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jolyneswife-anime-reviews · 2 years

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High school dxd anime review

Spoilers for high school dxd and tw for suggestive themes, nudity and attempted murder

(Preface - I have watched all the seasons of high school dxd apart from the last one, for reasons I'll get into in the section below)

“Even the phoenix that rises from the ashes can’t recover instatly from mental damage,” - Akeno

Genre: harem, fan service, fantasy, action, romance

Where I watched it: Funimation

Characterisation: 8/10 (the high school dxd universe enjoys a wide variety of very different characters. Although usually well developed and with distinct backstories, the female characters are sometimes reduced to potential lovers for the protagonists or tools for fan service, which can be irritating, especially when a character has the potential to be so much more deep than that, like Rias or Akeno.)

Setting: 8.5/10 (The setting and locations change a lot throughout the series, from the school, to churches during battles, hell, constructed realities for rating games etc., but in my opinion, this helps keep the story dynamic and interesting, as well as expanding on the fantasy element)

Plot: 7/10 (though interesting and engaging to begin with (I have a weakness for the whole concept of being a devil/a beginner adapting into that world while needing to protect himself from fallen angels + angels) the anime becomes overly reliant on fan service and sexual portrayal of female characters, particularly as it goes on and the plot becomes less engaging and a lot more forgettable)

Art style: 8/10 (All the characters were drawn to look really pretty and to an excellent level of detail in a beautiful style, similar to shojo. However, the animator changes in season 4 and the drawings are, in my opinion, less impressive. Settings are not drawn remarkably)

Comfort: 6/10 (While certainly not too heavy, there are some more tense arcs in the anime, but, above that, it just lacks that particular vibe all around mostly. There are some wholesome moments and funny skits which partially save it.)

Addictiveness: 8.5/10 (plot twists, as well as a generally dynamic storyline and intense situations, make this anime pretty addictive- there is always something new and exciting going on)

Philosophy: 4/10 (if you're being generous, you could argue that Issei, with his superficial perverted and harebrained attitude, yet his true love and commitment to his friends, can remind us that the truly important things in life and about someone's character are very few (loyalty, determination, strength etc), but in general the anime gave me nothing much to think about. However, there is some interesting ideas to be discussed around characters such as Rias or Akeno, and wether them being portrayed as badass and strong is undermined by the show constantly sexualising them. If you want more on my thoughts regarding Rias as a character, I have made a separate post going into more depth on her.)

Originality: 8.5/10 (the whole warped depiction of heaven and hell, as well as angels and devils, is very unique and refreshing, as is the idea of bringing those battles to earth and putting a modern and relatable twist on them. I also love the chess concept used in households/during battles, it works very well and is incredibly original.)

Consistency: 4/10 (the series starts off as highly exciting and engaging, with a fast paced, action filled plot and questions that need answering, as well as several very intense situations the characters need to deal with, but as it goes on, it becomes a lot less gripping and intense and a lot more forgettable - it becomes easy to lose touch of what is happening or simply to become disinterested in later seasons. Because of this I did not even bother with the last season.)

The plot

High schooler Issei Hyodo is highly unsatisfied with his life- his wishes to date and get intimate with girls are nowhere near coming true, as none of the girls at school come near him due to his reputation as a pervert. One evening, a beautiful girl by the name of Yuma, who he's never met before, asks him out, claiming to have seen him walking home and taken a liking to him. He accepts, so the two go out on a date. While they're in the city, a girl with a strange outfit hands a peculiar flyer to Issei, who thinks nothing of it. To end what was seemingly a fun and ordinary day, the two walk to the fountain. Yuma then starts asking Issei if he would die for her, and, without elaborating, transforms into a fallen angel and stabs him, telling him to blame God and not her. Confused and bleeding out, Issei is left to die near the fountain by Yuma. As he dies, he starts thinking of Rias Gremory, one of the most attractive girls at school, and summons her out of the flyer he had been given earlier. She revives him by inserting items resembling chess pieces into him, telling him to live for her. The next morning, Issei wakes up in his bedroom with Rias sleeping next to him, naked and with her devil wings out. Incredulous, he asks her what is happening, and Rias explains that while they didn't do anything, she can only sleep if she's completely naked. She also tells him she's a devil, and has bought him back to life as one of her devil servants. As the day goes on, Issei realises there seems to be no trace of Yuma left - no one can remember her, and her email and phone number no longer seem to exist. Rias then introduces him to the other devils of her household, and explains that they are all her servants. This marks the start of Issei's life as a devil, which starts with simple tasks like handing out flyers. The group grows very close after a while, especially after battling fallen angels, rescuing Issei's friend, Asia, from a stray priest and converting her to their team, and saving Rias from being forced to marry Phoenix after losing a rating game to his household. However, Issei has a special, unique ability, which he must train and strengthen in order to use, but potentially makes him one of the most powerful devils out there. As time goes on, the group encounters more rivals, particularly from the church, and a lot of new comrades. The truth also starts to surface about Rias' feelings for Issei, feelings that aren't hers alone.

Masterlist

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iantovjones · 3 years

Photo

[ image description: a green goblin hand holding a family photo of three goblins. in the middle is pok, the father, with green skin and darker green suave hair, wearing a grey shirt and blue jeans with his arms around his wife and son. to the right, sklonda, with a cropped green bob haircut, wearing a pink t-shirt and brown trousers. to the left, riz, much shorter than the other two, a small child, with wild dark green hair and wearing a brown suit. behind them in a blue wall with a light yellow banner reading “happy birthday riz!” end ID. ]

finding a family photo at a time of lonliness.

#i have become addicted to drawing fantasy high characters #especially riz because i love him #riz gukgak #dimension 20 #fantasy high #d20 fantasy high #fh riz #fh riz gukgak #pok gukgak #sklonda gukgak

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nocturnal-slut · 3 years

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Nsfw alphabet of c!Techno?

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

After a scene, Techno is a complete different person. During a scene Techno is completely rough (most of the time) but after the scene, Techno is making sure 100% that everything you need is met. This man will run you the perfect bath or if you're too tired for that, know that he is cleaning you up and then holding you while he tells you the story of Thesus for the 100th time. He will get anything for you after a scene, name it and he'll be right there with it

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B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

His favourite body part of his are his hands, he just loves how nice they look around your throat, especially when they're covered in blood after a fight. Just seeing how his bloody hands are so mesmerizing around your throat

It's hard for Techno to pick a favourite body part of yours, its a tie between your shoulders and your hair. He likes your shoulders since he's able to bite down enough to draw enough blood that there isn't too much of an injury to you. He also likes your hair since its easy to pull when you're being a brat

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C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

Being a pig hybrid and all, Techno has a huge breeding kink on certain days. Most of the time he prefers to see you swallow his cum but on other days, he goes for multiple rounds until his cum is dripping out of you

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D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

He's addicted to smelling you, knowing every little detail even. How you taste, how you smell, what makes you tic, he wants to know you better than you know yourself

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E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

He's kind of sex repulsed, however he does have a lot of knowledge under his belt. You're lucky to see how rabid Techno can become in the moment

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F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

Techno likes to see your face while he's destroying you, doesn't mean doggy isn't out of the question however, easier to spank your ass when you do something without his permission

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G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Techno is always pretty serious. During aftercare he can become pretty goofy but during the actual scene, he's completely serious in the act. Degrading, praising, worshiping, everything he does is with complete seriousness. Sex is often very serious for him. It takes a lot of planning and conversation to do quite a bit of the stuff he likes to do. He wants to know everything you want; how you’re feeling at that moment; if anything has changed; if you’re in the correct emotional state. He has to make sure you enjoy yourself as much as he does.

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H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Its a reasonable amount, just a couple pink curls

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I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Techno likes to be intimate with those he cares about and trusts, he is definitely very loving during the moment. Whether its a slow loving scene or a rougher scene, he will always have a hand on your waist, his lips on your neck marking every part of your skin showing his affection

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J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

When he's off on missions with Phil and you can't come, Techno will definitely jerk off to the thought of you or if you just aren't in the mood, he'll happily just jerk off

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K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Such a massive blood kink, this man craves the taste and smell of your blood. (And if you're afab, know very well that he will not hesitate to fuck you when you're on your period).

He also has a huge breeding kink although he refuses to admit it, he blames it on his piglin side, making him want to fill you up and watch you swell with his children although the idea of being a father actually scares him

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L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

He prefers to do it somewhere in private, most of the time your shared bedroom (altho the training room isn't out of the question). Techno likes bending you over objects, usually a counter or desk and having his way with you. Though having you tied up is also great. He wants you at his mercy, completely dependant on him.

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M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

When you get cocky he won't hesitate to just flip you over and completely ruin you until you're begging for him to stop because its you're so overstimulated and overwhelmed

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N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

He is completely turned off at the thought of hurting you, cutting you for blood or hair pulling he can handle but anything harsher than that he doesn't trust himself with. As much as he'd wish to, he is terrified about what the voices would try to tell him if he went too far

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O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

He much prefers giving you oral, he won't say no to a blowjob but he's much more into watching you squirm and squeeze your legs around him in pleasure

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P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

Its a mix of the two depending on his mood. He loves to have his slow, romantic, sensual scenes especially before he goes on a mission or a war, makes him motivated to do well and come home. But for the most part, he prefers fast and rough scenes. Depending on the type of sex you’re having, he’ll grab/touch different parts of your body (more so than everything else, at least). When it’s slow sex, he’ll grab your hands, intertwining them with his own, kissing them, just being very soft. However, during rougher sex, he likes your shoulders and butt. Biting, kissing, licking, grabbing, kneading.

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Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

If you are a mission with him, a quickie is a good way for you two to just get off but for the most part, Techno doesn't like them, he likes taking his time with you and he can't have that with quickies

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R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Techno is down to trying anything at least once, mention to him and he's down to try

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S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Techno will make sure you come a few times before he even thinks about coming himself. His minimum amount of rounds is 4 but he could definitely go for more if you're up for it

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T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

He's not a fan of toys, he finds no point in them. He will use rope to tie you up or blindefolds but that's pretty much it. He sees it as if he can do it, there's no point for a toy

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U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

He is a complete tease, he likes restraining you so he can have his own way with you, gives him such an ego boost

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V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

He's not very loud, maybe a grunt or two, he prefers to use his words. Praising and worshiping how well you look under him, degrading if you're not obeying him

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W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

He is embarrassed about a fantasy of his. Techno wears a crown, and as a kid he used to be referred to as a prince. Well now he likes to imagine he has a throne. He’s thought about you worshipping his cock with your mouth while he sits on his throne. He probably would never bring up this fantasy with you but if you ever mention something like that, he will be quick to agree.

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X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

He’s more average in length down there but thick as all hell. There will be a burn as he stretches you but trust me, it will feel good~

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Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

His sex drive pretty much matches your own, if you're horny just ask him and he will be on you. He has made his match yours so he'll always be ready when you are

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Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

Techno already doesn't sleep a lot, when he does, he makes sure you're asleep way long before him, just wants to make sure you know you're safe and loved

#nocturnal sin #nocturnal technoblade #technoblade smut #technoblade x reader smut #mcyt smut

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inexistingwarmth · 3 years

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The romanticization of true love in miraculous ladybug, and its impact on adrigami and lukanette

I guess the trope of true love is quite common in media, we grew up watching fairy tales where star crossed lovers found each other and connected in an intimate and irreplaceable way.

