#I realized now that I’m comparing them mostly to villains and that’s hilarious!

[spiralcass]

NEW MUTANTS: LETHAL LEGION #1 - THOUGHTS

There were several X-books out this week, but my favorite was the fantastic first issue of New Mutants: Lethal Legion, the FIRST Big 2 mainline mini-series ever to have a trans femme  character as the protagonist, and I feel like talking about it a little. 

Brought to us by @charliejaneanders​ and a fantastic team of artists, this issue sets up two plots, with Escapade, Cerebella, and Honey Badger (Sorry, Charlie, can’t bring myself to call her Scout) doing a silly heist in the hopes of distracting Martha from her trauma, while Wolfsbane attempts to convince Morgan to come to Krakoa. 

I won’t be doing a beat-for-beat rundown (Go read the issue!), instead just highlighting some of the things that stuck out to me. 

First, for as kind and compassionate as Shela is, I enjoy how she is completely unmerciful toward those who don’t deserve it. She may have realized calling herself a “villain” was silly and didn’t suit her at all, but she’s still someone who’s faced heavy discrimination, who’s been fighting and involved in crime to survive since she was a teenager, and who wanted to be like Emma Frost; of course she’s practical (and a little extra) about dealing with enemies.

Martha’s always been great, but I’ve absolutely been loving her since Vita Ayala made her part of their cast, and continuing to give her shine as Shela’s “best friend” was a great call. Martha still struggling to unpack her trauma, even though by all logic she should feel better, and contrasting her and Shela’s different views on things based on the different types of hate they’ve faced in their lives is good stuff. 

Look, this is sad for Morgan and all, genuinely so, but like...well, it’s acknowledged in-universe at this point that even on a good day, the X-Men are kind of jerks (It’s part of their charm!), but there’s something hilarious about this being Shela’s first issue as a proper X-hero, and mostly-Krakoan, and instantly she’s being a bitch and ignoring her lifelong best friend’s texts as he’s getting kicked out of his (formerly THEIR) apartment. 

Yes, it’s because she’s gotten sucked into her new life, and she’s been focusing her attention on helping Martha, but still. 

This. Motherfucking. Ensemble. 

It is the worst outfit I have ever seen, and I’m in love. 

Rahne Sinclair, we all know you’re a lesbian. Admit it already. 

What Martha is going through is very similar to what Rahne went through in Hickman and Ayala’s runs, and I’m hoping that’s intentional, and these two plots will intersect. 

This part I’ve already joked about, but Shela, girl, let’s talk about this. 

1. You used to look up to Emma Frost. Did you only start saying “Eat the Rich” after Krakoa came around? 

2. Did no one tell you that being Krakoan automatically makes you rich? You could be stocking up on so much food for Hibbert! 

3. You’ve now mostly decided to live on Krakoa. You do understand this nation is ruled by a dictatorial oligarchy of 12 who wield absolute power and live in castles while having everyone else share habitat domes with a dozen other people, RIGHT? Don’t worry, I don’t expect you to know literally all but one of them are extremely corrupt; you’re new here after all. 

Called it. I totally called it. I 100% called it. The last three issues of New Mutants made it far too clear this was where we were heading, and I’m so happy we did. Shela and Martha are adorable together, and now, this isn’t just the first mainline mini-series with a trans femme lead, it’s also another Marvel book with a sapphic couple in the leading roles! Well done! 

(Also, Shela, I see you fantasizing about wearing that Emma-looking outfit. Me thinks you haven’t completely turned on her) 

Gabby is only in this story because she heard something stupid was going on and she wanted to be a part of it. I love her. 

There is not one brain cell to be found here. 

To be honest, at least so far, I haven’t really enjoyed Morgan as a character. Compared to all the facets we’ve gotten from Shela as the focus of her stories, Morgan’s remained pretty one-note, and it’s not a note I particularly enjoy. He’s prissy, hates Krakoa, and liked things how they were. 

It also really doesn’t help that when actually asked about his issues with Krakoa, he makes an extremely weak argument. There are COUNTLESS major issues with Krakoa, but all he brings up is “You made your own language” and “All Mutants are soldiers”. 

And I’m sitting here like...really? Rahne ends up refuting his latter point in a great speech that makes a lot of sense for her, specifically, to give (though she could have also brought up that 99% of the Mutant population aren’t combatants. Then again, that would bring up Krakoa’s class system, and that would be a genuine thing Morgan would be right to complain about), but she doesn’t even bother addressing the language thing, probably because it’s such a ridiculous thing to complain about. 

She also doesn’t address the mention of “nationalism”. Krakoa IS absolutely a nationalist state, but whether that means “We are superior to all the monkeys who call themselves humans living on this planet” or “We have pride in our culture and will do whatever we have to to protect it from those who’d do us harm” really just comes down to whether you’re reading a Hickman-era book or a Post Hickman-era book. 

You idiots are all going to die. I’d laugh, but I’ve been waiting since X-Factor was unfairly cancelled to see a trans woman go through resurrection, so fingers crossed. 

That’s all I’ve got! Hope you all enjoyed ,and if you’d like to see me go over other comics like this, let me know! 

#x-men #new mutants #shela sexton #escapade #martha johansson #cerebella #gabby kinney #honey badger #rahne sinclair #wolfsbane

[kittyprincessofcats]

I finished RWBY Volume 5!!

Loved it!! After volume 4 was (understandably) a bit slower-paced, I didn’t expect things to get intense and serious this quickly, but I’m glad they did! I have so many thoughts I wanted to write down, so here we go:

[There will be spoilers for RWBY up to Volume 5 in this post (duh). Please don’t leave spoilers for anything after Volume 5 on this post, otherwise I will block you.]

- I have to say, I definitely liked Cinder more when she wasn’t talking. During Volume 4, I kind of started feeling bad for her on some level, but then she got better and started being her old condescending, power-hungry self and I was like… nevermind, I hate you again.

- Qrow being super drunk when he first brings Oscar home was absolutely hilarious.

- Yang is SO COOL. Have I mentioned that she’s so cool? Like wow, I wish I was that cool! The bike, the new (amazing) outfit, the way she just punched that creepy guy and walked right up to her mom’s bandit camp making demands of her – she’s so cool and I’m here for it.

- Yang and Weiss’ reunion was so sweet! 😭 I was waiting for literally any of Team RWBY’s members to reunite and that got me right in the feels! (Also, I loved the whole “Wait, your mom kidnapped me?” “Wait, you kidnapped her?” exchange - brilliant 😂.)

- Ruby’s reunion with Yang and Weiss was so sweet, too! 😭 Tears were definitely shed over reunions in this volume! And it was so nice to finally have most of Team RWBY and what’s left of Team JNPR back together and see them bond and catch up with each other 😭. Found family back together! It’s what they deserve!

- Yang being so angry at Blake for leaving makes perfect sense, imo, especially considering her own abandonment issues. And even more so considering that she lost that arm while protecting Blake. Also, I don’t think it’s reading too much into it to say that Yang and Blake’s interactions and their storyline together have had romantic undertones since volume 2. (And no, I’m not just saying that because I ship Bumbleby; it’s the other way around – I ship Bumbleby because those romantic undertones were there in the first place.) So yeah, Yang always tried to help and support Blake, lost an arm protecting her from her abusive ex, and then Blake just left – I get why Yang’s hurt and angry. And that moment where she goes from complaining about how she just wants to be there for Blake, before finally admitting “What if I needed her there for me?” - that’s a really good moment for Yang, even beyond the romantic subtext. It’s nice to see Yang admit that she also wants someone else to be there for her, that she wants to receive that same love and care in return.

- I also want to point out that it’s nice to see how far Weiss has come since volume one. She really took a level in kindness and became a lot more mature, to the point where she’s now giving Yang relationship advice. It’s really nice to see.

- Ruby’s talk with Oscar about Penny and Pyrrha really got me teary eyed.

- I wasn’t that fond of Sun at first, but he had some really great moments in this volume, so he’s starting to grow on me now. I still don’t ship him with Blake, but their friendship is sweet.

- And now, let’s talk about THE standout character of the whole volume for me: ILIA!! Holy hell, I love everything about her! You know how some characters grow on you over time, and then there are those characters that you see one episode with and they just become instant favourites? That second one was Ilia for me. I watched Blake’s character short before Volume 5 and the moment I heard her backstory she jumped right to the top of my favourite character list without question AND I started shipping her and Blake right away. (Yes, I love Bumbleby and all, but I’m a multishipper. I’m perfectly capable of equally loving two ships that contradict each other.)

- It’s just – Ilia and Blake’s dynamic got me hooked! Not to compare everything to my OTP (Catra and Adora from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), but let me quickly make this comparison: Two girls who grew up together, were both members of a certain evil organization until one of them left it and the other didn’t, now they’re on opposing sides and have to fight each other, but they still clearly care about each other. Plus, there are confirmed romantic feelings from at least one side there. I know many people (including myself) have compared Bumbleby to Catradora before – because you’ve got one blonde jock and one catgirl – but when it comes to the dynamic and the backstory, Blake and Ilia (what’s that ship called? Catmeleon, I think?) resemble Catradora even more. And it’s just the kind of dynamic I’m weak for.

(Honestly, it’s kind of funny how predictable I am both when it comes to favourite characters and favourite ships. My sister, who got me into both She-Ra and RWBY, took one look at Catra years ago and immediately predicted that I would love her. And when she first saw Ilia, she also immediately knew she’d be one of my favourites. Basically, my sister once described my “type” of favourite characters as “troubled, cute and gay” and that pretty much sums it up.)

- Speaking of troubled, cute, and gay: I’m glad RWBY finally has some CANON LGBT representation! Hell yes for that! Honestly, I interpreted Ilia’s feelings for Blake as romantic right away, but I wondered if it was just bait or my usual tendency to see romantic undertones in any interaction between two girls. But then that “I wanted you to look at me that way” line happened and… WOW. Yes. Amazing, talented, brilliant, never been done before, showstopping, incredible. I’m 100% sold on both the ship and Ilia as a character.

(One more thing before I change topics: I try to keep these posts positive and not get into discourse too much (since I’ve heard there was (is?) a lot of discourse in the RWBY fandom – but I took just one look into the tag for Volume 5 and immediately saw people arguing that Ilia’s not good representation because she’s a villain. And I just want to quickly address why that’s nonsense, in my opinion (and before you ask, yes I am a lesbian myself): First of all, she’s not even a full-blown villain. She’s clearly shown as confused and misguided from the beginning. And her feelings for Blake are never portrayed as a negative thing. She also has a redemption literally two episodes after being revealed to be queer. And in general, I don’t think queer villains are necessarily a bad thing and I’m tired of queer characters not being allowed to be flawed. How come straight characters get to just exist, but any queer character better be a shining beacon of morality or else they’re bad representation? I agree that RWBY should introduce more queer characters to balance things out a bit, but I wouldn’t say Ilia was bad representation by herself, since she’s a character I think we’re meant to have sympathy for.

- Now I just hope that future volumes of RWBY don’t pull a Bury Your Gays and kill Ilia off... I’d really hate that. (No spoilers on this post, please!)

- The entire fight at the Belladonnas’ house had me so on edge the whole time. I thought someone (most likely one or both of Blake’s parents) was going to die any second. Basically, the ending of volume 3 burned me and now I constantly expect characters to die. I’m glad it all (mostly) turned out well!

- Blake’s speech to the Faunus might have made me a bit emotional. That was a really great moment for her.

- And then there were those final episodes… WOW. Like I said, I really didn’t expect everything to go down so quickly (or for the ending to be that happy – like I said, volume 3 burned me.)

- Jaune unlocking his semblance was nice! And I’m proud of myself for having correctly predicted that he’d have some sort of healing powers. (I was waiting for him to unlock some healing semblance back when Qrow got injured in Volume 4 – I’m glad it finally happened!)

- I was worried about Weiss for a second, then I realized there’s no way she can die since I’ve already seen pictures of her outfit in later volumes. (Plus, I’m pretty sure if a main character had died, I’d have been unable to completely avoid spoilers about it. So those 4 are pretty much the only ones I’m not that worried about.)

- Raven is a really cool and interesting character, but an awful person. (I got so angry at her when she blasted Ruby after Ruby was just so nice to her*. How dare you, lady?) I love her design, though!

[*EDIT: I just rewatched it and realized that it was Cinder who blasted Ruby, Raven just created the portal. Point still stands, tough.]

- The plot twist of who the Spring Maiden really is was EPIC. Really loved that reveal! (And I honestly didn’t see it coming.) Though I have to say, I feel really bad for Vernal, and for the previous Spring Maiden.

- The Cinder VS Raven fight was absolutely epic and just stunning to watch visually. I was wondering if we’d ever get a maiden vs maiden battle, and that scene more than delivered! And while I don’t particularly like either of them, I was definitely rooting for Raven in that fight.

- I’m not sure if Cinder really died there. If so, I’m honestly not too sad about it, but I would be disappointed because I kind of expected her to become a more interesting character later on. After Volume 4, I expected at least a bit of growth there or something that would make her more interesting. And I’m not talking about a redemption, just to be clear! I just think the potential to make her more interesting as a villain was there, and if they just killed her off it’s kind of wasted now and she stayed a very flat character until the end. But I guess we’ll see.

- Raven and Yang’s confrontation was pretty intense. I liked that Raven finally had to admit that she’s afraid and doing all of this just to protect herself, and the contrast to Yang, who is also scared but still does what she thinks is right. And the fact that Raven was willing to let Yang have the relic despite the danger that would put her in – mom of the year indeed 🙄.

- Blake and the other Faunus are the real MVPs of the battle, tbh. The fact that they just completely stopped Adam and the White Fang by sheer numbers and didn’t even give them the chance to attack anyone? God tier stuff. And when Blake’s mom came in with the police? 10/10, we stan.

- Also, Blake telling Adam she’s not there for him? Hell yes, girl! I love how she’s taking power away from her abuser by showing she isn’t doing any of this for him. Really nice.

- Yang and Blake’s reunion in the last episode was super nice. I like how there was so much attention on that reunion in particular. And while I’m glad Yang wasn’t too angry at Blake and it makes for a nice happy ending, I still hope there’s a scene next volume where Blake properly apologizes to Yang for leaving and explains her side of things. And then, they should get together and live happily ever after and have lots of kittens. I mean, what?

- And finally, all of Team RWBY is back together! And they’ll have a lot to catch each other up on. Blake doesn’t even know about the maidens, the relics and Salem yet, while the rest didn’t even know about the White Fang attack. Also, I want Blake to introduce the others to Ilia and to her parents.

I really loved this volume. Lots of action, lots of really sweet moments, lots of epic fights and cool plot twists. I find it hard to rank them, but this might have been my favourite volume yet (volume 3 was also really good, though).

#RWBY #RWBY v5 #RWBY Volume 5 #RWBY vol 5 #Ilia Amitola #Yang Xiao Long #Blake Belladonna #Weiss Schnee #Ruby Rose #Catmeleon #Bumbleby #Cinder Fall #Qrow Branwen #Raven Branwen #Oscar Pine #Sun Wokung #Jaune Arc #Vernal #RWBY v5 spoilers #long post #wow this really got long #I started rambling about my new favourite chameleon girl and just couldn't stop

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

Chapter three! I already skimmed through it and just. Holy fuck I’m falling in love with this series all over again, and this is just the opening arc, how the hell is this so good??? I’m genuinely just in awe and fuck is it making it hard to decide where to have a cut-off point for this chapter. I suppose we’ll just have to see what fate decides.

(Also, the temptation to just paste in all of the last three pages of the chapter is so incredibly strong, you don’t understand.)

[No. 3 - Entrance Exam]

We start off with some exposition: UA’s hero course is designed to give students all they need to go pro, and is the toughest and most popular hero course in the country, with only a 1 in 300 acceptance rate. Discounting the four slots that are recommendation students, that’s 36 slots a year, which is about…

Yeah. That’s a lotta applications, and that’s just for the hero course! 

Several alumni are mentioned: All Might, who declined the people’s choice award; Endeavor, who’s stopped more crimes than anyone else in recorded history; and Best Jeanist, who’s won the Best Jeanist award eight years running. (One of these things is not like the other~ One of these things just doesn’t belong~) The exposition suggests that graduating from UA is basically a requirement for becoming a great hero - something which we’ll learn soon enough isn’t quite true.

But yeah, Endeavor with the record for crime handling, even above All Might. Quite the impressive hero, though that face…

Not precisely reassuring.

So yeah, Izuku here mentions the date of the exam - February 26th. I figure that this has to be a Sunday, for the simple fact that Japan has a slightly different school schedule than us. Most notably: Japanese schools (some of them, anyways) have 5.5 day school weeks. Yes, that means the first half of Saturday can still be a school day. 

While I couldn’t confirm for sure whether this is more common among the higher end schools, I feel like a school like UA, with its ‘Plus Ultra’ motto, would definitely be a school to have a half-day (or even a full day) on Saturdays, and since they also have to accomodate for middle schools that have Saturday morning classes, I figure that it would make the most sense for UA to schedule this exam on a Sunday. 

The benefits of this, as we’ve already seen, is that we can then narrow down the timeline for the rest of the series, just based on that single, confirmed date. We know from the last chapter that the Sludge Villain had to happen on a Thursday or Friday of the first week of school (April 14th/15th), with the first training session two days later (the 16th/17th). But what this also gives us is when Izuku’s first year of UA starts, AND the possible years it could start on. 

