#also dylan needs to play villains more often

[tessatechaitea]

The Invisibles #4

Is this how idiotic social beliefs are purged from assholes?

I don't understand the people who want less politics in comic books. We need more politics in comic books! Except what I don't really understand is using the word "politics" when they're actually angry about discussing social ills. Except I really do understand what they mean when they refer to social issues as politics. Certain people refer to being compassionate and kind and inclusive as "political correctness" because they can't imagine being compassionate or kind or inclusive until the cost of not being those things adversely affects them. So they think people only believe in being that way if it confers some kind of selfish advantage, usually in the political arena. And thus actually being a compassionate human being becomes political to them. Also, can we just stop arguing about how comic books used to be when they've always been about making the world a better place and there have always been comic book fans who found that political because they were terrible people? A terrible person reading a comic book where Batman stops some bank robbers can feel good about the story because they know they'll never rob a bank. But when Batman deals with some social ill, the terrible reader might see themselves reflected back at them in the villain of the story. Suddenly, to them, the story has become political. How dare the comic book company choose the other side which is just a political difference and not a basic human decency issue! And they never think, "Maybe, like Batman, I should also try to do better?" No, instead they send a letter to the publisher demanding that the publisher change the stories they tell so that they don't have to take a long, hard look at themselves. Ideas are political. If you think a story about Batman breaking the bones of The Joker's henchmen because The Joker is robbing banks isn't political, you're kidding yourself. You're just not looking deeply enough into the story and the systemic problems in Gotham that creates a demand for henchmen that are desperate enough to work for a maniac who could murder them at any moment while also having to worry about a man in a bat suit nearly killing them for working for the maniac. How is a billionaire going out at night dressed as a flying rodent to beat up poor and mentally ill people not political? How is any Superman story not political when it's about an immigrant to America embracing his new country and trying to make it a better place for everybody? If you actually think you want comic books to not be political, you're telling on yourself. You're just saying that you're the type of person who doesn't want to read criticism's about our world that might make you feel guilty about your selfish attitude. The Invisibles is an old comic book which came out 26 years ago and it couldn't be more political. But then it's dealing with magic and the irreality of reality, so if you're dumb enough, you can probably pretend it's not political at all.

This issue begins with a Books of Magic trading card.

At the end of the last issue, Tom told Dane they were going to climb to the top of the skyscraper with the magic pyramid on top and leap off. It was going to teach Dane about the finality of life and not really kill him. But when this issue begins, they seem to have put that off for the moment. Instead, they've stolen a sports car, driven it out to some sleepy little UK pasture, and begun a game of catch with a Frisbee. Tom starts rambling on about how his time is up and he's going to die because he's a warrior sorcerer and his time is up and he can see the shape of his life and it's super small and everything sucks but it also doesn't, you know? Dane barely listens to him because he's now full of life again and he just wants to do the things people who feel alive do. I don't know what those things are because I just sit in barely lit rooms reading terrible books from my youth and finding reasons not to begin writing my second module for my role playing game, Places & Predators. I should take a break and call my mother! I'm back! I also ate and watched an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and an episode of Community and lay on the couch with Gravy.

Gravy's head is behind mine and not inside mine because we don't own a teleportation device and, if we did, we wouldn't be so careless with it.

The next day, Tom and Dane head off to jump off of a skyscraper. Tom will presumably be doing it for real because he's tired and he's done his part and he thinks Dylan Thomas is a fucking asshole who can't just let a person die in peace when they're ready to go. I mean, lay off me, Dylan! I'm fucking dying here! This isn't about you and your fear of death (which, ironically, is probably why you drink so much and why you'll be dead at 39). Dane smokes some blue mold which will probably allow him to fly or bounce or something. Sometimes I think about the angst of youth and then I think about how optimistic and embracing Quiet Riot was of the youth and youth culture and it just makes me fucking smile, man. That wasn't supposed to be a non sequitur. That was just a reaction I had to Tom telling some bystanders witnessing Dane's drug induced realizations, "It's drugs. Dope. They're all on it nowadays. With their computer games and violent videos and swear words. We had The Bible and a nice apple when I was his age." Tom is being smarmy and telling the adults what they want to hear. And, especially with reference to their video games, it made me think of Quiet Riot who didn't care what adults wanted to hear. They knew what the kids needed to hear. And it wasn't just "Being a teenager sucks and we get it and the world is garbage!" Their message was often "We see how things are different for you and how you cope differently than we did and we fucking get it man and we approve and you're going to be all right. Your doing good, kids." Most of you probably only know "Metal Health" and "Cum on Feel the Noize" so you're thinking, "What the fuck are you talking about?" But some of you also know "Winners Take All" and "The Wild and the Young" so you fucking know what I'm talking about.

This reminds me of The Last Temptation of Christ.

The problem with books that revolve around Jesus is that I truly can't tell if they're making a statement about secular life or if they're truly reinforcing the opinion that Jesus was the son of God and the only truth you need to know about Jesus is that he was resurrected. Was Jesus preaching about being good on Earth because it was the salvation of your soul and your way into heaven? Or was Jesus literally trying to tell everybody to give unto Caesar what is Caesar's because this shit don't matter, bro. Fuck Earth and Earthly conceits. Should every action taken on Earth be concerned with your spiritual self and your relationship with God and getting into heaven? Because I'm tempted to see The Last Temptation of Christ as a parable for secular life. Are we all Christ in the desert being tempted by the devil away from our true calling? But if all the regular trappings of society are illusions and lures away from whatever it is we should do, what is there really? What would a person do if they didn't have a career? Or a spouse? Or a mortgage? Or a child? Not falling for those temptations isn't enough, right? So what's the next step? Sacrificing your own desires for the common good of the world? But what common good would that be if people aren't supposed to fall for any material temptations?! What are we striving for if we aren't striving for everybody to equally fall for the same societal illusions?! What is the magic asking of us?! To just burn it all down to prove that we weren't fooled by any of it?! How is waking up outside of The Matrix better than living within it?! Show me my fucking cards before you ask me to jump off the top of a skyscraper is what I'm saying! You know what? I think that's what Jesus asked God the night of the Last Supper! Jumping off of a skyscraper to get Dane to pierce the illusion of reality and see what lies beneath is way better than giving him a red or blue pill. The Matrix pussed out, even though it had this scene from The Invisibles as a perfect example of what it was doing. Dane survives the leap and finds himself in a four color comic sci-fi pulp novel cover. The world has changed and he's not sure what to do. So he goes to the address of the Invisible College that Tom gave him. He's finally ready to report for duty. Dane meets the other Invisibles: King Mob, Ragged Robin, Boy, and Lord Fanny (which would have gone right over my head in 1994 and possibly only made it into the comic book because the editors didn't know quite enough British slang). As far as drag names go, Lord Fanny is proper good. Meanwhile, some shadowy guy answers a phone call from Orlando (probably exactly the Orlando you're thinking of because why not? He/she was good enough for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen). They discuss raiding an Invisibles safe house they've discovered. But the non-Orlando guy on the phone can't direct it because he's got British politics to do.

Back in 1994, I also wouldn't have understood what this door with the 10 on it was telling me about the person on the phone.

Dane decides to stick with The Invisibles as Jack Frost and they make their getaway before Orlando and the Prime Minister's Myrmidons break into the safe house. All they find is a chalkboard that reads, "Big Brother is watching you. Learn to become invisible," and a pink grenade with the word "smile" printed on it in ransom letter letters. And that's the end of the first story arc. The Invisibles #4 Rating: A. I'm seriously getting angry at my 23 year old self for not continuing to purchase this series. It's hard to remember exactly where I was at that time in my life that caused me to stop reading it. I'm sure I liked it. Maybe I just had trouble remembering it from month to month. Or maybe I just missed Issue #6 at the comic book store (I never had anything put on hold. I'd just show up on Wednesdays (unless it was Thursday back then? I can't even remember that!) and pick up my books (I didn't even ask the store to hold a copy of the Death of Superman for me. The clerk, Jeff, just happened to hold one for me anyway. He probably thought I was super cool or something)) and so just forgot about the series. Maybe I'll pick up the collected edition whenever my local comic book store reopens. Although if I show my face in there, they may try to get me to buy comics that were placed in my pull box after I cancelled my pull box. See, they weren't getting comics from Diamond for over a month and I just decided it was as good a time as any to stop buying new comics. So I cancelled my pull box. But what if, in their mind, I was still on the hook to buy all the comics for the weeks that Diamond didn't ship?! That would be fucked up and, knowing me, I'd instantly cave and say, "Oh yeah! Okay! Sorry! Sorry! I'll purchase all of this shit I don't want anymore just so we don't continue this awkward conversation!"

#The Invisibles #DC Comics #DC #Vertigo #Grant Morrison #Steve Yeowell

[an-american-teen-against-crime]

Hi! So I’m conducting kind of a survey/study? Can you rank the games in order from best to worst in your eyes? A simple list will suffice

AHH sorry this took me so long to finally do haha but I finally got it done! (this was. extremely difficult . I struggle) (also sorry some of my notes got kinda long so you can just skip ‘em if you wanna)

1. TRN- it has to be. My list has changed so much over the years and SPY was actually here once, but I’ve realized that this is the one that has stuck at the top throughout the years. It’s just SO. GOOD. from the music, plot, characters, hardy boys, setting, mystery, AUGH it’s amazing

2. SHA- I know this one is quite controversial in the fandom (chores.) but this had always been one of the top for me. It reminds me of my childhood (rip) and I just adore every single setting in this game- the atmosphere is wonderful. I just really adore the plot as well as the Dirk and Francis storyline, as well as the old west feeling (still not over the cliff dwellings or Dry Creek). THIS GAME MAKES ME V HAPPY

3. MHM- this was tough, but this was not only my first game but also it still holds up for me. It’s super old but I just adore the setting and gameplay, the spooks are top shelf and I just adore the feeling of this game from it’s puzzles and storyline. 

4. GTH- I have for sure played this game way too often, but I love it. The vibes in this game are TOP NOTCH, and I will never forget my first playthrough of this game. The story, the charACTERS, setting, music, is all so good. The puzzles tho are a bit of a draw back but I still love this game. 

5. SPY- I felt weird about have two “newer” games in my top five, but I genuinely love this game. It’s moved down since I’ve realized I kinda dislike the puzzles, but the spy aesthetic and the story of Nancy’s mom PLUS the Revenant/Colony Operation is SO INTERESTING to me. Not to mention this game has a unique story structure in the fact that Nancy solving the mystery is actually helping the bad guys which is really unique. I feel like this game also characterizes Nancy really well which I adore. 

6. CUR- So I actually thought this would be much lower on my list because I played this when I was much older than the other ones, so it has less nostalgia for me, but it still has some. (plus a lot of the game was spoiled for me before I played it because I watched a walkthrough of it. Dumb middle school Cambria WHY DID YOU DO THAT) The plot structure and just...the puzzles and how the whole game fits together is so amazing and the music/atmosphere/aesthetic is just SO AWESOME. Genuinely a spooky game and I adore it for that.

7. FIN- I adore this game, the plot, the timer/three days, the characters, setting, everything is awesome. I feel it’s pretty unique to the series which makes it even more special and its just SO GOOD. Plus it has Nick Falcone who is one of the best characters of all time. 

8. DDI- the atmosphere, THE MYSTERY, the whole setting it’s all just. wonderful. I love BEING in this game, and I feel like it’s one of those mysteries that really represents the series as a whole. 

9. TRT- Just like DDI I feel like this game really is a really good representation of these games as a series. It has everything that makes a good Nancy Drew game and it’s atmosphere is wonderful. I also love the history and while it’s way more treasure hunt like than mystery it does have good mystery elements and it’s a very cozy game.

10. SSH- I am shocked this game is so high, and I actually didn’t like it that much on my first playthrough. This is a game that gets better the more you play it because you uncover so much more- I love the museum and all the history, the social commentary, and the mystery IS SO INTERESTING. Like everything with Henrik trying to stop Sinclair and like you know there’s someone bad out there doing this stuff but you’re not sure who, and there’s all this information you uncover AHH. I know some don’t like the phone convos but I feel like tracking down all the different pieces opens up Nancy’s world so much and it makes it feel real. Also just the idea that you have to track them all down is so cool to me. Also the ending is freaky and gives me anxiety to this day.

11. SEA- this game makes me so happy, I adore Iceland, the setting, the story, the ship, the characters, ALL FABULOUS! Some of the puzzles are annoying but that’s a trend for the later games.

12. STFD- it shouldn’t be so high on the list probably but the mystery and plot line is always really fun for me. The whole premise, locations and iconic moments in this game are so special to me. I love just being in the game, it’s so simplistic. Plus, Dwayne Powers.

 13. WAC- this is the game I always fall back on to play. It’s further down simply because the puzzles are a little annoying at times, but the setting is great and I adore the school feeling of this game. It just always has been a game that has stuck out in my mind ever since it came out.

14. CLK- clk is so nostalgic for me, I literally don’t care about the time travel bit because it reminds me so much of reading the books. I love the town, the mystery, and it’s one of those games I can just relax in. You can spend hourS in this game and seriously do nothing but fish, deliver telegrams and play golf. Maybe a game of bard bounce in there too. 

15. SAW- I used to feel medium about this game, but as of my most recent replay, I’ve found I LOVE it. The setting is so freaky and I actually enjoy most of the puzzles. It just has this weird off feeling to it where you’re constantly being told everything is fine when everything is definitely not fine. I honestly wanna make a separate post just for this game, I have so many feelings on it haha.

16. DED- I love the feeling of this game, from it’s Tesla theme, to it’s puzzles, and also it’s a murder mystery which is super interesting. The mystery and gameplay is so fun for me, honestly not sure why.

17. CRY- I love this game’s atmosphere so so much, and a lot of the puzzles are really fun. The whole legend of the skull is fascinating and it has a great spooky vibe to it. However I feel like the plot is a bit weak and I am still salty Nancy doesn’t help Henry more. But also it has Henry Bolet.