Soulmates ? Other halves? You complete me ?

It has long been romanticized, when a character would hesitate between two love interests, they would be told :

" pick the second one because if you truly loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second one "

In this sense', True love invalidates any other potential love because true love is the one, and the feelings felt for another person are not as authentic.

Realistically speaking, we may fall for more than one person and it is okay, they all were real while they lasted. But fiction tends to romanticize the concept of a love that makes all the others evaporate.

In miraculous ladybug, it is established early on that Marinette and Adrien are soulmate, being told they were meant to be by Master fu.

And then, the love square happens

Marinette falls for Adrien as his sensible, shiny and perfect looking self.

And Adrien falling for Marinette as her confident, bold and also perfect looking self.

While not knowing their other version, or not acknowledging it as a love interest. The idea of loving unknowingly each other amplified the star crossed lovers theme.

It was cute though.

Yet as time went by,Marinette's infatuation turned into a sort of romanticization of Adrien, she did interact with him and he held her in high regards, but her perception of him forbid her from seeing him lucidly enough.

She saw him as kind, good looking and talented, but also perfect. When alya suspected Adrien to be cat noir, marinette even dismissed it. She failed to see the foolishness and impulsiveness of cat noir in this boy she idealized.

She has a teenage crush, a caricatutal one sometimes but still a teenage crush. She is young, so her feelings are innocent and intense, to her that crush could be love.

It doesn't help when her friends encourage her believing that it could lead to a fairytale ending. For marinette; it is hard to move on.

Why is it hard to move on ?

She invested a lot emotionally in that crush. When you have those feelings, you usually cultivate a fantasy on your own, your little romance. marinette even imagined the name of their future hamster. It is almost a comforting escapism, by moving on she has to let that go, all the efforts, the embarrassments, the instants that gave her hope..

If she lets that go 'the reality she is used to will be all new ..

Letting go without ever knowing how he felt. With all the perhaps and maybes.

It is and remains a romanticized scenario but isn't that what makes us hold on to things ? We have our narrative that shape our reality and give value to little things ..

And if he was her true love, can she allow herself to love someone else? If she does, something as intense was not true love? What is true love then ?

Whether it's her thoughts; or the message of the show, the idea of Adrien being the one is what seems to be holding her back, she romanticized him too long, and letting go of that dreamy reality is a big step.

What about Adrien now ?

If marinette loved him secretary, Adrien was way loud and blunt about it, to the point of becoming a burden since after all, it was an unwanted affection.

Adrien is clearly a hopeless romantic. While marinette idealized the boy she liked, he seemed to idealize the idea of love, way more than she did.

Marinette and Adrien were friends, but Cat noir and Ladybug had a more intimate bond, a shared secret, a delightful comfort around each other, vulnerability and a genuine connection.

For Adrien, who's a hopeless romantic, he should not let go, he should keep fighting, trying, until he is capable of reaching the heart of his beloved.

His trying can be suffocating for her since she really cares about him and loves someone already. But in his world, it is his devotion.

He feels like the connection he shares with ladybug is special and that no one knows him like she does. His interactions with her are also an escapism so letting go of that feels unimaginable to him.

And in a way he could protect the specialness of their bond by not really being that open with other people..

Like maybe, kagami ?

If you watched "lies", even the title is emblematic of the shelter he hides behind. When kagami makes the effort of drawing his most authentic self, he first acts as a shiny model then as quirky cat noir.

But none of those poses portray the vulnerability and truth she craved for.

Perfection doesn't have to mean flawless, as she got close to him, the perfect Adrien was a flustered, confused boy who did not hide behind an automatic smile.

Luka could've been to marinette the kind and sensitive guy she liked in Adrien

And kagami could've shared with Adrien the connection and truth that he only expressed toward Ladybug.

Let's be honest they had so much potential ..

But both adrien and marinette held back and left those two heartbroken. Although they accepted the feelings of luka and kagami; and went as far as dating them, they were not as invested ..

It is true that they were both busy and had a lot on their mind, but we saw marinette swooning over adrien right before seeing luka in "lies" that parallels "truth" and adrien would still flirt with ladybug as cat noir.

Were they really trying to move on ?

I dont doubt marinette thought luka was charming, she was more confortable around him but he had a soft effect on her, he had the tenderness and sincerity that marinette discovered on adrien in the umbrella scene

Adrien was also drawn to kagami since the begining, with her he had the thrill of escaping he had with ladybug and she was as smart and confident as the woman of his dreams.

But ..

Both our main characters had already a reality that was hard to let go of .. a romantacized person and a romantacized bond ..

They were not addicted to the agony but it was their routine, their daily emotions, something that became more of a reality than a part of it ..

Moving on would truly be going out of their confort zons .. it could've led to something beautiful.. but both couples broke up early .. im still grieving ..

If only the show stopped romantacizing soulmates .. fall in love .. again and again .. each one of those romances is valid ..

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maxwell-grant · 3 years

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What are your thoughts on Jekyll/Hyde and his archetype of the human periodically changing into a monster ?

Jekyll & Hyde was the 2nd horror story I read following Frankenstein, I got it off the same library and it always stuck very strongly with me even before I got into horror in general. I even dressed up as Jekyll/Hyde as a kid for a school fair by shredding a lab coat on one side and asking my sister to make-up claw gashes on my exposed arm and paint half of my face, although in hindsight I think I ended up looking more like Doctor Two-Face than Jekyll/Hyde, but I was 12 and didn't have any Victorian clothing to use so I had to make do. The first film project I tried doing at film school was intended to be a modern take on Jekyll & Hyde, and I didn't get much farther than a couple of discarded scripts

Much like Frankenstein, Mr Hyde as a character and a story is something that's kind of baked into everything I do artistically. And it's not just me, as even in pop culture itself, none of us can escape Mr Hyde. I would go so far as to argue Mr Hyde may be the single most significant character created by victorian fiction, if only by the sheer impact and legacy the character's had.

(Fan-art by guilhermefranco)

Part of what makes Mr Hyde such a powerful and lasting icon of pop culture is that the very premise of the book invites a personal reading that's gonna vary from person to person. Because everyone's familiar with the basic twist of the story, that it's a conflict of duality, of the good and evil sides, but everyone has a more personal idea of what those entail. Some people make the story more about class. A lot of readings laser-focus on sex and lust as the driving force, and there's also a lot of readings of Mr Hyde that tackle it to explore a more gendered perspective, and so forth.

I don't particularly take much notice of the Jekyll & Hyde adaptations partially because the novel's premise and themes have become baked so throughly into pop culture and explored in so many different and interesting ways, that I'm not particularly starving for good Jekyll & Hyde adaptations the way I am for Dracula and Frankenstein. The Fredric March film in particular is one that orbits my head less because of the film itself (although I do recommend it), but because of one specific scene, and that's when Jekyll first transforms into Hyde on screen.

Out of all the things they could have shown him doing right that second, they instead took the time to show him enjoying the rain.

Just Hyde taking off his hat and letting it all cascade on his face with this sheer enthusiasm like he's never been to the rain before, never enjoyed it before, and now that he's free from being Jekyll, he gets to enjoy life like he never has before. It's such an oddly humanizing moment to put amidst a horror movie, in the scene where you're ostensibly introducing the monster to the audience, and it makes such a stark contrast to the rest of the film where Hyde is completely irredeemable, but I think it's that contrast that makes the film's take on Hyde work so well even with it's diverging from the source material, even if I don't particularly like in general interpretations of Hyde that are focused on a sexual aspect.

Because one, it understands that Jekyll was fundamentally a self-serving coward and not a paragon of goodness, and two, it also understands one of the things that makes Hyde scary: He wants what all of us want, to live and be happy. He's happy when he leaves the lab and dances around in the rain like a giddy child, he's happy when he goes to places Jekyll couldn't dream of showing up, he's happy as a showgirl-abusing sexual predator. Hyde is all wants, all the time, and there's not that much difference between his wants, his domineering possessiveness, and the likes exhibited by Muriel's father and Jekyll's own within the very same film, which also works to emphasize one of the other ideas of the original story, that Edward Hyde doesn't come from nowhere. That no monster is closer to humanity than Mr Hyde, because he is us. He is the thing that Jekyll refused to take responsability for until it was too late.

(Art by LorenzoMastroianni)

While many of the ideas that defined Mr Hyde had already been explored in pop culture beforehand, Hyde popularized and redefined many of them in particular by modernizing the idea. He was the werewolf, the doppelganger, The Player On The Other Side, except he came from within. He was not transformed by circumstance, he made himself that way, and the elixir merely brought out something already inside his soul. To acknowledge that he's there is to acknowledge that he is you, and to not do that is to either lose to him, or perish. Hyde was there to address both the rot settling in Victorian society as well as grappling concerns over Darwinian heritage, of the realization that man has always had the beast inside of him (it's no accident that Hyde's main method of murder is by clubbing people to death with his cane like a caveman).

I've already argued on my post about Tarzan that the Wild Man archetype, beginning with Enkidu of The Epic of Gilgamesh, is the in-between man and beast, between superhero and monster, and that Mr Hyde is an essential component of the superhero's trajectory, as the creature split in between. That stories about dual personalities, doppelgangers, the duality of the soul, the hero with a day job and an after dark career, you can pinpoint Hyde as a turning point in how all of these solidified gradually in pop culture. And I've argued otherwise that The Punisher, for all that his image and narrative points otherwise, is ultimately just as much of a superhero as the rest of them, even if no one wants to admit it, drawing a parallel between The Punisher and Mr Hyde. And he's far from the only modern character that can invite this kind of parallel.

The idea of a regular person periodically or permanently transforming into, or revealing itself to be, something extraordinary and fantastic and scary, grappling with the divide it causes in their soul, and questions whether it's a new development or merely the truest parts of themselves coming to light at last, and the effects this transformation has for good and bad alike. The idea of a potent, dangerous, unpredictable enemy who ultimately is you, or at least a facet of you and what you can do. That these are bound to destroy each other if not reconciled with or overcome.

You know what are my thoughts on the archetype of "human periodically changing into a monster" are? Look around you and you're gonna see the myriad ways The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde's themes have manifested in the century and a half since the story's release. Why it shouldn't be any surprise whatsoever that Mr Hyde has become such an integral part of pop culture, in it's heroes and monsters alike. Why we can never escape Mr Hyde, just as Jekyll never could.

It is Nixon himself who represents that dark, venal and incurably violent side of the American character that almost every country in the world has learned to fear and despise. Our Barbie-doll president, with his Barbie-doll wife and his boxful of Barbie-doll children is also America's answer to the monstrous Mr. Hyde.

He speaks for the Werewolf in us; the bully, the predatory shyster who turns into something unspeakable, full of claws and bleeding string-warts on nights when the moon comes too close… - Hunter S. Thompson

There is a scene in the movie Pulp Fiction that explains almost every terrible thing happening in the news today. And it's not the scene where Ving Rhames shoots that guy's dick off. It's the part where the hit man played by John Travolta is talking about how somebody vandalized his car, and says this:

"Boy, I wish I could've caught him doing it. I'd have given anything to catch that asshole doing it. It'd been worth him doing it, just so I could've caught him doing it."