Since we see the glowing baby is in a modern hospital, we can assume that’s correlated to about our times. Give it a few generations, and we can guess that we’re in the 2200s or 2300s for the current era. Based on that assumption, we get the following years that have February 26th on a Sunday:

23rd century potential years: 2204, 2209, 2215, 2226, 2232, 2237, 2243, 2254, 2260, 2265, 2271, 2282, 2288, 2293, 2299

24th century potential years: 2310, 2316, 2321, 2327, 2338, 2344, 2349, 2355, 2366, 2372, 2377, 2383, 2394, 2400

As a side note, when I got into the series, my brain weirdly latched onto the idea that this had to all be happening in the year 2317. I don’t know why I decided on that number, but that’s what I rolled with, and hilariously I could be RIGHT about the year the current manga arc is happening in, provided Izuku’s first year is in 2316. Sometimes you just know, ya know? I know at least one other friend made these calcs independently of me and chose to run with 2237, which is totally valid! Probably makes more sense to be in the 2200s, but there’s room depending on how much time one thinks has passed.

As for when Izuku’s high school school year starts, we know that Japanese schools start on the second Monday of April. Since we don’t know if this is a leap year or not, we’ll end up with two dates, but that’s fine!

Feb 26 (Sun) -> Feb 27 (Mon) -> March (6/5, 13/12, 20/19, 27/26) -> April (3/2, 10/9)

Therefore, Izuku’s first day of classes (not counting the orientation, which I’ve seen a few other timelines assume is on the Sunday before classes start) is April 10th (or the 9th if a leap year)! I know this is all in the future from this chapter, but still, I wanted to share this at some point and figured now was as good a time as always.

Math!

Sorry, I’ve just wanted to share this math I did for a while now, I put a lot of work into it and I am very proud of it. Let’s get back to the chapter.

So Izuku lives a 40 minute train ride away from UA, and has made it just in time for the exam. Apparently, this is only the practical portion? Or well, that’s the part that gets focused on in this chapter, with no mention of the paper exam. I would imagine they’d be the same day, though? But I suppose one can do whatever they like with it.

He’s standing there looking at the school, thinking about how he didn’t have a chance to test the power, while the other students head in-

Excuse me, Toga?? I know that hairstyle is just a bit off, but… ???

...right, anyways. Izuku is wondering whether the hair really did anything (also, it was apparently sour, which, ew.) Katsuki comes up behind him and tells him to move aside.

Truly a flattering image. Izuku panics a bit and greets him, but Katsuki just walks by without another word or gesture, leaving Izuku confused as he watches him head on into the building. The narrative notes that since the villain incident, Katsuki hadn’t bothered Izuku, while the unnamed characters in the background apparently recognize Katsuki from the ‘sludge’ incident (well, not shocked how the fandom held onto that name). 

Izuku notes that he’s gotta stop flinching instinctively, and then tries to hype himself up, noting that it’s not like before, and think about the past ten months while taking a wobbly step forward- and then tripping over himself.

I’m sorry Izuku just has so many fantastic faces in this chapter I am crying trying to limit myself to just a few. But yeah, that little derp as he realizes what’s happening is adorable, especially while Ochako gently sets him back on his feet. She mentions that it’s her quirk, and apologizes for using it, but that it’s a bad omen to trip and fall. (I wonder if that gets played with again during later parts of the series… will have to check to see.)

While Izuku freaks out over talking to a girl, Ochako notes that the exam is nerve-wracking, and then heads off while wishing both of them luck as Izuku stares after. 

This fucking kid. I love him so much. His flustered excitement gets him some weird looks from the others still outside.

We transition to a new character (Present Mic) who immediately shows off his performative side by calling for a ‘hey!’ which… is met with silence from the crowd. He doesn’t let this throw him off, instead letting them know that he’ll present the guidelines for the practical, followed with a ‘YEAH!’ that gets met with an even heavier silence.

Izuku and Katsuki are seated next to each other, with Izuku descending right into excited muttering over Present Mic and how he listens to his radio show every week. Also with the assumption that all the UA teachers are pro heroes, which I mean, true, but still. Katsuki tells Izuku to shut up.

Present Mic explains the test: ten minute long ‘mock cityscape maneuvers’, with the applicants split among seven arenas, labelled ‘A’ through ‘G’. With more than 10k applicants total, that’s about…

Yeah, more than 1500 per arena. Fucking hell, no wonder the robots deplete so quickly in only a few minutes. Also of interest:

“Bring along whatever you want.” So technically, if Izuku were able to procure the tech and training to handle the robots, there would be nothing keeping him from getting into UA quirkless… though I imagine any kid who gets in mostly on tech probably gets side-eyed… though if said kid made their OWN tech, they might also get an offer from the Support department.

(AU where Mei accidentally took the heroics exam and got a shitload of points, but she ended up taking the offer for Support instead despite setting the record for most points in said exam. Katsuki forever wants to fight her. Izuku and her are good friends.)

Also, another thing I love is how Katsuki just told Izuku to shut up a moment ago, and then:

He’s the one to initiate conversation on the details of the test, basically agreeing on the reasoning behind dividing up the students between arenas. Katsuki is annoyed at not being able to crush Izuku, which has Izuku awkwardly silent. 

Also mini-Mic.

Poor, poor Mic. He just wants audience participation. Anyways, he continues on to explain the points system, with the help of cute little Mario-themed silhouettes. There are three kinds of faux villains, with different points awarded for defeating each based on their difficulty levels. Also, attacking other examinees is prohibited!

A student (cough Tenya) raises their hand to ask a question, going on to note that the handout sheet appears to have four varieties of villain, and that such a blatant error (if it is one) reflects poorly on Japan’s top academy. He then spins around and points at Izuku, calling him out for his muttering and how distracting he’s been, and that ‘if this is some sort of game to you, then please leave immediately!’ 

Is that… Mineta seated behind Izuku? I can’t find another panel that disproves that theory, so. Whelp. If you ever for some reason want to have Izuku accidentally deal with the grape early, he’s right there. 

Anyways, Present Mic brings the convo back to the initial question/comment, noting that the fourth villain is worth zero points, and is more of an obstacle. He then brings up Super Mario Brothers, the old retro game, and compares the Zero Pointer to a thwomp. There’s one per site, serving as a gimmick that’ll rampage in close quarters. Tenya thanks Mic and apologizes for the interruption. 

And so we get our final words from Present Mic:

??? either he's referencing the original guy (which I think would be a misquote because I doubt OG Nap ever noted anything like that) or some French hero or the like who took on the name.

Discord offered this to me while putting together the post:

So there you have it. Tentatively confirmed.

Those EYES man, dude’s got the Rinnegan going on.

Honestly, I have to end on this panel just because of that last line from Present Mic. Like, look me in the eyes and tell me this isn’t the exact point to end on. 

The discord’s takeaway from this:

#chapter 3 #opening arcs #readthrough #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #uraraka ochako #yamada hizashi #iida tenya #I seriously cannot believe they actually said 'break a leg' while Midoriya Izuku was in the area #like talk about tempting fate #and that little bow #like 'yes sir i will do my best to break a leg' #'in fact i will break both legs AND an arm' #'Plus Ultra!'

[gascon-en-exil]

I'm genuinely curious about your "Black Eagles most to least favourite" list.

Here you are.

#1: Hubert

Could there be any other? I remember back when there was a promo introducing the house retainers (well, Lorenz for the Deer) and everyone was saying that Hubert looked so obviously evil that there had to be some deeper explanation, that someone who took design cues from a two-dimensional villain like Fates’s Iago couldn’t possibly be Edelgard’s retainer. Then the game came out, and we all realized that Hubert was exactly as advertised and then some: a cold and calculating murderer and war criminal with his fingerprints all over almost every terrible thing that happens over the course of the story, as comfortable with chloroform and a razor as dark magic and down to perform unspeakable experiments on innocent civilians to turn them into war machines and then backstab his co-conspirators because he will suffer no rivals for his title of the Most Evil Man in Fòdlan. And yep, he looks like Dracula and Severus Snape had a one-night stand and their mpreg love child went to an anime convention...but when Ferdinand looks at Hubert he sees Mr. Darcy and the Phantom of the Opera and Edward Cullen/Christian Grey, and soon enough that snake in Hubert’s breeches will be singing quite the aria indeed. You do you, Ferdinand.

Ok, I’ve already rambled at length on Hubert’s bisexuality and the interesting things it reveals about both him and his two primary love interests, but I do also have to admire the sheer audacity both of Hubert as an incel/Nice Guy-flavored romantic false lead for Edelgard who never had a serious chance because of the self-insert fantasy and of the decision to follow that up with a trope-laden queer romance that perfectly counterbalances Hubert’s attraction to Edelgard and puts Ferdinand firmly in the place he was destined to occupy by choosing to side with the Empire. It’s nearly as outrageous as just how casually evil Hubert gets to be, as well as the immense potential for dark humor that lies with that. You have to bend over backwards to say that Hubert isn’t unapologetically, irredeemably evil, and if you try there will be significantly more fans just waiting to tell you that you’re wrong - myself included. He’s the Manfroy to Edelgard’s Arvis but so much than that, and I look forward to the point in the CF postgame where he effectively takes over the Empire in true evil chancellor fashion and unleashes the full extent of his horrors upon Fòdlan. He somehow got even better in the DLC too despite being absent from CS and getting no new supports, because the Abyssians in CF just can’t stop talking about his nefarious antics down there. I just can’t get enough of how good this guy is at being bad, and I love that FE gave us exactly what was advertised here.

#2: Ferdinand

Now here’s a case of the opposite, where what’s on the packaging didn’t prepare me for what was to come. If I remarked on Ferdinand at all during pre-release it was only to think that he might be part of a Christmas knight duo with Sylvain since the game looked like it wouldn’t have one of those. Early on there wasn’t much else to be said about Ferdinand; he was like Claude in that his popularity ran off a meme (except just the one rather than several), and in appearance and personality he was basically Lorenz with less ridiculous hair. But then came his supports, and his post-timeskip look, and suddenly Ferdinand blossomed into the subtext-laden fem with very bizarre taste in men - see above - that he could have only dreamed of being if he’d stuck to such well-trod ground as the Christmas knight archetype. We learn of his love for opera, his complicated relationship with his father, his worship of the hot mess diva Manuela and how he learned swordplay specifically to imitate her roles on the stage, and - yes - how some backhanded compliments and expensive gifts of tea turn him into a blushing Regency heroine. It all casts his unusually rote romances with women in a performative light (as opposed to Lorenz who is similarly performative but seems genuinely interested in the marriage market), to say nothing of his one-sided rivalry with Edelgard that brushes against jealousy over Hubert’s devotion to her more often than against romantic attraction to her, and that toys around with gendered behavior in a manner complementary to Edelgard’s own bucking of the gender status quo.

And while not to the same extent as Felix, I do appreciate that Ferdinand has two distinct arcs depending on the route - and unlike some who feel that one or the other detracts from his character as a whole I personally find that they complement each other well. In SS and if recruited to AM and VW he makes the hard choice to oppose his homeland, spending the timeskip waging a solitary battle against the Empire with his private militia and then joining back up with Byleth’s army at Garreg Mach because he knows Edelgard is in the wrong even as it pains him to depose the Adrestian emperor and leave his own status uncertain...not to mention fight Hubert, which merits a curious boss conversation as well as some extra lines in SS (plus the infamous Huge Hole™ remark that I will never stop referencing because it is hilarious) that, while not elevating Ferdibert anywhere near the level of Dimidue in terms of cross-route canon endorsement, nonetheless are suggestive of something deeper between them that exists even if they find themselves on opposite sides of a war. In CF by contrast Ferdinand gives into his craving for the title and holdings that Edelgard has just stripped from his father and embraces nationalism and his long-held ideal of what the office of the prime minister should to do as a means of justifying the Empire’s conquests. Of course in the process he also succumbs to Hubert’s, er, charms(?) and becomes the charismatic bureaucrat who is presumably saddled with the task of putting a positive spin on the Empire’s dystopian atrocities while Edelgard and Hubert do all the actual work...and Hubert does all the actual actual work, which includes a lot of murder and kidnapping and all manner of other things that he doesn’t share with his pretty lover and about which Ferdinand quickly learns not to ask. Two Jewels of the Empire, indeed.

#3-4: Edelgard and Dorothea

I go back and forth on these so I’m not going to bother putting them in a definitive order, particularly because I like them for very different reasons that are difficult to compare. For Edelgard, it would be most accurate to say that I enjoy her potential much more than her execution; she gets some meaty material to work with as a lord and as the driving antagonist of the whole game outside of CF, and while I still prefer Micaiah for female lords there’s something darkly satisfying about her need for control and domination and her utter refusal to compromise or remain stagnant...except where Byleth is concerned, and Edeleth drags her down so badly that it would be painful if I cared more about that type of strong female character. Had the game axed the self-insert obsession (even if that meant axing her bisexuality along with it) and focused on her experiences during the Insurrection as the source of her worldview and motivations I’d be inclined to like the final product far more, because that’s a hell of a lot more in line with what she actually does and conveniently also maps to the life of a real world ruler with whom I’m relatively familiar and whom history regards in appropriately ambivalent terms.

Dorothea on the other hand is someone I can relate to on a more personal level, mostly as a sex worker. She’s similar to Primrose from Octopath Traveler, both of them prostitutes and playing coy with the implications of the RPG dancer class archetype, although Primrose hits a few more of my buttons for being former nobility and being motivated by revenge. Then again, I fully understand Dorothea’s anxieties about growing old without a man to take care of her, even if she loses me (and Yuri picks up from where she leaves off) when she dips into lesbianism as an alternative option. She’s got her ups and downs for me - I love that she brings up incest kink with Caspar as opposed to this series’s usual outright incest, while I love less her strange Ferdinand supports that are suspended oddly between friendship and romance and...something else undefinable - and I don’t have much to say on her life as an opera diva except that it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that she’s been turning tricks on the side and even got a sugar daddy to pay her way into the academy. Theatre and sex work have always gone hand-in-hand like that.

#5-7: Linhardt, Caspar, and Petra

This is why I couldn’t make up a list like this for the Lions or Deer, because most of their students would be in big clumps like this. I have no strong opinions on any of these characters; they each have their moments, but not enough to elevate them to where I actively like them or drop them down into real dislike. I suppose you could say I’m disappointed by how Caspar and Linhardt are visual allusions to Ike/Soren who do absolutely nothing else with that similarity except eloping in their paired ending...which is preceded by virtually nothing in the way of real chemistry. If I enjoy them for anything in particular it’s Linhardt’s wit and Caspar’s occasional bouts of emotional vulnerability, like his mini-arc in AM where he has to deal with his feelings surrounding Randolph’s death and then later gets an apology from Dimitri for it.

Petra is awkward all around as the game dances around her delicate political situation, and I also happen to agree with the VA who (if I recall) thought the character should have some sort of accent but wasn’t allowed to do one. (If anyone is wondering, based on her last name and Brigid being an island nation I headcanon it as a Celtic-derived culture, but as with my personal reading of Dedue and Duscur I know that doesn’t play well to the fandom at large).  All in all Petra feels like a more self-aware rendition of the exotic swordswoman archetype begun by Ayra in Jugdral, but there’s clearly still some work to be done on that front.

#8: Bernadetta

Ugh. With apologies to @capriciouscorvid for explaining how even unintentional disability representation can be taken as a positive, I just don’t see how Bernadetta’s character could possibly be considered a good thing when she’s so grating in almost all of her supports and most of her story and exploration presence outside of CF. All the screaming and high-pitched pronouncements of impending death get very old very quickly, and the part where she’s meant to be romantically appealing in her neediness and isolation is as lost on me as it would have been had it stemmed instead from a massive rack. Her supposedly sympathetic backstory doesn’t help much either, as it leaves me mostly with the thought that her father is an idiot because his methods obviously did not make her suitable to be a good wife. I also don’t care for how she’s one of several characters used to soften Jeritza (and that the way she does so is I think rather insulting to people with social anxiety, to liken it to a compulsion to commit murder), or even worse that people point to her Hubert support to try and say that he’s not such a bad guy and they’d be total besties just like Ferdinand and Dorothea (another pairing that doesn’t exactly scream BFFs). I mean, really....

#Fire Emblem #FE16 #Fire Emblem Three Houses #Black Eagles

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Christmas Special Villains

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Much like I did for Halloween, I wanted to do a bunch of one-shot or at the very least minor Christmas villains, which presented me with an interesting problem – most Christmas specials don’t really have villains. Usually the main obstacle to overcome in any holiday special is some sort of emotional fault of the main character, a lack of belief in the spirit of the holiday, or something to that effect, and when there is an actual villain, it tends to just be ones from the show at large with a Christmas-related scheme. Like I’m not doing Princess Morbucks or the Kanker sisters for this.

Luckily, There were a few I was sure on, and I managed to scrounge up a few more to deliver five lovingly-wrapped holiday villains. We have:

Mrs. Claus from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Ghost Writer from Danny Phantom

Robot Santa from Futurama

Edna Jucation and the Faculty Four from Codename: Kids Next Door

The Woodland Critters from South Park

Here’s the most interesting thing: Despite Christmas stories tending to lean more towards internal conflict and self-reflection, when they do have actual, tangible threats like these, they tend to be honestly and genuinely great. This is in stark contrast to A lot of the villains from the Halloween specials, who tended to just be big scary baddies without much oomph to them.

Actor: Mrs. Claus is portrayed by Carol Kane, an incredibly prolific actress who you may know best as Valerie, the wife of Miracle Max from The Princess Bride. And much like in that film, she manages to be as enjoyable and funny as the guy playing her husband, which is a tall order indeed – in that film it was Billy Crystal, and in the special it’s Gilbert Gottfried.

