#big dramatic villain speech

[jaidethalagorra]

Character/scene concept

On the one hand, characters who can truthfully state they've never lost a fight are terrifying. Especially villains. (Example: Melania from Elden Ring.)

But as a cooler thought, a character that knows the exact number of times they've lost is so much scarier. Especially if they then proceed to list them and what they learned from them, finishing with why the person they're about to fight is going to die painfully.

Example under the break: (Oh my god it was longer than I thought)

"Do you know how many times I've lost a fight, Dawnstar? I don't think you do.

I have lost 7 fights in my life.

The first four were hardly fights. Bullies at my school saw me as a target, someone easy to hurt and belittle. They kicked me, punched me, made me bleed. 4 times they did that. Until one day I decided I had enough. I showed them what real power was, and they never touched me again. Do you know what I learned from that, Dawnstar? I learned that the world hurts. The world is cruel and careless and only through more hurt can you make it better.

The fifth fight I lost was when I joined the Hero Coalition. I had just arrived and I thought I was on top of the world. I went to the training arena and was knocked flat on my back within seconds. From that I learned that only when you learn to control power with precision, wield it like a knife that you can begin to change things. Power is everything. But only with precision can it really be used. I went back after that, weeks later. I used my power like a knife and I taught the man who thought he could beat me every time what I'd learned and he never touched me again.

The sixth fight taught me that the system was broken. I was at the Coalition again, fighting against Powersteel. I was winning. This was a fight to fill a spot of the top 5, the council of heroes that runs this city. Finally I could stop all the hurt across this city. Finally I could wield the true power of the Coalition to strike out against injustice. And Powersteel shot me. Right then and there, in the training ring, he shot me. When I regained consciousness in the hospital, Gigaman told me that Powersteel would be filling the role in the top 5. His resourcefulness in breaking the rules and shooting me showed an 'ability to think outside the box' and that if I truly wanted to be a top 5 hero I should be able to take a bullet. When I heard that, I realized the truth. Even though we're the heroes, the Coalition is broken. We are just as capable of hurt and injustice as the rest of this city. So I went back. And I taught him what real power is. How to use your power like a knife. How to fix the world, for the better.

The last fight I lost, Dawnstar, was my fight against you. There I learned two things. First, I understood how the system that the Coalition created stays in power. Because heroes like you won't look through their golden lies. They want to change the world for the better and will accept any lie or handicap given to them if they can be convinced it would be better. The Coalition told you I was out of control. That I wanted revenge and nothing more. And that by defeating me, you could ascend to the top 5 and be a force for women like us, to show the world we can do it. And you were so desperate to please, so desperate to change that you fought me without hesitation. I tried to tell you what they were doing but you wouldn't see. You couldn't see past their pretty lies.

But do you know what the second thing I learned was, Dawnstar? I learned how you fight. I learned how you think, how you act, how your powers work. I spent years in prison teaching myself how to defeat you. I've learned from my losses, Dawnstar. I've taught myself what power is, how to use it, how to kill. How to never make the same mistake twice.

So. Are you ready?"

Also, because I hate AI and this is an art blog now, here's my godawful illustration of this concept!

#Superheroes! #I didnt think this would get that long but whatever I had fun #free range concept #big dramatic villain speech

[starrynightskies-art]

I want more characters to laugh in the face of a villain I think it’d be funny

#like they give this big dramatic speech #and the person listening is trying to keep a straight face #and the villain being like ??? #why are you laughing #I’m in the middle of my monologue #and the character just breaks down CACKLING #and it’s very awkward and silly #it’s even better if there are two funky dudes laughing #giving each other side eyes during the monologue #the knowing looks #anyway #writing stuff #character interactions #knock that villain down a peg

[theerurishipper]

Part 2 of my Paris special commentary (Part 1 here) because Tumblr is an ass and has a word limit.

Disclaimer: This is long asf.

Marinette here playing 5D chess, queen shit.

The most important thing the special confirmed is that Gabe added the word "dark" to his transformation phrase on purpose cause he's a dramatic bitch.

I am here for Claw Noir mocking Gabe. Go off, king.

"Oh nO, iT WAs aN IlLusIon!" That giggle is adorable. She's so cute.

Ladyfly is an ass name, but she looks so great.

Not Gabe getting annoyed at Claw Noir's teasing. See, now this is why we stan Claw Noir on this blog.

Gabe's plan isn't half bad, actually.

Symbolism? In my children's cartoon? It's more likely than you think.

They're having a pun-off.

RIP Chat Noir's ear.

Gabe got feathered lmao

Monarch dipped like a little bitch.

A mirror, I called it. It'll make for some nice symbolism.

"Let alone a calm and gentle mom" I wonder what Sabine is like in their world to make Emonette feel like she's so alone.

I like how they handled the villains tbh. I wasn't a fan of making it seem like Marinette was one step away from becoming a supervillain at all times, but it seems less like that's the case and more like The Supreme took advantage of her suffering and vulnerability at her lowest moments.

It's also nice that they established that Shady and Claw weren't the actual big bads and are just hurt kids who got recruited into a fight they weren't ready for. Their motivation isn't some rehash of Gabriel's, they are literally trying to survive under the rule of someone who will kill them if they don't do his bidding, and because of whom they're dying. Their life is literally full of suffering and they're trying to find something that'll give them a way out. Shady wants Marinette's life, and Claw Noir wants his mother back.

Like, it doesn't excuse their actions, but it does add a more humane element to them that lends itself better to the kind of redemption Miraculous likes to do, which is to fix things with a speech. That's why this redemption works, and Gabe's doesn't.

Anyway.

The back and forth between Chat Noir and Claw Noir was pretty funny ngl.

And we discover that Claw Noir wants his mother back. Of course.

MY POOR BABY

When Marinette was talking about how she was also angry and hurt, but chose to love herself and the world around her and chose to try and fix it... that hit hard. Honestly, it did. It's everything I love about Marinette in one speech. I love it.

And then onto my personal favorite scene in the entire special, possibly in the entire show.

That whole conversation was powerful. "I'm as well as I can be anyway," that's so profound. Like, of course you aren't going to be 100% okay after losing someone you love, but Adrien wants to move on and be happy like his mother would have wanted him to. This scene really showcases Adrien's empathy and his strength, when he acknowledges that having no friends can make it harder for Claw Noir to move on, and then he tells him that only he can make the choice to stop being alone. And that's really true. This scene really showcases everything amazing about Adrien, his hope and optimism, his empathy and his strength. How he finds the strength to keep going by choosing to not be alone. It's beautiful.

Like, it could have been so easy for both Marinette and Adrien to give into their darkest impulses, and Shadybug and Claw Noir really are just representations of how letting your hurt overpower you can lead you down a dark path, and it really highlights their strength, that they choose to make the right choices everyday, despite everything. It really highlights their characters and their arcs. And they're able to take everything they've learned, and look at what they could have been in the eyes and help them change too. It's so poetic.

It would have been a little more impactful if the show had spent more than 10 minutes out of 5 seasons focusing on Adrien's grief and how it has impacted him, but whatever.

Anyway, it also had some Adrien and Nino friendship crumbs, and I'll be darned if I didn't gobble it up like a starved animal. Also, we have confirmation that "Space Mutants vs. Ghost Shark" is Nino's favorite movie, so Nino stans please say "thank you Paris special."

And they are REDEEMED.

Shadybug fixes everything with her Lucky Charm after spending the whole special making destructive ones. My heart.

Shadybug and Claw Noir stop being evil and immediately go from hating each other's guts to flirting shamelessly. They just speedran enemies to lovers in a matter of seconds. They literally just defaulted to flirting. Truly, the natural state of Ladynoir in any universe. We stan.

Gotta be honest, I'm not a fan of the new designs. Wish they had kept the old ones. I'm one of those people whose toxic trait is liking Claw Noir's design, so I'm a little unhappy with it, but hey, it's a sweet scene.

Also, Claw Noir's hair went from the color of rotten bananas to ripe bananas. If that was intentional, I applaud the writers for being both profound and funny as hell.

Aaaaaaand Gabe is back, because we can't have nice things.

The montage going through different realities was great, it was small but I enjoyed it.

They're literally so cute omg. Couple behaviors fr. I'm so obsessed with them.

HUGS

POUND IT

They're holding hands... already... like they're in love... I'm so emotional... I WILL NEVER GET OVER THIS

And they're gone. But their adventures will continue forever in my mind and in my fanfics. And in other people's art that I will ravenously consume.

Cute Alya and Marinette scene. This is really sweet, I love the exploration of the impact Alya has had on Marinette's life.

And now, I'm not an Alyanette shipper, but I think they should kis- oh, wait, never mind, they did it.

And thus, the endless night comes to an end (it happened a while ago but that's just semantics).

Final thoughts

I really loved this so much. Sure, there were some exposition dumps that probably should have happened in the actual series, but that's not the fault of this special. This is probably my bias talking but this is the best special and it's literally perfect, no I will not take any constructive criticism on that. This, this special and everything in it, this is what Miraculous is all about. This is exactly what I wanted, this is what I signed up for. It's literally the best thing ever to come out of this entire show.