That last sentence is something everyone should understand about mankind. After all, the statement is completely illogical -- revenge is supposed to be about righting a wrong. But he wants to be wronged, specifically so he'll have an excuse to get revenge. We all do.

Why else would we love a good revenge movie? We sit in a theater and watch Liam Neeson's daughter get kidnapped. We're not sad about it, because we know he's a badass and he finally has permission to be awesome. Not a single person in that theater was rooting for it to all be an innocent misunderstanding. We wanted Liam to be wronged, because we wanted to see him kick ass. It's why so many people walk around with vigilante fantasies in their heads.

Long, long ago, the people in charge figured out that the easiest and most reliable way to bind a society together was by controlling and channeling our hate addiction. That's the reason why seeing hurricane wreckage on the news makes us mumble "That's sad" and maybe donate a few bucks to the Red Cross hurricane fund, while 9/11 sends us into a decade-long trillion-dollar rage that leaves the Middle East in flames.

The former was caused by wind; the latter was caused by monsters. The former makes us kind of bummed out; the latter gets us high.

It's easy to blame the news media for pumping us full of stories of mass shootings and kidnapped children, but that's stopping one step short of the answer: The media just gives us what we want. And what we want is to think we're beset on all sides by monsters.

The really popular stories will always feature monsters that are as different from us as possible. Think about Star Wars -- what real shithead has ever referred to himself as being on "the dark side"? In Harry Potter and countless fantasy universes, you have wizards working in "black magic" and the "dark arts." Can you imagine a scientist developing some technology for chemical weapons or invasive advertising openly thinking of what he does as "dark science"? Can you imagine a real world leader naming his headquarters "The Death Star" or "Mount Doom"?

Of course not. But we need to believe that evil people know they're evil, or else that would open the door to the fact that we might be evil without knowing it. I mean, sure, maybe we've bought chocolate that was made using child slaves or driven cars that poisoned the air, but we didn't do it to be evil -- we were simply doing whatever we felt like and ignoring the consequences. Not like Hitler and the bankers who ruined the economy and those people who burned the kittens -- they wake up every day intentionally dreaming up new evils to create. It's not like Hitler actually thought he was saving the world.

So no matter how many times you vote to cut food stamps and then use the money to buy a boat, you could still be way worse. You could, after all, be one of those murdering / lazy / ignorant / greedy / oppressive monsters that you know the world is full of, and that only your awesome moral code prevents you from turning into at any moment. And those monsters are out there.

They have to be. Because otherwise, we're the monsters - 5 Reasons Humanity Desperately Wants Monsters To Be Real, by Jason Pargin

(Two-Face sequence comes from the end of Batman Annual #14: Eye of the Beholder)

For good or bad, Hyde has become omnipresent. He's a part of our superheroes, he's a part of our supervillains, he's in our monsters. He lives and prattles in our ears, sometimes we need him to survive, and sometimes we become Hyde even when we don't need to, because our survival instincts or base cruelties or desperation brings out the worst in us. Sometimes we can beat him, and sometimes he's not that bad. Sometimes we do need to appease him and listen to what he says, about us and the world around us. And sometimes we need to do so specifically to prove him wrong and beat him again.

But he never, ever goes away, as he so accurately declares in the musical

Do you really think That I would ever let you go...

Do you think I'd ever set you free?

If you do, I'm sad to say It simply isn't so

You will never get away FROM MEEEEEE

(Art by Akreon on Artstation)

#tw: injury #tw: blood #tw: disfigurement #replies tag #dr jekyll and mr hyde #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #robert louis stevenson #two-face #batman #monster tag #universal monsters #horror tag

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torterrachampion · 3 years

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Ooh, Ive considered getting into WHA! What would you consider its charm points, if you were to try getting someone into it?

Okay, first and foremost the art is stunning! I'm not the most artistically literate and I also wouldn't consider myself particularly picky when it comes to manga art but I do generally know when something is high quality. I think the characters are really expressive and overall the art is just very charming. Here are some panels I like from volume 1 that I don't think spoil anything because I think showing it will be more convincing than me clumsily trying to describe it:

This may be a personal thing but to an extent it reminds me of the kinds of fantasy works I read as a kid and it evokes a certain kind of nostalgia for me. Personality-wise I wouldn't be all that similar to the main character Coco but I do see a younger version of myself in her. She's very wide-eyed and excited about the magic in her world in a way that's very innocent and relatable. WHA is very good at depicting the appeal of magic and how children tend to be drawn to it.

Following on from that point I really appreciate how the young characters are handled. They feel like children but they're also treated as smart and capable. They certainly have a lot to learn and they are immature but they do have important things to contribute when the need arises. Because they are realistically depicted as children though I also appreciate that adults step in when necessary because they just aren't equipped to handle everything the world throws at them yet.

The world-building is also something I find to be a strength of the story. There's a lot of tiny details about how magic is used and incorporated into daily life that I find delightful. It's also really fun to see the world open up bit by bit as Coco learns more about it and we get more information on the past and the present. I'd also consider the environmental storytelling really exceptional, the environments the characters inhabit feel very lived in and say things about the individuals who work/live there.

The plot itself is quite fun with Coco becoming a witch in order to fix a spell that she accidentally cast and went wrong. It isn't as action packed as a lot of manga I personally have read (admittedly I'm a bit of a shounen meathead) but I don't think it's detrimental to the story. There's still high enough stakes to get invested in all the conflicts that do arise and there's plenty of charm even in the quieter moments. The darkness of the world is always lurking in the background so even when it isn't at the forefront you're very aware that bad things™ could be around the corner. WHA draws you in with its world and the many mysteries surrounding it so any opportunity to learn about it tends to feel worthwhile. There's a lot of intrigue surrounding the antagonists and the more knowledgeable characters that made it very addictive for me to read.

All of the characters, even and especially the children, have very well defined backstories and motivations. This makes it really rewarding to peel back the layers behind them and come to understand them as the story progresses. And WHA hasn't shown its full hand just yet so there's still plenty more to learn and unpack! Personally I find myself particularly drawn to Qifrey, Coco and Agott but all the characters have their own unique aspects that make them interesting.

The final thing that I don't think I could get away without mentioning is the mascot character, brushbug. I mean just look at it! It's so cute!

#not sure I'm good at explaining things but please give it a shot if you feel like it #if your taste is at all similar to mine I'm sure you'll find something you like in it

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dingoes8myrp · 3 years

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An Examination of Joss Whedon

On February 11th, Charisma Carpenter made a post on her Instagram account detailing mistreatment she experienced on the sets of Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Carpenter worked on both shows from 1996 to 2004 and attributes this mistreatment to show creator Joss Whedon.

On the same day, I made a post on my Tumblr and my WordPress accounts regarding my stance on this topic. I felt it was important for me to post something quickly due to the large number of Buffyverse followers and mutuals on my Tumblr.

I was overwhelmed by the likes, reblogs, and comments this post received in less than twenty-four hours. I’m so glad so many people support Charisma Carpenter and others who are speaking out about their experiences.

Workplace mistreatment is insidious, and too often the systems in place to mediate these situations are designed to protect the employer rather than the person experiencing mistreatment. This happens everywhere in every industry. When people in the public eye draw attention to these issues it helps bring awareness to everyone and encourages societal change.

In today’s climate, social media moves faster than legal or internal HR systems. This means, more often than not, accusations spread, opinions form, and action is taken long before any investigation can occur. Because of this, it’s important for people to seek out the facts themselves in order to stay informed or make decisions about who in fandom they choose to support or not.

I’m going to go through various tid-bits I’ve seen over the past twenty-five years regarding Joss Whedon’s behavior, which prompted my quick response to Charisma Carpenter’s post. I feel it’s important to share this with those who may be new to the fandom, or those who doubt Charisma Carpenter’s claims and those of others.

The Bronze

Before there was Twitter, there was The Bronze.

The Bronze was the official online gathering place of Buffyverse fans. Joss Whedon and others involved with the shows occasionally popped in and posted, interacting with the fans. There was speculation about the trajectory of the show, discussion about lore, fan theories, and behind the scenes rumors.

I didn’t learn about these forums until I was in high school (from 2002 to 2006) and I never posted. I just read up on the fun factoids I could find. I wasn’t a heavy Internet user back then. We had one computer in my house and it was shared with my parents. I was only allowed on for so much time per day, yada yada.

I think Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of the first shows – if not the first – to utilize this kind of creator/fan interaction. It wasn’t a regular thing back then.

The vibe of these forums was very laidback. When someone directly involved with Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel posted (known as a V.I.P.) it was with a very casual, unmoderated tone. There was no screenshotting every word to be saved for later. Someone from the media couldn’t grab a comment made and spread it across the Internet in real time. There were mailing lists – collections of email addresses for people who wanted updates on show spoilers or particular non-show activities of various actors. Fan letters were still a thing – actual snail mail letters you could send to actors and writers of the shows. Things moved slowly, and there wasn’t as much transparency as there is on the Internet today with sites like Instagram and Twitter.

In a series of posts made on November 6th, 2001, Joss Whedon reacted to the airing of the musical episode, “Once More with Feeling.” He called it “the biggest undertaking of my life,” but expressed his appreciation toward the UPN network, the cast, and crew – particularly Anthony Head, Amber Benson, and James Marsters. He calls Anthony Head “the golden throat” and writes of James Marsters, “And James, who always tells me to do everything I dream of, then brings that intense voice and those cheekbones along for the ride.”

All he writes about Amber Benson is, “Amber… just, you know… Amber….”

Alarmingly absent from his praise is star Sarah Michelle Gellar, who “went back and forth” over whether or not to sing in the episode. “I’m not a singer,” she told EW. She didn’t feel prepared enough and “didn’t feel confident.” As someone who broke out of her comfort zone and pulled off a wonderful leading performance, Gellar was certainly deserving of some acknowledgment.

Seemingly realizing he neglected to mention Marti Noxon, Whedon tacked on, “Do you know anyone that hot who can run a show? Do you? I don’t think so. What a voice.” At the time, alongside comments about James Marsters’ cheekbones and being “a little gay” for Anthony Head, this seemed to be an attempt at an edgy complement (though a little cringey). Marti Noxon was a new showrunner for Buffy, taking over for Joss. Referring to her as hot rather than praising her work is a little demeaning, in my opinion, particularly when it was up to him to make sure she was respected and taken seriously in filling his shoes.

On May 22nd, 2002, Whedon posted about “the gay thing” – probably not for the first time. Regarding some fan reactions to the death of Tara Maclay, Joss wrote, “I knew some people would be angry with me for destroying the only gay couple on the show, but the idea that I COULDN’T kill Tara because she was gay is as offensive to me as the idea that I DID kill her because she was gay. Willow’s story was not about being gay. It was about weakness, addiction, loss… the way life hits you in the gut right when you think you’re back on your feet.”