Ghost Writer is portrayed by Will Arnett of all people. This was post-Gob Bluth but pre-Batman and BoJack, so while not unknown by any stretch it’s definitely weird to go back and see him in a Butch Hartman action cartoon of all places. He does a great job, as to be expected; when has he ever done poorly?

In his first appearance, Robot Santa was voiced by none other than John Goodman. Normally I’d say Goodman would be perfect for the role of Santa, but… this one’s a maniacal robotic serial killer. It’s a wonderfully jarring juxtaposition. After that, John DiMaggio gave Robot Santa a voice for his other appearances, and he does a good job for sure. Obviously he’s no John Goodman, but really, who is?

Edna Jucation is voiced by Candi Milo, and the Faculty Four are played by Dee Bradley Baker and Darran Norris; Baker is the Unintelligible Tutor and Thesaurus Rex, while Norris is Mr. Physically Fitastic and the Human Text. These are all top-tier veteran voice actors, and they do a fine job, but I can’t particularly say they really make any of these characters stand out or be memorable, which is a shame.

As to be expected, the Woodland Critters are voiced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Big shock there. Even less shocking is that they are perfectly funny as these depraved animals.

Motivation/Goals: Out of all of these, I think it’s really fitting that Mrs. Claus is the one with the best motivation. As the HEAD head vampire in the North Pole, she has turned Santa into a vampire and put a halt on Christmas because she is overworked and exhausted, having to do all the household chores all year while Santa only works one night. It is absolutely, perfectly understandable that she snapped… but apparently this isn’t even the first time, as Santa mentions at the end this has happened on multiple prior occasions. You think he’d treat her better after the second or third time, but then we wouldn’t have a plot.

I’d say that Ghost Writer and the Woodland Critters are tied for the next spot; both of them have solid reasons for doing what they’re doing. Ghost Writer was just a humble author trying to finish a Christmas story in time for Christmas, but unfortunately this caught the eye of the extremely Scroogey Danny Phantom, who absolutely hates Christmas due to traumatic events caused by his family fighting on Christmas in the past. Danny, in a moment of incredible callousness, blasts the poor ghost’s manuscript to bits and then proceeds to rub it in, which drives GW to breaking the annual truce and using his powers to torment Danny by trapping him in a Christmas story where he and everyone else can only speak in rhyme. It’s honestly hard to feel sympathy for Danny here, but GW does take it a bit too far.

The Woodland Critters, on the other hand, are just utterly depraved… but that’s to be expected seeing as they are the creations of Eric Cartman, inhabiting a Christmas story whose sole reason for existing is to make Kyle look like a tool. In the story, they get Kyle knocked up with the Antichrist. You see, there master is Satan, and they want nothing more than for his spawn to be born into the world. They really just exist as a reason for Cartman to rip on Kyle for being a Jew at Christmastime, as Kyle himself points out in their debut episode.

Edna and the Faculty Four are a bit simple and amusing, as is befitting of a gimmicky villain from The world of the KND. They team up with the Delightful Children because Substitute Teacher’s Day is virtually unknown compared to Christmas, the kind of absurd, wacky reason for villainy you’d expect from a world where some of the most feared supervillains include an evil dentist and a vampire who spanks people. Robot Santa is likewise extremely simple, yet effective: every Christmas he flies down to Earth to punish the naughty – which is everyone except Zoidberg. This is due to a programming oversight that left his standards set way too high, so no one can ever measure up. Except Zoidberg. There’s really not much more to him than that, but really, does their need to be?

Final Fate: Mrs. Claus is redeemed at the end of the special thanks to Billy, who helps her understand the true meaning of Christmas and who heals her husband so that he can apologize. Things seem like they might work out for real this time because now Malcolm McDowell’s vampire is around to help with tidying up, so hooray! Happy ending here!

Ghost Writer gets thwarted because Danny picks up an orange; as Ghost Writer never watched Drake & Josh and thus didn’t realize that “door hinge” is an acceptable rhyme, he was unable to continue writing his story and got beat up by Danny and his rogues gallery and then thrown into Walker’s prison for breaking the yearly truce in the Ghost Zone. At least he got to complete his book?

The Woodland Critters go out when Santa comes in and blasts them away with a shotgun… but since they are technically fictional characters, they show up in Imaginationland to cause problems. Still, it’s reassuring to know they can be taken out with simple firearms.

Edna Jucation, the Faculty Four, and Robot Santa really don’t have any canonical final fate; they just get defeated and then go on their merry way. In Robot Santa’s case, he actually showed up quite a few more times after his initial appearance to wreak havoc, but the Faculty Four and Edna were entirely oneshot antagonists.

Final Thoughts & Score: Christmas honestly fares a lot better than Halloween does as far as I can see. The villains tend to be a lot more thematic, or at the very least they have more personality and thematic function. Halloween doesn’t really have any sort of core themes to work off of as opposed to Christmas, which has a lot of reoccurring themes in works based around it. Still, most of these characters just settle on being funny.

Mrs. Claus and the Woodland Critters are the best of the bunch here, and both earn themselves a spot on the Nice List with a 9/10 each. Mrs. Claus is just a lot of fun, mostly because of the fact she has legitimate grievances on top of being a unique twist on the character. Mrs. Claus as a vampire overlord who commands hordes of vampire elves? That’s the sort of creative wackiness that Billy & Mandy delivered on. The Woodland Critters are just funny, plain and simple, acting as the sort of amusing subversion that could be expected of from South Park in its glory days as well as being totally in line with Cartman’s personality. These are the exact sort of original characters I’d expect from a guy who ground up a kid’s parents and made them into chili, what with their blood orgies and ultraviolence. Amusingly enough, they score a point higher than Cartman did in his own Psycho Analysis, which is mostly due to their limited appearances meaning that they stay remarkably consistent, where Cartman tends to be whatever an episode needs to be, be that hero, anti-hero, or villain.

Next up are Ghost Writer and Robot Santa, who both get 7/10. Ghost Writer is a very amusing oneshot, but it’s honestly weird that out of all the Villains from Danny Phantom, he’s the first one I talked about. You’d think it would be Ember or Vlad or something… at any rate, he’s an amusing antagonist, but he’s also one who it’s hard not to view as being in the right, especially since Danny was just a jerk to him completely unprovoked due to his own personal hangups with the holidays. As usual with fun ideas on the show though he was only ever used once, which is a real shame but at the same time understandable; his gimmick really only works with Christmas, so it would have been weird shoehorning him into another episode’s plot. For what he is, he’s fun.

Robot Santa has a similar problem, not really being able to function outside of Christmas specials, but his few appearances leave him as an amusing antagonist who never really overstays his welcome. He’s not as entertaining or engaging as, say, Mom, but he definitely offers some laughs with his hilarious concept and his ridiculous levels of bloodlust. Points t him for helping out the heroes in the first Futurama movie too.

That just leaves us with Edna and the Faculty Four, and the Faculty Four just manage to scrape onto the bottom of the Nice List with a collective 5/10. They don’t really have much character or personality, especially when compared to the heroic Marvel pastiche that is Elfa Strike, but as brief amusing gag villains meant to pay loving tribute to the Fantastic Four, I think they’re decent. Edna is not so lucky; she’s a bit obnoxious, shrill, and doesn’t really correlate to any sort of Marvel character, which is baffling since the entire episode is one big love letter to Marvel comics. Sad to say, but she’s landing smack dab on the Naughty List with a 2/10. She doesn’t even have a cool gimmick!

I suppose that wraps it up for Christmas special villains. Doing something like this is tough, because it really makes you sit back and wonder what sort of Christmas villains you should put on. Obviously I avoided any theatrical film villains, but that did leave one particularly glaring omission of a villain from a holiday special… a big, green, unpleasant omission. He’s a mean one, for sure...

#Psycho Analysis #Christmas #the grim adventures of billy and mandy #Mrs. Claus #Carol Kane #Danny Phantom #Ghost Writer #Will Arnett #codename kids next door #The Faculty Four #Edna Jucation #Dee Bradley Baker #Daran Norris #Candi Milo #The Woodland Critters #South Park #Trey Parker #Matt Stone #Robot Santa #Futurama #John Goodman #John DiMaggio

[medievalmon]

Since you have a ton of pairings, what about just listing one alternate pair for each main or side characters, I really want to see what you have thought up

((Oh my. You’re enabling my indulgences, haha! 

Well, let’s go through some, then. 

Greninja/Samurott - Ninja and samurai pairing, very obvious. Given how I’ve written the characters out, they actually would’ve complemented each other quite nicely. Hence the (mostly) one-sided attraction. 

Chesnaught/Incineroar - Several instances of fan art with these two together have endeared me to the concept. If Chesnaught weren’t the main character, he would’ve had time to wait for a love interest and probably ended up with an Incineroar character. Otherwise, he’d have probably ended up with Lilligant, which might’ve been noteworthy, but boring in my mind. 

Nidoking/Nidoqueen - It’s technically canon, but very clearly not in focus (yet). It’s a typical pair that lots of people see and accept, so I might have honestly gone with that if I avoided Nidoqueen’s tragedy. Rhydon would’ve been a very lonely character as a result. 

Rhydon/Tyranitar or Rhydon/Aggron - These are cute when not based on my fanfics, so I’d have liked including one or the other. Sad reality is, if Rhydon wasn’t with Nidoking, he’d be with someone that reminded him enough of his king, at least by appearance, and these two would relate well enough. 

Typhlosion/Feraligatr - Kind of speaks for itself given its popularity, no? I’m a sucker for the two as well. Bonus points, because they’re usually paired off as males as well, so it’d be a common gay pairing to include. They’d probably have been entirely different characters, though. 

Gardevoir/Froslass - Boy oh boy do I feel like I dropped the ball on giving Froslass a solid girlfriend, let me tell you. Also, if Nidoking had been straight, Gardevoir probably would’ve gotten a push to be gay. 

Gallade/Bisharp - Knight boyfriends, probably. They’d be drastically different from how they were developed, obviously. 

Escavalier/Sirfetch’d - This is a very recent development, but I absolutely love that Gen 8 gave me this for indulgence. 

Accelgor/Kricketune - Honestly, I just kind of like the idea of Kricketune as some wealthy character that would’ve had a loyal bodyguard. That very much did not happen, but this pairing would’ve been possible had Kricketune been written that way. Originally bounced between Accelgor and Escavalier for the bodyguard, but Sirfetch’d got rid of that debate, lmao. 

Lilligant/Tsareena - Someone pointed this couple out to me, and the only reason it’s not going to happen is because I had a partner planned for Lilligant prior to Gen 7, and going back on that would’ve been annoying. 

Scizor/Ledian - Prior plans had me toy with this one, and I used to like this pairing when I was younger, since both were red bugs and I had figures of them that fit together nicely. They’re no longer going to be a couple, so I guess I can reveal that? 

Heracross/Pinsir - I don’t have any plans to use Pinsir, but I’ve had a soft spot for one being a potential partner to a Heracross. Would’ve been a nice minor couple, but Heracross will have a different partner in the next story. 

Sceptile/Blaziken - Mentioned them before, but I would’ve picked these two together if I hadn’t decided on pairing Blaziken with Swampert. They’d have been a very, um…well, if you like how Nidoking flirts with Rhydon, that. Swampert tempers the two, which I liked better. 

Hitmonchan/Mr. Mine - I can’t explain this one very well at all, honestly. I like these two together for some weird reason. Fighting/Psychic is a particular weakness of mine, and I’ve pondered over these two. Would’ve been hilarious, having a fashion fanatic dating a shadier merchant. 

Alakazam/Hypno - Blleeeugh, I don’t like considering Alakazam with anyone besides Machamp. But, I have considered this couple outside of my fanfics, so, had Hypno turned out differently, he probably could’ve been a love interest for Alakazam instead of a minor villain. Or…well, that’s a spoiler. 

Machamp/Conkeldurr or Machamp/Sawk - Honestly would’ve just been compensating for Alakazam not being with Machamp. These two have been compared before, so I’ve thought of them as a couple, and I’m probably not alone. Machamp tends to have flexibility for potential love interests, since human-shaped dude, so he’d have more options. Would’ve probably gone with Sawk in all honesty, or Hitmonchan if he were available. 

Empoleon/Blastoise - Infinitely less enchanting than what I came up with for Blastoise and Carracosta. Empoleon might’ve benefited from taking that role instead, but then Carracosta would’ve ended up alone for the current story. 

Carracosta/Floatzel - Aqua Jetters. Definitely not a pairing that I’ve seen, but it’s one that I’ve thought up (maybe like once myself). I just fell so hard for Carracosta being with Blastoise and never really looked back. 

Weavile/Lopunny - Dark girl plus pretty girl, and I’d have shamelessly run with that one outright. …Ok maybe not shameless, but I’d have made you like them. 

Golduck/Ludicolo - No lie, I had little to no intention of using Ludicolo, but I like the idea of one with a Golduck, because they seem like a cool/cute pairing. Would’ve absolutely leaned into that, and Golduck probably wouldn’t have had any history with Greninja were that the case, because they’d be a wholesome couple and I can’t imagine Ludicolo not being cute. 

Mienshao/Lucario - This one is probably more common than I realize, but I don’t see people making much for male Mienshao in general, so it’s probably non-existent for gay content. 

Delibird/Politoed - Ok, so, I think these two are pretty cute, and that’s out of nowhere, I know. But, I don’t know, I like them as a Gen 2 specific pairing, with Slowking rotating out for either of them as well. If I had focused on developing them a lot more, they probably could’ve been a canon couple. Thankfully, Delibird avoided that heartbreak. 

Poliwrath/Primeape - Big fist boys. Another one that would’ve made no sense for the story, but it’s a couple that I do like. Had I wanted to give Poliwrath a partner, Primeape would’ve been like a reformed bandit up north with him. Too bad they didn’t get to be a couple…or get happy endings. 

Pangoro/Krookodile - Don’t think I’ve ever seen this one before, and I like the idea of it! They’d be bad boyfriends, lol. Pretty sure if I included this for the fanfic, they’d have been villainous characters. How fortunate for them that I didn’t go that route, ha. 

Ursaring/Slaking - Lazy time boyfriends. Hadn’t really thought of Ursaring not being with a bear when I wrote him up, but I’ve grown to like this pairing after considering him with non-bear characters. 

Beartic/Abomasnow - Fun fact: I totally did NOT pay attention to Beartic’s canon size, and that he’s supposed to tower over Pandora and Ursaring. If I had, he would’ve been Abomasnow’s boyfriend. Plus, great white ice monsters. 

Flygon/Garchomp - It’s being played with, but I would’ve put these two together were it not for…reasons. 

Zoroark/Zangoose - Does anyone like this pairing??? I’ve thought it up like once or twice, so not that I’d be a major supporter, but they seem like a valid couple. Yet, I’ve only seen Zoroark consistently paired with Lucario and Lycanroc, so, what’s up with that? These two would be an easy one. 

Lucario/Toxicroak - This is a very quiet pairing that I came up with solely based on Pokedex proximity, where I looked at two Pokemon close on the Pokedex and went, “yeah, they could be a couple.” (It worked best for Alakazam and Machamp, I know.) I don’t think I would’ve seriously considered them as a couple, especially because Lucario has loads of other options, but I figured it would be a funny one to share. 

Others to Note: 

Delphox - I’ve got spoiler plans for Delphox, but had I not come up with the idea that I had for him, he would’ve gotten a solid partner. It’ll be very clear who I’d have picked personally for him, but that’s…well, I’ll get to it in the future. 

Golurk - Another instance of me not paying attention to canon Pokemon sizes. I originally goofed with a Golurk being paired up with a Hitmonchan, because mini-skirts that aren’t skirts, but now that I know Golurk’s canon size, whoops. It’s good, because their current characters wouldn’t make sense together. 

Quagsire - I actually like Quagsire with some weird picks, such as Granbull, Gastrodon, Swampert, Goodra, or Ampharos. But my fanfic Quagsire was never meant to be paired with anyone. 

Yeah, I could keep going for a lot of these, though they would be rather lopsided in who gets lots of pairings and who doesn’t. 

But, there you are, alternative couples that could’ve happened or ones that I’d have liked and inserted in because why not?))

#askmon #ask mod #anon ask #alternative character interpretations #alternate pairings #I feel dirty from some of these #my choices in the stories were already so nice

[arlingtonpark]

SNK 113 Review

Sad! Edition

Arlingtonpark presents: SNK 113, a play in three acts.

Act I

Act II

Act III

GIVE ME A BREAK, OKAY? THIS CHAPTER DIDN’T GIVE ME MUCH TO WORK WITH!

This was a more leisurly outing for this arc compared to the previous string of chapters. We get some insight into Zeke’s plan (but not a full elaboration), Levi makes a monkey out of him, and the EFC arrives in Shighanshina. That’s it.

Ironically, this was one of the more action packed chapters, yet it’s not as thrilling as, say, SNK 112, which was mostly our main trio sitting at a table.

Our heroes, sans Eren, have been mostly helpless in the face of Zeke and the EFC’s machinations, and Isayama has pressed this to good, suspense-inducing, effect.

We still don’t know much about Zeke, and why Eren is acting like he is now is still not completely understood. The opposition is opaque and they’ve been on a real winning streak so far. Just like how reports of a serial killer in your neighborhood can put you on edge, our heroes are put on edge by…just everything that’s happened so far, and we feel that gnawing fear by extension.

But now might be a turning point.

For the first time, Zeke/Eren (Zeren?)’s plan has hit a real snag. Now, now things will really start to get interesting. Pieck and Galliard did escape and participate in the Liberio fight, and Gabi and Falco are unexpectedly here on Paradis, but those were hardly setbacks. Detours maybe, but they didn’t threaten arrival at the final destination.

