean they were good friends

He's not a romantic. He's never really had a meaningful relationship because he's not that type of person. To be honest, there's a piece of him that saw relationships that worked and wondered how that would feel but he knew that wasn't for him. He figured that out way early on when he asked his granddad why he didn't have a grandma and Mortimer Graves didn't sugarcoat the answer. "She wasn't happy with me. I gave her the choice. She could stay and be miserable with my lack of a decent personality even though I was already struggling to not be such an ass or she could go and find someone who actually made her happy. She chose happiness, and while it sucks that she drifted out of my life and your dad's, she's better off."

Pierce could frankly always tell that he was more like his granddad and as much as he sometimes wanted to know if he could even out up with a meaningful relationship, he avoided it. Better to not hurt anyone and wonder than to become the catalyst for someone else to overcome, right?

Fritz Smith! Gay!

The shy bumbling mechanic of the early 90s Freddy's ? Gay? It's more likely than you think

He was still far in the closet in the 90s He was young, living at home still because he had just gotten out of school, and while his parents weren't super conservative, he also didn't know how they'd take it

Found a friend in the day guard Mike Schmidt early on. Mike was looking for a roommate since his last one had moved out and Fritz jumped at the chance

They are like totally boyfriends by the time they cameo in the story though

Mike Schmidt! Another gay icon!

Mostly invited Fritz to live at his apartment because he felt bad that this poor shy mechanic was getting constantly harangued about the animatronics having problems

Was glad to let Fritz complain about it and even cry it was very stressful but Fritz needed the money

Mike liked him. It would be hard not to really. Fritz was a sweetheart.

Mike didn't ask him out till much later though he wasn't quite sure that Fritz was gay and didn't want to ruin their friendship.

Luckily it didn't and as it turns out they worked well in a relationship.

Fritz's parents had to take some time to get used to it when finally Fritz got the nerve to tell them but as soon as they did there was no end of support from them

Mike's parents were the opposite which was mainly why he already lived by himself but oh well he got a cute boyfriend and cool parents-in-law later it was kind of a win

Daniel Hartford-Dunn! Gay!

Presenting Maddie's older brother!

outside universe fact, he's loosely based in my actual cousin who lives in California with his husband.

He's 7 years older than Maddie was. Despite that, they were still close. Maddie's parents wanted more kids but struggled to get the two they had.

He's an accountant for a corporation and his boyfriend (and later his husband) is a pilot.

Last time he saw his nephews in person was at Maddie's funeral. He misses them terribly but over the years less and less contact came from his brother in law

Sometime in 2006 though he ends up getting a call from his nephews and there's this great reunion.

He's just. This chill older guy. Who loves his family. And doesn't care what people think.

Since I can't put anymore photos, here's the bonus content!

-as mentioned last night Dr. Phillip Guy is on the ace spectrum. I don't have anymore details about that at the moment unfortunately.

-Charlie Emily is a lesbian. The Emily twins were born in 1980. They haven't appeared in the AU yet even as cameos but they exist. Considering in AU canon the Emily family is alive and well in Hurricane, Utah without an Afton to be found, Charlie's dating her childhood friend Jessica at around the time the AU events are happening.

-Sammy Emily is trans and bi. Both Henry and his wife (who I know I at one point named but don't remember what it is anymore) love their two daughters to pieces.

That said I'll make a post at a later point introducing the Emily family because so far I've only officially given the design for Henry and not the rest.

In line with canon, Spring Bonnie/Springtrap can be counted as gay.

While Fred kept the shows at the diner pretty simple and straightforward, there was definitely this subtle underlying idea that Spring Bonnie and Fredbear were a content gay couple although if asked it was easy to present them as friends. At least, that was during '81-'82

However!

Fred also had Henry help him program in a special one time only song called Springtime for his and Maddie's anniversary in 1983, which was of course a love song. Fred always thought of that as being mostly for his wife, and partially as a turning point thematically for the two characters.

Henry was on board with this. They still kept it subtle, but there were clear moments where it was pretty much certain that the only way to interpret Spring Bonnie and Fredbear was as a couple. It was either so subtle that no one was bothered or Spring Bonnie's chosen voice was so ambiguously non-binary that no one thought it was odd.

Fred had plans for it to become more "canon" but never got to implement them since Spring Bonnie got damaged before he could.

Springtrap, being sentient and able to later interpret his emotions, is very confused about how he as a machine was meant to feel about this character he knew but the more sentient he becomes the more aware he is that he misses Fredbear and that he loved him. It's the cause of a lot of internal conflict for him. But he can be counted in the category of LGBT characters in the AU.

Happy pride month ya'll! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

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forgenotes-archived · 4 years

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okay nevermind i’m doing the parent meta now !

OKAY ! S O ! i’m focusing this in three sections : 1- the matching pair of patio dinner scenes, 2- the “patronize bunny rabbits” scene, and 3- the two convos they have when they confront her about jd’s suicide bait and after barbara finds veronica faux-hanging in her room. i’m also putting it under a read-more bc like. it’s going to be A Fucking Doozy.

in this essay, i will -

PART ONE - PATIO SCENES .

this one is more set-up to portray how shallow their arguments are in the second section? but it’s still important for me to get across how. absolutely DISGUSTING it is that they treat heather’s funeral with the same tone and cadence as the remington party. it logically makes sense that veronica would be more blase about it, seeing as she Actually Did It, but like. one of the stages of grief is denial.