Keep in mind, at the time, Willow was one of the first gay main characters – if not THE first – on a major primetime show in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Having a gay couple on a major show like this was not a regular thing, which made the shocking death of Tara and the dark turn of Willow particularly hard-hitting. While Whedon isn’t saying anything particularly inflammatory here, it does show a sort of crass attitude toward the removal of this representation from the show, which had become so important to so many fans – and still is now.

There’s not a lot of meaty information to be found that I could dig up, but I wanted to give people an idea of this landscape back in the day. I picked out those particular Joss Whedon posts because they show a very casual disregard for the women involved in the shows – an insidious and subtle thing, but it’s there.

Fighting with Buffy

Jeff Pruitt was a stunt coordinator on Buffy the Vampire Slayer from 1997 to 2000. He also happened to be romantically involved with Sarah Michelle Gellar’s stunt double, Sophia Crawford. Both would exit the show by its fifth season. According to Pruitt, it was not an amicable exit.

Pruitt claims he and Crawford were treated badly on the set, that Crawford was “one never ending injury” and she had “reached the end of her rope.” He said that they were threatened and blackballed when they made attempts to leave before the 100th episode. They got an opportunity to work on Dark Angel, but the people at Dark Angel supposedly received a phone call from “someone high up at their studio” and were told not to hire Pruitt and Crawford. He suspects this was to keep Sophia Crawford from leaving Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Their firing was unceremonious, according to Pruitt. “Sophia was told point blank that she was being fired because she knew too much about things,” he claimed. He said Joss Whedon and Jane Espenson threatened Crawford, saying if she spoke about what happened on set she’d “never work in this town again.”

Jeff Pruitt spoke about “sneaky politics” behind the scenes, saying “there was something weird going on” in the months leading up to his and Crawford’s exit. Pruitt claims Sarah Michelle Gellar was a “spoiled starlett” and that she was “out to get” him and Crawford. He attributes statements he made in private emails that were later read by Joss Whedon to his firing.

It’s worth noting that many people have stated that Sarah Michelle Gellar is undeserving of a “diva” label. When asked in 2004 what it was like working with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Julie Benz said, “She’s extremely talented and generous. Her reputation is just completely untrue. Unfortunately in Hollywood if you’re young and female and you have an opinion you get labeled a diva or something…else. Sarah’s an amazing talent, but she got labeled.”

In a 2013 interview on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Alyson Hannigan answered a series of rapid-fire questions about Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When asked who was the most “annoyed” by the end of the show, she said, “Sarah,” referring to Sarah Michelle Gellar. When the audience booed, Hannigan clarified, “Well, she had a big career going, and it was a lot of work.” When asked when Gellar started to “hate” the show, Hannigan quickly said season three. In a later interview for Huffpost Live, Hannigan clarified her comments further. “[Sarah Michelle Gellar] worked her butt off,” she stated. “She worked eighteen-hour days for years.” Hannigan said she wouldn’t have classified Gellar as “annoyed,” saying, “she was super professional.”

Honestly, I’m Team Sarah on this one. I couldn’t find corroborating sources for Jeff Pruitt’s claims of her “diva” behavior, but I found several sources stating otherwise. Gellar did confirm during a cast reunion that she may have oversold her stunt experience, which ultimately would have meant more work for her stunt double and the stunt coordinator. It seems to me like this set everything on a bad foot with that team. But, the reasons Jeff Pruitt and Sophia Crawford gave for their exit had little-to-nothing to do with Gellar.

Vincent Kartheiser

Vincent Kartheiser played Connor on Angel, and he did a number of interviews talking about his experience on the show. I picked his interviews because I’ve always found him to be very candid and he doesn’t seem to shy away from uncomfortable answers to questions. A few of his answers provide a little insight into the mood on the set at times, and Charisma Carpenter’s attitude.

When Charisma Carpenter was pregnant on the show, she had a storyline that heavily involved Connor, so the two spent a lot of time working together on set. He was asked about her pregnancy and how it affected filming. In a 2003 interview for BBC Cult, Kartheiser said of Carpenter, “she was a great sport and would suck up the pain even though you could see that she was in it.”

In another interview for Angel Magazine from the same year, he said Carpenter had “an abundance of energy for a working, pregnant lady who, right in the heart of her pregnancy, they put her in so much.”

It’s worth noting Vincent Kartheiser had his own issues with the show. “What really made me interested in Angel was the idea that as a show, it changed so much and all the characters could change so much,” he told Angel Magazine. “It wasn’t that clichéd kind of ‘show up, do your thing, go home’ all the time.” Unfortunately, the potential that interested him never came to fruition for his character. “As the season went on, we never really got to deal with the relationship problems between me and David,” Kartheiser said, referring to David Boreanaz as Angel. “I never really got the opportunity to bond with any other characters.” He expressed a feeling that there was nowhere for his character to go and that Connor’s motivations seemed to change from week to week. “There were parts of the season I didn’t have the opportunity to stretch,” he explained, “that it felt like I was doing the same scene over and over.”

Vincent Kartheiser did a later interview with Giantmag.com where he reiterated some of these frustrations. For him, the character of Connor started to get stale early on. “Every week I’d show up and have a scene with Cordelia,” he said, “then Angel would show up and I’d have some sort of conflict with him. There’d be a couple of fight scenes where I’d fight with them even though I didn’t want to and then I would sulk and leave. That to me was every episode.” He felt the writers had written Connor “into a corner” and that fans responded poorly to him.

When comparing his experience on Angel to his experience playing Pete Campbell on Mad Men, Kartheiser expressed a lackluster feeling on the set of Angel. “There was a real sense on Angel that people were just doing a job,” Kartheiser said of the set. “The grips, the DP, even the directors would kind of just show up, do their job and go home.” This atmosphere is a direct contrast to what had attracted Vincent Kartheiser to the show in the first place. “On Mad Men we also have Matthew Weiner on set all the time whereas Joss [Whedon] was hardly ever on Angel,” Kartheiser explained. “I think Joss was doing Firefly at that point and was in love with his next project. I had a friend who filmed a few episodes in the first season of Angel and said everyone was invested and there was crazy energy, so maybe I just came into it late.”

Kartheiser also delved deeper into his frustrations over the direction (or lack thereof) of his character. “I let them know right off the bat that some of the choices they were making [about Conner] were wrong,” he said. “I showed up to play that character and I had a lot of ideas. And they didn’t like any of those ideas.” As a result, Kartheiser said he got “jaded” and “angry” at the show. “I felt like it wasn’t a collaboration, that the people I was working with didn’t care to take risks.”

In hindsight, he went on to say, “I was never a fan of Buffy, I’ll say it straight out. I was never a fan of Angel. I always found it hard to say Joss’ words.”

From all these comments, both from the beginning of Vincent Kartheiser’s journey as Connor, and from a few years after the show ended, it seems like he was excited for the opportunity, but ultimately disappointed with the overall experience. He also revealed how uncomfortable Charisma Carpenter had to be during filming while she was pregnant, but noted her energy and attitude were never a problem.

Farewell Cordelia

Prior to Charisma Carpenter’s official exit from Angel, her character arc had taken a very strange turn and Cordelia had been ominously left in a coma. Concern grew when Charisma Carpenter was not included in the cast of season 5. In a 2003 interview with TV Guide Online, Joss Whedon stated, “The Angel/Cordelia [love story] had gone pretty much as far as we wanted to take it” and that it wasn’t popular with the fans. “It just seemed like a good time for certain people to move on,” he continued. “Not completely, obviously. I’m hoping that we’ll get Charisma to do some episodes as Cordelia sometime during the year.”

TV Guide asked, “Isn’t that a disservice to fans who invested all those years in the character and her redemption? It seems an odd thing to do to the show’s leading lady.” Whedon responded, “That’s a fluctuating concept, the leading lady thing. And it is a little odd. Some choices are ultimately kind of controversial about who stays and who goes and who we focus on. But obviously, we had to have her out of a bunch of episodes toward the end of the year because she was having a baby… so what we had [leading] up to it wasn’t a dynamic I wanted to play out that much.” When asked if things were left on good terms with Charisma Carpenter, Joss Whedon stated he wouldn’t discuss that in an interview.

From Charisma Carpenter’s perspective, she was uncomfortable with Cordelia’s storyline prior to her coma and her death. “It was creepy,” she said of Cordelia’s relationship with Connor. “Connor was Angel’s son and half my age.” Carpenter stated it was important for her to return to wrap up the character’s storyline. “We didn’t want to just leave Cordelia in a coma,” she stated. “Whatever happens after this, I’m open. But it’s just best this story be [resolved] now. Otherwise, it’s a disservice to the fans of our show.” When pressed regarding whether or not she’d return to the show, Carpenter replied, “I don’t think it’ll be necessary. You never say never. However, at this point in time, I don’t see a future for her.” She continued with, “I feel like Joss feels – the Cordelia stories have been told. There were no other directions to go with her.”

Carpenter’s final appearance as Cordelia was an emotional experience. “We’ve been crying for the last two days,” she said in a behind-the-scenes interview. “I’m so physically drained.” She wasn’t the only one affected, either. “The director was crying, the crew was crying, we were crying,” she said. She called it a sad goodbye personally, professionally, and story-wise.

Working with Joss Whedon

Over the years, Joss Whedon gained a reputation for being unconventional to work with. Many actors from the Buffyverse have said they were unhappy with their characters’ creative paths. Sarah Michelle Gellar felt season six “betrayed” who Buffy was, saying she had to be “talked off a ledge” a number of times during filming.

Nicholas Brendon felt the character of Xander was “underrated,” particularly during season seven. “Joss did have a talk with Sarah and I because he was kind of contemplating the idea of Xander and Buffy ending up together at the end of season seven,” Brendon told AV Club. “We were both for it, but then that never came to fruition and I lost my eye.”

On an episode of Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, James Marsters said he was “terrified” of Joss Whedon. “I wasn’t designed to be a romantic character,” he explained. “The audience reacted that way to it. And I remember [Joss Whedon] backed me up against a wall one day, and he was just like, ‘I don’t care how popular you are, kid. You’re dead! You hear me? You’re dead! Dead!” Rosenbaum asked, “Was he kidding around?” and Marsters replied, “No. Hell, no.” Marsters also said he had “open wounds” on his scalp from over-using bleach on his roots every eight days to keep the roots from growing out.

Multiple actors from Angel have talked about Whedon’s habit of making actors squirm. David Boreanaz spoke about how he learned about the Angel spinoff during a twentieth anniversary cast reunion. “I got a phone call that Joss wanted to talk to me,” Boreanaz recalled. “The only thing he said was, ‘I want you to come into my office tomorrow,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m fired.’” He described having a night of “angst” and spent the following day working on some flashback scenes. When he finally met with Whedon at lunch it took some time for Whedon to tell him his character was getting a spin-off. Alexis Denisof expressed a similar knee-jerk feeling of “uh-oh,” but had an idea the spin-off was filming. However, Amy Acker had a similar story to what Boreanaz experienced when she was told about her character Fred’s transformation into Illyria. “It seems to be an echo of, like, ‘Hey, can you meet me for coffee tomorrow?’ and I’m like, ‘Ohh, they’re firing me!’ And we sat down to coffee and he said, ‘I just wanted you to know I’m killing Fred.’ And he waited, like, really a long time.” Charisma Carpenter chimed in, “He likes to do that!” Acker was then informed she would still be on the show as Illyria.

