#Why are the four of you GREEN in my MIND-/lh | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dr3amofagame · 3 years

Text

so... the red banquet, huh?

im not going to lie, i was cheering on the eggpire the entire time (/lh) - what can i say, something abt the demon possessed resident evil crew just speaks to my heart. theyre FUN, ok?

anyway, a lot of people were theorizing abt what c!dream showing up at the banquet could look like - and, well, i thought i’d write my version of it. this takes place in the “guard dog au” developed primarily by a gc im in on twitter (@stabbysideblog being the main originator of it, do check sunny out !!) - the basic premise is post-getting the revive book from c!dream, c!quackity continues to get his, uh, “use” out of him by basically treating him as a bodyguard/guard dog as he goes around the server - which should probably give you a pretty good idea of how this is going to go :]

tws: death, grief, implied torture, starvation, abuse, blood, murder, unhealthy relationship, dehumanization, possession, trauma, mental illness, violence, dark content, dark imagery, emotional distress, mental instability, pandora’s vault/prison arc, c!quackity critical (not really, but a very dark portrayal of him)

A strangled sob claws its way up Puffy’s throat as she watches Foolish fall.

He drops in a spray of golden ichor in the crimson, brilliant green eyes trained on hers, jaw slack in horror, pain, dipping to the ground and whiting out before he’s even fully collapsed. The others’ screams hardly even meet her ears; all she can see is her son, falling, her son, dying, her son, that same sunlit kindness still held in the curve of his lips in this room that knows nothing but pain and betrayal, gone gone gone gone-

Because of her.

Ant’s still staring at her, pupils thinned to needles from the brightness of the lava at their backs, ears alert but stance entirely calm as he twirls his sword, still dripping gold. His mouth is moving but she cannot hear anything above the ring ring ringing in her ears, the world swirling and blurring dangerously from the tears gathering in her eyes and spilling over her cheeks, Ant’s eyes polished rubies where there had once been a cloudless sky. Bad gestures at the crowd, pushed back towards the lava’s fire in their fear, leaving her to stand in the middle of the room as one desperate dying scream, the egg, standing as a silent witness to it all-

“Bad-” a flash of blue, and there’s someone standing in front of her, shoulders pulled back, a diamond sword glittering their right hand, “Stop it.”

“Quackity.”’

Bad snarls, tail whipping back and forth; Puffy takes a step back, then another, shoulders still shaking in grief for her son, for her friends, for everyone who’s about to lose their lives in this twisted realm of crimson and hellfire. There is no fear on Quackity’s face though he stands unarmored, and for the first time in this awful day something like worry flashes over Bad’s face. There’s history here, she realizes - what did Bad say about Quackity attacking? - but none of this is making sense, not the self-assured way Quackity is carrying himself, wings relaxed and folded at his back, not the simmering unease making itself known in the foreign cadence of Bad’s voice.

“Oh my gosh, look at what you’ve done,” Quackity says, voice almost patronizing, like a parent stumbling in on the mess their child has made out of their bedroom, “this is impressive, I’m not going to lie, this is quite impressive.” Puffy swallows thickly, hears the shuddering gasp of someone behind her - Fundy, probably, or Sam - as Quackity’s voice drops. “You have to stop right now.”

“Stop?”

“This whole Egg thing is just getting out of control - you just killed a man,” Quackity stalks across the netherbrick floor like he has all the time in the world, ignoring the crossbows that the Eggpire has trained on his back, guarded only by the off-white shirt he’s wearing, an untied tie hanging limply around his neck. She sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth - my son, they killed my son, she means to say, but the words stick to the walls of her throat and only escape her lungs in another series of wracking sobs. “Is that what you wanted to do, Bad?”

He laughs - laughs, of all things, and there is something here that Puffy is missing, that isn’t clicking through the muddied fog of grief hanging grey and suffocating around her head, but Quackity is speaking again and she can’t think about it all, not now, “-and I’m not gonna have it anymore, Bad.”

He slips over by the crowd, eyes glancing all of them huddled in one fearful mob over the tables, eyes dark and daring and cold; the Eggpire keeps their eyes trained on him, Bad’s eyebrows furrowed, Ant’s muzzle twisted in a snarl. Puffy watches, their words passing over her like water skidding against the surface of a rock splitting a stream in two, heart thudding in her ears, marking out the heartsick beats in this poisoned melody - one-two, her-son, her-son, her-son-

He stops in front of her in the middle of monologuing, eyes trained on her own like he’s trying to tell her something. His eyes flick down and she follows their gaze to his other hand, the one not clasped around a sword handle, watches as he gestures vaguely in the direction of the Eggpire. She frowns, confusion cutting through the grief - what is he trying to say? - and Quackity sighs, index finger slashing in the air in the shape of what might be an A as he spins on his heel to walk back towards Bad and the others.

“So how about we just stop playing?”

Quackity smiles, teeth white and glittering from the lava’s glow even as the Eggpire surrounds him, pushes him back against the wall. Bad seems to hesitate, hand clasped around the trigger of a crossbow he keeps pointed at the other’s head; when he speaks, he almost sounds mournful.

“I can’t,” he mutters, quiet, stepping forwards as his shoulders straighten, pushing Quackity back in a motion that the others are quick to follow. Puffy watches, an awful sinking feeling falling through the hole left in her chest by the sight of her son, falling, her son, dead - watches as Quackity’s wings open, shine golden in the lava’s light - what is he planning?

“You know why I can’t stop.”

Quackity heaves a heavy sigh through his lungs, “Bad- you and all your buddies here, drop your weapons, and leave. Let all of these people go.”

“Or what?” Ant’s voice is sharp, but Quackity barely pays him a second thought, swinging a glare at his head and cutting him off.

“I’m not talking to you,” he laughs, dismissive, “I’m talking to Bad.”

“No-” Puffy watches as Bad’s hand tightens on his crossbow, punctuating the word with a step forward. “You put your weapon down. If you wanted to stop us?” He’s too close to Quackity for Puffy to make out either of their faces, crossbow bolt aimed and ready to send straight through his skull. She stiffens, sees from the corner of her eye as the ones beside her look away, and resigns herself to the inevitable spray of blood on brick - not again not again don’t make me watch again - “You should’ve brought more than just yourself.”

Quackity laughs.

“I did,” his voice is dangerous in its levity, making Bad, then the rest of the Eggpire step back as his wings spread open further, watching with bated breath and wide eyes as a swarm of white descends from a hidden hole in the wall, “Or, well, I did the next best thing. I brought my worst enemy.”

“What?”

“Alright Quackity, where’s this Egg thing?”

Technoblade jumps down into the room in a familiar purple-black blur of expertly enchanted netherite armor, form impeccable despite the seeming exhaustion in his voice. At his feet, a pack of wolves gather, pace, muscles coiled and clearly ready to strike; he rolls his shoulders back, signature fireworks loaded into his crossbow, and the crowd behind Puffy immediately breaks into shocked murmuring and soft cheers.

On Quackity’s other side, someone else flips into the room, wearing a suit of all things, crisp and well-pressed; Purpled grins, entirely too gleeful as the Eggpire presses back further, held off by the dogs swarming and growling at their feet.

“Purpled- we hired you!”

“To be frank with you, Bad, a sword appears in Purpled’s hand and he flips it casually, blade thin and gleaming, “Quackity just had the better price.”

“We- we still outnumber you!” Bad’s voice is a near-scream in its desperation, his tail lashing back and forth as he shifts his weight forward, “It’s four against three- we’ll still win-” Despite herself, Puffy’s mind spins; either way, they’re still at a disadvantage from sheer numbers alone, never mind Quackity’s lack of armor. Maybe if they all work together, they’ll be able to sufficiently stop them, but there’s no way she can see this ending in anything less than a bloodbath-

“I didn’t want for it to come to this, Bad,” Quackity’s voice drops low and sweet, the sincerity in his tone belied by his glittering eyes and jagged grin. The shift in tone sends a shiver down her back, has even his allies shifting uncomfortably in what seems to be confusion - Puffy catches something like a murmured no from Sam, behind her, before Quackity whistles, loud.

It all happens too fast for her to follow; one moment, the Eggpire is standing, weapons raised and ready to fight; the next, and there is a new netherite-clad figure in the middle of the room, signature sparks of purple from a pearl still glittering around them, axe buried into Antfrost’s chest. The room devolves into shrieks as his body dissolves, Bad gasping sharply and something dark bubbling in Puffy’s chest - good - as the newcomer in the room moves over to Ponk, bloodstained axe swinging in a downward arc, only barely stopped in time by a diamond sword catching on the crook of the blade.

“Go!” Quackity’s voice rings out above the chaos, and Techno and Purpled - seemingly shaken from their shock - fly into motion, fireworks bursting in flashes of red and black that send Puffy blinking out stars from her eyes, Purpled moving to match blows against Hannah and Techno’s army biting at the ankles of the Eggpire leader. Around her, people scream in relief, cheering as the Eggpire, clad in eggshell-blue, are pushed back one by one, hindered by a shifting wave of teeth and claws and clashing blades and netherite moving smoothly over the uneven floor - Bad screams, “RETREAT!”, and they disappear into the wall.