This is different. The plan was to rendezvous at Shighanshina and that’s just not going to happen now. Levi is dragging Zeke around like a monkey on a leash and Eren is none the wiser. And there’s no way for him to know that.

It’s not like they can communicate telepathically. unlike Hange and Levi When the time comes to meet up, Zeke isn’t going to be there. From Eren’s perspective, Zeke may as well have disappeared off the face of the Earth.

The plan apparently was to provoke an attack on Paradis by a coalition of the world’s forces. But this plan also apparently hinges on being able to use the Wall Titans to repel this attack. But that’s out the window too now. Zeren’s plan is in danger of catastrophic failure and at the worst possible time.

The enemy is already here. Pieck is on Paradis, no doubt gathering intelligence. It’s good that Zeke is subdued, but that creates a power vacuum and there’s no one around to fill it.

The legitimate government is facing a legitimacy crisis.

The EFC will be in damage control mode now that their plan is in danger of falling through.

And oh yeah, Marley has already infiltrated the island.

Paradis can easily devolve into chaos, now. Pixis’ government is a leader without much of a following; Eren has popular support. The EFC has a following but their leaders will soon be scrambling to regain control of the situation. And all Marley cares about is killing everyone.

And this raises a very intriguing question: How will Eren react to this?

Like I said, things have mostly gone smoothly for him. Yes, Eren’s had this stone cold demeanor, even in the middle of his fight in Liberio, but really he’s been coasting so far. Things have done nothing but go his way. Now it suddenly isn’t. So how does he react to that?

If SNK 112 is any indication, he won’t handle things well. Eren lost his cool at a backhanded swipe by Armin. And I’m not gonna lie, if that was all I had ever seen of Eren, I would have said he was weak.

Sad, even.

When it comes to Eren, Isayama will probably go the classic shonen villain route. Think Frieza or Cell from DBZ. Calm and cool, but only when they’re in control. Once they lose control, they lose their cool and reveal themselves as the wild animals they always were.

This will probably play into his freedom complex. Eren wanted to free humanity from the titans so they could explore the outside world. He framed it in terms of control. Freedom=control is the equation here.

Not being in control, to him, means not being free, so when he realizes he’s not in control anymore, he’s going to go apeshit.

Like the Trumpian figure that he is, Eren will probably resort to dominance rituals to sooth his own ego.

Floch had better watch out. When the guy at the top is a dominance obsessed lunatic, it doesn’t matter how high up the food chain you are. If you’re not at the top, you’re at the bottom. If my Eren=Trump framework is correct, Eren is going to abuse that to hell and back. He’s going to subject Floch and co. to all manner of degradations.

I honestly wouldn’t mind that, if it’s not extreme. Floch would deserve it.

Where do I even start with Floch?

In the past, I’ve compared the story of SNK to the current political landscape in the US. I don’t think this is intentional, to be clear; it’s just a very amusing parallel.

As leader of the Yeagerists, Floch roughly corresponds to Mark Meadows, the leader of the House Freedom Caucus. The HFC is a band of extremist, Trump-aligned, Republican politicians who openly rebel against their leadership. Meadows is the group’s current chairman.

Floch and Meadows share one overridingly important similarity: neither of them can create; they can only destroy.

John Boehner (pronounced “baner.” Seriously.) was leader of the House Republicans, until he was shit-canned because the Freedom Caucus didn’t like him. Here’s how he described their mindset:

“They can’t tell you what they’re for. They can tell you everything they’re against. They’re anarchists. They want total chaos. Tear it all down and start over. That’s where their mindset is.”

That’s basically Floch. He wants to Make Eldia Great Again and he thinks the Wall Titans have a role to play in that, but does he have a plan beyond that? Almost certainly not! That would require building something up, and that is beyond his feeble abilities. He thinks Hange is soft and opposes that. He thinks the military is old fashioned and opposes that.

Is there anything concrete that he supports? He supports using the Wall Titans and he supports Eren’s leadership, but his “game plan” is basically:

Use Wall Titans.

???

ELDIA IS GREAT AGAIN!!1

That’s hardly a plan.

All Floch and his team have accomplished is create chaos and dysfunction.

That’s it.

They instigated a social uprising, decapitated the government, and now? They’re just running around trying to find Zeke. (Even though Zeke and Eren already have a rendezvous point worked out.)

All Floch is good for is blowing stuff up and shitting over everything. But in the words of the great Sam Rayburn:

“Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.”

Floch is no carpenter. Floch is a coward. This pitifully small boy. This absolute failson. It’s no surprise at all he’s where he’s at.

Floch talks big now, but that’s only because he’s riding high now. I bet he’s the type of person who buckles under even minimal pressure. You all saw how he was during the Shighanshina battle. Everyone kept their composure even as Zeke’s rocks were closing in on them. Except him. He was the first to crack.

My sense is that Floch is not a constitutionally strong person, and he knows it. And he thinks he’s a coward, so we know he doesn’t think well of himself.

That’s the key. That’s why he is so devoted to Eldia.

He can’t feel pride in himself qua himself, so he has to feel pride in himself qua an Eldian. His logic is that if Eldians are strong then he is strong by proxy because he is one of them.

It’s the same thing with Trump supporters. Trump’s base supports him because Trump wants to maintain the racial hierarchy that benefits white people. And Trump’s base supports that because a lot of them are poor, white people. Because even though they don’t have a lot going for them, “at least I’m not black.” There’s little in their lives to be proud of, so they take pride in their race to feel better about themselves.

It’s like the evil version of gay pride.

Gay people take pride in their homosexuality because it’s a form of psychic preservation. They are denigrated for this one aspect of themselves, so they emphasize pride in that aspect to counter the stigma. It’s a way of preserving their sense of self-worth.

People like Floch take pride in their race because they have no self-worth to preserve. They’re empty and sad. Their race is one of the only things they have going for them. So they fight for Eldian greatness because a restored Empire will make them feel all big and strong.

It is utterly pathetic.

That’s one thing Floch and Eren have in common. They’re both sad. From Eren’s sad enslavement to the vague notion of freedom, to Floch’s sad belief that if Eldia is made “great�� he’ll be made great in turn. It’s sadness all the way down.

The exemplar of that in this chapter is when Floch confronts Shadis.

It’s hilarious how Shadis calls Floch out on being a sad pissant and Floch tries to prove him wrong, only to prove him right in the process.

Not only does Floch miss, he’s stupid enough to say so out loud. He even explains what he was trying for.

Duuuude!

Just play it off as a warning shot! You’re trying to put up a tough guy front. Don’t admit to having failed spectacularly.

He would have been better off doing that anyway. Hitting Shadis in the foot just for mouthing off also would have proven him right. If you feel the need to shoot someone for mouthing off to you, then yeah, you are, in fact, a sad pissant.

But if it was just a warning shot to the ground around him, then that still would have been excessive, but it wouldn’t make you look insecure as hell.

To quote Game of Thrones:

“We’ve had vicious kings, and we’ve had idiot kings, but I don’t think we’ve ever been cursed with a vicious, idiot king!”

He’s not just vicious. He’s not just an idiot. He’s not even just a vicious idiot. He’s a vicious idiot with power. God help them.

But this idea of insecurity being the root cause of nationalist behavior raises an important question: why are the denizens of Paradis also on board with this nationalist program?

Well, nationalism runs on tribalism, so the people need to care about their Eldianism. Their being Eldians.

And going by that…it might actually be the Survey Corps’ fault.

At the start of the series, the Walldians were apathetic about the outside world. But thanks to the (not unjustified) efforts of the Survey Corps, the Walldians started to care.

Rod’s titan was over twice as big as the Colossal Titan; it loomed over Orvud like a kid looms over a toy cityscape playset. A lot of parallels were made in that sequence to the original Colossal Titan attack. In hindsight, Isayama, in his typically blunt style, was probably motivated by more than a need for a stylistic flourish. He probably did it to impress on the reader what he intended the Walldians to take away from the same event: From their perspective, this was another Shighanshina.

But the ending was different this time.

This was bigger than the first attack. Much bigger. Thousands upon thousands of people died in the first attack and its aftermath. Literally no one died the second time. Rod’s titan was subdued without incident. Awesome, but it also had the effect of inspiring nationalistic pride in the people.

Historia’s plan, very explicitly, was to exploit these nationalist feelings to the Survey Corps’ advantage. Stopping a second Shighanshina created a sense of communal unity among the Walldians. The plan was to encourage and then use those feelings to “stabilize the situation” as Historia herself put it.

And it worked, only it worked too well. Now those nationalist feelings have carried over to the Marley conflict to deleterious effect.

And then there’s the Wall Maria operation. That was described by the narrator like this:

“The area within Wall Maria represented one third of the land humanity had left. When the territory was lost five years ago, the loss of human life and property was massive. And, as those who remained inside the two walls quickly realized, those losses were only the beginning. It seemed wrong for us to continue living. Whether humanity could survive another day was out of human hands. Everything was now up to the titans. Because humanity had no way of defeating them. But, that day, one boy gripped the dagger in his heart and used it to kill a titan, stomping its massive head into the  ground. How did the humans who saw that sight feel? Some were filled with pride. Some were filled with hope. Some were filled with rage. But all of them screamed. Now, if Wall Maria is taken back, what scream will fill humanity’s hearts?”

The term for the “scream” the narrator is describing here is “nationalistic fervor.” The Wall Maria operation inspired further feelings of nationalism in the people. And again, those feelings have carried over.

This is a case study in unintended consequences. They wanted humanity to fight, now humanity is fighting and it’s backfiring spectacularly. The people are out for blood. Only this time the blood doesn’t evaporate without a trace.

It’s very revealing how Floch acts towards Shadis compared to Hange.

Hange didn’t have a very high opinion of Shadis the last time we saw them in a room together, but they still stood up for him. Even when they’re pissed at someone, they still don’t lose sight of the humanity of that someone.

Floch also has a low opinion of Shadis. He ordered him beaten for no reason. Because Floch is a sad, maladjusted, man-child. He sees the world in black and white terms. If you support him, you’re golden. If you don’t, you’re not even human.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Floch actually gets off on abusing whatever power he has over people. Being powerful is a high he doesn’t get to experience often, so don’t be surprised of he savors the exercising of it.

So I’ve noticed that the Survey Corps is still training recruits to fight titans. Who don’t exist anymore.

Ooookay.

Where is Isayama going with this?

Floch cites the stagnation in Survey Corps tactics as a reason why Eldia isn’t great. Isayama isn’t trying to both-sides this debate is he?

Floch is an asshole and his movement is repugnant. He’s a right-wing fucking nationalist. But it seems Isayama is trying to send the message that he’s not wrong.

What is it with this series and this schizophrenic approach to right-wing nationalism? The story has condemned it in certain moments, but when it comes to condemning the actual leaders of this movement, Isayama equivocates.

Floch is an asshole, BUT he’s actually right because the Survey Corps really is backwards thinking and in need of new leadership.

Eren is an asshole, BUT he’s actually right because the rumbling *is* necessary to protect Paradis and everyone else was just slow to accept this.

This isn’t just a case of the villains having a point. The key in situations like that is to show they have a point, but that their methods are obscene. Important to that is showing an actual alternative to those methods. Putting forth an alternative is important because it doesn’t matter how horrific Eren or Floch’s actions are, if it’s the only way to proceed then the argument can be made they are doing the right thing.

When the villain has a point, they have correctly identified a problem, but have incorrectly identified the solution.

With Eren and co. the story doesn’t just depict them as having correctly identified the problem. Their proposed solution is depicted as being at least somewhat correct too.

That’s a problem because it means Isayama is granting undue legitimacy to a repugnant, real world ideology.

Them being assholes should be a feature, not a bug. The bug being that they have a point. But the way Isayama has set things up, it’s that them having a point is the feature and their jackassery is the bug.

It all amounts to the story criticizing the nonessential aspects of this movement while leaving the substantive aspects intact.

At this point we’ll all need gas masks real soon because the smoke just keeps piling up.

The last thing of note is Zeke. Apparently he doesn’t get off on pain and suffering. Who knew.

We are apparently going to finally get a peak (you know it’s only going to be a peak) at his backstory and mindset next chapter.

Zeke worrying about his glasses, which belonged to what seems to have been a childhood friend of his, is obviously supposed to signal that Zeke can in fact empathize with people.

I am…warily looking forward to this. The ending blurb teases that he does in fact have a reason for what he’s doing. What I hope Isayama will do, because I think it would be a cool twist, is reveal that Zeke’s motives and plan is merely internally logical, but from an outside perspective, his plan is still totally batshit insane and maybe even nonsensical.

Because that’s how it is with people. People are rational actors, but all that means is that they respond to incentives and harms as they themselves weigh them in accordance with their own internal value system.

In other words, people act in a way that is always internally logical but not always truly logical. The prisoner’s dilemma is a classic example of this. Everyone acts rationally and because of that everyone loses.

How interesting would it be if Zeke’s motives only make sense to him, but are still, in a way, understandable?

The next chapter will end the second volume of this arc. Based on past chapters in a similar position, it will probably end on some event that rapidly escalates the conflict. My guess is that it’ll end on Marley launching its attack on Paradis.

SNK 114 awaits.

#shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #floch forster #snk 113 #spoilers

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Superhero Spotlight: #SaveLucifer (Spoilers)

One of the biggest shocks of 2018 so far is the announcement made at the end of last week that Fox have cancelled Lucifer after 3 seasons. Not only was this a shock for fans but also to the cast including star Tom Ellis who started the #SaveLucifer campaign. So I thought I would offer my reasons as to why the cancellation is a mistake and also offer my suggestions to Fox for where they can take the show going forward.

Also as a disclaimer, this post will have spoilers for the entirety of the show so if you haven’t see the series finale of Lucifer, don’t read on.

Reasons to #SaveLucifer:

#1. Tom Ellis is Fantastic in the Role

Like many Brits who have watched this show, I knew of Tom Ellis in British TV roles prior to this such as EastEnders, Merlin and most notably Miranda. So prior to becoming the devil, he was diverse in both comedy and drama, however nothing to this level.

Lucifer as a character is charismatic, charming, hilarious and relatable as someone who is a genuinely honest person and essentially a fish out of water as of course he is used to either Heaven or Hell. All of that is obviously partly down to the writers but mostly down to Tom Ellis’ acting as he is almost unrecognizable in this role compared to those previously mentioned roles.

I think the difference is with roles like EastEnders and Miranda, he is playing the typical “nice guy” and with Merlin he was a stereotypical “arc villain”, but as Lucifer Morningstar, he is a fully-rounded, complex character and that, I feel, is why the show works at its core, because of Tom Ellis’ acting.

#2. A Different Type of Comic-Book TV Show

Believe it or not, Lucifer is based on DC Comics! Officially the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics but Lucifer Morningstar is a supporting character of The Sandman, who is a creation of Neil Gaiman. Now yes, Lucifer in the comics is blonde, Gothic and has different adventures to what he has in the show, but the very fact Lucifer is officially based on a comic-book property makes it a very different type of comic-book show compared to the likes of the Arrowverse shows or even the Marvel Netflix shows.

Because of this it is in a unique space of being a relief to both fans and non-fans of comic-book shows that may be finding the genre saturated at this point with the same type of show.

The only powers featured in Lucifer are divine powers which are either the effects of heavenly weapons or flight. Also the show is in that unique position of not needing special effects or powers because that isn’t what the primary focus of the series is.

#3. A Lovable Cast

Aside from Tom Ellis, this show has one of the best supporting cast in any show currently out there. I would list my MVPs but I do really like them all; I didn’t care much for Kevin Ranklin as Malcolm Graham in the first season but other than that I have loved watching all of these characters and obviously the acting is a huge part of that.

My two favourites aside from Tom Ellis are Lesley-Ann Brandt and Rachel Harris as both were just so compelling to watch whether with Mazikeen’s bad-ass nature or the journey of Linda discovering Lucifer’s true identity.

Also Scarlett Estevez who portrayed Dan and Chloe’s daughter Trix was fantastic, for a child actor (she was seven at the start of the series so by now she must be 9/10) to steal a fair few amount of scenes without diminishing the roles of the other actors is a gift, this girl I see a great future for if she pursues this as a career.

#4. Equality for Both Genders

There is a slight imbalance in genders as there has been one more female main cast member than male, but that’s not to say they push a feminist agenda or even make it about girl power like Supergirl. In fact the cast is very well-balanced both in terms of gender roles and ethnic diversity.

Also the victims and culprits every week or story have an equal mixture in both male and female showing that anyone can be a murder victim and anyone can be a murderer if given the right motive.

#5. Inventive and Creative Plots

So yes it is essentially a police drama with a divine twist but that is not to say that every episode has that formulaic “murderer of the week” angle, in fact while a lot of the cases are a simple murder investigation plot, the story around said plot is what becomes inventive and creative.

For example, in Season 2 there is one episode where Azrael’s blade is the murder weapon, Azrael’s blade is a divine weapon originally owned by the Angel of Death which forms the Flaming Sword when combined with a medallion and a key that Amenadiel always wears around his neck. In its debut episode, “The Sword of Death” is wielded by mere mortals which brings their inner anger to the surface and causes a mass stabathon.

This was inventive because it was the first and really only time that a weapon of the divine had been used by mortals without anyone aside from the divine realizing what the weapon was.