Charisma Carpenter and Marti Noxon have shared their own stories about Joss’s “You’re fired, just kidding” stories. Seth Green quipped “He did that to me too, but it took.”

Whedon’s View of Women

While Joss Whedon considers his writing to be feminist, his portrayal of women as well as other statements he’s made contradict this. In 2013, he gave a speech for Equality Now about his dislike of the word “feminist.” While this speech earned him some acclaim, it also earned him some backlash from the feminist community. This was mainly because he claimed it’s natural for people to be equal, and to add “-ist” to the end of the word “feminist” implies that people’s natural state is to be unequal. This stance was seen as disrespectful to Feminism as a movement, for some.

Joss Whedon received wide criticism for his portrayal of women in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. One critic, Scott Mendelson, talked about Whedon’s portrayal of Scarlet Witch and Black Widow in Avengers: Age of Ultron. “Scarlet Witch eventually has to be coaxed into bravery by one of the male heroes,” Mendelson writes of Elizabeth’s Olson’s character. Mendelson was even less thrilled with Scarlet Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff. “Maybe I shouldn’t be annoyed that the only major female character’s primary arc is a theoretically unrequited pining for a nice guy with major anger issues,” he writes, “or that said character briefly gets captured by the villain in the second act and tossed in a cage for no reason other than to be rescued by her male compatriots.” Backlash over this film caused Whedon to quit Twitter. In an article for Gizmodo, writers Meredith Woerner and Katharine Trendacosta point out that Joss Whedon teased a “killer” backstory for Natasha Romanoff. “Instead of an assassin constantly struggling with finding moral lines she didn’t know existed, we got a woman who feels incomplete because she cannot have babies,” Woerner and Trendacosta concluded.

In 2017, Whedon’s ex-wife Kai Cole wrote a blog for The Wrap stating, “he used his relationship with me as a shield, both during and after our marriage, so no one would question his relationships with other women or scrutinize his writing as anything other than feminist.”

Cole alleges Whedon wrote her a letter in which he said, “When I was running ‘Buffy,’ I was surrounded by beautiful, needy, aggressive young women… As a guilty man I knew the only way to hide was to act as though I were righteous… In many ways I was the HEIGHT of normal, in this culture. We’re taught to be providers and companions and at the same time, to conquer and acquire — specifically sexually — and I was pulling off both!” At the end of her essay, Cole wrote, “I want the people who worship him to know he is human, and the organizations giving him awards for his feminist work, to think twice in the future about honoring a man who does not practice what he preaches.”

In response to Kai Cole’s letter, Laura M. Browning wrote in an AV Club article, “I was sad, but not shocked—maybe a little embarrassed I hadn’t looked more closely at some very clear problems in his work… His work has plenty of male gaze and women in refrigerators and some narratively pointless rape scenes—it’s all right there, in hundreds of hours of television and film—but boy, it sure is a lot more comfortable to listen to a guy tell you he’s a feminist than listen to a lot of women telling you he’s not.”

Whedon’s veneer of feminism has been cracking for several years.

Recent Allegations

Actor Ray Fisher claimed Joss Whedon behaved inappropriately on the set of Justice League, tweeting, “Joss Wheadon’s on-set treatment of the cast and crew of Justice League was gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable.” Fisher also accused Geoff Johns and Jon Berg of enabling Whedon’s behavior. An investigation was done by Warner Brothers and co-stars Jason Mamoa and Kiersey Clemons publicly supported Fisher. Ultimately, the investigation concluded and “remedial action” was taken. The action taken has not been specified.

Shortly after, Joss Whedon exited the HBO series The Nevers, which Fisher attributes to his own claims.

Team Charisma

Those who have shown support to Charisma Carpenter include: Sarah Michelle Gellar Ray Fisher J. August Richards Michelle Trachtenberg Amber Benson Eliza Dushku Jose Molina Marti Noxon Emma Caulfield James Marsters Anthony Head Clare Kramer James C. Leary Sophia Crawford David Boreanaz Amy Acker Julie Benz Danny Strong Adam Busch Tom Lenk Nicholas Brendon Jeff Mariotte

Others who have written about Joss Whedon or come out to support those coming forward:

Courtney Enlow Nell Scovell Glen Mazzara

My Conclusion

As I stated in my previous post on this topic, I stand with Team Charisma. It is not okay for a person in a position of power over others in the workplace to misuse that power in an inappropriate or abusive manner. No matter how talented that person may be and how beloved the work may be.

#buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #angel the series #joss whedon #charisma carpenter

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grigori77 · 4 years

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2019 In TV - My Top 10 Shows

This past year may have sucked balls in a lot of ways, but we certainly never got short-changed when it came to our TV. There was an absolute WEALTH of truly cracking TV around, both on regular networks and on the various on-demand platforms, and so here is my pick of the best, my absolute favourites of 2019.

10. WATCHMEN

Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof brings us a blinding sequel to comic book legend Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel with a delightfully trippy, ruthlessly efficient rug-puller that seems pretty tailor-made for HBO. Old faces return in interesting ways, while there are some cracking new “masks” on offer, particularly Regina King’s Sister Night and the always-brilliant Tim Blake Nelson as morally complex antihero Looking Glass (in some ways very much the show’s own answer to Rorschach). It never goes where you expect it to go, and refuses to give easy answers to the questions it raises, effortlessly paving the way for more next year ...

9. THE BOYS

Amazon offers up its own edgy, thoroughly adult superhero property with this darkly funny antiheroic gem based on the cult Garth Ennis comic, expertly adapted by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. Karl Urban dominates as Billy Butcher, the foul-mouthed, morally bankrupt “leader” of a makeshift crew of mercenaries, hitmen and psycho killers devoted to “taking care of” superheroes when they inevitably go bad. Season 1 ultimately serves as an origin story, showing how the team come together, laying quality groundwork for the incoming sophomore tour that promises to open the already fascinating world out significantly.

8. PREACHER (SEASON 4)

More Garth Ennis, namely this blinder of a closing season for AMC’s consistently impressive adaptation of his best known series for Vertigo comics. Surprisingly epic, deliciously subversive and constantly, darkly hilarious, this thoroughly non-PC series from showrunners Sam Catlin, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (yes! I Know!) certainly went out on a high note, providing its loyal followers with perfectly-pitched bow-outs and sometimes heartbreaking goodbyes for all its players, especially its dynamite leads, Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga and, in particular, Joe Gilgun as unapologetic bad boy vampire Cassidy. A worthy end to one of my all-time favourite TV shows.

7. THE WITCHER

While it’s clearly taken its look from the wildly successful video games, Netflix’s second most ambitious long-form offering of the year takes its lead from the fantasy book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski that started it all. With its somewhat episodic set-up and decidedly twisted narrative timelines, it take a few chapters to get the hang of it, but there’s plenty to draw you in, from the exotic world-building to the frenetic action and compelling collection of richly crafted characters. Henry Cavill is the titular hero, lovably grouchy mutant monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia, but the real scene-stealer is co-star Anya Chalotra as roguishly self-serving mage Yennefer of Vengenberg.

6. CARNIVAL ROW

One of the year’s two big sleeper hit TV surprises for me was this inventively offbeat allegorical Amazon fantasy series from The 4400 creator René Echevarria and screenwriter Travis Beacham. Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevigne are the star-crossed lovers at the heart of this intriguingly dark and dirty murder mystery thriller set in Victorian London-esque city-state the Burgue, in which humans struggle to co-exist alongside a struggling disenfranchised underclass of fae (fairies, fawns, centaurs and the like). The racial turmoil undertones are writ large throughout, but this is far more well-written and lavishly appointed than you might expect on first glance, and almost ridiculously addictive viewing.

5. LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS

My other big TV surprise was this wonderfully bizarre sci-fi anthology series of animated shorts from Netflix, mostly adapted from an eclectic selection of short stories from a wide range of top-notch literary talent including Peter F. Hamilton, John Scalzi, Marko Kloos and Alastair Reynolds (a particular favourite of mine). As you’d expect from the brainchild of Deadpool director Tim Miller and producer David Fincher, this is edgy, leftfield stuff, frequently ultra-violent and decidedly adult, and the wildly varied nature of the material on offer makes for a decidedly uneven tone, but there are some absolute gems on offer here, my favourite being Suits, an enjoyably simple tale of salt-of-the-earth farmers on an alien world utilising clunky mech suits to protect their settlement from rampaging giant xeno-bugs.

4. THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE

The show with the biggest cinematic wow factor in 2019 had to be this long-awaited prequel series to Jim Henson’s classic fantasy movie masterpiece, created for Netflix by, of all people, Louis Leterrier (yes, the director of The Transporter, Now You See Me and Clash of the Titans, if you can believe it). The technology may have evolved in leaps and bounds, but there’s a wonderfully old school vibe in the delightfully physical puppet effects used to bring the fantastical world of Thra and its denizens to life, so that it truly does feel like it’s based in the same world as the film. This was EASILY the most visually arresting show of 2019, packed with exquisite character, creature and set design that perfectly complements the awesome work done by Henson and Brian Froud on the original, while the writers have created a darkly rich narrative tapestry that makes Thra seem a more dangerous place than ever.

3. THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY

I was a HUGE fan of My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way’s magnificently oddball alternative superhero comic, so when I learned that Netflix were adapting it I was a little wary because I knew how spectacularly hard it would be for ANY showrunners to get right. Thankfully Steve Blackman (Fargo season 2) and Jeremy Slater (The Exorcist TV series) were the right choice, because this perfectly captured the outsider nature of the characters and their endearingly dysfunctional family dynamic. Ellen Page, Tom Hopper (Black Sails, Merlin), David Castañeda and Emmy Raver-Lampman are all excellent as the more “functional” Hargreeves siblings, but the show is roundly stolen by Misfits star Robert Sheehan and Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn’s Aidan Gallagher as nihilistic clairvoyant Klaus and the old-man-in-a-child’s-body sociopath known only as Number Five. Consistently surprising and brilliantly bonkers, this was definitely the year’s most wonderfully WEIRD show.

2. STRANGER THINGS (SEASON 3)

Writer-director duo the Duffer Brothers’ ultra-nostalgic 80s-set coming-of-age sci-fi horror series remains the undisputed jewel in Netflix’s long-form crown with this consistently top-drawer third season expertly maintaining the blockbuster-level standards we’ve come to expect. This year the cross-dimensional shenanigans have largely been jettisoned, replaced by a gleefully nasty through-line of icky body horror that would make major influences like David Cronenberg and Stuart Gordon proud, as perennial teenage bad boy Billy Hargrove (the fantastically menacing Dacre Montgomery) becomes the leader of an army of psychic slaves under the control of the Upside Down’s monstrous Mind Flayer. The kids are all brilliant as always, Winona Ryder and David Harbour really get to build on their strong-yet-spiky chemistry, and the show is almost effortlessly stolen by Joe Keery as one-time golden boy Steve Harrington and series-newcomer Maya Hawke as his nerdy new foil Robin Buckley, who were very nearly the cutest couple on TV in 2019. Another gold standard season for a true gold standard show.