18. TMB- I love Egyptology, I love archaeology, and this game is super fun to me for those reasons. the whole idea of the curse is spoopy and the puzzles are pretty cool too. I love both Dylan and Jamilla so that bumps this game up as well. 

19. VEN- I have wanted to go to Venice ever since I played this game, I feel it does a perfect job of making you feel like you’re really there. I love the whole spy aspects, and while some of the puzzles are EXTREMELY annoying it’s a really exciting game.

20. DOG- The vibe of this game is off the charts, I love the history and the mystery is kinda weird but leads you to a treasure hunt which is pretty interesting. I love the puzzles in this game and while the characters are kinda annoying I feel like this game is just so grounded and interesting. 

21. CAP- some stuff in this game is kinda dumb (PUZZLES. WHO PUT THEM THERE I NEED TO KNOW)  but the whole fairytale vibe is great, and I love the fact that Nancy is trying to track down a cryptid. I also kind of hate the culprit motivation, but it is what it is.

22. ICE- this is actually a pretty well put together game, I like the location, and the mystery is nice. It’s one of those that I really question the whole idea of why Nancy is solving the puzzles? Like I get it that she’s trying to get into the needle it’s just...sorta convoluted. Also some of the puzzles are really annoying in this game haha.

23. LIE- pains me to put this game so low on the list, but I freaking hate the puzzles in this game. I like the museum puzzles, and that’s IT. The set has no. reason. to have that weird of puzzles. This is one of those games that would have been better with the treatment of having more practical puzzles like the older games. Anyways, I still love the setting, the characters, and the fact that it’s in Greece, in a museum and has a play about a greek myth makes me really enjoy this game. Plus, I do like the whole villain plot and the ending you start feeling really trapped and freaked out which is exciting. 

24. ASH- I get why people love this game, I really do, but for some reason I always drag my feet to play it. It still is super interesting though from the mystery, characters, bad guy plan, and it has a good classic mystery vibe. I think I just have to be in the right mood to play it.

25. TOT- I actually do enjoy playing this game but the puzzles/chores can be really annoying, and I feel there needs to be more mystery. However I actually do enjoy the setting a lot and there’s something special about it to me. Plus I like to look at the clouds. :3

26. DAN- I like that it reminds me of Paris because it got that vibe, the history and locations are very cool, and I really enjoy being in the game. However the mystery is ditched for Nancy trying to solve the Noisette stuff which is annoying and weird and I feel like this game is a bit unfocused which bugs me. Plus I can’t remember a single puzzle right now other than that horrible wall clock puzzle.

27. MED- Yes, this game is a hot mess and I’m still upset about Sonny, but I actually really enjoy the location and puzzles of this game, it’s just really fun to be in. Also the reality tv show concept is fun. Wish the sheep were alive though.

28. HAU- I like a lot about this game but at the same time it feels very...small? Idk. I just feel like the whole game is Nancy running around on the moors solving random puzzles she just finds in the hopes of finding Matt. It’s weird. I do like the vibe tho and Fiona is a bit freaky. Plus, sheep.

29. CAR- peoplearegoingtomurdermeIwillbethenextjake listen I for some reason feel just meh about this game, idk if it’s just Joy, the location, or WHAT but for some reason it’s mostly meh for me. There’s bits that are fun and I always liked it when I was younger but for some reason it doesn’t do it for me. But I can get why people really like it! 

30. SCK: The vibes are great, the ending is v exciting, and I feel like the school is very creepy and the diner is a solid location. The whole mystery of how Jake was blackmailing everyone and the drug plotline is super interesting to me and while the disk switching drives me NUTS I really like pulling this one out just to feel like I’m in the 90s.

31. CRE- I think this game is fun and has some iconic bits to it, along with the fact I could spend hours at Big Island Mike’s Immersion Excursions, buT the fact is the mystery is freaking weird and I don’t like bugs. But we did get Big Island Mike. 

32. MID- Listen, this game is a good video game, but it’s a bad Nancy Drew game. I liked my first playthrough of this game, I really did, but theres just so many problems with it and it’s so upsetting to see what’s become of the series. You can tell that it wasn’t made by the same people and it doesn’t have the classic ND charm. There are a lot of plotholes and random stuff like the Hardy’s personalities in this game don’t make sense. However there are a lot of stuff that it enjoyable about this game and I will still replay it. It’s just kinda sad.

33. SCK Remastered: Lower than the OG because Beech is dumb and they changed the ending. Also some of the old magic is gone, and all the characters are way less likeable. However it did explain some stuff about Jake so there is that. 

34. RAN- It’s still fun at times and I like the location but the puzzles will be a thorn in my side till the day I die. Also the mystery is just meh. And it needed more characters, that’s just a fact. 

I guarantee that this will probably change by the time we are done with this playthrough, but until then this is my listing. I think it’s really a testament to the games though that there is no game I consider unplayable. SCK could be that game but I am willing to do the disk switching lol.

[inlovewithfictionals]

Villain Among the Family of Heroes

A/N: Hi, hello! So I was scrolling through pinterest and I found a writing prompt by @writing-prompt-s but I didn’t get to save it. But basically the prompt was something like “You have a family full of heroes. The three of your elder brothers are known as Powerhouses. But you rarely see them because they’re always out there saving the city. One day you decided to be a villain in order to see your brothers. And now family diners are the most amusing time.” My writings might not go as the prompt for hundred percent, I’m so sorry about that… Also, two things; English is not really my first language so sorry if there’s any grammar mistakes. And this is my first attempt at writing, it’s bound to be bad. But I would like to know your opinions so I can improve. Anyways this is a long freakin’ a/n, and I hope you enjoy!

Word count: 2649 (Damn that’s a lot)

   I sighed, today has been a long day. And a pretty fun one, to be honest. I get to properly fight with my brothers as a villain and without them going easy on me. As a matter of fact, my brothers don’t know about me being the villain.

   Okay, I might’ve lied to my family about where am I today.

   You see, my family is a group of heroes. Well- mostly my dad and my brothers.

   My mum, Eleanora Lascaris, doesn’t have any superpowers, she’s a normal human. She’s a doctor in town, and you’ve probably guessed it, she’s the one patching my dad and my brothers after missions. And I think that could be considered as superpowers because according to mum, my brothers are a handful when she patched them up. Patience is her superpowers.

   However my dad, Matteo Lascaris, was born heliokinesis; the ability to manipulate solar energy. He was the hero in town called Ilios. He saved the people here numerous of times from different villains. Some villains still causing trouble ‘till this day, and some of them we never heard from again.

   But now that my dad puts more of his time on his non-superhero work, someone has to protect the city when he can’t. That’s when my elder brothers take the role.

   Alastair, Raiden, and Dylan Lascaris. Also known as Phyyrhos, Fulgur, and Hydro. The Powerhouses.

   Raiden and Dylan are identical twins, both having the same light brown hair, same button nose, same height, and same amount of annoyingness. The only thing that makes a difference is that Raiden has amber coloured eyes, Dylan has sea blue eyes. And they have different powers. Raiden has electrokinesis; the ability to manipulate electricity and lightning. Dylan has hydrokinesis; the ability to manipulate water. And let me tell you, these two can be childish with their powers.

   Then there’s Alastair. He’s the eldest child and the most responsible one. He has short dark brown hair, chestnut brown eyes, and also a button nose. His power? Pyrokinesis; the ability to manipulate fire. Even though I said that he’s the most responsible one, that doesn’t mean he didn’t try to burn a bunch cherry to see if it will explode or not. And in case you’re wondering, no it didn’t.

   These three are the best heroes and highly respected ones as well, like our dad. They cared and saved the city like our dad, and maybe more. The whole citizens love them. They have every reason to.

    And then there’s me, Thea Lascaris. I’m the youngest child and the most underestimated one. I do have my own power, photokinesis; the ability to generate and manipulate light. And I usually train with my brothers, but they and my dad never allowed me to be a hero like them. They said it was “too dangerous” or “I need more training. I’m still too weak”. I know that they just wanted to protect me, but sometimes I’m just tired of being underestimated. My brothers know that I don’t like to be underestimated. And often talked to me about it. They always remind me, “one day, sis.” And in the end I just let it go. At least I have my brothers with me, right? Wrong.

   Usually, they would take a break from all of the Powerhouses stuff and spend time with me. Like training, watching a movie, talk about peoples we hate at school, or playing monopoly and not finishing it because one of us flipped the board. The point is that they always make time for us to spend as siblings. As a family. Up until a couple of months ago.

   There’s crime everywhere, every day. The Powerhouses, along with Ilios has been busy taking care of it. Ever since then, I rarely saw them anymore. Let alone, spending time with them. I would lie if I said that I didn’t miss them. I tried to make them take a break but they never did. Not even for dinner! They’re either outside as heroes, or inside sleeping, researching about the bad guys, or doing their homework.

   Days passed until I realise that the only way to see my brothers again is by becoming a villain. That way, not only can I see my brothers, I can use my powers. I can prove them that I’m not weak. I can prove them that I’m capable of doing something more.

   After thinking about it, discussing it with Alice and getting the “this-is-stupid-but-I’ll-support-you” look from her…

   “Are you really going to do that? What if you get caught?”

   “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure I didn’t leave a clue to who I am. As long as you don’t tell anyone.”

   She thought about it for a moment before giving me the look.  “Fine,” she breathed out “On one condition,” I made a gesture for her to continue,

   “Alastair’s phone number,” she said with a cheeky smile, crossing one arm and made a gesture to give her the number with the other one.

   “When will you stop hitting on my brother?”

   “When he stop being so hittable.”

   …I finally came out as the new villain, Thanafos.

   Surprisingly, I was pretty good at being the bad guy- err- I guess bad girl. I get to play around with my powers, testing what it can and can’t do, kicking my brothers’ butts, and going home like nothing happened. Though, I always make sure that I didn’t go too far. I don’t kill anyone. I only harm them and then leave them be. And I don’t harm my brothers. Well, not too brutal. Just enough so they don’t catch me.

   Today was no different. I told my family that I was going to Alice’s house for a group project. That’s actually wasn’t completely a lie, I did a group project before I robbed a bank and getting away with it, with a fight of course. And I might have been a bit too harsh on the Powerhouses. It wasn’t my fault, I was trying to get away before the found out or getting the clue that it was me.

    After all that mumbo jumbo, I teleported to a safer place, took half of the money for me and left half of it in front of an orphanage before I did another light teleportation back to Alice’s house before I went home. You might be wondering, aren’t you supposed to be a bad guy? Why are you dropping the money in front of an orphanage? Well, keep in mind that not all bad guys are heartless.

. . . .

  “Mum, I’m home!” I said rather loudly, stepping into the house

  “Thea? Where have you been? You said you’ll be home by five. I tried calling but you didn’t answer.” my mum said rushing to me, concern was evident on her voice.

  “Sorry, mum. It took a while to get our project perfectly, and I put my phone on silent mode. You know, so I get full focus.”

  She sighed, “I thought something happened to you. Crime is everywhere these days and I’m just worried-“

  “Mum, calm down. I’m fine. Safe and sound. Besides, I could protect myself. No need to worry.” I cut her off, with a reassuring smile.

  “Okay, then. Take a quick shower and come help me with dinner. I forced your dad and your brothers to take a break just this night.”

   I smiled, nodding as I ran upstairs to my room, quickly locking it as soon as I got there. I dropped my bag on my bed, took my villain suit out and hide it in my closet, among my other clothes. Grabbing my casual outfit, I went to the bathroom and take a shower.

   I have a feeling that I’ll find tonight’s dinner quiet amusing.

. . . .

   As soon as I’m done setting the table, I heard my brothers arguing about something in the hallways,

   “..Stop touching my shoulder, Raiden! It hurts!”

   “You think that hurts? Thanafos kicked my face and threw me to a wall. And they burned my wrist while doing so. Now that hurts, Dylan.”

   “You know that you could just electrocute that guy, right? They’ll pass out and we can know more about this person.”

   “I told you, Al, it’s like this person knows my moves. Our moves and successfully dodge them! This guy has only bothered the city 4 times and they fight us like they’ve been doing that for years!”

   When they entered the dining room, I couldn’t help my shocked face. And they said that I need more training, I thought.

   What I saw was Dylan with his shoulders bandaged, bruises here and there, nothing too brutal but it must’ve felt painful from his statement before. Alastair has a light bruise on his right arm, his face was littered with scars and small cuts, and there’s a bruise just above his collar bone that might looked like a hickey. And I think that will be his reason if someone had asked him.

   And then there’s Raiden. Dear brother, I am so sorry.

   He’s holding an ice pack to his left cheekbone, his back is kind of hunched, looks like he is limping a little, not to mention those first degree burns. He got one burn on each wrist, two on his right forearm, and one on his left palm. All burn are already treated. There’s a lot of visible scars on him. And his hands seems like it’s sparking with electricity, which only happens when he’s pissed or nervous.

   He’s going to kill me if he finds out it’s me.

   “Maybe Thanafos is a mind reader. That’s why they know our next moves.” Dylan suggested.

   “Maybe. Or maybe they’ve already memorized our moves from past villains. They take notes.” Alastair said.

   “Alright, you guys. Sit down and eat your dinner. Where’s your dad?” mum asked, while cleaning the counter.

   “He’s still downstairs.” All three of them replied, sitting on the chairs.

    Mum sighed and went out the kitchen to the basement, calling for dad. Not before telling us, “You guys, eat your dinner. Don’t wait up.”

     I sat on my chair, still holding back a smirk as I began to eat. All four of us ate in silence until I pretend that I don’t know anything and asked, “What. The Hell. Happened. To you three?”

    “Got beaten up,” Raiden grumbled.

    “Burned,” Dylan continued.

    “And pretty much failed to stop Thanafos. Again.” Alastair finished.

     I choked on my water as I laughed. My brothers’ eyes immediately shot up to me. “You? The Powerhouses? Got beaten up by a criminal? And failed to stop them?” I asked, my laugh died slightly. “I never thought I’d see the day!”