the beats of both conversations go: come sit down! how was the first day since break/heather’s death go? meet any cute boys? why do i read these books or smoke these cigars/because you’re an idiot/ oh, you too. gotta motor to party/funeral. completely identical tone and delivery, all the way down to mirroring the word choices in each scene. and it’s entirely intentional!! this is a tonal and thematic choice to further hammer home the fact that adults do not care about what happens in the lives of the youth, which is arguably the real villain of the film- complete and utter apathy. i could go on about that shit for ages but i will do that later lmao-

but like. as parents. first of all, you shouldn’t care so little about your child that somebody could predict exactly what you’re going to say before you say it, that you work off a script, even WITHOUT a massive traumatic event happening to them. they clearly acknowledge heather’s death, they just move past it completely dismissively. it’s disgusting and it clearly sets up that they don’t actually see her as a person, in all reality- her death is just a marker of the time, not the loss of someone important to their child. they don’t know the intricacies of their toxic friendship, so all they know is their daughter’s best friend killed herself. that is NOT the correct reaction to that situation.

this further exemplifies the idea, for me at least, that their main objective is to keep up appearances rather than build a strong, stable, healthy human being in their care. as long as everything looks alright, sounds alright, it is alright for all intents and purposes. there is no WAY that conversation does not REEK of neglect.

PART TWO - PATRONIZING BUNNY RABBITS .

this is mostly barbara, but henry shows his blatant idiocy for a brief moment, too. the biggest part of this scene is barbara’s “little miss voice-of-a-generation, you ARE being treated like human beings” spiel, specifically because she’s not right at all when she says it. or half-right. it’s complicated.

she’s right when she says it’s not just a game of “doubles tennis” and that adults can be horrible to each other too- that’s like. objectively fact. but that’s a non sequitur argument and not at all relevant to the topic at hand, in all reality; because in saying that, barbara has likened people being assholes at work or talking behind each other’s back with EXPLOITING CHILDREN’S SUICIDES FOR FAME. barbara changes the argument in order to make veronica look irrational- what she wants is for people to be fucking NICE to each other, which isn’t an un-noble goal to have.

veronica wants people to give everyone decent respect, and she’s learned that isn’t possible in the way things are at the moment. she’s frustrated, she’s angry, she’s dealing with guilt and fear? she’s dealing with a fuckton! and she’s mad that flemming is exploiting the death of a student (never mind her personal feelings involved with chandler, she still knows this is wrong) for television crews and ribbons. she sees that flemming ALSO doesn’t care about her students other than for appearances. she’s seeing similarities between all the adults in her life, and she’s finally ready to snap.

barbara saying “when teenagers are mad about not being treated like human beings, that’s usually because they are being treated like one” (or whatever the exact quote is) basically solidifies the fact that there will be no change in the way people are going to act in these situations. they are not listening to veronica’s point of view here, and they are changing the scope of the argument to make her look unreasonable to dismiss her again, and they explicitly say, a la bethesda, “we aren’t planning on doing anything about it”.

it’s an important discussion because barbara isn’t. entirely incorrect! she’s just brute-forced the argument into a different direction so that veronica can’t be correct anymore, either.

also- note that she offers veronica pate at the end of it; she’s trying to return to the status quo, to proper appearances. sneaky bitch.

PART THREE - YOU’RE SUICIDAL .

this is. where they come out of their shells a little bit more, as parents, but i’m not entirely positive it’s for the right reasons.

they are actually concerned, now that death is on their doorstep; however, it very clearly seems like showing this kind of care and emotion is foreign or new in their relationship. instead of sitting her down and asking her how she’s feeling, if she’s dealing with all of this okay, if there’s anything they can do to help- they start rambling off the instructions jd, a literal teenager, more than half their ages, gave them. they have NO idea how to deal with this situation, which is. partially understandable? there is no prenatal parenting class that teaches you how to navigate if your kid grows up to be suicidal, but. there’s obvious things that you can do that they just flat out did not.

they didn’t even notice she’d left the room! they were so wrapped up in their own chaotic “keep away from sharp things, toxins, high ledges, etc.” that she just. left the room. and they didn’t notice she was gone until she was already in her room!

rather than saying this is evidence towards the fact that they don’t care about their daughter (which i don’t actually believe, for this part at least), it feels more like proof that they have never cared about her in this particular fashion- which is, to say, genuinely. having an emotional and caring connection is new, and they don’t know how to do it; which points towards them never having done it before in ronnie’s 18 years of life. which is severely damaging to a child turned young adult.

later on, when barbara finds her hanging from the fake noose, i’d like to just. take a look at what she says-

“i should’ve let you get that job at the mall, i was just worried about you coming home late-”

what. in the ENTIRE fuck. was that?

her ONLY THOUGHT when confronted with the DEAD BODY of her ONLY CHILD is that the ONLY THING ronnie could have been upset about, or the only thing she could’ve changed in her treatment towards her daughter, was getting a summer job. i know this line is supposed to be a joke (heathers is a black comedy, after all), but jesus fucking christ, barbara. get a grip. veronica has all but told them what’s been bothering her, up to and including the death of her best friend and the subsequent treatment of it (albeit not in a particularly forward or constructive manner, but can you blame her? seeing who raised her?), but barbara is the sort of person that would give a eulogy that said “i never could have imagined she would have done this. she seemed so happy! if only she’d asked for help... if only she’d reached out to us... we would have SAVED her...” while ignoring all the warning signs.

CONCLUSION - IE , I RAMBLE FOR A BIT .

in canon specifically, there’s no way that there’s a healthy relationship between veronica and her parents. they care more about LOOKING happy than BEING happy and that’s a huge problem in a lot of parent-child relationships, especially at the time this movie was made. not only that, but like. they don’t believe there’s anything WRONG with the way they are, and that’s most likely the most damaging thing about the dynamic. barbara and henry sawyer are neglectful, dismissive, unempathetic, mostly uncaring, and obsessed with their outward appearance; but they don’t think that’s a bad thing, and that has massively fucked up veronica’s mental health in a VARIETY of ways. i’ll talk about the effects on her at a later date, bc this shit is already over 1k words and my brain has now turned into super mario sunshine goo.