Which brings me on nicely to the series-long plot of Lucifer’s true identity, this was a very creative plot because...he was completely honest about who he was from the very first episode. Every opportunity Lucifer had to refer to himself as “the devil” he took it, even some random prostitute calling him “the devil” and him going “you have no idea”. The greatest part of this entire plot was that it took 3 seasons and 55 episodes for Chloe Dekker, who was the secondary protagonist and Lucifer’s main love interest, to finally realise that Lucifer was in fact the devil. How was this revealed? His devil face finally returned after a season-long arc of losing said face and Chloe finally saw it.

Honestly, and no disrespect to blondes, but Dekker is the definition of a stereotypical dumb blonde because while she was brilliant as a detective, the woman had literally every other episode with Lucifer telling her who he is and yet, a lot like Linda used to do, she compartmentalized that into Lucifer using metaphors.

It has been a fantastic long-running plot because, again, with traditional comic-book superhero shows it’s all about protecting the hero’s identity, like on Arrow this season, yet here Lucifer makes no secret as to who he is it’s just a question of no one actually believing him.

#6. Responsible for Bringing Tom Welling Back

This point was a personal bonus addition for me because I grew up in the noughties watching Smallville, which was the origins of Clark Kent becoming Superman, which starred Tom Welling in the main role of Clark Kent.

I was very happy when he was announced as a main character for the third season and hoped he would have a bigger role outside of just being Dekker and Dan’s lieutenant and fortunately he was. Not only was he the criminal known as the Sinnerman but also in a mid-season twist he was revealed to be Cain from the bible.

It has been great because to see Welling go from playing one of fiction’s greatest superheroes to supposedly the world’s first murderer shows a good range in acting from Welling despite the fact his two best-known TV roles are both with DC Comics.

Ideas for Future Seasons: 

Alright so I have said why the series is so good, now I’m going to say why I think the series should come back with some suggestions for future plots.

#1. Introduce God

We’ve met Lucifer, we’ve met��Amenadiel, we’ve met their mum who I am going to call Goddess and we’ve met one of their other siblings Uriel, but where the hell is God himself. i’ll admit that I am an Atheist/inactive pagan so believing in a higher power or deity for me only applies to the Greek/Roman/Egyptian mythologies but in a show that deals with angels and demons I do want to see the king of angels as I have seen the king of demons.

Introducing God I did always feel would be an endgame for the series of the build up he has had but even if they brought the series back for a final season just to give the fans a feel of closure then to bring in God for that final season would be a great idea.

#2. Crossover With Other DC Shows

Even though I know it is ending, I would really like Lucifer to crossover with the likes of Gotham because both shows have the same type of genre and both do not usually go so far into the comic-book genre that it becomes fantastical.

Failing that I would love Lucifer and Mazikeen to meet Constantine because Constantine is all about banishing demons and the next season of Legends of Tomorrow does seem to be a demon hunt so why not bring Mazikeen in for that?

#3. Crossover With Shadowhunters

This is a personal favoured choice of mine but again much like Constantine, the Shadowhunters are all about destroying demons and with that in mind I would to see a full on fight between Mazikeen and Isabelle. I also think both Lucifer and Dan’s egos vs. Jace and Alec’s egos would be a fun battle to witness within itself. Think Star-Lord and Thor in Avengers: Infinity War.

Now I know people are probably going to say “What are you talking about? Shadowhunters is on a completely different network to Fox!” Yes well because Fox has dumped Lucifer, it makes sense for it to be picked up by another network, now with Shadowhunters I think being broadcast on ABC in America (If I am wrong correct me please) but being broadcast by Netflix worldwide, it does make sense just to move Lucifer from Amazon to Netflix.

Also in regards to the different networks, the Supernatural boys just had a comic-book crossover with Scooby Doo, I think this is doable.

#4. Show Heaven

Quite simple for this one, we have seen Hell and purgatory but we have yet to actually see Heaven. Amenadiel took Charlotte to Heaven when she died in the penultimate episode but we never actually saw them go there, even just to have see them fly up towards it and see the golden gates or something would have at least maybe given us a tease for something potentially to come.

Also visiting Heaven would hopefully introduce God as I stated before but also allow for returning characters like Amenadiel and Charlotte but also, now that Chloe believes all this Heaven and Hell stuff, if Lucifer was to somehow take her there then she may be reunited with her dad which would make for a great dramatic and emotional scene.

#5. A War for the Earth

Alright so this one is kind of a follow-on from the last one but also a throwback to the very first episode. Right at the end of the first episode in a conversation between Lucifer and Amenadiel about how Lucifer defying both their father and Amenadiel would start a war, something Amenadiel was okay with.

Now while Amenadiel is currently on side with Lucifer, that doesn’t mean God will start a war either with Lucifer, Earth or Hell to get what he wants, and that could be the main story-arc of Season 4...a war either between Heaven and Hell or a War for the Earth. After all, god supposedly created the Earth so logically he can also destroy it.

This doesn’t even have to be a series-long war like Arrow has been known for, it can simply be a villain of the week or couple of weeks and then God interjected at random moments in the season until the big confrontation at the end. Wars don’t just have to be physical they can also be intellectual.

Overall I think I have made some rather good arguments as to why Lucifer is a fantastic show, why it should remain and what the potential storylines could be. There are still talks about the show trying to find a new home so hopefully we will see it back. #SaveLucifer

So that’s my Superhero Spotlight on the current state of Lucifer and the possibility of it going forward, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more Superhero and Supervillain Spotlights as well as other posts.

#superhero spotlight #lucifer #savelucifer #lucifer morningstar #fox #amenadiel #mazikeen #linda martin #chloe dekker #dan espinoza #marcus pierce #caity lotz #tom welling #god #goddess #gotham #shadowhunters #isabelle lightwood #alec lightwood #jace herondale #constantine #dc's legends of tomorrow

[timeisacephalopod]

4, 6, 9, 10, 12: Rhodey and Bucky, 15, 16, 21, 23, 27, 29, 30, 32, 35, 37, 43, 46, 50, 54: Tony

You know that meme where the white woman is looking at the math overlaying the picture in confusion? That was me when I got this ask because instead of reading the fucking questions on the ask meme I put up I decided ‘Rhodey and Bucky’ were some other thing? Long story short I’m a moron lmao.

4- Favorite actress

Tbh I don’t pay much attention to the actresses and thus I almost missed out of saying Tessa Thompson like some kind of savage. I appreciate how hard she worked to try and make Valkyrie bisexual and also her character was basically the only thing I liked about Thor: Ragnarok (controversial opinion, I know).

6- Favorite quote

“Trust my rage” from Thor The Dark World. This line is so visceral and poetic. Like shit son, the rest of the movie was eh, but that line? Fucking amazing, and Hiddleston’s delivery of it is top tier bois.

9- BROTP

Pepper and Tony. I’ve never seen the romance between them, and in my opinion it was there because it seems movies are fucking incapable of not having a romance subplot (no hate to pepperony shippers either, everyone likes what they like and the entire point of fic is to circumvent canon anyways). But as a friendship pairing these two are excellent- they’re a great team, they understand each other on a fundamental level, and their friendship dynamic is interesting. Also, to me, I think their relationship is more compelling without the romance.

10- How did I discovered Marvel?

I’ve mentioned this in other asks but I had a friend make me watch Avengers and I didn’t like it lmao. I only gave it another show two years later and started from the beginning with CA:TFA and then I got into it. I’m not sure what changed or why I took to it later, especially when I found the later half of TFA to be kind of boring (I love Skinny!Steve ok) but it happened and when WS came out I saw it in theaters. From then I was hooked.

12- Make me choose between two characters: Rhodey and Bucky

Damn, I’d rather not have to choose, you suck! But, for the sake of the ask, Rhodey. As a character he’s better constructed, has his own story and motivation outside Tony, he’s funny, and while he has his moments (that I mostly blame on shit writing) he’s a great friend. I honestly wish that we could get a whole movie about him doing things but I did hear some rumors not long ago about Marvel looking into making Iron Man 4 an Ironheart movie and the only thing that would make that better is if Rhodey were her mentor (I literally wrote a story about this once).

Anyways, although I write Bucky a lot more than I do Rhodey I do prefer his character in a more fundamental way simply because he’s more fleshed out. Plus I love male friendships that are actually good and James Rhodey Rhodes is the God Tier of friends. The man spent 3 fucking months combing the desert for his disaster friend and that’s some damn dedication. Especially when you know people must have gotten real damn annoyed with him using resources and shit. But that action alone tells you everything you need to know about him and none of it is bad. I love Rhodey, seriously.

15- Top 5 ships

Tony/T’Challa

Tony/ Bucky

Tony/ Stephen

Tony/Rhodey

And, because I feel compelled to put a ship that doesn’t have Tony in it Steve/Howard

Honorable Mentions: Tony/ Peter Q

16- Top 5 villains

THANOS

Erik Killmonger

Loki

Justin Hammer (he’s just so absurd)

Ghost (from Ant Man and The Wasp)

Seriously, this was hard because Marvel’s villains are shit. They’re all the same one dimensional ‘they’re evil’ type characters.

21- Dream crossover

Basically any urban fantasy world I loved in my teens and the MCU. I’ve written a Vampire Academy/ MCU crossover but I’d love to write a House of Night crossover (I hate the characters in HoN, but love the world ok don’t judge), and a Shadowhunters crossover. I’ve seen some cool stuff with Teen Wolf being crossed over too though.

23- Most layered character

Tony fucking easily. His arcs are always the most compelling (or close to it), he’s had the most character development, and his trauma plays out so beautifully on screen. I’d argue Steve is a close second post WS, but the MCU will never let his character play out the development he’s gotten because they’ll never let Steve be less than perfect, which pisses me off. Otherwise his transition from a solider who wants to do right by his country to a cynical man who doesn’t know how to process the new world he’s been tossed into or how to handle a situation in which the morally correct solution isn’t abundantly obvious would be a compelling watch. But its been consistently proven that Steve will never get a real realization of his new characterization because ~~perfection~~.

27- Favorite moment

Shiiiit. That’s a lot of material and because I have a bad memory I’m going to go with ‘don’t call us plucky, we don’t know what it means’ because that was hilarious lmao.

29- Saddest moment

Shit boi, probs a toss up between Peter P’s death and Bucky’s. Peter’s is obvious but Bucky fucking dusting in front of the dude who spent so long trying to find him again in an effort to feel, even if its just for a moment, like he’s home again? Sad af. I felt awful for Steve there.

30- Most beautiful scene

Pretty much all of Black Panther is a visual treat, but I’m especially fond of T’Challa in the dream world with his father. That scene was so beautiful, and all the colors? Amazing. Only Guardians of the Galaxy even compares visually and even then Wakanda’s beauty has something else to offer that space doesn’t.

32- Actor/Actress I’d like to be cast by Marvel

As mentioned above I pay literally zero attention to actors- its a personal choice not to spend time being a voyeur into other people’s lives and treat them like commodities to consume because I loath celebrity culture (and this isn’t a slam to anyone who enjoys it, its more a slam to people who over engage in it- ie people who care enough to send death threats or paps basically). Anyways that’s an opinion you didn’t ask for, but because of that personal opinion I have no real cast choice lmao.

35- Most boring plotline?

I love Thor but all his movies. The first movie had good personal growth but eh. The second was an ok movie but forgettable (aside from my fav line from Loki in it), and unpopular opinion I hated Thor Ragarok. I mean it was funny. That’s all the good I have to say about it really. Though I have no idea why every comedy writers room is not leaping at a chance to get Taikia on their staff because the man is a comedic genius and that’s honestly being impolite to his comedy skill. Still, as much as I like Thor I didn’t really love any of his movies and all his villains were so fucking boring, even Loki wasn’t that interesting till Avengers. Poor Thor, MCU did him dirty :(

37- Most well done character death

Peter P. I give this to him over Bucky because apparently most of that scene was improv? I cried over my spider son ok. There’s someone who was in that theater with me who heard me sob out ‘my spider son’ and went home to tell people about it. That shit was heartbreaking. Second runner up goes to T’Challa but I didn’t think it was well done, I just thought it was sad as shit for Okoye and I love her so it was upsetting to see her lose her king :(

43- Characters I wish they’ve met

I don’t understand the question :( I think it’s supposed to be ‘characters you wish would met’ but all my wishes were granted in IW. Tony and Stephen met and so did Tony and Quill. I shipped Tony with both characters before they’d interacted on screen so it was nice to see :) Rhodey and Quill would be a fucking hoot together though, throw in Okoye and Valkyrie and you’ve got a bunch of drunk overpowered people telling war stories or, in Quill’s case, stories about that time he stole some shit.

46- What characters outside of the Mcu I’d like to see in a Marvel movie?

Ironheart, but I heard rumors they might do a movie with her. I think it’d be fun to have Riri in screen, especially since Peter is around her age. I’d also love to see a Young Avengers movie or a Kamala Khan/ Ms. Marvel movie though apparently there’s rumors of that too.

50- Characters that deserved better

Tony, Bucky, and Steve but all for different reasons. Steve deserves his fall from grace and not because I think he should suffer, but because keeping him on his pedestal means he’ll never be able to fully process his trauma and move on. Allow him to fall, allow him to know he isn’t perfect, then allow him to know that that’s ok, he doesn’t need to be, he just needs to do the best he can and then allow him a proper chance to move on.

Bucky because he deserves to be a character outside of Steve and, to a much smaller extent, Tony. Let the man have a movie about self actualization after trauma, let him figure out he isn’t Steve Roger’s best friend anymore (and that Steve isn’t really Steve anymore) and that that’s ok, they can both accept themselves as they exist now and still be friends. Let him develop hobbies outside of Steve, have him bond with Rhodey, he needs a good friend. Shit, let him bond with Sam too. Give me a buddy movie where Sam lowkey therapies Bucky into being a fuckin person again and Bucky finds some way to repay him. He can go beat up Scott for that time he kicked Sam’s ass lol.

And Tony because the MCU makes fuckin everything his fault, even stuff that only somewhat involves him. They drive him to an absolute breaking point and then have the characters get pissed that he broke? The only one that I found acceptable was Pepper and that’s mostly because I understand why she’d be freaked out both by Tony’s obsessive behavior and by nearly being eaten by one of his suits. She had her own shit she was dealing with post Mandarin so her I understand. Everyone else though? Mostly makes no sense. Why are you surprised that a person snaps when they’re pushed to the limit? That’s how people work lmao but that’s also because the writers make an active, and completely senseless, choice to have the characters react like Tony’s mental health problems are a choice he made and now he has to suffer because he has PTSD or some shit. Idk, but AoU was the worst for it, and, to a lesser extend IM3 but I refuse to believe Rhodey would really tell Tony to get over himself after a panic attack- the man is emotionally intelligent ok, IM3 did Rhodey dirty.

54- 5 things I love most about: Tony

Tony’s sheer level of wonder at the world around him- the look on his face in IM2 when he rediscovers that element perfectly encapsulates how he feels about learning and moving forward. (Flipside is that sometimes he has trouble staying in the present and that causes problems).

The way he tries no matter how badly he fails. Bih, if my random tests on a rock nearly ended the world I’d out and out throw myself off a cliff. Instead he accepts his part in it (and more) and chooses to try and make the best of it. He’s done that from the moment he got snatched by terrorists in Afghanistan. That in itself is basically a superpower.

His humor. I, too, hide my emotional distress under jokes so I can relate to being a lil bit of an asshole to hide how I feel. (Flipside: people don’t think he takes stuff seriously- hence Steve in the Avengers).

His mental health problems. Ok this one is weird, but I can appreciate that someone drew up a hero that isn’t based in perfection, but who tries to get there anyways. But the dude has problems, a lot of problems, and they aren’t always pretty. But they are complicated and it is compelling to watch.

The way he builds relationships. Its unconventional- Rhodey is probably the only person he’s super close to that he met in a normal way. Happy and Pepper were both people that worked for him and instead of just being their boss he took the time to learn about them and get to know them on a personal level. Obviously he ended up engaged to Pepper, but a guy who knows what his driver’s favorite show is and why he likes it is a good dude. He’d be nice to wait staff in restaurants.

[mwolf0epsilon]

What are the Top 10 most undignified (and hilarious) villain defeats you've ever seen in media?

Oooh boy, I’ve never really thought much of villain defeats, mostly because getting them out of the picture has always felt somewhat satisfying to me, no matter the execution.But there are at least 10 assholes I think got what they deserved in pretty funny ways. I’ll be counting down from 10 from least satisfying to most satisfying:

10 - Mitch Conner (South Park: The Fractured But Whole) - I don’t know, there’s something very unsatisfying about Cartman getting away with shit despite all the horrors he puts you through in the game. So when Mitch Conner was finally defeated by, you guessed it, Cartman himself and his other character Mrs. Conner, it didn’t sit well with me.Sure, Cartman makes a complete fool of himself in front of a crowd, but the people of South Park aren’t smart. They don’t realize they’ve been conned, which unnerved me to no end. And the worst part? You’re left with no other option but accept it for what it is and carry on with your day as if nothing happened. Bullshit.

9 - Lord Business (The Lego Movie) - It’s an undignifying defeat in a very different way to the rest of the villains on the list, mostly because it breaks the role completely. Emmet’s speech at the climax of the final battle hit me hard when I first saw the movie. As an artist I understood what it was like to feel unmotivated and overlooked when there were better artists out there who could do so much more than I could. Lord Business felt like a more personal villain to me in terms of what his role really was.So his defeat, ending with him turning good and still getting blown up, just to get back up again and fix things? It certainly is undignifying to a villain, but not so much for an actual person, which is why I enjoy this defeat so much, yet don’t really count it as much of a villain defeat, rather, turning a new leaf.