Purpled curses; “I’m going after them.” Puffy watches, still reeling, as he dives into the corridor that Bad had revealed, a flash of purple and blue melting into the shadows; the mystery figure - still hauling a heavy, bloodstained axe, nearly dragging against the floor - moves forward as to follow.

Quackity snaps his fingers, and the figure stops, turns, immediately moving to the winged man’s side. Behind her, Puffy can make out cheers, gasping, hysterical sounds of relief; she can’t join them, feels nothing but the shuddering weight of her grief pressing further on her lungs as the adrenaline fades, head dizzy with Foolish’ sharp gasp in pain, Ant’s yowl of agony. Her eyes flick to the side, catch on Sam pacing, muttering under his breath; when his eyes meet hers, they widen in something like - alarm?

She shakes her head; she can’t think about all of that, right now. Her hooves stumble over the vines and rot strewn over the floor, carrying her forward to the glitter of gold on red, to where her son had fallen and she could do no more but watch with a scream caught between her teeth.

A hand lands on her shoulder- “I’m sorry we couldn’t make it in time.”

She whirls around; Quackity’s looking down at her, face twisted in sympathy. Behind him, the armored stranger looms, hair long and tangled, helmet keeping their face in shadow and hiding their features from view. There’s something distantly familiar to them, in the way they shift from one foot to the other, something that makes her eyes narrow and throat tighten-

“Who are you?” The words tumble from her mouth, making Quackity freeze, jaw snapping shut, the figure behind him tensing almost imperceptibly under their armor. “Who-”

Quackity’s eyes are dark, piercing; she can’t read them, the flat line of his mouth as confusing as it is frustrating. His eyes flick up to somewhere over her shoulder before moving back to her own

“How rude of me,” He smiles, gold tooth glinting, “I didn’t even introduce our special guest.”

His right wing presses against their back, and they drop, immediately, to their knees, making her step back in shock. Quackity’s hand slips easily under the edge of their helmet, ripping it off with little care and letting their hair fall in a wave of dusty browns over their face; he pulls the strands back roughly, revealing the paleness to their skin, the hollows in their cheeks-

“Dream?”

Her breath shudders in her chest, eyes snapping up to Quackity, still smiling, hand still pressed against the back of his skull. Dream’s face is pale, thin, clawed with new scars that highlight the jut of his cheekbones and the dullness of his eyes. He looks up at her, eyes glassy, skin almost grey, and for a moment she’s looking at Foolish, eyes unseeing in death, the luster of his skin stolen like the air from his lungs, and she nearly screams.

“Puffy, Puffy,” Quackity murmurs, almost kind, “It’s alright, see? Everything’s fine now.”

“He- he’s supposed to be in prison,” she hisses, not missing how he flinches, not missing how even that is hindered by the hand braced against his head. He looks strangely small kneeling at Quackity’s side, dwarfed by the netherite he’s wearing; even with an axe strapped to his back, the blade still wet with crimson and reeking of iron and decay, he hardly looks like the villain that had terrorized the server, the son she could no longer recognize in the midst of the bridges he burned.

“Oh- don’t worry about him,” Quackity shrugs, wings fluttering, “It’s all being done with the Warden’s permission, Puffy, I know what I’m doing.” As if to prove his point, his hand tightens on the other’s hair, tugging his head back by the roots; Dream hardly even reacts, simply letting himself be manhandled, throat bare and exposed to the air, similarly criss-crossed by scars. “He’s perfectly well-behaved now, you see?”

Her throat closes, the pit in her gut torn open by the sight of her son with a blade skewered through his heart only growing wider, hungrier, by the dullness in the eyes of the other. Foolish’ death had happened too fast for her to react: one moment, he was staring at her, eyes mournful in goodbye; the next, he was a tumble of gold and green and blue against the floor, half of his name still not having left her lips. Dream’s head swivels to hers, face entirely blank; there is nothing quick written in the gauntness of his face, more scar tissue than skin, in the shadows under his eyes or how they seem to stare, unseeing, in the long, knotted strands of hair twisted over Quackity’s knuckles. He looks like he’s been dying, slowly, for months, and the screaming cry of YOU FAILED ringing in her head in Ant’s voice only grows louder.

“What did you-” the words scrape roughly against the inside of her mouth, “What did you do?”

Quackity shrugs, letting go, and Dream’s head tips forward to stare at the floor. “What had to be done.”

He clicks his fingers again, and Dream stands, falling behind Quackity with his shoulders pulled up to his ears. Quackity hands him back his helmet, keeping his hand stretched out, palm up, even after Dream takes the netherite and fastens it back over his head. Puffy watches, heart stuck in her throat, as Dream fiddles with something by his throat, pulls out a thick coil of iron chains, pressing the end to Quackity’s outstretched hand - the other side, she realizes, fastened around his neck.

Her breath stutters when he looks back at Quackity, gut roiling at the familiarity - it’s an imperfect copy of the way he used to look at her, a skittish shadow at her tail, all awkward smiles and fidgeting hands. Only now, his eyes don’t dance with the same light, his lungs shivering in fear instead of wheezing laughter; she watches as his head follows Quackity like he’s the only person in the room, a duckling imprinted on the nearest person and ready to follow to the ends of the world and further, and her heart shatters all over again.

“Anyway,” Quackity’s eyes soften, lips curled in sympathy, “My condolences, Puffy, for your son. It really is a tragedy.”

She watches him leave with tears in her eyes, a sob once again caught in her throat. The images overlap - Foolish, smiling under the sun’s glow, sitting on the roof of his summer home - Dream, grinning in the treetops, eyes as green as the leaves surrounding him - Foolish, falling in a spray of ichor and a gasp of pain, Dream, grey-eyed and silent, dead as the crimson rot surrounding his beaten body-

My condolences for your son, Quackity’s words echo in her skull, and not for the first time, she laughs miserably, tears falling from her eyes.

Which one?

203 notes · View notes

lufoursimpagetothemax · 2 years

Note

First off, Hi! Fire recommended your blog and I have been wanting more Four/Colors content.

I was wondering what your fav color was and why? I like Vio but Red is a close second. Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm not sure I could chose/lh.

Thank you!

Oh gosh. I don't really have a favorite per say since I enjoy seeing and making content of them all. I hyperfixate on each one at different points. So I'll just say why I like each one of them. Granted, some things will possibly have hcs mixed into them. So sorry about that.

Vio: I enjoy this lad due to his analytical mind being similar to my own. He's trying his best but doesnt have the right execution for his grander ideas. He does mean well. He's the more think and act, ask questions later. Whoch is simialr to Blue. I view them both as emotional sides to Link/Four. Just different sides of the spectrum in this case. Vio makes plana and gets end results without thinking of the consequences. Or, much like in the manga, he thinks of a plan, doesn't tell anyone about said plan, and gets really caught up in said plan to the point of bsing his way through things without a clear exist strategy. He's a smart lad, but it may just he he's the smartest out to the four links and I love that for him.

Red: This bab is a precious bean that wants to take care of those he views as family and friends. He wnats to get out there and prove he xan do things just as well as the rest of them. However, I view him as manipulative as heck too. Dude brings out the water works when he wants to get his way. He's a sneaky dude who I love to see content for. He's a sweetheart but also a gremlin. Each Color does fit a stereotype or archetype but I love to expand on it all. Red tries his best to help others with a smile. He's also an emotional side of Link but more so being on the empathic side of things. He understands each of the colors feelings more than they do themselves. Red is able to read people and use that to help the situation, when he's not being mischievous. I adore how soft and sweet he is while also having a hidden layer of sass he can unleash if he so chooses to.

Green: For me, it's hard to decipher him and distinguish him as his own character at times due to being unable to tell if I should characterize him based on Link or to give him his own things since he too is a color that was split. However, he seems to have more of Link's base personality than the others at different points throughout the manga. From what I can gather, he trusts in his team's abilities onces he gets past his own issues of a one man show. Green tries his best to he there for the others but also seems to feel upset with himself that the others went through so much more than he did when they were separated. It's a struggle but he tries to reach out a hand towards the others to better understand them, which I love to see. He's able to make up a plan but is able to allow the others in to change the plan if need be. Green is a difficult character for me to feel I am doing justice by which I dislike because I want to give him the spotlight too since he's just as important as any of the other characters.

Blue: Then you have Blue. I enjoy writing and seeing things about him too. He's a big teddy bear who's doing his best. He tries to be strong for the others while clearly unsure of himself. I connect with that in a way of feeling the need to be guarded but eventually coming out of that shell with the help of others. Much like Red did for Blue during their moments together in the manga. I love Blue a lot and want good thinks for him. He's struggling to let others in and I adore that he's willing to do that after shutting people out a lot. There's more to him than just being the tough guy. He's kind, caring, and strong for the others. He doesn't understand his own emotions and I feel he gets overwhelmed due to this. But he's trying to get better at understanding things or finding ways to cool himself down when his temper gets the best of him.