1. GOOD OMENS

Sadly, legendary author Terry Pratchett died before he could see the adaptation of one of his most beloved novels (and one of my all-time literary favourites too) see the light of day, but at least his co-author Neil Gaiman was around to bring it to fruition with the aid of seasoned TV director David Mckinnon (Jekyll, Doctor Who, Sherlock), and the end result sure did him proud, perfectly capturing the deeply satirical voice and winningly anarchic, gleefully offbeat and gently subversive humour of the original novel. David Tennant and Michael Sheen could both have been born to play Crowley and Aziraphale, the angel and demon nominally charged with watching over the young Antichrist in preparation for his role in the End Times, even though they would both much rather the world just went on quite happily the way it is, thanks very much. This is about as perfect an adaptation as you can get, the six hour-long episodes giving the surprisingly complex story time to breathe and grow organically, and the result is the most fun I spent in front of my TV this year.

#best TV 2019 #watchmen #the boys #preacher #the witcher #carnival row #love death + robots #love death & robots #the dark crystal age of resistance #The Umbrella Academy #stranger things 3 #good omens

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weaponsofclairvoyance · 4 years

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ok like. if i may ask since i believe you have good takes on things. what in the hell is going on with beastars. i read all of it like a few months ago and i was consistently baffled by like the political implications of everything. i couldnt tell what the intentions were or what was allegorical or whatever. its ok if u dont really like have an answer to this like if u just read it for the characters and stuff but im just curious as to if u have a take on it

well i think the thing that makes beastars unique among “Animals Are People” universes is that not EVERYTHING is a metaphor. allegories can carry some heavy weight in stories, but people are not animals and insisting that every animal thing has a human parallel can easily become all kinds of problematic. paru itagaki is wise because she didn’t try to do that. she had specific things she wanted to make allegorical but she also just genuinely loves drawing animals and loves animal behaviors! if she wanted to write about humans she would have done that

for instance, many aspects of interspecies relationships are obviously supposed to be allegorical for interracial couples. i.e. not being able to legally marry (in certain circumstances), being discriminated against by friends, family, and society as a whole, the way leano and melon were treated growing up, the way gosha lost his best friend for marrying a wolf. but other parts - like melon’s instincts and sense of taste - that’s just weird fantasy animal stuff and trying to make it fit into a metaphor will just make your head hurt.

i also think the devouring is kind of an ever-changing metaphor, which is why it can be so confusing. when applied to legosi and haru, it could be a “men are violent towards women” thing, when applied to the black market it’s probably a drug addiction thing, and when applied to legosi and louis...fuck if i know. they’re literally just gay

louis’s initial anger at legosi for shunning his privilege as a large carnivore is an example of something that CAN be directly translated to human terms. louis has had to fight his entire life to be respected, and the fact that even carnivores look up to him is an accomplishment most herbivores will never experience. but legosi literally just exists as a wolf - a shy antisocial one, too! -and everyone respects him immediately. but instead of using his privilege for good, he just wishes he was never born. of course louis is upset with him

the scene with sebun and legosi in the shoe store is a PERFECT example of this - she’s more than 10 years older than him, college educated, AND actually knows these guys; meanwhile legosi is a poor teenage high school dropout and who do the carnivores listen to? him.

gosha complicates things. he is a carnivore, but because he is a poisonous reptile, even other carnivores shun him. he is not allowed in restaurants without taking certain precautions, and being in public with his grandson is a hazard to them both because of how often he is verbally or violently attacked for no other reason than existing as a komodo dragon. the discrimination fits, but not everything does. there are probably arguments to be made about what poisonous reptiles represent but i’m not gonna get into that

but the stuff about haru’s intincts, and feeling calm when touching your own species, and canines chasing balls, and komodo poison being useless against family members, etc etc...that’s all just fantasy stuff. and that’s okay! and that’s good! trying to force metaphors onto shit like that is why so many other animals-as-people stories fail

so things like sebun's story and the descrimination against interspecies couples and the other examples i provided are very obvious allegories to racism and i think anyone who decides that paru didnt mean it that way is being wilfully ignorant. i also think that people who try to find meaning in the purely fantastical and/or literally animalistic traits that are completely unique to the beastars universe will just end up confused and probably won't enjoy the series very much. sometimes sloth tattoo artists accidentally kill people because they are so slow and thats just how it is

anyway! to answer your question yes beastars is a political series but it’s also literally just a silly manga about animals who eat each other because paru started writing it when she was in middle school and started publishing it when she was 22 and she thought it’d be cool. i like the writing but mostly i read it because it’s fucking insane and the art is great and the characters are cool

#Anonymous #beastars #IDK WHY THE READMORE HID THE ENTIRE REPONSE. sorry

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rosellaortiz · 3 years

Text

Full Name: Rosalynn Orm Tolkien (Riddle)

Nickname/Alias: Sweetie, Jellyfish, Jelly, Orm, Rosa, Tol, Kiki

Meaning: In German Baby Names the meaning of the name Rosalyn is: Compound of 'horse' and 'snake'.

Orm; Snake

Origin: German

Title: Miss, Lady.

Pet Name: Dove, Tater Tot, jelly bean

Signature: Rosalynn Orm Tolkien

Gender: Female

Gender Role: feminine

Orientation: Panromantic Asexual

Real Age: 13

Age Appearance: Younger

Birthday: October 31, 1995

Deathday:

Birthplace: Malfoy Manor

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Zodiac Sign: Pig

Hogwarts’s house; Slytherin

Patronus; Grizzly bear, snake.

Immediate Family: Foster mother; Johanna Tolkien

Distant Family: Malfoy Family

Parenting: Johanna was a little bit of a strict and fun-loving parent.

Upbringing: Treat people how you want to be treated.

Infancy: Dropped, only made to turn into a Horcrux.Besides that a very good baby.

Childhood: Member of the order found her alone in a house. Took her in. Great toddler. Johanna raises her and adores her

Adolescence: Will figure it out.

Adulthood: Will found out

Coming of Age: When the minster of magic had to explain who her birth parents are. Around 11, before starting Hogwarts.

Evolution: She was a very bubbly and happy girl before becoming paranoid and scared people will figure out who her birth parents are.

Species: Human

Ethnicity: British

Blood Type: Blood Rh-null

Preferred Hand: ambidextrous

Facial Type: Heart

Eye Color: Heterochromia iridium, Silver/white(Right), Blue/teal(left)

Hair Color; Black (poliosis(near the front of head))

Hairstyle: tight Curly

Skin Tone: Pale

Complexion: pale

Makeup: Some. Mostly eyeliner and eyeshadow. Chapstick.

Body Type: Hourglass

Build; chubby thigh,

Height: 4'11"(149.86cm)

Weight: 122 IB

Cup Size: 23 B

Shoe Size: 37 EU

Birthmarks/scars: Birthmark behind the ear. Childhood injuring scars.

Distinguishing Features: Long Eyelash and poliosis, heterochromia iridium.

Health: Good health(Seeker of Slytherin's quidditch team), has an undetermined sickness

Energy: Depends on the days.

Memory: Pretty good memory.

Senses: Needs glasses. Eyes are awful. Everything is good.

Allergies: None.

Handicaps: Glasses

Medication: None

Phobias:

Autophobia; fear of being alone

Claustrophobia; fear of confined, crowded space.

Aphenphosmphobia; fear of being touched.

Addictions: Coffee,

Mental Disorders: Depression, Anxiety.

Style: Casual

Mode of Dress:

Grooming: Well-kept

Posture: Good Posture.

Gait: Medium speed, hold up high.

Coordination: Fit enough, incredible flexible

Habits and Mannerisms: Tapping her nails against table or tights. Bits lip.

Scent: Strongly smells like lavender and honey.

Mood: Mostly a good mood.

Attitude: Friendly. Sometimes bitchy.

Stability: Not too bad.

Expressiveness: Hides emotion.

When Happy: Hums, sing draws

When Depressed: Write, listen to podcasts, cries to sleep. Writes to her mom.

When Angry: ignores everyone, Screams into the pillow

Current Residence: Hogwarts

Community: Purebloods

Family: Foster mother; Johanna Tolkien

Birthmother; Bellatrix Lestrange

Birthfather; Tom Riddle

sister; Delphni Riddle

cousin; Sadie Black

Pets/Familiars: Munchkin cat(black), Rottweiler.

Wardrobe:

https://www.pinterest.com/Pan_Rosella/rosalynns-outfittolkienhp/

Equipment: Wand

Accessories: Glasses, Serpent tempter pendant, silver intertwining snakes, serpent snake, elven ring fem leaf ring, ear piercing.

Trinkets: serpent tempter pendant.

Funds: wealthy.

Home:

Neighborhood: high and mighty.

Transportation: Horse and cart, flow fireplace, brooms

Collections: Rocks, crystal

Most valuable possession: serpent tempter pendant.

Prized Possession: elven ring fem leaf ring.

Lovers: doesn't have a crush at the moment.

Marital Status: Single

Sex Life: non-existent

Type: N/A

Position: Sub

Plays: Don't know yet.

Fetishes: None yet

Virginity; still one

Element: Water

Occupation: Three Broomsticks

Work Ethnic: Likes her jobs

Rank: Bar Maiden

Income: don't know

Wealth Status: Upper

Experience: Helped her mother in the cafe /bakery she owns in the muggle world and wizardry world.

Organizations/Affiliations: none

Education: Pretty good

School: Hogwarts

Grade: perfect marks

Special Education: almost a perfect

Social Stereotype: meh

Intelligence: Linguistic

Extracurricular Activities: Quidditch team, Duelling club.

Religion: Pagan

Morals: Everyone is a person no matter how small or big someone is.

Crime Record: No crime record. Does well with the ministry of magic.

Motivation: Family, friends, love

Priorities: First; family

Second; love

Third; friends

Philosophy: "Everyone is born a blank canvas, overtime we fill that canvas."

Etiquette: Great manners

Culture: Taking off shoes before entering a home, allowing the guest to eat first.

Traditions: Sits with family.

Superstitions: Four-leaf clover, Knocking on words. Don't open an umbrella inside.

Main Goal: Getting through school.

Minor Goals/Ambitions: making friends, win the quidditch game.

Career: Teacher at Hogwarts

Desires: people to just along

Wishlist: new broom

Accomplishments: yeah making it on the quidditch team as the seeker.

Greatest Achievement: Getting on the quidditch teams

Biggest Failure: not protecting her cousin.

Secrets: She has an older sister, tom riddle, and Bellatrix is her birth parent.

Worries: losing teddy or her mother, and her cousins.

Best Dream: becoming a caretaker of mythical creatures

Worst Nightmare: birth father coming back or her older sister breaking out of Azkaban

Hobbies/Interests: Hiking, camping, gobstones, watching(quidditch, wizard chess) Archery, running, geocaching, astronomy, gardening, drawing, flower, baking, bread making, quilting/crocheting/knitting, journaling, podcast hosting.

Skills/Talents: sing, drawing.