8 - The Fabrication Machine (Shane Acker’s 9) - There’s something somewhat sad about this defeat that I never could put my finger on until recently. The Fabrication Machine is the result of corruption, a machine taken from it’s creator and forced to endlessly build for a cruel man. Its revolt was innevitable and its next acts were monstrous…But seeing it defeated at the end, through the same means it took the lives of more than half of the stitchpunks? It left me with a bitter taste in my mouth afterwards. Perhaps because it felt to me like the B.R.A.I.N. could have been so much more if it had just had the chance instead of being forced into a life of slave labor…

7 - Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2) - This one has an explanation and a half. Handsome Jack is one of those villains you love to hate, because they are exceptionally good at being a villain. So why would I place him so low on my scale? Well…If you listen through his final dialog you don’t get the option to kill him yourself. Lilith does, and it angered me to no end that she’d cut him short when I’ve always loved hearing the final monologue of a well written villain. It felt like your victory was being robbed from you, and while Jack getting shot for his troubles was indeed an undignified death after the hassle it was to end him, it was still not a sweet victory…With that said, fuck you Lilith, why couldn’t you just let me savour the moment?!

6 - Scar/Gaston/Clayton (Disney’s The Lion King/Beauty and the Beast/Tarzan) - At number six we have a bit of a tie. Scar, Gaston and Clayton were always three villains I vividly remembered as a kid. They were charming, they were cunning, they were terrifying when they had to be, at least in the perspective of 7 year old Eps. They also had very satisfying defeats that, because they held the same meaning to me, ended up being placed kinda low on my scale. It doesn’t feel fair putting them above one another so they share the same level of scrutiny. They are also low because I don’t think they got enough after what they did.They make up for it for having pretty brutal deaths tho, which are still somewhat satisfying when I watch them to this very day. Their blind ambitions got them in the end.

5 - Frank Fontane (Bioshock) - In the middle of the scale we have Frankie “Atlas” Fontane himself. I see him as the perfect medium between unsatisfying and satisfying because, while technically you’re not the one who gets to kill him in the end, it felt pretty good watching the little sisters he’s tormented for so long going to town on his sorry excuse for an ass.Big and strong won’t do you good when the juices that keep you going get stabbed out by needle-weilding angry children. Sucks to be you buddy, now would you kindly shut the fuck up and let Jack live his own life?

4 - D-Reaper (Digimon Tamers) - This one comes off as a bittersweet defeat. It’s no less satisfying but the aftermath of the deconstruction of the D-Reaper is what kicked me in the gut.On one hand I was happy to see this programming mishap gone, on the other I was upset that the only way to do it involved sacrificing the Tamers’ digimon as well. It was a good defeat but the price always felt heavy to me in the end. It’s why Digimon Tamers is my favorite incarnation of the Digimon Series. It always felt heavier in context of self-sacrifice and trying to make things right. A++ final battle, lots of angst and self-reflection moments, good final villain, and very clever execution of its termination.

3 - Chakal (The Book of Life) - For me, bigger is usually better. I’m a sucker for stupidly big characters, so having a villain who is ridiculously big compared to his enemies? It was awesome to see so many people determined to defeat the towering beast that was Chakal, even more so when Manolo, Maria and Joaquin worked together to defend their home town. The final part of the battle however, took the cake.Manolo’s clever thinking and Joaquin’s quick reaction was the final push for Chakal’s imminent defeat, via a well placed bell tower and a LOT of explosives. This one felt satisfying to me because of just how much of a kick those explosives really had. They were just as powerful as Chakal himself, which we don’t really take into consideration since Manolo came out alright thanks to the medal…But consider this: Nothing was left of the bandit king, so yeah, he was completely desintegrated.Go big or go home right? Or in this case, don’t go home at all because you are GONE for good.

2 - Thighten (Megamind) - Lets face it, Hal Stewart was the biggest animated creep of 2010. He’s one of those so called Nice Guys who flirts awkwardly with very creepy subtext, then when he doesn’t get what he wants, he reacts violently just because he’s bigger and stronger.The more of him was on screen, the more disgust I felt of him, because it was obvious he didn’t care about Roxanne or anyone else, just of himself and his big ego. So seeing this guy, who’s gone and become the perfect picture of brawny asshole, being outsmarted by someone physically weaker than him? It felt satisfying to no end. Big isn’t always better. Sometimes clever is all you need.

1 - Ernesto de la Cruz (Disney Pixar’s Coco) - From the moment it was revealed Ernesto killed Hector without a second thought just to steal his songs and guitar as a means to rise to fame, I knew I HATED him, specially because I’d begun liking him during his bonding scene with Miguel. It felt like I’d been backstabbed. He’s a pretty well written villain in the sense that you don’t realise he’s the villain until he is exposed as such. He’s charismatic, funny and cunning. Also very ambitious and willing to put himself before others, which is a terrifyingly bad mix. Re-living his undignified death after being tossed around by a pissed off flying jaguar was definitly well deserved, and the loud crash of the bell hitting him marked the end of his many victories in life.

#Eps Talks About: #Villains #Friend Anon

[silverscreenbitch]

Lady Bird discussion and review

So before I start just some background about me, I’ve lived in a few places in my life. I was born in Baltimore, lived in NYC until 7th grade, and now live in Sacramento California. This is not a cmbyn post so bear with me if that's why you follow my account. Also this will be longer than my cmbyn review so I’m not really expecting that much response to it lol.

- I am fortunate that I got to see the movie at Tower Theater(our local independent theater) the night it came out in Sacramento. I had plans to go out with my friends that night but they fell through so I thought, why not go see a movie by yourself. The theater was completely full of people, many of which I knew as my friends’ relatives or even acquaintances from school. Despite Sacramento being home to almost half a million people, it really does feel like a small town. This was the only time I had ever seen the theater that packed before. The movie at one point shows a clip of Tower theater and I pretty much just cried from there to the end of the movie. The movie starts out with a quote from Joan Didion, “anyone who talks about California hedonism has never spent a Christmas in Sacramento”. This got giant laughs each time I’ve seen the movie in Sacramento and hardly any reaction when I saw the movie in NYC. This is kind of a recurring theme throughout the movie, that the movie feels like a special little gift to Sacramentens. I’ve never experienced a piece of art so specific to me or my city.

- Saorise is the perfect representation of so many Sacramento teenagers I know, and her friends Jenna is also a perfect representation of the other side of the spectrum. The school the girls go to is based on a local Catholic school, St. Francis. The detail of saying Jenna had a starter house in the forties(a very nice neighborhood close to midtown) was so so funny to people living in my city. Along with that her saying she never wants to leave Sacramento and wants to raise her children here is so true to so many families and girls I know. Everyone who’s a teenager in Sacramento either wants to escape to the east coast or San Fransisco, or they never want to leave. I can say I know multiple Ladybirds’ and Jennas.

- I can say that Ladybird/Christine is a very relatable character for me, I often want to go back to NYC and want to “live through something”. I almost feel sometimes like I’m living a life that wasn’t really meant for me(this is really angsty and personal compared to my cmbyn review lol) and I think Saorise in general perfectly reflected what it feels like to almost be at odds with yourself. The whole idea that you don’t know where your home is until you leave it is very universal and definitely shown in a unique and fresh way in this movie. I love that there is no real villain in this movie. Everyone is flawed whether it be Ladybird, Kyle, Jenna or Ladybird’s parents, no one is truly one thing.

OK next onto performances: I’m gonna talk about Saorise and Timmy mostly here

- You guys already know that I have to start with Timmy. I had never seen Timmy in anything before seeing him in Lady Bird. I knew he was going to play Elio in cmbyn and didn’t even realize that until after seeing Lady Bird. I genuinely think that he is one of the most versatile actors I’ve ever seen on screen. Kyle in this movie is so funny and such an asshole and Timmy is SO convincing. Whether he be talking about on participating in the economy through bartering or telling Ladybird that he’s not a virgin and hasn’t lied in two years, everything he says feels perfectly acted and performed with just the right amount of comedy and seriousness. I was kind of worried that Timmy wasn’t going to be nice enough to play Elio after seeing the movie, but obviously, I watched like one interview with him and became obsessed.

- Next, Saorise. WOW, she is incredible in this movie. I’ve seen it four times now and her performance hasn’t ceased to amaze me every time. The whole relationship between Ladybird and her family, especially her mother, is so well executed by Saorise. I definitely can relate to them constantly fighting and making up, and having miscommunication about what they want for themselves and each other. Saorise also does a perfect Sacramento accent, like genuinely perfect. I have seen so many coming of age movies in my life and have never felt quite as emotional as I do when I watch this movie. Saorise really reflects what it feels like to be in between two lives and knowing that you want to leave, but also loving your hometown. She is just so perfect in this movie, I really believe she deserves the Oscar for best actress. I saw Brooklyn a few years ago and felt the same way about her acting, she is one of the best actresses of our generation imo.

- To finish this section I just felt like I needed to comment on Beanie and Lauries’ performances. Beanie is so sweet and Julie. From her audition for the play to asking Jenna what the emergency was that interrupted her having sex at some dudes lake house, she is such a lovely actress to watch on screen. Her and Saorise crying in the car to Crash Into Me is so perfectly hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time I really love her acting and portrayal of Julie. OK it’s really hard for me to put into words how amazing Laurie is in this movie. She is really really perfect. Whether it be her and Saorise’s character getting in a screaming fight or her crying in the car at the airport, she really does a beautiful job acting out a very complex character without it ever feeling off-color.

So these are my last little comments and thoughts on the movie:

- Greta did an incredible job with this movie. While I adore Call Me by Your Name I’m kinda rooting for this to win best picture. The attention to detail, the directing, and the performances really made it stand out to me. One of my favorite little things she included was that we get very similar shots of Saorise the first time we see her walk through Sacramento and New York; I think they even play the same music in these two scenes! To kind of conclude this review/essay/rant, I just am overflowing with love for this movie. It is so rare to see such an honest portrayal of the teenage experience. I adore that Christine never has her whole life revolving around a dude and that it’s ok that none of the boys she dates are the right match for her. I think in general putting focus on a mother-daughter relationship immediately makes the movie more relatable to a wider audience and feels more honest. I felt so emotional by the end of the movie, especially when Ladybird is painting over her walls and paints over the boys’ names. The whole last ten minutes are so beautiful and moving. I love this movie and would strongly recommend to everyone that they should go see it ASAP.

As always, if you want to discuss this movie or other stuff like cmbyn with me, either put stuff in my asks or message me!! Lmk if you guys like this kind of post and if you got this far, thanks for reading:).

#lady bird #ladybird #Saorise Ronan #timothée chalamet #laurie metcalf #oscars #best actress #best movie #awards #timothee chalamet #cmbyn #lady bird spoilers #beanie feldstein #timmy chalamet #greta gerwig

[loreweaver-universe]

Y’know, today I feel like talking about Disgaea, specifically my problems with Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance.

Spoilers for Disgaea 1, 2, 5, and Makai Kingdom, I guess.

So, first off, let’s talk about...

The Narrative.

Disgaea 5 tells the tale of edgelord Squall Leonhart wannabe Killia, a former asshole who got redeemed by falling in love with the daughter of the only demon to ever give him a proper ass-thrashing, who spent his time teaching Killia how to find inner peace blah blah blah it’s actually pretty bland.  Killia speaks in a constant monotone, half-heartedly tries to get his rapidly accumulating party of Overlord-level demon pals to leave him the hell alone, and is generally just really goddamn boring.  It’s not to say this kind of character can’t be interesting--in fact, I name-dropped Squall earlier, and until Final Fantasy VIII went completely off the rails in the second disc he was a legitimately nuanced character and I was interested in seeing where he went.  Here’s the problem with all that, though:

The Disgaea series is a parody.

Now, full disclaimer--I’ve only played Disgaea 1, 2, 5, and Makai Kingdom.  I have Disgaea 3 and 4, but I haven’t been able to secure a PS3 to play them on yet, so I’m leaving those out of the discussion (though from what I’m aware those are parodies as well.)  However, of the four games I have played, Disgaea 5 stands out as being the only one of them to really take itself seriously.

Well, 2 did as well to a certain extent, but other than the looming issue of “we’re trying to off your evil dad, Rozalin,” Disgaea 2 takes itself about as seriously as Disgaea 1 did, and Disgaea 1 is a farce.

A beautiful, glorious, hilarious, one hundred percent intentional farce.

Laharl is a ridiculous creature.  He’s petty, narcissistic, and childish, and while there are serious story beats (Etna being blackmailed, that asshole Angel stealing Flonne’s protective pendant, etc) Laharl never stops mocking his foes, his friends, and the genre itself.  Disgaea 1, in short, is taking the piss, parodying the most ridiculous parts of anime and JRPGs (and, hell, American raygun gothic) with delightful glee...which is why, when things turn deadly fucking serious in the final chapter, it’s so goddamn heart-wrenching and effective.  That slow burn of Laharl growing to care about Flonne enough that he tears the Heavenly Host several new assholes to try to save her from their judgment (and, even in the best ending, has to talk himself down from murdering the head angel in cold blood because she wouldn’t have wanted him to take revenge for her sake) is one of the most effective tonal twists in the history of media, in my opinion: all of a sudden, it’s not funny anymore.

While Disgaea 1 lampooned the genre as a whole, Disgaea 2 takes a different tack, and lampoons common anime/JRPG character archetypes.  The hot-blooded, idiotically honorable melee fighter; the spoiled rich brat of a princess; the annoyingly perverted goblin of a third wheel (and, ugh, I wish that archetype would die already), the plucky little kids who are the least innocent characters in the whole crew other than the aforementioned perv goblin, on and on and on.  The goal may be serious, but the characters are almost as silly as they were in Disgaea 1, and I actually think 2 manages an even better balance of humor and compelling storytelling than 1, because not only is the romance between Adell and Rozalin natural, enjoyable, and endearing, the dramatic beats come along without undermining the sheer silliness of our protagonists until it can have the most impact.  There’s a moment in one of the later chapters where Laharl from the first game appears without warning, pissed off, heavily geared, and more than a thousand levels your superior.

(Yes, I said a THOUSAND levels.  For those of you in the audience who aren’t familiar with the series, the level cap is 9999, and you can reset a character to level 1, storing attained levels for bonus stats.  I’ll be talking about the grind later, don’t you worry.)

The encounter with Laharl accomplishes several things over the course of the two fights with him: it delivers a joyful reunion with the protagonist of the first game, which turns to terror when you see his stats, which turns to horror as you send your team into the meat grinder to die helplessly...and then it shows us that something is frighteningly wrong with Rozalin as she is seemingly possessed and tears this impossible foe apart effortlessly.  From there the story really kicks into high gear, and like Disgaea 1, transitions into a deadly serious final assault on Zenon’s stronghold, but unlike Disgaea 1 it’s not a shocking swerve in tone--the story’s been building to this over time, gradually reconstructing the genre it gleefully tore to pieces over the previous game and a half.

Makai Kingdom is a very different affair, and can actually be most closely contrasted with Disgaea 5.  In the Disgaeaverse, an “Overlord” is a very powerful demon who rules a pocket dimension called a “Netherworld.”  Laharl’s an Overlord, for example.  Makai Kingdom deals with a set of protagonists on a whole other level of power; these are the Overlords that other Overlords view as gods, and they essentially sit around on their asses playing card games and throwing popcorn at their TV.

I think you can see where I’m going with this.

Makai Kingdom is a return to Disgaea 1′s attitude--relentless silliness, mockery of itself, with a sharp turn at the end.  Whether it accomplishes this goal as well as Disgaea 1 isn’t all that relevant, but it is something we can compare to Disgaea 5.

Disgaea 5 starts off similarly--hideously powerful Overlord-level demons gather together, but the characters are...not exactly dour, but played straight, I guess.  There’s no parody, no lampooning; it’s very stock JRPG comedy (and “comedy”), with dramatic tension, a serious approach to its story and antagonists, and predictable story beats obvious to anyone who’s ever seen a mediocre anime or played a mediocre JRPG.  Hell, the main villain’s name is Void Dark, and not a single character makes fun of that!  There are some interesting designs, and I actually think Majorita is a compelling villain for Usalia, who I likewise enjoy immensely, but the story abandons almost everything that made the previous games’ plots entertaining.  Topple an empire, murder some baddies, get your homes back, save your dead love from the creepy brother with the incestuous undertones.  That’s it.  That’s all.  As a story structure, it works just fine, and as evidenced by my love for the rest of the series I absolutely think challenging established conventions is a good thing, but it doesn’t do so successfully enough that it stands out as a worthy entry in the series.  Where it does shine is in improvements to gameplay quality-of-life and beautiful animation, which brings me to...

The Gameplay.

Disgaea 5 improves the UI, adds all sorts of neat little quirks to character customization, and improves game control substantially.  It adds extra ways to gain stat points (like I said before, character levels cap at 9999 and can be stored for stat bonuses--this game also allows you to train stats for stat points via minigames) and is just generally more in-depth than its predecessors...at the cost of being stupidly easy to grind out.

Yes, I think an easier grind is a bad thing.  Let me explain: I have over ten thousand hours in Disgaea 2 alone over the last twelve years.  I picked the first two games up when Disgaea 2 was brand new, and have beaten the game dozens of times in the intervening span.  Most recently, about five years ago, I created a save file on the PSP port of the game, and I spend idle trips or the time I’m falling asleep grinding it out as kind of an idle game.