Overall, I dont really have a favorite boy per say due to being able to connect with each of them in varying ways. I apologize if this wasn't the exact answer you were wishing for but I do find things I enjoy with each of the others. However, a large portion of what i enjoy are mixes of mine and others hcs blending with canon from the manga. At the end of the day, theyre each unique and have wonderful things they can bring to the group.

#four swords blue link #four swords red link #blue link #red link #four swords vio link #vio link #four swords green link #green link #I swear I didnt forget blue in the og post. I accidently hit post before I was ready.#Like I said I dont really have a favorite per say and really enjoy each of the Colors a lot #Feel free to ask me anything else #four swords

9 notes · View notes

binch-i-might-be · 3 years

Note

Hey Ray! Just woke up about ten minutes ago. Saw your post about sending asks. Bad night’s sleep for me but 🤷🏻‍♂️. I might have an exciting day. Kinda waiting to hear from my brother because he was supposed to come visit for a few days like, 2 weeks ago, and the most concrete answer we’ve gotten since was today or tomorrow. I had a GREAT day with my Dad yesterday :) we FINALLY got to go to a local farm stand that sells fresh af produce and other local goodies and we got a BUTTLOAD of stuff (side note: for some reason, “buttload” is one of my most common phrases for emphasizing scope or amount, but I’m curious if I’ve been using it while writing comments or messages or asks with you 🤔 - I’m almost entirely sure that I picked it up from House [MD] and oh fuck. I just realized that I kinda wanna rant in a good way on the impact that show had on me in a great and meaningful way :’). That’s more so for messages though, not an ask. But I vividly remember this one scene where House is made to ration his pain pills, and he’s Not Doing Well ™️ and he kinda makes a scene in a place he shouldn’t to his boss saying something like “I’m in a buttload of pain, I need a buttload of pills”. And I think that undiagnosed chronic pain life is why that phrasing and moment always stuck with me, even though I MUCH preferred either the next episode or the one after that). Aaaaanyway. Long story long, I’m excited for today - in about an hour and a half, I have an appointment to see about getting prescription sunglasses because the pair that I got from this optometrist was/is the first of too many pairs of prescription glasses that I’ve gotten and have worn for more than a week or two. Like, I don’t like to walk out onto my porch without these glasses on. Like, it’s a BIG DEAL ™️ for me that I finally wear glasses like I’m supposed to (I can see adequately without glasses, but my glasses obviously help me quite a bit and they reduce eye strain). There are two reasons - one silly to probably everybody else but me which I’ll explain through a message at some point, and the other just really fucking helpful - that I think THIS is the pair that stuck, even though my three, maybe four pairs prior to this one were my literal dream pairs that I had been waiting to have my whole life, just about, in terms of style and fit of the frames. But one of those two reasons is because I got transition lenses to help with my recently worsened sensory sensitivity to light. But yeah. They help a lot, but with the summer here, I’ve realized that even the transition lenses don’t help me with how fucking BRIGHT things are, and since they have my prescription and are probably the nicest glasses people I’ve ever worked with, I figured I’d go and check it out. I also can’t wait to read your replies to my recent comments on Green Eyes - funny, I just noticed there, how similar my mind views /Green Eyes/ and /Thin Ice/ 🤔 and I’m gonna stop this ask because I think I’ve been typing this a LITERAL half hour and I was supposed to take a med :P

Hi AJ!

Oof, hope you're alright and that your day was/is going good!

Ohhh that sounds great!! Fresh af produce SLAPS

(honestly I can't actually remember an instance where you've used it? you might have, but if you did, it's not overused)

God, I used to binge House MD! I loved that show a couple years ago, and I would love to get back into it :')

I remember that scene! And tbh I love this man even though he's a massive dick, but like, a justified dick?? He's in pain, give him a break!

I don't know a lot about glasses or prescriptions, but I hope it works out for you! I also have some sort of sensory sensitivity issues with light, I literally can't see shit when the sun is shining and I NEED my sunglasses lmao

Mine don't have prescriptions tho, even though I probably do need glasses with a very low prescription, but I'm too lazy to go find some glasses people lol

Ha, I kinda got a lil excited in some places in my replies! Hope you don't mind lmao

AJ LMAO take your med before you type out an ask for me for half an hour!!! /lh

#ask #AJ :)

6 notes · View notes

fleshlycolored · 3 years

Note

If you don't mind me asking, what do you all look like in the headspace?

Hi! Beta answering!

So what ⟟ look like in the headspace is shoulder length hair thats ombré from brown to red, it covers one of my eyes which change on my mood because it’s my fucking headspace ⟟ do what ⟟ want lmaoo. Clothes for me will usually range from ⏃ suit to ⏃ hoodie and some jeans. Maybe ⏃ dress every now and then.

Basil looks like this

He has blue eyes and he mostly wears hoodies or button downs with jeans

Antares constantly changes her appearance idk why but she currently has brown wavy shoulder length hair and green eyes with freckles, she usually wears dresses or long sleeved shirts with dress pants

Nick looks like this as of rn (he also changes his appearance ⏃ lot it’s ⏃ pain lmaoo/lh)

He also wears jeans and some mushroom related socks most of the time

Anyways yeah that’s the four of us!

#beta makes text #bas makes text #bas does post #mic✨#asks #constellation system

7 notes · View notes

bills-pokedex · 4 years

Text

SWSH Launch Event #1

[BEGIN TRANSMISSION]

[Video begins with a close-up of LH. Camera shakes before she backs away to reveal BILL’S LAB. A set of teleporter pods stand against the back wall. BILL stands facing them, hands on his hips, beside a panel halfway between the camera and the pods; LH joins him a few seconds later. She leans down and begins typing on a keyboard on the panel.]

BILL: Is it up?

LH: Running. [pause] Are you sure you want to record this?

BILL: It’ll be easier to transmit this way. Besides, I’ve always recorded my experiments like this. You never know what might come in handy later. Trust me. [looks at her] Now, you know what to do, right?

[LH reaches into a pocket on her skirt and pulls out a vial of an unidentified green liquid.]

LH: Load the sample. Wait for your signal. Hit the button.

BILL: And that’s why I trust you. [claps hands together] Okay—showtime. Wish me luck.

[LH rises to her full height.]

LH: Wait.

BILL: Hmm? You’re not having second thoughts, are you?

LH: What? No! I—aren’t you the one who’s supposed to have second thoughts?

BILL: Well, not in this case. [shrugs, faces the teleporter] Remember, Lanette. I’ve built this system myself. Of course I trust it. The likelihood of something going horrendously wrong is… [pause] Well, the important thing is there’s at least a 90% chance that if anything happens, I can easily reverse it.

LH: What about the 10%?

BILL, quickly: Don’t worry about it. Anyway! Off I go!

LH: Wait!

[BILL stops and swings around to face her.]

BILL: You are having second thoughts.

LH: N-no. I mean … I-I just thought…

BILL: Yes?

LH: You’re not going in there like that, are you?

[BILL looks down at himself.]

BILL: Like what?

[LH turns just enough for her expression of deep concern to be visible.]

LH: Y-you know. Like that. Clothed.

BILL: You want me to undress in front of you?

LH: No! I mean … would that—[motions to BILL]—cause any problems?

BILL: No. Should it? It hasn’t before.

LH: But … according to the laws of physics, you … where do your clothes go? I mean, do they—

BILL: Oh, I get it. You’re stalling.

[BILL walks over and puts both his hands on LH’s shoulders.]

BILL: Listen. Lanette. I don’t normally like to admit this, but I’ve done this before. I’ll be fine, all right? I’ll come out of there in one piece, mentally the same Bill you’ve always known. I’ll spend a week like that, and then, we’ll come back here, and with you manning the controls, I’ll be back to my old self again. You’ll see. Just relax, okay? [presses her chin with the side of an index finger] It’ll make the transition easier for the both of us. Promise me you’ll relax.

[beat]

LH, nodding: Okay. I’ll relax.

BILL: Atta girl.

[BILL moves to one of the teleporters and steps inside. While holding the door open, he leans back out.]

BILL: Okay, load it!

[LH takes a deep breath and loads the vial into a slot by the keyboard.]

LH: Armed. Waiting for your signal.

BILL: Right. [closes the door] Go!

[LH hits a button. Both doors of the teleporter clang—locked and ready. The windows within each door fill with light, and the whole mechanism whirs to life. It’s not a roar or anything spectacular—just an increasingly loud whir laced with a hiss and the crackle of electricity. LH looks up and watches, her body tense while the lights of the teleporter flash. And then, half a minute later, the whole thing bangs, and both doors clang open to release a cloud of steam or smoke. LH stumbles back, then catches herself. After another pause, she runs to stand in front of the teleporter.]

LH, through coughing: Bill? Bill! Are you—are you okay?!