#i was doing icons?? and i #stumbled across the patronizing bunnies scene and i got #IRRATIONALLY MAD #❝ - 𝙄𝙏 '𝙎 𝘼 𝙂𝙊𝙊𝘿 𝙆𝙄𝙉𝘿 𝙊𝙁 𝙎𝘼𝘿 . / meta.#❝ - 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙄𝙉𝙉𝙊𝘾𝙀𝙉𝘾𝙀 - 𝙋𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍 . / isms.#this actually came to a little over 1.5k words #somebody handcuff me

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mwolf0epsilon · 5 years

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DBH - OC Ideal Pets

I'm still trying to finish up the Fallout AU Info Doc (I'm stuck on a few choices for what characters will be, especially Josh), so to keep up some activity I've decided to do a post about which kind of pet would be ideal for my OCs.

The list will be a bit long (because I have an absurd amount of OCs) so I'll put it under a cut if anyone is interested in taking a look.

---

[[MORE]]

--Androids--

Joel (EM400) - Despite being terrified of dogs, Joel's ideal pet is and will forever be Chitin, the android German Shepherd that has been nothing if not patient and loyal towards him. Joel's fear of dogs (especially rottweilers) still persists on some level, but Chitin helps him as a therapy animal.

RJ (EM400) - Despite being a rogue unit of the Jerry hivemind RJ still has a fascination for pirate thematics like his many brothers. As such, he has a fondness for exotic and brightly colored fish and other aquatic critters. The grand jewel of his vast collection is a tiny blue ringed octopus he calls Kraken.

Sergei (PL600) - Due to his many psychological issues, Sergei is not allowed to have a pet of his own. Instead he's being educated on proper petcare by Noah who keeps a close eye on him.

Noah (PL600) - Thanks to his great love for animals and veterinary studies, Noah is very capable around all sorts of critters. He has at least three cats (Elvis, Freddy, Brian), one dog (Melanie), five bunnies (Emma, Geri, Beyonce, Shakira, Kesha) and a guinea pig (Phil). They're all named after old singers which Sergei finds amusing.

Dimitri (PL600) - Dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. He has a lot of love to give to creatures that are inherently loyal and loving towards him. He's not only a professional dog-walker but also the Cullen family's official dogsitter. He has two puppies (A Rottweiler named Peach and a Doberman named Bowser) and is also quite attached to Roky and Chitin. He'd want to get a pet bat just to teach it to divebomb people (the threat of rabies is amusing to him).

Seymour (PL600) - Animal magnet. All animals just naturally love Seymour since he goes out of his way to feed strays. As a result you'll find a group of cats and dogs following him around town when he's either on or off duty as a police officer. He owns a massive Great Dane named Adonis.

Apollo (AP700) - He loves dogs but wouldn't be opposed to having a cat since they're more independent and he has Chance to care for. Despite his fondness for animals he'd appreciate it if Dimitri didn't constantly bring strays back home...

Proteus (IO100-P) - Took in his creator mom's three android cats and roomba after he returned home from the Io escape mission. He absolutely loves cats and would be the kind of guy to become a crazy cat-person. He thinks it's less of a problem and more of a compliment.

Dakota (CX100) - She would love to have a parrot. Chatty smart critters are a delight to her, and she'd greatly enjoy teaching it to greet people at the door or even on the phone. The only reason she doesn't own a pet is because she's very indecisive over what species she'd want to get.

Monochrome (CX100) - Not much of a pet owner. He's content with playing with Mile's bizarre android python, PB, who has the processor of a dog. He thinks she's pretty cool.

Baptiste (CX100) - He's terribly scared of animals.

Jindosh (HR900) - Horse kind of guy. He would greatly enjoy owning a ranch at some point, where he could train draft horses. He's not much of a rider himself, but just working with imposing and powerful animals brings him a sort of blissful tranquility.

Veronica (WR400) - She's a cat-person and isn't very fond of dogs, which is hilarious considering her and Scott's situation. She eventually gets a Siamese cat she calls Sir Rolland the Regal.

Scott (HR400 In K9300 Body) - As he's currently stuck inside a dog's body, it's pretty silly to get a pet. When he eventually does get a humanoid body again, he actually keeps the K9300 body and gets a processor for it. The dog's name is Old Friend.

Miles (RK300) - PB is the best noodle puppy in existence and he loves her too much to get any other pet. He has a great love and admiration for snakes, and thinks dogs are lovable and loyal.

Tristan (RK700) - He has a pet chameleon named Preston. It's a pretty ornery thing, but quite chill when he handles it. He likes to carry it around his apartment when he's alone and sort of vents to it since the reptile won't pass any judgment on his past actions. Tristan would kill for his pet chameleon if anyone so much as eyed it weirdly. He's incredibly attached to it.

Uma (???) - She spends a lot of time at Mr. Siddiq's abode to mingle with the exotic animal androids. She seems to be really taken with big cats and with wolves. At some point she rescues a wolfdog that was sent to a shelter to be euthanized. She named it Essex.

Bo Siddiq (YK500) - She doesn't keep pets since she already has access to all of her dad's rescued animal androids. Her best friend is Sasha the tigress.

Hearse (MC500) - He isn't very good with living beings, Dr. Ojomo's children are already complicated enough to look after, but he won't deny possums are pretty "metal". He started feeding one that's gotten into their garbage lately... He calls her Raven.

Eddie (WK218) - Myu's cat, Bravo, is his bestest friend in the whole world. He's extremely gentle with him and loves to spoil him rotten.

Stag (Hybrid Model) - Due to his alterations he's not patient enough with animals. He does follow a specific herd of deer sometimes and admires them from a distance. They seem to not be scared of him due to his antlers.