#MLB #Miraculous Ladybug #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain Cheng #Gabriel Agreste #Alya Cesaire #Ladybug #Shadybug #Chat Noir #Cat Noir #Claw Noir #Toxinelle #Griffe Noire #Ubiquity #Hesperia #Monarch #Hawkmoth #Betterfly #Miraculous World #ML Paris Special #My meta #ML Spoilers #ML Paris Spoilers #Shadyclaw #Ladynoir #Adrienette #Meta

[slashingdisneypasta]

Erik Destler x Fem!StageActress!Reader || Would Include...

Erik Destler always learning your on-stage romantic interests part totally and then 'dispatching' of the poor guy just before he's meant to go on so he then can always taking his place would include...

Warnings: Contemporary musical references, I don't care, shoot me. Also just basic Erik creepiness; murder and not-super-consensual kissing/touches (dub con at most).

Tagging: @marinerainbow and @masqueradeball .

🥀 Erik falling for you almost the moment you entered the Palais Garnier for the first time. He has no chill, we know this. He's like a Disney Princess. One song and he's fallen hopelessly in love.

🥀 Erik always keeping an eye on the cast lists when they come out- checking who you are and if you have a romantic interest. If you do, that person is now his main target. He may not kill them immediately, he'll wait until the final show on the final night, but there is a big red bullseye on their back now.

🥀 Erik practising 'his' lines (The lines of your on-stage romance) in his sewer room, reciting them to a dummy wearing some... familiar clothing. What? No, he didn't sneak into your chambers in the middle of the night and steal them from you! No, no! Absolutely not!... though you are missing a dress exactly like the one the doll is wearing. *cough*

🥀 Erik treating that doll of you with the utmost care. Almost as much as he'd treat you, the real you, with (Or, how he'd like to treat you. Only the lord knows if Erik could actually be gentle if given the chance to hold you). Its really creepy. Imagine his fingertips only grazing the dolls cheek very gently, but his eyes drift downwards (even though, again, its JUST A DOLL- ITS JUST STUFFING, ERIK!- Y O U ' R E T H E O N E W H O S T U F F E D I T- ) with very desire-filled eyes. Imagine him on one knee before the doll, holding its hand in his, its dead-eyes staring off into space while he professes deep speeches about love that are supposed to be romantic but just come out wrong and infatuated off Erik's tongue. Imagine Erik's hand wandering in the middle of a particularly heated scene; completely lost to his imagination.

🥀 Erik n e v e r, ever stealing the part of a villain. Even if that villain gets much more heated, or charged scenes with you then your actual love interest (Duke Monroth, Professor Callahan, Judge Turpin, Scar, etc). He wants to be your hero. Your prince, your true love.

🥀 Erik watching your every show, in his special box 5, studying you with eyes so hot you swear you can feel them on your skin every night. Paying so close attention, so he knows exactly how to compliment you on stage; how to be your perfect stage partner. This is why your scenes in every last show at the Palais Garnier are so impossibly electrifying to the audience- and, to you.

🥀 Erik allowing your casted partner to appear in the first few scenes with you during that last performance on that last night, so you never really know when its going to stop being the one guy and start being Erik- you're on your toes. Waiting the whole performance for the hand you grab onto to be Erik's. (He's waiting for the perfect moment to step in. The moment when you're really, really in character; lost to your art.)

🥀 Erik being the Christian to your Satine during 'El Tango De Roxanne' (His eyes upon your face. His hand upon your hand. His lips caress your skin. It's more than I can stand), 'Crazy Rolling' (See how I leave with every piece of you. Don't underestimate the things I will do), and 'Your Song Reprise' (Look at me... Satine... Why else live, if not for love?) in Moulin Rouge.

🥀 Erik being the Fiyero to your Elphaba during that super fucking charged 'As Long As You're Mine' scene in Wicked. You know? With you both on your knees on the stage surrounded by dramatic mist and you cant keep your hands off eachother?? *cough cough* I mean, with you both on your knees on the stage surrounded by dramatic mist and Fiyero and Elphaba cant keep their hands off eachother??? XD (Kiss me too fiercely, Hold me too tight; I need help believing, You're with me tonight, My wildest dreamings, Could not foresee, Lying beside you, With you wanting me // Every moment, As long as you're mine, I'll wake up my body, And make up for lost time.)

🥀 Erik being the Prince to your Sleeping Beauty, Snow White during the True Love's Kiss Scene. Oh yes, he definitely goes there. Did you doubt it?

🥀 Erik AS THE BEAST IN 'EVERMORE' TO YOUR BELLE IN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!!!?

🥀 Erik never appearing at the end of the production to bow- he cant. You know that. So he makes his last moments on stage with you last, because honestly- who knows when the next time will be?? Its not like he can come call on you like a normal person... 🙄he's a dramatic freak. He holds your hand a few moments longer then necessary, or a little tighter. He kisses you one more time even though its not scripted.

🥀 Erik leaving you a bouquet of flowers in your dressing room after that last show on that last night. Signed simply, ceaselessly yours.

~

🥀 You tell yourself every time that the show must go on. You tell yourself, that thats why you don't stop it; Don't do anything.

🥀 You are lying to yourself. You cant deny the electricity crackling all over your skin every time you see Erik on stage with you, every time Erik touches you under fake pretences. You've never felt quite the same on stage then when he's there with you; you feel like you're really the characters... and there is nothing on earth like that feeling. No one else can give you this. No one but him.

🥀 You expect it now and anxiously await the moment when your practise partner (Just Erik's understudy. Thats what you're thinking of them now; the men who are actually cast) dematerialises from the stage and its Erik.

🥀 You always leave the flowers from Erik at the grave of the man who died. Its sick, the game (?? habit?? r e l a t i o n s h i p??) you're in, but you cant stop. And you cant apologise, so you can only do this.

🥀 You working extra hard to get lead roles at the Palais Garnier. As soon as one show is over, you have a hunger to do it again. Get another part, get Erik back on that stage with you.

Its like an addiction.

#just- aghhhhhhhhhhhh #being on stage with erik being on stage with erik being on stage with erik- #Erik Destler x Reader #Erik Destler #POTO 1989 #Phantom of the Opera 1989 #Erik Destler 1989 x Reader #Erik Destler 1989

[mefiman]

I was watching an episode of Wander Over Yonder called "The Hero" and Bowuigi was occupying my brain at the same time.

So, another idea story for Bowuigi!

The roles for this bunny idea:

Foreman Spike: Brad Starlight.

Luigi: Princess Demurra

Bowser: King Draykor

Here's the story idea:

Takes place sometime after the end of the movie. Spike buttering up to the bros and visiting the other world. Mario and Luigi taking time to forgive and forget Spike for being a shit boss to them in the past in their own pace. Luigi took longer since I headcanoned he and Spike were a thing before the latter broke it off and dumped Luigi in the most demeaning and humiliating fashion.

After months/a year, Bowser escapes, surprisingly kidnapping Luigi instead of Peach for some reason. Hearing the news, Spike took the opportunity to accompany Mario, Peach, Toad and Donkey Kong to rescue Luigi. Throughout the journey, him believing himself to be a bigger hero than Mario + his insufferable dick attitude rubs his companions the wrong way. Hilarity ensues as Spike gets bashed and beaten in the security obstacles set up by Bowser, his inexperience and massive ego not helping at all.

Eventually, they reached Bowser's castle. Mario, Peach, Toad and DK charging forward to fight Bowser's army before Spike could finish his heroic speech. The foreman throws a massive tantrum, whining about wanting to be the main hero before he and the others were captured and bought over to Bowser.

Cue to the Koopa King playing Toccata and Fugue in D Minor on his piano (or organ for better dramatic effects lol). He menacingly greets the gang before Luigi appeared unharmed and with the Koopalings + baby Junior. The big reveal that he and Bowser are in love and had bonded into in relationship long before he got whisked off.

The gang cannot believe their eyes and ears especially Mario and Spike.

Y'all can already imagine Mario's reaction and feeling about this, I don't think I need to elaborate on that.

Spike on the other hand, was spluttering and splattering that this was ridiculous, outrageous and that Luigi was better off with him. Luigi was displeased at his former boss's outburst and made it clear he turned him down respectfully many times before due to him being pushy and not respecting his space. Spike didn't take his refusal He prefers them being just friends.

Spike seemed to consider but outright refuses and beats up the Koopa guards holding him, shoving Mario aside and kidnaps Luigi. Escaping, laughing like a villain.

Bowser and Mario team up and with the others, rushed out to save Luigi.

Only to find him fine and just done subduing Spike with his Thunderhands.

Bowser sighs dreamily "And this is why I love him.~ ❤️"

Anddd that's pretty much from me, lol. Anyone's welcome to make this even better!