[A shape crawls out of one of the teleporter’s pods. LH takes a quick step forward, then a hesitant one. The shape rises up onto its haunches, and the smoke clears enough to reveal a flygon standing before the teleporter. It blinks, then fixes its eyes on LH, stretches its wings, and roars. LH backs away, but the flygon drops to all fours and crawls towards her.]

LH, quietly: B-Bill?

[The flygon rises to its hind legs again, stares down at her … then presses one set of foreclaws to its face and laughs.]

BILL: Blazes! I hope the camera got the look on your face!

LH, instantly serious: Will of the Titans, Bill. You’re stupidly impossible sometimes, you know that?

BILL: Sorry. Sorry. I couldn’t resist.

[LH starts towards the camera]

LH: Yes, well, if you’re done messing around, how do you feel? Everything … I don’t know. Everything feels fine, right?

[BILL leans forward and stretches his wings again]

BILL: Perfectly so. Or, well, all things considered.

LH, a little gentler now: What do you mean?

[BILL shifts his eyes to look at her]

BILL: I mean, it feels a little strange being something taller and heavier than my human self for once. And something with working wings, too! I wonder if—

LH, off screen: Wait! Bill! Don’t—

[BILL flaps his wings, generating a gust of wind and sand that kicks up papers and debris around him. LH shrieks, and the camera goes flying.]

[END TRANSMISSION]

---

{And so we begin the SWSH Launch Event! (Yes, we’re early, lmao.)

The askbox is now open, and priority will be given to asks that suggest things for Bill and Lanette to do.

How do you send in suggestions? First, make sure your ask has the term SWSH LAUNCH in it.

After that, be creative! You can suggest things by sending in asks (asking Bill/Lanette how they’re doing, if they’ve tried something, etc.) or literally by sending in commands (”go try this,” etc). And yes, you can practically suggest anything you want, and there’s a good chance that it will be explored. Note: I say “good chance” because obviously, any ask suggesting anything physically impossible, illegal, or nsfw-y will either be responded to with snark or straight-up ignored. Please be mindful that this is a woman and her pet flygon traveling to/through Galar, fully intending on not getting arrested. Other than that, have fun!

This event will run for a week at minimum, until the end of the month at max, depending on how many asks we get, how much fun the event is, and how quickly the storyline wraps up. In-universe, everything that happens from here until wrap is happening within a week.}

#long post #swsh launch event #pokemon bill #masaki sonezaki #bill pokemon

32 notes · View notes

calliecat93 · 6 years

Text

Callie Reviews: TMNT 2012 Season One (Part Three)

(Part One) (Part Two)

Here is where we look at the season as a whole. For this, I will be looking at four things: Animation, Voice Acting, Characters (Heroes, Villains), and Story. I’ll be going more into depths about some stuff I skimmed over here as well. So lets dig in!

Animation

This is the Turtles first CGI show... okay yeah the 2007 movie was CGI, but that was a movie. When I first heard this, I was reluctant as I felt like 2D was becoming more and more of a lost out. But the CGI was really good! Mind you it looks a tad bit dated now as every season they pushed more and more to improve it. But still, it’s very well done. I can’t recall any point where I thought it looked bad or cringy...aside form when they wanted you to cringe anyways. What helps is that the show does add in some 2D elements, There’s the comic-style flashbacks of course, but even past that. They use these anime-like quirks like the sweatdrop, blushing, wide blank eyes when reacting in shock, vein burst when a character is angry, all these tiny little things that give it a more cartoony feel. I can’t recall any other Nickelodeon CGI shows that were doing this prior, so it helped it stand out among the other shows.

Another plus side? The character designs. Aside from a few background characters they re-colored, none of the important characters look the same. Like I know that some don’t like April’s design, but at least they gave her and Karai their own distinct character designs. Then there are the Turtles. Something I don’t like about the upcoming show is how much.. accessorizing they add in to make the Turtles look distinctive. 2k12 kept it very simple. Different heights, eye color, shade of green, and of course body build. For example Donnie, the genius who is mroe invested with machines than training, is both the tallest and most slender. Raph, the strongest, is the most buff and Mikey, the youngest, has larger eyes and freckles to show his child-like nature.And even with Raph,a ll four boys have kind of high school athlete-like builds. Nothing over the top like say... the Michael Bay films. Basically, I can believe that these guys can do the ninja-like agility more than I can with the overly buff, giant versions that have been used.

When ti comes to the mutants, the animators get creative. There are so many unique mutant sin the show. Snakeweed, Spyder Bytez, Dogpound, Fishface, Splinter, Leatherhead, all the mutants have their own unique design that work for them. They also know when to get creepy, like with the mish-mash... thing... from The Alien Agenda. That was disturbing as heck, and it’s not even the creepiest one they come up with! Oh just wait for next season, haha... but yeah, mutant designs are great!

Now the settings are kinda... meh. I mean The Lair is cool, but it’s mostly just either the the Lair, the New York landscape, Shredder’s lair, or an empty warehouse most of the time. It’s nothing really... creative I guess is the right word. We also don’t explore new York much, mainly settling on skyscrapers as the setting. It’s understandable why since New York is the setting, but still it juts gets kind of boring after awhile. But for what it’s worth, they do try to do creative stuff when they can like in Baxter’s Gambit with the black and white screens.

And of course, there is the fight choreography. As I said before, it’s fantastic. All the fights in the series are fluid, well-paced, and fun to watch. If I had to give some examples off the top of my head, there’s New Friend, Old Enemy when the Turtles rise form the water. The mix of black and red is absolutely perfect. There’s the first fight against Shredder in The Gauntlet which despite the boys getting constantly knocked down by Shredder, they give it everything they have. It looks freakin’ badass. Then there is any Splinter fight scene. There’s not many, only about three in this season (It Came From the Depths, I, Monster, The Showdown two-parter) but they are excellent. I said that the Splinter vs Shredder fight was the best and nothing after ever topped it, right?

So yeah, if I was going to rate the animation on a 1-5 scale...

Rating: 4.5

Voice Acting

The series was voice directed by veteran Andrea Romano, so you know that the performances are gonna be solid. As far as casting goes, they got in a LOT of big names both in the voice acting industry and out. There’s of course Greg Cipes (Mikey), Mae Whitman (April), Nolan North (The Kraang), Kevin Michael Richardson (Shredder), Phil Lamar (Stockman), Clancy Brown (Dogpound) and of course Rob Paulsen (Donnie). Rob’s casting was actually a pretty big deal as along with being a veteran with nearly 30 years of experience, he was also the voice of Raph in the original 80′s show. So getting him back even as a different Turtle? Yeah... that’s pretty big!

Then you have more well-known on-screen actors, like Sean Astin (Raph) and Kelly Hu (Karai). Now they both actually have very solid VA-ing careers and still do voice work to this day, but if you’re say... a Lord of the Rings fan and known Sean only for that, this may entice you. The newcomers to voice acting are Jason Biggs (Leo), Christian Lanz (Fishface) and Hoon Lee (Splinter). There’s also guest actors like Jeffrey Combs (The Rat King) and Roseanne Barr (Kraang Prime), so a solid mix of professional voice actors and a few newcomers. The result?

The voice acting is fantastic. Like even as the show goes on and you see more and more mixed reception, the acting is NEVER one of the things you see go down. If anything, it is one aspect that continues to improve episode by episode. All four Turtle actors do an amazing job conveying their characters, able to go from comedic to dramatic in a split second. I’d say that out of everyone, Hoon Lee impressed me the most since he’s the only one aside from Biggs (and... e’ll talk more about him next season) I hadn’t heard of. And he gave a very solid performance. Everyone did. Even for just minor characters like Pulverizer (Roger Craig Smith... yes Pulverizer is Sonic the Hedgehog) or some of the villains like Snake (Danny Jacob who voices King Julian outside the Madacgascar films) or Spyder Byte (Lewis Black), they convey their characters perfectly. Like Black’s character is a rude slob you want to punch, and he does such a great job in making you feel that way!

So yeah, you got a strong cast, a veteran voice director, and a crazy group of characters for them to voice. All of them nail it. And just wait, this is only the S1 cast. Wait until you see who they bring in for future seasons!

Rating: 5

Characters

As I said in Part One, this is the best part of the show. I know a lot of people who fell off TMNT as it went on, but still kept interest because of the characters. To me, this is always the most important part of storytelling. Yes having a good story itself is important, but a good story will be nothing without likeable characters to move it. A cliched story may be annoying, but if the characters are likeable and strongly written, people are usually more forgiving because they care about the cast. This show is no different. To this day, the thing that kept me attracted to the show was the Turtles, April, and Splinter and what they’d get into next. All of them have strong personalities that get you to care about them, or at least see where they’re coming from. I could gush about each of them one by one... so on we go!

Lets start with Mikey because he is the least developed this season... and most of the show sadly. I’d even say that his focus episodes dropped massively in quality after this season as he was forced mroe and mroe into the comedy relief/designated victim/little brother role. It’s a shame too because this season did an excellent job in balancing out both the comedy relief and the more innocent side of the character. Mikey is the most naive of the brothers and the least serious among them. It’s not to say that he can’t take situations seriously, it’s just that he’s more easy-going and fun-seeking than the other three. His biggest problem is his inability to focus and goof around, which has caused several instances of accidentally setting off alarms.