Bear (Hybrid Model) - Jordan wishes he could keep a pet as company. Sadly, since his reprogramming causes him to go aggressive whenever something approaches (excluding a very minute list), he doesn't want to risk going near any local fauna. He doesn't like bears very much (contrary to popular belief), instead if he could he'd like to own a rat (he thinks they're cool and pretty smart).

--Humans--

Valentina Hernández - She has Regi who honestly is more his own person and her personal bodyguard than a pet. She also rescues animal androids that have been negligently modded (she was the one who gave Miles PB since she couldn't undo the damage her original owner did to the poor python) by amateurs. If she were to get a pet she would go out of her way to either get a goose or a goat (her father had a goat named Pablo and her mother a goose named Rosalinda, they used to tell her stories about them).

Artyum Kutznekov - Has a brown tabby cat named Misha, and often rescues abandoned kittens he finds on the streets, nursing them back to health before finding them proper loving homes. He's a very nurturing guy despite his grumpy disposition and intimidating size. Val finds it hilarious how he can hold three kittens in one single hand.

Benjamin Peterson - Has a thing for spiders, which has caused several arguments between him and Val. He owns a Mexican Red Tarantula named Tarantino, and he is definitely the guy you call when there's a spider somewhere in your house. He either rescues them or (if they're big enough) offers them up to Tarantino as sacrifice.

Dr. Ojomo - She has a great fondness for birds, specifically birds of prey. On weekends she goes to a sanctuary to help rehabilitate endangered wild birds. She has handled owls and vultures alike. She's taken notice of Earl's habit of feeding the possum that keeps getting into their garbage and finds it adorable.

Elisa "Myu" Corvo - She's without a doubt a cat-person, but she does like dogs as well. She owns a rescue cat named Bravo.

Mr. Asad Siddiq - He rescues exotic animal androids from negligent owners. His collection is incredibly vast and even includes dinosaur androids. All of his animals (except a few very difficult abuse cases) are incredibly fond of him and will approach him openly. His favorites are Sasha the tigress (his very first rescue), Ahri and Jolene (a coral snake and a rattlesnake), and the large herd of giraffes he has amassed from different zoos.

#detroit: become human #detroit become human #OC Stuff

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douxreviews · 5 years

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American Gods - ‘Come to Jesus’ Review

Wednesday: "What do you believe, Shadow?" Shadow: "Everything."

American Gods finishes its first season strong, but storms brewing both in front of and behind the camera leave us with questions...

Let's just deal with the elephant in the room up front, since it sort of colors everything about this episode. If you're not the sort of person who follows behind the scenes shenanigans in TV production, allow me to introduce you to the elephant.

A few months after the initial airing of the season one finale, word came out that the showrunners, Brian Fuller and Michael Green, were exiting the show. Details were scarce, and those we did get were probably overblown to a degree, but the general reason given at the time was the traditional 'creative differences' with just a dash of 'budgetary concerns.' The first series had come in enthusiastically over budget, which probably didn't make the network terribly happy but seems unlikely to be a deal killer on its own. Reports that Fuller and Green quit after clashes with Neil Gaiman over the direction of the show seem equally unlikely, as Neil is a profoundly decent human being and I just can't see him doing that sort of thing.

I suspect, and this is purely my opinion, that it was a combination of little things and was probably fairly amicable. It would appear, based on choices that they made in series one, that Fuller and Green saw the show more as an anthology series, with Wednesday and Shadow serving as a vehicle to explore other stories set in the universe. Gaiman was reported as wanting a more direct adaptation of the novel. The network, probably a little irritated with the overspending, came down on Gaiman's side, and so Fuller and Green moved on to other projects.

Again that's just my personal guess. What we do know for certain is that whatever happened behind the scenes led to both Gillian Anderson and Kristin Chenoweth deciding not to return for season two, which leaves a curious plot void after the conclusion of this episode.

We'll look at how this was handled when we talk about the season two premiere, but for now suffice it to say that it's impossible to watch this episode without being aware that both of them are about to exit prematurely, which definitely affects watching it now.

Whew. That's a lot of preliminary elephant.

So, after that brief come to Jesus moment, let's talk about 'Come to Jesus.'

As long as I'm breaking my own rules about what we do and don't consider in these reviews, I'll note that Jesus is notably absent in the novel. He gets a couple of mentions, but never actually pops in to have a chat. In the 10th anniversary edition there's a sort of appendix where Neil includes a portion of a chapter where Shadow meets Jesus, but notes that the interaction never felt exactly right for the story and so he kept not including it in the novel proper.

Here, almost as if to compensate, we have a lot of Jesuses. So many Jesuses that we're going to need a collective noun for a group of Jesuses, and I'm going to suggest that we call it a Faith. So, Wednesday and Shadow, and Mad Sweeney and Laura, arrive independently at the home of Ostara, aka Easter. Ostara is one of your 'harvest/fertility/spring/rebirth' sort of deities, and the nominal foundation of the holiday of Easter before early Christianity colonized it. She has the whole place tatted up for her annual celebration of herself, Easter, and is politely ignoring the many Jesuses who have kind of overrun the place.

So, no visual metaphor for the displacement of old beliefs there, no sir.

Easter is kind of a crystallization of a couple of things that have been going on over the course of the first season. For one thing she's the final instance of Wednesday individually seeking out an old god, wherever they might have ended up, and making a sales pitch for them to join his upcoming war. The fact that he appears to be successful in this case is deeply entwined with the other plot thread which she represents. Namely, the various ways that many of the old gods have or have not been co-opted and suborned by the new gods who have replaced them. Czernobog was never suborned, he was forgotten and left to rot. Vulcan allowed himself to be redefined completely, substituting bullets for volcanoes. Wednesday was offered the same deal as Vulcan and turned it down. Sweeney was never important enough for the new gods to even bother with – he'd been co-opted by General Mills long before. And Bilquis... well, we'll come back to Bilquis in a moment.