    Dylan frowned slightly, “What do you mean? We don’t always successfully stop a criminal and we always came back home looking like this. Well, except for Raiden. Today has been brutal to him.” Raiden groaned upon hearing Dylan’s statement.

    “What I meant by that is that Thanafos is a new bad guy here. Other bad guys here are often being not so lucky on their first couple of heist. This person has annoyed the city for only four times in two months. That’s nothing compared to the other villains here and all three of you failed to use your powers against them. That’s rare, bro.” I pointed my carrot to three of them before taking a bite.

    “Well, I don’t think this person is a newbie. Clearly they’re trained. And they might’ve memorized and understanding our moves and powers,” Alastair stops to swallow his food, “and taking notes because they can easily dodge our powers.”

    “And this person clearly has a power. I’m assuming it’s also pyrokinesis, like Alastair’s. That could explain the burns.” Dad said as he walked to sit on his chair with mom trailing behind him before sitting down on hers. “But they could also have heliokinesis like mine.” He continued. They all nodded slightly.

    Raiden gulped down his drink before commenting, “I have to admit though, Thanafos puts up a good fighting skills for a newbie.”

    I’m flattered, Rai.

   “Yeah, I can see that from the many scars they left on you.” I noted, smirking.

   Dylan and Alastair snickered while Raiden groaned. Again. “Will you guys stop commenting on how bad I look right now? I’ve had enough scars on my body, I don’t need more on my heart!” He pouted, causing us to laugh.

   “I’m still wondering how Thanafos managed to know our moves and dodge them easily. As well as disappearing after each fight. They couldn’t have more than one power.” Alastair stated. “Is it possible to have burning, teleporting or invisibility, and mind reading at the same time?” He asked.

   “No way. That’s overpowered!” Raiden exclaimed.

   “Unless they have a technology to add more abilities like that, the chances are slim. However, I will try to find out more about it.” Dad explained. “For now, let’s just enjoy family time like this.”

   “Yeah, it’s been a long time.” Alastair said.

   “Hey… sorry we haven’t been able to spend time with you, sis. More crimes every day that we need to take care of.” Dylan told me quietly. Raiden and Alastair nodded in agreement.

   “No, It- It’s fine. I get that you three as The Powerhouses have to protect the city. But sometimes, I just want to join.”

   “You already know that-“

   “I know, I know. Too dangerous.” I cut him off.

   If they let me join them one day, should I tell them that I’m actually Thanafos? I probably should. I decided to not think about that now.

   Alastair smiled, “It’s a good thing you didn’t come with us. You’ll end up worse than Raiden.”

   “I don’t want to imagine what’s worse than this,” Raiden gestured at his bruises and burns, “but, yeah. Al’s right.” We laughed at his statement.

   “To make it up for you, how about going to cinema tomorrow? You know, sibling time.” Dylan asked me.

    I thought about it for a bit, before agreeing to that. “Promise no Powerhouses stuff?” I asked, not making eye contact.

   The three looked at each other before smiling. Alastair puts his right hand in front of him, looking at Raiden and Dylan. Raiden puts his hand on top of Alastair’s and Dylan does the same on top of Raiden’s. “Promise.” They all said. I grinned, putting my hand on top of theirs and then we cheered.

   “So, we’re cool?” Raiden asked.

   “Yeah. Yeah, we’re cool.”

   “Well I’m not cool. I’m pyrokinetic. I was supposed to be hot.” Alastair argued playfully.

   “Whatever, Phyyrhos.”

   “Shut up, Hydro!”

   We burst out laughing. I looked at mum and dad, they we’re laughing along while shaking their heads.

   Moments like this are the moments I love the most. Just the six of us, having the time of our life’s goofing around. Like a family should. But I know that these moments never lasted. These moments are rare nowadays. That’s why I cherish every second of it.  I would’ve been lying if I said that I didn’t want more times like this.

   Unfortunately, I can’t. I rarely saw my family apart from my mum. That’s why I took my opportunity to be Thanafos, right? To see my family. And to prove that I can do more. But they don’t know.

   They don’t know it’s me.

  Not yet. It’s only a matter of time before they found out.

  Will they be disappointed? Most likely.

  Will they be pissed? Maybe.

  But I have my own reasons to why I am who I am now. And maybe, just maybe…

  …other villains have the same reason. And if only people understands it, if only people would give them a chance… they would’ve been a hero instead of a villain.

   For now, let me enjoy my time with my family while I can.

#writing #writings #writer #prompt #superhero #superhero au #villain #villain au #writings prompt #im bored #quarantine be like #powerhouse

[thecartoonuniverse]

Sad about Adventure Time Ending and Looking for Something else to Watch?

Or just want to know about the new cartoons series coming up later this year or in 2019? Well, here’s a list! Let me just say we have a lot to look forward to...

2018

The Dragon Prince (September 14th, Netflix):

The Dragon Prince is an epic fantasy series by the head writer and director of Avatar: the Last Airbender. In the magical land of Xadia, magic comes from six primal sources. But when human mages create a seventh kind of magic, Dark Magic — they begin capturing and harvesting the unique magical creatures they need as ingredients. This sparks a catastrophic war between Xadia and the Human Kingdoms. Three kids from opposite sides of the conflict — two human princes, and the elven assassin who was sent to kill them — discover a secret that could change everything. They decide to join forces and go on an epic journey that may be their only hope of ending the war, and restoring peace to both their worlds.

Hilda (September 21st, Netflix):

Hilda follows the journey of a fearless blue-haired girl as she travels from her home in a vast magical wilderness full of elves and giants to the bustling city of Trolberg, where she makes new friends and discovers mysterious creatures who are stranger –and sometimes more dangerous– than she ever expected. Based on graphic novels by Luke Pearson, who storyboarded for Adventure Time.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (November 16th, Netflix):

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is the story of an orphan named Adora, who leaves behind her former life in the evil Horde when she discovers a magic sword that transforms her into the mythical warrior princess She-Ra. Along the way, she finds a new family in the Rebellion as she unites a group of magical princesses in the ultimate fight against evil.

3 Below (December 21, Netflix):

3 Below will focus on two royal teenage aliens and their bodyguard who flee a surprise takeover of their home planet by an evil dictator and crash land in Arcadia. Now on the run from intergalactic bounty hunters, they struggle to blend in and adapt to the bizarre world of high school all the while attempting to repair their ship so they can return and defend their home planet.

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic (Boomerang): 

Care Bears: Unlock the Magic sends the Care Bears on the road for the first time, exploring never-before-seen areas surrounding Care-a-lot called The Silver Lining.

2019

Owl House (Disney Channel):

Owl House is a horror-comedy series that follows Luz, a self-assured teenage human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to the Demon Realm. There she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and an adorably tiny warrior, King. Despite not having magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda's apprentice at the Owl House and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting.

Amphibia (Disney Channel):

The show tells the story of Anne Boonchuy, a self-centered 13-year-old who is magically transported to the fictitious world of Amphibia, a rural marshland full of frog-people. With the help of an excitable young frog named Sprig, Anne will transform into a hero and discover the first true friendship of her life.

101 Dalmatian Street (Disney Channel): 

101 Dalmatian Street is inspired by Dodie Smith's 1956 novel and Walt Disney's 1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians. But it is has been updated and moved to contemporary London. It depicts the adventures of eldest Dalmatian siblings Dylan and Dolly, parents Doug and Delilah, and ninety-seven younger puppies, all with names beginning with "D", who live all by themselves at the titular address.

Infinity Train (Cartoon Network):

Infinity Train is about an intelligent, albeit frustrated, girl named Tulip who—for reasons unknown—is trapped on a train full of infinite worlds. Accompanied by conjoined robots Glad-One and Sad-One, Tulip is determined to solve the mystery of the train and find her way home. 

Victor and Valentino (Cartoon Network):

In the small quiet town of Monte Macabre, two total opposite half-brothers search about the town for adventure and find strange and supernatural happenings with the help of their supernatural grandmother.

Thundercats Roar! (Cartoon Network):

Staying true to the premise of the original series, Lion-O and the ThunderCats — Tygra, Panthro, Cheetara, Wilykat, and Wilykit — barely escape the sudden destruction of their home world, Thundera, only to crash land on the mysterious and exotic planet of Third Earth. Lion-O, the newly appointed Lord of the ThunderCats, attempts to lead the team as they make this planet their new home. A bizarre host of creatures and villains stand in their way, including the evil Mumm-Ra, Third Earth’s wicked ruler who will let nothing, including the ThunderCats, stop his tyrannical reign over the planet. 

Villainous (Cartoon Network Latin America):

Villainous is the story of Black Hat Org., run by Black Hat and his team of three less-villainous aides. Black Hat is trying to sell various evil inventions created by Dr. Flug and desperate to achieve his evil aspirations. However, things usually end up going wrong for him as the brilliant innovations tend to have small and often comical flaws. Has already been airing Orientation Videos and Shorts on YouTube for a while, but a pilot will be aired soon, with a full series hopefully to follow.

Golpea Duro ¡Hara! (Cartoon Network Latin America):

Golpea Duro Hara! (Hit Hard Hara!) is the story of Hara, the only female fighter in the world, and together with her friend Tesu, she fights against the discrimination suffered by the brutal men who populate the planet. But Hara has a hidden side: a vicious transformation that frustrates her plans!

Glitch Techs (Nickelodeon):

Glitch Techs is an adventure-comedy following two newly recruited kids as they battle video game monsters that come to life in the real world.

High Guardian Spice (Crunchyroll):

In High Guardian Spice, the lives of four fierce girls, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Parsley, converge at High Guardian Academy, the one place where they can stumble towards adulthood while becoming the heroes they’ve always admired. As they master the ways of battle and sorcery, our foursome form allegiances and comical kinships, uncover legacies and betrayals, and discover their true identities while preparing to protect the world from an ominous unknown threat.

Carmen Sandiego (Netflix):

In the upcoming animated series produced by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Carmen Sandiego is back and ready for a new crop of international capers packed with thrilling adventure and intrigue. This fresh take presents an intimate look into Carmen's past where viewers will not only follow her escapades but also learn WHO in the world is Carmen Sandiego and WHY she became a super thief.

Seis Manos (Netflix):

Set in Mexico in the 1970’s era, Seis Manos centers on three orphaned martial arts warriors who join forces with a DEA agent and a Mexican Federal to battle for justice after their beloved mentor is murdered on the streets of their tiny border town.

Last Kids on Earth (Netflix):

The Last Kids on Earth follows 13-year-old Jack Sullivan and a band of suburban middle schoolers who live in a decked-out tree house, play video games, gorge themselves on candy, and battle zombies in the aftermath of the monster apocalypse. It’s a hilarious series filled with wisecracking kids, crazy gadgets, a lifetime supply of zombies and giant-sized monsters.

Twelve Forever (Netflix):

The series centers on 12-year-old Reggie, whose desire to remain a child is so powerful it creates a fantasy world in which she never has to grow up. She’s joined by her friends Todd and Esther, who visit this amazing world to live out their superhero fantasies and escape the responsibilities of impending adulthood.   

Wizards (Netflix):

Wizards brings together the three disparate worlds of trolls, aliens and wizards who have found themselves drawn to Arcadia. The final chapter of the Tales of Arcadia culminates in an apocalyptic battle for the control of magic that will ultimately determine the fate of these supernatural worlds that have now converged.

Young Justice: Outsiders (January 4th, DC Universe):

Young Justice: Outsiders is the third season of Young Justice. The backdrop for the season is described as being one that will touch on "all corners of the DC universe," and that certainly seems to be the case considering the sheer number of bad guys discussed and shown in the trailer. The team will be tasked with stopping a metahuman trafficking ring, as well as dealing with the "intergalactic arms race for control of these super--powered youths." You can also count on new heroes Arrowette, Spoiler, and Thirteen joining in the fight.

gen:Lock (January 2019, Rooster Teeth):

In gen:LOCK, Earth’s last free society is on the losing side of a global war, and recruits a diverse team of young pilots to control the next generation of mecha—giant, weaponized robot bodies. These daring recruits will find, however, that their newfound abilities come at no small cost. As Chase leaves behind his life as a fighter pilot to become the first candidate for the program, he finds his endurance, as well as his very identity, will be tested beyond anything he ever imagined.

Undone (Amazon):

Undone is a half-hour animated dramedy that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma. After getting into a near-fatal car accident, Alma discovers she has a new relationship with time and uses this ability to find out the truth about her father’s death.

Close Enough (TBS):

Close Enough is a surreal take on transitioning from 20-something to 30-something. The show centers on a married couple juggling such everyday challenges as parenthood, friendship, ham theft, stripper clowns and choosing the right daycare. Was supposed to air in 2017 or 2018, but no word of a release date yet, so I assume it will be in 2019.

Hero High (February 14th, ???):

Not many details are known about this show, but it will be a Legend of Zelda high school parody. Source

Long Gone Gulch (Internet):

Two screwups, Snag and Rawhide, find themselves bestowed as the new Sheriff’s of a strange world adrift in an ever moving dust cloud. Long Gone Gulch holds the inhabitants of myths, urban legends and folklore from around the world. They travel through the land when they are needed and encountering all manner of adventures along the way.

Hazbin Hotel (???):

Hazbin Hotel is the story of Charlie, the princess of Hell, as she pursues her seemingly impossible goal of rehabilitating demons to peacefully reduce overpopulation in her kingdom. She opens a hotel in hopes that patients will be "checking out" into Heaven. While most of Hell mocks her goal, her devoted partner Vaggie, and their first test subject, adult film-star Angel Dust, stick by her side. When a powerful entity known as the "Radio Demon" reaches out to Charlie to assist in her endeavors, her crazy dream is given a chance to become a reality.

Gorillaz (Internet):

A ten-episode show based off of the fictional band. Might not be happening apparently.

2020

Solar Opposites (TBS):

Solar Opposites follows a family of aliens who leave their planet and settle in suburban America.