While not the best of the four, Mikey is a talented ninja and the best at going off just raw talent. He doesn’t think through fighting moves, he can just go with the flow and be perfectly fine. His strongest skill hpwever is his empathy and desire to make friends. While this has backfired on him before, like in New Friend, Old Enemy, where Bradford used and then kidnapped him for a trap, Mikey is incredibly non-judgemental and open-minded. It’s why he could befriend Leatherhead so easily in It Came From the Depths. He saw that the Kraang were attacking him and decided to simply talk to him like he would anyone else, even pointing out that maybe LH only acts like a monster because that’s how he was treated for so long. Mikey may not be book smart, but he’s very emotionally smart. As I said, Mikey’s character sadly devolves into annoying comedy relief as it goes, but for this season he had a strong start. No meaningful development aside form slow progression on paying attention (Parasitica being the final payoff... also if you’re afraid of wasps then avoid that one), but his character is strong enough to carry him through.

Raph is the brawler of the group and the quickest to anger. Hie’s the strongest fighter and incredibly confident... unless he has to deal with bugs. His biggest flaws are his both his anger and his jealous towards Leo. The first half of the season has Raph frequently back-talks and argue with Leo all because he got made the leader over him. For example, in Never Say Xever he is unhappy with Leo using mercy because bad guys don’t deserve it. Leo does eventually use the more Raph-like approach when kidnapping Bradford... and it fails miserably. What saves them? Leo’s act of mercy causing the Purple Dragon to repay the favor sand saving their shells. While he does slowly get a better grip on his temper once Splinter tells him of how dangerous it can be (Turtle Temper), it takes until New Girl in Town for him to overcome his jealousy once and for all. It’s very well done too by having Leo finally get fed up and give Raph what he wanted. Ultimately Raph can’t handle the pressure once things get rough and comes to understand both what Leo deals with essentially every day and how his own actions made it worst.

After that, Raph becomes the perfect example of a follower. While he’s still question Leo, he has good reasons for it, like everything involving Karai for instance. But he actively looks out for him more and stops mocking him outside just brotherly messing around. And even during that point, while Raph could be an insensitive jerk, he does love his family and will make amends when he goes too far. When he mocked Mikey wanting friends in New Friend, Old Enemy, at the end he comforted him after the fallout with Bradford and assured him that he’s a good person. When he mocked Donnie’s crush in Operation: Break-Out and led to Donnie going on a mission solo, Raph was worried about him, realized that he way too harsh, and tried to make amends by giving Donnie all the credit once back home. While Raph doesn’t conquer his temper completely, over the season he does get a better grip on it, can admit when he goes to far, became overall nicer, and by the end is a much better person. It was good stuff!

Donnie is probably the most... divisive of the four. Not because he’s badly written per say. He’s intelligent, but also high-strung and prone to stress. He’s not a bad ninja, but because of his focus on machinery, he’s the least skilled. The two episodes that focus on this are Metalhead and Monkey Brains. Metalhead has an admittedly meh plot where he gets sick of his bo staff and therefore creates the robot Metalhead to act as his weapon. The ‘meh’ plot is IDT it addresses the message of ‘the weapon doesn't make you a good fighter, you do’ very well, ut still Monkey Brains does a much better job, demonstrating Donnie’s tendency to over-think everything and how that is detrimental in a fight. By the climax, he’s able to get himself to rely on his instincts against a mind-reading villain (we’ll get to him later) and kick his ass.

Then there’s The Pulverizer episodes, which are the most interesting but sadly don’t go anywhere after this season. It has Donnie accept Pulverizer as an apprentice of sort, mainly so the kid can have some form of self-defense if he’s going to put himself into danger. It’s ultimately ineffective, but mainly because of Pulverizer wanting to rush and not listening properly. The most important part though is Splinter telling Donnie that by doing this, anything that happens involving him after will be his responsibility. Which we see in The Pulverizer Returns where Pulverizer decides ot let the Foot mutate him to gain awesome mutant powers. Donnie tries to save him, but sadly he fails and Pulverier.. it’s not pretty. While Donnie does still save him after, he’s left with the guilt of ultimately failing his student. I’ll go into mroe about how horribly the writers wasted this next season, but here? It was interesting to give Donnie this plot since you’d expect t to go to say... Leo. I think it really worked for what it was worth and let us see a side of Donnie outside just being the smart one.

So with that said, why is he divisive? Well... it’s because another major part of his character is his crush on April. He doe snot... manage it well, to say the least. He is rather, well... stupid and kinda creepy with it. But I do want to point this out. Yes, it is annoying but I think there’s a good reason for it: he’s an awkward teenager. Yeah him asking her to feel his goosebumps (Metalhead), accidentally calling her ‘his April (The Gauntlet), accidentally saying awkward things when she acknowledges him (pick any episode) are incredibly facepalm worthy at best. And yeah, they should have done better setup than have him just find her pretty when seeing her once. However he does genuinely care about her and int he premiere, he was driven more because he saw an innocent girl scared and was unable to help than his newfound crush. The feelings are genuine and Donnie being awkward about is because... well, Donnie is awkward in general and he does slowly improve. Honestly I’ll have mroe to discuss about this next season cause haha... boy is THAT a clusterfuck. But ultimately while Donnie can be annoying, overall it’s pretty bearable and he has plenty of positive traits to balance it out.

Finally, we get Leo. He’s the group leader, but unlike the past series where he pretty much grew up with that role, here he gets the role halfway through the first episode. He starts as a goody-two-shoes with a mischievous side who had a very basic view of leadership. He see sit as a position of authority, greatness, and unstoppable. That’s not to say that he doesn’t take the role seriously, he does. He devises plans, does his best to keep his brothers focused, and frequently asks Splinter for advice on how to best do things. But he also frequently uses cheesy one-liners and does his best to be as over the top with his heroics as possible, thinking it’s cool when it isn’t. It gives Leo a more naive feel to him, someone who is serious but also is still a teenaged kid who has a lot of learning to do.

The pressures of leadership are Leo’s primary focus as a character. While he has some doubts, the biggest blow to his confident comes in The Gauntlet after there massive defeat against Shredder. The following episode has him unsure of if he can properly lead the team and feeling guilty when things go wrong. But the ultimate meltdown comes in New Girl in Town where Raph finally pushes him too hard and he quits. He’s realized at this point that leadership is not like it is on TV. it’s unforgiving, stressful, and you’re gonna be the one facing the consequences when things go wrong. His difficulty dealing with this is what attracts him to Karai. She’s fun, does whatever she wants, and doesn’t care about the rules. She offers him a form of freedom that he hasn’t had before. It’s why he tries to get her to change sides, he doesn’t want her to be an enemy. Unfortunately things end badly between them this season, but you can see where Leo is coming form no matter how naive he was about it.

Leo evolved a lot over the season. He went from a naive teenager who quoted old TV episodes to a serious, determined leader who was willing to do whatever it took to get his team through. He never quit being optimistic and he does still have his stress with leadership later down the road. But the season is about him easing not the role an understanding the weight of that role. It’s very easy to feel bad for Leo because he tries incredibly hard, but he doesn’t receive a lot of gratitude or payoff, and he just has to accept that. By the finale, he’s willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure both success and his family's safety... something that becomes a bit of an issue in later seasons (looking at you Space Arc). I’d say that because we got to see Leo actually having to come to terms with the role, it makes this imo the best version of the character. We actually have to see him accept the role and how he hate show it limits his free time, something IDT the past versions really did. And all while having this dorky, idealistic side that keeps him likable and all the mroe relateable. Overall, I’d say that the leader in blue was handeled very well here!

April is my favorite character in the show, but her writing this season has some issues. Now as a character herself, she’s perfectly fine. She’s an independent sixteen year old and incredibly proactive. Whenever she finds info on the Kraang or about her dad, she looks into it. When everyone is ready to quit in Panic in the Sewers, she’s the only one who actively tries to do something and get everyone else to not give up. When Splinter offers to train her, she accepts it and we see bits and pieces of her progressing. But it’s done realistically as demonstrated in Karai’s Vendetta where it’s very clear that April is nowhere near her level. But it also demonstrates her determination and how she never gives up, getting back up after every blow and at east trying to put up a fight. While she’s forced to sit most things out and does on occasion get kidnapped, she still tries to be an asset and does very well as an intel gatherer. She’s also incredibly stubborn and can get in over her head without thinking things through, like in Metalhead and the finale episodes. But ultimately her proactiveness and need to take action are her strongest traits and what makes her a useful ally.