#bowuigi #bowser x luigi #foreman spike #super mario bros #super mario movie #my musings #woy #wander over yonder

[neonscandal]

Sorry, but I need to say something I've been thinking about for a while. I found geto's death forcing. 1.he loses to a boy with no experience and the power of ''love''. 2.he was stronger and had more knowledge and experience than the boy yuta. 3. It seems that the author just wanted to get rid of geto so that this annoying villain Kenjaku could come. 4. In my opinion, Geto is the best villain. I don't understand why the author didn't want to continue with him. 5. His death was forced because Saturo already had a change in character and personality. What I'm trying to say is that in the film, Satura is already different, he's no longer that immature young man. 6. the serious work was much more dramatic if geto had survived saturo blow he would have become stronger and returned as a villain again with sukuna. Sorry if it's big, but I have these doubts that such a good and well-constructed character had a horrible ending and very little.

Oooh lots to address.

Geto vs. Yuta

Things to remember - "Special Grade" is a classification given to a sorcerer beyond a certain threshold currently within the understanding of jujutsu elders. In fact, Gojo calls out that the curses that have been sprouting up re: Jogo, Hanami and Mahito who are capable of human speech would require a reevaluation of that scale. This is also even as it applies to comparing Gojo's strength vs. Geto's. They're both special grades and Gojo recognizes Geto as his equal but that doesn't mean they're evenly matched.

When it comes to Yuta, in particular, he's an outsider but, demonstrably, was able to replicate Inumaki's technique and learn to manipulate reversed curse energy within three months... Gojo, a lifelong member of jujutsu society, learned how to use reversed cursed energy at the edge of his life when he was like... sixteen. So Yuta's not really someone to turn your nose up at, either. He's proximally related to Gojo himself. Even Kenjaku thinks the fact that he can summon limitless cursed energy without condition is simply ridiculous and he's been alive for forever.

I don't know if you've noticed but, with the shortage of sorcerers, there's no such thing about fair fights in Jujutsu Kaisen. You can expect a 2-on-1 minimum, whenever possible. The fight against Geto was no different. Geto lost against special grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu and special grade curse Rika Orimoto. Bear in mind, Geto's reserve curses were split between Tokyo and Kyoto to distract the heavy hitters for at least 10 minutes for him to go usurp Rika so he was weakened. Even his Maximum: Uzumaki wouldn't have packed as much a punch because the number of curses he'd have had on him wouldn't have been as voluminous. We can say he lost to the power of "love" but... really it was a battle of resolve and Geto's heart just may not have been in it.

Geto Was Forged to Break

I frequently talk about whether Geto was doomed by the narrative and, if I really think about it, he was. From the story's chronological standpoint, maybe that could be argued. But based on the story as relayed to readers/viewers, Geto had been issued a death sentence well before the events of JJK 0 where Gege Akutami starts the series. That's a fact of his character and it would always be his fate, whether weakened by Yuta or not. Now that I think about it, I don't like what that says about the fate of Yuta and Yuji, either.

Villains, Villains, Villains

Heavy agree, Geto is my favorite. He's written so tragically it's delectable, honestly. But I'm not sure he had the conviction to be indiscriminately evil. He believes he's doing it for the right reasons but I don't even think he, in his mind, can justify the means to the end. I 1000% think he found himself snapping in that village and, after such a transgression, had no choice but continue pressing forward, the burden of the sin being too great to question. Because, if he'd taken all those lives for no reason, he'd never be able to live with himself. Kenjaku has no moral threshold to observe. He is guided by the pleasure of his own curiosity regardless of the abominations it manifests along the way. As a matter of fact, the more chaos the better.

Geto went to Jujutsu High to kill Yuta, as someone who stood in the way of achieving his goal of usurping Rika, but goes to the trouble of leaving Inumaki and Panda alive. He didn't believe in spilling sorcerer blood unnecessarily but... he left Maki alive, too. Geto's need for a moral purpose would never have allowed him to work in tandem with Sukuna who thrives on mayhem and massacres. He's an antagonist but not necessarily the villain of the story.

Geto to Gojo

Geto never stops being a weakness for Gojo. His existence, his death, the importance of him even only in body, was never for no reason. He's the lesson Gojo keeps having to learn. Gojo never really loses his hubris, even after Riko. It may have been tempered but there's still no one above him in strength. He holds Geto above himself, anyway. Through Geto's influence, I think he passively recognized how unfair things were but... it didn't really affect him the same way it might someone like Haibara. But, carrying the burden of the jujutsu world and having the responsibility of killing his one and only friend, I think that actually embittered him to take more decisive action to change things in the ten years that followed.

Even so, he was confident when he told Yuji he could beat Sukuna, the only visible threat. He could never have foreseen that he'd be undone by a moment in the presence of Geto's corpse. He was careless in not destroying the body properly in the first place. Gojo continued to be lauded as a god but damned to love, anyway, and it all started with and was made possible by Suguru Geto.

#neon asks #anon asks #manga with me #manga with me jjk #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #geto suguru #suguru geto #jjk analysis #jjk theory #jjk meta #anime #manga #yuta okkotsu #okkotsu yuta #gojo satoru #satoru gojo #we are the strongest #stsg #satosugu #character analysis

[oliveroctavius]

Thoughts on Lily Hollister?

Oh man, I've been thinking about her a lot recently. She's from a period of ASM that I do not always like or understand but she fascinates me as a character.

I remember my first impression of her and Carlie being a cynical "Okay, MJ and Gwen 2.0". I still think she was introduced as part of a "back to basics" push to assemble a neo-CBG, but I have no hard feelings there. Parallel civilian drama is always a plus in a Spidey comic and they are quite cute.

But—as a big HarryMJ fan—this isn't really a rehash. (And not just because Harry is now also meant to be a ditzy glamorous party guy.) MJ was just a teenager dicking around while Lily's non-party goals are political and focused. Note that this "love triangle" kicks off when she realizes Peter is an insider at a paper that opposes her dad. I wasn't reading the letters, but—surely someone guessed Menace's identity the moment "he" turned out to be backing Hollister, right?

She's definitely pulling Harry's strings on the politics side, but isn't emotionally avoidant and spends a lot of private time with him. (If we believe her later, worry about his well-being triggered her origin story.) It seems fair to say she appreciates familial devotion.

ASM #586 is my favorite flavor of Spidey Reveal. The villain is someone we knew and almost trusted, and when we look back the seeds of motivation are there, paralleling our protagonist for dramatic tension! Your dad whose reputation you're curating loves your roommate more than you, you say? He always wanted a son, you say?

There's a deliciously Lady Macbeth flavor to this whole speech.

That which hath made them drunk hath made me bold. What hath quenched them hath given me fire. My hands are of your color, but I shame To wear a heart so white.

Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty!

"Okay, you won't be jealous?" she asks seemingly genuinely, in a voice so deep and a body so muscular that everyone has he/him-ed it up until now. The ongoing goblin theme of violence = power = masculinity is blinking neon here. Obvious jokes about Harry's taste in women aside: what kind of philosophy does a woman have to have to be attracted to what the Osborns represent, thinking she's special enough to not be chewed up and spit out?

And she does say she still loves him! You could read that as a manipulative lie, but to me it's more interesting if she does like Harry in her condescending way.

After all, she seems to love her dad similarly, going behind his back to "support" him in ways he'd never want.

It's too bad that this super-intense characterization of Lily is mostly only retrospective. ASM #588 and the jig is up.

Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valor of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal.

It's very possible that the gender element is writers being weird about a black woman as a love interest. (I have a whole thesis on how Black side characters are compared/contrasted to the Osborns somewhere.) But I believe that just a little weirdness can add flavor. It seems significant that Menace, as Lily's fantasy of power denied to her, reads as a nonblack male, as though she hopes that becoming an Osborn will grant her whiteness, too...

Unfortunately, I don't think anything has lived up to that reveal. It kind of feels like nothing has even tried.

[sighs extremely deeply] American Son. Throwing out her whole villain speech to have her bear a super-soldier goblin son for Norman to use as the next Real Osborn.

Macbeth once says to Lady Macbeth:

Bring forth men-children only, For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males.

But that's right after Lady Macbeth says she'd murder her own baby with her bare hands if it was personally politically advantageous. Why is Lily "if you want something done right, steal your man's role and do it yourself" Hollister now an obedient heir-producing accessory? And that to a guy she beat the crap out of in ASM #571 for being a waste of rich white dude advantages?

We have gone all the way to the other side of Weird. Where did her jealousy and personal ambition and all the weight behind it go? Where's her guilt for ruining her relationship with her father for good? Why is she calling Norman "babe"?

Origin Of The Species (ASM #642-6) makes some attempt to reconnect to the original character threads with the whole friend group banding together to deal with the fallout of Lily's decisions.

But she still feels mostly like a plot device, and her guilt is more wet blanket than "out, damned spot" levels of satisfying. (She jumped to murder to bolster the name of someone who would never have wanted that! Are we ever going to come back to that part!)

Protecting her child from Norman should redefine her allegiances, but she just... got dragged back to bit-part appearances as an accessory to whichever goblin is the biggest deal at the moment. And got memory wiped for a while and became a black cat ripoff.