And that about covers it! Let me know if I missed any of the big ones!

#dragon prince #she ra #owl house #amphibia #adventure time #hilda #inifnity train #victor and valentino #villainous #gen lock #twelve forever #seis manos #hazbin hotel #gorillaz #close enough #hero high #long gone gulch #carmen sandiego #high guardian spice #glitch techs #solar opposites

[thetearlingqueen]

Rowland Finn as a Villian

I have read some criticism of how Rowland Finn was written as a villain, that he was lacking depth and motivation and that he falls flat and is disappointing as the “big bad”.  And while I think this is a valid criticism and I think it’s more than fair to think that I’d like to offer my thoughts on his character and his role as a villain.  Rowland Finn has blurry motivations, he isn’t as well developed as I know myself would have liked and I think we the readers are ultimately left with more questions than answers by the end of the series. I think for a lot of us this was frustrating but this is exactly why I like Rowland Finn as a Villian. Because he is all these things, not because it makes him a different type of Villian but it makes him that much more relevant to us, the readers and therefore at least for myself- more terrifying.  Rowland Finn clearly mirrors a type of real-life “villain” we face today in first world countries. He is to me, the mass shooter, the spree killer the political terrorist that we face far too often. His mindset clearly mimics the mindsets of the young men who commit these acts of violence, and the frustrating parts of his character are the same things we find frustrating as we try to figure out why these spree killings happen in the wake of tragedy. 

Long post broke down into chunks under the cut

Sense of Superiority:

Rowland Finn is bright and gifted as a child, he shows a lot of potentials but pretty early on we see how he views the other children, as beneath him. We know from Kate that this never changes, it grows stronger. He thinks of himself as above everyone else, smarter than everyone else. In this small culture he lives in he feels like he is different, special and cannot or perhaps refuses to relate to his peers. I often see him referred to as a spoiled brat (which yeah) and that’s why he isn’t a good villain. But his spoiled superior mentality to me makes him more of a villain. These are the traits we see in the likes of Elliot Rogers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. We now know that the narrative of the beaten and bullied losers getting revenge is false, all three of these men had a sense of superiority. They were entitled to better and they were above everyone else, yes even Dylan and Eric. In fact, it is more accurate to say that they were bullies, rather than the bullied. They just weren’t popular bullies. 

Misogyny :

Rowland Finn also displays his views on women, which are misogynistic. He plays with their emotions, knowing he’s desired he enjoys not giving them his full attention. And when they fight over him, I think he probably finds it amusing. But of course, when he wants his sexual needs met he takes advantage of their interest in him. He uses them when he wants to, and disregards them whenever he feels. I think it’s fair to say he regards women as sexual objects. If this isn’t the case then I think he’d fall into the group of people who classifies women into two strict groups, “good women” and “whores”. Whether he sees all women as objects or he sees them in two distinct groups this is a view shared by many serial killers and spree killers. A very black and white view of women is pretty standard for the type of people I feel Row represents.  

Home Life:

His home life is not picture-perfect, but it isn’t terrible either. His father is present in his life and his mother clearly has social and/or mental health issues. She’s desperate, obsessive and overbearing. But she isn’t evil, nor is she to blame for his actions. Toxic? Probably but many people have much more trying home lives and childhoods. I don’t think any family is perfect but that being said people survive much worse and they go on to thrive later in life. A lot of the serial killers of the 60′s and 70′s describe having overbearing mothers and sometimes even blame this for the later actions. While I don’t think this is an excuse at all it is interesting to note, and a very obvious parallel to our reality. He’s angry and upset about his home life, irritated with his mother but instead of trying to improve his family relationship by reaching out to his father, half brother and mother he would rather let these issues fester and grow. To him it is easier to detest his family and resent them instead of realizing family isn't easy, love is difficult, relationships are difficult. Family relationships are no exception, he isn’t in an overly abusive household where this wouldn’t be an option. My interpretation is that he wants them to fix it, not himself. He shouldn’t have to, because it’s not his fault and he is well, himself. 

Blurry Motivations:

Rowland never outright says why he does what he does, nor is it perfectly clear to the readers. And again I think this is frustrating for us as the readers but is all too common with real life crimes and mass killings. I think it’s extremely frustrating when we see serial killers and spree shooters describe their crimes after they have been apprehended and they say things such as “I don’t know why, I just did it,” or “I just wanted to do it,” and that’s the closest we get to an answer. In some cases these are obvious lies to cover up premeditation but not always. We have cases where it seems like people who just seem to lose it and decide they want to hurt people and maybe that will make it better or gratify something within them. I think of Brenda Ann Spencer who only said: “I don’t like Mondays” after opening fire at an elementary school. She had been suffering abuse but it wasn’t her abuser she attacked she lashed out at people she didn’t even know and children.  We have cases where spree killers describe feeling like being in a trance but cannot come up with a logical explanation or excuse for why they wanted to do that. It’s frustrating for us as a society, we want to find a reason for everything and figure everything out, because not knowing is so scary. And I think Rowland Finn’s blurry messy motivations are similar to this. 

A Modern Villian:

Rowland Finn represents a growingly dangerous type of killer in our society, at least here in the USA. Angry young men who feel entitled to better despite not trying to improve themselves or the world around them. They want to be above the rest of us, incels, mass shooters, serial killers all have these characteristics. And the mass shootings caused by these skewed disturbing views seem to be getting more and more frequent and “random”, to the point where even shopping at a Walmart can make you a target for an angry entitled incel or revenge thirsty young man who feels we have withheld from him the life he deserves. And the rest of us, with empathy and reason, are not real people we are objects to blame for these young men not getting the lives they want. And then we are further blamed for not helping enough when these people, like Row Finn refuse to help themselves. I think Rowland Finn despite the flaws in his portrayal and the frustrating questions he raises is a good representation of the type of villain that is becoming most relevant and to me, most terrifying. He represents a modern villian. 

What do you think of Row Finn? Do you like him? Hate him? How about how he is written? I’d love to hear your thoughts, do you agree or disagree with my own thoughts on him? let me know and stay safe. 

#queen of the tearling #invasion of the tearling #fate of the tearling #erika johansen #rowland finn #theory #analysis #writing discussion

[the-cookie-of-doom]

Lmfao look @ this embarrassing display of pathological jealousy & butthurt right here https://liliaeth.tumblr.com/post/185660274761/i-will-never-get-over-how-the-teen-wolf-fandom

https://russianspacegeckosexparty.tumblr.com/post/185660318562/i-will-never-get-over-how-the-teen-wolf-fandom

https://princeescaluswords.tumblr.com/post/185660625460/i-will-never-get-over-how-the-teen-wolf-fandom

DELUSIONAL #1: I will never get over how the Teen Wolf fandom treated Scott McCall. He is the literal protagonist of the show (he’s the teen wolf!!) but the fandom looked at him and went : “you know what would be even better? His boring white best friend. We’re gonna make him the main character”.

If you knew nothing about Teen Wolf except for what you would find on Tumblr, you would assume that Stiles is the protagonist. He gets the metas, the thousands of fics dedicated to him and his family and his angst. He gets the most popular ship, he gets all the people defending him and actions.

Meanwhile, Scott gets treated like dirt. He’s villainized, he’s dumbed down, he gets ignored.

Scott McCall deserves better 2kforever, and if any Stiles fans try to argue you’re getting blocked.

DELUSIONAL #2: I never knew how much I hated the color taupe (lbr, I didn’t even KNOW what the color taupe was) until every fucking where you turned in fandom was an ode to Stiles’ whiskey-taupe colored eyes.

DELUSIONAL #3: Let’s be completely fair here, Jeff Davis said multiple times both in interviews and in Dir. Commentary that he liked Stiles the most, identified with him the most, and poured the most into that character. The Fandom got bored with Scott because well, Jeff kind of wanted us to. /he/ was bored with Scott.

It’s only on my most recent re-watch that I’m falling in love with Scott. His heart I used to chalk up to “boring Lawful Good”, his loyalty as well. And to be fair, Tumblr was going through kind of a “Sherlock” phase where being super smart and talking fast and making doe eyes at another boy made you automatically the most likeable no matter how uninteresting you are.

None of this excuses treating Scott poorly. He’s the definition of “best boy”, he’s the soft gooey center that pulls this overly dramatic teen drama together! But it might at least explain it.

DELUSIONAL #2: Yeah, except that doesn’t track for a number of reasons. Firstly, the show itself WAS focused around Scott the first two and a half seasons. Sure, Stiles still had his ‘scene stealing moments’ or whatever, but the plot, the character arcs, the themes - they were very clearly focused around Scott and his story up through the end of 3A.

That never stopped fandom from being shitty as hell to Scott from like, the very first episodes. So Davis’ investment or lack thereof in Scott is not connected to how much or how little shit fandom shoveled Scott’s way.

Secondly, fandom is extremely vocal about hating Davis and his choices like….across the board. Even when he poured EVERYTHING into Stiles’ character and story to the exclusion and detriment of the main character, it still wasn’t enough for fandom as it wasn’t HOW they wanted everything focused on Stiles, he wasn’t with the right love interest, he wasn’t kicking ass in the right way, he wasn’t a spark, etc, etc. Fandom never ever took their lead from Davis and his story and character directions, and they were never shy about saying so.

I have a lot of criticisms for and of Davis, like a looooooooot, but there’s no spreading the blame around here.

Fandom’s treatment of Scott is on fandom and no one else. They never wanted the quiet kind-hearted Latino boy as the lead, they wanted him supporting their two white faves instead of ‘stealing focus’, and no amount of focus and nothing Scott actually did or didn’t do was ever going to change that!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow. Looks like Tyler Posey is not the only one who’s unhealthily obsessed with Dylan O’Brien (and with Stiles Stilinski, too, since TP feels the need to bring Stiles up in every single fucking interview and keeps whining about how Sciles should have been the most popular ship of Teen Wolf, or about how he wants to see more Scott/Stiles stuff like a whiny, entitled manchild) https://poseysprostate.tumblr.com/post/183385569523/i-think-the-stiles-and-scott-shippers-or-anyone

https://blamscilesswanqueenforever.tumblr.com/post/183424757827/hobrien-will-teen-wolf-fans-like-now

Also, nah. Scott McCall is a bland, boring, uninteresting, shitty excuse of a badly written and portrayed fictional character with no development whatsoever, therefore no one owes him nor Tyler ”shipping non canon ships is incredibly offensive and disrespectful towards the writers, producers, and everyone involved in *MY* show unless said non canon ships involve *MY* character Scott McCall” Posey anything.

No one’s fault even Peter Hale’s Shelby Cobras are canonically more complex, relevant and interesting than true petty dictator wannabe with delusions of grandeur Scoot McBelowAverageIdiot could ever hope to be, delusionals! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cookie: Shit like this makes me very glad I was not involved with the fandom in its heyday. I remember when I joined tumblr in like 2013? 2014?? Everyone kept going off and ranting about how the fandom was so racist and horrible and abusive to main character and blah blah blah, so I wisely chose to just stay away from Teen Wolf. (Literally didn’t even watch it until the show ended two years ago and I started seeing promos for Maze Runner: TDC and realized I never saw Scorch Trials and was like ‘oh hey! I recognize that dude!) I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the fandom as a whole is actually pretty great. 

As for all of that mess up there, whoo, I hope they stretched before all that reaching! Literally the only people that concerned with race in this fandom are the delusionals. Sorry babes, but an ethnically ambiguous (and proud of it!) actor playing a character who alludes to being Latino one time like 3 seaons into the show does not representation make! What’s more, no one is required to like a character purely based on your head canon of their race, and disliking that character based on many factors (that don’t even touch what Scott McCall’s race may or may not be) does not make any of us racist. Funny enough, Most of us actually adored Boyd, and Danny, and Kira, and Mason, and everyone else on this show who’s race wasn’t ambiguous. Why? Because those characters were actually fun and interesting. Scott McCall? Not so much. 

And I have no idea what part of fandom they are in that Scott is the most poor abuse puppy ever and everyone hates him like, what? I love fanon Scott, and I mean that unironically. In fandom I often see him written exactly as the kind of character they wish he was; kind, empathetic, a good friend, and a good boyfriend. When they rant and rave about how Scott is portrayed as dumbed down or villainized, I can’t help but wonder... are they talking about, *gasp* canon Scott? Because I’m sorry, but canon does not support their idealized view of him. Which is okay! That’s what fandom is for! 

A few weeks ago i got a really shitty comment on a fic I wrote like a year ago, and this person complained (for an exhaustive amount of paragraphs) that I didn’t write the characters to their specific tastes, and that I had to be sympathetic with their predicament because you see, they cannot write. Therefore I must do it for them, or pay the consequences. 

That is the same time I am getting from this, about Stiles getting all the meta and such. Like, do they understand why Stiles gets the meta? Because people write it! No one is stopping the delusionals from writing meta about Scott, in fact I would encourage it. Be the change you want to see in the world. (Although fair warning, I have read their metas and they seem to somehow always end up revolving around Stiles in some way. Who is it that’s obsessed with him, again?) Instead of spending all their time complaining, they could be writing all they physically could about Scott, creating content that portrays him in the way they want to see him portrayed. But they don’t. Because then what would they complain about? 

#fandom discourse #submission

[murphystartedthefire]

Conageddon: Richard VIP Meeting Recap

EDIT: I meant to say, I originally had a General Admission ticket, but a very kind soul Noémie who unfortunately couldn’t attend the con let me upgrade to her Richard Harmon VIP badge at a major discount and I can never thank her enough for that. 