Easter shows us yet another variation on the theme; instead of being redefined, she's allowed herself to be overwritten. Christianity came along and claimed her special day, and pretended that the bunnies and the eggs had been part of their thing all along. And over the centuries, as the focus on her special day turned more and more away from her and toward whichever Jesus you happened to root for, she became more and more entrenched in her self delusion that it was really still all about her, deep down. They still followed all the old practices with the egg hiding and the rabbits, so she couldn't have been forgotten. Kristin Chenoweth did a great job here showing us a woman whose illusions are being brutally stripped away. She's made herself comfortable behind a layer of artifice, and once that's gone she faces the situation and reclaims her power. That's the point of her elaborate hairstyle coming undone and her hair falling wildly around her shoulders while Media's hat blows away. It's the pagan forces reasserting their power over the forces retraining them.

That said, while I appreciate what's happening thematically, and Mr. Wednesday is clearly successful in convincing Easter to reclaim her power and force humanity to worship her again, I'm almost positive that if Kentucky had a huge crop blight humanity's first response probably wouldn't be, 'Oh, I guess we should probably pray to Easter to take care of this.' Call me cynical.

Women being disempowered by men who fear them was a pretty strong theme all around this episode, and nowhere more so than the story of Bilquis, as told to us by Mr. Nancy. The visuals of Bilquis were great, particularly the fade from her ancient face makeup to her disco face makeup. I really like that we saw her in pre-revolutionary Tehran in the 70s. It's a period that American schools say absolutely nothing about, as if we talked about it we might have to discuss our own unfortunate involvement. Generally, I expect that US audiences know next to nothing about what Iran was like before the revolution, and that may be partly what made the incoming revolutionaries shooting up Bilquis' disco such a strong image for the female disempowerment metaphor they were building.

Watching Bilquis slowly deteriorate in the new world was heartbreaking, and it made perfect sense that she'd fall in with the new gods after Technical Boy offered her a new altar in the form of hook up aps. She doesn't seem to happy to be working for them now, however. It'll be interesting to see where that goes.

Which brings us to Laura, yet another woman who men are attempting to disempower. In this case it was Mr. Wednesday, via Mad Sweeney who had her killed, or as Sweeney puts it, 'sacrificed,' for no other reason than that he needed her out of the way so he could get to Shadow. And because it was a god who had her killed, Easter can't give her back the gift of life, which is convenient from a storytelling perspective. It also presented a great opportunity for the story to have Laura find out that Wednesday had her killed and sabotaged her casino robbery. Although I feel like we as a people need to accept that the 'eye holds the last image before it's death' trope is kind of tired at this point. Maybe let's rest that one for awhile.

So, ultimately season one was all about two things. Getting Shadow to a place where he is ready to believe in the existence of Odin and the other gods, and getting Mr. World to a place where he's willing to publicly commit to going to war against the old gods. Thanks to a prodigious sprinkling of Jesuses, this episode accomplishes both. I could have lived without Wednesday running over the bunnies though.

Quotes:

Mr. Nancy: "We should start with a story." Wednesday: "Oh Jesus, Nancy." Mr. Nancy: "I’m gonna tell you a story." Wednesday: "We haven’t got time for a story. Just do the f**king work." Mr. Nancy: "Let me tell a goddamn story!"

Mr. Nancy: "So long as I’m still alive, I can adapt. I still know what I am."

Technical boy: "Worship is a volume business. Whosoever has the most followers wins the game."

Wednesday: "Do not confuse confusion for anger."

Shadow: "I love Easter." Wednesday: "Many do. Some for the rabbits. Some for the resurrection."

Wednesday: "Believing is seeing. Gods are real if you believe in them."

Jesus: "I… feel terrible about this."

Technical Boy: "Hands free, honeypot. I have no intention of spending the rest of my days feeding your soul from the vagina nebula."

Media: "We popularized the pagan. We practically invented brunch."

Laura: "I will squeeze them straight out of the sack. It’ll be like shucking peas. I swear to Jesus. He’s right outside."

Media: "Put a pillow over that feeling and bear down until it stops kicking."

Bits and Pieces:

-- Jesus, sitting cross legged on the surface of a swimming pool with a drink sets his glass down next to him. The glass immediately sinks to the bottom of the pool. I get why they couldn't resist that sight gag, but there was really no reason for him to be sitting on the pool otherwise. Still funny, though.

-- So, after killing Vulcan, Mr. Wednesday and Shadow went directly to Mr. Nancy's place so that he could make them dapper new suits for the Easter party. Nancy knows that Wednesday killed Vulcan, but Easter believes the lie that it was the new gods who did it. That whole plotline is a little muddy.

-- What exactly is Mr. Nancy's relationship with the spiders? Are they his friends? Does he control them? I have so many questions.

-- I really hope Orlando Jones is enjoying his wardrobe for this series, because I certainly am. His outfits get more and more fabulous.

-- Are the bunnies all CGI? They have to be CGI, right?

-- One of the available Easter cookies was a sugar cookie in the shape of a hand, with red jelly in a neat circle in the center of the palm. I watched this episode four times before getting that.

-- I'm old enough that I remember it firsthand, but it seems just unfathomable that there was a point when smoking on airplanes was a thing.

-- Media seemed genuinely sad to lose Easter as a friend.

-- There's an adorable moment when Easter primps herself in her reflection on the sword while Wednesday is giving her his sales pitch.

-- Do ice cream trucks automatically play music when they're in gear? Because TV shows are unable to resist the music playing in inappropriate circumstances.

-- Sweeney still didn't tell Laura what he sacrificed for her last episode, even when she had him four feet in the air by his balls.