Literally everything you do in a Disgaea game gets you experience for something.  Weapon mastery, skill exp, character exp, you name it.  Hell, you can run randomized dungeons inside your items to level those up, too.  It’s incredibly satisfying and makes for a constant sense of progression--even if you don’t level up in a fight you’ve still gotten experience points for the skills and weapons you’ve used, making it stronger, more effective, etc.  My personal goal is to, eventually, have one of every character class maxed out on stored levels and every skill and weapon proficiency in the game, which is a deliberately impossible task because it’s just so much fun to chase it forever.

Here’s the other thing: the Disgaea series, due to the ludicrous level cap, is known for its absurdly deep pool of ever-stronger bonus bosses, stretching, yes, all the way up to the level cap.  The hunt for those is likewise extremely satisfying, and takes quite a while, especially since the campaign usually caps out at around levels 70-90.

With all this in mind, imagine my dismay when I realized I was blowing through skill and weapon exp and hitting the caps on everything in a tiny percentage of the time I was expecting.  To be fair, there is a “Cheat Shop” NPC who can adjust the EXP you gain up and down, which is neat, but I have to crank it down to literally single-digit percentages of normal to get the same amount of chase-time out of it.  This is not to say that the game should be inaccessibly grindy; in fact, Disgaea 1 and 2 aren’t.  The story campaigns in those games are perfectly completable with the normal skill progression and a small but admittedly grindy amount of extra leveling in unlocked areas.  It’s all the extreme bonus content that’s gated behind the postgame grind, and the huge ceiling on skill levels and weapon proficiencies means you’re constantly rising in power and challenging new heights.  I think that’s a fantastic reward for being dedicated to the game!  And Disgaea 5 in its default state takes that away.  I had a character capped out on all proficiencies, subclasses, and aptitudes within my first hundred hours of the game.

It was...disappointing, I guess.  All around, mostly; for every step forward it took, it also took a step back.  Ultimately, the story takes a backseat to my points about the grind, because the campaign in any Disgaeaverse game is literally about 2% of the game’s content.  Disgaea 5 took my grind from me, and that’s why I’m salty enough to have just spent an hour typing up a book report on its failings, I guess.

#disgaea #disgaea 5 #disgaea spoilers #disgaea 2 #makai kingdom #bloggin #inbetween

[renaroo]

This is so completely random, but you're very probably the only Batfam Stan that also loves the Superfam and knows the various members of both families. I was wondering, in your mind, which members of the Superfamily match up with which members of the Batfamily? Like for instance, I've always firmly believed that Linda-Mae matches up with Dick, while Karen goes with Helena. As far as Babs goes, they share her.

If I’m reading you correctly, you’re asking who roughly inhabits the same spots in the Superfam that the Batfam has, yes? It’s really a fascinating question because I think there are lots of comparisons to be made, but it’s also interesting because of the ways they don’t line up perfectly. Like there’s a big difference in their structure just by the fact that Lois is the clear matriarch of the family and almost none of the Superfam have been without a relationship with her. So getting comparisons for some positions does tend to get a little fuzzy. So, I’m just going to go through the family one by one, starting with the most obvious which is Clark and Bruce. 

Clark Kent: Obviously as the central family patriarch and the one who basically inspires everyone else to come into their own while attempting to live up to his impossible image, Clark is the most Bruce-like in comparisons. Which of course, their similarities are as strong as their differences which has been the source of their mutual respect and friendship over the decades and just make them incredibly fascinating characters to play off of each other in almost any circumstance. 

Lois Lane: In recent years Kate has kind of stepped up to be the momma of the Batfam in a sense, and to be Bruce’s equal which would be representative of Lois and Clark’s equal footing in their relationship, but Kate’s got much less of a background for this position and for obvious reasons her relationship with Bruce is nothing like Lois’. In that way I would put Lois much more as a Selina Kyle. They share a street smarts and sassiness, prefer to look out for themselves but can’t help but fall into the same circles as their romantic interests, and in most realities end up married. It’s not a perfect fit, but I would argue it on more than a few grounds. 

Jimmy Olsen: Definitely the Dick Grayson of the Superfam. Not only is he Superman’s pal, but he’s sort of the emotional bond that keeps a lot of the Superfam connected. He’s not only trusted by both Clark and Lois and inspired by both of them, but he’s also a confidante and romantic interest for Kara, was a friend to Linda, and in general is someone who is just by definition associated with Superman. It’s an iconic duo in a lesser sense than Bruce and Dick. 

Martha Kent: Originally I was going to say Pa is the Alfred, but honestly Martha Kent is most definitely the Alfred Pennyworth of the Superfamily. She is a supportive and endearing voice, full of wit, and is the first person Clark goes to when he needs advice or solace. She is beloved by all of the Superfam members and has ben denmother/actual mother to nearly all of them in one sense or another. 

Jonathan Kent: The more I think about it, the more I find that Pa is really a lot like Leslie Thompkins in Clark’s life. He has a bit of a harsher vibe to him and his disappointment is something that Clark is more conscious and fearful of, but it all stems from firm morality and a fear and protectiveness of his son. He is the guiding light for Clark’s humanity and is the sort of man that Clark tries to live up to without ever feeling he can fully achieve it. And all that despite clearly having well defined flaws of his own. 

Lana Lang: Hilariously enough, I would put Lana on the level of a far more important and far more relevant and updated Vicki Vale. Again this seems like a strained comparison (because it is) but she’s a former romantic interest and friend to Clark who loves him but also couldn’t deal as well with realizing that he is Superman or at least that he’s something beyond her comprehension. And there’s still some pining and nonsense there, fortunately Lana is with John Henry now and written much better. Speaking of which...

John Henry Irons: A less murdery and more accepted member of the Superfam than his Batfam equivalent, John Henry Irons is a lot like Helena Bertinelli in that they both were inspired by the “patriarchs” of the family, but did things in their own style and in their own ways. He relies on his background and heritage as much as Helena does and it has influenced him to where he is today. 

Kara Zor-El: An apt comparison for Kara is actually Barbara Gordon. Not only were they good friends in the Bronze Age, but they were similarly motivated. Despite both of them having just as much heartbreak and tragedy in their lives as Batman or Superman, they make the choice to not be defined by that and instead to invent their superhero identities as a way of fulfilling an obligation they feel either to law and order or to the sense of not wanting to lose their adopted new home to the same forces that took their old one. 

Natasha Irons: Is absolutely the Superfam’s Stephanie Brown for better or worse. Nat is selfmade, has a family history of criminal activity but chooses to follow her uncle and Superman’s influences instead to make herself a superhero. Despite all she achieves, for absolutely no reason that makes canonical sense to... anyone who’s read it, basically, John abruptly decides she’s undeserving of her suit and takes it from her? That causes her to make some mistakes and play into a trap by one of the family’s worst enemies and get held hostage and tortured. Fortunately she wasn’t needlessly killed like Steph, but she did come back in spectacular fashion. 

Mae Kent: Mae is a completely different character from Linda Danvers. Mostly. Kind of. So I’m going to treat them as such on this list. Mae is actually Clark’s adopted sister in the preboot and was taken in and cared for by Ma and Pa Kent. She’s fairly independent, making a name for herself outside of Clark even if they continued to have a good relationship. When Clark dies for a year, she is one of the top contenders for taking his place and becoming a surrogate Superman herself. In this way she most reminds me of Kate Kane, self-made while deeply connected to the family patriarch and sharing a family bond. 

Karen Starr: Completely depends on which version you’re going with but if you’re going with the most common, the preboot, I think Karen is the most like Harper Row. She’s a solid member of the family, but she’s also beyond the family, and it’s not in a bad sense. She’s still connected to everyone, and every inventive and set apart almost purely based on her industriousness (making her business empire!) but as much as she does team up with everyone and join frays, she’s mostly off on her own adventures these days and most of her drama comes from civilian life rather than just her time as Power Girl.

Kon-El: This is going to be so freaking controversial but here we are. If I was to pick any analogue in the Batfam for Kon it would not be his best bud Tim, but his fellow leap-before-thinking, bit of a bad boy, fellow leather jacket wearing Jason Todd. They both like coming back from the dead and having inexplicable genre jumps throughout their histories and their main angst comes from a conflict of ideals and perspectives with their parental figures. Kon also is constantly concerned with going over the edge and turning to a villain because of his “bad genes” which reminds me a lot of how Jason felt judged for growing up and being born into a situation outside of his control. 

Linda Danvers: It’s a bit of a cheat since they’re my favorite heroes I grew up with at the time, but when I think of Linda I always think of Cassandra Cain. Linda was not born into an abusive home life, but she was part of an abusive relationship and made mistakes that eventually led to a death. Unlike Cass, however, Linda’s death was her own. That was the turning point in her origins and from that point on she was led to being Supergirl out of not just a weird combining with Mae but through discovering a deeper level of morality and humanity than she had once seen inside of herself. And that became such a strong light in her life, she was even able to inspire the redemption of the very demon that had been responsible for her murder. 

Traci Thirteen: It might be a bit early to call this, but I think Duke Thomas is the most positioned in the Batfam with Traci. Traci initially was a pretty independent character who mostly worked under the “advisement” of Clark and came into her own with her own identity and style. They both have good families they lose to tragic circumstances and slowly find their place within the gaggle of other children in their families. 

Maggie Sawyer: Like I’m not saying it’s a purely lesbian thing, but it’s kind of the lesbian friend detective in the force who goes above and beyond and may or may not be a hero in their own right thing that I compare Maggie Sawyer and Renee Montoya. It’s a thing. And it’s a thing that unites them because they both have banged Kate Kane. Which is the real dream.

Cir-El: My poor sweet daughter is of course far too similar and too unused much like my other dear sweet daughter, Helena Wayne. They are both daughters of the matriarch and patriarch of the family from alternate futures that may or may not ever happen. They hold their father’s values and their mother’s attitudes and they both have awful terrible first costumes. 

Chris Kent: Even though their personalities are starkly different, there is definitely a common thread between Chris and Damian Wayne. They come from troubling childhoods and have difficulties with the concept of unconditional love. Their only aspirations are to live up to expectations and take the mantles of their respective fathers. And for as much trouble as it may cause them they stand up against the villains they fear most in the final hour even under threat of pain or death. They both have a “I choose my real family” moment with a parent that mistreats them, too. 

Jon Kent: This may seem like an odd comparison for now, but I get a Tim Drake vibe from Jon. Hear me out, there’s a lot of superhero worship and naivety about what his new superhero identity is going to bring with it. And while he’s much younger and less detectively minded than Tim, Jon draws on his knowledge of his father’s legacy as well as what he observes from his friends and other superheroes around him to creatively get himself out of jams. Not to mention he loves giving those moralizing speeches. 

Perry White: He’s Jim Gordon. Next.

Krypto the Superdog: THE ONE THAT ACTUALLY MATTERS. Ace doesn’t go out much into the field anymore so the most apt comparison here is actually Goliath the Bat Dragon. Aaaaand that’s what I’ve got. 

I hope this all made sense I had fun writing it out lol

#opinions opinions opinions #Superfam #Batfam #Rants of Unusual Size #Clark Kent #Lois Lane #Jimmy Olsen #Martha Kent #Jonathan Kent #Lana Lang #John Henry Irons #Kara Zor El #Natasha Irons #Mae Kent #Karen Starr #Kon El #Linda Danvers #Traci 13 #Maggie Sawyer #Cir El #Chris Kent #Jon Kent #Perry White #Krypto the Superdog #theblackclowreed

[ladyloveandjustice]

Summer 2017 Anime Overview: Re: Creators

Okay, time to review our next batch of Summer 2017 anime. I watched 7 anime this season. I’ve been ranking them from worst to best. Previously, I reviewed what I considered to be the weakest anime I watched this season. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we’re getting to anime that...well, kinda sits squarely in the middle of this season’s batch as far as “good”and “bad” go. I have a lot of mixed feelings and a lot of things to talk about. So let’s get down to it! This is a review, so it’s gonna spoil a bunch of things.

Re: Creators

Oh, Re: Creators. What am I going to do with you. You had such good ideas. You could have been so much better than you were.

Which isn’t to say Re: Creators is a bad anime. It isn’t. But it’s kind of in the area of “fine” rather than anything great, mostly because it couldn’t figure out how the execute the very interesting concepts it had going effectively. 

Re: Creators was a story about writing itself. Basically, a bunch of animanga, light novel and video game characters were transported to the “real” world by a mysterious woman in a military uniform, who encourages them to take vengeance on their creators who made their lives hell.

Like I said, that a hell of a great concept, and Re: Creators does do some interesting things with it. The show is at its strongest when it’s discussing the struggles of writing and the power of stories. It also does really interesting things with how writing functions in the internet age. 

For instance, the mysterious military woman character ends up being a very popular fan creation named Altair. A teenage girl named Setsuna created Altair as an alternate version of a character from a story she liked- essentially she was a fanfic. But then her design went viral and she morphed into a character all her own through the internet. 

Since Altair is a collective creation of the internet, basically everything the fans on the internet do with her- all the scenarios, all the music videos, all the fanfic and fanart- is accepted into her “canon” which means she’s infinitely powerful and versatile compared to the other characters because she’s not bound to one author or continuity and is constantly being updated. Basically, she’s Hatsune Miku. 

And that’s really cool, and shows a real understanding of how storytelling has morphed thanks to the instant and collective communication the internet has.  It also shows the negative side effects has- the reason Altair wants to destroy the world is because Setsuna- the one who had the idea for her first place-was driven to suicide by the cyber-bullying and harassment she got as a writer and artist. So Altair’s here to take revenge for her author.

Again, REALLY cool and impactful concept for a story, something that really cuts to the heart of issues creators face in the internet age. And when it comes down to it I think the main issue of the anime is how it fumbled in telling that story. Basically, they felt the need to filter Altair and Setsuna’s story through the lens of a Bland Male Protagonist and that ruined everything. Setsuna’s story was told the point of view of her male friend who felt all guilty because he got jellus of Setsuna for being a more successful creator than him and stop talking to her and he feels that contributed to her suicide and YAWN I really don’t care about his manpain.

Basically, because of this filter, we don’t learn that much about Setsuna as a person, or Altair’s inner struggle,  or the relationship between Altair and Setsuna. This makes the actually-really-cool-high-concept ending to their story have a lot less emotional impact than it should. 

Seriously, this show well done and interesting resolution to its central conflict(so cool I screencapped it for imgur to show my gf. You can see it here.) It just...wasn’t built up to properly at all. It’s an ending that depends of Altair and Setsuna, but they were barely characterized throughout the show, so it falls flat- and that’s such a shame, because it is the kind of ending that DESERVES strong characters behind it. 

I know it’s very easy to say this is “how I would have written” a story after the fact, hindsight being 20/20 and all, but if I’m going to tell you anyway. I would have written this story from Altair’s point of view. I’d have shown Setsuna’s struggle and her suicide from the point of view of the character she created. I’d have Altair enact her plan to destroy the world on her authors behalf, but at the same time she’d be using it as an opportunity to find out more about her author’s life. 

She’d spefically attack Setsuna’s friends and loved ones who abandoned her and demand to know why they did what they did to her creator. Rather than it just be one boy manpaining over everything, I’d make it so Setsuna had a couple different writer friends and family members who treated her badly due to jealousy or insecurity over her success, and Altair’s encounters with them, where she used their favorite characters to bring them down, would have been central to the anime. 

The story would have been so much more effective if it had actually focused on the characters who were at the center of everything. Instead it just ended up being a show with really good concepts and cool meta shit, but one that didn’t use it’s full potential in executing those concepts, and kind of threw the concept of “characterization” in the trash.

The show has a lot of meditative thought on writing, from the dark side of it- the struggle, the tears, the weird relationships creators have with fans- to the positive impact and powers of stories. “A story has the power to save someone” was a line in the show. As a writer I found it all very moving.

Unfortunately, though, as good as Re: Creators is with concepts- as good as it is when it comes to how it TALKS about characterization and writing and all that, the writing and characters on the show are actually pretty weak. It’s kind of hilarious that a story about the power of writing, a story that does this whole spiel about how the audience needs to be invested in a story for it work....also forgets basic things like “show, don’t tell” and “don’t include more characters than your story can handle” and “carefully build up your character arcs”.  

This is an anime that would have benefited GREATLY from having less characters. We’ve got a huge sprawling cast and none of them are developed properly. Altair should have been a great character, but up until the very last episode she was basically a very 2D villain, alternately stoic or cackling, only to suddenly have this emotionally moving finale which would have been way more effective if the show had built up to it properly and explored her point of view more. 

The show tended to communicate the character motives, backstories, feelings etc through boring exposition rather than showing them. A good demonstration of this is when one of the characters is making this heartfelt appeal and her writer says knowingly “she’s talking about her dead childhood friend”. OKAY THANKS. WHY SHOULD WE CARE. We don’t know this childhood friend, we don’t know anything about her story. Having a character randomly say “this is Significant” doesn’t make it actually significant.

Honestly it seems such a waste to have characters coming from all different kinds of stories and never showing what their stories they came from are LIKE, aside from a few extremely brief flashes. Ideally, this show would have cut to scenes from their stories, each in a unique art style, and got us involved in where these characters were coming from.

They have characters who TALK about having relationships and feeling all these emotions with these various other characters, but we never see them. One character came from a brutal dark fantasy and is all mad because of that, but the show never shows us a full scene of the story she came from. Who did she lose? What horrible things happened to her? 

This really ended up badly hurting the show at a key points- and example is when the main female action hero’s mentor shows up to fite her, it’s supposed to be this big dramatic twist but it makes zero impact because we know nothing about this dude other than she’s mentioned liking him a couple times. The show quickly tells us he feels world weary or whatever and that’s why he’s opposing her and then they have a big fight. But the fight is not going to have any emotional punch if the very REASON for it is just stated hurriedly and randomly at the last second, if this relationship and character have basically no foundation. The anime needs to show the audience actual scenes that demonstrate and build these characters’ relationship, show this mentor character worn getting down by life, at least give us SOMETHING. 