-----------

- First off, someone in the VIP group had made friendship bracelets for everyone including Richard which was sweet. Another person had brought him a pink crop-top (tummy-bearing shirt) that said "Team Murphamy" on it, and when he saw it he IMMEDIATELY pulled his original shirt off and put it on. (Prompting one of the con staff members to walk in, see him topless, and just be like "Seriously, already?" LMAO.) He wore that for the rest of the meet & greet and group photo. *g*

- The VIP group was big (almost 20 people) but Richard made sure everyone had a chance to talk by going around the table and having each person say something, talk about where they’re from, ask him a question, etc. <3 A few people were still shy or couldn't come up with something, but most had something to ask. My first question was what's on his Murphy Playlist right now -- he said 500 songs but his big one for season six was “Villain” by David Ramirez. He also mentioned his favorite song is "Ballad of a Thin Man" by Bob Dylan, which is also on his Murphy list.

- His family teased him about being in Boston on St. Paddys Day, were texting him to come back alive. After the con on Sunday he appropriately had tickets to a Dropkick Murphys concert. (Turns out he wasn't the only one.)

- Favorite scary movie: He likes bad & good horror movies. His favorite is Halloween III: Season of the Witch, a cult movie people hated at the time but is secretly the best movie ever made.

- Also quick note that immediately before taking that photo, Bob gave him the beads because he showed him his nips.

Murphy & The 100 Stuff

- When asked about his favorite dynamic/people to work with on the show he went to Luisa right away, said people don't realize how good she is. He talked about this again on their panel later, but he realized it was funny he felt so close to her and until recently they didn't really know anything about each other's personal lives. In season three he was going through something bad and she probably could tell but they never talked about it, they just set everything aside when they worked together and he needed that.

- He also clarified that when he said in the past that he wanted the Memori breakup to stick, he didn't want that to be taken against her or that he’s not happy about them getting back together -- it's that he wishes she could do more on her own without being shackled to him.

- He also talked about Bob and how they have a competitive energy and push each other, like from the first day they both wanted to prove they were the better actor. Don't remember the exact bit but he was imitating how they were sizing each other up like "he thinks he's the lead but I'm better than him, oh okay he's good." :P

- Some more Memori cuteness -- he went through a long answer about whether various characters would be good at beer pong or not. (Monty: good at beer pong. Octavia: bad at beer pong. Clarke: very bad. Murphy: possibly good but his anger gets in the way. Echo: no, ranged weapons are not the same as beer pong.) And finally settled on Emori being the person he'd partner with on the show just as he did with Luisa IRL -- because she's a thief and has quick fingers, she'd be very good.

- He cited Murphy's scene begging for Emori in "God Complex" as his most challenging scene, along with the beginning of season three. He answered the same question at the meet & greet and later on the panel about what Murphy would've done if she had died - he has no doubt he would have killed Clarke or she’d have to kill him first.

- About the bunker scene in 3x01 - there was a lot of improvisation and him just doing whatever came to him and going crazy. It was his idea to pour the bottle of wine over his head, and that was a MISTAKE because then he was all sticky and they had to fix it in hair and makeup. They called cut and he was immediately like "ohhh I'm so sorry, I got too into it." Some joking about how Murphy just remained sticky for the rest of his time in the bunker.

- Favorite episode he said was 2x11 but meant 2x12 -- Murphy and Jaha in the desert is his favorite storyline. He loved the line "Faith? Nah, I just got nothing better to do."

- He really regrets that Murphy never got to have a moment reacting to Jaha's death. They had such an important relationship where he hated him but also had this weird father/son dynamic, even though he'd killed his father... It wouldn't even need to be a whole scene, just "someone tells me Jaha didn't make it and I could just have a look, let me play that."

- Another regret: in season 3 he wanted the stuff with Ontari to go differently, he liked the idea that she represented a dark side for Murphy, just being the kind of person who takes whatever she wants and doesn't have morals and there's something he actually likes in that, and meanwhile Emori is his light and hope of having another chance. But they didn't really explore that. He often has to remember he's like in the C-storyline and there's other stuff going on with the leads.

- On how Murphy will respond to Monty and Harper's death, he said Murphy doesn't like to feel indebted to people and he'd be upset that Monty had just saved his life and he doesn't think he knew how much Murphy respected and cared about him. [That may or may not actually come into play onscreen or with Jordan, he suggested that Murphy's kind of wary and annoyed by Jordan because he's annoyed by everyone.]

Non-Spoilery S6 Spoilers

- I asked him about Murphy's mental health in season six. He said there will be more of that, not because he's dealing with it but that he's adding *new* problems. O_O

- One of the fans said she sees Murphy as symbolizing the whole of the show because he's all about surviving and it's something the audience relates to also. He said something about how "how far is he willing to go to survive" is a running theme for Murphy specifically and in season six we'll see an answer to that question.

- They're not really gonna show any more of what happened in the six years, they're past that. (lights a candle in mourning for the spacekru flashbacks I never got siiigh.)

- A girl talked about how she loves Clarke and Murphy and always wants them to be friends, and Richard was like LOL ENJOY SEASON SIX implying they will... probably not be that. ;) He did give a legit answer to her question about how they are similar characters, and he thinks part of why they haven't been friends is Murphy just initially didn't like her and associated her with the ruling class on the Ark, where he had been locked up since he was like 10. Anyway he told the Clarke/Murphy Friendship girl that it will be hard but she also might like it, because Clarke and Murphy's relationship and how they feel about each other is central to this season.

- He was *pissed* (his words) about something that got cut from the first episode in season six -- it was just a small thing at the end of a scene, it sounded like it was related to Murphy and Jordan, but he was just really frustrated that it was in there and then cut. He'll say what it was after the episode airs. And then there was something else in season six (!) where he had to film a much longer & difficult scene and they edited it down a lot. He says Jason promised him they would make the full version available somewhere. (Nicole says: I will believe this when I see it, and also I'll know what the hell he's talking about when I see it.)

#richard harmon #the 100 #john murphy #conageddon #memori #that boy's a fighter #cute for a thief

[rankakiu]

Thoughts of the Droid: Shazam! (2019)

Hello, people of Tumblr! How life treats you? As always, I hope very well. At five hundred, but at last. Not only I already had the opportunity to see the movie of Shazam! I have also made a space in my busy schedule to write my opinions and thoughts about this film. DC and Warner have managed to deliver a good product? Or is it another failed attempt to compete with Marvel Studios?

WARNING: NOT SPOILER-FREE. Read at your own risk

Entering already the full review and answering the previous question, What did I think the movie? Short answer: DC and Warner have done it. They have delivered a quality product with a lot of fun and that has no waste of seeing. Now let's enter with more details.

Characters: Undoubtedly all are striking and have charisma. From our protagonist Billy Batson / Shazam, passing through his adoptive family, to the villain Thaddeus Sivana. Each of the characters has a well-achieved background and credible motivations and it really is very nice to see them on screen.

At this point, I emphasize the interpretation of Zachary Levi as the superhero Shazam, since he has a unique charisma and innocence and that I personally, I have not seen in other superheroes. In truth he did a great job with his character, balancing quite well that he is a powerful being with the soul of a young man who seeks to find his way in the world. Also, without a doubt, the scenes where he discovers his powers, helped by Freddy, are the most comical scenes and have the most soul, because despite the appearance of an adult he has, in fact, his reactions are those of a child who is surprised with every new thing. I do not know about you people, but it means for me that we never leave our inner child aside so that we can remain fresh in mind and heart. In addition, the chemistry that has with the character of Freddy Freeman (played by actor Jack Dylan Grazer) is very fun to watch, especially that you also feel an authentic connection that goes beyond friendship: it is a connection of brotherhood, very much in spite of the fact that they are not related biologically. Both support each other, fight each other, advise each other, try to come to their senses and walk shoulder to shoulder in the world of the superheroes of which they are already a part.

On the other hand, the villain Thaddeus Sivana, played by actor Mark Strong, offers a solid villain. Although his background sins of being a bit cliché (the typical case that he suffered a lot as a child), they managed to arm the villain well and that the spectator can really feel it as a real threat. That and the fact that it represents a situation that unfortunately occurs in the real world: child abuse, which unfortunately often happens in the family, where supposedly in the institution in which children should be protected more. Basically, he is a villain who as a child refused to love and affection and who seeks to compensate with the feeling that only gives excessive power. Strong's acting and gestures make Sivana a memorable villain.

History: solid, entertaining and well achieved. Something that I find curious is that at the beginning we see what is the background story of our villain when it is usual to see the story of the hero first, but I do not complain. In fact, that background helps a lot to understand the psychology of the villain. You could say that they used (and very well) the phrase: "a great story, before needing a good hero, needs a good villain". We see the day (or to be more precise, the night) that radically changed the life of Sivana, where, not being chosen as a new champion, he dedicates his life to prove himself, looking for a way to access the Rock of the Eternity and thus to become of the corrupting powers of the Seven Deadly Sins, objective that finally it achieves later to bring chaos to the world; not without before cruelly killing his own father and older brother. And this is where it may seem cruel what I'm about to say, but the truth both had it well deserved.

Continuing with the story, we are then shown, now, to our protagonist, Billy Batson, played by the actor Asher Angel, who is shown as a teenager somewhat looking for problems, but also effectively raises their emotional conflict, where it looks for its biological mother so that they return to be the family of yesteryear. That is why he constantly escapes since none of his previous adoptive families seemed not to fill the emotional gap in the absence of his mother. Again Billy is given to another family, which has an interesting peculiarity: All its members are of different ethnic groups, in addition to all of them are adopted. Even Víctor (played by Cooper Andrews) and Rosa (played by Marta Milans) in their childhood were also adopted. Here I emphasize that although all the members of this bizarre family, despite being so different, come to understand each other and can understand the pain of being in complete solitude and having no family ties of blood. It could be argued that this extended family represents the truth in this world: it is love and affection that makes a family and not blood.

If I had to highlight a particular scene, this would be when Billy is reunited with his biological mother. A scene where the enormous range of emotions of which both mother and son are prey is palpable. It is an emotional reunion, which, however, becomes bitter when Billy knows the devastating truth: his mother had abandoned him on purpose, is that she felt very overwhelmed by the responsibility that represents a child (you can understand why she did it, but not for that reason is totally justified). And it is particularly in this scene that we are shown because Billy is worthy to carry the power of Shazam: when he learned how his mother abandoned him, Billy did not develop an instantaneous hatred towards her (despite having reasons to spare), but simply understood that he was no longer part of her world. Not only that, but also, Billy gives him the same emblematic gift that his mother made him back when he was a child: a compass, which represents that one may be lost for life, but that it is always possible to find the way to home and towards happiness. Billy, seeing that her mother is in an unhappy situation, gives her the compass so that it is now she who finds her way. It is in that scene where you can appreciate in detail that Billy really has a kind heart, worthy of being a superhero and that is why he was chosen by the old Shazam.

From the rest of the story, it is fun to see the relationship that Billy has with his new family, at first reluctant to change again and in the end, accepting all its members with all his heart. The story works well enough to represent an ancient superhero in a more modern environment, where the heroes continue to help the weak, but now are also public figures who enjoy appearing before the masses. Basically, the heroism of yesteryear updated to modern times.

Visuals and special effects: At the height of what you would expect from a super production like this. Despite the fact that we all know that now all special effects are now made in CGI, that detail really goes unnoticed by paying more attention to the performances and the story. At this point, I would like to highlight the wonderful design of the Shazam costume, which really feels that it has been strongly influenced by the comics where the character made his first appearances, but also feels like an updated costume, more typical of these times ; besides that it makes our protagonist look very muscular. Another wardrobe that I want to highlight is that of the villain Sivana, which basically are common clothes, but that manages to give an elegant and somber look to the antagonist.

Action: What can I tell you? Undoubtedly the battles and action scenes are perfectly coordinated and you feel the adrenaline to the fullest. You can see the strength, speed, and endurance of both the hero and the villain and they do not look at all exaggerated. They have managed to handle the scale of powers of the characters very well.

In conclusion, Shazam! feels like a cool movie of superheroes, where we see the worthy evolution of our protagonist in which he goes from a problematic teenager and with a big ego because of his powers, to a superhero that has been taken more seriously his role as protector of humanity ... of course, without losing his style. In general, Shazam! It is a very good product that is worth seeing and that together with the films of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, it shows that DC and Warner can really achieve great superhero movies. For now, I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 Rocks of Eternity. Hopefully, DC and Warner will stay on this good path in which they have been placed.

Greetings

Rankakiu

#shazam #dc extended universe #dceu #dceumovies #billy batson #freddy freeman #thaddeus sivana #seven deadly sins #zachary levi #asher angel #jack dylan grazer #mark strong #movies #superhero movies #movie review #opinions #thoughts #thoughts of the droid #rankakiu

[lagarta-isabo]

Briefly from the Crystal Reed panel 10/28/2018 (Day two) at ComicCon in Warsaw:

Crystal did not read comics until she got a role in “The Swamp Thing”. She, of course, started with Alan Moore. She knows that his works are the Holy Grail for fans of comics, and considers them very poetic and elegant. These comics pulled her head. Kristal understood that starting with Moor’s stories might have spoiled her impression of others, but now she is studying the DS universe in more detail. She thinks it is very deep and intriguing, her idea of comics completely changed.

Crystal at first had no idea what Sofia Falcon would be like. In the comics, she is a huge, monstrous, crazy witch-looking woman. Initially, she was only warned that Sophia would be a Mob Boss. But the opportunity to play the leader of the mafia seemed to Crystal very exciting, and when it turned out that Sofia would be the villain of the season, it interested her even more. Because usually Crystal is cast to the role of nice girls, and the opportunity to play the baddy very pleased her. Because of the difference between the on-screen and comic versions of Sophia, the pressure on Crystal was significantly less, but she was still worried, knowing that this is a character that many fans already know.

When Cristal joined Gotham's caste, the actors on the set already had an established relationship. Sometimes for an actor, it can be something like a school change - you want to fit in. But on the set of Gotham, she was welcomed with open arms, and this greatly pleased her. Already during the make-up tests, Robin Taylor (Oswald Kobblepot aka Penguin) came to see her, to get to know each other, and they talked about everything in the world for 45 minutes. Crystal knows from her own experience that this is not always like that on the set, and is very grateful for this attitude.