-- It was a serious mistake for Media to take the hard line with Easter over Mr. Wednesday's offer. That's what ultimately made up Easter's mind.

-- Technical boy comes up as 'The Man' on Bilquis' phone. You just know that he programmed that himself.

-- Genre fans should note, the primary Jesus we see here is played by Jeremy Davies. He's as good as you're imagining.

A really strong finish for a really strong year. Easter and Media are going to be missed.

Three and three quarter out of four CGI Bunnies. Is that allowed?

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#American Gods #Shadow Moon #Mr Wednesday #Laura Moon #Mad Sweeney #Easter #American Gods Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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theinquisitivej · 5 years

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Animated Movie Double Review – ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’ and ‘Into the Spider-Verse’

Last weekend I saw two animated films. One of them was visually striking, with every frame being memorable and reinforcing the film’s distinct aesthetic. On top of that, it told a well-paced story that is sure to resonate with audiences from a number of different backgrounds for countless reasons. The other was a disappointing hodgepodge of average filmmaking with above-average animation backing it up which only made the misguided character-writing, lack of solid comedy that elicited no more than an occasional “…mmheh.”, and unclear focus feel that much more of a shame. I’m ever the force of positivity who likes to end on a happy note, so let’s get the lesser of the two out of the way first.

‘Ralph Breaks the Internet’

A sequel to the 2012 videogame inspired Disney film, Ralph Breaks the Internet picks up some time later when the inhabitants of the arcade are introduced to the internet. After a fault occurs with Vanellope’s arcade machine, Ralph and Vanellope decide to venture into the internet to find a replacement part before the machine is taken away. Internet references and hilarity ensues.

The animation is of course as smooth and technically impressive as it always is. There’s a lot of variety to the character designs and styles of movement that are on display throughout the movie. Whether it’s the blocky, 8-bit stilted movement of some of the classic game characters who return from the last film, the glimpses we get of people in the real world moving in an impressively naturalistic fashion, or the crisp yet eclectic movements of the Google stand-in character Knowsmore as he rushes to finish people’s sentences, there’s a lot to sink your teeth into if you enjoy studying animation.

I also enjoyed Vanellope as a main character you follow throughout this film. In Wreck-It Ralph, Vanellope is someone you slowly warm to as she goes from being this deliberate nuisance to Ralph and his goal of bringing a medal back to his own game to someone who means the world to him by the film’s final shot. In the sequel, Vanellope is unsatisfied with her day-to-day life and wants a little change, which resembles Ralph’s motivation at the start of the first film, and I was engaged with her journey throughout the film as she continues to be a very appealing and entertaining character to spend time with. Also, seeing her play off of Gal Gadot’s character who is this tough and capable but also down-to-earth source of wisdom and perspective is pleasant to experience, especially as this reinforces the general reputation that Gadot has right now as this inspiring female role-model that you just love to be around.

But other than that, I didn’t care for this movie. Few of the jokes land and the ones that do only elicited brief, unenthusiastic chuckles. Part of this can be attributed to the internet-focused humour going for surface-level observations that either ring hollow or feel dated right out of the gate. To be fair, I don’t think there’s anything fundamentally wrong with centring a movie on websites; I can’t say that videogame iconography inherently has more value than internet iconography, so it’s not as simple as saying “this sequel went wrong the moment it decided to be about the internet”. Maybe it would be too subjective of me to say I felt more of the warmth that comes from the creators’ passion for videogames that was shown in Wreck-It Ralph than I do here with Ralph Breaks the Internet and its connection to the world it tries to replicate. Instead, I’ll say that it rarely feels like the film has more to say about what it’s showing us than “this is a thing that exists”, and when we’re dealing with something as universally known and omnipresent as the internet, you’ve got to have more up your sleeve than that. We all use the internet, we all know how these sites work and what place they have in their lives, so give us more than just the novelty of seeing it depicted within a fictional animated world.

Apart from the soft-hitting comedy, the most egregious part of watching this film was Ralph’s character. Ralph is an unlikable ass in this film. In the first movie, Ralph is self-absorbed to a point in that he runs away from his game to get a medal so he can feel appreciated at the cost of the rest of the inhabitants of Fix-It Felix Jr. In this sequel, that negative aspect is dialled to 11. He rarely makes any effort to see things from his friend’s point of view and he childishly acts out for attention so that he can feel validated. The arc he went through in the first film where he gains some self-acceptance and realises it’s not always about him never comes across through any of the character’s actions this second time around. As a result, he feels very much like he’s regressed which makes him flat-out unlikable for 90-95% of the movie. Of course, this is all part of the film’s thematic point. You’re meant to know that Ralph is acting wrongly and that some of the things he’s doing are bad, because it becomes a major focus of the film’s finale and works into the emotional ending that the film is building up towards. The problem is that it overeggs the pudding, and, much like that clip we all saw in the trailers where Ralph overstuffs the bunny from the mobile-game with pancakes to the point of making it explode, the film does too much of this and blows up any attachment I had to this character. Ralph’s first story made it easy to understand where Ralph was coming from and why he felt the way he did, even if he acted selfishly at times. There were even moments where he did bad things because he truly thought it was for the best for someone other than himself. You get his decisions and know that he didn’t mean for the negative repercussions to happen, even if you can see where he went wrong along the way and what he must do to make it right. Here, it’s just not put together with as much of a steady hand to keep things level, so I’m not with him for the majority of the runtime.

In all fairness, I did appreciate the film’s closing moments. The last 10 minutes gives us a strong ending that tugs on the heartstrings and shows us a healthy outlook that both children and adults can learn from as they go through similar hardships in life. It also doesn’t pull its punches and back down from showing us that, yes, things do change. That can be hard, but it’s also okay. I like that the film gives us that emotional close, but I just wish it had earned it throughout the rest of the movie.