I feel like this wouldn't have fallen so flat if Bill Hollister hadn't vanished right after her reveal. Did he ever know about his grandson? A severely underrated element of the classic CBG is how many of their parents/mentors knew each other independently of the kids. The larger web of political + financial + circumstantial connections meant that interpersonal family shockwaves stuck around after the first arc, doubled back, mirrored each other in interesting ways. These should've! This should've.

God this post got long. TLDR crazy first arc that nothing else has even remotely lived up to in my mind yet; it would have to follow up on her bonkers family relationships and deeply jealous personal philosophy (or whatever's left of it).

#lily hollister #harry osborn #comics #axis hobgoblin was fun! but lily :( #I support women's wrongs etc etc #long post #thank you for the ask I have been thinking about this a lot

[wolvertooth]

(Wolverine 2013, issue #13)

GET HIS HYPOCRITICAL STUBBORN ASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! theres another comic thats like an opposite parallel to this where creed is the one beat up and logan is calling him out on his weirdness (i’ll post it eventually. its the only one where vic is canonly gay. im not fucking kidding.) so its SO GOOD to see that shit reversed omg…ok so context -> logan lost his healing powers so creed set up this whole last hurrah thing to ‘breakup’ with him (since theyre not equals anymore) where he proves to logan the shit he constantly denies. logan kills someone begging for their life, and in a fit of rage chops a guys hand off(but it was mystique and she healed so its fine). creed proves to him that after all these years, logan still cant control himself.

but weirdly enough, even tho theyre not equals anymore, creed still implies he’ll stick around. just like he always has. which like….why. its not for superiority, he already feels that. logan wont change after all this. if anything, logan might even live a better life than the alcoholic depressed one he current lives. he literally retires at the end of this. why keep playing a game that no longer exists? but i guess it didnt really exist in the first place either. creeds feelings and efforts were always one sided, logan never putting the effort back in return. creed spent so much of his life fighting for something that logan just….didnt care for. maybe he wanted to, and maybe that chance that he was secretly wanting to accept that part of himself is what kept creed motivated to keep pushing. maybe he thinks that even when logan isnt wolverine anymore, something might still change. creed doesnt want logan to completely give in to his animal side, he just wants him to stop pushing it away(stop pushing HIM away) and acknowledge it. he cant ever control it if he keeps ignoring it. and creed, despite being the villain, has learned to control it. because he works with it, not against it. but logan never understood that. so he never changed.

also personally i think that creed is just putting on a speech, trying to show the other people in the room how ridiculous logan is and finally have witnesses to the struggle he goes through with him, but he doesnt really mean all of it. not really. sure this is a big dramatic breakup in the eyes of the audience he wants to present it to, but he’ll never stop trying. he cant get himself to. the part about killing him before logan forgets him? he means that. memory is what drives it all. note the phrasing ‘once again’ become his equal. he’s forgotten before. there was a time where creed didnt have to fight for him to understand, and its the chance of having that again that keeps him going. the chance that logan might remember how to exist as who he really is without fighting it.

it reminds me a bit of how in wolverine #90, creed finally(after literally begging) pushes logan far enough to kill him(not really, he healed) and fully lose himself to his animal side. and from then on he doesnt push it away anymore, actually likes it, learns to work alongside it…..still doesnt like creed tho. unless u count that one bit in #128. fuckin hypocrite.

#sabrevine #victor creed #logan howlett #sabretooth #wolverine #im posting this at like midnight i knowww #can they just talk to eachother. normal style. go for a drink. #vic is like ‘im helping :)’ girl no ur also insane holy shit #also i am LOOKINGGGGGG at that panel where he gently holds his face

[winters-dream]

Villain was ecstatic. This had to be the single most greatest day of their life. They could hardly contain their excitement as they gazed down at the hero. Their hero. Their nemesis. Their captive. Kneeling prettily in front of Villain in their lair, their hands chained to the ground. They sat helpless and completely at Villain’s mercy. 

And Villain wanted to gloat.

“After all these years,” they started, “after countless battles between you and I. It is finally you who loses and me who is victorious. I won, I’ve defeated you.”

They let out a victorious laugh as they turn to the large curtain concealing view of the city. They heard a rustle of chains as they opened the curtain, letting some light into the room. They paid no mind to the noise, too giddy to see what Hero was up to. It wasn’t like the hero could escape, Villain had spent too much time chasing after the hero; they weren’t going to let them get free so easily.

Instead Villain focused their  loving gaze on the city view. The beautiful, serene city, full of regular civilians milling about. Some catching a cab for work, some grabbing a quick bite to eat at some small cafe, some meeting up with friends. Beautiful, tall buildings, some dating back to the 1700s. Rich with history. 

Soon to be destroyed at Villain’s command.

“Look at them,” they said. “Living their normal, ordinary lives. Completely oblivious to what is about to come. Faceless beings, extras in the grand scheme of things. And among them, your loved ones. They’ll perish too. Because you—”

They turned around and paused mid-sentence. Hero still sat there, chained up and unable to escape. The only difference was the thick black cape that wrapped around them perfectly. Villain’s cape. Only their face was visible as they sat swaddled in the stolen good, their expression caught between a scowl and a pout.

“You stole my cape,” said Villain, too stunned to come up with a snarky reaction.

“It’s cold up here,” Hero said simply. “If you had invested in some sort of heating system for your lair, I wouldn’t have resorted to thievery.”

“You’re adorable,” the villain spoke with a forced sneer. Because they were adorable. They looked cute and warm and absolutely perfect cuddled under Villain's cape. 

Villain stared at them a moment longer before returning to their big speech, the image of Hero swaddled in their cape never leaving their mind.

Weeks passed as Villain’s plan slowly began to unfold. Hero still sat in their lair with a direct view through the window. And over those weeks, Hero and Villain had spent a lot of down time talking to each other, getting to know one another. Developing feelings for one another. 

Though both were way too stubborn to admit it. Hero would deem it crazy and boil it down to just a mild case of Stockholm syndrome. While Villain would pull some dramatics and claim to rather die than admit some silly feelings. 

But to the outsiders’ eye, there was no pair more obvious with their attraction towards one another than Hero and Villain. With the gentle tones they’d use on one another, and the surprisingly soft treatment Hero received despite being held captive. Villain always went out of their way to feed Hero a hot meal everyday instead of the cardboard-like granola bars they’d saved specifically for their prisoners. They’d even turned the heat up so Hero could rest as comfortably as one could when chained down.

Villain hated to admit that they really enjoyed the pleasant smile Hero started to send them whenever they entered. Something selfish began to grow inside of them as they found themselves wanting to keep Hero here forever. Their heart filled with joy whenever they gazed upon the hero, a void they didn’t know was empty being filled.

But today, Villain didn’t feel that joy. Today was the result of all their hard work finally paying off. The city was under complete chaos, half of the buildings burned with the other half fell away from explosions and flying debris. The entire city was being destroyed, just like they’d promised Hero it would. 

They should be thrilled, all of their hard work finally paying off. But all they saw was Hero’s solemn face as they stared out the window, watching the city they’ve spent their whole life protecting get turned upside down. It put a damper on Villain’s mood, Hero’s pain no longer worth the satisfaction of their successful plans.

They glanced between the Hero and the burning city, an idea coming to their head. A stupid idea, that would undo all of the progress they had made. Only an idiot would come up with such a thought and actually try to go through with it.

They stood before Hero and crouched down to their level, a small sigh passing through their nose. Hero spared them a quick glance before returning their gaze out the window. They still wore Villain’s cape around them, Villain never had the heart to take it from them. They looked far too cozy and Villain found some form of satisfaction seeing Hero snuggled up under their cloak.

They had taken it once, while Hero was sleeping. Hero had spilt their food on it, so Villain had made sure to wash it while they slept so it’d be clean when they woke. The smile on Hero’s face was enough to make Villain’s week.

“I know it looks bad out there,” Villain started. “But, there’s still time. If you’d like, I could ask some of my henchmen to take all of your loved ones to safety.”

Hero sighed and leaned their head against the cold wall, their eyes never leaving the window. “No need. I don’t have loved ones.”

“Are all heroes this dramatic?” asked the villain. “You must have some loved ones.”

Hero shook their head. “Not me. My mom’s dead, I never knew my dad. I have no brothers or sisters. And making friends isn’t exactly easy in this line of work, let alone keeping them.”

Villain didn’t know what to say to comfort them. They were far from able to step into their shoes. Villain had quite a few henchmen they could call friends, a couple they could even call best friends. And, yes, even though they never spoke to their parents, they were still healthy and very much alive. As it stood, Villain was the last person to understand Hero. And expressing sympathy never was their best trait.

“Sometimes I think I chose the wrong line of work,” said Hero. This caught Villain off guard. 

“What do you mean?” 

Hero released a half-shrug, the fire from the city reflecting in their eyes. “Maybe I was wrong. I entered the academy, went through countless hours of training to become this great hero. I wanted to create a society that was less dependent on superheroes. And I thought doing something on the hero side of things would do it. I didn’t realize I had worsened their dependency. But I’ve been here for almost a month and . . . ”

They shook their head, a minute motion that would have gone unnoticed if Villain had been looking elsewhere. “I’m just like the other heroes.”