On the question “Does Crystal ship Sterek?” She clarified what “ship” means. But after explantation, she said yes - she would like to see them as a pair on the screen: “That would be cool. They are great together, they have very funny scenes, and they are great pals in life.”

When Crystal was asked to say something to novice actors, she said that she is lucky to love what she is doing very much. After all, if it were not so, it would be very easy to give up. The acting industry is very challenging, but if you love what you do, and there is nothing other in the world that you could do, then you need to go for it and never accept “no” as the answer. Crystal has never had a plan “B”.

In the first two seasons, on the set of TeenWolf was a very relaxed atmosphere. There was no pressure because no one suspected how popular the show would be. Despite the fact that many scenes were filmed in the cold, at night, and demanded tension, everyone was joking and were very happy. But Crystal has always been the object of jokes, not those who joke.

Crystal is a vegetarian and she liked the Polish “pirogi” with vegetables.

Crystal always tried to improvise on the set of TeenWolf. Especially in scenes with Dylan (Dylan O`Brien - Stiles Stilinski), he himself does it well, often and very funny. But in her attempts, they always said “Cut!”, She asked: “But wait, I have such a funny replica here!”, But no - it was cut and that's it. She understands that Allison is not a humorous character in this story, and knows her place, so she allowed Dylan to take all the “glory” for himself.

To the question - “Who would you like to play in TeenWolf, except for your character?” Kristal chose Kanim. She always wanted to make such a full makeup. She asked to try to be a werewolf, but she was not allowed. It seems to Crystal that it is very liberating - to get such a completely different appearance and try to move and speak like something completely inhuman. Crystal would like to play a big scary monster. According to the comics, Abby will have such an opportunity in “The Swamp Thing”, Crystal does not know if it will happen in the series, but will hope for it. If it happens, then definitely not in the first season.

Abby Arkan in “The Swamp Thing” has very white, snowy hair. And Crystal is not sure that this will happen, but perhaps she will try on such an image in the series. Crystal is interested to see herself as a blonde. (ComicCon took place a week before the start of filming "Swamp Thing").

Crystal is inspired by Meryl Streep. She can't tell anyone better than her. And also the stars of old Hollywood, like Katharine Hepburn. For Crystal, it is important that the actress is strong, both in life behind the screen and within the industry.

Choosing between the roles of Allison Argent and Marie Jeanne-Valet, Crystal cannot name any of these roles more difficult than the other. They are different, and each has its own difficulties. In the role of Marie, she has had a difficult language, that’s why there was a French teacher with her on the set.

Video and text Part I http://lagarta-isabo.tumblr.com/post/180014438815/warsaw-comiccon-poland-crystal-reed-allison Photo: Part I http://lagarta-isabo.tumblr.com/post/179725199330/warsaw-comiccon-poland-crystal-reed-allison Part II http://lagarta-isabo.tumblr.com/post/179726305410/warsaw-comiccon-poland-crystal-reed-allison Part III http://lagarta-isabo.tumblr.com/post/179726726240/warsaw-comiccon-poland-crystal-reed-allison Part IV http://lagarta-isabo.tumblr.com/post/180733455225/warsaw-comiccon-poland-crystal-reed-allison Part V http://lagarta-isabo.tumblr.com/post/180734097485/and-finally-me-and-crystal-warsaw-comiccon

#crystalreed #crystal reed #allisonargent #allison argent #teenwolf #teen wolf #sofia falcone #sofiafalcone #gotham #abbyarcane #abby arcane #swampthing #swamp thing #dc comics #dccomics #dc #polska #poland #comics #warsaw #warszawa #comiccon #warsawcomiccon #warsawcomiccon2018 #sterek #derek #derek hale #stiles x derek #stiles #stiles stilinski

[delayedcritique]

SHAZAM! REVIEW

“DC’s most energetic and fun superhero since Christopher Reeves’ Superman”

BY COLLIN DE LADE

The DC Extended Universe has had a difficult time setting up their main heroes. While they have seen success with Wonder Woman and Aquaman, they have to stumble with all their primary characters. After getting heavily criticized for their dark tones, DC has learned their lesson by delivering their most light-hearted movie yet; “Shazam!”

“Shazam!” is the latest entry in the DC Extended Universe centered on a young teen named Billy Batson (Asher Angel). After losing his mother at an amusement park, Billy is determined to find his lost mother. In the meantime, he is thrown to a foster family with fellow fosters around his age. After escaping from some bullies, Billy is transported to a mysterious cave with an elderly man waiting for him. Billy has been chosen as champion to the powers to the all mighty Shazam (Zachary Levi). Unaware of the responsibilities of the superhero role, Billy messes around with his fellow foster friend, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), as he discovers his new powers. When faced with a real threat, Billy might grow into the hero role he was destined to play in order to save the people he loves.

A film like “Shazam!” will solely work with charming leads and clever writing; which it thankfully includes. Having young teen actors can be a tricky task to master, especially with the central character, Billy, being very irresponsible and immature. Luckily, the film completely owns up to its juvenile behavior and delivers a wildly entertaining and simple superhero origin story. If there’s one main compliment to give “Shazam!”, it's how it finally recognizes how amazing it would be to be a superhero.

The three main characters, Billy, Freddy, and Shazam, are given so much personality and sympathy that instantly engaging to follow. The young Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer work so well with each other with their opposing personalities that work against each other. As Billy is very subduing and mysterious, Freddy is loudly showing off his excitement and emotions. As great as Angel and Grazer are in their respective roles, this is completely Zachary Levi’s movie to steal. The man is instantly memorable the moment he pops up on screen. Levi absolutely kills it as embodying a young teen transported into the body and powers of a god. His performance completely sells the movie and everything else is just an added bonus.

The supporting cast works on various degrees, with Mark Strong as the main villain being a strong point. Having played multiple villain roles in the past, Strong manages to still shine as the big baddie of the film even in a familiar role. His backstory and motivations are very strong and keep the character relevant throughout the film. There’s also Billy and Freddy’s family members, who are left with very little to do. The actors are all good in their respective parent or sibling roles, but there’s not much for the characters to do to stand out. Even during the big climax, these characters miss the mark on reaching their potential. While their charming performances save these characters from being forgettable, they all deserve a little more to do than what was given.

As with great performances comes a clever script, which appropriately plays it very simple and easy to follow in favor of more exciting character moments. With its silly tone and playful action, the plot did not need to be anything massive or world ending. This basic plot of the villain wanting to take something from the hero is all that this movie needed. In between the plot points come the humorous and relatable moments that will stick with you days afterward.

There is so much fun to have in “Shazam!” that the entire family can enjoy. As the performances are strong and the story is easy to follow, the action and humor succeed more often than it fails. Zachary Levi is absolutely awesome as the title character and it's very exciting to see where the character goes from here. This is definitely one of DC’s most entertaining movies that are worth to see on the big screen with the family.

8.75/10

#shazam #dc #zachary levi #superhero #comedy #movie #review

[undrwrlds]

tune into tmz: FAYE MARSHALL is giving an interview ! the TWENTY-EIGHT year old SINGER / SONGWRITER has been plastering the tabloids lately. on instagram, she seems IMAGINATIVE and ALLURING, but there are definitely villainous articles that would claim that they are IMPERIOUS and TEMPESTUOUS. regardless, there’s a reason their name is on everyone’s lips. it’ll be exciting to see what they do next. – played by carlson young.

— THE BASICS

full name: faye vivian marshall 
date of birth: october 10th place of birth: los angeles, california 
age: twenty-eight 
star sign: libra 
profession: singer / songwriter alma mater: did not attend college alignment: chaotic good mbti: enfj spoken languages: english ( native speaker ), french ( beginner ) interests: writing, guitar, dancing, animals mother’s name: sienna west-marshall father’s name: clayton marshall siblings, if any: hazel marshall ( identical twin ) relationship status: dating noah rollins children: n/a height: 5′2″ hair colour: blonde eye colour: brown

— MODERN / trigger warning(s): emotional abuse, abortion

born to the well-beloved marshall household, faye entered the world seven minutes after her identical twin sister hazel. very on brand for the blonde, she arrived kicking and screaming and demanding for all eyes to be on her at once.

did a small stint on the underworld set as playing baby harmony manikas alongside hazel before she could even walk or talk. it worked out perfectly because of the long hours worked by her parents.

faye lived an incredibly spoiled and happy childhood. it didn’t matter how big of names her parents were because at the end of the day, they dedicated themselves to her and her sister. but she definitely had the perks of an incredibly wealthy upbringing and adored ever moment of it.

has always had a passion for performing. it started with ballet and hip hop lessons when she was three and then vocal and piano lessons when she was five. and faye wasn’t just good at it -- she was gifted in the art of music. she never had a doubt in her talent, especially when she was the lead of every musical, winning school talent shows, and completely adored by her performing arts teachers.

despite suggestions to get her into show business immediately, sienna was firm that if the girls wanted to be in the industry then they would only be allowed to do it when they came of age. this frustrated faye, who was pretty much sure that she wanted to be a singer from the age of ten.

never actively sought out friends growing up. thanks to her parents and the close relationships they’d fostered on the underworld set, faye was pretty much born with friends for life. was considered a “popular girl” during middle and high school but didn’t actively go out of her way to be a queen bee type. she much preferred sticking with the friends she had and prep herself for stardom.

once she received her high school degree, faye firmly told her parents that she would not be attending college like her sister and promptly sent out the demo she’d been preparing to different record labels.

a big-time record label approached faye and offered her a spot on their roster. the catch ? it would be as a girl group because those were all the craze back then. reluctantly, she agreed. the group consisted of three other girls was named eye candy and proved to be a commercial success, thanks to their strong, harmonizing vocals and female empowerment anthems. the group lasted for five years but eventually decided to go their separate ways for solo careers. it was amicable split -- faye still talks to the other girls to this day.

now at the age of twenty-three, faye was ready to take on her solo career. a proclaimed songbird and skilled songwriter by rolling stones magazine itself, her debut album was met with incredibly favorable reviews and made the top ten on billboard 100. she was even nominated for best new artist and the grammys.

in particular, everyone was enamored by a particular single that featured an up-and-coming rapper dylan. the two began dating shortly after. the relationship was incredibly toxic. dylan’s hedonistic lifestyle of non-stop parties and drugs began to infiltrated faye’s on life, and together they spiraled out of the control. both the media and fans were obsessed with them and diligently pried into every aspect of their love life. that made things like dylan’s constant wandering eyes and hands or their tumultuous fights hard to keep private. constantly, she told herself she would leave dylan but often times found herself so co-dependent and very nearly addicted to his energy.

at the time, faye also worked on her second album. this one took on a less bubblegum pop approach and shifted her attempts to more dance pop. the banger filled album was praised for her efforts and continued to obtain global success while simultaneously going through perhaps the worst period of her life. the amount of accolades and attention she was garnering truly meant nothing when she didn’t even feel like herself.

it came to the biggest surprise when faye discovered that she was pregnant. completely panicked at the idea of becoming a mother or bringing a kid into this horrible dynamic, she made the decision to have an abortion. at the time, her father was the only one that knew and went to the clinic with her. however, his choice to tell her mother afterwards upset faye and she shut him out of her life for months.

things blew up in a very big way at a big exclusive club opening that she attended with dylan and some of her friends. paparazzi galore caught faye’s boyfriend all over a model for the world to see and thanks to the stress of all that had been occurring, she had a breakdown. colton came to her defense that night and started a fight with dylan that ended poorly. so distressed about colton getting in trouble and dylan’s blatant disrespect, faye sort of disappeared for a while, showing up on her parents’ doorstep in a desperate need of a repreive from hollywood. deleted all of her social media and sorta slumped into a depression, one that her loved ones didn’t allow her to settle in for long.

after seven months of healing and antisocial behavior, faye emerged back into the limelight and began working diligently on her third album. unlike ever before, this album was raw and authentic and shifted gears to more sultry pop and r&b and urban flares that showcased her vocals unlike ever before. she took over a year to release it, wanting to make sure everything was perfect for her return. and it was surely worth it because it is her biggest album to date and got her five grammy nominations, three of which she won.

simultaneously, faye began dating noah -- one of her best friends that she tiptoed the will they won’t they line with for a very long time. at first, she was hesitant and wary of the possibility of a healthy relationship but now could not imagine her life without him ( though she’d never admit to his face because who needs to agony of his smugness )

is currently working on her fourth album that is centered around the good things in her life and fully embracing that she is a successful bitch and has worked hard to be where she is. it will continue to play with her brand of sultry, urban type of pop.

random fact: is currently the third most followed person on instagram and adores social media and finds a way to utilize it into her every day life.

— 19th CENTURY

to be added.

— SHADOWHUNTERS

to be added.

— HEROES VS. VILLAINS / trigger warning(s): abuse

born to two notorious supervillains, faye was expected to go down the same path. she began her training from an early age ; as a non-meta human, she knew she would have to rely on gadgets and combat in the field.

when she came of age to be in the field, she realized that the villain lifestyle was not for her and would prefer to utilize her powers as a hero instead. too afraid to reveal this to her parents, she instead confided in her twin sister hazel and best friends gabriel, kiri, and noah.

while reluctantly partaking in villainous operatives like robberies and the sort, faye began moonlighting as a vigilante as a form of balance for her wrongs. the two words collided horribly and it was exhausting being two different people at separate ends of the spectrum, but she didn’t want to be denounced by her loved ones. she may not agree with the villains but they were her lifelines. came to be known as rose as a masked vigilante, thanks to her sweeter “innocent” appearance but her far more “thorny” form of fighting.

met dylan during one of her nights off at a nightclub and was immediately attracted to him. he was a clinical psychology intern at a local center and she found him to be very handsome, enigmatic, and intelligent. they started dating.

everything was going wonderfully, or so she thought. truthfully, dylan was incredibly emotionally abusive. he began to make her isolate herself from her loved ones, second-guess her self-worth, and rely heavily on him to function as a human being. on numerous occasions, he even struck her to get his point across.

one night, faye discovered his hidden journals, realizing that he was obsessed with those “graced” with meta-human abilities and had attempted experiments on himself and victims that he found to try to be like them. disgusted, faye packed up to leave for good when dylan knocked her out. when she came to, she was dangling above a chemical vat. dylan made her choose -- him or her loved ones. when faye stubbornly chose her loved ones, he dropped her into the chemical vat.

while the chemicals included did not kill her, it re-wired something in faye’s brain. suddenly, she was hearing voices and the bleaching quality in the chemicals caused her skin to go ghostly pale. she would have drowned if dylan hadn’t retrieved her. and when he did, she was no longer the girl she’d once been. 

thanks to the chemical vat, faye has grown immune to most toxins and chemicals. that paired with her gymnastic skills and weaponized toys makes for a danger enemy. she has no morals and is willing to kill in the field.

the worst thing she has ever done in her life is the murder of the superhero twilight ( civilian name: emmett turner ). upon dylan’s encouragement, she brutally bashed his head in with a crowbar and left him for dead.

dylan kept her under his thumb, using the most extreme forms of torture if faye dared to defy him. but one day, she snapped and killed the man who was the reasoning for all her suffering. but it was too late: she was now giggle, known by the maniacal laugh she gives before carving people into pieces.