The issues with April are in the writing of the plot. I already mentioned how the early episodes could have done mroe in having her ease into the group. There’s also after Karai’s Vendetta where despite living with the guys, we don’t see her until the penultimate episode. We see her express hating it in that episode, but we don’t get to explore the fallout of her losing her normal life. In fact we...d on’t see April’s life outside Turtle stuff until next season, and even then not by much. Now of course the show is about the Turtles and you gotta keep the focus on them, but still we get a bunch of ‘show, don’t tell’ problems with April. We’re told things like she’s living with her aunt, but we never see them interact. Hell, IDT April’s aunt is ever mentioned outside the pilot. We also find out that April is the Kraang’s target... and we never see how she feels about it. If she’s scared, if she’s worried. We can assume that she has some stress about it, as indicated when she vents in Karai’s Vendetta, but little to no showcase of how she feels about it. Mind you we don’t with the Turtles either, but still. Still, overall April is a solid character imo.

That brings us to Master Splinter, the best written character by far. Splinter is the perfect balance of a mentor and a father. He’s firm, strict, and not afraid to dish out punishment when it’s necessary. But he’s also gentle, patient, knows how to give his sons proper guidance, and when to let them figure things out for themselves. He’s also snarky as Hell, so it’s good that he has a sense of humor. He’s also a flawed person. He lost his wife and daughter because of hat is essentially a sibling rivalry that went WAAAY too far and his own inability to control himself worsened things. He lost his family and then his humanity, ending his life as Hamato Yoshi. Since then, he’s hidden int he sewers and tried to focus his energy on raising and protecting his sons. It makes letting them go topside difficult, as it is for any parent whose children are growing up. He can make mistakes, like letting his fear control him and press his sons far too hard in Panic in the Sewers, but he can admit those mistakes.

Splintr’s largest plot in the season, outside mentoring the boys and April, is accepting his mutant status and overcoming his fears. Many epsiodes such as the premiere, Turtle Temper, Monkey Brains, Panic in the Sewers and the finale show how much pain the rat master carries and while he’s move don to a new life, it still haunts him. The episode that best displays this however is a filler episode called I, Monster. In it we get this version of the Rat King, the mind reading villain from Monkey Brains, who uses his power to swarm New York. When he senses Splinter, he proceeds to try and brainwash him too. The episode does an amazing job at showcasing all of Splinter’s fears. The boys outgrowing him, his past tragedies, ending up alone, and the Rat King slowly uses all of it to break him down. Splinter fights back, but the thought of the boys moving on without him is ultimately what defeats him until the boys remind him of who he is. He is Hamato Yoshi, Master Splinter, but most of all their father. They need him and always will. Which lets Splinter overcome the mind control and essentially Airbend Rat King through a wall. It was awesome~

Despite that episode being filler, it’s one of the season's best. It is a strong character exploration piece about a father who has gone through Hell and is faced with the fear of his kids not needing him. It is very relatable and makes Splinter all the mroe sympathetic. And we see Splinter truly embody who he is now when faced with the Shredder again and upon learning that his daughter had survived. He went into full rat mode and gave Shredder the beating that we all wanted. And the season ends on a perfect lead in for the next one. Splinter now knows that Karai is his daughter while she was raised to hate him. It’s any parent’s worst nightmare. He now has to deal with that revelation as well as how he’s going to break it to his students. Splinter has some solid growth int he season, something that a lot of mentor figures in cartoons don’t get, and it’s done perfectly. He has his flaws, but is still a strong father figure to his sons. Add that to Hoon Lee’s absolute perfect performance and you have what is in my opinion the best incarnation of Master Splinter in any TMNT series.

While the main cast is strong, the supporting cast and villains are... not so much. There isn’t really a supporting cast honestly. The best we have is Leatherhead, who is awesome. He’s a damaged character. One treated like a monster and tortured for who knows how long. It left him damaged and prone to trauma-induced outbursts. But he is a good person who knows that what happened to him was wrong and can be quite sweet when given the chance. He didn’t have to save humanity, especially since most would scream and run if they saw him, but he didn’t want anyone else to endure what he did. It’s best exemplified with his sacrifice in TCRI, going back to Dimension X and knowing fully well what’ll await him there. But he does so to save his friends and give them the chance to save the Earth. LH is freakin’ badass and I love him!

The villains though are... kinda boring. Most of the mutants, while the designs are cool, are incredibly one-note. Not all of them, like the Rat King is so dramatic and twisted and his VA does such a great job with the delivery that you both love him and want to strangle him. But others like Snakeweed or Spyder Bytez are just... well, evil for the heck of it. The Kraang are the worst though since at least the mutants are only in like one or two episodes. The Kraang are annoying as HELL. They can be dangerous but the redundant speech pattern and all fo them having essentially the same personality (aka none) is so... boring. Min you in Season 4 we kind of get an explanation to why, but it doesn't change how grating they can get. That being said in large groups they can be dangerous and with things like the Technodrome, they’re not to be taken lightly. Still, GAH I HATE THEM!!!

The Foot are somewhat better. Stockman is pathetic and remains pathetic throughout the entire series. Bradford is a pompous asshole. Xever is a little more interesting in that he kidn of was forced to work for Shredder or go to jail... but sadly after that reveal, he reverts to typical henchman status sadly. Shredder is the Big Bad and a no-nonsense leader. He has no empathy and is more than willing to inflict physical violence on his troops if they fail him. He even threatens to harm Karai, his daughter (kinda...) if she questions him. He is a very single minded perosn, his only goal beign to kill Splinter and his students by any means necessary. Hell. he only starts caring about the Kraang when he realizes that they can advance his goal, but has zero issues letting humanity fall to them. Oh, and there’s his glee when Karai tries to kill Splinter. WOrst? THis isn’t even the worst that he does int he show. Oh just wait for next season. JUST WAIT. Otherwise though, while a powerful fighter, he just mopes in his throne for most of the season, but Richardson’s badass voice acting was nice to hear.

The most interesting villain by far is Karai, and Thank God for it. While Leo is a good-good, Karai is a bad girl. She’s laid-back, does what she wants her way, and doesn’t play by the rules. She’s introduced as a competent fighter, but unlike the other Foot she’s more interesting in talking to the Turtles than killing them. I think she did become genuinely fond of Leo, but ultimately she’s going to be loyal to what she thinks is her family. She also started off realizing that there were bugger problems, like the Kraang, that required more attention over the vendetta until the Turtles betrayed her. Then she pretty much went ‘screw it’ and decided to go with the vendetta, which only got worst when she met Splinter for the first time. Still, ti was nice to have someone actually question Shredder and try to be sensible. She’s definite the most well-written of the villains, and the revelation about her being Splinter’s daughter means that there is MUCH more to come for her. Like I said, just wait for Season 2!

Okay, this section was a LOOOT longer than I thought. So I’ll just finish by saying that the villains aren't all that interesting, but the main characters are very well written. They have strong personalities, plenty of room for growth, and their interactions always gel really well. Very well done!

Rating: 4.5

Story

The main plot threads are the Turtles against the Foot, and the Turtles feud against the Kraang. All with some subplots, like Pulverizer and the mutant of the week stuff, and filler episodes thrown in. I say that the plots are handled very well. For example well go with... say two or three Kraang-centric episodes. Then we may or may not get a filler episode before shifting over to the Foot Clan for awhile. It never felt like we got smothered with one faction over the other, which is good. The plots also slowly intertwined and it felt like they came together at just the right time during the last six or so episodes. Hence hwy the finale worked so well, giving some kind of payoff on both ends.

Many of the episodes were very basic and outright bizarre. Like Cockroach Terminator having a mutant cockroach tr to murder Raph... it’s kinda gross, but entertaining! Every episode normally has at least something small that’ll carry over as the story goes along. For example, Donnie built Metalhead in... well, Metalhead and brought him back in the finale, plus it helped him learn mroe about Kraang tech. In Baxter’s Gambit, April finally gets her own weapon and she attempts to use it in Karai’s Vendetta. The episodes all play a part, even if just minor, in the larger narrative and I feel some of the later seasons kind of slacked on that. This season had a perfect balance.

That’s not to say that it was perfect. Like at the end of TCRI, we find out that April is the Kraang’s true target which makes us wonder why... and the next episode is about Raph’s fear of bugs! So TCRI was episode 17, we don’t even mention this fact again until Karai’s Vendetta, which is episode 21. Five episodes later, and even then we get one tiny hint (April doesn't get damaged by mutagen-laced water) and... that’s it. The.show has a bit of an issue with not exploring fallout, which is weird because Panic in the Sewers did and id it excellently. Maybe it’s because they have to make episodes to sell toys, IDK. It doesn't do too much damage, but it makes it feel like they both wasted character opportunities and like there’s something missing. But at the very least the episodes remain entertaining, so there’s that.

Rating: 4

Final Thoughts

You know what I like about this series and why I ran it above the other ones? Well it does something that I feel that the previous incarnations lacked: The Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles felt like teenagers. They felt like a bunch of kids truly entering the world for the first time. They screw up, they have problems to overcome, and they don’t always learn it immideatly. Like their cockiness is a frequent pain in the shell for example. But the reason that I like pretty much all of the episodes aside form Episode 11 is because it feels like we’re watching a group of kids truly starting to grow up and learn about how rough life can be. How they have to change, how they have to fix their mistakes, and just become better people. As a nineteen year old who was just staring to figure my life out, when I started the show, that drew me in. I related to these characters so much. I felt like I was growing with them and coming to understand who I was due to it.