An air of silence stretched between the two of them; Hero lost in their own head, and Villain at a loss for what to say to help. If there even was something that could be said to help Hero. They just observed Hero as they kept their gaze on the scene outside. 

“And I know it’s selfish to say,” the hero started again. They turned to face Villain fully, their voice rising to a normal volume. The suddenness of their action startled the villain but they kept quiet, allowing Hero to get what they needed off their chest.

“But I’ve actually enjoyed these past few weeks. I’ve risked my life every second of the day for the good of this city. And it’s exhausting,” they let out a loud sigh, releasing all of their pent up stress in that one huff of breath. “This felt like a vacation, believe it or not. A long overdue vacation. Does that make me a lousy hero?”

Villain shook their head with a slight smile. “No, it doesn’t. It just makes you human.” 

And now that stupid idea they thought of.

“I’ll tell you what,” they started, already preparing to regret it. “You seem to really care about this city. Genuinely. You want to see it thrive. I respect that.”

“I’ll let you go,” they said. “And make it look like an accident. I’ll call off the rest of my plans and help you restore the city.”

Hero sent them a suspicious look, like they couldn’t fully trust their word. And Villain couldn’t blame them, they were the reason Hero was here in the first place.

“What’s the catch?”

Villain shook their head. “No catch, I promise . . .”

They trailed off as they looked into the hero’s eyes, shining with a glimmer of hope. Their beautiful eyes that still seemed to contain the slightest bit of innocence, like the hero still saw the good in everyone. Including Villain. 

Another stupid idea popped into the villain’s brain. One that would leave them embarrassed and unable to face the hero again if they failed. 

“Well, there may be one condition,” they said with a shy smile.

Hero playfully rolled their eyes and shook their head indignantly. “There’s always a catch with you villains.”

A small wave of satisfaction flows through Hero as they watch the usually calm Villain flush red. They look at Hero with a strong sense of determination in their eyes, mustering up the courage to ask for what they want. 

“I want to kidnap you again next week,” said the villain. “I’ll take you somewhere nice. With a heating system so you don’t freeze to death.”

Now it’s Hero’s turn to blush. They sat silent for a moment as it took them a second to find their voice. 

“Are you asking me on a date?”

It almost didn’t seem real but Villain nodded their head, confirming Hero’s question. And as bizarre as this whole thing was, Hero found themselves flattered by it. They found themself nodding as a burst of excitement welled up inside them. 

After all, this would be their first date in years.

#my own #writing #writers of tumblr #female writers #hero #villain #heroes #villains #heroes and villains #villains and heroes #hero x villain #villain x hero #captive #kidnapping #dates #enemies to lovers #imagines #oneshot #fantasy

[serickswrites]

"Do or Die"

Warnings: kidnapping, captivity, restraints, video recording, forced to watch, knife, blood, stabbing, mcd

Caretaker stared at the link in their inbox that they had been expecting for the last few hours. Whumper had kidnapped Whumpee hours ago, and, as usual, Whumper had sent a link to a live feed of what they were doing to Whumpee.

Why Whumper continued to do that was beyond Caretaker. It led to their capture each and every time. And Whumpee's return to safety, relatively unharmed. Today was no exception.

The team gathered around the conference room table and watched the big screen as Caretaker clicked on the link to the live feed. Whumpee sat in the center of the room, roped to a chair, the rope tied tightly at their wrists and ankles. They were ungagged--unusual for Whumper--and seemed unharmed.

"Start your trace. I want to get Whumpee as quickly as we can," Caretaker ordered the team.

"We need probably about five to ten minutes to establish the trace," Teammate One said.

Teammate Two laughed, "Good thing Whumper is going to wax poetic about all the things they are going to do to Whumpee."

Teammate One smirked as well, "They do have to give that Villain speech, don't they. They can't resist it at all."

Caretaker tried not to smile. It was true, every time Whumper had to broadcast all of the torture and pain they had planned for Whumpee before they even did anything. And it always led to them being caught. Without fail. Caretaker had begun to wonder just how much of a criminal mastermind Whumper actually was.

They had been hoping this time, of course, that Whumper would grab them. Caretaker had set themself up as bait, telling the team that they didn't want to put Whumpee at risk again.

But Whumper hadn't fallen for the bait.

Whumper entered the screen, fingering a knife sheath on their belt, as they circled Whumpee. Whumpee spoke first, eye directly at the camera. "It's ok, Caretaker. I'm ok. They haven't hurt me yet."

"Can you hear us, Caretaker?" Whumper purred as they circled Whumpee once more. "Can you see us, Caretaker?"

Whumpee rolled their eyes. "Take your time, Caretaker, Whumper's gotta be dramatic for a bit." Even Whumpee didn't seem afraid. No one viewed Whumper as a threat because of all the times they had been their own downfall.

Which is why when Whumper, circling behind Whumpee, pulled the knife from the sheath at their side and plunged it into Whumpee's chest, Caretaker couldn't believe their eyes.

Whumpee's cry of pain was strangled and brief, their eyes going wide with shock. Whumper twisted the knife as Whumpee began to slump forward, eyes going dim.

"No," Caretaker sobbed. This wasn't happening. Couldn't be happening. What happened to the pattern?

Neither Teammate One or Teammate Two could tear the gaze from the screen. Could tear their gaze from Whumpee's body, blood oozing from around the knife.

Whumper fisted Whumpee's hair and lifted, bending Whumpee's neck all the way back so they could stare into Whumpee's empty eyes. They spat on Whumpee and dropped Whumpee's head. They stalked toward the camera. "Come get your pet, Caretaker. They're useless to me now. Broken." Whumper spat the last word out with such satisfaction.

Whumper disappeared off screen. Caretaker couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening. Whumpee wasn't dead in the chair. Whumper hadn't stabbed Whumpee to death on camera. This wasn't real.

The camera zoomed in on Whumpee's face. The look of surprise hadn't had time to fade, Whumpee's eyes still wide with the edge of shock. But their eyes....Whumpee's eyes were empty and unseeing.

"Come collect this corpse, Caretaker, before I dispose of it somewhere you will never find," Whumper whispered off screen. "Don't bother looking for me. You won't find me. But I will find you when I'm ready to take my vengeance from your hide, too."

Caretaker couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. They could only sob. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. "It should have been me," they whispered to no one in particular. "It should have been me."

#serickswrites #whump #whump writing #whumpblr #whump community #tw captivity #tw kidnapping #tw restraints #tw video recording #tw forced to watch #tw knife #tw blood #tw stabbing #tw mcd #whumptober 2023 #whumptober #whumptober day 6 #“do or die you'll never make me because the world will never take my heart” #prompt: recording #prompt: made to watch #prompt: “it should have been me” #queue

[isfjmel-phleg]

Okay, I can't do fancasting, but I can pinpoint what I personally would be looking for in actors for a YJ-and-adjacent adaptation.

Whoever would play Tim would need to be able to convey a lot of seeming contradictions. Friendly and affable but intensely private. The Only Sane One but in fact just as unhinged as the rest of his friends. Resident logician and strategist but brimming with (mostly) controlled emotionality. Comes across as mature and sensible but also has lots of annoying little brother energy. He would need to demonstrate a wry, self-deprecating humor while also having the capacity to be driven and serious and sit on rooftops to brood when necessary. Should have the physicality of someone who has carefully trained for what he does, not someone who has effortless natural talent.

Kon should be the charismatic teenage hero type, like something escaped from a Disney Channel show. Lots of Attitude™, lots of style, lots of action. Boisterous and cocky but can be caring and gentle. This actor needs to have fantastic comedic skills because Kon needs to be funny. Deliberately, consciously, genuinely hilarious and witty. Not at all dark and brooding. But he should also be able to pull off a very specific type of angst--depressed but in denial about it. Kon's happy-go-lucky persona is both an expression of his natural personality and a front he clings to avoid being vulnerable, so his actor should be able to convey these layers of complexity. Hypothetically, his actor would also be playing Match and would have to pull off a cold, efficient, vindicative (but ultimately tragic) persona too.

Bart needs to be played by someone who can avoid making him a caricature. The fun and humor and lightheartedness need to be there, of course, but they're combined with a very teenage belligerent and stubborn side. This needs to be someone who can convey a unique style of thinking and get across that Bart is in fact quite intelligent and perceptive. There should also be an ability to effectively emote without words. It's a highly energetic role with a distinct physicality. Ideally, Bart's actor would also be playing Thad, so he would need to be able to pull off the contrasting roles, to give each of them their own distinctive mannerisms and styles of speech and physicalities, and to absolutely nail the emotionally intense climax of Mercury Falling.

Greta's actress should be able to be both genuinely sweet and genuinely terrifying. One is not a mask for the other; she is both at the same time. She should be able to deliver some of the most disturbing and hilarious lines ever with utter sincerity (things like "Death is coming, and...he's on skis"). She has a vindictive streak and can be harsh but not so much that the audience won't feel for her. There's an innate vulnerability and waiflike quality to this child despite her powers. This is a very dramatic role that would require a broad range as Greta gradually goes to the Doug Side dark side before being restored back to life.