Final Ranking: Stone.

The plot structure is messy and flat-out abandons certain threads, the humour is weak, and one of the main characters acts obnoxiously for the majority of the runtime. It’s a disappointing sequel to a lovely film that comes across as being mostly hollow.

I did like seeing the princesses though, that was fun.

‘Into the Spider-Verse’

Just as the story of this film gives us multiple versions of Spider-Man who are all animated with a unique style and are wonderful to look at, Into the Spider-Verse is a Venn diagram of multiple film categories that it sits high at the top of.

It’s one of the best animated films of the year, constantly demonstrating masterful understanding of posing, dynamic movements, and how to draw out these perfect little moments of humanity from every one of the characters inhabiting this movie. If this isn’t the most visually impressive and striking film of the year, then it is unquestionably the second best looking film of 2018. The combinations of colours are diverse and consistently reinforce exactly what that moment in the story requires, whether it’s a palpable sense of energy, an immediate impression of the atmosphere of the location we’re taking in, or the keen emotion being experienced in the moment. The angles we see things from and the clever techniques the film uses to make certain parts of the shot look blurred to emphasise the things that are in focus work together to create this visual style that calls to mind the panels from a comic-book. Into the Spider-Verse even qualifies as a contender for the best Spider-Man film, full-stop. It certainly taps into the ethos of the character, his world, and the numerous alternative versions that have become big heroes in their own right with a confident familiarity, as well as a deep affection and respect for what Spider-Man is and what the idea of the hero means to us. And yes, in case it wasn’t obvious by this point, this also happens to be in the running for the best film of the year as well.

The film is set in New York on an earth similar to our own, but with slight variations on the things we see in our world like the NYPD being referred to as PDNY. This leads to cute little visual references and puns like a poster for ‘From Dusk Till Shaun’ and an advert for the band ‘Red Man Group’. In this New York, we follow Miles Morales, a teenager from Brooklyn who has just transferred from a school he was comfortable in to a prestigious school where his dad has high hopes for him. Around here the audience starts to get that the thing troubling Miles more than anything else right now is the immense pressure he’s feeling on multiple sides, whether its from the demanding workload heaped onto him by his new school or from his father’s insistence that he can do great things if he only pushes himself hard enough. One of the books he’s set at his new school is even ‘Great Expectations’ to hammer this point home. After a series of fated coincidences, Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider, develops powers, and is given a task of utmost importance by his universe’s Peter Parker before he is left alone to figure out how he can possibly face the biggest responsibility heaped onto his young shoulders yet.

But he’s not alone for long, as recent events have led Spider-People from multiple universes to all converge on Miles’ Earth, including an even more down-on-his-luck version of Peter Parker who’s older, more jaded, and far less suited to mentoring Miles than the one he is familiar with. Over time, more Spider-People join the team, with the most notable being Spider-Gwen, a version of Gwen Stacy from a world where she got bitten instead of her best friend Peter, who she would later lose due to a tragic set of superhero circumstances. With their help as well as a few other very fun versions of Spider-Man, Miles must face an assortment of sinister forces and do his best to live up to all the people who are counting on him.

As joyful, funny, and entertaining as the film is, and how can it not be with a premise like that that’s backed up with some masterclass animation, Into the Spider-Verse makes the stakes and the tension feel weighty by emphasising the real sense of danger to the heroes’ encounters with the villains. I won’t spoil who the main antagonist is in case you’re familiar with your Spider-Man characters and genuinely curious to see who it is. Suffice to say, they scared the hell out of me. My first impression of their design was that it looked a little goofy, but soon enough, through a combination of deeply ominous music and cinematography, the huge, black frame of the character came across like a spectre of death. Whenever they showed up, I was scared for the characters’ lives. In addition to the main antagonist, there is another villain who I had not heard of called Prowler, and the film does a great job of making this character seem like a stalking beast that Miles is woefully unprepared to face. But as effective as these villains are at making you tense up in your seat, and again, I still won’t give anything away, the film manages to give them enough to humanise them in one or two key moments that make this story feel like it’s not about virtuous heroes and black-hearted monsters, but about people. Some people give in and do terrible things for what they feel are justifiable reasons, and some people face the pressures of life and keep trying to do the right thing, even and especially when it’s hard.

But as hard-hitting as the heavy moments can get, the writing also ensures that the humour is there when it needs to be to balance things out. There are moments when the film goes to some heart-breaking territory, depending on what your level of attachment is to certain characters. It lets the scene play out, it uses the performances of the voice actors and the animators to their full effect to create the biggest impact it can, and, only after it has fully delivered on the emotional beat, it will deliver a perfectly timed joke that helps diffuse some of the tension without compromising the poignancy of what’s just happened. In fact, while these jokes may seem like a fun whiplash from sincere drama to goofy yet very naturalistic comedy, they often double as a way to reinforce the themes of the movie. There’s a point where a random civilian of New York intrudes on a very personal and significant moment for Miles to say something that comedically deflates the seriousness of the scene, and yet what the civilian says is actually a direct statement of the film’s central message. It’s an example of how much the film believes in what it’s saying that it can joke about its own themes and still have the ability tell an affecting story that comes across as charmingly sincere.