It felt really nostalgic to go back over this season. Imo, it still holds up big time. It’s funny, action-heavy, well animated, and the characters are just as enjoyable as I remember. Would I call this the best season? Hmm... maybe. I still have three more to look over. But it was a really fun ride and it got TMNT 2012 off on the right track. Can they stay on it during Season 2? Come back next week, and we shall see!

#tmnt #2k12 #tmnt 2012 #callie reviews

12 notes · View notes

itsworn · 5 years

Text

Graveyard Gold with Mark Worman

Mark Worman here. The Undertaker, The Dream Maker, The Love Taker, don’t you mess around with me. Wait, I think that last moniker may harbor the vaguest hint of plagiarism. Yes, my legal team is advising me to cease and desist using that title.

OK, OK, so I ripped off Pat Benatar, so what? “It doesn’t matter who said them first, I am passing my wisdom on to you …” said Sir David Brent. All right, fine, I admit I don’t write all of my material, I may have borrowed a few lines from TV and movies, so what? Robert W. Thompson may have been credited with first inventing the tire, John Boyd Dunlop, the second, but you don’t need their names on a tire to carry you to safety, do ya?

I think now would be a great time to take the off-ramp from that slippery highway and get back to all things cars. And I’d like to start by sharing my thoughts with current and future readers of Mopar Muscle.

I admit that my articles are usually based on my highly subjective expertise (read: opinion), at least when it comes to what made this or that car great; or why this or that happened, when there’s no factual explanation available and that’s OK. I keep to the facts where there are facts to quote, and I gladly share my experience with all when it comes to the restoration of Chrysler muscle cars. But when it comes to opinions, well, that’s all they are, my opinions. So while some of you may disagree about what features on a Mopar most sear their indelible carbon tracks on your hearts, remember it’s all subject to one’s personal predilections.

I will quote from the brilliant Paul Simon now, “When I think back on all the crap I learned in high school, it’s a wonder I can think at all. And though my lack of education hasn’t hurt me none, I can see the writing on the wall.” Opening lyrics from the July 7th, 1973 #2 Billboard hit song, “Kodachrome.” While I’m not his biggest fan in the world, I sure do recognize raw talent and appreciate thought-provoking lyrics. In fact, the chorus of the same song, is what this installment of “Beyond the Grave” is about.

“Kodachrome … They give us those nice bright colors, they give us the greens of summers, makes you think all the world’s a sunny day.” Just swap out “Kodachrome” for “Mopar” and read along as I share my opinion on the old proverb, “All that glitters is not gold.”

In 1970, Dodge and Plymouth threw their collective hats in the ponycar ring — big time. The design cues of the ’70 Barracuda and Challenger revolutionized what a ponycar, a muscle car, should be and would be for generations to come. No question that even today, nearly 50 years later, they stand as two of the most seductive and stylish body designs in automotive history. However, the mindful and creative team of designers at Ma Mopar, weren’t finished — not by a mile.

Styling is one thing, engines and drivetrains, sales options, pricing, well that’s all part of the ride, pun intended. Color — vibrant, prepossessing color — that’s what Mopar may be best known for during the late ’60s and early ’70s. But as I said, “All that glitters is not gold.” Yeah, I know, I stole that one too.

Graveyard Cars just finished one of its most beautiful restorations. That’s saying a lot, considering some of the formidable contenders from our past. I’m sure many of you reading this have witnessed our restorations of some of the most valuable and rare Mopar muscle cars on the planet — like a 1971 ’Cuda 440+6, four-speed, Shaker Hood in EV2 Tor Red or a ’69 Daytona, one of only 503 ever made. Recently, we brought back a 1970 Coronet R/T, 426 Hemi, convertible, four-speed — one of only two made and the only one left in existence. Not to belabor the point, but the list goes on and on. Nonetheless, this stunning example of the famed ponycar, will melt your heart and satiate your senses.

Let’s break this gem down by the numbers and remember, a Body Code Plate, aka Fender Tag, is read left to right and bottom to top:

V5X Y05 26 EN2 N42 N85 N88 P31 R35 C55 G33 H51 M21 M31 N41 V1X A01 A62 B51 C16 C26 FF4 HRX0 000 A28 060716 E86 D32 JS29 U0B 173369

E86 440 1-4BBL HP D32 A727 3-SPD A/Trans JS29 CHALLENGER R/T SPECIAL EDITION U/0/B 440 1–4BBL 1970 MODEL YEAR HAMTRAMCK MI. 173369 SERIAL NUMBER FF4 LIGHT GREEN METALLIC HRX9 LEATHER BUCKET SEATS (BLACK) 000 FULL DOOR PANELS A28 SCHEDULED PRODUCTION DATE (OCTOBER 28) 060716 VEHICLE ORDER NUMBER V1X FULL VINYL ROOF (BLACK) A01 LIGHT PACKAGE A62 RALLYE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER (W/8K TACH) B51 POWER FRONT DISC BRAKES C16 CENTER CONSOLE C26 CONSOLETTE W/FORMED HEADLINING C55 BUCKET SEATS (FRONT) G33 LH O/S MIRROR REM/CHR/RAC H51 AIR CONDITIONING W/FRONT HEATER M21 DRIP RAIL MOLDINGS M31 BODY BELT MOLDINGS N41 DUAL EXHAUST SYSTEM N42 BRIGHT EXHAUST TIPS N88 AUTO SPEED CONTROL P31 POWER WINDOWS R35 RADIO-AM/FM-MX-STEREO (10W) V5X MOLDINGS-PROTECTIVE BODY SIDE Y05 BUILD TO SPECIFICATIONS FOR : U.S.A ORDER 26 26” RADIATOR EN2 END OF SALES CODE (2ND LINE)

So, as you can see, this Challenger isn’t only rare, it’s also a beautiful balance of both muscle and luxury. Fortunately, it was a very complete car to start with, but that’s not to say it was without its hidden sins. We had to replace front inner fenders, front floors, rear step wells, under seat pan, trunk floor, trunk floor extensions, quarter-panels, and multiple patches due to Midwest rust.

In the end, we were able to save much of the original interior, chrome, and trim. With the options this car has, it’s a dream to drive. Air conditioning, power windows, speed control, and all the time you’re riding on rich Corinthian leather. OK, maybe not Corinthian, but it’s leather. Sorry, I was channeling Ricardo for a moment.

Now returned 100 percent to its original, assembly line condition, this car is ready to give its owner another 50 years of fun and stake its claim as Graveyard Gold, without the glitter.

The post Graveyard Gold with Mark Worman appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

from Hot Rod Network https://www.hotrod.com/articles/graveyard-gold-mark-worman/ via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

0 notes

bills-pokedex · 6 years

Note

Hey Bill, Diabetic Gardevoir Anon again. My and my Girl are going to be taking a day trip to Goldenrod City. There anything you can tell me about dining and Leisure activities we can both enjoy? I figure it'd be a nice treat for her good behaviour regarding the new routine for her diabetes. Also, thanks for the reccomendation. Erika was very helpful to the both of us.

Stay away from southwestern Goldenrod.

This isn’t a recommendation because it’s not particularly diabetic-friendly there. Or, well, the street food isn’t because it’s usually fried, coated in sugar, or both, but the restaurants often serve lighter, low-carb fare, and there are plenty of things to do and see on foot around the city. No, I’m mostly telling you to avoid southwestern Goldenrod because it’s generally not a pleasant place for tourists.

Bill … didn’t you grow up in southwestern Goldenrod? —LH

Yes and exactly. —Bill

In all seriousness, anonymous, Goldenrod prides itself in being not only the commercial capital of Johto but also possibly the capital for tourism and culture. (Ecruteak is the capital of historical culture, but if you want a taste of modern-day Johto, go to Goldenrod.) As such, there’s quite a list of places that one can visit, but it really depends on your preferences. Below the read more, you’ll find a quick guide to some of the top destinations in the city, separated into four categories: Training (for the usual stops a trainer typically makes), Tourism (top tourism destinations), Shopping, and Food.

Yes. Quick. Goldenrod is that large of a city.

Training

If you’re a trainer, chances are, you’re here for Goldenrod Gym. You’ll find it in the northwest corner of the city, and even if you’re not in Goldenrod for a badge, visitors are welcome to watch gym matches or spar against gym trainers. Be warned, though. Whitney can be quite a character, especially if she loses to you.

If you’re a coordinator, Goldenrod is also the home of Johto’s Grand Festival. You can find the Goldenrod Contest Hall in the northwest corner, right against Goldenrod Bay. Even if you don’t participate in contests yourself or watch them from the stands (the latter of which is free if you have a trainer’s ID), you can at least enjoy the stunning views of Goldenrod Bay and most of Goldenrod City’s skyline.