Cissie needs to have the air of someone overtrained since childhood in athletics with a side of pageant-like skills--like a child on one of those dreadful reality shows about exploitative parents. She is poised and controlled and elegant and knows how to make an impression. At the same time, she is intensely emotionally driven and would need to pull off highly dramatic scenes, like her attempt to get revenge on her school counselor's killer--but also drama played for laughs, like her expectation that she'll have to become a villain after the failed revenge or her reaction to being dragged into the baseball game.

Cassie is an interesting combination of reckless enthusiasm and struggles with self-confidence. Not big on tact and can be toxically optimistic. Her actress shouldn't be the glamorous type; she needs to seem like a very ordinary, relatable, down-to-earth girl (who happens to have superpowers). No big transformative makeover moments--she should just become more and more comfortable with and confident in who she is as she matures. Her actress should be able to convey the stages of an arc in which she gradually figures out her distinctive identity and develops as a strong leader and role model.

Anita's actress needs to have a strong, authoritative presence. You should really feel that she can compel others to do her bidding at the sound of her voice. She should have a warm quality too that really comes through in her relationship with Slo-bo in particular. There needs to be a balance of her formidable powerfulness and the fact that she's a teenage girl who is increasingly in over her head, and her struggles as she is stuck raising her deaged-to-infant parents must be poignant.

Slo-bo should be cast as someone who has the quality of an old soul despite being the technical youngest of the group. He should combine the tough abrasiveness that he feels he needs to assume as Li'l Lobo's successor with a keen sensitivity and struggles with self-loathing. He insists he's not a good guy and presents himself in the most morally gray terms he can, and this isn't an act (exactly), but it's complicated by the fact that he is legitimately kind and self-sacrificing. If played right, the audience won't initially know what to make of him but by the end should be heartbroken by his apparent death.

For Ray, someone who can portray the heroic nature of the character, but neither formidably muscular or a suave heartthrob type--he's rather ordinary. This needs to be someone with good comedic timing, someone who can pull off the naivete and the Absolute Disaster-ness and seem out of his depth in the real world, but also convey introspectiveness and a longing to be loved. He wears his heart on his sleeve, struggles with some depressive episodes, and can be quite vulnerable, with some notably dramatic scenes. There should be a bit of an edge to the character as well, as he becomes more jaded and makes choices that could potentially result in his going evil.

Grant needs to have a sort of ordinary-teenage-boy quality. Earnest, sweet, eager to prove himself, awkward, a bit of a goofball. But his actor should also have the capacity to handle a highly dramatic role. He should be able to convey explosive anger without being brutish and unsympathetically aggressive. There's an underlying anxiety in how he responds to the world, something ingrained in him by his abusive upbringing. Despite his powers and the anger and strength associated with them, he is emotional and vulnerable, with quite a few scenes that would require him to weep. He undergoes a striking change in demeanor after his face is scarred, and his actor would need to make the transition into bitterness believable.

#comicsposting again #YJ: so glad we found each other #as promised: some Thoughts #setting aside the less important issue of physically resembling the characters as drawn #because that can be adjusted with costuming etc. #the concern here is more what *kind* of actor could bring each character's essence to life #and I'm also assuming that these hypothetical actors are all actual teenagers who can adequately convey just how young all these kids are

[sculpture-in-a-period-drama]

Slightly overly specific tropes I love:

Part 2 | Part 3

- The main character/characters having to deal with a kid. They'll either be crap or suprisingly good at parenting, and the kid will either be a universally adored sweetheart or a menace gremlin. Either way, *chefs kiss*

- To add to that, sometimes the kid adopts a terrifying animal. Also A+

- Everyone freaking out + one character just praying in the background

- A mom and her son who's at least a head taller than her

- Dark, tragic, sad brooding characters, but someone's like "Oh, you take yourself too seriously" and the brooding character proceeds to be roped into being happy against their will. They don't know if they like it or not

- Any romantic trope but make it platonic tbh (grumpy & sunshine, hate everyone but you, etc.)

- Two arrogant characters meeting and the absolute comedy of these people realizing the world doesn't revolve around them and them trying to one-up each other

- Villain in the middle of a big dramatic speech and one of the characters going "oh, shut up already" or otherwise not taking them seriously

#writing #writeblr #tropes #might add more later

[ben-talks-art]

My 10 Favorite DreamWorks Movies

When I first joined Tumblr one of the first few posts I made was a "Best of DreamWorks" where I just pasted a bunch of images from the movies I liked the most.

After seeing the new Puss In Boots movie and seeing all the love it's been getting I thought it would be nice to revisit the list, but this time actually talking about why I like these movies so much.

Just wanna say real quick, If you're coming here wondering if "Shark Tale" will be on the top 5 and how I'm gonna defend my case about it, you lower these expectations right now. This is gonna be a super boring list. My favorites are everyone's favorites.

The only thing I can bring up is why I myself like them, and hopefully, I can bring up unique enough reasons for it. I've always been a fan of this company, mostly because I really respect how many risks they take with the premises of their stories.

I always like to believe that there is no such thing as a bad idea, only a bad execution, and DreamWorks proves that by never being afraid of giving a chance to the weirdest of ideas, and when the execution pays off, it pays off greatly!

So which ideas did I feel were executed the best?

10 . The Bad Guys

First things, first. "Good Tonight" is a freaking awesome song and everyone should give it a listen.

The idea of bad guys is "what if we tried to make the meanest-looking animals that people are familiar with into the heroes of our story?"

Animals like snakes, sharks, spiders, and so on, things that are known for being very dangerous and scary, but placed into the roles of bandits that go on heists while running away from the police.

I always call this the "Not Sly Cooper" movie, because that's exactly what I feel a Sly Cooper movie would be like. Tons of animal-acting-like-human jokes, fun cartoonish heists and car chases, and some nice morals about what it means to be a thief and what it means to be a hero.

Bad Guys is a very charming movie. The characters are all likable, many of the jokes are funny, and the way the movie looks with its blend of 2D and 3D is just amazing. The scene where they are escaping from prison with the help of a "mysterious ninja" being my favorite part.

The only problem I have is that I feel having both a shark and a piranha in the cast was kinda redundant. I would have replaced the piranha with a bat so they would have a scary flying animal instead of two scary water animals. Plus, imagining a bat singing "Good Tonight" just feels like a funnier visual to me.

9. Megamind

"Presentation!!"

The idea for Megamind is rather simple, show what happens when the villain does beat the hero.

I feel like this movie did a good job showing how the fun of working hard can sometimes feel more rewarding than the fun of actually winning, kinda sending a sweet message about the futility of cheating.

I also like how over-the-top Megamind himself is with how he treats all his evil actions as some grand spectacle. Doesn't matter if he's winning or losing, this dude always looks like he's having a lot of fun treating these hero vs villain battles as some sort of playtime with his best friend.

You're basically watching a kid's imagination of what these fights would look like from someone who grew up watching way too many cartoons. Tons of cheesy one-liners, tons of dramatic speeches, tons of last-second twists, and of course, tons of big explosive action.

And it's also fun seeing Megamind's fantasy of what a hero vs villain scenario looks like slowly dying once he meets Titan and how differently he treats this whole thing compared to MetroMan.

The one problem I had was the way the character of Roxane was treated. It felt like they were trying to make her more than just "the girlfriend" and give her more depth, but in the end, her biggest role in the climax was still needing to be saved and serving as emotional support for the main character. Also, the way she was basically catfished by Megamind always made me very uncomfortable, especially when thinking that kids might be watching this and learning from this.

It wasn't too awful, but I felt they could have done more with her.

8. Spirit

"What if we made a movie about the adventures of a horse?"

This one is kinda hard to describe why I like it. I think the reason is that it feels... How do I put it... Honest? Real? Genuine?

Whenever Spirit goes through an emotion it always feels earned. When he's sad, you're sad, when he's angry, you're angry, and when he's celebrating after succeeding in a daring escape, you want to celebrate too.

This movie to me just did a great job at making me feel what this horse was feeling, and most of it with the use of very minimal words.

I loved Spirit, loved his chemistry with the villain, loved the sense of speed whenever he is running through the fields or avoiding the cowboys... and most of all, loved the joy you get whenever you feel free.

It's not that this gives you a great sense of freedom, its that it gives you a desire to fight for freedom! It makes you feel you can be more, and do more and have the right to reject being tied down by others who want to limit your true potential and control you.

This movie makes you want to be free.

7. The Road to El Dorado

Do I even need to say anything besides the fact that this movie has Chel in it?

But for real, I think this movie was my introduction to the Maya, Inca, and Azteca culture, (I think my closest only other option at the time was "Mucha Lucha" of all things...), and they make this culture look fun and cool.

The architecture looked nice, the clothing looked nice, the people were so likable, and anytime they party you just want to party as well. I kept waiting for some big reveal to happen for the citizens to turn on the heroes, but they never do, and that was so refreshing, just showing people from different areas becoming friends AND staying friends.