#( * introductions. )

[senpaimutual]

underappreciated things from twisted: the untold story of a royal vizier

the entire scene of jeff blim reenacting two separate personalities from twisted, but especially the callback to “you live here?” “i’m squattin’ here” where he’s “but i live here” “NOOOOOOOO you’re just squattin’ here”

joe walker’s Royal Vizier makeup, specifically the lipstick damn it’s good

the way that dylan says “a song is often a prelude............... to a DIACK”

robert manion, just in general. the one hit wonder that i fell in love with throughout the course of the musical

jim pavolo!!! i love him so much??? that deep voice can straight up eviscerate me and i would say thank you and sorry for inconveniencing him

the way that they say “totties” i’m just screeching it’s so cute and also hilarious

in the same vein, the little gestures that jeff does when he’s explaining about the princess

SHOW ME YOUR MAGIC CARPET

in the opening number when lauren asks “why is every one in the kingdom white” and jeff in the background just “mostly welsh actually”

“they’re stretch marks. they happen.”

he fucked a tigerrrrrrrrrr~

joe’s little “what” after they call him a tiger fucker for the last time

“usually when you poison my wine it means you wanna talk what’s up are you mad at me”

rachael forgetting aladdin’s name and spelling it wrong because that’s the cutest shit ever i’m sobbing

mrs. robinson you’re trying to seduce me.

“this wouldn’t have happened if you’d fixed the socio-economic inequality like you’d promised, ja’far”

dylan’s face after jim walks in after a song is a dick in sheep’s clothing

It is you, you’re just wearing different clothes.

how fucking attractive jeff blim is, i’m actually screeching he’s a hot boy

take off your clothes

I’M GONNA LIVE FOREVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

robert doing the wooshy noises of the carpet

“do you think ja’far could be right about aladdin?” (multiple yes answers, cameraman nods)

one person in the crowd says “i don’t think so”

“ME NEITHER!”

hey where do hippopotamuses come from? “africa” SEE YOU’D FUCKING KNOW THAT YOU SORCERER

it’s simple chemistry

aU cOnTrAiRe

demONIC FURNITURE

i only wished to have a COAT made out of PUPPIES

why would you do that?!?!?!?!??!?!?!

that’s insane! that’s insane.

denise’s little “but. but the puppy coat. the puppy coat”

Oh. Didn’t my tiger eat your ass? (beat) TIGER FUCKER TIGER FUCKER TIGER FUCKER

bring achmed his tiger and nobody gets hurt-

SHUT UP. STOP IT.

ja’far? Ja’farrr. Ja’FAR!

BEHOLD!!! BEHOLD!!!!!!! BEHOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the Djinn being super in awe of the audience

“i’ve got to become” a Dickfor. “what’s a dick for?” BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH

CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE- oh shit (trips over cape)

youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. you’re the guy who killed my parents.

wait. if i’m you? then that means. i KiLlEd My PaReNtS?

“what’re you gonna do with the lamp?” WISH FOR STUFF jACKASS!!!!!!!

ok jesus christ i don’t know what’s going on here

ja’far! you’re like. a devil guy.

the smug lil look on rachael’s face after she buys the entirety of Pixar to end the war

“don’t you mean..... princess?”

“oh. i am so sorry, princess.”

darn tootin.

joe’s tiny “wait what happened to ja’far?”

RACHAEL’S LITTLE “you’re a diamond in the rough” BECAUSE I DIDN’T NEED MY FUCKING HEART

phenomenal cosmic powers. shitty, shitty living space.

“and may the rats ejaculate upon you”

maybe if you kept your face out of that motherfucking book like ok belle go back to reading

the very subtle gayness of abdul and the captain before abdul dies it’s so cute and pure and i sob

first i lost her to the sultan. then i lost her to heaven. DAMN DYLAN YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO GO THAT HARD AND YET

the one line that Jim sings all by himself “’cause you STOLE my DAUGHTER’S HYMEN” and it’s surprisingly soulful

jezebel??!??!?!??!?!?

it’s enough to make me wish i were lowly and poor......... but like. with money!

joe walker just in general he kinda stole the show for me a lil because he’s so good at playing villains especially prince achmed

uh huh. we put them in burlap sacks and beat them until they were dead.

yep. out of the highest window of the highest tower.

dylan’s little high note at the end of “1001 Nights” 

Science says you’re dead and gone forever, reason says I’m talking to the air...

thanks Dylan you’ve hurt me again

“is your penis an innie or an outie.”

OH YEAH ALSO THE KISS AT THE END LIKE YEAH DYLAN AND MEREDITH GET SOME

The Entire Musical Folks Just Please Appreciate This Musical More It’s So Fucking Good

#twisted: the untold story of a royal vizier #twisted the untold story of a royal vizier #starkid #team starkid

[digimmortality-archive]

starter guide to my OCs under the cut! warning: there are a lot and i am trash for using the same FCs, but whatever whatever. <3

Alyssa Montgomery ( faceclaim: mackenzie davis ):  - tattoo artist  - single mom, very active in her kid’s life and very much involved in pta like things  - terribly romantic and loves being in love and doesn’t know when too much is enough

Aruna Charan ( faceclaim: naomi scott ):  - high school drop out  - lost in life and has no idea what to do or where to go  - uses humor as a way to cover up insecurities

Asurael ( faceclaim: jim caviezel ):  - fallen angel mercenary  - very much a damaged angel who is overcome with rage and anger at the thing who ripped off his wings  - also really oblivious to the way the modern world works, and isn’t very good with social cues

Avery Lucas ( faceclaim: chloe bennett ):  - destiny 2 based titan in fireteam aeternum  - in modern verse, she’s an underground fighter  - sees the fun in all things violent and is really just the type of person to see joy in life always

Cameron McCormick ( faceclaim: hugh dancy ):  - accountant / underground crime boss  - literally a serial killer with ASPD  - only cares about two or three people in separate verses, and will do anything to protect them

Donovan Crayford ( faceclaim: michael malarkey ):  - auto mechanic  - spent most of his life dating kiana before breaking it off when she returned from overseas  - tries to spread joy where he can, volunteers in his spare time at shelters and hospitals

Dylan Abernathy ( faceclaim: amy acker ):  - farmer / veteran  - literal human sunshine who makes it her goal to brighten the day of whoever she comes across  - most of the workers on her farm were homeless before she met them and offered them a place to work and live

Estela Tavares ( faceclaim: becky g ):  - high demon queen, previously a succubus  - feeds off of the literal life essence of humans and various other beings  - overly cocky / confident and believes she can do no wrong

Gavin Fischer ( faceclaim: cody christian ):  - kind of a deadbeat genius  - works as a waiter in a local steakhouse to help provide for his three siblings and parents  - dreams of one day being a physicist and discovering new things and being able to earn a lot of money so his parents and siblings never have to want again

Grayson Hauser ( faceclaim: tahmoh penikett ):  - POI based ISA / Samaritan agent  - comes off really gruff and stoic / flat effect almost  - soft when it comes to the people he cares about, will protect them, oblivious to the bigger picture and only follows orders

Isaac Harding ( faceclaim: tyler hoechlin ):  - private detective, specializing in the supernatural  - injured knee, addicted to coffee and nicotine  - soft spoken and studious, tends to go out of his way to complete a case, even when the danger is high

Jac Miller ( faceclaim: phoebe tonkin ):  - derby girl / pyrokinetic + empath  - has absolutely no control of her powers and the empathy makes her lose control more often than not  - definitely a wild child, feels too much ALWAYS even without her empathy

Jasper Davis ( faceclaim: chris wood ):  - destiny 2 based warlock of fireteam aeternum  - the gothest boy ever  - is part of a warlock order called the thanatonauts, in which he dies voluntarily to experience visions before being revived

Joey Belmont ( faceclaim: stella maeve ):  - atomic blonde based double agent ( CIA / SVR )  - spends a lot of her time undercover in the US investigating   - never shows who she really is and crafts a different personality for every meeting, in actuality a very lonely, dark person

Katia Boystov ( faceclaim: lyndsy fonseca ):  - gta based crew assassin  - runs with an all female crew and is known for how loud her assassinations are  - her personality is much like her style of violence: wild and in your face

Ke'aslas ( faceclaim: charlie cox ):  - elder god based oc  - was summoned to earth eons ago and has been existing just underneath the surface  - once technology began to uprise, they poured their essence into it. flickering lights? static on a tv? look closer and you will see and hear Them.

Kiana Razavi ( faceclaim: sarah shahi ):  - air force veteran  - severe ptsd. night terrors, flashbacks.   - the softest but also literally the most pathetic. latches onto any kindness and very easily falls in love because she craves affection and attention

Lex Stovall ( faceclaim: amy acker ):  - fuckboy neurosurgeon  - amab feminine agender person ( she/ her pronouns, male and nb titles ( dr, sir, mx, etc )  - too cocky and confident to function tbh. addicted to painkillers and drinks too much wine. afraid of commitment after her divorce

Mitchell Calloway ( faceclaim: jason bateman ):  - assistant district attorney  - very much the smarmy villain type you would expect him to be  - he’s charming in a way that seems unsettling and only in it for the money

Oliver Ward ( faceclaim: matthew gray gubler ):  - continuing ed. english professor, only teaches night classes  - very soft and very gay man who finds joy in fictional stories and fantasy  - somehow has his life together but looks a mess always, very disorganized and very disheveled

Owen Rebours ( faceclaim: richard harmon ):  - destiny 2 based hunter of fireteam aeternum  - the quietest hunter on the front. very focused on making sure the job is done, but loves the challenge  - has a gambling problem, but bets only on crucible matches and never plays himself

Rosalind Harston ( faceclaim: olivia taylor dudley ):  - late 1800s vampire  - nearly feral and lacks a humanity. her feralness translates into a sense of uncaring and feeds without remorse  - tends to prey on the stronger because the challenge is greater

Rosana Naceri ( faceclaim: sarah shahi ):  - psychology professor / self help book author  - completely fucked up after witnessing her father kill her mom and translates that into trying to help others, though does not follow her own advice  - rarely speaks unless its needed, and is quick to anger or judgement

Rowan Knight ( faceclaim: katie mcgrath ):  - up and coming mob queen  - ambitious to a fault and tends to take her anger and frustration out on those close to her  - prefers ruling from a perch and doesn’t like getting her hands dirty, but will if she has to 

Roya Veisi ( faceclaim: sarah shahi ):  - ex marine bodyguard  - is the type that feels too much and thinks its a weakness, so she comes off as stoic and unfeeling  - lets her anxieties get the better of her when it comes to social situations

Savina ( faceclaim: alycia debnam carey ):  - feral werewolf   - literally acts like more animal than person, has lived on her on in the wilds since she was young bc separated from her pack / family  - is barely in control of her beast and spends a lot of time trying to figure out how to get in under wraps without knowing how

Siya Parekh ( faceclaim: naomi scott ):  - literal princess of a made up city ( gotta write this up )  - very prim and proper in public but is also politely sarcastic in a way that turns heads  - tends to leave other royalty and politicians confused and surprised at how well she navigates matters

Theo Bradford ( faceclaim: jeffrey dean morgan ):  - physics professor  - single dad, divorced and estranged from his ex wife  - shy, quiet kind of guy. keeps to himself mostly and focuses more on his work and providing for his daughter

Tobias Gallo ( faceclaim: sean teale ):  - background vocalist of an indie band  - mainly sings, but also plays violin and wants to break off from the band and start his own career  - goes with the flow most of the time and pours his heart and soul into his music

Victor Moreno ( faceclaim: diego luna ):  - account executive for ford motors  - a blind man and uses a cane rather than a seeing eye dog   - finds fun and joy in literally every moment, and goes out of his way to make sure the people around him are also seeing things in a new light ( figuratively )

#[ oc guide; ] #anyways #i have so many #its ridiculous

[gotgifsandmusings]

Quick asks roundup

I’m going out of town this afternoon for labor dabor, and probably won’t be around much during the weekend. Thought I’d answer a few asks below--just a grab bag, with a vague focus on S7. Should be able to do a video one of these next week, and Julia and I are eyeing a UBS podcast episode pretty soon too.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: Have you read David Benioff's book City of Thieves? I'm curious how it compares to GoT.

I haven’t, no. I’m not sure if that’s something I want to subject myself to (it has been mostly positively received from what I know, though not across the board) when there’s so much I’ve been putting off reading as it is.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: Is cerseï pregananant in the boox?