The Global Terminal, a place where you can access the GTS and trade with pokémon trainers and collectors around the world (or simply meet other enthusiasts such as yourself) is also located in that corner of the city, incidentally.

Although technically just outside of the city limits, the Pokéathlon Dome is a place where pokémon can compete in athletic events.

Also technically outside of the city limits, to the south, you’ll find the world-renowned Johto Day Care Center, a place where you can visit pokémon or, if you’re interested, add new ones to your team.

Finally (and admittedly a bit further away than the above two destinations), there’s the Johto National Park, which holds frequent bug-catching tournaments when it’s not used as a place where trainers meet and battle. Alternatively, Ilex Forest is to the south, although this isn’t considered part of the Goldenrod metro area.

Tourism

While you can’t enter the recording studios (unless you’re a special guest, anyway), the Goldenrod Radio Tower is a popular tourist destination nonetheless. There, you can listen to radio programs in the lobby or catch a glimpse of a celebrity or two, such as DJ Mary or Professor Oak.

Long ago, Goldenrod City was once almost the imperial capital of Japan, and you can still find remnants of that era by telling off a local in a Saffron accent. For an experience that won’t start a fight, however, consider Castle Park, a beautiful spot of green in north central Goldenrod that’s home to (a reconstruction of) the castle of Hideyoshi, a prominent warrior-politician and one of the generals who eventually aligned himself with Nobunaga. It’s also not that far from Ubame Temple, one of the oldest temples in Johto and one of the few specifically Buddhist temples left in the region. If you’d still like more of our old culture, there’s also Tsubasa Taisha, which is a shrine dedicated to all three of our major legendaries. All three locations are quite beautiful, but it’s often better to visit the latter two with a local (to avoid disrespecting Johtonian customs).

If you’re more interested in something a bit more modern, there’s also the Goldenrod Aquarium, the largest aquarium in Japan. Inside, you’ll find not only a collection of aquatic pokémon but also marine animals in reconstructed marine habitats ranging from tropical coral reefs to the ice-filled Antarctic waters. (It’s also one of my favorite places to visit, just in case anyone’s curious.)

As I’ve said, Goldenrod tries to be Johto’s capital of modern-day culture, and as such, it has a whole host of museums, including but not limited to: the Regional Art Museum (dedicated to modern and post-war art), the Goldenrod Museum of Fine Art (for older works), the Museum of Science, and the Museum of History (which, contrary to the name, is actually more focused on the history of Johto, rather than general matters). For a more off-beat museum, you can also try the Museum of Ramen, which also doubles as a great place for lunch.

If you’re looking for something a bit more mainstream, Goldenrod is also home to Pokéstar Studios Japan, which is the closest thing to an actual theme park still in the city. Not too long ago, there was also Wonderland, which folded due to its inability to keep up with Pokéstar Studios and Celadon Disneyland. You can still go there if you’re enthusiastic about urban exploration, though, and truth be told, Wonderland is even more impressive now that it’s abandoned. However, keep in mind that some parts of it are dangerous, and trespassing is absolutely a fineable offense in Johto. (Not that I ever paid attention to either of these things when I was young.)

Of course, there is also the beaches, which locals don’t really name exactly, but they’re a nice place to go on a sunny day for a bit of relaxation or a pokémon battle. You’ll also find the Skylight Ferris Wheel there, which offers fantastic views of the city. If you’d prefer a more panoramic view of the city, though, go to the Plum Building in central Goldenrod, one of the tallest buildings (or, well, two, as it’s a pair of office buildings connected by a sky bridge) in the city and home to its own observatory.

Also, it’s difficult to put together a tourism guide to Goldenrod without mentioning either Central Street or Elenova, both of which are neon-lit shopping districts that are thought to be the crown jewels of Goldenrod according to tourism guides (apparently). They’re … fine, I suppose, if you’re interested in seeing neon advertisements lighting up both sides of the street. Go to Central Street at night, though; it’s far more impressive. Elenova, meanwhile, offers a Johtonian take on Unovan culture, so it’s just as entertaining during the day as it is at night. Which is to say, it’s hilarious.

Alternatively, if you’d prefer a bit more culture, Elizabethtown and Little Europe had been one of the few entry points into Japan for European immigrants during the 60s (when mass immigration due to the war occurred). As such, they’ve clung to a lot of European traditions, particularly those of the UK and France. Elizabethtown is also home to Queen’s Crossing, which is a hub for not only British culture (and shopping and dining) but also a minor countercultural movement. You’ll find a lot of street art and performances there, as well as art galleries and cultural centers. (Also, Elizabethtown is where those with that distinctive but stereotypical South Goldenrod accent are from, the famous Haircut Brothers included as well as myself, of course.)

If you’d like to see a show, while our theaters aren’t quite as modern or varied as those in other regions (that is to say, we have no Broadway), we do have plenty of traditional Japanese theaters, including the Yamikarasu Theatre, which is renowned for its traditional kabuki performances.

If nothing else, though, there are plenty of themed tours, ranging from bus tours of the city and ferry tours of the shoreline to themed tours if you’re interested in Johtonian culture, food, or “haunted” places. (Note on that last one: Nothing in Goldenrod is famously haunted, yet these tours are still highly popular. I’m honestly not sure why.)

Shopping

There is, of course, the Goldenrod Galleria (otherwise known as the Goldenrod Department Store), the foremost shopping destination in Johto and one of the hallmarks of our skyline at that. It’s floor upon floor of practically everything you could ever need, from groceries to fine clothing and goods. (As a note, no, locals don’t trek all the way there for day-to-day shopping, but it’s a nice way to treat oneself and get high-end goods.) It’s also a go-to destination for trainers, as it features multiple floors dedicated to journey supplies, TMs, and more.

Alternatively, there’s also the Goldenrod Tunnel (not to be confused with the Goldenrod Underground, our subway and light rail transportation system), a literal underground shopping district that winds its way underneath the western half of the city. Prices here are quite cheaper than in the Galleria, but be warned that some areas are a bit more rundown and flooded with trainers (or pick-pockets). On the positive side, it’s also where you can find the Haircut Brothers’ salon, which in turn is famous for its pokémon haircuts (as well as some of the trendiest haircuts for humans in Japan).

As mentioned above, Elenova is one of Goldenrod’s premium shopping districts. So is Central Street, for that matter, but it’s really a question of whether you’re looking for electronics or Japanese goods or if you’re more in the mood for something more American (or stereotypically Unovan). Go to Central Street for the former and Elenova for the latter … and entertainment, honestly.

Alternatively, go to Elizabethtown if you’re looking for something a little more unusual.

Food

Perhaps the trickiest category if you have food restrictions, I’m afraid. If there’s one thing Goldenrod is famous for when it comes to food, it’s literally deep-frying and/or applying sugar to everything. Maple leaves, for example. (Actually, I would say those are better than they sound, but I’m also from Goldenrod and therefore biased.) Just note that a good portion of our street food is fried, so eat it in moderation if you must have the full Goldenrod experience. If this is the case, you’ll want to visit Central Street for the best of it.

Incidentally, Central Street is home to some of our finest restaurants as well, including Hakuryu, which serves the best steak in the city. Of course, be warned that some of the Central Street restaurants can be a bit on the expensive side, and you may need to book ahead (as you do with Hakuryu).

Alternatively, for a fresher experience, go to Nuoh Market, Goldenrod’s foremost food market, where many of the chefs around the city come to buy their ingredients. More importantly, though, you’ll find more than one food stall there, including some of the best places for sushi (which is fine in moderation) or barbecue skewers in the region.

However, if you’d like something a little less tourist-heavy, go off the main streets and wander a bit. Some of the best establishments for traditional Johtonian cuisine (including, yes, ramen) are found in places you can only really get to by accidentally stumbling upon them while wandering through the city. For example, Aoi, whose soba is famous among locals? Mere blocks from Miracle Cycle, in the labyrinthine southeastern part of the city. Bring a map or a local with you if you plan on wandering the city for food, however.

Also, our convenience stores often carry fresh food or quality prepared food, which can be a lifesaver for university students and lost tourists.

In short, there are plenty of things to see and do for both humans and pokémon throughout the city. Just about the only famous location I’d recommend avoiding at all costs is actually the Game Corner, and that’s for two reasons. First, yes, the yakuza actually does own that. (They own quite a bit of southwest Goldenrod, actually, except for Elizabethtown and Little Europe for one reason or another.) Second, it’s especially dangerous if you have a pokémon with you, as there’s a washed up pokémon professor there who will con you out of thousands of pokédollars in exchange for teaching your pokémon moves, when it would be far cheaper and less enabling to just buy TMs for the same moves at the Galleria.

Bill … isn’t that washed up pokémon professor your father? —LH

Yes and exactly. —Bill

#long post #our world #asks #Johto #Goldenrod City #'And if you DO see that washed up pokémon professor #TELL HIM TO GO HOME.' —Bill #capslock tags #travel guide

26 notes · View notes