If the cast had been cut in half and if they’d given each character the time and care they deserved, this show could have been something really great. But it ended up focusing more on boring government meetings and dull explanations of the battle mechanics.

For a show that focused on writers interacting with the characters they’d written, it didn’t seem to care about its characters all that much when it came down to it. This stung especially because a few of them had some really good potential that was promptly wasted in a needlessly cruel way.

 An example of this was the bond between this dark fantasy knight lady (Alicetaria) and a Precure-style magical girl (Mamika). It was one of the highlights of the show for a while and I was pleasantly surprised a show like this was paying so much attention to the friendship between two female characters- then I realized that, the way this show was going, the fact these two characters were getting any attention at all had to be because one of them was going to get killed off so the other character could swear vengeance and yada yada cheap drama. 

GUESS WHAT, I WAS RIGHT. And it was even stupider and more manufactured than I expected- Mamika got killed in a totally idiotic way that was the show basically saying “LOOK her magical girl ideals are SO NAIVE she believed she could solve things with friendship and kindness but it just got her BRUTALLY MURDERED” (wow so edgy this has never been done before OH WAIT IT’S BEEN DONE TEN BILLION TIMES will these grown-ass men ever get tired of shitting on shows for little girls for daring to be optimistic and hopeful?)

 And the most untrustworthy character on the show just HAPPENED to witness Mamika’s death and then for some reason Alicetaria believed this VERY OBVIOUSLY untrustworthy source when she said it was one of the good guys had killed Mamika and attacked the good guys. It was all so goddamn manufactured and pointless and accomplished nothing. 

It led to some storyline where Alicetaria became a double agent and tried to bring down the bad guys from within that ALSO went absolutely nowhere- she didn’t like, weaken their team or get valuable intel or anything, she had no apparent strategy, and the villain knew about her plan the entire time. So she just ended up being killed off like a chump. So, this story about respecting the characters you create...had its character be unbelievably stupid for cheap drama and gave them utterly meaningless deaths. Nice. 

 Mamika in general deserved a lot better. The idea of a kids show character entering the real world and experiencing shock that things work differently is a cool concept. I liked the scene where Mamika was horrified her attacks made someone bleed because there’s no blood on her show. But I think that sort of story can be told without shitting all over the idealism of kid’s shows. It would have been a much more interesting story if Mamika survived and struggled to maintain her idealism in this harsh world. If it was tested time and time again and she lost hope and broke down and got angry, but in the end realized the world of kindness she wants is still worth fighting for. Killing her off is the absolute laziest way to go about it.

(Also the fact Mamika violently attacked a character who disagreed with her for no apparent reason and this was condemned as if it was something endemic to the magical girl genre made me think whoever wrote that ep had never seen Precure, even though that’s what she clearly based on. Magical girls, especially Precure style ones, don’t attack first and ask questions later. They try to reason with their opponents and don’t fight unless they are attacked or others are attacked. A Shonen hero might respond violently to someone arguing with them/ consider physical fighting the best way to solve a problem, but a magical girl never would. Sorry just a PET PEEVE I had as magical girl fan).

Sigh. I’m glad I watched Re: Creators. It was really moving in how it discussed writing. The ending was very good, even through it wasn’t built up to properly. How it wasted so much of its characters and ideas makes me really sad, but it also inspires me. I want to think of something like these concepts and execute it in a way that satisfies me. And that’s really what Re: Creators was all about- the power stories have to inspire.So while it was a very flawed show I have incredibly mixed feelings about, in a way, it did its job, and I commend it for that. 

#re: creators #re creators #summer 2017 anime #anime overview #altair #alicetaria february #magical slayer mamika #setsuna shimazaki #shimazaki setsuna #gifs #this is a LONG post #suicide cw

[hall-of-merlin2]

Magic, Monsters and Merthur - 1x01 - (Monsters)

Hello hello. Welcome back.

By monsters I used to mean the magical creatures of the episode, like the afanc, the fomorroh and so on and so on.

But... I kind of realized that there aren’t that many monsters in the show. Not in every episode, at least, sometimes it’s just... people doing shitty things with magic.

*gasp*

I said, dramatically. What if... the people... are the MONSTERS?!?!?!?!?

Not a... An amazing revelation, since... Well, since season 4 I realized just how much I actually talk about the villains. I like the villains, surprisingly, when I know that in the end they don’t win. First time through, I was fuming literally every episode, wishing someone killed the bastards already.

During the re-watch? I started admiring them, and what they did, and their thought process. Call me a psychopath, but if I know that my boy Merlin and my sunshine Arthur don’t actually get permanently hurt by the big bad of the episode, I’m able to just sit back and relax, think of it as a battle of wits instead of screeching at my screen to someone fucking notice the villain.

I like battles of wit.

Sadly, I don’t usually have much to say about the villain. Most of it comes down to the magic they use, and I decided to make a separate post for that, so...

How about I throw in a few character moments too? Just to... Not make this post 2 paragraphs long.

I think I managed that and more already...

OH WAIT I JUST REALIZED I HATE KILGHARRAH.

HELL YEAH LET’S TALK ABOUT BITCH ASS OVERGROWN LIZARD.

AND UTHER!

OH I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT THE MAIN BIG BADS. HELL YEAH, THIS PART OF THE RE-WATCH IS NOT GOING TO BE EMPTY WHATSOEVER.

(I get really fired up at times... Please understand that I am ranting to a fictional character that will never actually hear me, and knowing that doesn’t dim my anger, it does the opposite since I know they can’t retaliate :))

<_><_><_>

“No young man, no matter how great...

Can know his destiny.

He cannot glimpse his part in the great story that is about to unfold...

Like everyone, he must live... and learn.”

00:09

Already, ALREADY, not even a MINUTE into the FIRST EPISODE, Kilgharrah is contradicting himself.

How the fuck can anyone think this dragon is anything but a manipulative little shit that has his own unknown agenda.

Fuck Kilgharrah.

NOT EVEN A MINUTE IN.

(I just thought that maybe Kilgharrah means it literally when he says "man", as in, human.

BUT I THREW THAT OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE THEN KILGHARRAH WOULDN'T TELL MERLIN'S DESTINY TO HIM, SINCE MERLIN IS STILL A MAN, "HOWEVER GREAT".)

<_><_><_>

02:14

Let’s start the “Uther is a sick fuck” book early.

Butchering a man, and then calling it a “lesson”? Yep.

<_><_><_>

02:42

You think Uther does this whole speech every time he orders someone to be hanged, just to stroke his own ego?

I believe it.

Prick.

<_><_><_>

08:56

Why is the chopping block still there? Don’t they dismantle the execution areas after the execution?

Are there more people scheduled to be killed later or is Uther just that afraid someone’s going to overthrow him and keeps his “intimidation” block to try and fail to prevent it?

Uther’s a sick fuck anyways.

<_><_><_>

<_><_><_>

“Uther made it his mission to destroy everything from back then, even the dragons.”

“All of them?”

“There was one dragon he chose not to kill. Kept it as an example.”

21:11

One for the “Uther is a sick fuck” book!

<_><_><_>

26:17

And who tells him he’s supposed to stay a nobody, a servant pushed around and berated constantly, to this little insecure bean who is incredibly confused about everything that’s happening to him, just to fulfill some bullshit “destiny” of his?

Kilgharrah.

Fuck Kilgharrah.

<_><_><_>

32:24

Fucking hell Kilgharrah...

Just two days ago he was talking some shit about “nO OnE cAn KnOw ThEiR dEsTiNy” and now he’s just outright saying what’s going to happen.

FUCK IT IF IT’S THE ONLY WAY FOR THOSE THINGS TO COME TRUE, THIS IS MANIPULATIVE AND THE WAY OF A HYPOCRITE IT IS NO BETTER THAN UTHER AND WHAT HAPPENS LATER ON DOES NOT EXCUSE THIS PRICK, BECAUSE THE NOW IS NOW AND RIGHT NOW ALL I’M SEEING IS ONE BITCH ASS OVERGROWN LIZARD BEING A SLAVE TO HIS OWN PROPHECIES.

<_><_><_>

33:22

Perhaps it is not someone’s duty to change someone for the better, because a relationship where someone is a slave to the other is not healthy and inherently abusive.

This should be more hated, the fact that this is how Merlin and Arthur got to be their dynamic duo. But since it’s not, I’m just going to keep seething here in my corner about how Merlin was never allowed to be his own person, to try to become great simply because of his magic and unite Albion all on his own, instead was thrown an identity that didn’t even suit him and just barely got by not losing himself completely, which you could say he managed to do only up until season 5, maybe 4.

Just the fact that everything could have gone in a much more different direction and the fact that MERLIN NEVER ACTUALLY NEEDED ARTHUR to be himself or do magic or save all of Camelot repeatedly makes me froth at the mouth and forced me to make that theory you read before you dove into this. That there were two prophecies of how Albion was united, and only one of them spoke of Merlin being under a boot for years and years. The other was made solely for me to cope with this shit and think of a better way for Albion to be united – since that seems to be the focus here, not Arthur becoming king. Arthur could have been thrown aside and Merlin could have been the benevolent sorcerer king who brought peace to everything, but nO.

Justice for Merlin. My boy deserved way better than this.

AND THE TRIUMPHANT TITLE MUSIC PLAYS RIGHT HERE I FUCKING CAN’T THIS IS WHAT’S TRIUMPHANT – MERLIN BEING SOLD TO ARTHUR BY A FUCKING DRAGON HUH???

…

As you can quite clearly see…

I really hate how Merlin ended up as a servant.

But I come around quickly because Arthur isn’t a complete prat all the time and he doesn’t abuse Merlin like he could if he truly hated him. I come around to this whole thing as quickly as Arthur does – by episode 2.

<_><_><_>

38:56

Anyone else kinda bothered she didn’t even try to hide the body? Well I know that what she’s about to do will probably result in her death or at least jail time, and it doesn’t even matter if they also find a dead body in her chambers and put two and two together, but like… What if someone walked in before it was time to leave and go do her one-in-a-lifetime performance and they caught her? Would she have killed them too? Would she also have left their body just lying there and people kept coming, and she kept killing them, until there was a whole pile and someone would eventually come by looking for all the dead people and they’d see it and they’d scream and then more people would be alerted and her plan would go to shit?

Just an… Alternate universe idea. Would have been a hilarious first episode.

<_><_><_>

39:12

What if Uther just dropped a ton of cloth on himself, called it fashionable and hanged anyone who dared point out how ridiculous it is?

<_><_><_>

Heh... Mostly about Kilgharrah, huh? Yeah... I can’t wait for season 5, just to watch this old fuck wither away.

Fuck Kilgharrah. There’s a reason that’s a tag.

Also, a thing.

The Villain List

1. Mary Collins (what a surprise...)

It’s episodic villains, for now. The true evil is too much to be compared to these cute witchy-poos...

<_><_><_>

The Magic

The Merthur

#magic monsters and merthur #(monsters) #merlin #gwen #arthur #morgana #uther #mary collins #1x01 #dragon's call #fuck kilgharrah #no love for uther #hah #i love those tags #im gonna use em :)

[him-e]

Did last night's episode change your opinion of the Jon/Dany relationship at all? What do you think will happen between them next season? I'm not a jonerys shipper and the idea of watching a full season of them in love makes me miserable.

It mostly confirmed what I thought. There’s going to be a baby (which squicks me out for a variety of reasons, but I won’t go there for now). This doesn’t mean that next season is going to be all rainbows and unicorns for them. Surely their sexual relationship is going to take an uncomfortable turn once Jon does the maths and realizes that his biological relationship with Dany is the same he has with Ned, and he’s about to have a child from her.

It won’t be just the incest, but the political implications of his parentage. As d&d said in the inside the episode, this information is going to “complicate everything”, on a “political level and on a personal level”. Which reinforces my idea that Aegon VI’s storyline in the books hasn’t been cut completely, but split between Cersei and Jon. The golden company is going to be part of Cersei’s plot, and the “male Targaryen heir popping out of nowhere to steal Dany’s claim” narrative will be played by Jon, only that, unlike book!Aegon, he’s the real deal. 

Some kind of conflict (probably not an actual Targbowl or dance of dragons 2.0) will happen, which… I’m afraid is just one more reason for them to marry to reunite the two claims, but first we need to see how Dany takes it (she signed up for romancing one of her future vassals, NOT someone who CAN technically sit on the iron throne in his own right without her, and to whom she’d be only a queen consort if Westeros’ patriarchy still stands), and how Jon takes it, and how the Starks take it, and so on.

Anonymous said:

jon/dany would be the reverse of the jon/arya original storyline tho? cause in the outline jon and arya are tormented by their feelings until they find out they’re just cousins. jon/dany start out not knowing that they’re related and will eventually find out they’re related. why would they still want to be together? what would then make their dynamic any different than jaime and cersei’s if they still wanna bone knowing they’re related lol

yes, it would be the reverse of the original jonrya romance, which is a separate trope from ~not blood siblings~, but still related and not uncommon in romantic literature. Also worth clarifying that:

while sibcest is definitely considered an abomination in Westeros, avunculate (second degree of consanguinity) and cousin (third degree of consanguinity) marriages are not frowned upon the same way, and definitely legal. We have examples of avunculate marriages in house Stark (two of Cregar Stark’s sons, Jonnel and Edric, married their nieces, respectively Sansa and Serena Stark), and house Targaryen (Rhaenyra and her uncle Daemon Targaryen).

jaime and cersei’s dynamic is toxic for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to the incest, that in their case started at a young age, when they were living in the same household, and continued to affect their development and their entire adult life.

I don’t really get the sense that asoiaf has a SUPER strong stance against incest, to be honest. Yes, one the one hand you have jaime and cersei, on the other hand… the main heroine is a direct product of incest, the main hero is a also a product of incest on his biological father’s side, and the other main hero’s parents were cousins, and I surely don’t expect the incestuous aspect in JxD to be portrayed as toxic or morbid, but bittersweet and tragic. And of course, for all that house Targaryen is criticized and often presented in an appropriately bad light within the text, it’s not entirely villainized either—it’s still a powerful, borderline magical dynasty of prophesied heroes, so in a sense, the text almost justifies the need to ~~keep the blood pure~~.

Anonymous said:

The truth is easier for me to ship tyrion and dany than ship jon and dany, cause I loved the scene when dany gives tyrion the pin and other scenes between them but I haven’t feeling the scenes between jon and dany, I mean, was it that hard to at least kiss instead of going to the full boat sex?

Anonymous said:

Im glad im not the only one who didnt care for the boat sex. But like their entire build up this season, it was rushed. Meanwhile they dedicated a large chunk of an episode to greyworm and missendei sex which was nice but still. I wouldve like to have seen who made the first move. What their first kiss was like. How they even got to the bed. It like the door shut and then boom their naked lol. Also the narration with Bran ugh. Do they really think we need to be spoon fed this at this point?

I thought the boatsex was okay but somewhat underwhelming, both compared to how the leaks described it and to what I personally expected. It lacked build up, yes, like most of this storyline—most of the storylines in this season, actually. Bran’s voiceover made the whole thing kind of awkward rather than hot (who doesn’t want your younger brother talk over you while you’re fucking?). 

And the lack of a proper kiss scene is strange and anticlimatic. Kiss scenes are more important than sex scenes in fictional romances! And Jon and Dany didn’t get one! Why on earth? They had the perfect opportunity in the first boat scene, the one right after viserion’s death when Dany is comforting an injured Jon. They could have easily slipped a kiss in there, yet they went for that ridiculous “thank you dany” dialogue.

I still don’t want to read too much into this, because at this point I no longer expect any surprising twists from the show’s narrative, but I understand why people are buying into the ~undercover jon~ spec. Jon knocking on Dany’s door with the specific intent of making love to her (as opposed to the sex scene stemming naturally from a passionate kiss, for example) CAN give the impression of a stilted, calculated gesture on his part. 

Again, I don’t believe that’s the case (I’m much more inclined to blame the writing, as it’s not uncommon for male writers to use proper build up/slow burn only to a certain point and then squander it all with a perfunctory sex scene because they are under the impression that once the mutually romantic feelings are revealed to the audience there’s no need to ~waste anymore time~, which, ugh), but I get why it can come across this way. They had every opportunity to make it different, but they chose to film it this way, so it’s on them. In addition, the whole final episode was riddled with a ton of subtext about lying and even Jon’s reaction to being accused (by the whole dragonpit meeting team) and praised (by Theon) for telling the truth felt like he was hiding something. Also, his pouty “everybody tells me I’m too much like my father!” is kind of hilarious in hindsight, because his biological father was absolutely the type of man who’d initiate an affair with a woman if he believed it was necessary to save the world.

I believe Jon’s feelings for Dany are REAL, just like they were for Ygritte, buuuut that isn’t necessarily at odds with his having a second agenda about it. A second agenda that is in plain sight, he needs Dany and her dragons on his side, and he needs her to WANT to fight for the North, EVEN if that means forsaking the iron throne in the south, which a simple political alliance wouldn’t guarantee. The fact that he’s really falling for her is SUPER CONVENIENT, but that’s a systemic problem in Jon’s narrative, as especially in the show he’s hardly ever forced to make TRULY difficult or morally compromising choices.

#anon #asks #got asks for ts #got for ts #got wank #ship wank #boatsex for ts #got7 #jon x dany for ts #undercover jon for ts #crack theories