She’s actually gregnant.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: Just read your criticism about Fair Game and wholeheartedly agree. You touched on the core of why your (and Julia's and Caroline's and Jess' and Turtle's) GoT analysis are so great: they understand the intersection of narrative flaws and social issues. Sure, some people may complain that they don't want "SJW" stuff, except, y'know, you don't stop being a feminist when you write a review. As you say, media is not produced in a cultural vacuum. Sadly, I admit I feel reluctant to...... Actively criticize GoT with people around me because the ones who dislike it also dislike ASOIAF and fantasy/sci-fi ("The show is bad because GRRM is a bad writer who isn't really character-driven, but it's not surprising since genre stuff is awful"). That sucks :(

Yes, exactly! This is in reference to this piece by myself and Julia, btw. That’s really depressing about that perception of genre fic, especially given what Martin does being so unique. I’ve never particularly understood that attitude; I want to read about cool places and stuff happening as much as I want to read about weighty character journeys, and why scoff at any that pull off both? Though Julia has a piece on that too. 

But absolutely, as we said, it’s asinine to ignore the ways culture shapes media and vice versa, and often the reason the writing is so poor is because it’s so sensationalist or reliant on shitty tropes and stereotypes. “Just enjoy it (or critique) without focusing on social issues” is the ultimate sign of privilege, and it drives me crazy because it’s tossed out as an appeal to “objectivity.” IF YOU’RE IGNORING PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES YOU’RE ALREADY NOT BEING OBJECTIVE.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: I'm curious why you guys interpret Cersei's internalized misogyny as nothing to do with gender dysphoria. All because Cersei doesn't break down during her period doesn't mean you must read her as cisgendered. She treats femininity like her least-favorite subject in school, not like part of herself. You're welcome to read her story as about women internalizing misogyny, but her thoughts feel familiarly trans, and outright denying that reading closer-to-earths her

This is really interesting, and my assumption would definitely a result of my own distance with that experience. Are there any metas on it? I haven’t really considered this before (I’ve seen the case argued for Brienne), and I’m not very convinced Martin had much intentionality here, but that’s a reading of her character I’d definitely like to learn/think more about.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: How can Euron "Crow's Eye, Terror of Pentos" Greyjoy come across as such a wimpy villain that I'm missing Ramsay? Hell, effing Joffrey could have torn that cuddly pooh bear a new one.

But...he’s the storm. You weren’t quaking in your boots when his fleet armada magically descended on Yara’s?

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: I haven't seen anyone else comment on this, but did you notice Cheryl says "You expect me to command our troops to fight beside foreign scum?" almost immediately before telling Jaime she's bringing the foreign Golden Company from Essos to fight beside their troops? Do you think the writers ever make it to second drafts or do they just knock out the first on the back of a Hooters napkin over Natty Ices and fist bumps and say, nah, we're good bro?

A showpologist would tell you it’s clearly demonstrating what a horrible hypocrite she is and actually rather cutting commentary.

It’s really, really hard for me to imagine a world where Operation Capture a Wight received a look-over. A whole lot of what they do feels thoroughly unedited.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: Hey, I really appreciate all your GoT analysis. 1) Is Cheryl's assistant actually Ezri Dax? 2) Did you see Linda's episode review where she called D&D "smug idiots?" 3) Is it possible to enjoy GoT as schlock? I can't and don't, but It is certainly bad enough and dumb enough. Thanks!

Thank you :)

1) According to wikipedia, Ezri Dax’s actor is currently starring in “Corrupt aka Trust No One” and “Where’s my Baby”, but I’m glad you made me look her up, because the resemblance there is quite uncanny. The maid is played by Sara Dylan, and has actually been a consistent, recurring character since Season 2. Apparently her name is “Bernadette” because why not.

2) Was it her newest review? I do listen to those in the background of work when I’m doing spreadsheet kind of stuff, so I may not have caught that exact phrase, but I did hear the part where she basically said “just don’t even bother writing a plot. Only write battles because everything else is terrible.”

3) I mean, the people enjoying GoT are watching schlock, so it must be possible. I happen to think the ardent defenders/honeypotters aren’t the majority, and most people turn it on to watch dragons for 60 minutes, then talk about how cool the dragons looked the next day at work. It’s just that GoT comes with a stamp of “SMART ADULT SHOW” for reasons that will never cease to amaze me. So yeah, totally, but for me, I have a hard time enjoying something when the more you think about it, the worse it gets.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: I would bet my right hand that someone in the GoT writers' room probably rewatched season 1 which is why there's so many callbacks to it like Arya's "that's not you", Dany's infertility, Bran's "I told you not to trust me", etc etc. Like it just seems so obvious that they realized they ran out of content and decided to just revisit past seasons to make themselves seem smart and like they planned ahead so much.

Oh 100%. Season 1 was this year’s Lord of the Rings, which they had obviously binged before last year. I love it because then all the critics are like, “ohh my god it’s so well-planned and deep.” But no. It’s essentially grinning into the camera going “remember when?”, completely on par with Gendry’s boat joke.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: The writers gave up 3 seasons ago, but it feels like no one was really trying this year. The cast looked bored. The wigs were trash: Dany's fire-proof wig is also boatsex-proof and freezing wind-proof. The costumes were either too anachronistic for a so-called prestiege Medievalesque Drama or straight up uninspired: Cersei's modern office wear, Dany and LF are shopping at the same department store, Lyanna S dressed up for a college roman-themed party. I guess the special effects were ok.

I’m very, very hesitant to call out costuming because I know Michele Clapton is like, making up these immaculate honeypots and ordering the finest fabrics from Lithuania to pull everything together. But...yeah, as a viewer everything was kind of clearly ridiculous (Euron’s jacket), and EVERYTHING WAS BLACK with the exception of Deadpan’s coat, that was, I’m sorry, objectively hideous. The reason people fawned over it was because it was actually contrasting the blah they had been seeing all season.

As for the cast, I mean...I think these guys are decent actors who get into their roles when they can. But who could get into anything happening at this point? Stuff happens, don’t question it. The directing was probably fine (I don’t know enough about that stuff), but when the script is fundamentally lazy and uninspired, it’s going to bleed into everything.

Anonymous said to gotgifsandmusings: (Regarding episode 7) So the only leak that didn't come true was "Cersei's" bed of blood prediction and I'm wondering if she'll miscarry next season because morally evil incest women like Cheryl don't deserve babies while morally good (with the help of our friendzoned Saint T🙏) incest women like Deadpan get to conquer infertility and birth a Targ with the help of Jonny Cardboard's magic seed. That would be one boring Aegon 2(3?) infant. Thoughts?

Honestly, I can’t make heads or tails of why she was even pregnant. Larry didn’t need that to stay on her side at all, and the only thing I can think was that it added an extra TWIST for us. Haha, viewer! You thought she might have actually wanted to fight the threat because of her unborn kid and how many times we’ve told you her only redeeming quality is her motherhood, but now she’s EVHUL and even idealized motherhood can’t save her!

I guess it’s...kind of trope busting?

I kind of agree though, I don’t see them letting a BAD woman give birth and mother. At the same time, I don’t see how enough time can even pass where this would be a relevant plot-point to anything. So...I just, I don’t get it. I’ve gotta figure out how to structure my sexism & s7 analysis, and going back and revisiting Cheryl is probably going to be one of the most confused parts of it. I see many paths for how this unfolds, and none of them are really too promising.

Alrighty, gotta cut it here for today. Everyone have a safe labor day weekend (I guess there’s no heightened risk for non-Americans, but a safe weekend all the same), and I’ll talk to you guys later!

#asks #ask roundup

[arse-blathanna]

I’m going to leave this under a cut for the sake of spoilers. Also, it’s long. 

Spoiler free TLDR: No season is ever going to be perfect but I had way fewer problems with this season than I did positive points. There is some stuff I’m not sure about, but the verdict is still that I really liked the season. 

The Good:

Overall, this season was a really unpredictable ride the whole way through, with a few handfuls of red herrings to keep it spicy. Some of these worked out better than others, but the fact that it was so unpredictable was nice. I rather enjoyed not knowing where anything was going.

Character moments. This season had a lot of characters getting to just slow down and talk to each other and it's so wonderful. I never thought I would get to see Simmons try to explain death to Caboose, or see the Reds get any proper development. Or Lopez have a minute where someone understands him and actually gets to converse with them.

We finally get a proper goodbye to Church and its something that I think was sorely needed in the fandom and in the show itself. The characters get resolution. As fans its a proper goodbye and an assurance in a way that Church won't be coming back. And the way it was done? It worked and I'm glad it was done.

The Reds and Blues really get a spotlight shone on them this season. It's up to them to solve their own problems,  and they can't rely on Freelancers or Mercenaries to help. This comes with some problems, which I'll get into, but overall, I liked it.  The fact that the main supporting cast wasn't super-competent in battle helped. We got to see them develop new skills (Simmons! With knives! Grif flying! Grif fighting hand-to-hand! Grif speaking spanish! Tucker's fighting got even better and he can now give a decent pep talk!) and it was nice seeing them really get to show off. Of course, one side got more than the others.

Red team development. Holy crap, red team development. This didn't end up being universal, but those that got it really got a lot. Grif is the obvious standout here, but Simmons and Sarge both also got quite a bit of time devoted to them. The development of their relationships on the whole was super satisfying, and I'm beyond happy that it was able to happen.

The Grif Siblings on the whole were huge for my enjoyment of the season. Yeah. Plural. Kaikaina has grown a lot since we last saw her, to the point where she's a successful businesswoman with connections that reach far out of Blood Gulch and even as far as Chorus. No longer a simple hussy indeed. Dexter was probably the biggest standout for the entire season for me. He's gotten the most development out of everyone, and there's still so much to do with him as he tries to turn over a new leaf and be better. He's gotten better as a fighter, he's figured out what matters to him, and he's here to stay. And the best part? These two are back together now, and I can't wait to see where they go with it.

Locus’ brief time onscreen showed a ton of development, and he’s been left with a lot open ended if they want to do more with him. The choice to show him not taking shots to kill rather than just saying he’s not killing was really smart. We got some nuggets of what he’s been up to, and Locus is really committed to being better. All of his time with the Blues and Reds was also just hilarious. I’m glad he finally got a hug.

The Bad:

All in all, my biggest problem with this season has been the pacing. A lot of this can be attributed to the unpredictability and the red herrings, which I did like. However, there were certain things like major plot reveals (see: the time machine/drill/time machine+drill confirmations) that come really late in the game and throw off the pace. It left the show in a position where it suddenly had a lot to do, and not a whole lot of time to do it. Should Nicolosi be able to write another season, this is a problem that I think would be much lesser.

The Carolina-Tex fight scene. There's been plenty of discussion on it, but its ultimate problem is that it is awkward through and through. The pacing was odd, and the animation often weird. I got the impression that they tried to mo-cap the entire thing and it just didn't work because so much of how these two characters fight is over the top. That said, I wasn't going into it expecting Monty Oum levels of action. I get the feeling that a fight animation B team was put on this fight while the better ones are off working on RWBY. A lot of animation was used on small things that could have been better used in fights or in other places, but that’s not as big of a deal for me. 

Donut being constantly ignored or forgotten, or left off to the side and not allowed to talk was frustrating. The character's notably hard to write, and I understand that, but I would have liked to see him used better. I'm a little iffy on how bad he was though since a lot of the problems with writing him this season seem to be a result of dropped plot threads. In a reddit thread Joe Nicolosi even alludes to this with regards to the Donut/Cronut swap everyone was expecting. It was already in the plans but got dropped because it was one thing too many, and I wonder how much Donut writing got lost on the cutting room floor at the last second because of that. That said, the finale possibly sets Donut up for further development, but that will come with time. 

Sidelining in general was a big problem with this season. Donut spent a lot of time not doing anything or even speaking. With Carolina and Wash, they spent 4 episodes offscreen before getting put into the fridge, then another 6 episodes before they were even seen again. In the same episode that they are released, Wash is immediately taken out of play and takes Locus with him. Carolina's around but doesn't get to do much aside from talk and show that she's significantly weakened. Doc once again suffers from "Where's Doc" syndrome until he was useful for 1 episode at the very end. Dillon and Jax also deal with this to a lesser degree.

The Weird:

I didn’t feel quite right putting them under the bad, so the Blues and Reds. On the point of being knock-off Reds and Blues, they were definitely successful, but as villains they were fairly weak (and I say this as someone who usually loves villains.) There were moments where they (specifically Temple) manage to raise the stakes to rather critical levels (like the fridge) but ultimately the motivation ended up being very weak and honestly convoluted. They’re going after the Freelancer people on a personal grudge, but also are doing their things to attack the UNSC. Picking one angle would have been much more successful. Ultimately, I think that after 9 seasons of having fairly serious and grounded villains the Blues and reds just come off as being too cartoonish by comparison. They would have been a better fit in the BGC era, but now their flavor doesn’t work as well because of what they’re proceeded by. Your mileage may vary on this. That said, Loco was a peach and will be sorely missed.

Jax and Dylan. I was really enjoying him at the beginning of the season, and I thought he would be fun, but the gimmick got old fast and he did feel like a plot device a lot of the time. Nicolosi even made fun of this fact. With regards to Dylan, I really like her as a character and I think she has the potential to be a nice callback character if the Reds and Blues ever need help getting information on something, but she wasn't the most interesting. The stuff with her boss and husband was dropped for too long, and ultimately felt somewhat pointless. Being sidelined for significant parts of the season didn't help on this front.  

Vic is another one where I’m not sure how to place him. There was a bit of uncomfortable stuff with him this season, but ultimately that was made up for in comedy for me. He got to be the world’s most annoying computer virus, he got a heroic death of his very own Vicish fashion.

Tucker’s writing in general was kind of iffy for me this season because it felt like he was being put in a position to learn a lesson that he already learned in the Chorus trilogy (being a leader comes with risks and not every decision is a good one.) There were a lot of moments where it felt like he should have been picking up on things, and his choice to Leeroy Jenkins the fight against the zealots was iffy. I just feel like there’s more that could have been done with him, but I don’t think it was all bad. The ToP stuff was also out there, but I don’t want to touch that topic really. 

#rvb15 #rvb15 spoilers #rvb spoilers #rvb finale spoilers