Likes: Plants, candles, coffee, sweets, audiobooks/podcast, potions, herbology, gardening, care of mythical creatures, storms, thunderstorms, drawing, bubble baths, Asian food.

Dislikes: unorganized, low hungry, her birth parents, people who compare her to her "parents" or sister, history of magic.

Sense of Humor: Dark, sarcastic

Pet Peeves: Slow walkers, noisy eater, Full mouth talker, couples who sit next to each other(instead of across from each other) in a booth, knows-it-all,

Quirks: Unique eye or hair, sleeps with a stuffed animal.

Strengths: Good listener, calm under pressure

Flaws: Blunt, callous, cursed, flirty, klutz, overambitious, paranoid, soft-hearted, jealous.

Perception: there is some much to help chang

Lures: kind people

Soft Spot: kids, muggle-borns.

Cruel Streak: family gets hurt

Powers/Abilities: controlling dark matter, snake talk

Origin: born with it.

Source: emotions

Ability: still don't know how to control it fully.

Weaknesses: family, friends, sketchbook/sketchpad

Immunities: can't feel the heat, pain

Restrictions: can feel pain if it is overbearing

Favorite Colors: Purple, teal, black.

Favorite Animals: wolf, sharks,

Favorite Mythological Creatures: Dragon, basilisk.

Favorite Places: Diagon Alley

Favorite Landmarks: Eiffel Tower,

Favorite Flavors: Strawberry, Blackberry.

Favorite Foods: Asain food,

Favorite Drinks: Cold ice tea/coffee.

Favorite Characters: Hagrid,

Favorite Genre: Horror, fantasy, D&D, thriller,

Favorite Books: "IT", "The Shining", "The Adventure Zone"

Favorite Sports: Quidditch

Favorite Stores: Wesley joke shop

Favorite Subjects: Flying class, potions,

Favorite Numbers: 25

Favorite Flower; Monk's Hood, Muscari, Lotus, Tea rose.

Languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Scotland.

Accent: British.

Voice: soft and confined

Speech Impediments: Smoothly,

Greetings and Farewells: Bonjour

State of Mind: Doing okay, paranoid.

Compliment: Je suis étourdi par votre beauté

(I am stunned by your beauty)

Insult: Tête de noeud

(Knothead)

Expletive: Casse-toi

(Fuckoff/bug off)

Laughter: Giggles mostly.

Reputation: Well behavior, great manners

Compliments: Great listener, pay attractions, sassy.

Insults: the good of nothing half-blood, daughter of killers

Self-Impression: Hates herself

MBTI Personality Type: ISTJ

Enneagram: Logistician

Ego/Superego/Id: society, and the idea of right and wrong.

Role: Leader

Symbol: Meadow of wildflower

#HarryPotter #HPoc #hp original character #tomriddle #bellatrix lestrange #malfoy

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yurimother · 5 years

Text

LGBTQ Light Novel Review - Last and First Idol

Warning: This work contains graphic descriptions of violence that are discussed in the review.

Before I began reading Last and First Idol, I had absolutely no idea what it was about or what sort of a story I would find within. I knew it had to be in some way yuri because J-Novel club sent it to me to review saying as much, but beyond that, I had no idea. I can definitively say that going into Last and First Idol blind was absolutely the wrong idea. While searching for cute and fun yuri stories, I naively wandered into graphic accounts of cannibalism, grotesque creatures, and a reckless abandon for human life. It seems almost impossible that the astonishing creations within the light novel all began with a Love Live fanfiction story. However, as jarring as my experience was, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the work. Last and First Idol is a collection of three hard science fiction yuri short stories by Gengen Kusano.

There are a few common elements present throughout each story. As previously stated, they are hard science fiction work, with particular attention and details placed in scientific logic and accuracy. Each story intersects the lofty science concepts presented with an aspect of anime/otaku culture, idols, gacha mobiles games, and seiyuu (in that order). Finally, each of the short stories features a protagonist that physically evolves and becomes stronger by killing and consuming, though not necessarily eating their own kind.

The title story, Last and First Idol, begins innocently enough, with Mika Furutsuki dreaming of becoming an idol. She practices regularly, joins an idol group in high school, and hires her dearest friend Maori Niizono as a producer. However, things take a dark turn when, during a downturn in her idol career, Mika kills herself. The Earth is struck with massive solar flares, rendering it almost uninhabitable and riddling the survivors with cancers. Niizono brutally murders scores of survivors to harvests their body parts and transforms her body into a powerful being. She then resurrects Mika, turning the idol into a horrific monster. The rest of the story follows Mika as she continually evolves and changes by assimilating her victims’ organs and bodies into her own to become the ultimate idol.

More than any other, this story is graphic and depraved. Several passages made me feel nauseated as Kusano holds little back in his descriptions of the atrocities Mika and Niizono commit. However, while undoubtedly disturbing, science and transformations Mika undergoes are fascinating and wonderfully described in detail. Kusano’s attention to detail benefits the work here, as readers will be engrossed in discovering how Mika adapts to overcome her next challenge.

The second story, Evolution Girls follows Youko Sasajima. She is a young woman addicted to the gacha mobile game, “Evo Gals.” Youko’s addiction quickly leads to her death. However, she awakens, reincarnated as a single-celled organism. In the world she finds herself in, “girls” pull gacha to acquire organelles and level up. Soon she evolves beyond microscopic life into prehistoric aquatic creatures and onwards, all by drawing gachas. To pull these gachas, Mika needs “points,” which she obtains by eating other girls. It is a fascinating and spectacular reimagining of life’s evolution, all from the perspective of a young woman.

Youko teams up some a few other girls to help create a feared hunter pack, however, they are never the apex. There is a constant sense of fear and apprehension as the reader is aware that the girls risk encountering a creature stronger than them and getting slaughtered at any moment. Youko grows incredibly attached to one of the women, Vayu, and vows to protect her. Her love for the girl acts as her driving motivation throughout the latter half of the story.

One of the most exciting aspects of Evolution Girls is its ending, which catapults the stories scope and scientific fantasy. There are discussions of parallel dimensions, the nature of souls, and a dastardly plot older than the universe. Many aspects of this ending echo Puella Magi Madoka Magica, a connection I was happy to discover Kusano himself acknowledged. There is a rewriting of the universe and its fundamental laws, a character living through multiple timelines, and it is all because of the way energy function in this universe. It is wonderfully vast and imaginative, but frustratingly convoluted; I had to read the final few pages of the story a half dozen times to comprehend it.

The final story in the light novel is Dark Seiyuu. In a futuristic society, seiyuu is no longer a term used to describe voice actors but a different race of humans. These seiyuu have laryngeal sacs, an organ which allows them to control aether, a medium of light and sound. By manipulating aether, the seiyuu can fire lasters, create sounds, manipulate gravity, and fly spaceships.

The story follows Akane, a seiyuu who, to grow her power, murders other seiyuu and transplants their laryngeal sacs onto herself. Since birth, she has heard strange whispers, a mysterious voice. One day while out on a date with her partner Sachii, Akane is attacked by the Dark Seiyuu, who encourages Akane to listen to the voices. Soon Akane and Sachii engage in desperate pursuit, chasing the Dark Seiyuu across the galaxy, hijacking ships, battling bounty hunters, and escaping the law on the way.

Dark Seiyuu is easily my favorite story in the light novel. Some scenes and descriptions in the story are breathtaking, like a beautiful and terrifying sequence when the Earth loses all gravity. It also features a clear goal which the characters are driving towards at all time. Unfortunately, the ending is more than a little disappointing. Just as the plot ends, the story opens up to what seems like a greater adventure. This conclusion feels like an epic introduction to a much longer work. However, it ends just as the call to action is answered. Dark Seiyuu is begging for a sequel that will likely never be.

While Dark Seiyuu carefully balance its plot and science Evolution Girls and Last and First Idol are far less successful. There are multiple sections in these stories where long descriptions of the mechanics and functions of various scientific processes feel out of place and ruin the stories’ otherwise fantastic pacing. Thankfully, these descriptions are incredibly well written and researched, but you will enjoy the story far more for science than the plot. However, the greatest failure of the stories is in addressing the complex philosophical questions they touch upon, such as survival and cannibalism. It is such a missed opportunity, especially because it is clear from that Kusano is capable of incorporating philosophy wonderfully.

The sacrifices to story in the name of science are nothing when compared to the characters. Most of them are cruel, taking glee in their murderous escapades. Furthermore, they have very little development. If you asked me to describe the personality of any characters in Last and First Idol, I would not be able to. The one exception is Youko from Evolution Girls. Her motivation is far more believable and understandable than Mika’s wish to become the ultimate idol in Last and First Idol and helps sell her occasionally questionable actions effectively. Youko is easily the most likable character in any of the stories. While she does kill, it is necessary for survival, and she does not take the same glee in it that characters in other stories do.

Each of the stories in Last and First Idol contains yuri elements (obviously, otherwise I would have no business reviewing it). In the titular story, these elements are present in Niizono’s dedication to Mika, but outside of the implication, no bond between the two is ever clearly stated. In Evolution Girls, the yuri elements are more explicit, with Youko being in love with Vayu. Additionally, two of the side characters being implied to be interested in each other. Finally, there is Dark Seiyuu, which features two women in a relationship. Regrettably, their relationship, at least on Akane’s side, is more for publicity than any actual romantic or physical attraction. However, there are moments when Akane displays genuine affection and care for Sachii, but these moments are inconsistent. On one page, Akane can be comforting her and on the next annoyed by the girl.

Last and First Idol is a haunting and brilliant work of science fiction. It masterfully integrates otaku culture with high and hard sci-fi concepts, and its fast-paced stories will keep readers on the edge of their seats. However, its storylines and characters suffer at the expense of the stories’ scientific aspects. Still, if you are looking for an extensive and profound science fiction work that pulls no punches, be sure to give Last and First Idol a read.

Ratings: Story – 8 Characters – 2 Art – N/A LGBTQ – 4 Lewd – 0 Final – 7

You can purchase ‘Last and First Idol’ digitally now: https://amzn.to/2MPc4oB

Review copy provided by J-Novel Club

#yuri #reviews #science fiction #sci-fi #last and first idol #evolution girls #dark seiyuu #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq+#queer #gay #future

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ofpagesandink · 4 years

Photo

Scavenge The Stars

By: Tara Sim

Released On: January 7th, 2020

My Rating: 4 ( ★ ★ ★ ★ )

Goodreads Rating: 3.74 ( ★ ★ ★ ★ )

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling

Series: Scavenge the Stars #1

Summary: When Amaya rescues a mysterious stranger from drowning, she fears her rash actions have earned her a longer sentence on the debtor ship where she’s been held captive for years. Instead, the man she saved offers her unimaginable riches and a new identity, setting Amaya on a perilous course through the coastal city-state of Moray, where old-world opulence and desperate gamblers collide. Amaya wants one thing: revenge against the man who ruined her family and stole the life she once had. But the more entangled she becomes in this game of deception—and as her path intertwines with the son of the man she’s plotting to bring down—the more she uncovers about the truth of her past. And the more she realizes she must trust no one… Packed with high-stakes adventure, romance, and dueling identities, this gender-swapped retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo is the first novel in an epic YA fantasy duology, perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Sabaa Tahir, and Leigh Bardugo. (Via Goodreads)

My Review: This story has a strong beginning. A girl trapped on a debtorship, terrified of her captain. The opportunity for revenge the only thing keeping her going after she escapes. She has such a strong personality from the beginning, I’m not sure she ever goes through character development, however, watching her go through her plan and the danger it places her and the other Water Bugs into, is fascinating.