I also love how funny Miguel and Tulio are, I was a kid when I first saw this so I was weirded out by the idea of two adults as the leads but I was sold on them very quickly. Even their horse was likable. everyone is just so likable in this movie. It makes you want to visit El Dorado and hang out with all these people.

Such a charming, funny, and friendly movie.

Also Chel. Chel was a big selling point.

6. Puss in Boots, the Last Wish

I already talked about this one over here, but, long story short, like many other movies on this list, I love how good this movie is at sucking you into the mood.

The way the visuals, the story, the dialogue, and the characters work together really succeed into making you feel what these people are feeling and making want to see more of them.

Didn't matter if it was the heroes, the villains, the antagonists, or what, I was 100% behind everyone's motivations and I couldn't wait to see all their goals clashing with each others'.

Also, the wolf is by far one of DreamWork's best antagonists, right up there with Shen and Ramses. He looks cool, talks cool, and even his motivation was cool.

This wasn't just a movie, this was an experience.

5. Shrek 2

I freaking dare anyone going into this movie blind to predict what the climax is going to be.

The weird idea of this one is that Shrek after marrying his wife needs to meet her parents... And that's it. It's just one long and uncomfortable reunion with people who really don't want to be on the same room together and all the things they try to pull of to make or break this relationship.

Hire assassins, request help from magic fairies, fake your appearance, steal a potion, it's all about seeing how far everyone is willing to go to do what they think it's the best for those they love.

It all turns into a glorious and creative mess and I can't help but love every second of it!

(Side note, anyone ever notices how often DreamWorks sequels focus on the idea of characters dealing with their parents?)

4. Kung Fu Panda 2

If it wasn't for Prince of Egyp, I would say that this was the hardest and darkest DreamWorks movie.

There is so much focus on feeling lost, feeling abandoned, feeling hopeless and betrayed, and just trying to understand what you're doing wrong and what you need to do right.

This movie was like a therapy session... Done with talking cartoon animals, yes, but a therapy session no less.

The themes of trying to understand yourself, where you came from, and where you want to go are all handled greatly as you watch the relationship between the hero and the villain.

Po and Shen have such an absurdly great chemistry. I love seeing them talking, fighting, and trying to one-up each other, and I really love how much their relationship changes the more they learn about each other, and it all happens so fast and so smoothly too.

It makes me angry whenever I see a movie and the hero and the villain barely talk with each other. That's one of the best things you can do with them! Why are you skipping it??

Luckily this one didn't, and in return, we got one of the best interactions ever. I love these two by themselves and love these to together. Just a pair of wonderful characters that work really well off each other!

3. The Prince of Egypt

Man... What do I even say about this one?

It's probably the riskiest idea DreamWorks has ever tried to do, tell the story of Exodus as an animated musical... And that was their second movie ever after freaking "Antz!" These guys have a lot of guts.

This was a movie that I didn't really get it when I saw it as a kid, but I just love trying to understand its themes and messages now that I'm older.

I love the main conflict between the brothers, again, bringing attention to how good a story can be when you focus on the connection of the hero and the villain. Showing both sides of people who grew up under an unhealthy ideology, one trying to grow out of it and the other trying to embrace it even more.

I love the imagery of Egypt, both as this grand epic kingdom built from the struggle and pain of the slaves and as this falling empire being attacked by God Himself. The visuals of the plagues being my favorites.

And I love the sense of calmness that appears whenever the chaos takes a break. Seeing Moses and his people getting out from the ocean and enjoying the dawn of a new era after all the struggle they went through just felt so rewarding. It's just such a satisfying ending for such a long journey... As long as you decide to stop there and don't look up what happens in the rest of the story.

I especially love the concept of Ramses, A person so deep into the teachings of his father that he can't even see why the things he's doing are so bad. I think my favorite part is when he's hugging his son while glaring at Moses and just asking "Why?" while he has this GIANT WALL SHOWING BABIES BEING FEED TO CROCODILES right behind him.

It's such an amazingly blind irony as the man cries for his kid's safety while the crying of all these dead kids looms over his shoulder. Just how do you have to be raised to turn into this kind of person?

It's so baffling but I just can't stop watching and wondering how far is this man willing to go. Such a sad showing of someone who doesn't see he's on the wrong side and trying to fight against the tides.

It's a beautifully sad, and yet hopeful movie.

2. Kung Fu Panda

Yeah, I put Kung Fu Panda above Prince of Egypt... I don't know what's wrong with me either. I don't know, for some reason, I just have a lot of respect for this movie? Prince of Egypt I liked a lot but I couldn't really fully understand it and enjoy it until I was much older. Meanwhile, even when young I could already enjoy Kung Fu Panda a lot.

It felt like it had a bigger challenge by being a good, deep movie while also being fun, funny, and cheerful.

It's easy to make dark stories have strong messages and depth, but it's hard to have no-so-dark stories also have strong messages and depth, and I have such an appreciation for that. They could have just made this a lame joke-fest about being an overweight character trying to learn martial arts, but they didn't!

They put a lot of effort into the lessons, the fighting, the motivations of the characters, the visuals, and even the jokes! I thought the jokes were going to be awful but they were all very charming!

I love the designs of the cast in how they each represent a level of kung-fu, AND, I love the Kung-fu itself.

I feel like this is the Kung Fu Panda movie that tries the most to be creative with combining martial arts in a cartoon setting. Like... I like Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3 but I don't really remember much of the action there aside from the stuff in climaxes with the "water dodgeball" section and the "giant energy dragon avatar in the spiritual realm" section.

But in here? I remember the bridge fight, the prison escape, the master vs student showdown, the hot-potato game with the scroll, and even the training sessions with Po and the five.

I feel like as the movies went on they focused more on the spiritual journey of self-discovery and toned down the cartoon action, while in here it's just perfect.

It's amazing how many elements this movie is trying to balance while still pulling it off each of them so well.

I just wished that Po and Tai-Lung had more scenes of interaction because they basically feel like strangers in the end even though the whole movie is building up to their fight... A fight that... Really doesn't feel as good as all the action that came before to be honest.

But still, that's just one small little problem in what's otherwise a perfect product. Besides... KFP2 covers the whole Hero vs Villain thing that was lacking in here by more than making up for it, so it's all good. 1. How To Train Your Dragon

Of course my favorite DeamWorks movie is the one with the dragon. I freaking love dragons! I have a comic based on people that become dragons for crying out loud!

Kidding aside, this is a movie with a message that I just respect a lot. I really appreciate the idea of teaching kids the importance of knowing how to stop, looking at what you're doing, trying to understand who you're hurting, and what you can do to change.

This isn't just something that holds value to kids, this holds value to everyone. We are always so focused on going after the things we want that we tend to forget the people we're sometimes stepping on to get there, and this movie shows that not only do we not lose anything for trying to be friends with these people, but we might even gain something even better.

I just adore the friendship of Hiccup and Toothless (God, I love these names).

One is a kid trying to make his father proud by following the family legacy, while also trying to do what he loves by studying and befriending dragons and the conflicts that come from trying to please both sides. This is such a great lesson for kids because they're always stuck into deciding on what's best for them and what's best for what their parents want from them.

And the other side is a pet slowly lowering his defenses and deciding if he wants to trust this weird stranger that tried to hurt him or give him a second chance to prove himself as a possible ally. What do you do? Put yourself at risk and give others a chance or remain safe and away from possible harm?

This movie reminds me a lot of Lake in that if you keep looking at it you can take away twenty different lessons and themes to talk about.

Again, it's the challenge of trying to be deep while avoiding being too dark and remaining all-ages-friendly.

Kids are gonna watch this, they're gonna love the dragons and the flying scenes, and they're gonna come back years later and pick up things they didn't see were there before and later realize that without noticing it, these lessons became a part of them and a part of what they do.

You can feel that there is a lot of love in this movie. I remember watching the commentary and looking at how the creators always would get excited when there was a silent scene or a world-building scene. It's clear they had a lot of fun working on this product, and this love really can be felt through the characters, their growth, and their emotions.

I freaking adore this movie, and I freaking adore DreamWorks!

#dreamworks #dreamworks animation #puss in boots the last wish #shrek 2 #how to train your dragon #kung fu panda #kung fu panda 2 #the prince of egypt #the road to el dorado #spirit #megamind #the bad guys

[just-trying-my-best-everyday]

"One Way Out" is truly masterful TV. Andor keeps getting better and better, and I think it's due to the way they highlight different emotions.

Andor's biggest strength is not the emotions it's able to evoke. Any somewhat decent storyteller can make you feel sad or happy or angry. No, Andor's biggest strength is how it evokes those emotions.

They do it in an almost mundane way, without big pomp, just visuals. (Spoilers below the cut):

There is nothing epic or grandiose about the way Bix is tortured in ep 9. They just explain what this type of torture is and they put the headphones on her. They don't even play the sounds she is hearing. You just see her reactions, her shaking, the fear and horror in her eyes and that's enough.