And the message that it believes so genuinely in, what every frame of this gorgeously vibrant movie works together to say, is that anyone can wear the mask and be Spider-Man. It means so much for a film to show that the relatable kid who grows into a superhero that we can aspire to be like isn’t always Peter Parker. Miles is a biracial teenager with an African-American father and a Puerto Rican mother, and just as Aunt May and Uncle Ben form the moral backbone of Peter’s life, we see how Miles has taken aboard different characteristics from each of his family members. He has the compassion of his mother, the strength and resolve of his father, and the style and charm of his uncle. It’s touching to see this family and realise just how important they are to Miles and how much they’ve positively shaped his identity, even as they make mistakes in their efforts to give him the best life they can. When Miles reaches the culmination of his journey and he sets out to be what his family believes he can be, it’s a soaring, inspiring moment. It’s the kind of story that superheroes lend themselves so well to, because the point isn’t to marvel at how super a select few can be; it’s to see them and know that we all have the power to be super, to do good, and to go out there and prove to ourselves that the faith of the people who love us isn’t misplaced. The different artstyles used to animate each of the Spider-People literally illustrate the point that, whoever you are and whatever you look like, you can be Spider-Man. And yeah, any film that sells you on that message is going to be close to the heart for a lot of different people.

Into the Spider-Verse is more than a neat twist on the well-catered superhero movie genre. It’s beautifully striking, features impressive writing that deftly balances sincerity and a sense of playful humour, and weaves all its elements together to create one of the most unique examples of animations, superhero films, and hell, films in general that I’ve seen in a long while.

Final Ranking: Gold.

See it on the big screen, then see it again on Blu-ray.

#The Inquisitive J #film #film review #movie review #film critic #critic #film criticism #animation #ralph breaks the internet #into the spider verse #spiderman into the spiderverse #into the spider verse review

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tardispowered · 6 years

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Doctor Who Book Review: Fear of the Dark

Summary

Non Spoilery Review: A solid story with a few missteps. It doesn’t quite get the emotional payoff it was reaching for but is nevertheless an interesting (if sometimes bland) read. (and just a bit unintentionally kinky)

Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers

The Good:

This was a well structured book plot wise, with a few exceptions. While it wasn’t the most enthusiastic read, it was easy to read and there weren’t any moments where I wanted to fling the book against the wall. (As opposed to the Drosten’s Curse for example) All in all it’s a mostly solid story.

We also were introduced to a couple interesting characters, Stoker and Bunny Cheung. I loved Stoker as the hard bitten mercenary/pirate leader of the group with a passion for cigars and a get it done kind of personality. I also like the idea that she was given a love interest, if not the execution. Bunny Cheung also had a nice backstory and I loved that he had a family and a cybernetic arm. In the beginning, I enjoyed reading about them.

Another aspect I liked were Nyssa’s thoughts of Traaken and the couple mentions of Adaric and his demise. You could tell the central theme of the book was supposed to be death and the inevitability of it. Nyssa had lost everything she had and the narrative kind of touches on that very lightly.

The ending was kind of amusing, unintentionally I am pretty sure, so I can’t give it credit; but there were parts that made me grin and think of certain anime.

The Not So Good:

This book felt always like it was reaching for something with a deep emotional resonance, but it never quite managed to get it. There could have been pathos about Nyssa coming to terms with Traaken or even just thinking of it and grieving it. I was thinking and hoping the Darkness would be somewhat attached or connected to that. But… it really wasn’t. It could have been about Adric’s death… and while they do mention it twice it’s only:

Ist time: Tegan remembering Adaric died and wondering how she could have forgotten about it.

Yeah how could you? Except maybe it’s thematically convenient.

2nd time: It’s mentioned the Doctor is always thinking of Adric’s death.

Except it never comes up, except in these two times. It could have been mentioned elsewhere. It could have been just after that death and they are still sort of reeling from the trauma so the Dark has a better hold on them. It’s only name dropped and nothing is done with it.

The Dark itself is a pretty lame antagonist. It didn’t help that I just read about a dark creature from the dawn of time that killed people and was the embodiment of evil in the Drosten’s Curse (and at least four tickled it into passivity while five kicked it back into the pit and set it on fire). Even if I hadn’t just read about it, I’ve seen this kind of enemy dozens of times. Dark entity, epitome of all evil, infects characters (somewhat arbitrarily) etc etc etc. Has a villain monologue near the end. And so on. I just didn’t care. There’s nothing interesting about pure evil. It COULD have been interesting if it accessed those hurtful emotions and had them mourn or even be sad about things which is a much more interesting take than making them fighty.

Back to Stoker and Cheung… As much as I liked Stoker as a concept…she really wanted the shiny the moon provided because…she just wanted the money I guess. But she keeps on wanting it even over the health and safety of her crew and them DYING until Cheung dies and she does a 180 like, glad to know they were just cannon fodder. And of course he was cannon fodder too. He was given a great little backstory but was killed off just to provide angst. The bloodbath of everyone dying save for our heroes was unnecessary, imo. I mean I guess it kind of fits the point that Death is inevitable but GOOD THING NO ONE SUPER IMPORTANT DIED right?

Also about halfway through some military guys come along because of a distress call and wouldn’t you know it, the commander Lawrence is Stoker’s old flame and they don’t hit it off because he’s dating someone else. Coincidence. I didn’t really care about that so much except when it switched to their conversations because I was not invested enough in their characters in and of themselves to give a damn. The author was much more invested in his OCs than I was.

And I like when there are characters aside from Doctor/Companions in the story but they need to have/develop some kind of relationship with the Core Cast otherwise they’re just a bunch of people in one room. Also their chat didn’t really have anything really to do with the main plot. It was just kind of there to round out their characters. But ultimately it didn’t matter because they both died in the end anyway. Also onboard the ship they have someone CONVENIENTLY there to be a secret heel turn/face turn and who knew how to defeat the Dark. Good thing he was there. :/ It was lame.

But not overtly terrible.

Conclusion:

A decent start to a somewhat disappointing ending and boring bits. It reads as one of the more blander of Five’s episodes. While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend reading it, I wouldn’t warn anyone away from it either. All in all pretty meh.

In my canon library?

….eh. Why not.

Three out of Five stars

Up Next: Players by Terrance Dicks

#doctor who #doctor who novels #fifth doctor #nyssa #tegan #adaric #doctor who book review #three out of five stars

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