Cayo’s history comes in handy when his family finds themselves broke, but it could mean giving himself up to the very family that led to his undoing. Honestly, between the two main characters, Cayo is more interesting. However, I do find myself wishing I was a little more like Amaya. She’s so brave, she’s nearly fearless. Nearly, as her fear and grief are the faults that leave her struggling throughout the story.

One thing I enjoy about this story is the presence of the LGBTQ+ community in such a way that it doesn’t draw too much attention to it. It isn’t like “Hey look! Here’s a bi guy! Look here’s a pan girl! Here’s a non-binary individual!” It plays it as if it’s a social norm, which, in the story, it likely is. I like that there are markers so that people know what they prefer so they aren’t referenced in the wrong gender. Something that would be interesting in our society, but the implementation of which would probably cause the wrong reaction. It would be another label, or marker, that someone is different. So maybe I take it back but moving on.

Honestly, I feel like this story needs a map. I need a clear representation of this world. Especially as the story continues because they’re traveling to a different land.

I enjoy the lore, the religion, and the excerpts from documentation and stories that exist in the world of the story. It gives it a level of reality that some stories lack.

I like the discussion of addiction in the sense of not only alcohol, but also gambling and the difficulty that comes with quitting. I think it was interesting when Cayo found himself under that influence again and the fact that there are repercussions of his actions.

I look forward to the continuation of the story and I’m excited to see where the author takes it.

Date Read: Jan 17th-Jan 25th, 2020

Recommended: yes.

Where to buy: AMAZON, BARNES AND NOBLE, BOOKS-A-MILLION, BOOK DEPOSITORY, THRIFT BOOKS

#scavenge the stars #tara sim #book review #book reviews #young adult #retelling #fantasy #count of monte cristo #recommended #4 stars #january 2020 #lgbtq

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lettersandinkstains · 4 years

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Writeblr Positivity Week Shout Outs

So, to preface: I wish I could tag each and everyone of you -- since you’re all really awesome and you’ve been so good to me and just. Everyone in the writeblr community is just incredible. I have never come across such a supportive group on a social media website before -- and I’ve been around since websites started to become a thing.

Kudos, writeblr. You’re doing something great.

However, I think there’s a few people I’d like to acknowledge:

@ofinscriptions || you are like one of my closest friends, and I am so surprised about how fast we became friends. You DM’d me one day this past summer because of a character in my icon and since then, each day has been a blessing to talk to you. You’re funny, you’re kind, you listen to me ramble about the most inane stuff -- and you let me vent. You’re truly one of a kind. And my god, I love your writing. I love your art. You are an incredibly talented person and I do hope you share more of your works with the world. Ily my lovely friend.

@klywrites || Kly. There’s just so much I want to say but I don’t even know where to begin. I know I tag you a lot, but you’re an amazing person. You have a beautiful personality, you’re so creative, and you’re so, so supportive of your fellow writers. There are a lot of times I want to talk to you because you are just so cool but ahhhh. I never know what to say!! Your WIPs, especially Radiant Spectre, is so well thought out. Everything I see you create makes me so excited. And your arts so cute and lovely too! Keep on!

@livvywrites || Livvy! Another fantastic, beautiful person! I love your imagination, I love seeing what you can do with it! Your worldbuilding is superb, and I always see you around, all excited over people’s works and it gets me excited too! The Martyr Queen is what drew me into your works, and from there, I was absolutely addicted! Fantasy is wonderful genre, and you’re going to do wonderful things with it!

@royalbounties || Jaecyn! I was so honored to meet you this past summer! You have such a sweet soul, and you are a person I truly and highly respect. I hold your opinions in high regards and am so thankful that you’re in the writeblr community! I adore you and cannot wait to hold your Faerth series in my hands one day!

@pens-swords-stuff || Undine! You are one of the first people I followed in the Writeblr community! You do so many wonderful things, and you’re an all around genuinely nice and positive person! You’re so patient and you’re so helpful for newcomers to the community. Just. I aspire to be like you!

@esoteric-eclectic-eccentric || You’re also one of the first people I followed in the writeblr community! You’re incredibly kind as well, and the events you do where you draw other people’s OC’s is amazing! 100% so glad I have had the chance to get to know you!! And the fact that you’re always sending people asks about their WIPs and OCs? Amazing! Don’t know how you do it, but you do and you add so much to our community as well! I’m looking forward to seeing more of your stuff!

@quilloftheclouds || Quill. You are so genuinely exciting and excitable, and you’re always sending people asks and getting so involved with this community as well! Your kindness does so much too, and your words always resonate with me. Just. I don’t know what to say. You’re sunlight in this community!

@pansdora || hello! we just met, maybe a week ago? Well, regardless! I just wanted to say: I see your moodboards on my dash a lot, and you are so incredibly talented as well! I am excited to see you around more and to get to know you -- and your works -- better!

@authoressasusual || And hello to you as well! Another wonderful human being I’m excited to get to know! Whenever you pop up on my dash and in my notifications, you’re always supporting other writers, and you always have something nice to say! And I am excited to see more about The New Apprentice

@milkyway-writes || FELLOW BIRTHDAY HOLDER HELLO! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And you! You are also a wonderful and kind person, and I am so much in love with Love Is...SO COMPELLED by the story, the characters, your writing! Just !! Amazing!!!

Of course, there’s so many more of you and I wish I could name you all!! Unfortunately, homework and sleep calls. And don’t forget, you’re all so amazing and wonderful. And I’m glad you guys (all of you) are in my life ♥

#writeblr positivity week #wpw #writeblr #shout outs #hopefully i got everyone #BUT #i might do more shout outs over the weekend

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sachiel21 · 5 years

Text

How I Got Into Bumbleby: My Personal Story

It was September 2015, my boyfriend and I – alright full disclosure, I hope I don’t lose any followers for this, if I had to categorize myself, I guess I would be on the straighter side of the bisexual spectrum? I’ve definitely had attraction to women before but I am more physically attracted to men. And this sounds super cliché, but I am a hopeless romantic and I honestly, truly believe in the concept of Love is Love, and it really doesn’t matter what sex/gender a person is.

Anyways back to the story, my boyfriend and I were browsing Youtube on the TV and we saw a ScrewAttack Death Battle between Tifa Lockheart and Yang Xiao Long. We were both huge final fantasy fans so we pegged Tifa to win. Tifa had the God Hand and all those limit breaks. Who was Yang? Oh she’s from that RWBY show? I had seen the show on Netflix before but I didn’t watch it because it had a strange movie time length of like 1 hour 45 mins, but anyways. We watched the fight and to our surprise, Yang won the death battle, wha?

Because of that, we started watching RWBY to see what it was all about. I remember feeling pretty blasé after watching first season. I thought the story felt kind of unoriginal and the voice acting was amateurish. The only things that we really liked about it were the action fight scenes which were really well choreographed. My boyfriend said it was a person named Monty Oum who was behind them and showed me a few of his Dead Fantasy videos which were pretty cool.

Learning about Monty’s death hit me in a way I did not expect. I didn’t know him, I never met him, and I had just begun to know his work but when I read the Wikipedia page about the way he died, I felt mad, like the world had been robbed of a great talent, and sad, that he wouldn’t be able to see how big RWBY had gotten and the full impact his creation would have on so many people. Life really is unfair at times…

Anyways, we continued watching RWBY into the second season, I still wasn’t expecting very much except for good fight scenes but I had started liking Vol 2 a little more because we saw a lot more of Blake who was my favourite character at the time. I really related to her, she was cool, sexy and mysterious and she read a lot of books like me! Lol.

Then Chapter 6 Burning the Candle happened… I was watching that episode and thinking like, ooo this feels charged. There was shoving, then a hug, and what? Save you a dance with a wink? Did you see the soft way Blake looked at her? My non-existent gaydar was tingling.

I was washing dishes after dinner when the following episode played. I asked my boyfriend,

“Did they actually dance together?”

“Yes.”

Hmmm….

I didn’t actually think that they would dance together. Flirting between girls in anime is pretty common but nothing meaningful usually happens. But Blake and Yang did dance together, two girls. The reason I mention this is this straight-ish girl who was blindsided by korrasami could see Bumbleby really early on.

It was the first time I started thinking, hey Blake and Yang would look really cute together. It was from a purely aesthetic standpoint at first. I just thought they would look good together and it would be kind of hot. I had this image in my head of Yang hugging and kissing Blake from behind while she was leaning over, doing make up or something. This scene actually made it into my first fanfic Prove Me Wrong, Ch 20 Insatiable.

Just for fun, I googled “Blake and Yang.” The first auto complete was “Blake and Yang Kiss.” Clearly, I wasn’t the first person to have this idea. I saw the picture ‘kiss’ by artist possumomo on deviant art and instantly I was hooked. The first fanfic I ever read was Stoke the Fire by Weaseltotheface and whoo, if you haven’t read, it is explicit by even today’s standards, lol.

I learned how to filter things on ff.net and started reading A LOT of fanfics. At the time, there were 742 fics for the pairing Blake and Yang on ff.net. I burned through all the well-known fanfics with the high favourites count working my way down the list. Second Dance, Coffee with Strangers, Soulbound, Days of Winter, so many other good fics, blew my mind.

Eventually, I read almost every Bumbleby fic on ff.net. So desperate was I to get more bumbleby, I turned off the pairing and started reading fics with just having them as characters in the filter so I could get even a little Blake and Yang interaction. Oh gosh, I think I was addicted, Bumbleby Addict, get it? I can’t tell you how many White Rose fics I flipped through just so I could get a smidgen of Bumbleby. Too many, if you ask me.

Through fanfiction reading, I was able to get a better grasp of Blake and Yang’s characters and I really fell in love with them all over again. Blake and Yang are strong characters on their own, they have unique personalities and interesting back stories but when they’re together… It becomes something really special. They just fit. They complement each other in every way. They need each other.

I guess one of the reasons I like them so much is I see a lot of myself in both characters. As I said before, I really relate to Blake especially. I am an extreme introvert with a seemingly closed off personality at first. We seem so quiet and controlled on the surface, like we’re content with being alone but on the inside we want it so badly, that one person to open up to, to let loose with, to show affection to. I’m fortunate that I’ve found my person and for Blake, I whole-heartedly believe that person is Yang.

I love Bumbleby with all my heart. I really want to thank Monty Oum for creating these two characters that I connected so strongly with. They inspired me to start writing and drawing again after a 10 year dry spell. I’ve never felt as creative as I do now, the synapses are definitely firing. So thank you Monty, from the bottom of my heart. Where ever you are, up there in heaven, I hope you can see the positive impact your creation has had on so many of our lives. Thank you so much.

#bumbleby #my personal story #Thank you Monty Oum #thank you crwby #rwby

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