They don't hit you over the head with how bad Narkina 5 is. The characters aren't making big speeches about how terrible it is. In fact, the characters barely even acknowledge their own shitty situation. Instead, they show you their day-to-day lives repeatedly, they show you Cassian completely zoned out to avoid facing the horror that he's living. They don't make a villain out of Kino, rather they show you he's a bit of an ass but still another prisoner. They don't remind you the prisoners might get fried on a whim, they show you their bare feet on the floor, the red lights at night.

And possibly my favorite: Kino's tragedy. He was the most eager to get out, willing to comply with his captors to an extreme because if he could only hang on a little longer he would be out and it would be over if he just played by every rule and made sure everyone else did too. And then he realizes he won't be able to get out and acts. He goes along with Cassian's plan, he is the defining factor in their victory and in the end? It's pointless. He doesn't get out. They show you the chaos of the men throwing themselves off the platform to escape and in the middle, Kino stands still. Sorrow takes over him. Cassian can't even hear him amongst the mess, but we can. It's not a big dramatic shot of Kino. It's just a somewhat far away shot, not even a close up, where he whispers "I can't swim".

And you understand. You understand perfectly and you feel for him and you want to cry and scream and you're yelling "someone help him swim!". You expect Cassian, our hero, our main character who motivated him to rebel, to save him and then what? He falls off. Cassian falls off the platform without even hearing what Kino said. He runs without ever knowing what became of Kino.

And it hits you extra hard, because this is exactly what Kino was supposed to do. He did everything right: he fought, he saved everyone and then. Boom. He can't swim. He never learned. There is absolutely nothing he can do about it. He's doomed because of something beyond his control.

It's exactly what TV should be. I can't believe we ever got such a masterfully created Star Wars show. Unbelievable.

#AHHHHHH #can you tell i loved ep 10 #one way out is the best ep #no cap #i love it #kino loy #cassian andor #andor #star wars #andor spoilers

[yiplee]

Would you be able to write something for lee Professor Chaos and ler Mysterion? Maybe Chaos challenges Mysterion to an epic showdown to the death but Mysterion is merciful and chooses to instead tickle Chaos into submission. Chaos tries to remain evil and threatening but can't stop giggling adorably and is so flustered over being defeated by tickles.

Hii anon! I got your request right after posting a fic about lee Mysterion lol! Thanks for the request! I love these two together and would’ve probably written a fic of them anyway lol!

Pre-authors note my friend said smth that gave me a crazy lee mood mid writing so thank them for the motivation it gave me to finish this 😍😍

So now without further ado leeets geeet into it!

———————————————————————

Mysterion cautiously snuck into Professor Chaos’ backyard, looking around for any sign of the evildoer.

“Chaos?” He called quietly. “Chaos? I got your letter. I am prepared for the challenge.” He announced, wondering if anyone was listening.

Professor Chaos’ evil chuckle swept through the air, and Mysterion whipped his head around to see where it was coming from.

Suddenly, a thick line shoots from one of the windows of Butters’ house and hooks onto one of the fence poles. Mysterion flinches as the hook barely misses his face.

Professor Chaos ziplines down on a coat hanger, and Mysterion is silently impressed by the move.

“Hello there, Mysterion.” The tinfoil-dressed villain started, deepening his voice to a sinister tone.

“Hello, Chaos.” Mysterion echoed, looking his opposer up and down. “Are you sure you want to do this? You can always choose a lighter path-” Mysterion started, but Professor Chaos shot him down real quick.

“Eh- shh shh, no speeches. Only showdown.” He said with a dramatic edge to his voice.

Mysterion nodded darkly. “Very well then.” He agreed, turning to begin slowly circling the evildoer, who began circling him as well. They were now just walking in one big circle, on either side of eachother, staring eachother down.

Truthfully, neither of them actually knew what this battle would entail. Fake fighting? Real fighting? No, Butters was too innocent for that.

Mysterion quickly whooshed around Chaos, tripping him skillfully, so that he fell onto the grass.

“Blasted hero!” He exclaimed, going to get up, but Mysterion stepped on his chest, keeping him down.

“Don’t bother trying to get up, Chaos. I’ve got you.” Mysterion growled, quickly kneeling over the other.

“I..I uh..I knew this would happen—in fact, I let it happen! So I could..uh..I..uh..” Professor Chaos stammered, trying to think of a way out of this.

“Save it, Chaos.” Mysterion hissed. “You asked for this.” He replied darkly.

Asked for what, exactly? Mysterion didn’t know. He was still figuring out what he was gonna do. I mean, Chaos is looking up at him like he’s actually gonna do something, and there’s already an awkward silence going, and…

A lightbulb might as well have lit up above Mysterion’s head, because an idea hit him so fast it hardly felt like he even came up with it.

“Are you ready, Chaos?” He said in a menacing voice, raising his gloved hand threateningly, fingers posed in a claw-like position.

“D…Do your worst, goody two-shoes!” Chaos called back bravely, but internally he was nervous as all hell.

Suddenly, Mysterion’s hand flew down, quickly skittering across Professor Chaos’ belly. He yelped with surprise, quickly covering his mouth to silence his bubbly giggles.

“Myst- Mysteriohohon!! This is meahahant to be an epic bahahattle!!” Chaos squeaked, trying not to break character, but that was pretty hard when you had the cutest giggles in the entire universe pouring out of you.

“Oh, so you’re saying this is nothing then? Then I guess you won’t mind taking that! And that!” Mysterion teased smugly, a smirk growing on his own face as he lightly pinched bits on Chaos’ sides, making him squeal.

“WAHAHAHAHAIT MYSTERIOHOHON!!” Chaos thrashed about under his caped counterpart, but his attempts were fruitless as Mysterion continued without letting up.

“So, do you surrender, Chaos?” Mysterion asked, scribbling his gloved fingers along Professor Chaos’ sides.

“NEHEHEHEVER!!” He shrieked stubbornly, seeing this as a way to at least barely stay in character.

Mysterion raised an eyebrow. Knowing Butters, he would’ve given up about a thousand times by now. Although he supposed this was Professor Chaos he was dealing with now.

But, it’s not like he was complaining. He went up and down the villain’s ribs next, digging into the bits inbetween.

Professor Chaos grabbed Mysterion’s wrists, trying to pull him off, but he was severely weakened.

Mysterion’s hands spidered up the ribs and slipped into Chaos’ armpits, him letting out a shriek.

“WAHAHAHAIT NOHOHOT THEHEHERE!!” He pleaded, his arms flying back down in a failed attempt of protection.

“Okay, surrender then.” Mysterion said blankly. “That’s all you have to do.”

Chaos shook his head stubbornly. So Mysterion continued, tracing circles into the skin under the other’s arms.

“WAHAHAHAIT OKAHAHAHAY I SURRENDER! I SUREHEHEHENDER!!” He squealed. He couldn’t take any more. Mysterion chuckled and let go, letting Professor Chaos recover.

“You okay, Butters?” He asked, looking down fondly at his exhausted friend.

“Yeah. Yeah..” he nodded, catching his breath. That definitely didn’t play out as he had planned in his head.

#tickle fic #tword #tickle content #south park #south park ticklefic #south park tickles #lee!professor chaos #ler!mysterion

[egg-emperor]

How do you think eggy would feel if he sees fellow villains repenting of their evil deed and finding redemption?

Oh I can imagine him being extremely dramatic to emphasize just how disappointed and appalled he is by it. He'd either scoff and burst into laughter as he judges and teases them hard for being soft, pathetic, and weak for giving up like that- or he'll scowl and scrunch his nose up at them and cross his arms as he looks down on them in disgust- or both! He'll be very insufferably rude and try to make them feel bad and small because he's an asshole lol

He sees giving up as very weak, he'd ask them where their spirit and their passion to be bad went! And he can't stand quitters, one of his greatest strengths is his determination and refusal to give up and he takes great pride in it, so seeing another bad guy do all the things he wouldn't be caught dead doing makes him sick. He thinks it sets a terrible example for villains because he doesn't want people thinking for even a second that the same could happen to him!

He'll also say they should've joined him instead and that he could've restored worth, hope, and enjoyed their status as a bad guy (and it will really just be him seeing potential in exploiting it and using them to do his dirty work for selfish gain) but instead they just gave up to become a boring goodie two shoes with no big ambitions and goals as they now exist to help others and bow down to be a doormat to be used and stepped on by lousy good guys (he should be the one doing that to them instead!)

And if they refuse this and go on a speech about how they've changed and how much better life is now that they've turned over a new leaf, he'd swat the air dismissively with his hand, roll his eyes and put his hands on his hips, tapping is foot impatiently as they try to explain reasons and benefits that all sound lame to him. And if it's because of the power of love and friendship and teamwork especially, he'll gag and groan. Him being a rude sassy jerk about it is gold lol

One would basically get all of these reactions from him-

and the more they try to reason and explain, the smaller and more pathetic and bad he would try to make them feel with both his judgmental body language and harsh words of mockery and disappointment! XD

#dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #asks #my post #headcanons